The Kraze - Boys With Toys (1981)

b/w - We All Wear Black

2nd (& final) 45 for these London SE8 boys & it's sporting a cool Mod/New Wave sound. Personally I prefer "We All Wear Black" with it's swirling keys & chant-a-long chorus.

If you're wondering what their 1st 45 was, it was a re-recorded version of this

Say Hello to My Girl / Friday Night - Double D Records 
(D Dee 6 - Oct1980) - Alledgedly this was blacklisted by the BBC for having ambiguous lyrics [Decide for yourselves as I've included it in the download]

Mike Gorman - Bass

Steve Little - Rhythm Guitar

Lee Dallon - Keys

 Alan Hourihane - Lead Guitar

Tony Toole - Voc

Steve Dolman - Drums

Sounds & Scans 

The Conspirators - When You Walk In The Room (1980)

b/w - Cross My Heart

Another cover & again it's great 60's styled mod pop more in the style of The Searchers than it's writer Jackie Deshannon
 

Mid 60's Line-up

The-Conspirators were formed as a 5 piece in 1963 by Kevin Dulson and Joe Eardley in Stoke on Trent. Although by the time this 45 was released they had slimmed down to a trio.& have stayed that way (although around 1986 they were a duo)

Kevin Dulson RIP (Voc Guitar)

1980 Line-up

Glyn Davies (Bass Voc)   
Dave Hughes (Drums Voc)

An LP was later released in 1981 on the same label (ZER-19028) "Caught In The Act: Live At The Hempstalls"

You can also find 2 Compilations of Stoke Bands (again available on Teford based Zero Records) with tracks by The Conspirators.

Potteries Pop - Just One Look & Here I Go Again (1979/80)
Made In Stoke - Hippy Hippy Shake (1981?)

(These tracks are also all available on their 2004 CD "The Conspirators")

Dave Glyn & Kevin 1982

Sounds & Scans

The Absolute Beginners - Dream In A Haze (1984)

b/w - Southern Beat

Two sides of decent Mod Pop from these 4 Dartford area (Sutton-at-hone / Hawley) teenagers.

Sean Ludlow (Rhythm Guitar)
David Bryan (Bass Guitar)
Mark Philpott (Drums)
Gary Pullinger (Keyboards)

[Southern Beat would have been a better choice for the lead song to these ears]


Sounds & Scans

Gloo's Cap - Gloo's Lullaby (1977)

b/w
B1 - Like Gloo
B2 - Meanwhile Back In Reality

I've had this for a while & knew nothing about it [Not even the release date] Fortunately a few days ago I was flicking through an old N.M.E. & came across an interveiw (Included in the download)

So here are some Folky Punk tunes for your listening pleasure. (Think the missing link between Woody Guthrie & Billy Bragg)

The tunes are penned & played by J. J. Quinn who was an Alias for London based but Durham bred Jimmy Red. 

According to the interview (& the label) Jimmy recorded these tunes in various Basements & had 10,000 privately pressed up (hard to believe he could afford to have that many from busking around town)

Sounds & Scans

Four-May-Shun - Looking For A Girl Like You (1983)

b/w - Mystery Man

Nice 60's flavoured modpop from these 4 Essex (Tillingham) brothers

Julian May (Voc on Looking For A Girl Like You, Lead Guitar)
Peter May (Rhythm Guitar, Voc)
David May (Voc on Mystery Man, Bass)
Michael May (Drums, Voc)

The A side has a Manfred Mann sound but lend an ear to Mystery Man. To theese ears I'm pretty sure this is what The Troggs would have sounded like if Wreckless Eric had taken over vocal duties.

Although the band had been together since the 70's already having a couple of LP's under their belt
Just Four-May-Shun - Broadway MJPD268 (1980)

1977 Line-Up

Four-May-Shun Plus - Broadway (1982)
(Both having been recorded at Spectrum Sound Studios, Westcliff-on-Sea with Studio Engineer Warwick Kemp)
It wasn't until 1983 that this, their 1st 45 was released. Both tracks being penned by Julian and David May & recorded at Diploma Studios, Bicknacre with Studio Engineer/Owner Jim Woodford.

Four-May-Shun are now known as The Mays, The current line up being three of the brothers Julian, Michael and David with recently recruited brother-in-law, Steve Houghton on rhythm guitar (go here to see them), they continue to gig and are currently writing an album to celebrate 40 years as a band!

    7" Discography As Four-May-Shun (All on Broadway Recs)
Looking For A Girl Like You/Mystery Man (May 001 1983) 
I'm Not Alone/I Wanna Be A Musician (May 002 1984)
There’s Something About You That I Like/Autumn Leaves (May 003 1984)
Come Back Soon/I Don’t Know Why (May 004 1984)
Dancing On The Floor Tonight/The Gateway (May 005 1985)

The next 2 45's have A-sides credited to Julian May but the B's are Four-May-Shun (Taken from the 1985 Cassette The Gigs) 
Boogiein’ By The Sea/Night Life Disco (J001 1986) 
I Think That It’s Nice/Then You’re Gonna Make It (J002 1986)

2012 Line-Up

Thanks To Julian May for the info (If you fancy their 45's go here) - All the 1984 recordings are well worth a listen
Coincidentallly Julian's 3rd 45 I'll Never Find Another You/Don't Go Away (J003 1987) features Wendy Roberts as backing vocalist who has had an outing on this blog before


Sounds & Scans

Kaleidoscope - Let Me Love You (1980)

b/w - What's On T.V.

Something slightly different for you from this London based label.

The A side is bubblegum / pop that will appeal to the powerpop fans out there (well I like it anyway!) wheras the flip is a fun / lightweight New Wave track.

The nucleus of the band were singer/songwriter's Charles McMiram (owner of the label) and Richard Mathews; who as a duo had already recorded 2 earlier 45's

Penny Black/Sooner Or Later - Miramar MIR 1 1978 as Charles McMiram & Richard Mathews

The Dictator/Snoggin At The Roxy - MIR 69 1979 (reissued Laser LAS-10 1979) as Your Hero

Charles McMiram

Richard Mathews

Coincidentally the Miramar pressing of The Dictator (credited to Your Hero) has Snoggin At The Roxy credited to Kaleidoscope, whilst Let Me Love You & What's On TV are both "Featuring" Your Hero - (was it simply different psuedonyms or were they joined by different session musicians?)

Sounds & Scans 

The System - 60 Watt Pearl (1981)

UK / Dutch Sleeve

b/w Fergie

Cool New Wave / (Power) Pop from 3 Ex Steve Gibbons Band members (1975 - 1980)

Dave Carroll (Guitar, Keys, Voc)
Bob Wilson (Bass, Keys, Voc)
Robert Lamb (Drums, Voc)

60 Watt Pearl had a July release in the UK & was also released in Holland (MCA Records) & France (Romantic Records*)  & was later on their 1983 (French Only) LP Logic (Romantic Records)

French Sleeve

The flip was onlly available on the 45 possibly because it's not that great (to these ears anyway)

*Romantic Records seems to have been a subsidary of MCA with Bob Lamb taking the Production chair on more than one occasion

Sounds & Scans

Grace Poole - Innocent (1980)

b/w
B1 - Lost For Words
B2 - Me With My Hands In The Air

Here's another Great 45 from The Doncaster based "Future Earth Records"

The band were from South Yorkshire (Possibly, Sheffield but I'm not sure). From the Info I've manged to find the 2 song writers/band members were  Karen Finney (voc) & Charles Finney (Bass) who along with J. Marsden were in an earlier band Mother Nature's Children whose 7" release was due to winning thier (1977) heat of the then game/talent show New Faces some time later (possibly as Sheffield Poly)  the band changed their name/members/musical style to the Grace Poole Five & then to the shorter Grace Poole.

1980 Gig Flyer For The Limit

Again this, their sole 45 release could have been due to them winning their heat of the Sheffield Star / Radio Hallam "Battle of the Bands" - It looks like this band had some luck but never the breaks!!

As this is again a bit light on info here's The Future Earth Records Discography until the end of 1983 (there is an extended one in the Download & as always if anyone can fill in the missing 3 I'd be etternally grateful)

FER 001    Helsinki 5 Below - Jennifer Darling / Women In Love (Sept 1979)
FER 002    Deemus Mint -     Beam Me Up / Love Don't Come Easy (1980)
FER 003    Various Artists - Logical Steps (1980) LP
FER 004    Richard & the Taxmen - Now We're Through / Honey Please Don't Go (June 1980)
FER 005    BTP Folders - Radio / All Of A Sudden (June 1980)
FER 006    Limelight - Metal Man / Hold Me, Touch Me (June 1980)
FER 007    Back Seat Romeos - Zero Ambition / In the Night (Oct 1980)
FER 008    Limelight - Limelight (1980) LP
FER 009    Grace Pool - Innocent//Lost For Words / Me With My Hands In The Air (Oct 1980)
FER 010    Limelight - Ashes to Ashes / Knife in Your Back (Oct 1982)
FER 011    Factory - You Are the Music / The History of the Turkey (March 1983)
FER 012    The Jeff Carline Group - Americana (1982 - Portugal only) LP
FER 013    Pat & Roger Johns - Country Friends Vol 3 (May 1983) LP
FER 014    Chinawite - Blood on the Streets / Ready to Testify (April 1983)
FER 015    The Gatekrashers - Too Short For A Quiff (June 1983) LP
FER 016    The Nerve - I'll Give You Up / Lifting Me Higher (July 1983)
FER 017    Lion John Pickles - What's The Matter With The World / what A beautiful Dream (Oct 1983)

Sounds & Scans

Tedium

OK - Now my Divshare account has been Deactivated. The only word I can think of is "Boring"

The Kut - Can't Sleep At Night (1980)

b/w - Faithful

2 New Wave tracks from this Scottish (Inverness) Band that are very much in The Police style. Faithful being the better track to my ears.

Unfortunatly I don't know much about the band, the Drummer was Kevin Mcloughlin & another member was Donnie 'Kenya' Fraser (unless he was their manager)

The band aparently began life as The Kick before changing their name to Kut (I guess because there was already at least 2 bands of that name around at the time) Again I can't be sure if they managed a full UK tour but they did venture South to play London's The Marquee Club.

The 45 was recorded at the (24 track)  Highland Recording Studios in Gollanfield, Inverness & produced/mixed by the band with help from David Balfe

Sounds & Scans