The Lurkers - Shadow

The Lurkers were one of my favorite bands, and "Shadow" was one my favorite singles.

Many people will recognise the simple riff at the beginning.

The Lurkers and their fans known as the Lurker Liggers came from around Kingston, Putney and Fulham.

We used to hang around Howard Walls (Lead singer) house in Walton-on-Thames playing records (never the Lurkers). It was Howard who introduced me to Johnny Thunders and George Thorogood, not really punk but excellent music, I recommend you try them.

I can remember Howard saying that the only time people printed their lyrics was if they were good, which is strange now as the lyrics to "Shadow" and the b-side "Love Story" are on the back cover (high resolution scan included in the download) and reading them now, I wonder what he thinks of them.

None the less Shadow is one of the great Punk classics.

Band: The Lurkers
Year: 1977
Label: beggars Banquet
Tracks:
1. Shadow
2. Love Story


So ripped from glorious scratched vinyl

The Lurkers have two albums I would recommend you buy:

Fulham Fallout

God's Lonely Men

and one singles album:

Beggars Banquet Singles Collection

Streets - Select highlights From Independant British Labels

Only one posting today, but it is a 17 track 'LP' (it takes a long time to rip and scan in LP's - I think I will mainly stick to singles). This is touted as the first ever 'Punk Compilation' album. Although it was released on the 'Beggars Banquet' label, it is a compilation from other labels as well. The excellent cover artwork is from 'Savage Pencil' aka 'Edwin Pouncey' aka 'Lead singer for the Art Attacks'.

There are some real 'gems' on this album. I will pick out a few and then you can sample the others yourself. I have already posted 'The Art Attacks' first single and I mentioned that they contributed one song to this album, so here it is the excellent 'Arabs In 'Arrads'. The 'Members' also feature for their first time on this blog, not one of their best, but it's still very good, I will post a couple of their classics very soon. A brilliant 'Lurkers' song, 'Be My Prisoner' from their debut album Fulham Fallout', classic punk that will have you jumping around.
'Arthur Comics' aka 'Giovanni Dadamo' aka 'lead singer of the Sniveling Shits' plays 'isgodaman' again not one of their best but interesting, the excellent 'Pork Dukes' and their classic 'Bend and Flush' (I haven't posted any of theirs as yet because of their explicit covers - still not sure how to handle stuff like that). Punk poet 'John Cooper Clarke' also features with the brilliant 'Innocents'. On top of these more well know artists there are some further classics, from less known bands such as 'The Dogs, The Reaction, The Exile and Jerkin, but as usual I will leave it to you to choose.

Leave a comment and tell me what you think of some of these tracks.
There are three tracks on this album that I have already posted a singles, and I have left them on here for completeness.

Some etching trivia on this one. On the a-side we have "More College Girls Please" a reference to track 8 from 'Crane'.

Bands: Various
Label: Beggars Banquet
Year: 1977
Tracks:

Side A
01. Trash - The Doll
02. Fear On The Streets - The Members
03. Be My Prisoner - The Lurkers
04. isgoadaman - Arthur Comics?
05. Arabs In 'Arrads - Art Attacks
06. 19 - The Dogs
07. Talk Talk Talk Talk - The Reaction
08 College Girls' - Cane

Side B
09 - Cranked Up Really High - Slaughter and the Dogs
10. Ain't Been To No Music School - The Nosebleeds
11. Lookalikes - The Drones
12. Hungry - The Zeros
13. Bend and Flush - The Pork Dukes
14. Disastermovie - The Exile
15. Jerkin - Drive
16. Innocents - John Cooper Clarke
17. No More Rock n'Roll - Tractor

Ripped from glorious scratched vinyl:

The Lurkers - Freak Show

The second 'Lurkers' single and the second 'Beggar Banquets' release (BEG2). Another classic from the Lurkers, both sides are brilliant but for me 'Freak Show' is the best. Both of these were not on the original release of Fulham Fallout, but they can both be found on the CD release (see below). It's the first time I noticed that this may not have been the original plan, as the b-side 'Mass Media Believer' has "Not available On The Total War Album", so I guess 'Freak Show' would have been, and I never heard of their first album being called 'Total War' even though there is an excellent track of the same name.

One other point to note, another excellent cover from 'Savage Pencil (Lead singer of Art Attacks - did cover for Beggars Banquet 'Street's compilation'.

Theres a nice etching on the a-side 'Lurk On'

As any of you around in the late 70's would remember, badges were also a big part of the punk dress code, whilst looking for more records in the loft, I found my old badge collection and have scanned in 'The Lurkers' badges. Some of these are still really cool, and would go down well today. What do you think? The Bollurks one is my favourite.











Band: The Lurkers
Label: Beggars Banquet
Year: 1977
Tracks:
1. Freak Show
2. Mass Media Believer

Ripped from glorious scratched vinyl:


If you like this then go and buy their excellent debut album, you will not be disappointed, I promise:

Fulham Fallout

or if you just want all the singles, then get this one:

Beggars Banquet Singles Collection

The Lurkers - Ain't Got A Clue 7"

The Lurkers third and most successful single reaching number #45 in the UK charts. The first 15,000 also included the excellent Fulham Flirty Free, a gold flexi disc with the Lurkers playing around and finally singing along "We are the Chaos Brothers".

Unless you bought the reissue of their debut album 'Fulham Fallout' or much later on 'The Lurkers Beggars Banquet Single Collection' you won't have the 'Fulham Flirty Free' or the excellent b-side Ooh! Ooh! I Love You.

The Lurkers being one of my favourite bands especially as they were local and we knew them, over the years I kept a fair amount of Lurkers promotion material, fanzines and music paper clippings including the Lurkers hankie, I don't remember seeing many of these, anyone else got one?

Band: The Lurkers
Label: Beggars Banquet
Year: 1978
Tracks:
1. Ain't Got A Clue
2. Ooh! Ooh! I Love You
3. Fulham Flirty Free

Ripped from glorious (very) scratched vinyl and flexi discs























If you like this then you will love this (but surely you already have it):

Fulham Fallout
and all of their excellent singles in perfect condition can be bought here:

Beggars Banquet Singles Collection