One of the more popular bands on the London "psychedelic" scene during the mid-60s, The Derbyshire Constabulary first came to prominence with the sharp poppy merseybeat album "Get On The Bus", an unexpected summer hit in 1967. This was quickly followed by the Byrds-inspired "Big Bus Songs" (1968) which reached Gold album status and resulted in The Derbyshire Constabulary's first US tour, supporting The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
The band signed with Polydor records in 1969 and retired to the studio to begin work on their third album. However prolonged legal battles with their previous record company resulted in a year long delay, after which "Open the Bus" was released in 1970 to critical derision and poor record sales. The band was unceremoniously dropped by Polydor and spent the next 6 months on hiatus, before undertaking a mini-tour of London and the Home Counties in the Spring of 1971. This resulted in a quick signing to Island records for a one record deal - the live double album "Here Come De Bus", recorded at the legendary Railway Hotel in Brixton. The album fared well, remaining in the Top 30 for 10 weeks between July and August 1971.
After a brief flirtation with Glam Rock in 1972 ("The Five Tales of Doctor Bus"), followed by the 1974 Heavy Rock collaboration with the Portsmouth Philharmonic Orchestra ("Bus Conducting") the Derbys (as their fans affectionately called them) widened their musical scope to include US Soul and World Music. The 1975 Stevie Wonder-produced double concept album "Bus Baby (The Africa Suite)" alienated some fans but gained more, especially in Russia where The Derbyshire Constabulary became one of the few bands to play behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.
Jumping on the Disco bandwagon, the Derbys shot up the US Billboard charts in 1977 with "Bus Wars", which (unusually for the band) spawned three top 40 singles - "Buswalker", "Beggar's Canyon Blues" and "Do The Wookie". However by the end of the decade the Derbys appeared to have run out of ideas, and the belated attempt at a "punk" album ("Bus Clinic", 1979) became the last recorded output by The Derbyshire Constabulary. The album failed to chart and the band split up in January 1980.
The band reformed (with all original members) as "Derby" in 1983. Primarily based around the South London area, and modelling themselves somewhat on the Police, their post-ska sound was particularly well-received on the student circuit. Three albums followed, on three different labels - "Whoops, Vicar, There Goes My Bus" (1983), "Bus of The Antarctic" (1984) and "Oi! You Looking at my Bus?" (1987) before the band split once more, citing "musical differences".
Reforming once more as "The Derbys" in 1993, and despite the advancing age of their members, the band successfully slotted into the burgeoning "indie" movement, producing two albums of accessible Britpop - "Bus" (1993) and "Un-Bus" (1995) before splitting up again in 1996, this time allegedly for good.
Although by no means an innovative band, the Derbys nevertheless had the unerring knack of capturing the zeitgeist of whichever time they found themselves in, perfectly absorbing (and in turn being absorbed by) the current musical scene. Unfortunately due to the wide diversity of the band's musical styles (and almost complete lack of singles) a Greatest Hits compilation has never materialised. The last addition to the Derbys' discography was the 2009-released album of recently discovered demos and outtakes from the 1970 hiatus "The Bus Stop Sessions".
The band signed with Polydor records in 1969 and retired to the studio to begin work on their third album. However prolonged legal battles with their previous record company resulted in a year long delay, after which "Open the Bus" was released in 1970 to critical derision and poor record sales. The band was unceremoniously dropped by Polydor and spent the next 6 months on hiatus, before undertaking a mini-tour of London and the Home Counties in the Spring of 1971. This resulted in a quick signing to Island records for a one record deal - the live double album "Here Come De Bus", recorded at the legendary Railway Hotel in Brixton. The album fared well, remaining in the Top 30 for 10 weeks between July and August 1971.
After a brief flirtation with Glam Rock in 1972 ("The Five Tales of Doctor Bus"), followed by the 1974 Heavy Rock collaboration with the Portsmouth Philharmonic Orchestra ("Bus Conducting") the Derbys (as their fans affectionately called them) widened their musical scope to include US Soul and World Music. The 1975 Stevie Wonder-produced double concept album "Bus Baby (The Africa Suite)" alienated some fans but gained more, especially in Russia where The Derbyshire Constabulary became one of the few bands to play behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.
Jumping on the Disco bandwagon, the Derbys shot up the US Billboard charts in 1977 with "Bus Wars", which (unusually for the band) spawned three top 40 singles - "Buswalker", "Beggar's Canyon Blues" and "Do The Wookie". However by the end of the decade the Derbys appeared to have run out of ideas, and the belated attempt at a "punk" album ("Bus Clinic", 1979) became the last recorded output by The Derbyshire Constabulary. The album failed to chart and the band split up in January 1980.
The band reformed (with all original members) as "Derby" in 1983. Primarily based around the South London area, and modelling themselves somewhat on the Police, their post-ska sound was particularly well-received on the student circuit. Three albums followed, on three different labels - "Whoops, Vicar, There Goes My Bus" (1983), "Bus of The Antarctic" (1984) and "Oi! You Looking at my Bus?" (1987) before the band split once more, citing "musical differences".
Reforming once more as "The Derbys" in 1993, and despite the advancing age of their members, the band successfully slotted into the burgeoning "indie" movement, producing two albums of accessible Britpop - "Bus" (1993) and "Un-Bus" (1995) before splitting up again in 1996, this time allegedly for good.
Although by no means an innovative band, the Derbys nevertheless had the unerring knack of capturing the zeitgeist of whichever time they found themselves in, perfectly absorbing (and in turn being absorbed by) the current musical scene. Unfortunately due to the wide diversity of the band's musical styles (and almost complete lack of singles) a Greatest Hits compilation has never materialised. The last addition to the Derbys' discography was the 2009-released album of recently discovered demos and outtakes from the 1970 hiatus "The Bus Stop Sessions".
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