20 From '79 (5) The Damned Whiskey A Go Go 8th May 1979

The Damned in 1979

Here's a gig that saw The Damned, regrouped and once again in the US. This is one of the most chaotic gigs I have ever heard. Captain is just dangerous in front of this audience (two nights before at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco fists flew after Sensible urinated on a member of the audience!)

'Love Song'

The Damned at The Old Waldorf San Francisco

6th July 1979

This is the time when I would most like to have seen The Damned. That's not to say that  wouldn't have been apprehensive about it! A mate of mine's first Damned gig was at The Corn Exchange in Cambridge in '79 and by all accounts (well his anyway) it was basically a big fight with occasional musical interludes!

Nevertheless, there is little doubt that with this year's 'Machine Gun Ettiquette' The Damned peaked, producing one of the finest albums in UK punk.

I am seeing The Damned tonight at The Roundhouse in the good company of The Dickies. I have no doubt that the gig will be great, but somehow not as raucous as this Los Angeles gig in '79.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-YRPGHqaLgK

01. Jet Boy Jet Girl

02. Teenage Dream
03. Stretcher Case
04. Ballroom Blitz
05. Rich Kids
06. Born To Kill
07. Looking At You
08. New Rose
09. Suicide
10. Noise Noise Noise
11. Problem Child
12. Help
13. Stab Yor Back
14. So Messed Up





The Specials Maida Vale Studios London 12th December 2012

Steve Lamacq and team with The Specials at Maida Vale Studios for BBC 6 Music

12th December 2012

I tried to get tickets for this once in a life time opportunity to witness The Specials at the closest quarters imaginable! Unfortunately, I was in the company of 17,000 like minded people so the chances of being there last night were rather remote.

And what a show it was! From the opening instrumental version of 'Sock It To 'Em JB' to the last notes of 'Too Much Too Young' this sounded like the greatest fun you could have with your clothes on as they say!

I believe that Neville was ill last night so there was a bit of vocal juggling by necessity, but this has really put me in the mood for the May tour.

Listen well and....   Enjoy yourselves!!

Terry spots Jerry by the fire escape

FLAC: http://rapidshare.com/files/1778649750/Specials121212FLAC.zip

MP3: http://rapidshare.com/files/772564260/Specials121212MP3.zip

Artwork: http://rapidshare.com/files/2127298980/Specials121212AW.zip

01. Introduction By Steve Lamacq
02. Sock It To 'Em JB
03. Do The Dog
04. Concrete Jungle
05. Gangsters
06. Rat Race
07. It Doesn't Make It Alright
08. Pearl's Cafe
09. International Jet Set
10. Friday Night Saturday Morning
11. Stereotypes
12. Man At C & A
13. Ghost Town
14. Do Nothing
15. A Message To You Rudy
16. Nite Klub
17. Too Much Too Young

As my mate Andy (who was lucky enough to be there) said of the evening by text last night,

'I never thought I would see The Specials like that. There was no stage and I stood in the front row in front of Roddy. Don't think that there were much more than 150 people there but there were apparently 17,000 applications for tickets'

...... we may be back on talking terms by Christmas!

Lynval with harp

 

Horace lays down the bass

 

Roddy checks on the brass

TV Smith Mello Mello Liverpool 12th December 2011

Here's a boot I picked up a while back from Dimeadozen.

TV Smith, front man of the wonderful Adverts, is someone I have been following since the late '80's when he was playing in another great band that he'd pulled together that went by the name of Cheap. They were very much underrated and largely ignored by the music journalists (with the exception of the odd insider operating out of the 'Sounds' office).

TV Smith's Cheap at the Bull and Gate, early '90's

(...and there I am... with hair in a Rattus shirt, bottom right)

I recall that I first saw Cheap at the Anglers Retreat in West Drayton. Back then I asked him if he would record the 'Crossing of the Red Sea' album. At that time, I wasn't too sure about the soundness of the only label to have re released the album. Bless him, he agreed to do it for me, but complained that in doing so it would mean that he would be forced to listen to it!

With the passage of another 20 years, clearly his outlook on his earlier band's material has changed somewhat and thankfully so for those of us who are too young to have seen The Adverts when they were together. TV is now content to play these songs once more and having seen him do it in London, there is no doubting that this is not a nostalgia trip, he still means it maaan!

So enjoy this great gig from just under a year ago.

TV Smith in 2011.... he's still angry!

 

FLAC: http://rapidshare.com/files/1126774149/TVSmith121211FLAC.zip

MP3: http://rapidshare.com/files/1455919944/TVSmith121211MP3.zip

Artwork: http://rapidshare.com/files/1620468789/TVSmith121211AW.zip

 

Jake Burns and the Big Wheel Janice Long Session 16th April 1986

Here's quite a rare one. After the demise of SLF first time around, Jake put together the Big Wheel. Their album 'On Fortune Street' is long deleted (which I believe included this session). The session includes the track 'Breathless', a heart felt tribute to then wife of Nelson Mandela, Winnie. Winnie was later to fall from grace, but that doesn't detract too much as it remains a great track.

FLAC: http://rapidshare.com/files/3387798453/JakeBurnsSession1986FLAC.zip

MP3: http://rapidshare.com/files/4215815651/JakeBurnsSession1986MP3.zip

01. She Grew Up
02. Breathless
03. Trapped Inside
04. Belfast 14

Somewhere I have a live recording of the Big Wheel which I will share soon.

2 Tone Tour A Review NME 27th October 1979

Continuing the 2 Tone Tour theme for a while longer, I thought that I'd share this contemporary review with you that appeared in the UK's New Musical Express at the start of the tour. Again from the Stateside in Bournemouth, for the reviewer at least it was Madness that sparkled on the night, making The Specials look rather lacklustre.... would you believe it!?

Special thanks to MeAnIe for the clip(s). Cheers!

20 From '79 (4) Madness Stateside Centre Bournmouth 16th December 1979

Fresh from the high jinx of the '2 tone tour' that bundled all of the bright lights associated with Coventry's exceptional 2 tone label onto a coach for a 60's style review tour of almost 40 dates, the band here headlined in their own right supported by The VIPs.

2 Toners take the sea air on Brighton beach in 1979

By late 1979 success was assured for Madness and the opening years of the approaching new decade were theirs for the taking. By 1980 the Madness 'M' logo had appeared on exercise books, school bags and blazers like a rash!

Personally at the time I was listening more to the likes of Adam and the Ants and Gary Numan, but it was impossible to get away from Madness. I first saw them in Finsbury Park in 1994 and then a year or so ago when my daughter expressed a desperate need to see them.

Ramona at Bickling Hall, Norwich 2011

Madness have had their lean times, but from what I have heard, they are back on form with a back to basics album, Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da. For me though they reached their mature peak with 'The Liberty of Norton Folgate' and intense but brilliant album with its vivid musical depictions of East London.

'The Liberty of Norton Folgate' Madness

So here is that set from back in '79.

FLAC: http://rapidshare.com/files/302752409/Madness161279FLAC.zip

MP3: http://rapidshare.com/files/616287859/Madness161279MP3.zip

01 ONE STEP BEYOND
02 MISTAKES
03 BELIEVE ME
04 MY GIRL
05 SWAN LAKE
06 RAZOR BLADE ALLEY
07 IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
08 TARZAN'S NUTS
09 MUMMY'S BOY
10 YOUNG & OLD
11 LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY
12 ROCKIN IN A(FLAT)
13 BED & BREAKFAST MAN
14 THE PRINCE
15 NIGHT BOAT TO CAIRO
16 MADNESS
17 LOLA
18 ONE STEP BEYOND

Incidently, this gig occured one week after a classic appearance on the hugely influencial UK TV music programme 'The Old Grey Whistle Test'.

'Night Boat To Cairo' by Madness

The Old Grey Whistle Test

December 1979

 

 

20 From '79 (3) The Members 'In Concert' 3rd March 1979

 

Here's a short radio broadcast from the BBC Radio 1's '70s/'80's series 'In Concert'. This may or may not be a complete set from The Members.

Considered by some to be a second division player in the punk league, however, they did have some great songs, not least 'Solitary Confinement and of course 'The Sound of the Suburbs' which neatly summed up the whole punk ethos in 3 minutes and 53 seconds. With the wonderful 'Off-Shore Banking Business' they tapped right into the reggae tinged punk that was so prevalent in the late '70's.

I never saw The Members play live. The nearest I got was seeing JC Carroll and Chris Payne do a couple of numbers at the Ruts film premiere, but in all honesty it wasn't very tight. No offence chaps! With Nicky Tesco unable to perform on stage with them, I'm not sure how well the reformed Members work, but please go and see them if they play in your town and judge for yourselves.

Anyway, here's The Members at their peak.

FLAC: http://rapidshare.com/files/3198595254/membersinconcert030379FLAC.zip

MP3: http://rapidshare.com/files/761887577/membersinconcert030379MP3.zip

01. Electricity
02. Sally
03. Frustrated Bagshot
04. Stand Up And Spit
05. Goodbye To The Job
06. The Sound Of The Suburbs
07. Solitary Confinement
08. At A Chelsea Nightclub

Also treading the boards on this night:

The Pop Group/ATV/Linton Kweski Johnson    Edinburgh University
The Only Ones   Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow
The Undertones/The Squares   Erics, Liverpool