Thursday 27 February 2014

The Best of Brought To Life - 061

1. STEVE MIRO & THE EYES - Choke It Back' - Object LP - UK - 1980
The opening track from their first album 'Rude Intrusions'. Steve was a much overlooked co-founder of Manchester-based Object records and a driving force in the Manchester musicians collective. After 2 singles in the late '70s there were 3 more albums in the early '80s which can be snapped up on a Boutique double CD.
2. THE BUZZCOCKS - 'Operator's Manual' - United Artists LP - UK - 1978
Staying in Manchester, next we have the first of many tracks from the Buzzcocks groovy second album 'Love Bites'.
3. BLOODY MANNEQUIN ORCHESTRA - 'Streets Of Saigon' - WGNS Recordings LP - USA - 1984
From their sole album 'Roadmap To Revolution'. An edgy, varied, original recording from Bethesda, Maryland. Website here. 
4. THE RUNNING SORES - 'I'm A Punk Star' - Demo - UK - 1976
Yeah, real punk man! Whole story here. Available on the excellent Bored Teenagers Volume 4. Get the CD here.
5. THE SISTERS OF MERCY - 'Adrenochrome' - Merciful Release 7" - UK - 1982
Second single, coupled with 'Body Electric'. All the best Sisters Of Mercy Songs begin with an 'A'. 'For the sisters of mercy, filled with panic in their eyes, rise, dead on adrenochrome'.  
6. UPROAR - 'Rebel Youth' - Lightbeat/Beat The System 7" - UK - 1982
Ah, this brings back memories. Primitive just-learned-to-play punk from Peterlee. I remember those days, tanked-up on cider, catching the bus mob-style to see them play up at The White House, being shot at beforehand in the park by bored local teenagers with air rifles who considered out-of-town punk rockers fair game. Then, after the gig, sending someone off down the bank towards town at breakneck speed in a shopping trolley; carefree, pissed and happy.
7. THE BUZZCOCKS - 'Nostalgia' - United Artists LP - UK - 1978
Another pop classic from 'Love Bites'.
8. X-PRESS - 'Whatever Happened To Fashion?' - Demo - UK - 1980
Another solid demo available on Bored Teenagers Volume 3. You need to buy the CD here. 
9. THE INJECTORS - 'Welcome To Our Club' - Demo - UK - 1977
Another demo available on Bored Teenagers Volume 3. You need to buy the CD here. Didn't I just say that? Full story here.
10. UPROAR - 'Soldier Boy' -Lightbeat/Beat The System LP - UK - 1982
From the 'Total Anarchy' compilation LP which had one of the worst sleeves in existence.
11. THE BUZZCOCKS - 'Walking Distance' - United Artists LP - UK - 1978
An excellent instrumental from 'Love Bites'.
12. THE BUZZCOCKS - 'Love Is Lies' - United Artists LP - UK - 1978
And straight after, a 'proper' song which is either a bittersweet acousto-pop classic or a dodgy-vocalled Steve Diggle effort. I plump for the former.
13. THE SISTERS OF MERCY - 'Alice' - Merciful Release 7" - UK - 1982
For me, their crowning glory. Who'd've thought I'd like anything with a drum machine? 'Alice in her party dress, she thanks you kindly, so serene, she needs you like she needs her tranqs to tell her that the world is clean, to promise her a definition, tell her where the rain will fall, tell her where the sun shines bright and tell her she can have it all, today'. 
14. BLOODY MANNEQUIN ORCHESTRA - 'Man In Glass' - WGNS Recordings LP - USA - 1984
A second crazy track from 'Roadmap To Revolution'.
15. UPROAR - 'Better Off Dead' - Lightbeat/Beat The System 7" - UK - 1983
To me, the second E.P. 'Die For Me' was where it was at for Uproar. Stu, Dave, Baz and Goic were never better.
16. STEVE MIRO & THE EYES - 'Stuck For Words' - Object LP - UK - 1980
Another from debut album 'Rude Intrusions'. This one's a shortie. 
17. THE BUZZCOCKS - 'Sixteen Again' - United Artists LP - UK - 1978
And a fifth from 'Love Bites'.
18. THE INJECTORS - 'Frustration' - Demo - UK - 1977
Available on Bored Teenagers Volume 3. You know the drill. Get the CD here.
19. THE SISTERS OF MERCY - 'Anaconda' - Merciful Release 7" - UK - 1983
Another lyrically magnificent early Sisters classic. 'Steal to feed the anaconda, will not see the suicide'. 
20. UPROAR - 'It's Not You' - Lightbeat/Beat The System 7" - UK - 1983
Another from 'Die For Me'.
21. THE BUZZCOCKS - 'E.S.P.' - United Artists LP - UK - 1978
A sixth from 'Love Bites'.
22. BLOODY MANNEQUIN ORCHESTRA - 'Book Of Lies' - WGNS Recordings LP - USA - 1984
A third from 'Roadmap To Revolution'. Intelligent stuff. 'I knew nothing of it, thought I was above it'.
23. THE RUNNING SORES - 'My Brain Done Hurt' - Demo - UK - 1976
Nah, fuck intelligent stuff! 'Pain in my head, maybe I'm dead, I bash it so hard, cos it's made out of fucking wood!' 
24. UPROAR - 'Have A Good Laugh' - Lightbeat/Beat The System 7" - UK - 1983
A third from 'Die For Me'.
25. THE BUZZCOCKS - 'Real World' - United Artists LP - UK - 1978
And finally, a seventh from 'Love Bites'. What a great album.
***BONUS TRACK***

26. THE SISTERS OF MERCY - 'Temple Of Love'

Get it here

4 comments:

  1. Ha Ha, liked the Uproar story! Is Peterlee really that rough? Where else did you go to gigs in the North East?

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    1. Oh, it's rough in it's own way, but it's not as bad a city slum war-zone and some great people do live there. As for gigs, there were loads of places, some of the more regular ones were: The Station in Gateshead, the Anglo-Asian club in Newcastle, The Bunker in Sunderland, Fowler's Yard in Durham, The Kings Head in Ferryhill, the Rock Garden and Gaskins in Middlesbrough, and many places which put on gigs less frequently. Pubs, clubs, arts centres, town and village halls, there always seemed to be something going on somewhere in the '80s. First gig I ever went to, age 15, was UK Subs/Anti-Pasti/Emergency Purge at the Rock Garden in Middlesbrough. It was scary. More so than Peterlee . . .

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    2. What was so scary about the Rock Garden? And what about the Riverside in Newcastle?

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    3. Well, they didn't like strangers much in Middlesbrough, people were frequently beaten up, I saw one guy get stabbed, and I got chased down the road on the way out many times. I went to the original Riverside hundreds of times, it was a cool place but a little bit bigger than my favourite venues. There were practise rooms upstairs. I had a drum lesson once for a local band as the drummer wanted to play guitar. I was rubbish on drums though. Wasn't much better on guitar!

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