Low Down Kids

The Troggs - The True Troggs Tapes?

2011-05-18T21:01:00.001+02:00

1978, and then came the terrible Troggs. Yep, "Just A Little Too Much" is right up there with the best thuggy garage punk'n'roll of The Hammersmith Gorillas etc. But we can come back to that another day. Today's treat is the B-side, "The True Troggs Tapes?", which sees our heroes in conversation with their sharky manager (played by Lee Wood himself). Highlights? Lots, but maybe the LDK favourite is the discussion about them being docked money for arriving at a gig late:
(manager): "When he says you'll be there at 6 o'clock... y'know, quarter past six..."
(Reg): "... but a.m.?"

***

Revenge - Our Generation

2010-10-22T11:57:00.002+02:00

Without doubt, hands-down, stand-on-me, "Our Generation" is one of the best singles ever made by anyone anywhere any-ever. If the boffins could only bottle this it'd solve our looming energy crisis in one fell-swoop. Quite how three suburbanites could possibly have summoned up all the forces of gravity/anti-gravity, dark-energy and dark-matter - plus a soupcon of The Kinks, of course - in less than two minutes of by-numbers punk rock is a mystery. A supernova this explosive would be the stuff of myth... if it wasn't, somehow, miraculously, true.

**

The Method - Chances LP

2010-10-19T15:01:00.003+02:00

It's 1981, and The Method have got a bone to pick. After a clutch of singles (not including the one on JK's UK label, which was someone else) they'd kinda got the hump with it all by the time of this 1981 album (limited to a pressing of 200 copies, apparently) and, although one side is just a fairly straightforward live-at-Dingwalls jobby which takes in a cover of the Yardbirds "Over Under Sideways Down", the other side is like Ivor Cutler's "Life In A Scotch Sitting Room" only with 'the biz' as its general grump-de-jour. They're not happy.

So anyway, here's an mp3 of bits of the stuff through the album. For my money, I wish it was all like the Ivor side - I could live without the live gear, which especially flags up a worrying penchant for sounding a little like a new wave Caravan or Henry Cow or something. The sleeve scan might need explaining: the browny-orange areas are actually sun-damage on this copy.

**

RB's - Explain

2010-09-14T14:21:00.004+02:00

The RB's were, well... just check here. It's nearly all in foreign, but it's piece-able. "Explain" is top-notch kneejerk 2-Tone, with a throaty Graham Parker-ish vocal kinda nearly out of the Sneeky Feelin's playbook. The single was released in the UK on the Phoenix label (no p/s) and in Holland (on Fleet) with this nice p/s.

Short version of who was who: Robert Bell (producer) was Blue Nile bloke, and at least a couple of the band were ex-Street People:

The Groovies - Boys Ride Bikes

2010-07-21T16:16:00.006+02:00

Look, I know nothing. Don't wanna know anything, to be fair, unless it should turn out that one of these fresh-facers subsequently became someone important (like the boy Ramazotti on the cover of the Handbag album... right?) in which case, well, that'd be quite interesting. What I do know is that the 'band' was from Munich, with at least a bit of Brit input (some lyrics, though mostly the boys wrote their own...), and that "Boys Ride Bikes And Girls Wanna Dance" was their only single. Presumably it sank like the proverbial: I dunno, maybe Germany had had all the tween-action it could take from The Teens. I dunno. Anyway, while still in the first-flushes of optimism, the label (Jupiter) plumped for an album too. Which was nice of them. They were even supportive enough to include a dreamy poster with the LP.

Although the single is a cropper-upper reasonably regularly, the LP must have failed really quite spectacularly cos they seem to be pretty thin on the ground (especially still with the poster).

**

Banditz - J.C.B.

2010-07-08T17:32:00.005+02:00

Comes up every now and again, the glory of the Banditz and their "Bingo"-tastic "J.C.B.". The only record, sad to say, by this bunch of Irish hopefuls. Well, I'm assuming they were hopeful, and not woefully pessimistic about it and everything, cos the record sounds jolly enough. If anyone has any stories of how, down the pub, these Banditz were the life-and-soul, constantly cracking jokes and happily bringing crisps (or scratchies) back to the table when it's their turn to get a round in, please mail me and let me know. On the other hand, if they were a scrote-ful of misery-guts I don't wanna know.

**

Border - Song For J

2010-07-06T16:02:00.004+02:00

Border's "Song For J." came out in 1978 - too late for the pub/country-rock trend and too early for any NWOBHM-interest in the top-solid axe wielding. Maybe it could drink in the same pub as The Brills' "Burst Of Old Flames". Got a good amount of Be Bop Deluxe about it, don't you think?

In the ol' 'Revs, wot we have is:
EP
1- SONG FOR J (T. Smith) //
2- EASY (T. Smith)
3- GOING AWAY (T. Smith)
11/78- Pear Rec. PRMS-001 ps - 7”
**1/2

A rock band from the Cleveland area (North-
East of England) formed in 1977 by Terry
Smith (v/gtr), Dave Smith (b) and Stephen
Doneathy (d), Border recorded their lone EP
in September 1978 and released the single in
November on their own Pear Records (an obvious
spoof on The Beatles’ Apple) in an edition
of a few hundred copies, almost all sold
locally.

**

Terminal - Am I Doing It Right

2010-06-16T19:39:00.003+02:00

The folk over at My Life's A Jigsaw have today posted "Hold On", the first single by this bunch of ne'er-do-wells from North Wales. So, like Marcel Desailly, I thought "why not?", and have dug out the band's 1982 second single for your delectation. "Am I Doing It Right" comes in a triple-fold cardboard p/s, with lyrics and a band photo and everything. It's a fine example of what 'we' here at LDK like to call 'widescreen powerpop': that's basically something powerpop(-ish) with visions of one night meeting with The Boss under the giant Exxon sign. Others in this category (a category yet to feature heavily as a keyword in eBay listings, dunno why) are "Wonderland" by The Realists and "Nice Girls" by Living Intents. Oh, and "Concrete City" by All The Rage.

***

021 - The Pop Song

2010-06-15T12:59:00.002+02:00

1982 powerpop wonder from Midlands (again) combo. Look, I went to Walsall (where this was recorded) once and I swear I never got no wind of nothing as nice as this. It was wall-to-wall grebos the day I was there. I bet the great unwashed haven't even done the called-for thing and set aside a day in the year to properly celebrate the '21 and their slice of unbridled pop charm.

Both sides do it, but A-side "The Pop Song" does it toppermost.

***

Revenge - Gimme The Good Times

2010-06-12T12:02:00.006+02:00

A 1980 SRT private-pressing one-and-only by a Midlands combo. It's supposedly a double-A-side jobby but, although both sides kinda push the right buttons, the LDK nod goes to
"Gimme The Good Times" (or "Gimmy The Good Times", as the label says; when have you ever seen it written 'gimmy'??). Two sleeve variations: one's an oversized cardboard thing, and the other's that same front design but as a same-size sticker on a plain cardboard sleeve.

***

Porno Cassettes

2010-06-10T15:39:00.002+02:00

Allegedly something nice from the oi-punk good old days, "Your Face, A Fucking Disgrace" is a bit of a mystery. Anyone actually got this record?

***

Nits attack!

2010-03-05T17:24:00.010+01:00

Who says you can have too much of a good thing? Here's a raft (the official collective-noun for Nits records) of the first Nits single from 1977. Recorded in Wales, don't you know. Dutch band. Powerpop, don't you know.

Although "Yes Or No" isn't as rare as the band's debut album (which is widely unknown, even amongst Nits-likers) it's still a job-and-a-half to get the set. Cos you gotta have the one WITH the handclaps (that's the first one here), the one WITHOUT the handclaps (the one in the middle) and the separated-at-birth Belgian edition (the German edition is nice but optional, cos the sleeve's totally different. Plus: I don't have that one, so I'm in denial.)

Interestingly (it is interesting, right?), the Burdorf Booking logo on the sleeve is only the right-way-round on the first one.

I have all of these for sale at the LDK site. Don't you know.

**

Brown Sauce - I Wanna Be A Winner

2010-02-21T16:03:00.004+01:00

"Co-written by B.A. Robertson and Noel Edmonds". Now, normally you'd be forgiven for thinking that the phrase that rightly follows this is "Be afraid, be very afraid" but, somehow, no. "I Wanna Be A Winner" is a solid faux-powerpopper. How come? No idea. 1982. Telly people.

Pictured here is the super-elusive Dutch pressing which sports a different p/s to the common-enough UK and German issues. I just got this one yesterday. In a shop, it was either this or an acetate of the Tapeworm single, so obviously I made the right choice again.

**

The Knack

2010-02-18T15:53:00.007+01:00

See, already by the second album they were on the (Doors-) defensive: "...but the little girls understand". Critics of the 'cool' persuasion might've derided their blatant commercialism, and wet lefties might've got all hot 'n' bothered over the band's seeming uber-sleaze, but those of us who still believe in Shea Stadium and in "1-2-3 Red Light"... well, 'little girls', we're with you.

**

Crash Action Winners - Hurricane Fighter Plane

2010-02-16T13:34:00.008+01:00

A mystery. An enigma. A mystery wrapped in an enigma, blindfolded and walked anti-clockwise 13 times round the old chapel. The only (thankfully, some say) vinyl outing by this Messthetics-approved UK non-band is one wot I get arsked about a fair bit... not least reason for which is that the copy I have for sale here is so hideously dear. "Why-for-pan-u-soft-tom?", I hear the cry (go on, join in - it's all the rage), although according to them as who knows these things best (that'll be meneer Kugelberg, then) its wonders are beyond reproach and its mysterious enigma bathes the very sunlight itself in its golden 1980 DIY glow.

"Brave but misguided", said Mayo Thompson when confronted with this version of his old Red Crayola chestnut. He was being kind.

**

Media - Rose 'n' Crown

2010-02-14T17:19:00.016+01:00

NO DARLING, I LOVE THE MEDIA EP
1- T.V. KIDS (P. Rossie / M. Wichello / M. Jacks / B. Lee)
2- DON’T SIT BACK (P. Rossie / M. Wichello / M. Jacks / B. Lee) //
3- GETTING HIGH (P. Rossie / M. Wichello / M. Jacks / B. Lee)
4- ROSE 'N' CROWN (P. Rossie / M. Wichello / M. Jacks / B. Lee)
07/79- Tearaway Rec. TA-001 ps - 7”
Note: track 3 mistakenly listed as JUST FOR YOU on the labels
(hence most copies have a black line through the title. I have one
without the correction for sale here).
***

Not to be confused with an unrecorded Bristol-based Punk outfit
of the same name who featured Thos Brooman of The Spics/Joe Public, The Media hailed from Drayton, near Portsmouth, and were active on the Hampshire scene from 1978 with a line-up of Martin Jacks (v, ex-The Nurds), Michael 'Chello' Wichello (b, ex-The Boasters), Pete Rossie/Rossi (gtr, ex-The Nurds) and Brian Lee (d). A self-financed EP was recorded in the spring of the following year at Portsmouth’s Telecomms Studios and appeared on the band-owned Tearaway label in July in an edition of 1,500 copies (600 of which were sold through Rough Trade). Its four Punk Rock songs are furiously performed but also show a certain dose of originality: the 7” is definitely recommended to genre collectors.

This one now cos me and Hyped2Death honcho-in-chief Chuckie were recently musing and pondering what the story must be with the Rose And Crown thing. Is it actually about the NI bombing, or have we missed something?

**

Uncle Po - the award season is upon us

2010-02-10T15:47:00.002+01:00

Yeah yeah, we've all got one of those.

1- USE MY FRIENDS (A. King)
2- 15 MINUTES (R. Williams / A. King)
06/78- Beeb Rec. BEEB-023 co.sl. - 7”
Note: demo/promo copies exist; push-out or solid
centre.
***

Named after a club in Berlin, and with their first
gig taking place on November 26, 1976 (the
same day The Sex Pistols released ANARCHY
IN THE UK), Uncle Po were a Bristol-area
Soul/Funk/Jazz band comprising Rob Williams
(gtr), Andy Wills (sax/fl/v) and Lyndon Parry
(b/v), all previously with local Soul combo
Wisper, plus Gavin King (v/gtr), Helen 'Spike'
Bevington (k/vn/v) and Steve 'Basher' Barnett
(d). Alongside their own gigs, the group also
backed crooning FOOL hitmaker Al Matthews
on tour and in spring 1977 they won the
'Regional Bands in Session' competition associated
with the BBC’s travelling music-trivia programme
'Quiz Kid’ on Radio 1. A contract with
the BBC for the release of a long-player on its
Beeb label was signed, but personnel changes at
the BBC and a more New Wave approach in
Uncle Po’s musical direction delayed the project.
With the album still unrecorded in October
1977, the combo reached the Wembley final of
another competition, the US Deodorant-sponsored
'Rock Band of The Year' event (won by
Marseille). Disillusioned, Barnett quit and was
replaced by Jim Hill who debuted with the
group on November 25, 1977, completing Uncle
Po’s transformation into a New Wave outfit (a
change noted with enthusiasm in a Sounds live
review on February 18, 1978). In the new year,
the band eventually recorded a single for the
BBC. Produced by Mike Harding (taped on
February 1, ’78, and mixed three days later),
both sides of the 7” are strong compositions in a
poppier sort of Graham Parker style. 15 MINUTES
could easily have been promoted as a
double A-side with USE MY FRIENDS (its original
title SCREW MY FRIENDS was deemed
inappropriate by the BBC) – had it been promoted
at all, that is. The 7’’ sold poorly and is
now very rare. After a final gig on May 24, 1978,
at the Red Cow in Hammersmith, the combo
split: Gavin King formed Private Dicks, Rob
Williams resurfaced in The Fans, Jim Hill and
Lyndon Parry joined with former members of
Blue Movies to form Sneak Preview, releasing a
track on the local AVON CALLING compilation;
Hill later played with Juan Foot 'n' The
Grave and Parry formed Misdemeanour. Helen
Bevington rechristened herself Helen O’Hara
and worked with Blue Ox Babes and then
Dexy’s Midnight Runners before going solo.

**

New Statesman - I Walk In The Light

2010-02-04T15:18:00.010+01:00

New Statesman I Walk In The Light 7" Underground Music
UK 1981 minimal/new wave in super-rare p/s

It's a guilty pleasure, what can I say? Sleevelessly, they're dotted around the interwebs but copies with this nice foldy-over picture sleeve are totally AWOL. Except here.

**

The Eyes - before and after Raw

2010-01-30T16:34:00.007+01:00

First there was this:

1- WILD WILD WOMAN
(J. Anthony / D. Kane / J. Mills)
2- DRIVE ON (D. Kane / J. Anthony)
01/76- Vertigo Rec. 6084 301 ps - 7”;
Scandinavian pressing
Note: demo/promo copies include mono/stereo
versions of track 1 omitting track 2; stock copies
are much rarer.
*** (demos) **** (stock copies)

Eyes were formed in 1973 by Doug Kane (v)
and John Stuart Mills (gtr) [both ex-Gandalf,
an unrecorded Porstmouth-based combo
active from 1968 to 1972 who had supported
local dates by the likes of Genesis (during the
FOXTROT tour), Vinegar Joe, S.A.H.B. and
Uriah Heep] along with two musicians from
Bournemouth: Reg Marshall (b) and Bernie
James (d). In 1974 the quartet went to Germany,
where they secured a residency for two
months, and in 1975 – with new guitarist John
Stuart Mills replacing Bernie – they played in
Denmark (June) and Norway (September),
where they were introduced to Phonogram
Records. A single was recorded before the end
of the year and was issued only in Scandinavia
in January 1976 to tie in with a few live dates
which gained the band a sizeable following.
WILD WILD WOMAN and DRIVE ON are
two superior Hard Rockers which are wellworth
investigating to NWOBHM collectors,
although the A-side is not miles away from
Punk.

Then there was this:

and this:

At this point most folk think that was kinda the end of that, but it wasn't, cos there was this:

The "One Between The Eyes" LP, credited to Doug Kane, released in 1980. It's basically the recordings made by The Eyes for an LP in 1977, but with overdubs. Nice, eh? But anyway, here's the important bit: anyone got a STOCK copy of that first single they'd like to sell me, please?

**

some band: DEVOTION

2010-01-12T20:55:00.008+01:00

EP
1- DEVOTION
(M. Roberts / A. Shillito / M. Simpson) //
2- ACID (M. Roberts / M. Simpson)
3- ENERGY FOR THE UNIVERSE (M. Roberts)
04/79- Sapphire Rec. SRTS/FMR-016 no ps - 7”
****

A three-piece rock group from Hull, formed
early in 1978 by Andy Shillito (b), Mike Simpson
(d) and Marino Roberts (gtr/v) and originally
called The Seedy Gees, with a set of cover
versions. Later in the year the band began
writing their own material and changed their
moniker to Devotion, soon achieving a remarkable
popularity in the Hull area. Although Roberts also
handled lead vocals, it was his guitar playing
which was far-and-away the centrepiece of
the often-instrumental combo, a mixture of Neil
Young’s soaring melody and post-Hendrix blues.
In March 1979 Devotion entered Fairview Studio and
recorded three self-penned tracks: two instrumentals
– the Hard-Prog Rocker DEVOTION
and a superior Hard Rock number entitled
ACID – plus ENERGY FOR THE UNIVERSE,
a strong Guitar Rock cut sung by Marino
Roberts. A 7” EP was issued one month later
through the SRT plant in an edition of 1,000
copies, all sold locally. The platter, which
turns up very rarely, would remain Devotion’s
only release. Having being included in Greg
Shaw’s book 'New Wave On Record 1975-78'
the 7’’ is sought-after in New Wave circles
although it is definitely much more interesting
to NWOBHM buffs. Andy Shillito quit the
group before the end of 1979 forming
Mayfair, who failed to make it onto vinyl: he
would later go on to studio/live sound work.
Marino Roberts and Mike Simpson recruited
new bassist Rob Creber and continued as
Marino The Band, releasing a tape-only EP in
1983 and an album (WANNA KEEP YOU
SATISFIED) in 1985. Simpson later became a
respected drum teacher, while Roberts would
issue several solo albums as Marino as well
as assisting – live and in the studio – his
sister Lisa Dominique.

This is that 'mystery' band from the previous post. Thanks to those who mailed suggestions (six or seven people, all with different suggestions... none right!)

**

some band, but who?

2010-01-07T20:16:00.003+01:00

So look: who's this? The band's one-and-only is featured in '45 Revolutions'. I'm just kinda intrigued to know if anyone can legitimately hazard a guess from this photo, cos the other day I showed it to some bloke and he guessed right away. It was spooky.

**

Tony Parsons does 'punk' on Mastermind

2010-01-06T14:58:00.004+01:00

I dunno. From the bang of the kinderbunker and "The Boy Looked At Johnny" to a whimper: Tony Parsons just did 'UK punk and new wave' as his specialist subject on Celebrity Mastermind (BBC TV, 5th Jan.), and he was rubbish.

He was there, like - can't take that away from him - but the memory's gone. And in some pretty embarrassing ways, too: "the Hacienda"... I mean, you know, there's a limit, right?

**

John Cooper Clarke

2009-12-19T21:56:00.006+01:00

Just heard some new John Cooper Clarke on a BBC Radio 3 show. He's still fantastic. I'm resigned to the fact that I'll never get to see him live - well, not unless I move to the Grim North. Bugger. Still, there's always the totally brilliant "Où est la maison de fromage?" album, which John's kindly got posted in its entirety on his website.

**

Andy Cameron

2009-12-19T14:19:00.004+01:00

Anyone wanna sell me one of these picture sleeves?

**

Handbag - Superstar Car Crash

2009-09-01T13:20:00.008+02:00

Handbag's week:
Monday - Roxy
Tuesday - Roxy
Wednesday - Roxy
Thursday - Roxy
Friday - day off (bumped from the Roxy cos Slaughter & The Dogs are back, and this time they're bringing their own support)
Saturday - Roxy
Sunday - recording session for those Italian people

"Superstar Car Crash" was the best track from their album which only came out in Italy. Came out twice, though (you can't fault the label's dedication to tax loss) . Who be they Handbag folk? Good question. Another question: be that Eros Ramazotti as the teen punk on the sleeve of the second edition? Could be. Might be. Hope so.

This track was used as the first of the 2005 LDK lathe-cut singles.

**

Flat Out - Kultchur

2009-08-23T12:05:00.004+02:00

I've been poking around the nether regions of Scottish crannies lately - various reasons, none strictly illegal - and kept tripping over this mp3: time to share the love, I guess.

Flat Out were from Cumbernauld. I've never been there myself, but I'm told it's nice. Good pubs, apparently. "Kultchu r" is my favourite of the four tracks on the EP, despite the refs to the Clash and the Pistols on "Who's Who?". I mean, I could live without it and everything on a strictly musical basis (it's similar, but not quite as nice as, The Broadside Outcasts) but, seeing as it's one of the most perennially elusive '45 Revs' records, I cherish my copy above-and-beyond.

You can buy a copy without the p/s, though, if you like:
Flat Out - Who's Who EP 7" Flat Out -/ex 70
1980 UK private; no ps but with insert

**

East Coast Angels

2009-08-12T16:59:00.009+02:00

Look, it's not like I didn't put in the hours. Check my phone bill, it's all there. Check the soles of my shoes - worn, right? Check my state of mind - depressed, clearly.

My knees, previously prize-winning and wholly non-nobbly, are now pitted, scarred and sore through all those long periods spent in prayer each bedtime: "Please Lord, bring me an East Coast Angels record. I promise to do good works in return. All the best."

So what happens? I turn the computer on today and there's this.

**

Gyppo/Buzzcocks split single

2009-08-09T12:53:00.002+02:00

Well, not really, of course. But I think you'll agree this is almost kinda just as nearly as good, right? The white-label promo of Gyppo's "High Rise Love" has the same test-tone master used on the B-side as is used on the 'one-sided' "What Do I Get?" demo.

I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon (this is after I've been white-water rafting, and bungee-jumping, obviously) going through more one-sideds and seeing if it's used on any others.

**

Badger - Biding My Time

2009-08-03T17:06:00.005+02:00

Ooh, this is nice. Me like. My LDK-soundboard Hannover jury obviously got out of bed the wrong side today cos he's dismissed this as "bah... Supertramp!" but me like big time.

It's pre-The Headboys, you know. '45 Revolutions' book says:
1- BIDING MY TIME (B. Lewis / G. Boyter)
2- STEPPING STONES (B. Lewis / G. Boyter)
04/77- MCA Rec. MCA-293 ps - 7”
Note: only demo/promo copies came with ps, stock
copies are all housed in company sleeves; track 2 is
titled STEPPING STONES on the label and STEPPIN’
STONES on the cover.

Not to be confused with the early ’70s
Progressive Rock group (featuring former Yes
keyboard player Tony Kaye), nor with the ’80s
NWOBHM combo of the same name, Badger
were a Scottish four-piece band from Dundee
comprising Brian 'Lou' Lewis (gtr/k/v),
George Boyter (b/v), Calum Malcolm (k/v)
and Davy Ross (d/v). Having signed a deal with
MCA Records at the end of 1976, they released
their debut 7” in April 1977 to poor critical and
commercial reception. Its two self-penned
songs, recorded at Calum Malcolm’s Castle
Sound Studios in Edinburgh are listenable if
unexceptional pop compositions, which suffer
from Terry Slater’s weak production and
Graham Preskett’s soft arrangements...
... (blah blah) ...
... Lewis and Boyter disbanded Badger and
recorded a few demos at Castle Sound Studio.
Before the end of the year, Lewis, Boyter and
Malcolm teamed up forming Mod/Powerpop
band The Headboys (see listing), with Davey
Ross, a friend of Malcolm, on drums (incidentally, The
Headboys would re-record STEPPING
STONES, flipside of Badger’s first 7” as the Aside
of their second single).

"Unexceptional"? "Weak"? Never! I've just added a copy (no rare promo p/s, don't get excited) to my sale list (www.lowdownkids.com) and my more enlightened description says 'like "Up The Junction" Manfred Mann crossed with "Messin' Around" by Caspar'. And I'm right, as you know. Again.

**

Jon Savage makes my day

2009-08-01T16:16:00.007+02:00

Result! Back in the olden days, when the Lone Groover stalked the land and the mucho marvey inkies were a midweek highlight, Jon Savage was one of the Premier League pen folk whose stuff was, like, extra nice to, you know, read. If I formed a band out of those guys it would be:
Nick Kent - vocals (natch)
Jon Savage - guitar
Giovanni Dadomo - bass
Julie Burchill - drums
(+ Jonh Ingham - roadie and general runner)

So it was with great pleasure that I today read, over at the estimable (though me hate the rapidshare thing) Persons Unknown blog, on a list of Sav#2's toppermost '76-'79 single spinners, this:

Television Personalities - Part-Time Punks
Hilarious attack on out-of-towners who "pogo in their
bedroom... but only when their mum's gone out”, wont buy
The Prefects unless it’s on red vinyl and refuse to use
toothpaste. We called them "plastics", but four fingers
pointed back at us. Played with almost rudimentary ability,
sung in a deadpan monotone with the worst harmonies ever,
it deserves space on your shelf next to The Pooh Sticks' On
Tape and .............................. (name removed, cos I never really liked them much).

**

In The Gym - Don't Go Slow

2009-07-20T17:45:00.004+02:00

Don't start. Just don't fucking start.

In The Gym's "Don't Go Slow" single came out, ooh, back then, in an edition of, you know, not that many. Personally, I've never even fucking seen one of the fuckers. But look, it's OK; I'm sure I'd feel worse if I wasn't under such heavy medication. I'd like to give you all the details about it, with a nice close-up scan of the label you could download and use as a screensaver, but, like I said I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE THE FUCKERS, so I can't. The best I can do is to offer up this snap of the only-in-Germany compilation LP which featured both sides of the single (the other track's called "Playing The Fool") wot I just took by the window my continued 'Gym-less'ness nearly sees me jump out of most days.

I have this "Lime Wave" LP for sale. For those who, like me (let's remind ourselves...) HAVE NEVER SEEN THE FUCKING SINGLE, it'll have to do.

Various Artists - Lime Wave LP Woolfe vg++/ex- 50
German-only UK comp; Denizens, Everready's etc, and BOTH SIDES of the single by IN THE GYM!!

**

Billy Hamon - Bombed Singles

2009-07-18T20:14:00.005+02:00

Someone asked this week if they could have an mp3... now, it's been on the blog before (though it was buried in a list of stuff on June 9th), but here it is again.

**

The Features vs The Features

2009-07-13T15:44:00.003+02:00

Look, never mind those other pretender Features ("Drab City", "Go Now", and that "Floozie" lot, who are American and are therefore de facto rather less worthy) , the real Battle of the Features Bands is a mirror-boxing affair. In one corner, the London band's "She Makes Me Blue" and, in the other corner, their "Monday-Friday". Answers on a postcard.

Neither record was issued with a p/s as such, though some came with a badge, and/or a postcard, and/or a foldaround advert/insert/sleeve-type thing. I have these nice specials for sale too (you'd consider it remiss if I didn't) but the basic ones go like:

Features Monday-Friday 7" ASM -/ex 35
Great 1980 UK powerpop
Features She Makes Me Blue 7" ASM -/ex 35
Great 1979 UK powerpop

**

Weekend - Tina's Party

2009-07-11T14:53:00.004+02:00

It's yer Smirks, basically. The first copy I ever had of this had tippex added in the thought/speech bubbles, so...

I wonder what she's thinking and what he's saying? Any ideas? Send me your suggestions - if there's one that I find amusing or thought-provoking enough I'll send you the record free.

If you're not feeling that creative, or were just born too fucking lazy to bother:
Weekend Tina's Party 7" Modern ex/ex 30
1980 UK mod private

**

The Dyaks - Gutter Kids demo

2009-07-09T15:14:00.005+02:00

"Gutter Kids" (1977, Bonaparte Records) fairly rocked the house, as we all know, and cos we're just kinda that way inclined it's always nice to hear blueprints and sketches, right? Here's the original Pathway Studios "Gutter Kids" demo, recorded three months earlier than the single version in July '77. The development from this chug to the later, er, chug, is fascinating - it's like hearing the 'Smile' out-takes, and quite how Brian pieced together "Good Vibrations".

The image above is taken from an A4 glossy promo folder, with a nice o.g. Dyaks badge on top.

**

Homosexuals -isksp piggybag post

2009-07-04T13:15:00.006+02:00

The very nice isksp blog just posted a Homosexuals record. Not just any Homosexuals record, but one of my favourites. And just to show that I haven't completely melted into a heatwave puddle and seeped through the floorboards causing a big stain the colour of one of those 'cowboy' Postcard sleeves on the living room ceiling below (yeah, thanks for all the mails and cards of concern), I thought I'd just quickly chime in with a reminder that I have this one for sale:

Homosexuals - Bigger Than The Number… 7" Black Noise ex-/ex 60
1981 UK new wave

**

The Vacants - Punk Rock

2009-06-30T17:45:00.008+02:00

Came out pretty much everywhere except Blighty, I know. LPs all over the shop, but this is the only cassette release I've found so far. Now, I know... cassettes, right? But this is The Vacants: original London punk rock group. Can't say no to that. Plus, it's in Dobly. German release, Teldec label.

I don't have one of these (or even the 'normal' LPs) for sale, but I do have one of these:

Vacants - Television Viewer 7" Low Down Kids ex/ex 30
lathe-cut special of 1977 UK punk album track

**

The Escorts - Bingo

2009-06-29T12:19:00.005+02:00

An eBay sale for this one was spotted and highlighted by Rupert over at the Turntable Revolution blog. There's good info on the band at the boredteenagers site, but for them as who might want to actually hear the fucker click here.

**

The Colours - Dierdre Is An Artist

2009-06-28T14:46:00.006+02:00

Colours - Dierdre Is An Artist 7" See Saw ex/ex 60
Great 1980 UK post-punk; like the TVPs mixed with Dislocation Dance and Joy Division

This is one the records listed in the old Small Wonder catalogue helpfully/sadistically posted here, on the Worthless Trash blogspot. In May 1983, the family Stennet would've insisted you fork a whopping 50p for it.

One of the comment-ers on the posting says "I too bought many of these back in the day, so looking at the list doesn't cause a great deal of pain!". Which is all well and good. Happy for you, Tom, and I'm not really complaining cos it was in Small Wonder that I forked the princely quid for my first copy of the Voice Of The Puppets single, but still... you know? 50p for the 'Shish' EP... it's not fucking helpful, James, is it??!?

(By the way - apologies for the no-post since Thursday. I was out, having one of them 'lives' I've heard people talk about. And since then I've been having one of those 'hangovers' of which I've heard mention. Plus, it's like the black hole of Calcultta in the record/computer room right now, and I can barely be in here long enough to type to the end of a sentence.)

**

SA55 - Compromised

2009-06-25T18:14:00.008+02:00

Hmmm, nice SA55 p/s.
But wait:

SA55- COMPROMISED- 7" 1982 VERY RARE UK POWERPOP

Item number: 160342192733

Listing says "never released in p/s"... but hang about, let's see that again:

I hope the buyer's not going to be too unhappy.

**

Left Hand Drive - Jailbait

2009-06-24T17:25:00.007+02:00

I found this gig poster in a cupboard. Nice, isn't it? So then I dragged this one hot-foot to the turntable:

Left Hand Drive - Jailbait 7" Bancrupt -/vg+
1977 rare punk/rock; never in p/s

from 45 Revolutions:
1- JAILBAIT
2- MOTORWAY CROW
11/77- Bancrupt Rec. BECK-611 no ps - 7”
Note: A-side and B-side labels are reversed on some copies.

Martin Harney (v), Jack Swann (gtr), John
Brassett (b/v, ex-Leather Jerkins/Tarsus/Windlord)
and Tommy Kerr (d), hailing from the
Milton Keynes/Stevenage area, began performing
as Left Hand Drive in 1975. The band –
in a completely different line-up fronted by
Garry Tyla (v, later with the Tyla Gang) – were
active a few months earlier: it’s likely that Jack
Swann was the only surviving member of the
original incarnation. After three years of live
performances, Left Hand Drive made their
vinyl debut in November 1977 on their own
label Bancrupt Records. The A-side JAILBAIT
is a surprisingly strong offering in an Eddie
and The Hot Rods vein, although the tune is
reminiscent of Golden Earring’s Hard Rock
hit RADAR LOVE and there are some slight
pre-NWOBHM overtones. The flip, MOTORWAY
CROW, starts with a riff à la Steve Jones
riff and has a catchy chorus which is Punk
enough to make the 7” worthy of interest to
Punk/New Wave collectors. Although pressed
in an edition of 1,000 copies, the single was
sparsely distributed and nowadays rarely turns
up.

**

Aston Hall - My Daily Sun

2009-06-22T19:48:00.002+02:00

Some of you will know this already, if only cos I've been pointing people at it fairly consistently for the best part of a decade. But some of you won't. And some of you will have forgotten. But look, I've been enjoying this one again today (while watching some Wimbledon out the corner of one eye, waiting for it to rain so they can use the roof...) so, well, why not?

Aston Hall - My Daily Sun 7" Tamebeat ex/ex 35
1980 UK powerpop/punk

**

Greg Bright - The Sweet In The Leyden Jar

2009-06-21T20:12:00.010+02:00

Bright, Greg - I'm A Believer 7" Rat Race vg++/ex 35
1980 UK DIY; cross between Blurt, Mike Garson on piano, and Beyond The Implode!

Good description, right? Or not, I know. Anyway: the B-side, "The Sweet In The Leyden Jar", is certainly good for weather like today: schizophrenic, can't decide if its one thing or another. Sun/rain, nice/crap, this/that. I can't keep up.

update June 22nd, about teatime: the 'Beyond The Implode' reference just attracted the Google-attention of someone from Runcorn... one of yer actual 'Implodes, maybe?

**

April South - Heroes Of The Night

2009-06-20T14:29:00.003+02:00

I have... let me check... bugger all to say about this one other than it's been a black-spinning-circle of choice here today. Don't ask me why, I don't know. Just has.

There's some info on her other records (there's a few of them) here.

If anyone wants to share in my April South love then:
South, April - Heroes Of The Night 7" President ex/ex 50
Great 1982 UK rocky powerpop

**

LDK update (no Stereotypes, unfortunately)

2009-06-18T13:59:00.003+02:00

It is with a heavy heart that I report that, despite my best efforts, I have no Stereotypes single in my update. Bugger. Amongst today's newly-listed records are these, though:

Homosexuals Hearts In Exile 7" Lorelei ex-/ex 60
1978 UK punky new wave; with insert
Homosexuals Bigger Than The Number… 7" Black Noise ex-/ex 60
1981 UK new wave
Holly Hobo Joe -with press release 7" Eric's ex/ex 60
1980 UK new wave, with press release
Holly & The Italians Tell That Girl To Shut Up 7" Oval ex/ex 7
Brilliant 1980 UK/US powerpop, pink p/s
Holly & The Italians Miles Away -with press release 7" Virgin ex/ex 20
1980 UK/US powerpop, special 'sticker' p/s; with press release
Holly & The Italians Youth Coup -with press release 7" Virgin ex/ex 25
Brilliant 1981 UK/US powerpop; with press release
Holly & The Italians Youth Coup -Dutch edition 7" Virgin ex-/ex 35
Rare German pressing for Dutch market ('STEMRA') in different p/s of brilliant 1981 UK/US powerpop
Honkas Das Lied Fur Fritz 7" Pogar ex/ex 80
1982 German punk
Horrorcomic I'm All Hung Up On Pierrpoint 7" Lightning vg++/vg++ 30
1977 UK new wave
Horrorcomic I Don't Mind 7" Lightning vg+/vg++ 90
Great 1978 UK punk classic

**

The Stereotypes (sit down first...)

2009-06-17T21:18:00.002+02:00

Er...

Galactic Symposium

2009-06-17T16:16:00.008+02:00

LDK was proud to release a Galactic Symposium LP four years ago. Didn't press many, of course, and all gone now (though I do have the original single for sale here), but there's been a good amount of Googling of the band recently which has ended up at this blog, so...

They were great, the Galactics. The Symposium. Weren't they?
Paranoid
YMCA
what Peel said

This is what we had in '45 Revolutions':

1- MONEY (R. Waters)
2- Y.M.C.A. (Morali / Bello / Willis)
11/79- Vague Rec. VOG-2 gatefold ps - 7”
Note: all copies include an insert.

“The Galactic Symposium was formed by mistake
early in 1979. After months of deliberation
it was decided to take the plunge and enter the
field of rock music. They spent a day in the recording
studio, recording their own versions of
popular rock classics, moulding their own individual
style into a tight, precise, well oiled machine.
Fourteen gigs and thirteen musicians later,
The Galactic Symposium now find it necessary
to provide their ever growing audience with
product, and as such their debut single is released
on Vague Records”. This text is taken from
the press information included in an extremely
rare 7” by a band from Nottingham, who
enjoyed destroying well-known pop songs
with a wonderful Dadaist distaste. Recorded at
the local Rainbow Sound Studios by a line-up
comprising Tim (v), David (gtr), Ben (k),
Mike (sax) and Simon (d), the single features
versions of Pink Floyd’s MONEY and
Y.M.C.A., the international Disco hit originally
recorded by Village People. Self-produced
and self-financed, the platter came out on the
Vague label (see also Art Failure) late in November
1979 and was aired quite a few times
by John Peel. Actually played by firmly competent
musicians – but competent on other instruments
entirely (the drummer was, in fact, a
gifted pianist!) – and influenced by The
Portsmouth Sinfonia, The Galactic Symposium’s
7” is a triumph of D.I.Y. insanity, complete
with amateurish playing, out of tune
vocals, odd sounds and with an aura of
absolute freedom pervading the grooves.

**

LDK... purveyors of fine punk to...

2009-06-17T13:07:00.003+02:00

I do like it when famous folk buy stuff. Makes me feel like I'm in the band. Shit, I'm only one step away from insisting I share in the publishing.

Happened again yesterday. Bloke bought the Electric Eels LP. Can't say who, cos it could be that he'd feel outed: he should've had it already, you'd've thought.

Still not the motherlode though - that'll be when either Matt or Clare from Sarah buy something.

**

I've been in the garden.

2009-06-16T18:31:00.001+02:00

No post today, cos I've been in the garden all day cos it's been nice.

LDK update... Hi-Jinx etc

2009-06-15T16:26:00.004+02:00

Some of what's being added to the sale site today:

Hi Jinx Too Late EP 7" Snabelhan ex/ex 150
Extremely rare 1981 Dutch powerpop/new wave in nice fold-out p/s
Heaven 17 Height Of The Fighting 7" Virgin -/ex 30
1982, never in p/s; withdrawn
Heavy Cochran I've Got Big Balls 7" Psycho ex/ex 30
1978, in original brown paper sleeve
H.M.K. Delirious - German pressing 7" RAK ex/ex 35
Great 1977 UK punk/rock; German pressing in unique p/s
Helmettes I Don't Care What The People Say 7" No Fun ex/ex 400
Top condition of this brilliant Dutch punk
Hermine Veiled Women -promo, with press release 7" Salome Disc ex/ex 60
UK private issue of cancelled Virgin release, press release
Hi Fi Run Run 7" Aura vg+/ex 50
1981 UK powerpop
Hi Fi Don't Break The Spell 7" Abstract ex-/ex 8
1981 UK powerpop/new wave
Hieronymus Bosch Rockin' Rachmaninov 7" Aerco -/vg+ 70
1978 UK private new wave/rock/pop; never in p/s
Hirst, Linda / Ivor Cutler Women Of The World -with press release 7" Rough Trade ex/ex 100
Extremely rare 1983, with Toop & Beresford (Flying Lizards, Avocados etc); with press release
Hoax Blind Panic 7" Hologramme ex-/ex 35
1981 UK punk

**

The Grids - New Anthems

2009-06-15T13:06:00.005+02:00

In a box, in the cupboard, I just found this old promo photo of The Grids:

Thought you might like to see it, so here it is. I have the 7" for sale:
Grids New Anthems EP 7" Kings Head vg+/ex- 90
Great and rare 1980 UK punk/powerpop

You can hear it over at the Short Sharp Kick In The Teeth blog here.

**

Disco Students - spokesman for a redhead generation

2009-06-13T16:43:00.006+02:00

(I don't have the - very nice - single for sale, sadly, but...) Simon, main bloke from The Disco Students: he's professionally a redhead these days, you know. Saw him once on a 'redhead-only' episode of The Weakest Link. Here he is as a spokesman for a redhead-generation recently.

Meanwhile, just to remind you, this is what we have in the '45 Revolutions' book:

1- SOUTH AFRICA HOUSE
(S. Cheetham / Clark / R. Coles / G. Hocking)
2- KAFKAESQUE
(S. Cheetham / Clark / R. Coles / G. Hocking)
09/79- Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Rec. UH HUH-1 no ps - 7”

Formed in December 1978 in Aylesbury, Bucks.,
Disco Students featured Simon Cheetham (v),
Simon Clark (gtr, ex-Tower Of Power), Richard
Coles (b, ex-Iona) and Graham Hocking (d, ex-
Orthi). Cheetham and Hocking had previously
played in The Haircuts, a short-lived Punk
combo who had included a track (DO YOU
REMEMBER L- L- L- LONGWICK) on the
AYLESBURY GOES FLACCID compilation,
issued in May 1978 on the Flaccid label. In mid-
’78 the pair had again teamed up (alongside a
couple of ex-Orthi) in Heartbeat, a New Wave
outfit who broke up after playing five gigs.
Following three months of rehearsals, Disco
Students made their live debut on March 25,
1979, at Watford’s Verulam Arms, and a few
weeks later were joint winners (along with The
Beez) in the Oxford heat of the Melody Maker-
sponsored 'Rock & Folk Contest' (it was the
group’s sixth gig ever). During the summer the
quartet self-financed this single, recorded at
Cambridge’s Spaceward Studios and released in
October on their own label Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Records. The 7’’ is now fairly collectable and
deservedly so: the A-side SOUTH AFRICA
HOUSE is a clever pastiche of Bowie and Punk,
while KAFKAESQUE, on the flip, is a simple but
effective minimal Punk song built around a
catchy singalong hookline. John Peel played both
songs and Island Records showed interest in
signing the group, but nothing came of it.
Before the end of 1979 Simon Clark was
replaced by Carl Perkins (who had previously
played with Richard Coles in Iona): early in
1980 the new line-up entered Spaceward
Studios recording their follow-up 7’’, a self-financed
three-tracker (A BOY WITH A PENCHANT
FOR OPEN NECK SHIRTS // PINK
TRIANGLES / CREDIT) which surfaced in
March 1980 on Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Records. In
April Carl Perkins decided to leave (Jon
Greenhough was recruited in May), followed a
few months later by Graham Hocking. A final
recording session at Spaceward Studios resulted
in the release of a three-track 12’’ which
emerged on Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! in March 1981
credited to Kindergarten, the name used by the
band for a few months before breaking up.

**

Thin Yoghurts, pride of... er, London

2009-06-12T19:59:00.007+02:00

Around teatime someone in London Google'd the Thin Yogurts and ended up at the blog. That's reason enough to add a pointer to this old LDK-blog posting for the 'Yoghurts cassette release, and alert them as who might want to buy their very own copy of the awesomely fantastic "Girl On The Bus" single:

Thin Yoghurts Girl On The Bus 7" Lowther Street ex/ex 35

**

Impossible Dreamers

2009-06-12T10:03:00.002+02:00

The venerable Turntable Revolution's recent posting of "Books" by The Impossible Dreamers describes one of the tracks as a 'throwaway'. I'm guessing he means this one, "Timing Problem".
'Throwaway'? Never! Top!!

While we're at it, this LP wot they were involved in is largely pretty great too. Just thought I'd mention it.

The Pits - One Hell Of An Up Your Ass

2009-06-10T12:41:00.013+02:00

Yesterday someone in New York arrived at the blog after Googling the Pits' "One Hell Of A Kiss". Nice enough, tis true. It made me think about posting this, the first track on the band's legendary cassette-only release "Up Your Ass". The tape has music too, obviously, but one thing at a time...

I don't have the tape for sale, but I do have this:

The Pits One Hell Of A Kiss 7" Hurt -/ex 70
Fabulous UK punk (also released as by Garage Class - same record!!); never in p/s

**

LDK update - Ha Ha Mono, Hazzard, Billy Hamon etc

2009-06-09T14:07:00.002+02:00

Some of the records being added to the website today:

Guided Muscle The Pretty Ones 7" Rocket vg/ex- 15
1980 UK new wave/powerpop
Gun Club The Fire Of Love 7" Animal ex/ex 20
Guns For Hire I'm Gonna Rough My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Up Tonight 7" Korova ex/ex 10
Brilliant 1980 UK powerpop
Gyro Central Detention Centre 7" Rabid ex-/ex- 60
1978 UK DIY punky new wave, with very rare p/s
H.G.B. Chase The Night Away 7" Backshop -/ex- 25
1981 NWOBHM
Ha Ha-Mono Run For Miles -with band letter 7" Lash-Up ex-/ex- 200
Great 1982 UK cold-wave, with letter from band and business card of the manager of legendary London club Maunkberrys...
Hale, Ritchie Punkrockmusic 7" AMI -/ex- 5
1980 UK punk spoof; never in p/s; promo pressing
Hale, Ritchie Punkski -German pressing 7" Polydor vg+/ex- 10
1979 German pressing in nice p/s
Hamon, Billy Butch Things -German pressing 7" Bronze ex/ex 130
Very rare 1978 German pressing in unique p/s of psycho UK post-glam new wave
Hamon, Billy Bombed Singles -Dutch pressing 7" Acrobat vg++/ex- 80
Very rare Dutch-only pressing of 1979 UK new wave crasher
Happy Refugees Warehouse Sound 7" Gymnasium ex-/ex 80
1982 UK post-punk; very rare with p/s
Harnrohrer Manchmal Habe Ich's Satt 7" Pogar ex/ex 70
1982 German punk
Harry, Warren I Am A Radio 7" Bronze ex/ex 20
1977 UK new wave, never in p/s
Harry And The Atoms Working For Nothing 7" Atom ex/ex- 80
1980 UK punky/nw/r&b private, post-Plummet Airline
Hazzard Snake In The Grass 7" Rammy -/vg+ 60
Excellent 1981 NWOBHM, never in p/s
Head Nothing To Do In A Town Like Leatherhead 7" Ellie Jay -/ex 150
1979/80 UK punk/powerpop in 'corner sticker' stickered sleeve
Headboys The Shape Of Things To Come -German pressing 7" RSO ex/ex 10
Great p/s on this German pressing of 1979 UK powerpop
Headboys Stepping Stones 7" RSO ex/ex 5
1979 UK powerpop
Heartbeats Talk To Me -Dutch pressing 7" Red ex/ex- 20
Excellent 1980 UK powerpop, Dutch pressing
Heartbeats Don't Leave Me Tonight -German pressing, with promo insert 7" Vertigo vg+/ex 25
1981 UK powerpop, German pressing with promo insert
Heartbeats Don't Leave Me Tonight -Dutch pressing 7" Ariola ex-/ex 25
1981 UK powerpop, Dutch pressing
Heartbreakers It’s Not Enough -Dutch pressing! 7" Track vg/vg 65
Super-rare Dutch pressing; sellotaped p/s, worn vinyl… but the Dutch pressing!!
Heartbreakers One Track Mind -German pressing, with promo insert 7" Track vg++/ex 90
German pressing of 1977 punk classic, with promo insert
Heartthrobs Ready To Serve EP 7" Detour Ents vg++/ex 60
Great 1979 UK punky new wave

**

Foetus (Under Glass), (Philip) etc etc

2009-06-08T20:14:00.006+02:00

Someone just mailed asking for a photo of the poster I have for sale, so I thought I'd post it here while I'm at it:

Foetus Ache promo poster mem - ex 30
Photographed here next to the 'Foetus of Excellence' box so you can see the size. I got it from the Virgin branch at Marble Arch in London when Thirlwell was 'working' in there.

Foetus Deaf -lyric insert only! mem - ex 30
Foetus.org says there wasn't one.. but there was!

Foetus (Philip And His Foetus…) Tell Me, What Is The Bane Of Your Life 7" Self Immolation ex-/ex 50

Foetus (Scraping Foetus…) Hole LP Some Bizarre ex/ex 25
with lyric insert, WOMB FDL3

Foetus (You've Got Foetus…) Wash It All Off 7" Self Immolation ex/ex 100
Rare original 1981 new wave

Foetus Under Glass Spite Your Face 7" Self Immolation ex/ex 50
1981 UK new wave

**

Decca... The Covers "Modern Girls"

2009-06-06T16:37:00.005+02:00

Decca: what was going on there, then?

Despite Decca's best efforts to bury the things forever, pretty much everybody now knows the Zoot Alors single:

... and the Airship:

... but this one's had less attention:

Covers Modern Girls 7" Decca -/ex 60
1979 UK powerpop, never in p/s; PROMO

hyper giga mega (once)

2009-06-05T22:55:00.002+02:00

Just found one of these in the back room:

**

The Buzz (not the Redball lot)

2009-06-05T12:47:00.016+02:00

Over at the ever-good Turntable Revolution blogspot, the latest post concerns The Buzz on Redball. Great record. Got me thinking I should highlight the other Buzz bands wot've got records on my list. Now, the Redball Buzz record is definitely the best Buzz record, but...

Buzz What A Feeling 7" Crystal -/ex 40
1978 UK punk/rock; never in p/s...

Buzz What A Feeling -demo 7" Crystal -/ex 50
1978 UK punk/rock, big-A demo pressing; never in p/s...

Buzz Jubilee Rock 7" Crystal -/ex 30
1977 never in p/s; B-side "Digger On Mars" is excellent "Black Night"-like rock

Buzz Mony Mony 7" Pinball vg++/ex 35
1978 UK band, German-only pressing. B-side "Tell Me Where Ya Bin" is great punk!

Buzz The Rock Roller Coaster 7" Pinball vg+/ex 25
1977 glam/teen by UK punk-gigging band actually called The Monitors; Germany-only pressing

Excerpt from 45 Revolutions:

Two singles credited to Buzz were issued
between 1977 and 1978 in Germany: the second
deserves inclusion in our listing on the
strength of its Punk-flavoured flip. A Hull based
Glam Rock/Teenybop combo formed
late in 1976 by Geoff Appleby (v/b) with Roy
Neave (k), Keith 'Ched' Cheeseman (gtr) and
Dane Morrell (d), Buzz were in fact called The
Monitors [not the New Wave band of the same
name later signed by RSO Records, see listing],
and under that moniker they had been active
on the local live scene. In 1977 The Monitors,
while on the verge of breaking up, secured
a deal in Germany with Pinball Records.
Four tracks were taped: three with
Appleby backed by session players, and the
fourth – TELL ME WHERE YOU BIN –
recorded by the actual band The Monitors.
Pinball decided to issue the recordings under
the moniker Buzz: two singles emerged
between the end of 1977 and the beginning of
1978. The first, THE ROCK ROLLER COASTER
b/w COME BACK BABY, couples two
mediocre Teenybop tracks composed and produced
by Robert John Lange (who had just
produced Graham Parker’s HEAT TREATMENT
LP and would later work on The
Boomtown Rats’ album A TONIC FOR THE
TROOPS): it failed to sell. The second single
featured a mediocre rendition of Tommy
James & The Shondells’ MONY MONY
(which had been covered a few months
earlier by Celia & The Mutations,
see listing) and the Appleby-penned flip TELL
ME WHERE YOU BIN, a strong Punk number
with Glam overtones played by The Monitors.
The song is well-worth investigating to New
Wave collectors. Note: an earlier single
credited to Buzz (MOTORWAY MADNESS
b/w LOVE GAMES) emerged in 1976 in
the UK on the Polydor label but it originates
from yet another combo of the same name.

**

Going Straight

2009-06-04T12:36:00.005+02:00

This is a nice one:

Going Straight Imagination 7" Energy -/ex 50
1982, great! Never in p/s

The photo above shows the band in the studio, already plotting their follow-up (possibly this one, "Ignorance"). Sadly, not to be.

**

waylaid by Gyppo

2009-06-03T20:39:00.003+02:00

Hmm, nice: yesterday someone in Australia tried Googling "light in your head and dead on your feet". Presumably looking for the skinny on "Baker Street"'s lyrical brushworks, Bruce (Bruce, right? or Sheila, but we all know that's unlikely in record-geek world...) got waylaid by the LDK-blog posting of the Gyppo single. Heh-heh!

Eric Gavin - Lucinda

2009-06-03T13:45:00.007+02:00

Here's one that sold this week:

1- LUCINDA (E. Gavin)
2- MY AUTOMOBILE (E. Gavin)
05/78- Scratched Rec. EG-1/2 no ps - 7”
Note: track 1 on 'Side AA', track 2 on 'Side AB'.
**

Backed by Trickster, Eric Gavin released his
first single on indie label Scratched Records in
May 1978: distributed through Lightning, the
7” sold poorly and is nowadays extremely hard
to locate. The two songs, co-produced by
Gavin and Mike Sheppard, are surprisingly
catchy, at times reminiscent of Nick Lowe’s
clever pop. In 1979 Gavin founded the excellent
but short-lived Vendetta label, home of
Seventeen and The Meanies (see listings),
rekindling his solo career in the first half of
the ’80s with two singles on the Trial label
(one of them would be reissued on the
Towerbell imprint). He later established his
own studio in Suffolk recording and producing
various local bands; at the same time he
also worked as a dentist.

There was a bit of feeding frenzy for it, as it happens. Only had the one copy (damn!), so there were many tears in Tokyo. Still got this, though:

Gavin, Eric Poverty Line 7" Trial -/ex 20
1982 UK pop; never in p/s

**

Going Red thing with press release

2009-06-02T21:30:00.005+02:00

Folk've asked, so here's what we're talking about:

Going Red Some Boys -with great press release 7" Razz ex-/ex 100
1980 UK powerpop, rare original private pressing with totally fantastic press release

**

Low Down Kids sale stuff

2009-05-31T14:06:00.016+02:00

Added some more stuff to the site www.lowdownkids.com ...

New in the LDK boxes this time:

Gorilla Grip King Of The Pipes 7" Birnbeck Island -/ex 300
Very rare 1978 UK private skate-pop by main man of Vertigo label's Dr.Z!; never in p/s
As if the Dr.Z thing wasn't already obscure enough, here's Keith Keyes joining the skateboard bandwagon (The Rivals, Wood Lane etc). Chances are there's some heavyweight taffia involvement here - pool any four of the usual Rockfield suspects and we might be on the right track.

**
Gothic Girls Outrage -with press release 7" Backs ex-/ex 50
Rare 1983 UK post-punk; with press release, with radio-promo sticker on p/s

**
Goldman, Vivien Launderette -with press release 7" Window ex/ex 100
1981 UK new wave rarity, with press release; with Vicky Aspinall (Raincoats), Steve Beresford, Robert Wyatt, Keith Levine

**
Gobblinz Love Me Too 7" Bacon ex-/ex- 150
1979 UK new wave original; not a great pressing so MUSICALLY the reissue would be better...

**
Graffiti Bring Me Back 7" Skinrope ex-/ex- 40
Excellent B-side on this 1980 Belgian new wave/powerpopper

**
Groovies Boys Ride Bikes 7" Jupiter ex/ex 25
Great 1981 German teen/powerpop; German pressing in promo p/s
Everything The Teens should've been but were too grown-up for!

**
Grout Do It Yourself EP 7" Urinating Vicar vg/ex 800
Hyper-rare UK punk, with insert; p/s with tape and seam-splits, as usual
What's left to say about this one that's not been said? THE quintessential DIY UK punk scuzzbucket masterpiece. If only there were more like it. Increasingly rare chance, here, to snaffle an original copy with insert.

**

LDK blog shifts over to new '45 Revolutions' blog

2007-09-21T13:52:00.000+02:00

The LDK blog, such as it is, is being replaced by this:
http://45revolutions.blogspot.com/

Have a look.

Cheers,
Steve

The Spies

2007-01-27T17:01:00.000+01:00

The Spies
"Thinking About The Sun" (Faetain, 1980)

It's been brought to my attention that some powerpoppers hither and yon might've been zzzz'ing and have missed this one. No real excuse, cos although it's pretty obscure it's a well-known kinda obscure. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is 'pretty obscure' and 10 is 'well-known kinda obscure' this one's a 7, basically cos several copies were dredged from the Dublin murk all at once about five years ago and it's never been a top-dollar item to the extent that folk've had no chance to cop an ear. So anyway, here it is.

The act were Irish, and it was their only single. I've heard rumblings of a second - you too right? - but that's the same kinda rumblings that have the "Yodelling" Exits not having been a formed-in-Midlands-college band... the kind of dis-information that makes my blood boil, even on a not-so-slow day. Next thing is people'll be telling me that The Features ("Drab City") have got nothing to do with mid-table video-friendly mid-80s nearly-popstars on a major label. (NB: don't ask, as refusal often offends.)

At least one of the Spies has latterly been plying his axe trade with Suzanne Vega and Bowie, amongst others. (Note to self: book ticket for Vega at Paradiso and yell for Spies B-side "Hippy Hangover" at the moment of most-hightened sensitivity...).

P.S., people: I see no sign of anyone coming up with that other Dublin 'want', The East Coast Angels, for me. I'm beginning to get depressed.

The Electrix

2007-01-16T12:24:00.000+01:00

The Electrix
"Holland" (Electrix, 1979)

Scotland. Don't know a lot about it. Apparently one of them's a porn star (but then, considering the number of people on Friends Reunited who claim to be porn stars, this might not be strictly true...); certainly one of them's now a multi-book writing author wot specialises in Scottish kilts 'n' swords type Braveheartery. I'll tell you about the other two another time. Anyway, looks like this was the one-and-only record any of them managed - it was definitely the only Electrix record. All four tracks on this EP are pretty good in a DIY-punky kinda way, but this one's our favourite. 1000 copies were pressed but very very few of them had the hand-cut'n'glued picture sleeve, and most copies were junked vaguely recently in a fit of spring-cleaning and cupboard -clearing.

Subway

2006-10-20T20:25:00.000+02:00

Subway
"Mr.Nice Guy" (Park Lane, 1980)

Blackpool rock. Well, OK - Blackpool pop. Five young lads from the Paris of the North stride nonchalantly, booted and suited, along the Lancs streets, confident in the warm glow of having crafted "Mr. Nice Guy" as one of the four tracks on their debut EP, a 'slab' of vinyl destined to take the band out of the reach of the local Northern julies and into the sure embrace of the high-rollin' jet set. Well, in retrospect, at least an NME review would've been nice, ta: problem was that the band's combined age was just about equal to the number of 'O'-levels famously sported by The Zombies, so gigging far and wide wasn't an option, what with it being a school night or what have you, so Subway remained pretty much a local proposition, they never made another record, and fame eluded them... until one of them (and I daren't say which) saw some basking in the stardom of being a mid-ranking UK tennis pro (come on, it's beneath you: resist the temptation for the obvious comments, please).

They made 1000 of these little beauties but, well, doing the sleeves was a bit laborious and they were cut'n'glued only as and when and, seeing as there wasn't a lot of 'when', very few sleeves were ever made.

Thin Yoghurts tape

2006-10-14T02:23:00.000+02:00

Thin Yoghurts
(My Baby Drives A) Container Lorry (Lowther Street Runner, cassette, 1980-ish)

One glorious single - the all-conquering "Girl On The Bus" - and that was it, right? Well, nearly. Do cassettes count? Well, not really. But is it like I'm giving you the option? Well, no, not really: here's what I like to think of as the 'lead track' from the 5-song cassette-only follow-up to the "Girl..." thing we all know and love (and if you don't know it, please close the door on your way out; if you do know it, but don't love it, please forget where we live). "(My Baby Drives A) Container Lorry" lacks some of the charm and devil-may merriment of the single, I grant you, but who could seriously doubt the sincerity of the band when they inform us, without sparing a thought for themselves, that their baby "... drives a container lorry". Poetry.

Somewhere there's a Yorkshire Lord who only-knows how many of these they made up, but I'm sure you'll join me in venturing a figure between minimal and not-really-that-many-at-all. Once upon a time I tried asking, but all I got was the train times to Pontefract.

I s'pose the other highlight on the cassette is "Crossroads Death Chant" (those who are already on board with The Snivelling Shits' "I'm Waiting For My Crossroads" will want to collect the set) (is two a set, if it's not a twin-set?) (what?) but it's all pretty much a wondrous experience. Not "Girl On The Bus", OK, but what is?

Phil Canning

2006-10-04T17:55:00.000+02:00

Phil Canning
"Sellout" (Woodbine, 1979)

It was a hive of activity down 'round John A. Rivers' WRMS place back in the day, it really was. If it wasn't half of Swell Maps asleep on the floor, or John battling sozzled band members to remember that it was 'John', not 'Jon', and that 'A's not there for his health either, thanks, then it was various members of the local leafy-punk (that's the Leamington axis) contingent, or sometimes the concrete-jungle Coventry hard-cases, giving poor John the headache of his life with their out-of-tune bass (The Invaders) or crappy snare (most everyone, to be honest). Hell, sometimes they'd even show up sporting moustaches (Everyone Else... that's the band Everyone Else, not just a generic 'everyone else'), which, well, he's a patient lad and what have you, but that must've sorely tried him. He was probably relieved when local reliables Cheeky were booked into the studio, not to record their own single ("Don't Mess Around" wouldn't be released - also on Woodbine - until 1980), but this time as band-for-hire backing one Phil Canning of this parish.

I'm guessing - I haven't broached it with the boy Canning - that ye olde punke rocke wasn't really his cup of tea: he probably saw himself more in the tradition of thumbs-in-beltloops in between Stones albums and the next Zep tour. Good time rocking, no doubt, in the old way - gawd knows the rubbish the kids seem to be liking these days, etc etc. He'd probably have been horrified (and I don't suppose Cheeky'd have been over the moon about it either) to think of his one-and-only stab at vinyl immortality being punted as punky or, worse, 'powerpop' twenty-something years later. But hey, what can you do? A punky powerpop classic, even.

Xdreamysts

2006-08-15T14:02:00.000+02:00

The Xdreamysts
"Right Way Home" (Good Vibrations, 1978)

Look, there's this, but I'm just not fucking having it. Short and sweet here: has anyone ever seen one of these 'Rock 'n' The North' pic sleeves? Got one? Where'd you get it? Story? I absolutely don't believe that it's a genuine '78 article.

Anyone?

The Pits

2006-08-11T19:59:00.000+02:00

The Pits
One Hell Of A Kiss (Hurt, 1980)

No info. Hell, no label! For years, this one was prompting much head-scratching amongst those whose wallet-busting cash offers had been turned down by the count-them-on-one-hand collectors who actually had a copy. No-one knew where their copy had come from, and no-one had a clue about the band - the little gold sticker on the label-space (there's not even a blank label... how mysterious is that?) gave nothing away.

I'd heard rumour of this little nugget for a couple of years before I actually got hold of one and instantly realised that the no-nothing got-it-won't-sell-it pluggers had all the while been missing a simple trick: what's on the other side? "Terminal Tokyo"... wait there, that rings a bell... wasn't that a track on one of those old 'Seeds' comps Cherry Red did years ago, by a band called Garage Class? Indeed so. It's the same record. Dig out the old Garage Class single and, lo-and-behold, "One Hell Of A Kiss" is on the B-side. It's not even a different pressing. The only difference is that the Garage Class single has a p/s and doesn't feature the little sticker identifying the band as The Pits.

So anyway, it turns out that the band was originally called The Pits and knocked up a batch of singles to wow gen.pub. with, but only really got as far as doing the odd bit of promo-mailing and selling copies down the youth club. All part of their masterplan, see, which was revolving around the fabulous sure-to-be wealth-making artistic statement that was their "Up The Ass" cassette release. At some point, however, the band decided to ditch their Pits guise and, whacking a modern-looking pic sleeve on the remaining copies (which, face it, were just about all of them), stuck it out 'again' under the name of Garage Class. Still flopped miserably, but somehow managed to find its way onto the Cherry Red comp, a quirk of fate no-one seems to be able to explain.

Why hadn't anyone who actually owned the record made the Pits / Garage Class connection before? Beats me. Fucking obvious if the thing's sitting there in front of you and you have half a right to call yourself a punk con-o'sewer. Still, never mind.

It wasn't long before the Garage Class name gave way to The Happy Refugees and our heroes made a new single (like, a new single - not the same one with a different sleeve again), even managing a whole album this time. When that came to an end, the band members assumed that their punk rock pasts had been long-forgotten... until 20+ years later when I'm on the phone asking about "Up The Ass" (got a copy in the end: it's highly entertaining in a post-Velvets pre-homework-then-early-bed-cos-it's-a-schoolnight kinda way. Good stuff which should someday see vinyl.).

(Note: not the same Pits wot made a single on Zilch, for those who are perusing Volume.)

Roses Are Red

2006-08-02T16:55:00.000+02:00

Roses Are Red
Can't Understand (Posthumous Petal) 1979)

Everyone knows this - booted til the cows come home and loved near and far. Thought it was time to spill the beans on who this mystery group actually were, though: don't forget you read it here first...

Chris Thompson was the singer. Who he? He friend of The Vibrators, whose members Greg Van Cook, Ian ‘Knox’ Carnochan and Jon ‘Eddie’ Edwards masqueraded as Miss Guided, Miss Directed and C. Slug to help their mate out one afternoon (and a couple of otherwise to-kill evenings). This motley crew were joined by Nicky Hallam on guitar, who these days bestrides the world like a colossus in his chosen guise as The Head in all-conquering (briefly) U2-supporting Stereo MCs. Chris might well remember the band through roses-are-red-tinted spectacles, and might have some damn fine stories to tell, not least of which being what happened to the proposed-but-never-released follow-up "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", but everyone else only vaguely remembers it. Nicky Hallam was especially entertained to be reminded, despite the fact that by looking at him in those Stereo MCs videos you'd swear he was by now plenty used to people having to remind him of stuff, like yesterday, or what country he's in, or did he have anything to eat this week.

Pulp

2006-07-27T17:37:00.000+02:00

Pulp
Low Flying Aircraft (no label, 1979)

Met Jarvis Cocker once. He wouldn't remember, but his band was supporting mine in some out-of-the-way college just as his band was on the way up and my band was on the way down, and we were both pretty much drowned out by the far more popular goings-on in the hall downstairs, where Sinitta ("Big Red GTO", "So Macho" etc) was pumping out the kind of spine-annoying dBs denied to us indie losers by the college's jobsworths.

But anyway, this isn't that Pulp. This Pulp was a London-based twosome who'd been hanging around the capital's art galleries for a couple of years before taking time out from jamming with bits of The Flying Lizards to make this balls-to-the-wall wail'n'screech masterpiece of their own. One of them - maybe singer Anne Bean, though my memory fails me here - did the odd bit of fire-eating the time I saw them. It was all a lot of jolly fun.

Lots of copies of the single had an extra hole burned through where the label should be (there was no label, just some tippex numbering), this being art and everything. Obviously you'll need both in your collection before you can rest easily. Almost all copies are signed, and come with an insert.

I did actually meet this Pulp once, but they wouldn't remember either.

Wretched

2006-07-22T18:05:00.000+02:00

The Wretched
"DNR" (own label, 1981)

From County Durham, land of Terry Tranz And The Vestites and fistfuls of other hen's-teeth vinyl. As if the scarcity of the single itself isn't enough (and, after a brief flurry of eBay copies a couple of years ago, it seems it is) the thing to really get you foaming is the picture sleeve. Great sleeve, but the band only made ten, so they say. Very helpful!

Obviously it was the band's only single. I'd tell you more but it's tea time and I'm starving.

Liquid Stone

2006-07-19T13:15:00.000+02:00

Liquid Stone
Here Comes The Weekend (own label, 1981)

Lots of credits on this one, although all five of them were worryingly just 'Liquid Stone'. That's not the kind of info that helps track down the band. Never mind, someone had to do it, so I withheld all food for a month from the pack of trained LDK-bloodhounds, teamed them up with my most-crack LDK-sleuths, and sent them out with the instructions to not come back 'Stone-less, or else. After a few days word came back that some bleary-eyed late-night fine-toothcombing of old fanzines had produced a lead: we now knew which part of the country, if not the actual town, they were from! Local scenesters were quizzed but no-one remembered anything. After a week or so of pestering anyone vaguely Aylesbury-ish (even Otway had to answer to the LDK-prod: we took the opportunity to ask about the Anal Surgeons single he'd produced but which had never been released, too - were there test pressings, maybe? No...) - for the Liquids were assessed to have been in that neighbourhood - someone somewhere remembered that one of the band, who they vaguely recalled the name of but knew nothing about, was now in Mud. The Mud. Seemed unlikely, but with no other leads... Find the bloke 'in' Mud (he had been, but wasn't any more), he's not been in Liquid Stone but he has been in Liquid Gold, they of the shake-yer-booty disco bump of "Dance Yourself Dizzy". Bugger. But hang on, all is not lost: he knows someone from Liquid Stone, and even knows where he is these days! Bingo!!

"Here Comes The Weekend" was the band's only single, although they did punt a private 'demo'-type 9-track cassette too (the LDK-archive copy is mush and hiss and mud [no, not that Mud]). The other side, "Because Of You", is great too. It's one of the very rarest of all UK LDK-type private singles.

Elton Motello

2006-07-17T12:58:00.000+02:00

Elton Motello
Jet Boy Jet Girl (dodgy modern composite 'safe mix')

Other than the first Jet Bronx & The Forbidden single, the Elton Motello 7" has to be the most common of the Lightning punk singles, right? Still see it everywhere, even today. But hang on, things aren't that simple. Firstly, you're going to need this super-rare 'porno' sleeve version, obviously pressed outside of the UK (it's got a big hole, for one thing): no-one knows when exactly it was made (or why, or by whom) and even Elton Motello didn't know about it until I sent him a scan recently. Thing is, it's definitely from 'then', no later than 1978. Then you're going to need the airplay-edited promo, with refs to 'blood', 'penetrate' and 'gives me head' replaced by less offensive terms (thing is, although this version is pretty much identical-looking to the normal issue, so damned tough to spot, it's by far the best version, with a vocal and mix only ever-so-slightly different but unquestionably better). I was suprised to find this third version, short & with bits of both, apparently being used on at least one modern CD 'anthology'.

Gawd knows how many different sleeves there are for the various 'foreign' pressings (and, fair play, most of Europe gave "Jet Boy" a good crack of the whip, with Canada even deciding it was a dance record and knocking out a seven-minute super-edit which, by the way, is truly dreadful): I'm sticking to the UK variants.

Tunnelrunners

2006-06-25T11:36:00.000+02:00

The Tunnelrunners
Plastic Land (Sonic International, 1981)

Main-man Madoc had been one of the 20 or so punters when the Pistols had played at Circles nitespot in Swansea in '76, but was never a real feature of the local scene, and only every now and again would he be spotted, with his long shaggy non-punk locks and mostly sporting some kind of brightly coloured miltary tunic, fronting The Tunnelrunners in some God-forsaken you-take-your-life-in-your-hands gig like the Admiral Benbow pub out on Fabian Way. You couldn't just go and see The Tunnelrunners: you had to be lucky, to be in the right place at the right time.

With the legend of the Tunnelrunners' glories grown to almost mythic proportions, the group was eventually nailed down in one place long enough to record a ten-song everything-live session for the local radio station (with Andrew Reader, of Swansea's fabulous powerpoppers The DC10s as 'producer'/cheerleader), and in January 1981 five tracks from the session were released as the "Plastic Land" EP. The group played one final Swansea gig, to show willing, and then disappeared back to the up-England-way college-lives that had effectively finished the group that past autumn.

(A year or so later, with the group uncontactable, the rest of the radio session was transformed into the "100 MPH" EP, though not a single copy of this has surfaced in over 20 years ... only 100 pressed, perhaps 15 sold, the rest trashed by mistake in the 80s.... so not surprising. All together: oops!).

Madoc's guitar-solos (here on "Plastic Land", and on "Forever Crying At Love Songs", another track on this EP) were heaven-sent. The tunes were top. They had fun. Has there ever been a more joyous pop group?

Clifford Evans Band

2006-06-16T12:13:00.000+02:00

The Clifford Evans Band

Hands up who remembers the single "Your Face, A Fucking Disgrace" by The Porno Cassettes turning up on eBay a couple of years ago. Supposedly a UK record from 1982, according to the short MP3 snippet provided by the seller it was a super-shouty oi-type number along the lines of "British Justice" by The Ovaltinees. Not at all bad: I'll have one of those, please. Thing is, that one copy on eBay (who did it apparently sell to? anyone know?) is the only time it's ever shown up, and surely everything points to it having been a wind-up. Pretty good wind-up, fair play, but a red-herring for people like me who go actively trying to track the bugger. Like I don't waste enough fucking time already. If you know anything about the Porno Cassettes mystery, contact me.

Well a couple of eBay years before that was this, the Clifford Evans Band: this is the MP3 that accompanied the auction of a (white-labels only? acetate?) 1978 (?) UK private-pressing LP. At least this time, unlike with the Pornos, the auction was illustrated with (blurry) snaps to provide (vague) photographic evidence that the item actually existed. (I blame all my current eye-problems on the many hours spent squizzing the super-small pics in a desperate effort to make out any text that would've allowed me to have something to go on in sleuthing the band.) Hyper-annoyingly (I use hyper- in everyday speech these days as a secret Freemasons-like handshake to connect with other punk collectors), since then my proper computer has died the death, taking with it those blurry snaps so I don't have a picture to go with this post, but if anyone - anyone - knows anything - anything -about the Clifford Evans Band...

Jetz

2006-06-09T11:17:00.000+02:00

The Jetz
"Catch Me" (Crystal, 1977)

(Look, I'd like to update this blog thing, like, every couple of hours, or at least every day (or two) cos there are certainly plenty of LDK-records which are still unheard by many people but, well, life, you know? So it's just whenever.)

So here's the Jetz record. Somehow this nigh-on perfect slice of rampant punky-powerpop, though crafted by a London band punted by a London-based management/production company, managed to be released not in the UK, but in Belgium, Holland, Germany and Swednormark (each edition uses the same picture, but the sleeves are different; there might or might not be a sleeve for the Scando issue: band says there was, but no-one's come up with one yet...).

One of the band had been in Starship, who'd released a private EP earlier in the year, but they all basically came from the legit side of the biz, and once The Jetz had split - this was their only single - and a couple of them had done The Pencils (a few singles) for a bit it was no surprise that they wandered back in that general direction and are these days giving it the old yeah-yeah-yeah on the Beatles-type 'tribute' circuit.

LDK sleuthed the band a couple of years ago after a first heart-attack-inducing chance encounter with the single in a Dutch record shop (note to self: never allow record shop owners to play mystery good-looking singles in the shop before you've actually handed over the money if you want to avoid a 'withdrawn-from-sale' fisticuff) and since then it's become a must-have from Torquay to Tokyo. But keep your eyes open and it's still possible to find a not-clued-up Belgian/Dutch/German/Scando record dealer: a copy on eBay last week was swiftly Buy-It-Now'd by an alert Spaniard for a couple of quid.

(Before you ask: B-side's good, but all the super-action is here, on the A-side.)

Squeeler

2006-05-31T12:08:00.000+02:00

Squeeler
Jennifer Broadhurst (Hit, 1979)

Squeeler were a hard-rockin' moustached Tetleys-swillin' round-the-clubs noise in Yorkshire, where men were men-with-whippets, when they finally succumbed to the lure-of-the-newer and added a punk rock twist to their regular fare of things like "Framed", the old Leiber/Stoller song, no doubt via the version proferred by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, which is one of the two songs on the other side of this 4-tracker EP.

It's not so much a game of two halves, this EP (their only release), more a game of four quarters: "Jennifer Broadhurst" kicks things off in punky kinda way, "Menace" reverts to mid-70s type, then on the other side it's the Jilted-John-separated-at-birth punky powerpop'isms of "I Just Want To Be Me" followed up by the aforementioned "Framed". If they'd ever got around to making an LP it'd probably have been called "Hedging Our Bets".

There was no p/s for this one, and it spent many years falling through the collector-cracks before being discovered and LDK gold-star'd. Any good?

Great British Heroes

2006-05-23T14:10:00.000+02:00

Great British Heroes
Eric Miller (Lightning, 1978)

Lightning got up to some right old mischief back in the days of the punk wars, but nothing comes even remotely close to approaching the great Great British Heroes debacle.

North London's hard rockin' Stars 'n' Stripes quickly caught the punk bug in '76 and started knocking about under the new name Great British Heroes, playing the Roxy and everything in '77 and teaming up with Lightning for a single. Singer Ray Burdis (he of Brit-TV and a string of hard-man gangster-type movie roles, most of which seem to involve the Krays) punched out a mean (well, theatre-schooled, to be fair) raspy vocal and a future Attendants ("Happy Families") or two pulverized the old Strawberry Studios live-room while ex-drummer Roland Rivron (he of Brit-TV, etc) watched from the safety of the control room while newly-hooked-up manager Jeff Miller met with the Lightning honchos to dot the i's and cross the t's, but before the mixes were dry there was a problem: manager Jeff wasn't happy with the terms of Lightning's proposed contract.

Negotiations (along the lines of 'no', 'I don't care' and 'you're fucking crazy') continued while the band packed up the gear, did another show down the Roxy and Roland Rivron presumably went off to the Comic Store or wherever, telling all his new showbiz mates that there'd be a new 'hard man' available soon for their songs and sketches and theatre revues cos he had a jolly good idea that his old mucker Burdis wasn't for much longer going to be gainfully employed by the now imploding GBH. Lightning, ever used to dealing with either in-house converts (like Horrorcomic) or provincial wide-eyers (like The Mirrors), thought it'd all come out in the wash and printed up some records anyway, complete with a full-on punk rock sleeve of the highest order. Manager Jeff stood firm, until one day Lightning DITCHED all the records and sleeves and TORE-UP the proposed contract, immediately clinically forgetting all about the entire incident like the band had never happened.

Meanwhile the band lost Burdis, there were a couple of other comings and goings, and the memory of their day in Strawberry was, as far as the band members were concerned, all that remained of their time as potential Lightning superstars - as far as they knew, "Eric Miller" and its B-side-to-be "Don't Give A Damn" never made it to vinyl. Manager Jeff disappeared to Sweden (could've been Norway... is there a difference?) and hasn't been seen since.

It was only when a copy surfaced in 2002 that it was revealed that the record was actually manufactured after all. All band members were shocked. Lightning blokes are still clinically unable to even remember that they've ever even heard the name Great British Heroes - as far as they're concerned, it wasn't included on the recent Lightning punk comps cos it doesn't exist.

As of this writing, there is still only one known copy.

Spider

2006-05-21T14:16:00.000+02:00

Spider
Back To The Wall (Pennine, 1977)

Merseyside boogie-metal band Spider went through a couple of independent releases on the Alien and City labels, amongst others, before hooking their thumbs in the belt-loops of RCA for a prolonged heads-down-no-nonsense boogie in the 80s. "Children Of The Street", their 'debut' on Alien, was naturally an instant collectable for Spider fans, who'd almost to a man think that's as far back as it goes. Nope.

In 1977 our future rocker-heroes were be-suited teens on a workingmens-club path to local giggery and long before the hair got longer and the guitars got pointier they put their hands in their pockets and went for the spend of a day at Pennine Studios and some vinyl (look, you can see in the picture that it pretty much cleaned them out). 500 copies, by all accounts, but far less than half of those are thought to have been festooned with this classic sleeve.

The record doesn't feature in the band's official discogs: why? Embarrassed at the suits or the clean cut powerpop in the grooves? Who knows. Still, for those attuned to the LDK-vibe this is a glorious record.

Left Hand Drive

2006-05-19T12:50:00.000+02:00

Left Hand Drive
Jailbait (Bancrupt, 1977)

There were 1,000 of these pressed in November 1977, but where'd they all go? The band's second single, "Who Said Rock'n'Roll Is Dead" (you know, got an old bloke in a garden with a guitar on the cover) cropped up all over the shop, but "Jailbait"/"Motorway Crow" was in the 'doesn't-exist' file of many top collectors until the old LDK sleuthin' dug one up. Turns out they'd been together since 1975, with Sean Tyla's brother Garry in the band, and were pretty popular locally (that's Milton Keynes), so the chances are they had quite a reasonable fanbase to snaffle the vinyl. Who obviously, to a man, hung onto their copies, making sure that "Jailbait" was never (like, never) to be found in an Oxfam or Record & Tape Exchange.

Is it that good then? Got a nice rolling Golden Earring-meets-Eddie & The Hot Rods vibe, according to our Venetian correspondent, and I'd chip in that it's maybe got a bit of the old Johnny Moped-type action, but it's not a killer, right? So what made all the people who bought one in '77 never fancy trading it in for some shillings along with whatever other surplus vinyl they might've dumped in secondhand shops down the years? One of LDK's little mysteries. I was thinking of making a movie of it, what d'you think? The Left Hand Drive Code.

Precious Little

2006-05-13T15:35:00.000+02:00

Precious Little
Give It To Me Now (Rock On, 1980)

Remember those Roger Dean sleeves that were all the rage in the mid 70s? The posters glimpsed on the walls of the sixth-form block when the headboy was holding the door open just a little too long for the gaggle of fourth-former girls to be able to see quite how cool it was in there? Roger, he was everywhere, back then. Coffee-table books and everything. Punks-in-waiting and glam-kids despised all that nonsense, and the sixth-form block looked pretty uninspiring, to be honest. One of the bands Roger hauled out his ouevre for was Gryphon, as mid-70s a band as ever there was. Really, it was hard then - and is even harder now - to see anything reasonable in Gryphon.

Cut to 1977, and there's this band The Banned on TOTP, covering the old Syndicate Of Sound number "Little Girl" in the most likable punky manner. Hang on though - where'd they come from? I don't remember reading about them in Sniffin' Glue, and how come they're on Harvest and magically appearing on the telly ten minutes after forming? Hmmm... Anyway, turns out they'd done their punk homework after all, releasing "Little Girl" first on their own Can't Eat Records (50 copies with hand-made p/s... don't hold your breath), but it was hardly some spotty oiks in their bedroom: it was three members of Gryphon. Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs: how did some folky/proggy types become new wavers overnight? Luckily, their manager was working for Harvest at the time, and the label were quite pleased to find one of those punk rock groups on their own doorstep (everyone had to have a couple, after all).

The Banned had a lesser hit with their follow-up, and were shown the door by Harvest before they could have a third go, which would've been the band original "Give It To Me Now". Bowed but not beaten, band mainstay Paul Sordid assembled Precious Little, re-recorded "Give It To Me Now" and released it on their own label in 1980... with about 50 copies coming in this fold-over handmade p/s (don't hold your breath).

Joe Sope

2006-05-09T15:22:00.000+02:00

Joe Sope
Gotta Be Something Else (Redball, 1979)

There's the fashionable parts of London and then there are the unfashionable parts. Then after that you've got your satellite towns and your oases of action like Manchester. Somewhere far down the line from that is Shrewsbury where, back in 1979, schoolbuddy punkrockers hatched the cunning plans for Joe Sope. Picture it: it's a Sunday, they've all done their paper-round for the week and they've got money to burn and a burning desire to see Shrewsbury burning, what with them being bored and everything... what better way to spend the day than to nip into close-by Market Drayton, knock on the door of Redball Studios and ask if they could come in to record their hits. It would surely be in studio boss Terry Butters' best interest.

Terry thought better of it - through the peep-hole they looked like surly types who'd possibly de-tune the piano and refuse to leave when things got out of control. Still, he recognises one of them from having given him his Christmas box (Terry was a subscriber to The Worcester Robber, a weekly delivered on the 'Sope paper-round) and, well, OK then, go on. Hey presto: the Joe Sope single.

So enamoured was Terry of the Joe Sope racket that he even offered to release their two tracks on his Redball label, normally the home of pianos and the odd bit of cabaret-crooning. After all, he'd done the Not Sensibles single, and even through they'd swanned off at the first sign of success, maybe these boys'd be more grateful.

Unfortunately, it became by far the worst-selling of all Redball releases, a forgotten (well, let's face it: never even known about in the first place) addition to the label's catalogue. Punk afficianados would've merrily told you that it was the Buzz record wot was the label's rarest punker, but, well, no.

Hope you like it.

The Weathermen

2006-05-09T12:15:00.000+02:00

The Weathermen
Anarchy Rock (Philips, 1973)

Sounding like an explosion in the Third World War factory with Tone Deaf And The Idiots lighting the blue touchpaper and retiring, this is actually Jonathan King on one of his many merry B-side outings (this was before outing meant something different in Jonjo's world, obviously), this time coming up the rear (this was before, etc...) of "Honey Bee", a light piece of fluff not even as good as "The Sun Has Got His Hat On", and nowhere near as good as the truly stupendous "Johnny Reggae", and justifiably not a hit.

This copy is the German issue. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there were editions of this adorning the catalogues of ill-advised labels all over Europe, all hoodwinked into thinking that the King magic (10cc, Genesis, dozens of solo-and pseudonym- hits) was infallible. Oops. It would be another couple of years before our hero again offered up something that bordered (on a slow day) with LDK-territory (the Elizabeth single) but, credit where credit's due, Jonathan King has a lot of the ol' punk spirit in him and there are a lot worse music-biz whores out there.

Plus, hang on: doesn't the band on this sound like Helter Skelter ("I Need You", on Sticky) which was basically yer Crushed Butler pre-Gorillas mob? I wonder...

Zoot Alors (and Record Collector Top 100)

2006-05-03T16:47:00.000+02:00

Zoot Alors
Send Me A Postcard (Decca, 1979)

Oh my giddy aunt. I'd be apalled if I wasn't so amused. Hands up who's seen this month's Record Collector magazine, flaunting a cover-punted '100 Most Collectable Punk Records' (UK pressings only, so only the odd Ramones / Blondie/ Heartbreakers single in the list). Yikes. Nice pictures in colour, so maybe worth it cos it all kinda looks nice, but I mean, really...

Anyone fancy posting their list of most-wanted-at-that-price singles from the article? I'll start off with 100 quid for the first Teenage Filmstars 7" with p/s!

Here is the stock copy of the Zoot Alors single - 'existence unconfirmed', apparently. It was the band's only single, but who's surprised? No-one who's been paying attention to Decca '79's track-record, that's for sure. The Zoot (you do call them 'the Zoot', right?) were basically from Nottingham, buddies of the Favourites and everything, before the 'main two' unceremoniously (apparently, but depends who you're talking to) dispensed with the services of the 'other two' (who then went off and joined New Order*) and moved to the Smoke (not the "My Friend Jack" crew... I despair of you, sometimes, I really do...), signing a deal with Decca. Both sides would rock the proverbial house if they weren't so solidly pop, not rock, but needless to say Decca dropped the ball and dropped the band. There are demos, some of which are pretty top too, and in LDK-terms the whole 'Alors output (you do call them, etc...) was the best things wot they did (bits had a US-chart future in Blue Train - I was signed to the same label, but we never met in the corridor - but, well...).

*Wait, that was a different 'other two', forget I said anything.

The City Limits

2006-04-29T22:09:00.000+02:00

The City Limits
Morse Code Messages (Luggage) 1979

Back in the seventies, when the brothers Hogan from the Squares ("Buddy Holly" etc) were hoarsing-themselves up on the terraces of their local beloved Leeds United, across town something was stirring (and it wasn't Billy Bremner's breakfast backfiring on him): The City Limits. This 7", a three-tracker, was the only vinyl that emerged (hell, all the vinyl in Leeds had been purloined for the aforementioned Hogans' slew of releases, them and the boys from The Neat and their buddy Ziggy Hero, and cover-of-darkness forays to neighbouring Huddersfield to raid their stocks of plastic were fruitless in the face of Look Records - The Negatives etc, plus "Compo's Lost His Wellies" by Bill Owen - having got at it first) from the super-talented eight-legged pop machine that was The City Limits, despite them having, so they tell me, whacked down several other candidate-tunes in the local Ric Rac Studios (a proposed follow-up, "No Regrets", was supposed to come out in spring 1980 but, well, it didn't, though there was a cassette release of something or other... does that count?). Hands up those who'd approve The City Limits' birthdays becoming public holidays.

Gyppo

2006-04-27T20:35:00.000+02:00

Gyppo
High Rise Love (United Artists, 1979)

Light in the head and dead on your feet... that's what you'd feel like, punk, after running up the stairs to your 10th-floor girlfriend cos the tower-block's lift's out again, and that's why you're thinking about replacing your Toyah-lookalike punkette squeeze with some other cutie who lives on the ground floor, for fuck sake. That's also what Gerry Rafferty's studio hotshots would be feeling like if Gerry ever got to find out that they'd wasted some valuable "Night Owl" studio-time recording this nonsense, just cos he was a little bit late winding his way down to the studio one morning. Yep, 1977, and Hugh Murphy's version of the Devil's Hole Gang (not the "Isn't It?" mob... keep up...) had had just about enough of this spittin' punk rock shit and by gum if they weren't all too primed for a quick taking of the piss. Gerry was late, piss was taken. Band promptly forgot all about it but Baldrick the tape-op had a cunning plan: he'd sneak it into the A&R's release folder in a couple of years and see if those suited coke-heads had any fucking clue what was going on upstairs in their towers of snort and cavort. Fast forward to 1979: band haven't thought about "High Rise Love" since the moment Mr. Rafferty stormed in from the first of those prickly meetings with Raf Ravenscroft (that's why he'd been late) and in his best Kenneth Williams told them to stop messing about. "High Rise Love" gets released: demo (like this one), one-sided white label promo with a test-tone on the B-side (our favourite version, of course) and a blink-or-you'll-miss-it stock copy (did you ever see it stocked in any shops? -no, nor me neither). Record flops, returns (or more likely still-heres) are melted down. When Hugh Murphy was asked about "High Rise Love" in 2002 he vaguely remembered having recorded it... but he'd never actually seen one. Still hasn't, probably.

Revolver (Ellie Jay)

2006-04-26T20:13:00.000+02:00

Revolver
Sha La La La Lee (Ellie Jay, 1981)

Not the previous band from Liverpool, and not the band on Rockburgh ("Silently Screaming") either (they were Irish), this is the one-and-only by the Revolver from Scotland. It's a 5-track EP, but this is the number where they sound most like The Features ("Monday-Friday" band, not the "Drab City" ones, or the "Go Now" ones, and obviously not the American ones), so it gets the LDK vote. I can't imagine what kind of seizures this'd give died-in-the-wool moshpit KBD-fiends, but we plow a very different furrow at Low Down Kids.

Revolver (Rox)

2006-04-23T00:31:00.001+02:00

Revolver
One And One Is Two (Rox, 1979)

Revolver were actually a band called Black Maria, popular on the Merseyside circuit and with one of future Liverpool 'new-psych'-ers The Cherry Boys in the ranks, who were rechristened Revolver for this Lennon/McCartney-covers project in 1979. There's a whole LP of this stuff, snappily called "Northern Songs" - this one's probably pretty representative of Revolver's ouevre.