How police called for Derek & Clive prosecutions

Obscene publications squads from West Yorkshire and Wolverhampton called on the public prosecutor to take action against the recording, while Scotland Yard also pressed for prosecution after an advert for a bootleg appeared in a theatre programme.

The original tapes, recorded late at night in New York in 1973, were intended as a private joke – but bootlegs of the filthy material began to circulate, and they were released commercially three years later. In the most memorable exchange, Cook describes in great detail the worst job he ever had as removing lobsters from the rectum of Jayne Mansfield.

Despite the album carrying a warning about its explicit nature, the files from the Director Of Public Prosecutions released by the National Archives this week reveal the extent of the calls for the LP to be banned.

A PC Wilson, of West Yorkshire police, felt that even an article about the recording published in the NME should have been banned, and passed on a complaint from the parents of a14-year-old girl.

Two officers from Wolverhampton obscene publications squad told the prosecutor how they made a ‘test purchase’ of Derek and Clive (Live) and listened to both sides. Sgt David Wilson wrote: ‘In my opinion it is of an obscene and offensive nature.’

The DPP case officer, Graham Grant-Whyte said: ‘It is crude – “fourth form lavatory humour” - excretory topics abound as does foul language.’ But Cook and Moore escaped prosecution.

Here is The Worst Job I Ever Had track:

• Click here to buy the CD of Derek And Clive Live from Amazon, priced £4.98.

Published: 16 Mar 2009