To kick off Volume 2 we have three Lincoln mods with a neat little 3-tracker. Detour Records released a full CD worth of stuff. I suggest you go find one and snap it up.
2. THE OUTSIDERS - 'One To Infinity' - Raw Edge 7" - UK - 1977
How many punk bands released an LP before a 7"? Not many. The Outsiders released an LP either side of this legendary 7" before vocalist/guitarist Adrian Borland went on to form The Sound in 1979. ' Who is reaching from one to infinity?' Not me.
3. THE DONKEYS - 'What I Want' - Rhesus 7" - UK - 1979
Imagine telling you friends you going to see the Donkeys. Wakefield 1979. Who'd have thought you were on about a powerpop band? Etched into the run-out grooves is: 'be nice to dumb animals - buy their records'. They were then snapped up by Deram who failed to release an LP despite all their wonderful demos. A travesty.
4. NEON HEARTS - 'Regulations' - Neon Hearts 7" - UK - 1977
One of the great sax-punk singles. Though their recording career never lived up to the dizzy heights of this their first 7", Paul Raven did go on to greater things with the mighty Killing Joke. The joke with this single was that it had an 8" cardboard sleeve. Very frustrating at the time.
5. THE DOLL - 'Don't Tango On My Heart' - Beggars Banquet 7" - UK - 1978
The B-side was included on the 'Streets' LP but both sides are top notch. The band were fronted by Marion Valentine who wore tight leopard print outfits in an effort to win our hearts. She never quite did it for me with her Lene-Lovich-crossed-with-Cher sultriness but they did go on to appear on Top of The Pops with their next single, 'Desire Me'.
6. XPRESS - 'Junked Up Judy' - Xpress 7" - UK - 1980
Their sole release, though I'm sure a couple of demos appeared on the Bored Teenagers comp LPs. Known for their high-octane performances in an around York supporting the likes of Generation X and The Revillos, had they plied their wares in the capital instead, who knows what might have happened?
7. SCIENCE - 'What A Day' - Science 7" - UK - 1980
While Xpress were pogoing around York, Science were unleashing this fascinating 7" on an unsuspecting public with multiple plays on the John Peel show. Early indie-synth-prog-punk anyone? It felt dramatic at the time but with it's genre-crossing musical attitude it remains relatively unknown, even today.
8. GLORIA MUNDI - 'Fight Back' - RCA 7" - UK - 1978
The glory of the world indeed. Reputed to be one of the first proto-goth bands, you wouldn't know it listening to this synth-punk stomper. Eddie Maelov (vocals) had connections with John Foxx but neither fulfilled their ambitions once the 80s were sanitised with New Romantic nonsense.
9. XS ENERGY - 'Imaginary' - Dead Good 7" - UK - 1979
Another great Lincoln band with great second single syndrome. I could have easily went with 'Use You' the fantastic A-side but speed won the day (as it usually does).
10. THE CORTINAS - 'Fascist Dictator' - Step Forward - UK 1979
The very first Step Forward record. The Cortinas were a young R'n'B band from Bristol who quickly picked up on punk but then began to let it go by their third single and disappointing debut LP. They did the right thing by splitting in 1978.
11. RADIATORS FROM SPACE - 'Television Screen' - Chiswick 7" - UK - 1977
The career of this Dublin band closely matched that of the Cortinas, in style and output, though they lasted a few more years, released a second LP and had marginally better songs. Still, they never topped their hyperactive debut with the biscuit-tin snare and the classic call to arms of the chorus: 'I got the right, I got the right, I got the ticket and the buck stops here!'
12. THE AUTOMATICS - 'When The Tanks Roll Over Poland Again' - Island 7" - UK - 1978
Sorta proves that Steve Lillywhite didn't know how to handle punk, but it's a great song nonetheless and a great shame that they didn't write many more like it. They re-did the song for an album released in 2002. Is it any better? Not sure, the jury's out.
13. TIGER TAILS - 'Words Without Conviction' - Snotty Snail 7" - UK -1980
One single and then oblivion. Maybe it was due to their label-mates (the fine Notsensibles) grabbing all the attention? Anyway, this is one of those simple songs where the riff somehow lifts it higher than was ever intended . . . if that makes any sense?
14. FLACK OFF - 'Montagu Jack Farmer' - Sofa Records 7" - UK - 1980
In much the same way that Tiger Tails were overshadowed by their label-mates Notsensibles, Flack Off were beaten to the punch by label-mates The Shapes who had a minor indie hit just before with (I Saw) Batman (In The Launderette) and a follow-up 'Blast Off' on Good Vibrations. Peel nevertheless played the hell out of one of the other tracks on this 3-tracker, 'The King Is Dead', but all to no avail. This was all they recorded.
15. THE JERKS - 'Hold My Hand' - Underground 7" - UK - 1977
People usually harp on about the A-side 'Get Your Woofing Dog Off Me' but since they censored the original lyrics by changing to 'woofing' for the single, the track loses points and I've plumped for the B-side instead. 'H-H-H, Hold my hand'. True love, yeah baby!
16. PINPOINT - 'Richmond' - Albion 7" - UK - 1979
So Arturo Bassick was kicked out of the Lurkers and formed Pinpoint instead. And it started so promisingly with this two-fingered salute to the hoi polloi. Shame the rest of their stuff didn't quite match up. 'In Richmond, where the breakfast's continental.' Oh, how the other half live.
17. THE VALVES - 'For Adolfs Only' - Zoom 7" - UK - 1977
From north of the border, The Valves released 3 very different singles but all great in their own way. This, their first, was an early put-down of nazi idiots and more power to 'em for that. There's a great old live set doing the mp3 rounds and some cracking demos too. Go find.
18. THE NOSEBLEEDS - 'I Aint Been To No Music School' - Rabid 7" - UK - 1977
OK, so you know the background: Vini Reilly played guitar on this one-off single and was later replaced by Billy Duffy (later of the Cult) while Morrissey took over on vocals. If they'd recorded anything else I doubt it would have sounded anything like 'Music School'. . . 'You think you're it, You think you're it, You think you're it, You think you're it, You think you're it, You think you're it, You think you're IT!'
19. THE PETTICOATS - 'Normal' - Blah Blah Blah 7" - UK - 1980
Ah, this is what it's all about, Stef Petticoat playing all the instruments (badly, some say). So what? The D.I.Y. ethic was the most important thing to come out of punk rock and the charm of this disc knows no limits.
20. CRISIS - 'Alienation' - Ardkor 7" - UK - 1981
I could have easily put 'Holocaust' on here but quite frankly it depresses me. This one was taken off a Peel session and does a similar job except you can dance to it. Possibly.
21. THE DOLE - 'New Wave Love' - Ultimate 7" - UK - 1978
Most punk rockers prefer the B-side with an unnecessarily long title, but how can you not love a song where the last line of the chorus goes: . . . 'And your fanny fits me like a glove.'?
22. LE RITZ - 'What A Sucker' - Lightning 7" - UK - 1977
Sounds like a bunch of wimpy bandwagon jumpers for the most part, but the intro is taken from the Trumpton Fire Station call to arms and the bass player is called Dick Tater. Nuff said.
23. THE DREGS - 'Fatal Attraction' - Disturbing 7" - UK - 1979
A primordial 4-tracker. Maybe I should have used 'Schoolgirls In Bondage' instead - no doubt I'd have got more hits from the wrong kind of people.
24. THE DAMNED - 'Love Song' - Dodgy Demo 7" - UK -1978
I've always preferred this to the 'proper' release, and the version of 'Burglar' on the flip is way better too.
25. THE VALVES - 'Radios' - demo - UK - 1979-ish
I said they did some cracking demos, and here's one of 'em.
***BONUS TRACKS***
26. X-PRESS - 'Stop,
Start And Go Back Again'
27. THE DOLL -
'Trash'
28. SCIENCE - 'Don't
Keep Us In The Dark'
29. THE NEON HEARTS -
'Venus Eccentric'
30. FLACK OFF - 'The
King Is Dead'
31. THE JERKS - 'Get
Your Woofing Dog Off Me'
GET IT HERE
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