The Servants’ “lost” second album, Small Time, is to be released some 20 years after it was abandoned, unfinished.

Formed in Hayes, Middlesex in 1985 as a vehicle for singer and songwriter David Westlake, The Servants enjoyed solid cult status during their lifetime, helped no doubt by their inclusion on NME’s era-defining C86 compilation. A pre-Belle & Sebastian Stuart Murdoch was a huge fan, and reportedly tried to track Westlake down during his reclusive years, in the hope of forming a band with him.

In ’87, Luke Haines, later of The Auteurs, joined The Servants on guitar and contributed significantly to debut album Disinterest, which came out in ’89 on Paperhouse after short and disastrous stints on  Creation and Glass Records. It received generally favourable notices, and yielded the singles ‘It’s My Turn’ and ‘Look Like A Girl’. Westlake and Haines quickly began work on a follow-up, provisionally named Small Time. “The demos are great,” Haines said, “but the album never gets made.” The band split in ’91, and Smalltime never saw the light of day.

Last year, Captured Tracks released Youth Club Disco, a vinyl compilation focussing on The Servants’ pre-Disinterest singles and recordings. Now, finally, the demos of Small Time are set to the light of day, as part of a two-disc set being released by Cherry Red on October 22. The second disc, dubbed Hey Hey We’re The Manques, compiles rare demos and rehearsal versions of songs from Disinterest.

More information here.

CD ONE: SMALL TIME
1. EVERYBODY HAS A DREAM
2. DON’T LEAVE TOWN
3. PEOPLE GOING PLACES
4. COMPLETE WORKS
5. DATING THEN WAITING
6. BORN TO DANCE
7. MOTIVATION
8. LET’S LIVE A LITTLE
9. AIM IN LIFE
10. REJECTION
11. FEAR EATS THE SOUL
12. THE THRILL OF IT ALL
13. ALL TALK
14. OUT OF YOUR LIFE
15. SLOW DANCING
16. BORN TO DANCE (Alt Version)
17. THE THRILL OF IT ALL (Alt Version)
18. ALL TALK (Alt Version)
19. OUT OF YOUR LIFE (Alt Version)

CD TWO:
HEY HEY WE’RE THE MANQUÉS
(THE DISINTEREST DEMOS)
1. THE WORD AROUND TOWN
2. SHE WHOM ONCE I DREAMT OF
3. YOU’D DO ME GOOD
4. SHE GREW AND SHE GREW
5. SHE’S ALWAYS HIDING
6. LOOK LIKE A GIRL
7. THIRD WHEEL
8. THIN-SKINNED
9. HEY, MRS JOHN
10. THEY SHOULD MAKE A STATUE
11. MOVE OUT
12. BIG FUTURE
13. RESTLESS
14. THE POWER OF WOMAN
15. HUSH NOW
16. AFTERGLOW
17. SELF-DESTRUCTION