An Alternative History of "Pop" Music

[Brundle-Fly]

Joy Division - Digital

https://youtu.be/ZBP0Vs55XCQ



Morphing from Warsaw into Joy Division in early 78, this was the first true Joy Division release. Recorded in October at Cargo Studious  in Rochdale, it was their first time working with producer Martin Hannett and it was released as part of the first Factory Records release. A Factory Sample (December 78).

It was also, somewhat poignantly, the last song ever performed live by the band, played as the encore at what turned out to be their last concert on 2nd May 1980 at Birmingham University, 16 days before the suicide of the band's singer Ian Curtis. This of course meant that the last words he sang were the refrain "Don't ever fade away, fade away, fade away...."

That sleeve always evokes Phil Silvers on a building site to me.

[daf]

Elvis Costello and The Attractions - Big Tears



Released as the B-side of the single 'Pump it Up' - reached #24 in the UK chart in May 1978

Declan Patrick MacManus was born in 1954 in Paddington, London. In 1971, the 16-year-old Costello moved with his mother to Birkenhead where he formed his first band, a folk duo called "Rusty", with Allan Mayes. He worked at a number of office jobs to support himself, most famously at Elizabeth Arden, where he was employed as a data entry clerk, and as a computer operator at the Midland Bank computer centre in Bootle.

He moved back to London in 1974, where he formed a pub rock band called Flip City, who were active from 1974 until early 1976. Costello's first broadcast recording was with his father in the 1974 "Secret Lemonade Drinker" TV commercial for R. White's Lemonade. His father sang the song, and Costello sang backing vocals. He was signed in 1976 to independent label Stiff Records on the basis of a demo tape. His manager at Stiff, Jake Riviera, suggested that the singer, then calling himself D.P. Costello, start using the first name Elvis.

Backing for Costello's 1977 debut album was provided by the American West Coast band Clover. Later in 1977, Costello formed his own permanent backing band, The Attractions, consisting of Steve Nieve (keyboards and ukulele) from London, Bruce Thomas (bass guitar) from Stockton-on-Tees, and Pete Thomas (drums, no relation) from Sheffield.

     

Bruce Thomas was the oldest group member, at 29, had previously been a member of the band Quiver, who had released two albums on their own in 1971/72, as well as functioning as the backing band for several albums by The Sutherland Brothers. He left the group before their biggest success, the 1976 Top 5 hit "Arms of Mary".

Pete Thomas, who was born the same month as Costello, had recorded one album as a member of Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers.

Steve Nason had never recorded or played with a rock band before. Just 19 when he joined the group, he gained the stage name "Steve Nieve" from Ian Dury after Nason innocently asked Dury "What's a groupie?" Dury immediately dubbed Nason "Steve Naive", and the name stuck, though the spelling was altered.

Elvis Costello and the Attractions played live gigs as early as the summer of 1977, and a few live tracks were appended to the B-side of the Costello solo single "Watching The Detectives", issued in October 1977. The full band made their studio recording debut with the March 1978 single "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea".

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In addition to the Attractions, Big Tears featured a special guest on guitar . . .

Elvis Costello : "The story line is borrowed from the film Targets, while guest guitarist Mick Jones (of the Clash) answers the musical question Are you punk or new wave. Those were the days."

Targets is a 1968 American crime thriller film directed, co-written and co-produced by Peter Bogdanovich. In one of two parallel story lines that eventually converge during the film's climax, a seemingly wholesome and normal young man played by Tim O'Kelly suddenly goes on a killing spree. In the other, Boris Karloff, in his last straight dramatic role, plays a semi-autobiographical character.

   

Kipmat : "I Love this song, Elvis taking the side of the asassin in a public tragedy. I recall reading that Mick Jones was invited to play on this song after the Clash and the Attractions shared the bill on a package tour, with a general sentiment of one-upsmanship between the bands. The idea of an excellent performance being a "killer" lends to the theme of Big Tears."

The single features cryptic messages scratched into the runout grooves - A side: 'You've got to hand it to Bruce'  /  B side: 'his bottles gone'. The message on A side is reference to bassplayer Bruce Thomas cutting his hand during a brawl during the US tour.

[Gregory Torso]

NNB - Slack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDUJu1-wg2M

Moody, scratchy Pere Ubu-sounding mysterious punk that goes all-in with the atmosphere and tightly coiled anxious, sleepless, knife-edge madness in the lyrics. Music that sounds like its clenching its fists.
First heard this on the wonderful, much-missed music blog Little Hits.
Just another almost-unheard, mostly-forgotten signal still ringing in the static.



Not a lot of info about them around, but one of them later went on to be in The Scene Is Now.

[sirhenry]

Somewhere in this thread we need to mention George Peckham.
His discography includes over 4,500 records, but as far as I know, despite playing guitar in a couple of bands (one of whom supported the early Beatles), he never actually recorded any music. He was integral to some of the best albums and singles over a 40 year period starting in 1969. And better known as Porky. He was a mastering and lacquer-cutting engineer and as such made the masters that vinyl records were moulded from (a.k.a. 'matrix etchings').

Anyone with any interest in British music from the 70's onwards knows the phrase 'A Porky Prime Cut', which was the phrase that he scratched onto the run-out grooves on the inner edge of the records he was most proud of. But over the years he wrote all sorts of things on records he mastered, sometimes requested by the band, sometimes his own ideas. An early Elvis Costello album had a phone number which was associated with a competition or something. Others commented on the songs, such as "I don't like it" on Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence". They were one of the joys of collecting vinyl.

When Monty Python wanted two concentric tracks on one side of The Monty python Matching Tie and Handkerchief album, Porky was the first and only choice for mastering it.

Writing hidden messages in the run-out grooves is now standard fare, but it was Porky who was the mastermind behind it all. https://thevinylfactory.com/features/secret-history-messages-etched-runout-groove/

[daf]

Planet Earth - Doctor Who



Featured on the 1978 space-themed album 'Planet Earth' - a studio project by Soft Machine keyboardist Mike Ratledge and British Bass player Bill Christian.

Doctor Who were founded on the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous by the trio of William Hartnell (Chuckling and Tutting) his granddaughter Susan Foreman (Screaming) and the enigmatic TARDIS (Wheezing and Groaning). In 1963, they were joined by the Earth-based teachers Ian Chesterton (Science) and Barbara Wright (History). At this point, their material mainly was split between historical Earth-based yarns, and Space-Funk. By 1965, Susan had departed to start a family with Scotsman David Campbell (later of the 'Average Roboman Band'), and was replaced with perky space-orphan Vicki Pallister (Chumbleys) - thus forming the classic line-up.

   

In 1966, Hartnell left the group, feeling his body of work was wearing a bit thin, and he was replaced by Patrick Troughton (Recorder) as the main frontman. A whole new backing group was also recruited - consisting of Jamie McCrimmon (Bagpipes), Victoria Waterfield (Screaming), and Zoe Herriot (Synths). The group eventually split up in 1969 following the epic ten-part odyssey 'The War Games'.

[daf]

Dodging back to Big Tears, this contains one of my favourite Costello clever-clog word-benders :

1st time  : 'When you're lying and you're coughing'
2nd time : 'When you're lying in your coffin'

[stands up and applauds!]

[daf]

Humphrey Ocean & The Hardy Annuals - Whoops A Daisy



Released in June 1978 - did not chart

Humphrey Anthony Erdeswick Butler-Bowdon [crikey - what a whopper!] was born in Sussex, England. He went to Ampleforth College and then spent two years at Tunbridge Wells School of Art, going on to do a Foundation Course at Brighton College of Art and DipAD Painting at Canterbury College of Art.

It was at Canterbury that he was taught by Ian Dury, then a painter. From 1971, as Humphrey Ocean, he was bass player with the band Kilburn and the High Roads formed at Canterbury with Dury at the suggestion of the art school's social secretary, who didn't have a support act for Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets at the Christmas party. They opened for The Who on its Christmas tour in 1973, after which Ocean resigned from music with the notable exception of recording the single "Whoops-a-Daisy" written by Ian Dury and Russell Hardy, for Stiff Records in 1978.

Humphrey Ocean : "Chaz Jankel arranged it, and we split everything four ways. Stiff sold 10,000 copies and we each got £12.56. I hope they had some jolly nice lunches."

   

Anne Nightingale : "Bernie Andrews at the Beeb particularly objected to the label of Humphrey Ocean's Stiff single 'Whoops A Daisy'. It's one of Bernie's idiosyncracies to object to obscure label designs. I called Stiff. 'Bernie won't let me play Humphrey's record because he can't read the label.' 'OK,' said Stiff. 'Can you get hold of a photograph of Bernie Andrews?' I could. Two days later a new copy of Humphrey's record arrived on Bernie's desk. It had a specially designed label, featuring Bernie's face, and clearly indicated the A and B side. We played the record."

[Brundle-Fly]

Brilliant suggestions already!!!

[chveik]

the year of no wave!

U.S. Millie by Theoretical Girls. the only single from Glenn Branca's first band

[Brundle-Fly]

Stolen Moments - Mark Murphy  Released on Muse in 1978.





Cool, coolest cat. Just love his style...

Mark Murphy (March 14, 1932 – October 22, 2015) was an American jazz singer based at various times in New York City, Los Angeles, London, and San Francisco. He recorded 51 albums under his own name during his lifetime and was principally known for his innovative vocal improvisations. He was the recipient of the 1996, 1997, 2000, and 2001 Down Beat magazine readers' jazz poll for Best Male Vocalist and was also nominated five times for the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Jazz Performance. He wrote lyrics to the jazz tunes "Stolen Moments" and "Red Clay".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsvTPeAYfuA&feature=emb_logo

[Brundle-Fly]

the year of no wave!

U.S. Millie by Theoretical Girls. the only single from Glenn Branca's first band

New blood!! Great track.

[chveik]

T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou - Mede Ma Gnin Messe

fantastic band from Benin, playing their particular blend of soukous (african rumba), fon music & funk. T.P stands for Tout Puissant (All Mighty).

found this track in the compilation "Echos Hypnotiques: From the Vaults of Albarika Store 1969-1979" (Analog Africa) but it's originally from this album:

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

TOTO with Georgy Porgy from their debut. Formed by various hollywood brats, they were a more interesting act than the cunts that think "Africa" is a work of towering genius would have you believe. Don't get me wrong, I loved Yacht Rock, but the rehabilitation of bands like Journey and Boston away from the previously-agreed cultural consensus that this stuff is shite but there's a correct way to appreciate it unironically that involves knowing a bit about musical and cultural history beyond going "yeah dude this is my jam" does my FUCKING head in. I am drunk. x

But you speak the truth, brother. x

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

The Records - Starry Eyes



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vNEsliGv0Y

A perfect song? I think so.

The Records were an English power pop band formed in 1978. They are best remembered for the cult favourite Starry Eyes. They formed from the ashes of pub rock band The Kursaal Flyers.

The new group was heavily influenced both by '60s bands such as The Beatles and The Byrds (the guitar sound on Starry Eyes is pure '66 McGuinn) and early power pop groups such as Badfinger, Big Star, and Raspberries. Power pop was experiencing a renaissance on both sides of the Atlantic, thanks in large part to the burgeoning punk/new wave movement.

[famethrowa]

the year of no wave!

U.S. Millie by Theoretical Girls. the only single from Glenn Branca's first band

Wow that was pretty special! Compare it to the start of Ver Heads '78 album, kinda similar right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W888EzZ0lrk

[Brundle-Fly]

Elvis Costello and The Attractions - Big Tears



Released as the B-side of the single 'Pump it Up' - reached #24 in the UK chart in May 1978

The single features cryptic messages scratched into the runout grooves - A side: 'You've got to hand it to Bruce'  /  B side: 'his bottles gone'. The message on A side is reference to bassplayer Bruce Thomas cutting his hand during a brawl during the US tour.

CHOICE!!  headphones blasting out now x

[jamiefairlie]

I love that Radar label, very symbolic of its time.

[daf]

Nice Arse! . . .

Mick Jackson - Weekend



Released in December 1978 - peaked at #38 in February 1979

Michael George Jackson is an English singer-songwriter and the co-writer of the song, "Blame it on the Boogie". Mick recorded his version first and The Jacksons' management team picked up the song at Midem, the music industry trade fair in Cannes, where it was offered to them by Mick Jackson's publisher without Jackson's knowledge. Due to a delay at the pressing plant which was producing Mick Jackson's single, in the UK the two versions were released within weeks of each other.

     

The press at the time enjoyed the similarity in the names and release coincidence, calling the situation 'The Battle of the Boogie' as the two records jockeyed for chart positions.Radio stations got on the battle bandwagon. BBC Radio One only played The Jacksons' version, while Capital Radio only played Mick's single. The music press was equally split. Melody Maker did not review Mick Jackson's version, but praised the Jacksons and wrongly referred to their single as a "self-penned song", whereas NME hailed Mick Jackson as the winner of the battle, calling his version "far superior".

 

Mick Jackson's original peaked at No. 15 and The Jacksons peaked at No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart. Mick Jackson's subsequent single "Weekend", was released in the same week as The Jacksons' second single "Destiny". The songs entered the charts on the same day, peaking at 38 and 39 in the UK Singles Chart respectively, and both 'Michael Jacksons' appearing on the same edition of Top of The Pops.

[Brundle-Fly]

Radio, Play That Song Again - Freddie & The Dreamers. Released on Amy's Shack in 1978





You know when it's time to throw in the towel when you try to take the rise out the latest music trend (just how misguided is that sleeve art) and write songs about how everything was much better in the past. Garritty and chums' penultimate album. They were to release one more LP called 'I Was A Singer In A Sixties Band'. Says it all really.

Freddie and the Dreamers were an English beat band that had a number of hit records between May 1963 and November 1965. The band's stage act was enlivened by the comic antics of the 5-foot-3-inch-tall (1.60m) Freddie Garrity, who would bounce around the stage with arms and legs flying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyUJfMTTwSk&feature=emb_logo

[daf]

There's a plum part for Nick Frost if they ever do the Freddie and The Dreamer's Story!

[daf]

The Chaplin Band - Madman's Discotheque



Released in the Netherlands, Begium and Germany in October 1978 - did not chart

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Somewhere in this thread we need to mention George Peckham.

A tremendous post! Porky should be the patron saint of this thread.

[Brundle-Fly]

A tremendous post! Porky should be the patron saint of this thread.

I believe he used to press a lot of Madness singles. On the Wings Of A Dove 7" run-out grooves, he etched 'From The Wings Of A Dove' on the A-Side and on the B-Side, 'To The Arse Of A Crow'

[jamiefairlie]

The Adverts - Great British Mistake

https://youtu.be/umoLSKhmdWg



After three great singles in 1977, February 1978 saw the release of their debut album, Crossing the Red Sea with the Adverts.

The title and lyrics of this track have a strangely contemporary resonance:

The great British mistake was looking for a way out
They couldn't adapt so they couldn't survive,
Something had to give.
The people take a downhill slide into the gloom.
Into the dark recesses of their minds.

They're the great British mistake.
They'll have to come to terms now, they'll take it out somehow.
They'll blame it all on something.
The British mistake - when will it be over?
How can they avoid it?

[daf]

Saturday Night Band - Touch Me on My Hot Spot



Released as the B-side to 'Come On Dance, Dance' - reached #16 on the UK chart in June 1978

[daf]

Me, Myself & Me Again ‎– Blaze Away 



Released in January 1978 - did not chart

'Me Myself And Me Again' is actually Vivian Fisher, a 26 year old recording studio engineer and frustrated musician. Despite dabbling in cornet, french horn, trombone and piano, Vivian really always wanted to play every instrument. Then, one day when recording a marching brass band in the street, he discovered that the sound was actually recorded in segments as the band moved past.  This gave him the idea of a multi-track recording of himself impersonating the sound and character of the different parts of a brass band - and 'Blaze Away' is the result.



Fisher performed all parts of the brass band used in the title sequence of the BBC's 1985 TV series, Blott on the Landscape, and the brass section elements of the title sequence of Bob's Full House, a gameshow broadcast by the BBC from 1984, presented by comedian Bob Monkhouse. Later on in his career, he lectured on broadcast sound design and audio engineering at Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication.

All Together Now!

Aint it a pity the pubs in the city all close at half past ten
If I had the power they'd close for an hour and open up again
I could get chronic on vodka and tonic till any time I like
And while the policemen watch me car I'd nip home on his bike

Oh how I'd love to eat anything I wanted
Bangers and beans, and enormous hunks of fried bread
Then chop and chips, and steak and kidney pie
By a girl who likes cooking who's big and good looking
Whose dumplings are double the size

And then we'd all have a damn good time
On bangers and beans or vodka and lime
To eat and drink ain't a bloomin crime
Enough is enough - let's go and get stuffed together!

[honeychile]

I'm catching up - only a couple of pages behind now. Thought i'd post a couple for 1978 before i forget.

The Real Thing - Rainin' through my sunshine



Scouse soulsters The Real Thing formed in 1970 and remained active across the subsequent two decades. They comprised brothers Chris and Eddie Amoo (who both contributed compositions), Kenny Davis, Ray Lake, and Dave Smith. Besides landing a few chart hits, Chris Amoo was decorated as a dog breeder in the 1980s, with two of his canine companions - Hamilton and Gable - picking up awards at Crufts.

Taken from their 1978 album Step into our world / can you feel the force, the single Rainin' through my sunshine crawled into the charts at number 40.

[honeychile]

Serú Girán - El mendigo en el andén



Serú Girán was an argentine supergroup, pulling together Charly García (formerly of Sui Generis, and of La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros), David Lebón (a veteran of several bands), Óscar Moro (Los Gatos, La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros) and young virtuoso bassist Pedro Áznar. El mendigo en el andén came from Serú Girán's self-titled debut in 1978.

There's something of Happiness is a warm gun about this - not in the actual composition, but in the structure, with three (and a half) clearly delineated sections - a folksy intro with only Aznar's fretless bass giving it a more proggy edge; a gorgeous slow and soulful main body; the more pronounced prog-leaning interlude; and then a euphoric, sunny, motown-cum-disco-laden outro, one of my favourites in all of music.

They remain virtually unknown here despite their legendary status in their home country.

[daf]

THP Orchestra - Weekend Two Step



Featured on the album 'Tender Is The Night' - released in November 1978

By 1978, when the THP Orchestra entered the studio to released their third album, 'THP No. 2 Tender Is The Night', the Canadian production team of Ian Guenther and Willi Morrison had just joined disco's elite. Their previous album, 'Too Hot For Love', released on Butterfly Records, had been the biggest success of their career. Costing an estimated £100,000 to produce, this massive gamble paid off. Not only was it a critically acclaimed and commercially successful album, but it provided the soundtrack to North American dance-floors.

Whereas 'Too Hot For Love' had been sensual and steamy, 'THP No. 2 Tender Is The Night' would be a much smoother, slicker album. It contained just four tracks, three of which Ian and Willi cowrote. For this change of sound, new vocalists were brought in. Replacing Barbara Fry, when the recording of THP No. 2 Tender Is The Night began were the Duncan Sisters, Helen and Phyllis. The lineup of the THP Orchestra included a rhythm section of bassist Errol Thomas, drummer and percussionist Barry Keane and guitarists Brian Russell and Michael Toles. They were joined by Dick Smith on congas and percussion, Carl Marsh on synths and keyboards plus a string and horn section

 

Opening the album, 'Weekend Two Step', with the piano and handclaps, the introduction is briefly reminiscent of The Charleston, marks the start of a a truly compelling, innovative and genre-sprawling musical journey. Over eight minutes, jazz, funk, disco, boogie and soul seamlessly unite. A gloriously, funky rhythm section, complete with wah-wah guitars, is joined by blazing horns, dancing, disco strings and a vocoder. Then there's the soulful strains of The Duncan Sisters vocals. Percussion and synths punctuate the arrangement, which cascades joyously along. Best described as flamboyant and full of flair, subtle and not too subtle changes in musical direction are akin to a series of surprises. Soon, you realize not to second guess the THP Orchestra as they spread joy, hooks and surprises in equal measures.

Love the B.V.'s piped through the old Talk-box!

[Brundle-Fly]

Me, Myself & Me Again ‎– Blaze Away 

That's one of those tunes that was incredibly well known once upon a time but you never knew what it was called. See also Winchester Cathedral, Wheels and Entry Of The Gladiators.