The Iveys Releasing Rare Demos Collection

11-10-2025

(Glass Onyon) Y&T Music is proud to announce the release of a previously unreleased album by The Iveys, Miniskirts And Rainbows. The album, which features 19 rare demos, recorded between 1966 and 1969, will be released on CD and all streaming services on November 28, 2025. There will also be a strictly limited edition 17-track vinyl pressing of 300 copies.

There were a few major developments since the last Iveys release, titled, How Much Is The Sky. The release of Pete Ham's Acoustic album was the follow-up release to Y&T Music's Gwent Gardens, which has sold out, and Badfinger's long lost final album recorded with Pete Ham, Head First, was remixed from the original multi-tracks and issued on both CD and vinyl as a special 50th Anniversary edition.

Badfinger archivist & historian Tom Brennan has been compiling and editing this new collection of rare & interesting demos since 2024, and mastering engineer & Badfinger historian Kevin McElligott has been cleaning up the recordings during the past year for public consumption.

The CD edition of Miniskirts And Rainbows includes 19 tracks by The Iveys recorded between 1966 and 1969, of which, only 1 has ever been heard by serious collectors in the versions that appear here. The album contains 6 titles that are alternate versions of tracks by The Iveys or Badfinger that have been previously released, and 10 titles that either collectors or the public have never heard of before. Three of these are solo demos by Mike Gibbins, and two by bassist, Ron Griffiths.

The theme of this Iveys Volume 5 Anthology collection is based on the song "Black & White Rainbows" which makes reference to a purple miniskirt in addition to its title. Of course, we also have the opening and closing tracks which have the word "miniskirt" in their titles.

For the first time, two songs written or co-written by Bill Collins, who was considered as the unofficial 5th member of the group, are included on an Iveys release. The first is a co-write with guitarist Tom Evans, called "Good Boy", from the time in late Summer of 1967 when he had just joined the group. The second song which was entirely written by Collins for Apple artist Mary Hopkin in November 1969, was a song called "All The Fun Of The Fair." On the demo produced by Tom Evans, Pete Ham sang the lead vocal.

In 1969, tape dubs of 6 Iveys demos were sent to both Paul McCartney and Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham to get their opinions for which songs they should record for a follow-up single to "Maybe Tomorrow." The last of these to be issued, The Iveys' own version of "Blodwyn" appears here.

THE SONGS (CD edition)

1. Cleopatra In A Miniskirt
2. I Love You
3. Blodwyn [demo]
4. All Of My Life
5. That's Okay
6. Spider Woman
7. Angelique [demo]
8. Bound To Get Lucky Someday
9. Girl Without Love
10. Black & White Rainbows [version 2]
11. Tomorrow Today [version 2]
12. Yesterday Ain't Coming Back [demo]
13. Love Means Happiness
14. Good Boy
15. All The Fun Of The Fair
16. Please Understand Love
17. I Miss You [demo]
18. I Love The Way You Hate Me
19. Girl Next Door In The Miniskirt [whistling version]

THE SONGS (vinyl edition)

SIDE 1:

1. Cleopatra In A Miniskirt
2. I Love You
3. Blodwyn [demo]
4. All Of My Life
5. That's Okay
6. Spider Woman
7. Angelique [demo]
8. Bound To Get Lucky Someday
9. Black & White Rainbows [version 2]

SIDE 2:

1. Tomorrow Today [version 2]
2. Yesterday Ain't Coming Back [demo]
3. Love Means Happiness
4. All The Fun Of The Fair
5. Please Understand Love
6. I Miss You [demo]
7. I Love The Way You Hate Me
8. Girl Next Door In The Miniskirt [whistling version]