Dave Wakeling from The Beat now lives in California, where he is Dave Wakeling from The English Beat. He's been there a long time, so it's just as well that he resembles a younger Robert Redford - he fits in well. WillÌý he be going to see Madness when they appear in the Coachella festival ? I don't know, but I'd like to thing he would. I enclose a showing great patience talking about Save It For Later , the Beat's finest moment. Learn more about the mysteries of the open tuning and marvel at the good taste of Pete Townshend. Also tonight, The Slits sans Dennis Bovell, showing that while the great man deserves his production credit, he had great material to work with.
Siouxsie & The Banshees - Spellbound
Madness - Bed And Breakfast Man
Beat - Save It For Later
Animals And Men - I Never Worry
Black Flag - Fix Me
Slits - FM (John Peel session)
June Brides - Enemies
Au Pairs - Come Again
Saints - Wild About You
Reptile Ranch - Don't Give The Lifeguard A Second Chance
Smiths - I Want The One I Can't Have
Blondie - Shark In Jets Clothing
Dr Feelgood - Back In The Night
Mighty Lemon Drops - Something Happens
In 1987 I was presenting a short lived weekly music show on late night Radio Ulster. One of the great things at the time was getting records from labels like 'El', a record company where the word 'esoteric' would be understood by the boss, Mike Alway. I knew little about the company, and even less about the artists on a great compilation called 'The London Pavilion'. I understood it to be referencing 'Swinging London' when such a notion was still a cool one. Marden Hill? The King Of Luxembourg? Who were they? Where they real bands? One person using different names? Why didn't the NME write about them? It was the beginning of my detachment from "what's hot and what's not" in popular music. But recently I found my copy and from it comes the wonderful Klaxon 5 and the best title of any song anywhere this week. Hear it while the budget is still in the papers.
Klaxon 5 - Never Underestimate The Ignorance Of The Rich
Stranglers - Choosey Susie
McCarthy - The Way Of The World
The Normal - Warm Leatherette
Dirty Dogs - Let Go Of My Hand
James White & The Blacks - Contort Yourself
Revillos - Bobby Come Back To Me
Talking Heads - Paper
True Believers - Accept It !
Devo - Uncontrollable Urge
Seeds - Falling Off The Edge of My Mind
The Public Vein - Carry On
Damned - So Messed Up
Outcasts - Justa Nother Teenage Rebel
Wire - Three Girl Rhumba
The Jam - Going Underground
Ìý
Again, apologies for being a week late with this. I couldn't find a pen that worked.
It was a complete coincidence that 'Gloria' is played on the same day that Radio Ulster begins the quest to find the best song ever written by someone from here. There's no point in dragging this out, though, while the existence of Van Morrison's punk rock classic is there for all of us to hear. What is it about a basic three chord love song that puts it above all others, that encourages every cool band to try it at least once, and that is impossible to do badly ? I don't know, although I am sure Patti Smith would have an answer. To be fair, she does take it places where others have feared to tread - her opening line 'Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine' is cleverer than Van's original 'I wanna tell you 'bout my baby' but lacks the primal urge at the heart of every great punk song. Did I really use 'primal urge' without being sarcastic ? I must be getting old.
Real Kids - All Kindsa Girls
Modern Lovers - Dignified And Old
Ex Producers - Newer Wave 79
Go Betweens - Was There Anything I Could Do ?
Radiators From Space - Sunday World
Glaxo Babies - Burning
Feelies - Forces At Work
John Otway - Racing Cars
48 Hours - Back To Ireland
Monochrome Set - Jet Set Junta
Livingstones - Fastest Car Around
8 Eyed Spy - Diddy Wah Diddy
Patti Smith - Gloria
I would love to have been a fly on the studio wall when Iggy was producing Raw Power in 1973 in London. It's said that he produced it and mixed it but had to hand the whole mess over to his new chum David Bowie after it was deemed to be not good - all the instruments were mixed into one channel and the singing into the other. Like something you'd do yourself, I suspect. Some peopleÌýget too agitated about the mix of a record. I can't think of any LP or single that makes me think 'I really enjoy that record but if only they'd remix it' - The New York Dolls first two LPs were said to be badly produced. Oh ? I didn't notice.
Iggy & Stooges - Raw Power
Alternative TV - Action Time Vision
Chron Gen - Lies
Martin & The Brownshirts - Taxi Driver
Androids - Lipstick Heroes
Thee Mighty Ceasers - Loathsome 'n' Wild
Angelic Upstarts - I’m An Upstart
The Clicks - I Should Have Told You
Jesus & Mary Chain - Some Candy Talking
Josef K -ÌýDroneÌý
999 - I’m Alive
Wylde Mammoths - Help That Girl
Gang Of Four - Glass
The Yellow Payges - Our Time Is Running Out
Ian Dury - Sweet Gene Vincent
I saw a story on a 91Èȱ¬ website last weekÌýthat the Sex Pistols have signed a new record deal. It brought back memories of reading the NME 35 years ago, MarchÌý1977 and seeing the photo of the band (and Malcolm McLaren) grinning and signingÌýto A&M Records in a ceremony outside Buckingham Palace. The location referred to the expected first single 'God Save The Queen' which never actually saw the light of day on that label - they were shown the door after a week. It turned out that the Buckingham Palace signing was a stunt - they'd signed the real contract the day before in an office somewhere. It turns out that this new contract is just as bogus - they're not releasing any new songs, just handing over the copyright of their old recordings over to Universal Music - the mega record company of our time. ButÌýtheirÌýbattles with their first label did inspire one ofÌýtheir best songs. Unlimited supply - EMI.Ìý
Also tonight, a nod to the Monkees after their bad news this week. A song which the Sex Pistols themselves recognised as worth their while to revive. It was Mickey Dolenz singing , not Davy Jones, but it is a punk rock show after all.
Ìý
Rosehips - I Shouldn't Have To Say
Sex Pistols - EMI
That Petrol Emotion - Keen
Acme - Johnny Can’t Play
Flamin' Groovies - I’ll Cry Alone
Buzzcocks - Breakdown
Puncture - Mucky Pup
Sham 69 - They Don’t Understand
Specials - Rat Race
Sex Clark Five - Valerie
Co-Ordinates - We’re Only Monsters
Generation X - Ready Steady Go
Captain Beefheart - Electricity
Cramps - Save It
Replacements - Love You Till Friday
Monkees - (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone
Blondie - (Im Always Touched By Your) Presence DearÌý
