Caption Competition - Win 3 DVD Recordings Of Your Choosing

Just wanted to try something a little different to encourage a little more site participation/interaction. So I'm starting off with a simple caption competition. I can't offer a 'Peaches' blackmail sleeve or 'Girl From The Snow Country', but I can offer a free choice of three DVDs from the list included on this site. Given that DVD file sizes are rather prohibitive for upload, this is a chance to get hold of something over and above the audio recordings. I will post worldwide at my expense.

The Pennie Smith photo below, from the Corn Exchange in Cambridge on the 'No More Heroes' tour in the autumn of '77, has long intrigued me. What passed between these two men at the point that Ms Smith directed her lens in their direction? I don't know, but you might.

Please email your suggestions to me..... they don't have to be polite, I am broad minded! If I receive any entries, the judging process will be conducted along strictly non-democratic lines by a discerning panel of one (you guessed it, that's me).

Good luck!

I will let this run until the end of January when I will announce the winner.

The Roberts Years - Can Anyone Help Fill An 'Ole?

I have posted on this point before, but I thought I'd ask again. It was always my intention to ensure that this site is fully representative of all stages of the band’s extraordinary career. In doing so, the hope is to cater for as broader cross-section of the fan base as possible.  I can do this quite nicely over about two thirds of the career span but hit a bit of a drought in the middle.

Is anyone able to assist with the gaps in the fossil record in the MkII-III period. Please feel free to drop me an email.

Many thanks,

Adrian.

20 From ,79 (12) The Ruts Acton Town Hall, London 12th April 1979

Here's a shortish set from a gig the Ruts played in West London. Unfortunately, the quality is not so hot on this one, but it is notable for the inclusion in the set of an early rarity in the form of 'Fanatical Fascists'. I have a clearer demo of this song which I will post in the near future.

'Oi Segs...... NF skins 2 miles east up the Uxbridge Road!'

This gig took place two days before a massive Rock Against Racism and Anti-Nazi League festival at Ally Pally in which The Ruts participated along with other like minded bands including SLF and the Tom Robinson Band (TRB). I'd be interested to hear from anyone with first hand experience of any of the big RAR events.

FLAC: http://rapidshare.com/files/4049645685/therutsactontownhall120479FLAC.zip

MP3: http://rapidshare.com/files/2826150823/therutsactontownhall120479MP3.zip

Artwork: http://rapidshare.com/files/2847846276/therutsactontownhall120479AW.zip

01. Savage Circle
02. I Ain't Sophisticated
03. H-Eyes
04. Stepping Bondage
05. S.U.S.
06. Criminal Mind
07. Dope For Guns
08. Something That I Said
09. It Was Cold
10. Fanatical Fascists
11. Give Youth A Chance
12. In A Rut
13. Out Of Order
14. Babylon's Burning

20 From '79 (11) Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Electric Ballroom, London 7th December 1979

Here's an early set from OMD when they opened for Talking Heads at the Electric Ballroom in Camden.

The material played is taken from the eponymous debut album. At this point in their career, OMD were very much part of the up and coming electronic/experimental clique, that also included the likes of The Human League and Cabaret Voltaire, which in turn came under the broader 'post-punk' umbrella. Their big break had come a few months earlier when they were tour support for Gary Numan on his first nationwide tour (The Touring Principle) in the autumn of 1979. Incidentally, with their respective career fortunes reversed in the early 90's, OMD returned the compliment and had Numan as an opening act in 1993.

All that was someway off yet and Andy McCluskey's uniquely energetic and expressive dance technique (reminiscent of the Jobson School of Dance) had yet to by admired by the public at large!

I saw OMD play in early '83 on their 'Dazzle Ships' tour and I still have a soft spot for their early albums.

Andy McCluskey has seen video playback after bustin' some moves

FLAC: http://rapidshare.com/files/3141514278/OMD071279FLAC.zip

MP3: http://rapidshare.com/files/1454074006/OMD071279MP3.zip

Artwork: http://rapidshare.com/files/941122594/OMD071279AW.zip

20 From '79 (10) The Ramones Northwestern University Evanston IL 13th October 1979

The Ramones, one of the catalysts and one of the most influential bands in punk. Here's a great quality set from the US in 1979. The Ramones personified the 'All American Band', sadly for them however, America were somewhat ambivalent towards them throughout their long career. Happily for Da Brudders, this was not the case in other parts of the world (most notably South America and Europe) where their uniqueness was recognised as soon as the seminal 'Ramones' LP was released in 1976.

Unfortunately, in stark contrast to the band's good time bubble gum brand of punk (as it became), the individuals that made up the band were genuinely at odds with the world and even more so with each other. 'We're A Happy Family' my arse! It may be the case that were it not for the 'stability' that the band environment offered, however fractious that environment was, the individuals would in all probability have left this world even more prematurely than they did.

FLAC: http://rapidshare.com/files/1795171303/Ramonesevanston131079FLAC.zip

MP3: http://rapidshare.com/files/2848035389/Ramonesevanston131079MP3.zip

Artwork: http://rapidshare.com/files/2806871875/Ramonesevanston131079AW.zip

01 Intro
02 Blitzkrieg Bop
03 Teenage Lobotomy
04 Rockaway Beach
05 I Don't Want You
06 Go Mental
07 Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
08 Rock 'N Roll High School
09 I Wanna be Sedated
10 Just Want To Have Something To You
11 She's The One
12 I'm Against It
13 Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
14 Havana Affair
15 Commando
16 Needles & Pins
17 I'm Affected
18 I Want You Around
19 Surfin' Bird
20 Cretin Hop
21 All The Way
22 California Sun
23 I Don't Want To Walk Around With You
24 Today your Love,Tomorrow The World
25 Pinhead
26 Do You Wanna Dance
27 Suzy Is A Headbanger
28 Let's Dance
29 Chinese Rocks
30 Judy Is A Punk
31 We're A Happy Family


For anyone who has an interest in the band who has not sat through 'The End Of The Century' film, it comes highly recommended from me but with a health warning. The film is not an upbeat celebration of the band. All the band's cards are on the table, face up and it is painful to see and hear.

In a similar, but rather more positive vein, I have just finished reading Mickey Leigh's memoirs of his life with his brother and the Ramones. As a read it is sad, shocking and touching in equal measure.

Wilko Johnson

The recently broken news that Wilko Johnson has terminal pancreatic cancer is very sad indeed.

I just wanted to add my best wishes to Wilko. Nothing more to say than that really.

Cheers,

Adrian.

20 From '79 (9) The Police Paris Theatre London 13th June 1979

The Police are one of those bands that very much divide opinion and really that is something that they have been doing so since they first stepped on the stage as The Police. But.... but, in 1979 and certainly into 1980 they were one of the biggest bands in the UK and if you consider their popularity in a wider geographical context, they were arguably the biggest contemporary British band in the world at this time (remember homegrown big hitters like the Jam didn't break the States).

In 1977 the punks didn't like them, they were not after all a punk band (the lead singer had a jazz background and the guitarist was in Zoot Money's band back in the mid-60's). They did (like many bands use the opportunities this fad called punk presented in terms of regular gigs around which there was a definite buzz.

Sting backing Cherry Vanilla

The Roxy, London 1977

I think that their first album 'Outlandos D'Amour' is great, if you can accept that in 1978 there were white bands playing reggae influenced music much better than they were. But whilst the British music press, for right or wrong the arbiters of what was cool sneered down their pencils at Sting and his men, the wider public went in for them in a big way.

The Police also played a good hand. They embraced the US on their first tour Stateside, unlike their contemporaries, most notably The Damned and The Stranglers, went all out to terrorise America!

The Police was very nearly my first ever gig. The date would have been 18th December 1981 when they played at The Brighton Centre on their 'Ghost In The Machine' tour. In the event Adam and the Ants became gig number one at the same venue 10 days later.

All told, The Police released some good records, but became something of a Britannia Music Club band. Live too they could be a bit much, I have always disliked long extensions of tracks in a live setting and The Police were guilty of this..... who needs an 8 minute jam of 'Roxanne'! Or for that matter a 7 minute 12 second version of  'So Lonely' as appears on this short radio session. It may be that there is not much uptake on this one, but I have included it as they were massive at the time and very much in the New Wave bracket.

FLAC: http://rapidshare.com/files/2315983825/The%20Police%2013th%20June%201979%20FLAC.zip

MP3: http://rapidshare.com/files/3383900665/The%20Police%2013th%20June%201979%20MP3.zip

Artwork: http://rapidshare.com/files/1110949484/The%20Police%2013th%20June%201979%20AW.zip