Grand Union was released on 13 May 1991. It is the first album to feature Irish band The Pyros, which Frank would work with on the following album Worried Men in Second Hand Suits. The album was recorded at Sawmills Studio in Cornwall and at WW1, Harrow Road, London. Background Grand Union was written by Frank Tovey as an autobiographical album based on a set of coincidences that happened within his life. Frank described the album as a ‘metaphoric vehicle’. He found that people and places involved in his music were located around the Grand Union Canal in London; including Mute Records, whose premises back on to the Grand Union Canal in the Harrow Road. All the songs were written by Frank on acoustic guitar becoming rockier when recorded with additional bass and drums. Pressure was taken off of Frank through working with other musicians. Frank would turn up at rehearsals with an acoustic guitar and completed songs. The other musicians would then just join in; Frank never had to tell them what to play. He found this way of working really refreshing. At the time Frank had begun working with the Pyros. The band, originally from Ireland, had moved to London and began working with Frank after meeting up at Hermes Point (near the Harrow Road), where the Pyros were living at the time. They would sit down and play some songs from Frank's previous album, Tyranny and the Hired Hand. After getting on well they worked with Frank for the next couple of years. This led to the creation of what became Frank Tovey and the Pyros, the name Frank would use on both Grand Union and his last studio album Worried Men in Second Hand Suits. All the time they worked with Frank, the Pyros had began to sound more electronic while Frank became more folk oriented in style. Acoustic instruments were used to form the basis of the songs, with some traditional Irish elements used to serve the whole recording. Frank had many ideas for the way he wanted the album to sound, one being the building of a solid body, electric five-string banjo for the recording of the album. These mix of influence formed the production, sound and style of the album. Song meanings The songs included stories and ideas based on the name sake area. the Grand Union canal including "Bad Day in Bow