The Best of Brought To Life - 015

1. THE SOFT BOYS - 'Hear My Brane' - Raw 7" - UK - 1977
From their debut 7" - 'Give It To The Soft Boys'. I'm gonna include all 3 tracks in this compilation cos they're that good. This was called 'neo-psychedelia' at the time but it was just a great band with an individual style and curious, whimsical lyrics. You either get them or you don't. From Cambridge, so naturally it was on Raw and recorded at Spaceward.
2. RUDI - 'Big Time' - Good Vibrations 7" - UK - 1978
The first release on Good Vibrations records. You can hear why Terry Hooley decided to start a record label. Never quite made the big time but what a cracking song.
3. SUBWAY SECT - 'Nobody's Scared' - Braik 7" - UK - 1978
This bunch were there at the start but this, their first platter, wasn't released until 1978. Not cool enough, not loud enough, no doubt. They were managed by Bernie Rhodes. Maybe he was too busy with The Clash?
4. THE MANIACS - 'Chelsea '77' - United Artists 7" - 1977
Sole release from this short-lived first wave punk band, though they had a couple of tracks on 'Live At The Vortex' and there's a retrospective CD on Overground. Too cynical for their own good. 'Tell me who are the new messiahs, could it be they're all just liars?'
5. CHARGE - 'Rather B Crazy' - YCAFO 7" - UK - 1980
From the super-rare small pressing debut 3-tracker which was swiftly followed by the excellent 'Caged and Staged - Live in Germany' LP. The strange label name stands for 'You Can All Fuck Off'. Charming.
6. JOHNNY MOPED - 'No-One' - Chiswick 7" - UK - 1977
Here's a great video of the band 'performing in 1974. How did this bunch of no-marks get to release a record? Well, they improved. A bit. The flip is much better but was probably too controversial to be the A-side. Oh, OK, I'll stick it on later.
7. THE CRAVATS - 'Burning Bridges' - Small Wonder 7" - UK - 1979
From their second 3-tracker. Peel favourites, they seemed to get more experimental as time went on before morphing into the Very Things.
8. THE FLATBACKERS - 'Pumping Iron' - Red Shadow 7" - UK - 1980
Great song from an all-girl trio who managed to release 3 good singles. This one was No.1 in Gibraltar!
9. THE SOFT BOYS - 'Face Of Death' - RAW 7" - UK - 1977
Another from 'Give It To The Soft Boys'. 'Face of death is my best friend, he lurks behind my favourite vent, and though we meet we never speak, I've got a feeling he's unique'.
10. NEWTOWN NEUROTICS - 'Hypocrite' - No Wonder 7" - UK - 1979
The debut single by one of the most danceable socialist bands ever. 'Anarchy in the study but sanity prevails in the home, a radical social consciousness causes riots over the phone'.
11. THE LIMIT - 'Please Please Me' - Private Stock 7" - UK - 1978
The best punked-up Beatles cover version ever.
12. CHARGE - 'Kings Cross' - Test Pressings 7" - UK - 1980
They got a new singer, Moose, for this one. After this classic 3-tracker they went off the boil for me, but who cares when they left us something as good as this?
13. THE RICH KIDS - 'Rich Kids' - EMI 7" - UK - 1978
They promised so much with this great debut single but, again, never quite delivered. See the Revolver performance here and the classic piss-poor-mime performance on Top of the Pops here.
14. RUDI - 'No. 1' - Good Vibrations 7" - UK - 1978
The great B-side of 'Big Time'.
15. GROUT - 'Cremation At Belsen' - Urinating Vicar 7" - UK - 1979
From a gnarly 4-tracker from Lancashire. Originals are very rare but there was an unauthorised re-release too. See the modern day version here.
16. JOHNNY MOPED - 'Incendiary Device' - Chiswick 7" - UK - 1977
The B-side of 'No-One' which clearly should have been the A-side. Chiswick lacked balls. 'Walking down the road with my incendiary device, looking for an ear to blow it up with gelignite'. Ouch.
17. THE GOBBLINZ - 'Women In Love' - Pinnacle 7" - UK - 1978
Another superior B-side. From Peterborough, this was from the first of 2 singles.
18. THE SOFT BOYS - 'Wading Through A Ventilator' - RAW 7" - UK - 1977
And to complete 'Give It To The Soft Boys' we have the most manic, punked-out track they ever recorded. Lyrics are complete gibberish.
19. CHARGE - 'Brave New World' - Test Pressings 7" - UK - 1980
Another classic from the second E.P.
20. SEMA 4 - 'Semaphore Messages' - Pollen 7" - UK - 1979
From York, from their debut 4-tracker. 'Gonna cut out your tongue, you won't rabbit no more, then you'll have to use your semaphore'.
21. NEWTOWN NEUROTICS - 'When The Oil Runs Out' - No Wonder 7" - UK - 1980
The second single. Same great beat, another great song. Pre-haircut video here.
22. SUBWAY SECT - 'Ambition' - Rough Trade 7" - UK - 1978
The second single, this time with keyboards. Still didn't chart.
23. THE MOONDOGS - 'Who's Gonna Tell Mary?' - WEA 7" - UK - 1978
After a debut 7" on Good Vibrations these lads even got their own TV series, believe it or not. Here's the proof. But come on lads, grow some bollocks and tell her yourself!
24. SIX MINUTE WAR - 'Guitarist' - Six Minute War 7" - UK - 1980
From the second E.P. Pretty much your basic anarcho band, but 'Sell Out' apart, this humourous excursion was the highlight of their career.
25. THE MEMBERS - 'Solitary Confinement' - Stiff 7" - UK - 1978
Ah, good ol' Nicky Tesco. Paints quite a picture, doesn't he? Video here. 'Buy yourself this record.' Indeed.

***BONUS TRACKS***

26. SIX MINUTE WAR - 'Sellout'

27. THE MANIACS - 'Aint No Legend'

28. CHARGE - 'God's Kids'

29. CHARGE - 'You Get What You Deserve'

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