Conference marvin::uk_music

    Undertones,Stiff Little Fingers,The Jam,The Ruts ect.ect.ect.
    
    I watched a play on BBC1 on sunday night and the soundtrack was around
    this era - brings back memories.

    Spandau Ballet  -  Great Band
    
    The Buzzcocks   
    
    And I'm not afraid to post this one 'cos I love 'em (and I consider
    myself to be a serious muso)
    
    
     DDDD  U   U  RRRR  AAAA  N   N
     D   D U   U  R  R  A  A  N N N
     D   D U   U  R R   AAAA  N N N    D  -  U  -  R   -  A  _  N
     D   D U   U  R  R  A  A  N   N
     DDDD  UUUUU  R   R A  A  N   N     
     
    
      
    
    Nigel   8*>
    
    
    
    

    Don't forget Blondie.
    
    Balders

    
    New Order (still going strong!).
    
    Lene Lovich (Wierd, or what!).
    
    The CLASH!!!!!! (how could you forget them?)
    
    Mark
    
    PS .4 nicked at least two of those I was going to mention, good taste,
    Keef!

Significant bands for me in that period were ones like Magazine, Scars, TV21,
The Associates (they were the BEST), The Passions, U2, Talking Heads and
Television. Then the Cocteau Twins and New Order got going and became the
defining bands of the mid-Eighties.


Rod

    re.2
    
    Spandau Ballet ----> I agree!
    
    I've liked them since '83 until.... now, I guess!
    
    Nice blokes as well, I've met them a couple of times
    and they were very "down to earth"!
    
    In the early eighties there was a sort of 'war' between
    fans from Spandau and Duran. Ofcourse I was on the
    Spandau side, but I must admit now that Duran made some 
    great songs as well.... That were great times! 
    Nice memories and stories to tell!
    
    Cheers!
    Ilse* 
    

A few more:

	Ultravox
	Madness
	Dexys Midnight Runners

Al

    I noticed Television are playing Glastonury.

    Who mentioned  MAGAZINE.   God I'd forgotten about them.  I did have an
    album somewhere but where it is  I don't know.  Anyone help me out
    here?
    
    NIgel
    

>                     <<< Note 1014.11 by PEKING::BARKERN >>>
>
>    Who mentioned  MAGAZINE.   God I'd forgotten about them.  I did have an
>    album somewhere but where it is  I don't know.  Anyone help me out
>    here?
>    
>    NIgel
    
Under The Floorboards?!

grahame

    Real Life
    Secondhand Daylight
    The Correct Use of Soap
    Magic, Murder and the Weather
    
    A live album
    
    Rays and Hail (compilation CD)
    
    The bestest band, really.

    Pigbag! (or was it Pigback?) 
    
    Mark

    Papa's got a brand new Pigbag.....

    No 8 in the charts 10  years ago

Yes, Pigbag. Weren't they part of a Bristol scene that included 
Riprig and Panic (that's one band) who were like Pigbag except loonier?
I saw them both in the early eighties. What I particularly remember about
the Pigbig gig was the outfit of my girlfriend, who was into black lace and
support underwear long before Madonna became famous. Ooh-er missus!


Rod

wasn't Neneh Cherry part of Rip Pig and Panic too?

...Art

    Rip Rig and Panic did indeed feature one Neneh Cherry.
    
    Piers

    I loved the E.P. by Magazine - Spiral Scratch - a classic.
    
    

Spiral Scratch - wasn't that the Buzzcocks first release?


Rod


PS  Paul, I suppose you're too young to remember a time when Madonna wasn't
famous? 

    Dunno about Paul, but _I'm_ too young to remember a time when Madonna
    wasn't famous, honest.
    
    As for Spiral Scratch, it was indeed by the Buzzcocks not Magazine --
    but it was the (brief) incarnation of the Buzzcocks that still had
    Howard Devoto on vocals.
    
    Boringly accurate...
    
    Piers

    What about X-Ray Spex (Dayglo is a superb tune), the Damned (New Rose),
    John Otway and WWB (still going?), and one that got on everybodys
    nerves...Binky Baker with the unforgettable "Toe-knee-black-burn" (I
    think Binky was reputed to be Anne Nightingales hubby!)
    
    
    The Auld Yin

> John Otway and WWB (still going?)

Wild Willy Barrett is on tour at the moment: Otway seems to be in Oxford twice
a year for the last three or four years, last time but one doing poetry with
Atilla the Stockbroker.

And I'm only 24.

+Mark+

    
    Tom Robinson Band
    A Teardrop Explodes
    All the Ska bands (Specials, The Beat, Madness, The Selector, 
    		       The Bodysnatchers!).
    
    and there's more...
    
    Mark

    Just remembered...The Only Ones whose brilliant compilation "The
    Immortal Story" has just been released...and what about Bill Nelson's
    Red Noise with one of my all time......"Revolt Into Style"; Wreckless
    Eric -"Whole Wide World"...those were the days...
    
    
    

    
    Simple Minds
    Big Country
    Tubeway Army
    Human League(pre Dare)
    Stranglers
    
    And probably countless others.
    I'm glad i'm not alone in thinking this was probably the best era for
    British music.(1977-'84).IMHO the music scene deteriorated rapidly
    after this.

    Splodginess Abounds....
    
    
    2 Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps PLEASE
    
    
    nigel
    

...And bands we could'nt stand from that era:

Crass
The Angelic Upstarts	  					
The Leighton Buzzards--------------------------------------->
The Secret Affair					    |pete
The Lambrettas						    |frame	
The Merton Parkas					    |beware	
Classix Noveaux - (Bald Sal Solo and his body stocking)     |
Them which done "The Sound of the Suburbs."		    |
Kim Wilde - cr*p then, cr*p now.			    |
And the worst band of all time......Modern Romance. <-------|	     

barry.

    Fashion, Kid Creole and the Coconuts (Brilliant live), Siouxsie and the
    Banshees, The Boomtown Rats (Bet it's not trendy to say you liked 'em now!).
    
    and one to not admit liking...
    
    Howard Jones (I saw him sing accapella, live once, damned good he was too!).
    
    Mark

.31> Them which done "The Sound of the Suburbs"

The Membranes? At least they gave the retread industry a name for a recent
punk compilation.

As for other crap bands of the era, what about early Ultravox? I bought an
lp of theirs from about 78 (?) which had stuff like "Sat'day Night in the
City of the Dead" and which was, basically, crap. Still, I suppose it was of
its time. The Vibrators weren't much good either. Or Sham 69. Both still
going, too. Do you realise that PIL have been together for about 13 years?
Where has all the time gone.

It was a very good era for British music, and I loved it. The mid-eighties
weren't so hot, though for me they were saved by a string of excellent 
releases from NO and the Cocteaus (as I've already too often said). But the
music scene seems to be on an upsurge again. I'm certainly buying more records
than I've done in a long time.


Rod

    
> The Membranes? At least they gave the retread industry a name for a recent
    
    Almost right: The Members. Am I the only person here to have seen them
    live, at the height of their fame ? They were supporting Devo. Now,
    there *was* a weird band.
    
    Trevor

>PS  Paul, I suppose you're too young to remember a time when Madonna wasn't
>famous? 
    
    Me, I'm so young I can't remember why Madonna got famous in the first
    place.
    
    What about Captain Sensible (Happy Talking, Talking, Happy Talk)
    Ian Dury and The Blockheads
    
    Paul

    Loads of good bands at that time (punk and three or so years after).
    Blimey, some of them even gave me hope that the singles charts were
    maybe changing for the better. Just a few who got there for the nation
    (and me);
    
    Undertones
    Jam
    XTC
    Elvis Costello (when he was a pop star)
    Blondie
    Squeeze
    Boomtown Rats (up until I Don't Like blummen Mondays)
    Abba (shurely shome mishtake)
    
    not to mention a few later on, like Dexy's, the Specials, Madness
    (probably the greatest English pop group of the time). Unfortunately, I
    can't agree about the likes of the floppy fringe brigade or
    electro-bip-bip stuff with the exception of the mighty Human League.
    
    Bob
    
    p.s. it's name-drop time - I was once in a band with Sal Solo out of
    Classix Nouveau. His real name is Charlie Smith.

                     <<< Note 1014.36 by WELCLU::GREENB >>>
    
>    p.s. it's name-drop time - I was once in a band with Sal Solo out of
>    Classix Nouveau. His real name is Charlie Smith.



I was once in a band with Hank B Apache.



Stuart

    Where are they now?
    
    Bob

    re -1
    
    I heard on GLR that Sal Solo is now recording Gospel Music and has just
    released an LP (or should that be CD!!)
    
    
    H

    Don't really want to turn this into another Tosh note (or do I?)
    but don't you just remember Shakatak (or similar) with fondness?
    I don't. Then there was Phil Fearon and Galaxy. I better lie down.
    

    What about  
    
    
    "We're stars on 45, got burning in our eyes"
    
    Best of the lot I reckon.
    
    Nigel

    You're probably right about Sal and gospel, he saw the light quite some
    time ago. 
    
    Bob
    
    p.s. Nigel, go to your room.

    Yeah, I've got a copy of Sal Solo's record "San Damiano".  Jolly nice too.

    A memorable fave from early 80s: Visage.  Who could forget Steve 
    Strange.

    Goldy.

    >>A memorable fave from early 80s: Visage.  Who could forget Steve 
    >>Strange.
    
    More to the point, who can remember him?
    
    Re .40
    
    Shakatak - aahhhhhh, the old Kylie Minogues of jazz-funk.  
    
    But what about Shalamar?   A brilliant group with the guy who 
    look like one of the Hair-Bear bunch.
    
    And what happened to Imagination - brilliant.
    
    Talent sadly missed.
    

   
   > Talent sadly missed.
    
   If you mean the Hair Bear Bunch, I agree.

    
    Roxy Music
    Cockney Rebel
    Sensational Alex Harvey Band
    Be-Bop Deluxe
    David Bowie
    Thin Lizzy
    Supertramp
    Graham Parker & The Rumour
    
    

    Haircut 100
    Nik Kershaw
    Hooked on Classics 
    Gary Numan
    Hazel Dean
    Hazel O'Connor
    Thompson Twins
    
    Just a find that sprung to mind. 
    
    Does anyone remember the name of the group that did 'John Wayne is Big
    Legge' ? 
    
    Some more:
    
    Dave Edmunds
    Stray Cats
    
    re .a few back
    
    Yup, this note looks to be heading down the slippery slope to
    discussing Tosh.
    
    Balders

    Re-1 - Hazy Fantazee (although I'm none too sure of the spelling).
    
    I dug out my copy of Pelican West last night - jolly pleasant summer
    listening.  Now wheres my big jumper and lemon raincoat...
    
    Mikef

    I know it was 84-ish but you know I did quite like Nik Kershaw. 
    Howard Jones on the other hand.....
    
    barry.

    "Where do we go from here",
    "Is it down to the lake, I fear,"
    
    A prince amongst lyrics.
    
    
    Ian.

    Ay Ay Ay Ay Ya Ya
     etc
    
    nigel
    

    (snigger!)

    Tony,  I'm suprised that you can remember the early eighties..
    
    8>)
    Nigel
    

    Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD!), Prince, Eurythmics,
    Whitesnake, Suzi Quattro, Paul Young, ZZ Top, The Eagles, Stevie
    Wonder, Hot Chocolate, Laura Brannigan, Echo & The Bunnymen,
    
    got to go now, back later!
    
    Paul.
    

    
    Has anyone noticed how the beginning of "Walking on Sunshine" by KC and
    the Sunshine band, sounds like the beginning of the BBC Cricket Theme.
    
    Or maybe it's just me.
    
    Paul

    Was it Kajagoogoo who used to play with their guitars tucked up under
    their chins?
    
    Just remembered, I've got a Nik Kershaw album on tape - The Riddle.
    Memorable for such lyrics as...
    
    'Near a tree by a river there's a hole in the ground,
     Where an old man of Aran goes around and around,
     And his mind is a beacon in the vale of the night,
     For a strange kind of fashion there's a wrong and a right.'
    
    When he was later exposed as a drug abuser ( You're a pathetic piece of
    cocaine, you're useless... ) I wasn't at all surprised.
    
    Balders

    
>    p.s. it's name-drop time - I was once in a band with Sal Solo out of
>    Classix Nouveau. His real name is Charlie Smith.

   What were you called (the band)?

    This is getting a bit political...
    
    
    Early eighties jokes...
    
    The St Winifred School Choir,
    
    Captain Beaky and his Band
    
    Toni Basil (Oh Mikey you so fine,)
    
    Repeated Baron Knight successes
    
    The Kids From Fame
    
    
    
    
    And Maggie Thatcher saying "This is the way forward..." !!!
    
    

    re .61
    
    Show me a political party which doesn't.
    
    Balders

    RE.62 
    
    HEAR HEAR WELL SAID!!!!
    
    

This note has gone rubbishy. There have already been tosh notes, so why
repeat all that. Moreover, why just list the names of bands you can remember
from the 80s? Tell us a bit more, add some value.

::dallison, very brave and outspoken I'm sure, but could you give all that
a rest please?


Rod

    The Dickies are one of my fave bands. Saw them in London at the Boston
    Arms about 6 months ago I think, and they were great.
    
    Incidently, does anyone remember the name of that band that did a song
    called 'Einstein-a-go-go' in about 1981? It's beginning to bug me cos'
    I can't think of it.
    
    Ian

    re-1 - Landscape?
    
    Mikef

    It was indeed Landscape.
    
    re -2: The Dickies still playing live. Good grief. I saw them
    supporting the Jam once, and I thought to myself: Bet they won't be
    doing this in ten years time. I was wrong.
    
    Piers

    I've been seeing them live for about six years now, and I swear that
    every time I see them, the version of Banana Splits gets faster! Still
    doing the rounds, and still sounding great!
    
    Ian

    Are the Dickies still murdering 'Nights in White Satin'? One of the
    all-time great maulings of an all-time crap song if ever I heard it.
    
    Bob

    Yes, as well as such classics as 'Sounds of Silence', 'Paranoid' and
    'She'. I seem to remember last year them covering 'Sweet Child o' mine'
    at one of their gigs too.
    
    

    re .last 
    
    "Sheeeeeeee may be the face I can't forget,
     May be a feeling of regret"
    
    Now there's a song for the bath if I ever heard one. You can get
    a really good warbling effect off the tiles with this particular
    gem. I love it. One person who'd have done a good version of this
    would have been Hilda Baker. What a woman. As for Charles Aznavour 
    (sp?), possibly the last Frenchman to have a hit in the UK charts? 
    Plastic Bertrand was/is Belgian I understand. There was a chap called
    Patrick Hernandez (?) who had a minor hit with "Born to be alive" but
    I seem to be the only person on earth who remembers this. I tell you
    it's frustrating.
    
    barry.
       

    I remember 'Born to be Alive'  It was done by a very wierd looking chap
    wasn't it?

    I think I've got it somewhere actually....................
    One of those one hit wonders I guess. Haven't listened to it for years
    mind...
    
    Ian

    Spizz Energi - Where's Captain Kirk? - another one hit wonder from this
    era - They went through a few name changes - Athletico Spizz '80 was
    one.
    
    
    			stuart

    .72           
    Wasn't that "Joe the taxi" song (in 88?) done by a French girl.
    That was No 1 too, I think, so that would be the last French artist in
    the UK charts. Was her name Vanessa or something.
    
    The best song to come out of the seventies was "Did you no wrong" by the
    Sex Pistols. It's the 'B' side of God Save The Queen in case you haven't
    heard of it.
    
    Dave Wood

    Vanessa Paradis.
    
    Jo le Taxi
    
    
    Complete poo
    

    re .75
    
    Spizz Oil was another moniker. I recollect Wah playing the name
    game too. 
    
    barry.

    Worth about 400 quid, the old 'God Save the Queen' single, if you've
    got it on A & M records. My copy (on Virgin) is worth spam all!
    
    As for wonderful B-sides of the Seventies, I'll go for any B-side off
    of any Stiff Little Fingers single.
    
    Ian

    
    re .78
    
    Wah ! - what a great band.
    
    I think they went from WAH-HEAT to WAH to THE MIGHTY WAH !
    
    Can anyone remember the lead singer's name - it's Pete something or
    other - it's cracking me up.
    
    Paul

>    Wah ! - what a great band.
>    
>    I think they went from WAH-HEAT to WAH to THE MIGHTY WAH !
>    
>    Can anyone remember the lead singer's name - it's Pete something or
>    other - it's cracking me up.
>    
>    Paul

Pete Wylie?

grahame

More on Vanessa Paradis (as if you wanted it) - you may have seen her on 
TV without realising it. She stars in an advert for Chanel perfume as a
girl locked up in a birdcage. (Who writes these things?!)

Pete Wylie was indeed The Mighty Wah! He released quite a lot of records
under his own name from the early 80s onwards, such as the excellent 
'Seven Minutes to Midnight' and 'Come Back' singles. All good stuff which
brings back good memories.

Another classic Liverpudlian (?) track dating from about 1984 was 'Flaming
Sword' by Care, an absolutely cracking tune which I bought on 12" at the time. 
I found out from a very recent NME that the main man of Care was Ian Broudie, 
now of the Lightning Seeds, and a new version of Flaming Sword is now a 
b-side of a Lightning Seeds single. If I remember the item correctly.


Rod

    
    Pete Wylie - that's the one - thanks for reminding me.
    
    Wah ! (and all the other names) were more than just Wylie, I saw them
    in London in about 1979 supporting Martha & the Muffins - they were
    excellent. Wasn't 'seven minutes to midnight' on the b-side of 'Hope' ?
    I thought 'The story of the blues', especially the 12 inch with
    'talking blues' on was their best - really over the top stuff.
    
    Anyone remember 'The Bluebells' - a Glasgow band discovered by Elvis
    Costello - the had a song called 'Cath' which seemed to crop up on all
    their singles.
    
    While I'm on the subject - whatever happened to 'Teardrop explodes' ?
    
    Paul
    

    I thought Teardrop Explodes were excellent,Ithink they only had two
    albums Kilimanjaro and Wilder with the later being the best - some
    really good tunes.I like some of Copes stuff especially East Easy
    Rider.
    What happened to the rest of the band - I remember reading about Troy
    Tate but forget what he did.
    I went to see them at Tiffanys in Glasgow,long shut-down,and got turned
    away because I was under 18 so I sat and listened outside - not the
    same!
    
    			stuart.

    Ian McCullough and Julian Cope and Pete Wylie played together on a few
    crucial (that's enough "crucial, Ed) occasions, mainly at Eric's.
    (Crucial, they might have been, but I saw them just once and thought
    they were crap.) On splitting up Mac formed Echo and the Bunnymen, Cope
    The Teardrop explodes,  and Pete Wylie Wah!, three unreservedly
    brilliant bands.
    
    Wah's first single was Seven Minutes to Midnight, 7" only, backed, I
    think, with Forget the Down, and followed up by Wah Heat!'s wonderful 
    Somesay. Various releases followed, from The Mighty Wah! and other Wah!
    monickers, and Pete Wylie went solo in 1987. The Wah! records almost
    all contained versions of or variations on tunes on the first album,
    the name of which escapes me (10,000 names of Wah!?). Wylie is still
    recording and part of the Liverpool "scene", but you don't see so much
    product these days.
    
    With a mind full of this junk is it any wonder I can't remember
    anything these days without writing it down?
    
    Piers

    re.73
    
    >> I remember 'Born to be Alive'  It was done by a very wierd looking chap
    >> wasn't it?
    
    
    Patrick Hernandez, I believe.
    
    -- Andy

    >Ian McCullough and Julian Cope and Pete Wylie played together on a few
    
    PIERS!!  I can't believe you spelled Godhead McCulloch's name wrong!!
    I knew you were a fraud!!
    
    Going to see MAC on the 24th.  Can't wait.  (OK, I've said it before)
    
    -Vicki

	Whole U.S. tour canceled because of VISA problems from what I hear.

	- Jim
	{Thanks Paul}

    re -2
    
    aaaaaargh.
    
    Thank God that didn't happen in my "crucial" 1981 Bunnymen interview...
    
    Piers

    
    Another band worth mentioning (well I think they're worth mentioning)
    was Japan.  One of the more serious New Romantic bands and also damn good
    live.
    
    I was jogged into remembering them when somebody pulled 'Oil on Canvas'
    out of my (small) collection the other day.
    
    Paul

    I really like Gentlemen Take Poloroids and Tin Drum - I regularly play
    these two albums and love playing along to the basslines - one of my
    favorite bass players,Mick Karn puts excellent "melodies" into them and
    his solo material is also pretty good.
    I don't particulary like David Sylvians solos.Rain Tree Grow is a good
    album though.
    
    			stuart.

    Hmmmmm, Japan - I remember bopping away at Hammersmith Odeon
    to the ever so cool David Sylvian and co.  I believe them to 
    be one of the great Poseur groups of all time.
    
    They did the decent thing and disappeared at the height of their
    fame.  Not sure what David is doing now, but he does a nice line
    in toy animals.
    
    julia 

    >Thank God that didn't happen in my "crucial" 1981 Bunnymen
    >interview...
    
    Well, I guess senility has set in.
    
    Of course I curse myself my mentioning the MAC show twise: The entire
    US tour has been canceled due to Visa problems!?!  Pretty lame eh?  
    
    re: Japan
    
    I used to worship Japan.  I bought all their albums, some of which are
    masterpieces (later stuff). (I had a friend who brought every 12",
    re-release,etc of theirs and he tried his damndest to look like David.)  
    
    I finally got to see David Sylvian live during his only US tour a few 
    years back.  I nearly fell asleep.  I was hoping he would play Japan 
    stuff, but he stuck w/ his solo stuff.  Not great concert material.

    Am I right in thinking that Japan initially flogged their wares as
    a rockin' (excuse me) glam band around the time of "Adolescent Sex"?
    They also supported Blue Oyster Cult on a British tour back in the 
    mid to late seventies if I'm not mistaken? Obviously before Mr Sylvian
    had an image overhaul and became the "world's most beautiful man."
    They had an excellent drummmer mind. 
    
    barry. 

    re: Japan
    
    Yes, they were a glam band for their first 2 albums.  They really
    looked like women too.
    
    -Vicki

    First 2 albums were the best though. Some of the tracks have a strong
    reggae influence that really worked well. 

    I never really liked them after that, they sounded too 'produced', if you 
    know what I mean.

    Dave

    I've got Assemblage at home,  and 

    Sorry 'bout that I pressed the control Z by mistake.
    
    
    
    I've got Assemblage at home,  and it's excellent.
    
    
    That's all I wanted to say.
    
    Nigel

    
    I Liked "GHOST" and "NIGHT PORTER".....  Very haunting tracks
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Steve

    European SOn I think. 8-)
    
     

    
    One of the best singles ot the 70's, IMHO :-
    
    gary Gilmores Eyes by the Adverts
    
    Paul