Vain Aims - You (1980)

b/w - Count

2 Great post-punk tracks from this Welsh (Cardiff) based band

Members were

Caroline R Persen
Chris Eccles
Richard Smith
Mark Kiff

If you like bands like The Chefs, Mo-dettes & Dolly Mixture then you'll want to give this a listen!

The only other info I can give is

1. The 45 was self produced on their own We Practice In A Garage Records

2. Brother Paul Persen gets a writing credit along with Chris Eccles on You

3. A Smith (sibling?) also gets a credit along with Richard Smith on Count

Sounds & Scans

Hounds - Under My Thumb (1979)

b/w - The Moth And The Fire

Nice Stones cover from this Chicago Bar band (think a poor man's J.Geils band & you wont be far off)

As you can see from the scan this is the UK demo release of the US band (stating it was released a week ahead of schedule on 22-02-1980)

Both tracks were lifted from their 2nd LP "Puttin' On The Dog" 

The band on this 45 were

John Hunter (Voc, Keys) 
Donald Griffin (Guitar) ex Tyrone Davis band
Glen Richard Rupp (Guitar) ex Paul Bogush Band
Joe Cuttone (Bass) ex Paul Bogush Band
Michael Jay Neff RIP (Drums) ex Beowulf, Off Broadway

If you want a decent Bio of the band here's their Myspace (here you can find many of their line-ups/incarnations from 1975)

Releases
LP's
The Hounds - Unleashed  - Columbia Records (1978)
Putting On The Dog - Columbia Records (1979)
45's
Do wah Diddy Diddy on the Various Artist Now Wave Sampler - Columbia (1979)
Under My Thumb/The Moth and The Fire (1979)

Sounds & Scans

Apostrophe - I'm The Happy One (1978)

b/w - Three Arms To Hold You

Nice Beatle-esque sounds on the debut 45 from this Barkingside band (1976-79)

Graham Dye (voc, guitar har)
Steven Dye (voc, bass, keys)
Terry Warner (guitar) who had replaced David Fundell
Simon Tomkins (drums) who had replaced Steven Bloom

Even though this & their 2nd/final 45 (Sad & Blue / I'm A Clown) were only released in Germany they were actually with the UK based Solid Gold agency team, who also managed The Pleasers 
After a few more line-up changes, Warner & Tomkins giving way to Simon King (Keys) & Sean Heaphy (drums) the band re-emerged as Scarlet Party & had a minor chart hit with 101 Dam-Nations

Tomkins went onto play with Air-Race

If you want to see the Dye brothers "doing what they do best" you should keep an eye out for their Beatles Tribute band "Music and Words By Lennon and McCartney"

Sounds & Scans

Paul Shuttleworth & The Latest Craze - Here She Comes Again (1979)

b/w - Just Another Weekend

When the Kursaal Flyers disbanded in late 1977 (their Farewell gig was on November 6th) vocalist Paul Shuttleworth decided to fly solo, recording 3 45's for Epic (The A side's all being cover versions & the B's self penned)

Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl/Take Away Love (28/04/1978)  Mink De Ville cover
It Hurts To Be In Love/Clown To The World (16/03/1979) Gene Pitney Cover
Here She Comes Again/Just Another Weekend (05/10/1979) Starjets Cover 

The Latest Craze (AKA Black Gold) were

Wendy Roberts (voc) Mike Oldfield Band
Barry Martin (Guitar) Ex Kursaal Flyers now in the Hamsters  
Dave Bronze (Bass) His Session Work is astronomical
Phil Aldridge (Drums) now in the Illegal Eagles
Pete Jacobsen (Keyboard) RIP

Later Paul (amongst other things) recorded with the Reformed Kursaal Flyers & The Ugly Things

There is a CD (Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl) available with these 3 45's & other unreleased tracks available

Sounds & Scans

Sham Rock - First Take EP (1982)

A1 - I'll Love You Forever
A2 - Walking Through The City
B1 - Attack From Outer Space
B2 - Out Of Place

Samantha Pitt (Voc)
Adam Pitt (Voc Guitar Synth)
Sally Pitt (Guitar Voc)
Phil (Mac) McLoughlin (Bass Voc)
Neil Stewart (Drums) replacing Howard Cook
Susan Pitt (Backing Voc / Harmonies)

Nice New wave / Post-Punk / Rock sounds on this 45 from the Pitt Family & co utilising the local Airship recording studios
(Airship was based in Bognor Regis with Littlehampton & Angmering being just up the road)

Sam, Sally, Adam & Phil later played in different incarnations of Littlehampton band Voodoo if you go here you'll also see other bands that Adam has played in.

Sounds & Scans

The Kustom - Let The Girl Dance (1981)

b/w - Arrested

Let The Girl Dance is a likable (if not a little twee) stab at Jazz/swing but it's Arrested that you should "lend an ear to" (Powerpop/pop rock which will also appeal to the Mod Revival fans as it incorporates a few horns as well)

I'm pretty sure the band were London based, with the songs being penned by members R Helman & K Yallop

They had a big hitter behind them as the executive producer was Douglas Kean  which is why (I'm guessing here) it was released twice (the Silhouette pressing in Jan '82 & then on the Red Bus (RBUS71) imprint in July '82 - Let The Girl Dance also made it on to a Red Bus compilation LP [Hearts & Stars])

As always if anyone can add to the (scarce) info please leasve a comment

Sounds & Scans

Shakedown - F.B.I. (1978)

b/w - Wish You Could See Me Now

2 pop/rock tunes from this short lived Lewes band* (although they have reformed with 2 original members)

The band started life as Oakenlode & then morphed into Shakedown

Graham Frost -(Voc, Bass)
Jez Bird - (Guitar, Voc) R.I.P.
Doug Sanders - (Lead Guitar, Voc)
Nick Patching - (Guitar)
Mike Whippy - (Drums)


I'm posting this as I quite like the B-side although the keyboards ruin it slightly for me. Another reason to listen to this is that 2 of the members jumped ship & became half of the Mod Revival band The Lambrettas.


* I say from the band but the tunes appear to have been written by non-members
FBI - Nossel
Wish You Could See Me Now - Lacey



Sounds & Scans

Gangster - Go (1979)

b/w - Gangster

I've just noticed that GFT has posted the 1st 45 by this Dutch (Amsterdam) band & is after a copy (hope an mp3 will surfice for a while!)

Cool glam/New wave sounds with more than a hint of Jonathan Richman's "Roadrunner" [or is that just my ears?]

The songs were penned by Jerry Putter (Voc) & Jhon Weeder.(typo on the label?)
I guess this is the same Jerry Putter who was earlier in The cool glam/powerpop band Melody (to my eyes it looks like the same band*) & later in Blackout

*so again as a guess I would say the Bass Guitarist could have been Ed Evers (ex- Rain)


whatever!!  (as always if anyone can put me straight with some facts - leave a comment)

Sounds & scans

Ryder-Desmond - Visions (1981)

b/w - Nobody's Gonna Get My Girl

Great New Wave/Powerpop from the pens of Kris Ryder (see my earlier post for more information on him) & Andy Desmond AKA Miten

To my ears Visions is a bit of a slow starter which gains momentum and becomes a fairly decent pop song (albeit with handclaps). 

It's actually  Nobody's Gonna Get My Girl that deserves a place on one of the many Powerpearls / Shake Some Action type compilations.

If you want to know what Miten is doing Now pop over to his web site

Sounds & Scans

Time off

As Mediafire has finally frozen/suspended my account (It had been on the cards for a while hence why I'd moved to Divshare) I'm going to have some time off. I'll probably be back in the Autumn.