The Jam (Brighton Centre 11th December 1982) and The Kinks (Hordern Pavilion Sydney 19th February 1982) Got It Covered #7

 

'How can I be a revivalist when I'm only fucking 17!' retorted a youthful Paul Weller when his band were accused of living off past musical glories. Little did he know it back in 1976, but he, along with The Jam would indeed catalyse a mod revival inspiring a new generation to generate a new music that unapologetically drew on the Mod/R&B scenes of a decade or more ago. Secret Affair, The Chords, The Lambrettas and more preened on Top of the Pops and played their gigs in front of a new audience of young mods resplendent in their parkas, Ben Sherman shirts and sta-prest trousers. I remember and this time (around 1980) I used to go ten-pin bowling with mates occasionally at the King Alfred Centre on the front in Hove. There were plenty of these young mods (who in fairness would have maybe been a couple of years older than me) and it was quite a thing for them to turn up in scabby footwear which they would hand in in exchange for a pair of proper bowling shoes. After their bowling they would do a runner leaving the bowling alley with a rank pair of trainers and a few more quid down on the day's takings.

For these new bands, Paul Weller was the King Pin mod. However, the huge success that The Jam enjoyed at this time in the UK was very much to the benefit of the 'old' mods as well. Certainly The Who did okay out of this renewed interest in mod culture... in a different musical environment I don't suppose 'Quadrophenia' would have been made, or if it had it would not be the revered cult film that it has become since 1979. 

The Jam were great at cover versions of mod and soul classics, 'So Sad About Us' (The Who), 'Get Yourself Together' (The Small Faces), 'Big Bird' (Eddie Floyd), 'Move On Up' (Curtis Mayfield) and the subject of this post 'David Watts' (The Kinks). Some of these songs went on to be highlights of The Jam's live sets.

Ray Davies recognises something in Paul Weller

The writing influence passed dawn from Ray Davies of The Kinks is of particular note. Nobody, out of that huge pool of musical talent that existed in the '60s, could tell a tale as well as Ray. Weller too was a master when it came to nailing down the British Working Class experience in a handful of brilliantly crafted verses. I did mention in the recent chart post that The Jam's 'Town Called Malice' was 'Dead End Street' updated for the 1980's.

'There's a crack up in the ceiling

And the kitchen sink is leaking

Out of work and got no money

A Sunday joint of bread and honey'

('Dead End Street')

'A whole street's belief

In Sunday's roast beef

Gets dashed

Against the Co-op

To either cut down on beer

Or the kids' new gear

It's a big decision

In a town called Malice'

('Town Called Malice')

'David Watts' by The Kinks is kind of echoed in 'The Eton Rifles' - if you imagine perhaps of how David turned out. But right now we have a straight cover. As a cover, it does not particularly meet my 'worthy' covers criteria whereby the cover is somehow altered to make it the new band's own. The Jam's version is very similar to The Kinks's version, in much the same way that The Stranglers' version of 'All Day...' simply mirrors the original. Nevertheless, criteria notwithstanding, it's just a great song that was a perfect fit at that point in time for what The Jam were writing themselves. The fact that original and cover were separated by 11 years (1967 Kinks versus 1978 Jam) was of no consequence. The school kid of the 1960's and the 1970's could relate with ease, simply because at any age, every school age child has their own David Watts to content with. The scenario is timeless and unchanging.

'He is the head boy at the school

He is the captain of the team

He is so gay and fancy-free

And I wish I could have all he has got

Wish I could be like David Watts.'

So then, here you have them and here although eleven years separates the studio versions, these live versions are contemporaneous, both being captured in 1982.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-amLW5Mn3Xgk85Gng

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-o2s0m6BowExZna00

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-LGLgK40sjoJBjR8v

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-fOUs1Z8rXz5XZCze

Eat Our Dust Weller! Golden Brown At Number One (6th February 1982)

Being a bit of a nerd I have been part of a pub quiz team (the same one no less) for 32 years! The pubs whose quizzes we have participated in invariably have a music round. One round theme that has reoccurred over the years runs along the lines of big songs that missed the No. 1 chart position, unjustly or not. The classic example is the dreadful 'Shaddap You Face', a novelty hit by the Australian/American Joe Dolce that kept the Ultravox anthem 'Vienna' off the coveted number one slot. Such was the overblown pomposity of the song that half of the UK's record buying public sniggered at such a turn of events and continue to do so more than forty years later!

The example relevant to these humble pages is that a race to No.1 between The Stranglers and The Jam (two of the biggest survivors of the first wave of punk) played out in early 1982 and this too has been a quiz question on several occasions. The problem for The Stranglers was that despite having achieved significant radio play for the first time in years with the quirky, out of character waltz of 'Golden Brown' the competition in February 1982 was stiff, specifically in the form of Weller's mob who released 'A Town Called Malice/Precious as a double A-side. Arguably The Jam were the biggest band in the UK at this time and 'Malice' saw The Jam at the top of their game, both in terms of Weller's lyricism as well as the musical punch they were then delivering. And so it was that the Official UK chart saw 'A Town Called Malice' streak up the chart (the single is seen here in the Melody Maker Chart as a new entry, straight in at number eight (as of 6th February)), rapidly reaching number one, thereby denying The Stranglers the greatest measure of chart success.

However, look closely at the singles chart below, the number one is no less than 'Golden Brown'! The music paper Melody Maker was always rather apart from its UK music weekly rivals, long being a champion of 'real musicianship' which roughly translated to folk and jazz. In this spirit of stubborn independence they continued to produce their own UK single and album chart that was not infrequently at odds with the Official UK Chart returns. So in a nutshell, 'Golden Brown' did reach No. 1.... you just have to look in the right places.

So, next time that particular question surfaces in a pub quiz, maybe I should point out the factual error.... but then again I might just get docked points for being an annoying smart arse!

As an aside, the Official UK Chart has also published a Top 40 of favourite No. 2s (record wise!). Take a look at the esteemed company that 'Golden Brown' is keeping. Sandwiched between James's 'Sit Down' (a song I loath!) and 'Waterloo Sunset' (one of the greatest British pop songs of all time). Seeing the Ray Davies composition there, a parallel comes to mind.... 'A Town Called Malice' is surely a 'Dead End Street' for the 1980's.

And even if 'Golden Brown was pipped at the post by 'Malice', it's no disgrace and I can think of a host of worse songs to lose out to.

'It's-a not so bad, it's-a nice-a place

Ah shaddap-a you face!'

Dead Kennedys Central London Polytechnic 26th November 1982 ('Spend July 4th With Dead Kennedys)

 

So today is a big anniversary, 4th July 2026. A date that marks 250 years of American Independence. Without doubt it is a great country with some laudable beliefs and principles... only of late it has gone awry. Let the orange man-baby spout his incoherent nonsense today... it will soon be over.

Whilst this great recording of the Dead Kennedys makes reference to 4th July, like most of what Trump utters, it is an untruth. The gig took place at Central London Polytechnic on 26th November 1982 where the band were promoting their soon to be released 'Plastic Surgery Disasters'.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-2TLqBENtmWdXjMua

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-qVaBYffsts9PQ5Rb

The Clash Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan Hall Tokyo 30th January 1982

From the purveyor of pristine sounding gigs, DomP, this one is being posted tonight, one day ahead of the anniversary of the death of Comandante Joe. 23 years gone on 22nd December 2025. To mark it, here is particularly high energy performance by The Clash in Tokyo, their penultimate show in a week of dates in the Japanese capital.

Japanese audiences are famously restrained, but by the sounds of it The Clash managed to smash through that national reserve and some. Sandinista! may in the opinion in some had a side or two too many, but looking at this set covering their five year career to date, who on Earth could complain.

I never met Joe Strummer. I saw him a couple of times (the nearest that I got to The Clash). His band could (and can still) divide opinions, but from what I have read on balance, he was one of the good guys and well, couldn't he just deliver a tune!

This one then is for all of you and of course Joe!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-Je9j1SrK6I

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-NYmdiMuscx

On TV In 1982 DVD Compilation

 

Without doubt, 1982 was an extraordinary year for The Stranglers. After the dark, misfortune filled period of 1980-1981, new and massively unexpected horizons opened up to the band at the end of '81 and into '82. The band have gone on record attributing this to the fact that the band stepped away from their well publicised interest in the UFO phenomenon. In the first instance I would suggest that other, less otherworldly, factors were coming in to play, such as a change of record company and a move away from hard drugs! The success of 'Golden Brown' took everyone by surprise but it set the band down a path of greater commercial success that was to last for several years. The realisation that there existed an audience for a 'softer' version of The Stranglers was a boon. In addition, the less than amicable split from E.M.I. (who had engulfed United Artists) was fortuitous in that the circumstances around their departure stirred a certain spirit of vengefulness in the band. Contractually obligated to deliver another single they mischievously rerecorded 'Strange Little Girl', a song that featured on very early demos that had been peddled to UK labels, E.M.I. included, only to be roundly dismissed by all. 

DVD disc image: https://we.tl/t-gCYKeZGyXx

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-4WtLVNXtCm

Having made the change from Liberty/E.M.I. the band released 'European Female' on Christmas Eve 1982, their first offering from new label Epic. The single set the tone for the largely acoustic 'Feline' that appeared in January 1983.

Given that 'Golden Brown' and the rediscovered 'Strange Little Girl' effectively defibrillated the band I would consider 1982 to be a watershed year in the band's career, maybe not to the extent of 1990 but very significant nonetheless.

This is a short compilation of most of what is out there as far as TV appearances are concerned. Two notable omissions are the 'Off the Record' TV gig which is available here and the 'No Nukes Festival footage from Utrecht which will get an outing in the not to distant future.

TVS Television Theatre Gillingham 18th October 1982 DVD

 

I am sure that this is a common scenario for any of us who have invested many years in collecting live material by the bands we love. Some recordings are held in higher regard than others, those of superior quality in either content or sound/vision tend to do the rounds more than others. No surprises there. In the early 1980's The Stranglers played three notable TV gigs. 'Rockstage; from the Royal Theatre in Nottingham in 1980, the 'No Nukes Festival' in Utrecht in 1982 and in the same year, 'Off the Record' in Gillingham. 

These shows were recorded on early video cassette recorders time and time again with a notable decrease in audio and picture quality every time a copy of a copy was made. Thus for the collector multiple copies would be sought in the hope that a better quality 'low generation' copy would turn up. For this reason it is not unusual to have half a dozen versions of  recording, each of different quality. This is very much the case when it comes to copies of the gig that the band played in October 1982 at the TVS Studios in Gillingham as part of the TV stations 'Off The Record' series. As some point it makes sense to try to pin down the best of the bunch and that is what I have done here. This is the best quality version of this 30 minute set of TV gold that I have yet to see.

DVD image: https://we.tl/t-3v1UKV2RjX

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-wQCPEF5EFy

The Clash Brixton Fair Deal London 30th July 1982

 

My sincere thanks goes to DomP for this one. The previously posted Fair Deal gigs were lower quality recordings of dates that The Clash played there earlier in the month. The band returned to South London on 30th July '82 for a final London date before hot footing it back to America to consolidate their recent 'Combat Rock' success by means of a marathon four month Stateside touring schedule. Dom informs me that this was the one ocassion that Mick Jones played in front of his Dad. It also turned out to be the last gig that he would play in the capital as a member of The Clash.

A word about the recording then. The majority of it is soundboard sourced. The set is completee with a handful of audience sourced tracks in the middle of the set, each marked with an asterisk. DomP has renmastered it so that it is sounding great!

Thanks Dom. I appreciate the share!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-lScwCoN1CU

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-GP7vKHosnZ

The Clash Civic Theatre Akron Ohio 17th August 1982 20 from '83 (3)

 

So, if the two Fair Deal gigs were for the completists or those that were there on the night, this one from the US the following month is for listening pleasure. A great soundboard recording of the full gig.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-pESRhVLLZl

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-ToM0byOizs

The Clash Fair Deal Brixton 10th/11th July 1982 20 From '82 (2)

So I have banged on about this tour over a couple of posts now and we are nearly done with The Clash for now. The pair of recordings posted here are not of the greatest quality it is true, but I am sure that they will be of interest to some visitors to these pages, some may even have been there.

Despite the wait, perhaps because of it, the press loved it.

MP3: https://we.tl/t-Gt1U6Ttnso

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-txS6lNPG5i

New Musical Express (17th July 1982)

MP3: https://we.tl/t-fpVY3DNklR

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-3TLRriuUcg

Record Mirror (17th July 1982)

The Clash Interview New Musical Express (29th May 1982)

 

Joe Strummer faces the press...

New Musical Express (29th May 1982)

The Clash In The Long Wet Summer of '82

 

Well I mentioned The Clash in the preamble to a secong 1982 thread so it makes sense to do something on Joe and his Merry Men. Merry may be the wrong word to apply here. All folk can have bad year... just ask Andrew! For The Clash it was more something of an aestas horribilis for reasons that will become apaparent in this post.

It's April 1982 and The Clash are about to tour, no great surprise, it's what rock bands do.

Record Mirror (3rd April 1982)

New Musical Express (4th April 1982)

A new Studio was in the can ahead of the tour, called 'Combat Rock' it was to be the band's most successful album. All was looking rosey in Camp Clash....

Record Mirror (24th April 1982)

Until...

'Oi Mick, 'ave you seen Joe?'

New Musical Express (1st May 1982)

Record Mirror (1st May 1982)

''Ain't seen hide nor hair of the fucker Paul!'

New Musical Express (8th May 1982)

Record Mirror (8th May 1982)

Record Mirror (15th May 1982)

New Musical Express (15th May 1982)

Going, Going... Gone.

The tour that never was disappeared as the last three original dates were rescheduled. Know your comsumer rights as they say.

New Musical Express (22nd May 1982)

But wait! Things are looking up. Comandante Joe is located.

Record Mirror (22nd May 1982)

Better late than never... let's get this show on the road.... CLASH CITY ROCKERS! Hold on.... Topper?... Topper!!

Record Mirror (29th May 1982)

New Musical Express (29th May 1982)

And things go from bad to worse for the ex-drummer. Topper bang to rights!

Record Mirror (5th June 1982)

'Joe, have you still got Terry's number?'

Record Mirror (12th June 1982)

New Musical Express (12th June 1982)

So there you have it, the demise of The Clash's 'Know Your Rights' tour and the dissolution of the definitive line up with the departure of Topper Headon. After US dates, the resceduled UK dates were played throughout July and into August under the 'Down At The Casbah Club' banner.