The Roundhouse London 26th June 1977 - A Review (Record Mirror 2nd July 1977)

Here's a review of sorts from one of several near legendary visits that The Stranglers paid to London's Roundhouse in Camden Town throughout 1977. Poor old Barry Cain eh!? Whilst part of me sympathises with Barry, an early advocate of the band and one of the few undoubted allies that the band had in the music press, for having to review the band once again when all available superlatives in the writer's arsenal have been exhausted. What more can be said? On the other hand for me who never saw the punk Stranglers, it is irksome indeed. I'd be happy with a dry Sunday matinee!! A word of explanation in the unlikely event that anyone under the age of 50 is reading this post. If you think Sunday's are dull now, back then the law was such that Sunday licencing hours were very restricted (a hangover (or not) from efforts to boost productivity during The Great war). Pubs shut at 2pm only to reopen at 7pm.

Record Mirror 2nd July 1977.

What more can Barry Cain say about The Stranglers. He's just...

LOST IN SPACE

The Stranglers
London

I'm fed up with reviewing strangler's concerts.

Screwing words to fit white spaces. Saturation level reached. Nothing more to say. Nice to go along and simply see them without making any hollow analysis.

Right I've got 15 minutes to write this…

Two shows at the Roundhouse. Queues along Chalk Farm Road. Staple guns in Camden. Around 6,000 tickets sold in one week. Reporters from the Guinness Book of hot shots abounded.

First show sober. This fair land strange licencing hours prevented a lot of people having a better time. The band (I thought Hugh Cornwell was dead anyway) played. Played very well in fact. Probably never played better. Lots of healthy new songs too.

Second show – Bar-room blitz. Audience reaction one over the eight. Dedicated followers of fashion loving every minute. The band played again. Played very well again. Then they finished. Peachy.

End of a tour. And what a bummer summer. This is getting ridiculous.

Few minutes to kill. Oh yeah, The Cortinas were pretty good. Terrable view from side stage but there was a nice pair of Bristols up front (na, that's where they come from). Numb crowd first set, second, more support.

The Cortinas drove along at a… Enough of that. Just watch this space.

Thank you and goodnight. BARRY CAIN.

One of the day's shows (afternoon? evening?) can be found here.

Joey Ramone And The Resistance 'Rock The Reservation' Festival Tuba City AZ 18th October 1996 (TFTLTYTD #7)

 

OK, hands up, I missed it. The anniversary of Joey's death... the reason why Mo is named Ramona! Sadly, this 'Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die' applies equally to all of the founder members of Ramones, but this is for Joey.

Here playing the 'Rock The Reservation' benefit in Arizona, Joey and his band The Resistance play a good quality set of covers and Ramones classics!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-2Q13gHr2Ba

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-gAgo2aVOL6

2 Tone The Story BBC Radio April 2024

 

Here is another radio documentary that tells the story of the world's greatest record label. Narrated by Pete Waterman who was at the time a Coventry record shop manager soon to be tied up with The Specials. Like many other independent labels, Stiff being a perfect example, the 2 Tone Records story is a short lived roller coaster journey that encompasses innovative genius and awful business decisions.

As ever, I make no apologies for continuing to spread the word about the cultural and political significance of The Specials, Jerry Dammers and all things that 2 Tone and their roster of great bands represented.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-c76LImCrDX

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-1AywsL7PzR

Fannying About With Some Old Linoprints

 

Raradise Rock Club Boston 7th April 1983

 

So with many thanks to yesican, here is an anniversary gig from a mere 41 years ago. A partial set unfortunately but a good sounding audience recording nevertheless!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-tMO8rBSQIz

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-2W3cuwPZFJ

01. Intro
02. Nuclear Device (The Wizard Of Aus)
03. Toiler On The Sea
04. Ships That Pass In The Night
05. It’s A Small World
06. Just Like Nothing On Earth
07. Who Wants The World?
08. Never Say Goodbye
09. Baroque Bordello
10. Golden Brown

Rattus Norvegicus Review (Zigzag May 1977)

 

IV Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
United Artists UAG 30045

Here come The Stranglers with 40 minutes of brain-rapingly original spewings like you ain't gonna hear anywhere else.

They've come a long way since I first saw them supporting Patti Smith a year ago. All that untamed potential has been refined and channelled into yet another of the year's great debut albums… and what a great year for debut albums!

Melody Maker’s Mike Oldfart says the Strangs have got nothing to offer… he must have the hearing capacity of a cat’s willy. The Stranglers also sometimes come in for a bit of stick from the other new groups who say they're not new, etc. I don't know about that and I don't care… neither should you.

The Stranglers make vibrant inventive music which I like a lot (and so do a lot of other people judging by the numbers turned away from their recent Roundhouse gig). What I'm trying to say is, don't listen to anything or anyone except your own ears (and The Stranglers album).

It's hard to describe this erent ,and some of the melodies tear the top of my head and light the blue touch paper on my brain cells. I've heard that about The Stranglers sounding like The Doors, The Velvets etc., and there's no disputing the influences, and Dave Greenfield's magic organ is primed to soar off into regions only previously charted by Manzarek.

Take ‘Princess Of The Streets’, for example, which perfectly evokes The Doors’ desolate, sleazy romanticism. The Doors are cited because I suppose that they’re the nearest thing but it's still The Stranglers all round. THE STRANGLERS!

There are some sinister influences at work here. Psychedelic embroidery, like on ‘Ugly’ which takes a menacing spiral riff and some NAAASTY vocals all about being UGLY. Look… The Stranglers may have consumed these influences but When they’re spewed out it's the contents of The Stranglers own unique stomach that comes out.

This album is a sinister, scary ride through unknown dark sewers, culminating in the climatic ‘Down In The Sewer’ itself, my favourite track. It epitomises the sound of The Strangs…Jean Jacques Burnel's piercing, grating bass clanking about over Jet Black’s GBH drumming, while Dave Greenfield soars and sears. Meanwhile Hugh Cornwell hacks rusty chords or squeezes out his highly melodic solos from his guitar, which I'm sure has the power to pop spots at fifty paces.

While the group cruise on their creepo riffs as effortlessly as a turd on course for the sewage plant, Hugh or Jean Jacques belt out the words, which are incisive, rasping comments on the sorry state of the human being or psychedelic horror-slanted stories.

At the moment I like the opener ‘Sometimes’, with its propulsive catchiness; ‘Hanging Around’ and its stunning guitar solo; ‘Goodbye Toulouse’, whose vocals remind me of ‘West Side Story’ at 100 mph; and ‘Peaches’ the sleazy tale of beach vouyer.

Both sides of the single are on here too – (Get A) Grip (On Yourself) which is fuckin’ murder to type and ‘London Lady’.

The first 10,000 copies had a free single – a live version of Dave Greenfield's rancid ‘Peasant In The Big Shitty’ and Choosy Susie’, which is OK. I would like to have seen Hugh Cornwell's masto-stage-spew classic ‘School ma'am’ somewhere on this package, but never mind. This’ll do.

KRIS NEEDS

Shoddy Ebay Stuff

 I was quite lucky in that I discovered eBay quite early on, about 2001 perhaps. At that time there were some genuine bargains to be had. I remember getting both the Stiff America MIB and Last Supper posters for about £30 for the two. There was loads of other stuff too, it was great, not to mention exiting when the clock ran down to the last minutes! Every so often, although increasingly infrequently, I dip in and have a look at the Stranglers in music memorabilia. Sadly, for the last few years it seems that only about 20% of listings related to genuine memorabilia. It is shocking how much badly produced reproduction stuff is on there. Even worse than the repro stuff are the items that have been cobbled together by someone on a computer. It may be that the sellers are not trying to pass this stuff off as genuine (the price gives that away) but the items are lazy, devoid of thought and just out to make a quick buck... and seemingly people are buying the stuff.

Here's an example that I saw tonight.

No need for answers on a postcard to reveal the anomaly here! No need for a watermark here to safeguard the image from copiers!

Thankfully, the proliferation of bootlegs for sale on eBay has died down. I hate to see that someone has forked out £15 for something that is freely available online... we left that kind of thing behind in Camden High Street 25 or more years ago!

Ultravox Brighton Centre 27th May 1984 TFTLTYTD#7

 

Yesterday evening I learned of the passing of Ultravox's bass player Chris Cross. This band broke through on the early London punk scene (whilst also pre-dating it having formed in 1974), but they were worlds apart from the three chord thrash. The band brought together grating guitar and synthesizers, Roxy Music, meets Kraftwerk with a bit of Johnny Thunders thrown into the mix. 

With the departure of John Foxx, Midge Ure entered the fold as the band shifted to a more chart friendly sound that rode the crest of the New Romantic wave. Later still, Ultravox held their own with the hit heavy albums of Quartet (1982) and Lament (1983). Chris Cross was a constant presence across the years.

I prefer the Foxx era band, but never saw them. I did however see them play with Midge in Brighton in May 1984 and that is the gig posted here.

RIP Chris Cross (1952-2024).

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-ylsKhNvpgu

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-75alQMEGMs

Something Better Change/Straighten Out Promo Advert (Record Mirror 22nd July 1977)

 

The best A side/B side release ever, bar one (12" of Ghost Town/Friday Night Saturday Morning/Why? pips it). I love 'Something Better Change' even though it could be said that it may have been riding the Summer of Hate wave somewhat :). 'Straighten Out' however is in a class of its own and the better of the two tracks in my opinion. Of course you cannot think of these two tracks without the accompanying promo videos... perhaps the finest footage of the band in 1977.

Derngate Theatre Northampton 27th October 1999 DVD

 

This one is interesting from the perspective of gaining some insight into where the band were at at this point in what was already then a long career. Changes were afoot again with John Ellis soon to leave the band. This is an audience film recorded from the balcony so there is a clear view of the stage throughout. The sound however is not the best.

I did not enjoy this period at all. Seeing them in Cambridge the year before was thoroughly disheartening for me... as I recall JJ provided vocals on 'The Raven' and nothing more. This is similar, Paul is very animated and happily hitting various percussion instruments. JJ looks very much removed from the proceedings... really going through the motions at this stage. What I found interesting as I put together some artwork for this DVD was that the set, consisting of 23 songs featured only two songs recorded by the current incarnation of the band. I find that a little surprising even whilst acknowledging that this 'Hits and Heroes' tour was promoting another greatest hits release. That said they were not adverse to throwing in some live obscurities into the set, notably 'Pin Up', 'Ice Queen' and 'Two Sunspots'. See what you make of it.

DVD image: https://we.tl/t-fVWZ1QOrWN

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-KVmTHkS8to

01. Duchess
02. (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)
03. Coup De Grace
04. Pin Up
05. Just Like Nothing On Earth
06. Skin Deep
07. Ice Queen
08. Princess Of The Streets
09. The Raven
10. Genetix
11. Always The Sun
12. Goodbye Toulouse
13. Nuclear Device
14. Two Sunspots
15. Burning Up Time
16. Tank
17. Something Better Change
18. 5 Minutes
19. Golden Brown
20. Valley Of The Birds
21. Thrown Away
22. Hanging Around
23. No More Heroes

Pfalzbau Ludwigshafen 1st April 1985

 

Keeping up a bit of momentum over the Easter weekend, here is an anniversary gig from the German leg of the Aural Sculpture tour. Thanks to the original Dime uploader (Stacheleber) for this version, a nice sounding audience recording and an upgrade to what I had previously. The accompanying info file also clears up a date anomaly for this gig that appears on many lists as having occurred in Mannheim, but as the taper asserts from being there, on the night of 1st April, the band were in Ludwigshafen. 

The artwork reflects a split between 'European Female' and 'Golden Brown'.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-jYr1DtMQyS

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-a8txhsBaMS

01. Intro

02. Something Better Change

03. Uptown

04. Dead Ringer

05. No Mercy

06. Souls

07. Nice 'N' Sleazy

08. Skin Deep

09. Let Me Down Easy

10. Midnight Summer Dream

11. European Female

12. Golden Brown

13. Strange Little Girl

14. Peaches

15. Death & Night & Blood

16. Threatened

17. Punch & Judy

18. Hanging Around

19. I Feel Like A Wog

20. Down In The Sewer

21. Nubiles (Cocktail Version)

22. The Raven

Hugh Cornwell Fleece and Firkin Bristol 21st November 1998

 

I posted this originally back in 2012 on the long defunct Rapidshare platform. So here it is again on a reactivated link. This is quite a nice audience recording as I recall.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-lXOr85J5bf

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-NRFznyiBg4

01. (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)
02. All The Colours Of The Rainbow
03. Nerves Of Steel
04. Black Hair Black Eyes Black Suit
05. House Of Sorrow
06. Strange Little Girl
07. The Big Sleep
08. The Story Of He And She
09. Goodbye Toulouse
10. Lay Back On Me Pal
11. Decadence
12. Wired
13. Hanging Around
14. Who When And Where
15. Long Dead Train
16. Snapper
17. Always The Sun

Stiff Little Fingers Rock City Nottingham 11th March 2024

 

On the night that I was supposed to be seeing The Stranglers in Belfast, Belfast came to Nottingham in the form of SLF. I missed them on this tour, but here's a nice sounding recording from their 'Hate Has No Home Here' tour. A good solid sing-a-long set from the band! Listening to this makes me think that I may well make the trip over to Belfast in August for the now annual 'Putting The Fast In Belfast' mini-festival.

Thanks to the original Dime uploader (Darkorb).

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-yHcV0FYfMu

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-wipEG5SMYB

L'Olympia Paris 5th February 2009 and Manchester MEN Arena 13th December 2008 DVD

 

Apologies, I cannot recall where this DVD came from or who authored it. It features footage from two gigs, one certainly incomplete (Paris) and one incomplete in all probability (Manchester). As to the Manchester gig, on this night The Stranglers were support to The Pogues. The ticket I located on a New Model Army site, so it may be that if The Stranglers were first on it could have been the shortest set ever... any ideas?

DVD Image: https://we.tl/t-DzCN6TjPNb

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-JhPlxXGCyn

Ulster Hall Belfast 11th March 2024

 

OK then, as another tour comes to an end, in an almost time honoured tradition, here is the first recording that has gone into circulation. Thanks to several people who shared it with me. Much appreciated! I believe this first appeared on 101guitars, so thanks are due to the Historical Field Recording Unit!

I had tickets for this particular gig as I kind of missed out on getting RAH tickets and the only other tickets I have were for Cambridge. With regard to the latter, the band love it, as I recall Baz referred to Cambridge as their 'home gig'. The Dave and JJ connection. For my part I have never liked the venue, but on the other hand it is 30 minutes up the road. Logistical issues meant that I was left with little option other than to offload my Belfast tickets.... at least there is Europe later in the year.

So, I can only speak for Cambridge but I though the band were excellent (not that I was expecting a disappointment). The penny only dropped the other day when The Stranglers (Official) Facebook page posted something thanking 'The Meninblacksuits' for supporting on the tour. Then the structure of the night made sense. Devo once did something similar on their 'Duty Now For The Future' tour when 'Dove', a Christian rock band (whose members has a striking resemblance to the Devo boys) supported Devo. 

I did eventually see the set prior to the gig. I don't mind that so much and I find it stressful to go all out to avoid spoilers during a tour anyway. What did people make of the set? 'Hallow To Our Men' was certainly a nice surprise and always happy to have 'Sewer' in the set, but I dunno, perhaps I am being unreasonable... I would love to have seen something completely unexpected, a B-side perhaps (remember back in 1988 when 'Vietnamerica' cropped up briefly in the set?). And, I still maintain that 'Nuclear Power' would fit perfectly into a Stranglers' set... maybe next year.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-V87HbwwdzS

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-ny3gC7JuR5

Terry Hall Tribute Night (29th March 2024 BBC 4)

 

Last night BBC 4 ran a brilliant thread of music programming in an evening that celebrated the immense talent of Terry Hall, from The Specials, The Fun Boy 3, The Colourfield and back again. The evening started with a new compilation of 'Terry Hall at The BBC' covering his 40 plus years in music. All of the footage was familiar to me except for one show (the name of it escapes me now) where The Band were introduced by Toyah Willcox. Most of this material I have seen in the past, but it was brilliant to see it all brought together and to see it in such excellent quality.

Aside from the BBC music compilation, the highlight for me was the showing of the 'Arena' documentary which saw fanzine writer turned music journalist, Adrian Thrills, travel to Coventry see see what all the fuss, that had turned the UK monochrome, was all about. The scenes filmed in the 'office' of 2 Tone HQ in Albany Road are priceless. I pitied the neighbours! How great it was to find all of the band partying,  larking around and getting on with each other! Gunta loved it too as it showed Coventry city centre as she remembered in back in 1980.

Well done BBC 4 as they would say on 'Points Of View'.

Crass Art Exhibition London 12th to 27th April 2024

 Looking forward to getting down to see this one. Gee Vaucher's artwork was a crucial, striking element of the total Crass package. Brilliant!

Ombudsmen In Manchester Friday 22nd March 2024

 

Should you be at a loose end in Manchester on Friday (The Stranglers have a night off!) you could do worse than see Ombudsmen at The Old Abbey Taphouse in Manchester supporting VEE VV.

Ian Dury And The Blockheads Town And Country Club London 25th September 1990 (TFTLTYTD #6)

Thanks to Chatts for this one. As part of the TFTLTYTD thread, this one is for the former Blockheads drummer Charlie Charles to lost his fight with cancer not so long after this series of benefit gigs. However, the ring master of the Blockheads circus, Ian himself, lost his own fight with cancer five years later in 2000.

I was fortunate enough to see The Blockheads with Ian on three occasions. In 1994 Madness played Madstock II in Finsbury Park with Ian (a well acknowledged influence for the band) in support. At around the same time the band headlined at the Grand in Clapham, this time with The Nutty Boys (Lee and Chrissy Boy from Madness) doing the support honours. Lastly, I saw one of the band's last gigs at the Junction in Cambridge. That must have been in 1999, Ian was unwell by this stage but it was magical seeing such an icon in such a small venue. 

My first encounter with Ian and his Blockheads was when 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick' came out.... late 1978. I remember going to a schoolfriend's house specifically to record the single. This meant kneeling in front of his parent's radiogram with the small plastic microphone pointed at one speaker whilst trying to be as quiet as possible! The B-side, 'There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards' was wonderfully subversive in my 9 year old mind!

Dury was a fantastic lyricist whose wayward appearance and cockney delivery meant that he still found a receptive audience after punk swept the pub rock bands aside (of course not overlooking the fact that Kilburn & The High Roads were the inspiration for many of the young punks that dominated 1977).

By all accounts Ian wasn't the easiest of personalities, but that not withstanding his and The Blockheads legacy is second to none.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-dICXFvyWK2

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-sdbmYB3dUK

 

O2 Academy Birmingham 16th March 2013

 

As the Stranglers touring machine rolls into the West Midlands today for tonight's gig in Wolverhampton, here is a birthday gig from this day in 2013, Baz's 500th gig with the band.... I wonder what his tally is 11 years down the line? Thanks to MeAnIe for the artwork!

MP3 (as received): https://we.tl/t-9qVkudrOh0

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-9sXaco0xt8

The Hummingbird Birmingham 11th March 1990

 

Here's an anniversary gig that was originally post on here back in 2012 and the link has long been dead. From an incredible 34 years ago then...

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-EJHJo4mWQH

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-XnqxSDLHLC

01. Intro
02. Shah Shah A Go Go
03. I Feel  Like A Wog
04. Straighten Out
05. Shakin’ Like A Leaf
06. 96 Tears
07. Someone Like You
08. Sweet Smell Of Success
09. Always The Sun
10. Ships That Pass In The Night
11. Peaches
12. Where I Live
13. School Mam
14. Let's Celebrate
15. Uptown
16. Tank
17. Was It You?
18. Down In The Sewer
19. All Day And All Of The Night
20. Punch And Judy

Tribute To Steve Shy (1955 - 2022) Gullivers Pub Manchester 25th February 2024

 

It was Day two on our mid week Mancunian trip and we were in the city's Northern Quarter. Gunta wanted some haberdashery and it was convenient for me that the shop was next to a pub. With a justification of 'I don't want to rush you so I'll have a quick pint' or some such nonsense, I disappeared through the swing door of Gullivers. As an aside, Mo informed me that the pub was one of Mark E. Smith's locals (I suspect that there were a fair few of those!) and The Fall's track 'The Mixer' was written about a guy who worked behind the bar in there. Any way, I digress. I could not help noticing this brilliant mosaic on the wall. It had not been on the wall when I last called into this pub. Since it was a Wednesday and just past opening at that, I was the sole customer, so I was able to occupy the booth opposite and study it well. It was a memorial piece to Steve Shy, original Manchester punk and creator of the fanzine 'Shytalk', one of the earlier cut, pasted and xeroxed DIY efforts that informed local kids about the new music both on a national level and local level. The piece is accompanied by a quite from Pete Shelley who described Shy as the 'Unsung hero of the early Manchester scene'.

From a Man United fan blog site, Steve recalls an encounter with an irate Hugh Cornwell: 

'One of the editions of Shy Talk had a piece in it which was slagging The Stranglers off. I had the mag on sale at the Electric Circus when they next played there in June 1977 and Stranglers lead singer, Hugh Cornwell, bought a copy off me. Half an hour later, he was all over the place looking for me and wanting a fight after reading what had been written. The following night, The Drones were supporting The Stranglers in Sheffield and Cornwell saw me and came walking over. I thought, “here we go”, but he just said “sorry about that last night. It annoyed me. I thought we were all supposed to be on the same side”. I said “maybe, but you’re not on the same side as the lad who wrote that fucking piece”'.

A Small Square of The Square.

 

This morning Gunta and I paid a visit to Harlow museum that also takes in the walled garden. The garden is a great secluded and peaceful space amidst the persistent traffic of Harlow (could it be that on the cusp of being closer to 60 than 50 I have become mellow... oh no!). The exhibition space traces the development of the area from from the Bronze Age, through the Roman period up to the modern day and Frederick Gibberd's new town vision.

For me the pinnacle of the town's development was The Square, simply the bestest, independent music venue that there ever was. Since moving to neighbouring Bishops Stortford 29 years ago The Square was the location of many brilliant nights.

Sadly and seemingly inexplicably (given what happened to the plot) the company that owned the land decided to end the lease so that this near legendary venue closed its doors finally in 2017. 

After closure, the venue stood derelict for several years before bulldozers levelled the building a couple of years ago. Why the decision was made to close the venue only for the land to be undeveloped for such a long time is a mystery to me. On the face of it Harlow and its residents were needlessly deprived of a brilliant entertainment hub for years.

So back to 2024 and the museum then. The original backdrop is an exhibit and boxed up sections of The Square's stage were available to buy... well I had to! Boxed as it is I was reminded of the presentation of posh cakes and pastries. However, open the box and I can assure you you would not put the contents anywhere near your mouth. It is a 10 x 10 cm slice of stage, the rubber surface of which is a rich infusion of gob, sweat and gaffer tape adhesive... in short all the flavours of rock 'n' roll condensed in a CD sized block. OK, so it is not a piece of Wardour Street Marquee, but nevertheless within it is a small part of my musical journey, but more importantly the history of the bands that put Harlow on the map and those bands that went on to much bigger things.

Also, whilst sifting through a mass of gig tickets and flyers I came across a Square beermat... could be worth a fortune!