How the Bluetones made Slight Return

The Bluetones began as a three-piece—Mark Morriss, Adam Devlin and Scott—still honing a west-coast, mid-60s Crosby, Stills & Nash sound when they wrote Slight Return. Scott supplied the chord progressions and structure, recording onto cassette and overdubbing himself in a rudimentary four-tracking method; the band liked the result but didn’t expect instant success.

They sold a demo on blue 7-inchs at early gigs, and when A&M pushed for a single the band hesitated because their small fanbase already owned it. The label also wanted a different title—the phrase Slight Return doesn’t appear in the lyrics—though the name nods to the song’s final line, “I’m coming home but just for a short while,” and to Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Child (Slight Return).

Once released, the single “went ballistic,” hitting No 2 in midweek charts and selling by the truckload. Adam recalls the group living together in Hounslow and shifting roles—Mark becoming singer, Adam moving to lead guitar—while Eds Chesters, who had played with Soho, later joined on drums.

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