Stevie Sharp And The Clean Cuts - We Are The Mods (1980)

b/w - He Wants To Be A Mod

Was this a genuine calling or just cashing in on the Mod Revival?

I prefer the B-side as I find "We Are.." a bit annoying. However, it's a rarity that doen't turn up that often (300 - 500 pressed) & as I've had it requested you can make up your own minds!

Released on Happy Face (& recorded at The Old Smithy) so I'm assuming the band were from the Worcester Area.

It has been reputed (& refuted) that Stevie Sharp was the ex guitarist of Satan's Rats & The Rowdies
(As they were from Evesham I can see why the link was made but the band's title is more than likely just echoing the "Mod ethos")

"We Are The Mods" can also be found on the awful We Are The Mods! LP (most of the tracks are low budget live recordings of admittedly mainly otherwise unavailable great tracks)

Sounds & scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?763lkd51gl72rjr

The Flames - Your Love Is Slippin' Away (1982)

b/w - That's What You Told Me

Once again I direct you to the catchy as hell B-side. Not that there is anything wrong with "Your Love..." it's just a bit too cutsey in an Everly Brothers sort of way!!

The 4 Piece were from the West London area & had this record written/produced for them by Eric David Holland
(who in the...
- 70's was a recording engineer in London at Recorded Sound Studios and Nova Sound Studios, Responsible for many of The Sweet 45's
-80's amongst other things worked in A&R at RSO Records. Was a singer songwriter at Jet Music for Don Arden & wrote / performed jingles for Radio 1's Mike Read Breakfast Show)


The 45 was released twice in a matter of months (1st on Thrust Records, RUFF 3; then on Masquerade, MASQ 2 - both subsidiaries of Chiswick records) - scans for both are in the download
The Massquerade disc has DICE 13 scratched in the dead wax which was also a catalogue prefix used by Chiswick

Sounds & scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?6yreqgtvlq1mpoj

Nattkräm -Trampa På (1980)

b/w - Varför Gör Ni Så Här

Another great punk / powerpop 45 from Sweden. This time from Åkersberga.

This was the band's 3rd & final 45 & the players on it were

Martin Wallström (Voc guitar keyboard) replaced Michael Enlund after 1st 45
Henrik Möller (guitar voc) replaced Jan Eriksson after 1st 45
Magnus Sverke (bass voc)
Johan Sverke (drums voc)


Discography

1979 - Håll Mej Hårt/Tåget/För stressigt 7" EP - (AMG) BG Records öR-S23
1980 - Romantiska Pojkar/Det Blåser På Månen 7" - Sound of Scandinavia SOS 10-76
1980 - Trampa På/Varför Gör Ni Så Här 7" - Marilla Ma-s 172
1981 - Romantiska Pojkar LP - Sound of Scandinavia SOS 81

BTW - Nattkräm = Night Cream in English (??)

I did read that the band had another reshuffle in '81 & became Hemliga Armem (Secret Army) but I don't know how true that is..........

Sounds & scans Below

http://www.mediafire.com/?zucoh2coho82n79

En Route - Wasting My Time 12" EP (1980)

A1 - Wasting My Time
A2 - I've Got That Feeling
A3 - I Wanna Talk To You
B1 - Do it The French Way
B2 - It Don't Make You A Woman
B3 - Liar

Here's the second release from this pop/rock band (1977-'80) from the Sevenoaks area. Their 1st being Break Down Your Defences/ Rusty Capri - Barn Records (BARN 006 - 1979)

Ian Sprange (voc piano guitar)
Paul Green (guitar)
Tony Saxton (bass)
Steve Boorer (drums) later in the Drivers
Laurie A'Court (sax)

This was also the 1st release for the Barn offshoot "Six Of The Best Records" (more info here)

Sounds & scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?rwyuu53q6uf7n2g

Famous Names - Modern Mums (1980)

b/w - Blind Date

Great Mod/powerpopper on the B-side & another Police type white reggae track on the A.

The 5 piece came from the Shrewsbury area & were

Jim
Mike
Paul
Ian
Ian

I've no idea who played what or even if this 45 had a p/s (if anyone can help - leave a comment)

The songs were produced by the infamous Tony Wilson at the London, DJM studio in November 1979.

Both sides can be heard on You-tube (with a pic of them)

Modern Mums

Blind Date

Before any one leaves a comment

Sounds & scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?4rsb2alhhgwvq9g

The Escalatorz - Escalatorz 10" EP (1981)

A1 - Depression
A2 - Goin' Bananas
B1 - On The Scene
B2 - Split

Cool New Wave/Garage Rock debut from This West Berlin 4 Peice.
The Band Ran in name from 1981 -91 although the nucleus of the band Daniels had been a duo With Bauer for a few years prior to this.

The 1st line up was
H.P. Daniels (voc guitar)
Mario 'Bibi' Schulz (guitar voc)
Dietrer Bauer (bass voc)
Hans Wallbaum (drums voc)

Due to internal strife & other commitments (Schulz & Wallbaum being in another band at the same time) the above line up pretty much dissolved after this recording.
later members being:
H.P. Daniels (voc, guitar)
Udo Modin?(guitar, voc) Replaced by Andreas Roemer ('82) ex - Odessa RIP
Rene Engelman (bass' voc) ex Naasti replaced by Hans Moser ('89)
Hans Jurgen 'Otto' Schneider (drums, voc) ex - Odessa replaced by Harry Malloy ('84)
Wolfgang Mueller (guitar voc - Making them a 5 piece in '83) ex - Rozz
with the aid of
Thomas Pflanz replaced by Chris Ashburn (sax)
Bruno Zimmer (trumpet)
Skip Reinhardt (trumpet)
Soren Fisher (trombone)
Danny 'Deutschmark' Dzuik (keyboards)

Discography

5 track demo cassette -
Sordid Collection - Smanx (1983)
(studio side) - No panic, You Can Stop Me, Depression
(live side) -White Shirt & Black Tie, So Fragile .

7" Releases
Rough Stuff/Back On my Feet Again - Berlin Rock News 66.11 477-01 [1000 copies] (1982)
So Fragile/No Panic - SmAnx 12345678 (1982)*
Too Bad/Season Ticket - SmAnx 191157 (1982)*
From The Garage Straight To Your Heart/Commuter Love - SmAnx 87654321 (1983)*
Movin On/ Small Talk - smAnx 3802-391 (1984)*
Contaminated Memories/No Crime - SmAnx 25-485 (1985)*
*private press 300 copies each

LP -
Straight To Your Heart - SmAnx Vielklang Efa 04241-08 (1987) (with re-recorded versions of...)
From The Garage Straight To Your Heart/ Rough Stuff/ So Fragile/ White Shirt & Black Tie/ No Panic/ Movin’ On/ I Need You/ Commuter Love/ Small Talk/ Too Bad

Video -
Recorded 20.10.84 Live at the Latin Quarter

BTW...as well as Roemer & Schneider,the band Odesaa also included Helmut Hirt (voc), Bernd Däumichen (guitar sax), Jürgen Dehmel (bass) Jörn-Uwe Fahrenkog-Petersen (keyboards) - They Recorded 1 LP (Odessa [Good Noise - 1980])

Sounds & scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?kwz3obd4hp2b5hz

Tot Taylor And His Orchestra - The Choclolate Song (1981)

b/w - You Little Unidentified Flying Object
(As, Tot Taylor And The Group)

The A-side is typical Tot from this time but I'll direct you to the flip for a cool slice of powerpop.

OK. the thing about Mr Taylor is he's been around the block a few times (always making some wondeful music if sometimes a bit to theatrical for my taste) but my internet searches seem to have come up with some pretty sketchy stuff - so against my better judgement I'm going to try & recify this.
He was born in Cambridgeshire & his first (school) band A Special Moment was signed to Island Records (1975) [one unreleased 45 ‘Let’s Socialize’]. Then we move on to his next band Advertising (1976-'79 more info here). Mid 1979 see's him in "Tot & the Girls From Room 419" (see my earlier posts here & here for info). He's then picked up by GTO records (Tot Taylor And His Orchestra - 4, 45's of which this is the 3rd & an LP which was taken with him when the label drops him).
He then begins his own label (Compact Organization - probably most famous for Mari Wilson {also let go from GTO at the same time & for whom he wrote for under the pseudenym Teddy Johns }) & carries on recording under his own name as well as a stint with The Sound Barrier.
Several film and Theatre assignments followed including ‘Absolute Beginners’ (1986), and the National Theatre production of ‘Picasso’s Women’ (1992, soundtrack released 2001). He also compiled the soundtracks for Mike Leigh’s ‘Career Girls’ (1988), and Mike Newell’s ‘Dance with A Stranger’ (1986), as well as the Italian cult mafia movie ‘Shatterer’ (1986) & Shakespeare's ‘The Tempest’ (1996), & ‘Macbeth’ (1998).
Taylor stopped recording in 2004 to found an art space - Riflemaker - in the West End of London.

Members who have aided Tot (Voc, Keyboards) 1980 -86
Jimi Barber (Guitar, bass)
Johnny Asquith, Guss Goad (bass)
Paul Bultitude (drums)
Carke Mono, Mick Bass (piano)
Rex Dazzle, Edwin Twist, Dave Winthrop, John Wallace (Sax)
Theodore Dreck, Trent L'amour, Chris Smith (trumpet)
Freddie Triangle, Icelyn Terry, Gini Ball, Anne Stevenson, Noel Bradshaw (strings)
Thorpe Cheer (comb)
Sugar Ray (chimes)
Mario Stanza, David Nivea, Talcum O'Neal, Candy Floss (backing chorus)

Discography

TOT TAYLOR AND HIS ORCHESTRA 45's
Offbeat/Hotel Lux/The Man With The Gong - (GTO GT 281) 1980
The Girl with Everything/Main Title From The Paris Man/Love Theme From The Paris Man/Black & white interludes/My Modern Wife - (GTO GT 287) 1981
The Chocolate song/You Little Unidentified Flying Object - (GTO GT292) 1981
I Wanna Play the Drums Tonight/Girls Never Got Me Anywhere/An Appointment With You - (GTO GT301) 1981 Promo Only?

TOT TAYLOR AND HIS ORCHESTRA LP
Playtime (Easy Listeners) 1981, re-released (London Popular Arts) 1988

TOT TAYLOR 45's
Don't Spy On Me/Something For The Home - (Easy Listeners TOT1) 1981
I Wanna Play Drum Tonight/An Appointment With You - (Easy Listeners TOT2) 1982
Poptown/Richard Rodgers - (Easy Listeners TOT3) 1984
Australia/Inside Story - (London Popular Arts TOT4) 1986
Arise Sir Tot/Mr Strings/People Will Talk/The ballard Of Jackie & Ivy - (London Popular Arts TOT5) 1986 (12" only)
It's Good For You/I'll Miss The Lads - (London Popular Arts TOT6) 1987

TOT TAYLOR LP's
The Inside Story - (Easy Listeners) 1984, re-released (London Popular Arts) 1988
Box-Office Poison - (London Popular Arts) 1986
Jumble Soul - (London Popular Arts) 1986
Menswear - (London Popular Arts) 1987
My Blue Period - (London Popular Arts) 1987
Scrapbook - (London Popular Arts) 1988
Encyclopedia Totannica - (Wave) 1990
Treble Tousers - (Sony) 1995
Instumental LP's........
Music For The Left-Handed (with Mick Bass) - (Sony) 1996
Waterland - (Tweed) 1997
PopFolkJazz - (Tweed) 1998
The Early Travellers - (Tweed) 1999 (BBC2 series Early Travellers In North America. The story of the journeys undertaken by British writers to the new world. The series featured candid reactions to America from Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Louis Stevenson and others.)

SOUND BARRIER 45's
Excerpts From the Suburbia Suite Mornington Cresent/Bank Holiday - (Compact Organization ACT 11) 1983
Fasten Your Seatbelts were Off to Suburbia/Car Scribbles- (Compact Organization ACTX 17) 1984 (12" only)

SOUND BARRIER LP
The Suburbia Suite - (Compact Organization PACT10) 1984

If I've missed anything (I'm Sure I Have) - leave a comment & I'll add it!!!!!!!

Sounds & scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?s1gt8tt4fbavaag

Arrogant Adams - You Need Me 12" (1980)

A1 - I'm Good Looking
A2 - I'm Number One
A3 - Good Company
B1 - You Got Me
B2 - Just Talk About Me
B3 - I'm Arrogant

Here's "a bit of fun" for the weekend - I guess this is what happens when a bunch of in demand session players are brought together & told to play some New Wave (with a dash of pub-rock)

The boys behind
Dave Arrogant Adams (voc) were
Chester Kamen (guitar)
Mart Jenner (left handed guitar) RIP
Paul Westwood (bass)
Dave Mattacks (drums)


Unfortunately I couldn't find out the 2 ladies names but here's a photo of them!

This was the 2nd, of I think only 3, 12" releases for Chas Chandler's "Six Of The Best Records"* (a Barn Records offshoot) There was also a RCA promo only 7" released -I'm Good Looking / I'm Number One- to ( I suspect - unsuccessfully) gain radio play.

* the other 2 releases were
Super 45 no.1 - En Route (Wasting My Time/ I Got That Feeling/ Talk To You/ Do It The French Way/ It Don't Make You A Woman/ Lar)
Super 45 no.3 - Slade (Night Starvation/ When I'm Dancin I Ain't Fightin/ I'm A Rocka/ Don't Waste Your Time/ The Wheels Ain't Coming Down/ 9 to 5 (this also had a promo 7" Night Starvation/ When I'm Dancin I Ain't Fightin)

Sounds & scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?kcmmb0ah4k2132s

The Exits - Yodelling EP (1978)

A1 - Apathy
A2 - Glandular Angela
B1 - Going Places
B2 - The Weekend Song
B3 - I Love The Dole

Time For some D.I.Y.

Formed in late 1977 & Split by the end of the school year the Band were all students at the Keele University

Rich Potter (voc guitar)
Gilchrist Reed (bass voc)
Jules "leperd' Smith (drums voc)
David De Mentoid (Violin voc)
Hans Heap (Sax Stylophone voc)

The EP was released on their own Way Out label in a press run of 500 (each individually numbered) & was only available from a few selected outlets - This copy has a Rumbelows, Hounslow stamp on the inner sleeve. Other places were the Beggars Banquet shops (London), Mike Lloyd's Record shop (Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent) or by mail From Way Out Records (Richmond, Surrrey)

Sounds & Scans Below

http://www.mediafire.com/?l3eaizv530luftc

Lip Sevice - Ruby (1980)

b/w - Jimmy Brown

Lip Service began mid 1980 as the working name for 2 friends Gary Holton & Stein Groven (Casino Steel) as they gigged around London.

Ruby (produced by Matt Dangerfield, which had already been issued by Safari Records under Gary's Name earlier in the year) is a great cover of the Mel Tillis country classic.
However the Casino Steel penned B-side is the real winner for me. (for an alternative version go here)

The Pair soon relocated to Stein's homeland Denmark & started a sucessful recording partnership as Gary Holton & Casino Steel even releasing Ruby again.

I've included the other 2 mentioned versions in the download so you can compare & contrast (not that there in any difference except the Holton & Steel version [produced by Bjorn Nessjo] is a little clearer) You can hear a 2010 remix of the song here

Sounds & Scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?x92e9hirf21pntl