The News - 50% Reduction (1980)

 

b/w High Society

Great XTC soundalikes from this Yorkshire (Sheffield?) based 4 peice

Alan Quinn (Voc Bass) RIP
Trevor Midgley (Guitar Voc) later in the Tubeless Hearts        
Roger Harrison (Drums) RIP
Ivor Drawmer (Keys Voc)                

 

Discography
30-05-1979 Peel Session : 50% Reduction / High Society / Advertise / Brain Drain
04-04-1980 7'' : 50% Reduction / High Society - Polydor ‎[POSP 129]
15-08-1980 7''  : Modern Toys / Feed The Meter - Polydor ‎[POSP 152]

The Peel Session Was Recorded 30-05-1979 [Aired 07-06-1979] @ Maida Vale Studio 4 & Produced / Enginneered by John Sparrow & Nick Gomm

Both 45's were produced by Jon Astley            


Pre-News
Alan Quinn was in Global Village with Bill Nelson (Guitar/Voc - Pre-Be Bop De Luxe) & Bryan Holden (Drums)
Trevor Midgley Go Here
Roger Harrison was in Quinceharmon* / New Jersey Turnpike* / The Whales / Tyke
Ivor Drawmer was in Quinceharmon* / New Jersey Turnpike*

*Others in the band were Bob Holt (Voc) Pete Jowle (Guitar) Ross Grant (Bass)

Post-News
Alan Quinn auditioned for Bill Nelson's Red Noise [Rick 'Pinky' Ford got the job] although he did get the Bill Nelson & The Practical Dreamers Job
Trevor Midgley Go Here
Roger Harrison ?
Ivor Drawmer Go Here

Full Discography & More

If you can add anything to this post please leave a comment

Finally thanks go to Mr Obscure who put the Peel session up on his website last month   

Sits Vacant ‎– Alone In The Dark EP (1981)

A1 - Alone In The Dark    
A2 - Nowhere To Run    
B1 - Vacancies        
B2 - It's Too Late 

Nice Post-Punk by this 4 peice from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. 

Mike J McCusker (Voc)       
Andrew K Willison (Guitar)       
Mark P Toole (Bass, Voc)       
Paul Montague (Drums)      

The Band possibly formed late 1978/early '79 with a brief stint In Late '79 Becoming 100 Faces* (Mod Revival Band) before reverting back to Sits. Vacant in 1980 & Recording / Releasing this EP at Linden Sounds studio in Shap in 1981

In 1983 They transformed into Indoor Fireworks then finally The Tier Garden [disbanding 1988] along the way [1985] they helped out Perfect Circle.

Useless Info - The name Sits. Vacant was inspired by the employment pages of the Evening Mail (local Newspaper) at the time.

*More Info & Photos on 100 Faces here

Sounds & Scans

Soho Dynamos - Neon Jungle (1981)

b/w Jungle Rumble

To follow on from the last post here is another London based Nick Cola related 45

This time featuring two ex-Tigers members:

Tony Jacks - Voc, Guitar,

Nick Cola [Coler] - Keyboards.

That's pretty much all the info I have apart from they worked together again as ‘Wise Guise’ for some releases in 1984/85 (where Al Price gets a writing credit again)

Useless info

Nick Coler was a prominent member [2000–2010] of the music production team Xenomania,

Sounds & Scans

Bandzai! - Zig-Zag (1983)

b/w Solid Security (Gun For Hire)

Nice Mod Powerpop with a ska backbeat from this 5 peice London based band - For some reason Zig-Zag Reminds me of Graduate (Elvis plays Ska)

 

I have 4 nanes from the song writing credits

Nick Cola - (Keyboards)

Camaro

Corvette

Al Price - (Songwriter not Musician)

7'' Discography

26-03-1982 - Tokyo Nights / East-West - Stingray Records [STZ-1]

??-01- 1983 - Zig-Zag / Solid Security (Gun For Hire) - Slipped Discs ‎[OOPS 11]

[their 1st 45 is a little to synth-pop for my tastes]

As always if you can add some more info please leave a comment

Sounds & Scans

Those Helicopters - Shark (1980)

b/w - Eskimo

Great DiY tunes from:-

Alan Robinson (Voc)

Andy Wood (Guitar on 1st 45)

Harlan Cockburn (Guitar, Saxophone) ex  "Twenty Five Views Of Worthing"  

Stephen John Maughan (Bass, Voc)

Andrew Barnden (Drums, Voc)

Vincent Whitlock (Keyboards, Voc)

David Ives (additional Guitar occasionally)

Those Helicopters [1978-82] were formed at the Maidstone College Of Art in Kent, where the members were all students [except Cockburn, who was a tutor] in the film, video and sound department.

Discography

11/1979 7" South Coast Towns//World Without Love/Flash Benadette - Bonaparte Records ‎[BONE 4]

05/1980 7" Shark//Eskimo - State Of The Art Records ‎[State 000001]   

06/1981 7" Dr. Janov//Technical Smack - Lavender Sound Studio ‎[Lavender 001]

1980 World Without Love On  VA - "We Do 'Em Our Way"

1981 ? - Singing Brains [Cassette Only LP]

Useless Info 1 - The band name was inspired by the opening Scene of Francis Ford Coppola's Movie "Apocalype Now" [As was this sleeve]

Useless info 2 - Prior to the band's formation Harlan Cockburn had been part of a casual band of staff & students at Maidstone Art College called Vic Damone. [Their rule being that as soon as anyone got halfway good at an instrument, they would to swap for something else.] They would record several times a week, it was these tapes that formed the basis for student David Cunningham’s (The Flying Lizards) ‘Money’ and ‘Summertime Blues’  (Cockburn's home-made guitar can be heard on the intro bars to Money).

Want More ... Go here to hear what Alan Robinson was doing post TH

As the sleeve of their 1st 45 states : Thanks to Marc Arscott [Manager] for the extra info

 

Sounds & Scans

The Shots - A Lethal Dose Of Rock n Roll EP (1983)

 

A1 - Wondering
A2 - Best Of Me
B1 - Not Like Everybody Else
B2 - It's Over

 

70's Powerpop in the 80's from this Townsville based 4 peice. Orginally hailing from Melbourne.

Jeff Salter - Voc, Guitar 
Steve Sampson - Guitar, Voc
Paul Scofield - Bass, Voc, Keys
John Griffin - Drums

Recorded April 1983 : Audio Media Productions Townsville
Pressed : Sundown records

Useless info - Sundown Records was a record label and pressing plant established by Eleanor and John Briskey in 1981. They purchased the press from CM Records in Dubbo, NSW & commenced pressing records in Lawnton, Queensland closing operations in 1993.

Sounds & Scans

Street 66 - Conman (1983)

b/w All The Small Minds

Great Mod/Powerpop from this Welsh (Caerphilly/Cardiff) band led by Alex Silva (Voc, Guitar)

The band appears to have been short-lived & I'll admit I've been having problems working out the line up as there is not much info available & what there is appears to be conflicting.

The band seems to have been a 4-piece  (see photo)
Steve "Vannie" Van Koningsveld - Guitar (Later playing with Bryn Gregory & the Co-Stars)
? - Bass (From Liverpool apparently)
Clive (Worked in Ivor Barnetts Music Shop in Caerphilly) - Drums

Street 66

Alex was also in another Cardiff Mod band "Living School" (who becmae A Sound Reaction [1983-85])
with
Jamie Sinclair-Thomson (Guitar Voc)
Nick Morgan (Bass)
Kris Ayre (Drums)

Useless Info - Alex Silva is better known for being the Guitarist for Papa's New Faith [1987-89] & Even more renouned as a record producer. Famously the Manic Street Preachers 1995 Holy Bible amongst others.

Sleeve Front

The 45 does come with a Pic sleeve but mine is without.

As always anyone that can add/put straight any info please leave a comment

Sounds & Scans

Rave To The Grave - There's Life In The Old Boy Yet! EP (1983)

A1 - Be Mine Tonight
A2 - Even Old Men In Suits Wear Dr. Martens
B1 - Force Twelve To Zero
B2 - Country Boys


Nice Pop Rock/Powerpop EP from these Avon & Somerset Boys. (Think Brinsley Schwarz Crossed with The Raspberies)


Roger Bastable (Voc)
Michael 'Mutter' Slater (Voc,Rhythm Guitar,Keys,Flute & Harmonica) Ex The Anonymous,The Cellar Rats,Stackridge
Mick Howe (Lead Guiar) Ex The Cellar Rats
Martin Cutler (Bass)
Jimmy Foster (Drums)
Peter Chaundy (Saxophone)
Terry Doble (Accordian)

As well as this 45, RTTG had a track (Saturday Night) On The Various Artists LP "Class Of '83"  
& An LP Slease With Ease [Jolly Roger Records ‎– YOHO X2] 1985
[The End,Let Me Fly/Gimme  Some Lovin'/ Got My Mojo Workin'/ Bye Bye Bird/ Some Kind Of Wonderful// All Or Nothing/ One Step At A Time/ Mustang Sally/ I Just Wanna Make Love To You/ I Can't Turn You Loose]

Useless Info 1 - Between leaving Stackridge, working as a petrol pump attendant & forming RTTG Mutter had a short lived solo career. Signed to Elton John’s Rocket label (1976) He had 2 singles released. The first of these (If You Were The Only Girl in The World/Solitude - ROKN 504) was withdrawn & substituted by Dancing On Air/Solitude - ROKN 510.

Useless Info 2 - Roger Bastable's Rave To The Grave can still be seen playing around The Zomerset area

Sounds & Scans

Dafne And The Tenderspots - Disco Hell (1979)

b/w I'm A Natural

Short lived band (1978-79) that released an Interesting New Wave 7" [Scheduled release Date 18th May] treading the line of "Disco Satire"

Dafne Nancholas (Voc)  
Graham Smith (Guitar)
Jo Burt (Bass) Ex-The Dragons
Nick Monnas (Drums)
Alan Wilder AKA Alan Normal (Keys) Ex-The Dragons

Jo Burt was Replaced by Steve Hughes (Bass) Ex-Burlesque


Useless Info 1 - The “No Soul, No Rhythm” monolougue Was by Graham Smith

German Release

Dutch Release

Useless Info 2 - No Picture Sleeve was issued for the UK release (Although it was released on Blue Wax as well as the usual Black). Look to The German Or Dutch releases for a PS.

Useless Info 3 - After Dafne And The Tenderspots Alan Wilder went onto Real To Real and The Hitmen (Both bands are worth checking out) Oh, and Depeche Mode who became fairly popular.

 Sounds & Scans

David Singleton - If You Can Sing In Tune (1981)

b/w - Lazy Bugger

Nice DIY Tunes all Played/Sung by Mr Singleton (I'll admit I only picked this up as It's Produced By Andy Arthurs)

However a small internet search later and:

Singleton has co-produced and/or engineered almost every Robert Fripp release (including King Crimson albums, EPs and archive releases) since 1992, and has also worked on releases by Bill Nelson, Bill Bruford, Europa String Choir and many others. Singleton is the co-owner/director (with Fripp) of the Discipline Global Mobile record label, half of the Ton Prob production team (again with Fripp) and the developer of the BootlegTV live concert streaming setup.

This 45 was recorded and released whilst he was still an undergraduate reading philosophy at St Johns College, Cambridge

Singleton currently releases his own material under the alias of The Vicar – a multimedia project persona that has produced a story blog and videoblogs, printed fiction, graphic novels, and song albums


Sounds & Scans