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First appearance on the show of Echo, the drum machine that had one quarter voting rights in Echo And The Bunnymen before the band recruited Pete De Freitas as an actual drummer. Hold on, Echo wasn't actually the name of the drum machine but that was the popular misconception in 1979 when they released their first record, so let's go with the legend. 'Read It In Books' is basically the same song as 'Books' by The Teardrop Explodes. I'll stop there before this turns into a Rock Family Tree.
Best song title in the show is When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch. Best band name is The Pop Group. Best idea of the night is the decision to avoid any April Foolery, even though technically speaking the show does qualify as a First of April production.
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Gymslips - Multi Coloured Sugar
Liliput - In A Mess
Echo & The Bunnymen - Read It In Books
Cabaret Voltaire - No Escape
Zodio Doze - Americommandos
John Otway - Really Free
Public Image - Attack
New Christs - I Swear
Flamin Groovies - Take Me Back
Wedding Present - Go Out And Get 'Em Boy
Section 25 - Girls Don't Count
Pop Group - She Is Beyond Good And Evil
Skids - Hope And Glory
X - When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch
One of the by products of being a very minor musical celebrity in Lovelyderry is that I am sometimes called upon to talk to groups of school pupils about the wonderful world of popular music. The more observant of you may have spotted the discrepancy in this. My experience in the musical industry occured when the 70s turned into the 80s. Thirty years ago. Before youtube, home computers, facebook. Before MySpace, even. Darn it, before compact discs !ÌýÌý Today I found myself standing where the teacher normally stands , in front of a group of students of the wonderful Foyle & Londonderry College, talking about being on the radio and being in the music industry. Bless them, no one actually fell asleep, even though it was during the post lunch lull that has knocked out better men than me. I did manage to squeeze in references to Gerry Anderson, John Peel and Top Of The Pops, but I could see that those cultural milestones were not on the road that today's 4th years are embarking on.
ÌýIt was nice to be asked, though. And yet again I left the school with my appreciation of the teachers of this land enhanced even further. The long summer holidays are still not reward enough for what they do.
The constabulary feature in the early partÌýof the show, with drummer Stewart Copeland's solo run getting him on Top of The Pops months before he appeared with The Police. Sting and Andy Summers were there as well, cavorting behind him in animal masks, demonstrating that they were either ashamed of 'Don't Care' or were saving their beautiful blond haircuts for the real stardom.ÌýFollow that withÌýthe Equals song that the Clash coveredÌýon Sandinista!ÌýIt actually sounds like a Strummer/Jones composition, inspired by the 1976 riots in London, rather than an Eddy Grant song inspired by the situation in LondonÌýin 1968.ÌýThat's a compliment , by the way, although Eddy may not see it like that.
Klark Kent - Don’t Care
Clash - Police On My Back
Ramones - She’s The One
Splodgenessabounds - We’re Pathetique
Alternative TV - Why Don’t You Do Me Right
MDC Ìý- I Remember
MC5 - The American Ruse
Monochrome Set - The Ruling Class
Sex Pistols - Problems (demo)
Diagram Brothers - Discordo
Cramps - Love Me
Triffids - ÌýChicken Killer
Birthday Party - Mr Clarinet
Nosebleeds - Ain't Bin To No Music School
Madness - Swan Lake
I wonder does Paul Weller ever wish he could go back and edit his time with The Jam? Not the later successful years, but that period at the end of 1977 when they released their weakest LP, This Is The Modern World. It's the accepted wisdom that they were rushed into it, only months after 'In The City' but they did manage to come up with some good songs for it ; Tonight At Noon, I Need You being very passable. But The Combine is probably the most interesting, because it's almost a sketch for later Weller songs, like In The CrowdÌý or even That's Entertainment. That's my theory anyway, and I hope it'll get me at least a 'B' at least in my music GCSE in May. No green vinyl tonight, but four punk rock singles from Belfast, Cork and Dublin to mark the day (that's in it).
Radiators From Space - Television Screen
Rudi - Big Time
Microdisney - Hello Rascals
Outcasts - The Cops Are Coming
Verlaines - Death And The Maiden
Heartbreakers - Let Go
Nocturnes - Carpet Man
Chin Chin - Stop Your Crying
Jam - The Combine
Stolen Power - Little White Lies
Rubinoos - 123Forever
Delta 5 - Singing The Praises
Captain Beefheart - Nowadays A Woman's Gotta Hit A Man
Eddie & The Hot Rods - Wooly Bully
Shop Assistants - Seems To Be
I will be unable to attend Thursday night's Horslips vs Ulster Orchestra showdown, unfortunately. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ arranged St Patrick's Night on a Thursday this year, which was inconsiderate of them as it is the night I have my After Midnight show.Ìý An excuse surely, you suggest, as aÌý punk rocker of considerable vintage like myself would not be seen enjoying a Horslips concert.Ìý Horslips ? Long hair , moustaches,Ìý mystical melodies, concept LPs ?Ìý Yes, but also a band who knew that punk rock was worth celebrating in 1976 and 1977, without jumping on to any bandwagon that was passing through Dublin. I remember being in a band that was part of a Punk festival in Dublin in May 1977 - UCD at Belfield, marred by a stabbing fatality - and being informed by a member of The Radiators From Space that Horslips were known to include 'Blitzkrieg Bop' in their repertoire, up and down the dancehalls of Ireland. As someone who had been a Horslips fan before the year zero of punk, I was happy to learn that they were early adopters. The cool big brothers of Irish punk. Have a grand night in the Waterfront. And take no lip from those proper musicians with the sheet music.
Beginning tonight with one of the weakest singles Buzzcocks ever released but still better than the average punk rockin' 45. Despite that , they should be honoured, feted, and indeed applauded for sticking to the old punk ethos of non-LP singles, putting out 'Promises' only a few weeks after their second LP "Love Bites". It was a hit, but not as big a hit as its predecessor 'Ever Fallen In Love....." which was on the LP. I don't know if there's any lesson to be learned, so I'll just point out that there are five exclamation marks in tonight's list. Including that one which distinguishes John Foxx-era Ultravox ! from Midge Ure's Ultravox. What a difference punctuation makes.
Buzzcocks - Promises
Blondie - Little Girl Lies
Menace - Last Years Youth
Ultravox! - Modern Love
Cucumbers - My Boyfriend
Au Pairs - Diet
Wire - Mannequin
Young Marble Giants - Credit In The Straight World
Radio Birdman - Hand Of Law
!Action Pact! - People
Subway Sect - Out Of Touch
Go Betweens - ÌýI Need Two Heads
Avengers - Car Crash
The Merry Go Round - Listen! Listen!
Suicide - Touch Me
"Funhouse" by the Stooges was once described as the loudest record ever made. Not being an expert in such things as levels, dBs, compression, etc I find the concept of the Loudest Record Ever Made strange. Surely if you have the LREM on one record player, and theÌýSecond Loudest RecordÌýEver Made on another record player, you can turn up the volume on theÌýSLREM so that it's louder than the LREM. Moving on, there's the Raincoats ramshackle version of the Kinks 'Lola' (which manages to get to the end of the record without falling apart despite threatening to do so) andÌýthe appearance of a bonaÌýfide staple ofÌý80s radio - the B-52s 'Song For A Future Generation'. Daytime radio encroaching.... stop before it's too late.Ìý
Stooges - Down On The Street
Swell Maps - HS Art
Go-Gos - How Much More
Raincoats - Lola
Half Man Half Biscuit - Reasons To Be Miserable Pt 10
The Users - Listen
Social Security - I Don’t Want My Heart To Rule My Head
B-52s - Song For A Future Generation
Gun Club - Sleeping In Blood City
Blue Shoes - Someone Like You
Sleepers - Seventh World
Generation X - Kleenex
Chelsea - Right To Work
Whatt Four - You’re Wishing I Was Someone Else
