Civilians - Made For Television

1- MADE FOR TELEVISION
(M. French / P. Simon / T. Herion / M. Scholfield)
2- I SEE MY FRIENDS
(M. French / P. Simon / T. Herion / M. Scholfield)
11/79- Arista Rec. ARIST-318 co.sl. - 7”
***1/2

This very rare single was recorded in late
summer 1979 and appeared in November on
the Arista label: without any promotion, it
sank miserably. On the strength of the two
songs, however, the 7” is recommended to
Powerpop collectors: MADE FOR TELEVISION
and I SEE MY FRIENDS are catchy
tunes, crisply produced by Andy Arthurs and
solidly performed by a four-piece London
band consisting of Trevor Herion (v), Michael
French (b), Mark Scholfield (gtr) and Paul
Simon (d, ex-Ian North’s Radio/Neo/Radio
Stars). After a second unsuccessful single (IN
AMERICA b/w IN SEARCH OF PLEASURE),
issued by Secret Records in September 1980,
The Civilians broke up: Herion and Simon
soon resurfaced in Fallout Club (with
Matthew Seligman and Thomas Dolby);
Simon later worked with Cowboys
International, Girls At Our Best and Glen
Matlock, while Herion embarked on a lowkey
solo career. French and Scholfield formed
Academy One, who released their only single,
FOREVER AND EVER b/w HEAVEN, on the
Armageddon label in 1981, and included a
live version of HEAVEN on the WNW6-
MOONLIGHT RADIO compilation.

Voice Of The Puppets - I Don't Want To Know

1- I DON’T WANT TO KNOW (S. Millar / R. McDonald)
2- YOU’RE ALL I WANTED (AND A CAR) (S. Millar / C. Welton)
06/80- Private Press. (Impulse Rec.)
IS/VP/1044 postersleeve - 7”
Note: sleeve notes state that both tracks were
recorded in 1979.
***1/2

Hailing from Newcastle, Voice Of The Puppets
– Russell McDonald (b), Steve 'Stesh' Millar
(gtr/v), Chris Welton (k) and 'Stapps' (d) –
began playing together in 1978 and one year
later recorded these two tracks at Impulse
Sound Studios, Wallsend. A self-produced and
self-financed single surfaced in mid-1980, by
which time Voice Of The Puppets were
reduced to a trio following Chris Welton’s departure.
The 250 copies pressed were all housed
in a nice poster-sleeve featuring a cartoon
history of the band drawn by Chris
Welton. The two songs have their roots firmly
in 1977 melodic Punk and are worth a spin
with their infectious mix of Buzzcockian guitars
and TVPs-like vocals. The combo had
already split by 1981 with all members quitting
music altogether. Steve Millar would sadly
commit suicide in 2002.

The Deaf Aids - Do It Again

DO IT AGAIN EP
1- DO IT AGAIN (T. Gamwells) //
2- PEEP SHOW (T. Gamwells)
3- AREN’T PEOPLE STRANGE (T. Gamwells)
10/79- Regional Rec. REG-1 no ps - 7”
Note: double A-sided 7”.
***1/2

A Sheffield-based band formed in September
1978 as Charles Hawtrey & The Deaf Aids. Early
in 1979 the group – Terry 'Mallender' Gamwells
(aka Terry Gamble, v, ex-Third Reich and 2.3,
see listing), Mark Hornby (gtr, ex-Amoebas,
who replaced the original guitarist John
O’Rourke), Craig Waite (b) and Graham
Hoggard (d, later replaced by Wayne Cleeland)
[sax player Willis was dropped after a few weeks]
– reduced the name to Deaf Aids and gained a
certain local following which increased thanks
to a national tour with The Jags. An EP, co-produced
by their promoter/ financier Mike
Charlesworth, was issued in October 1979 in a
pressing limited to 250 copies (the tracks were
originally recorded as a demo and only released
on vinyl as an afterthought). The 7’’, one of the
rarest singles of the era, includes three
Gamwells-penned songs of a certain quality,
with a particular mention to DO IT AGAIN, a
strong Powerpopper which could have been an
indie hit with appropriate promotion. In mid-
1980 Gamwells, Hoggard and newcomer John
O’Rourke (who had been reinstated in the lineup
replacing Mark Hornby) were arrested after
smashing up the stage with microphone stands
during a Sheffield gig. A second single, HEROES
b/w BORED CHRISTINE, emerged on the
Conspiracy imprint in November 1980 in both
7’’ and 12’’ formats (the latter including two
bonus tracks: BRISTOL STOMP and THE
DOG); two exclusive live versions of HEROES
and BRISTOL STOMP appeared in 1981 on the
WART'N'ALL compilation. In 1982 Deaf Aids
metamorphosed into Bambi-Kino (named after
a Hamburg cinema where The Beatles slept)
who one year later became Urban Pears.

Baj - Little Mother

1- LITTLE MOTHER (S. Hawthorn)
2- HOT COFFEE (S. Hawthorn)
07/79- Response Rec. SR-525 no ps - 7”
**

Issued on Response Records, a subsidiary of
Pye, in mid-’79, the lone vinyl venture by Baj
qualifies for inclusion as its two self-produced
songs, both penned by Steve Hawthorn, are
decent rock offerings which could attract the
interest of NWOBHM buffs.

Steve note: here's an example of one we've since
learned all about and which'll be properly represented
in the THIRD printing (whenever that might be)...

Eddie And The Hot Rods - pub rock death

LIVE AT THE MARQUEE EP
1- 96 TEARS (R. Martinez)
2- GET OUT OF DENVER (B. Seger) //
3- GLORIA (V. Morrison)
4- SATISFACTION (M. Jagger / K. Richards)
08/76- Island Rec. IEP-2 ps - 7”
Note: D.J. demo/promo copies exist and include a
longer edit of the GLORIA/SATISFACTION side (D.J.
copies clock in at 6’50” whereas stock copies are
5’25”; on D.J. copies GET OUT OF DENVER is introduced
by Masters shouting “Are You Ready To Rock?”, edited
from the stock copies; a few (mispressed) stock copies
feature the labels of the promo. Rare jukebox copies
have different Cat.No. WIP-6333 and include just
two tracks: 96 TEARS and GET OUT OF DENVER.
*1/2 (stock copies) ** (D.J. copies with longer
flip) *** (2-track jukebox copies)

1976 buried Progressive Rock dinosaurs and
marked the return of raw, basic and live Rock
and Roll in the British Charts. During the summer
Eddie and The Hot Rods played at the first
Mont De Marsan Punk Rock Festival, near
Bordeaux, France, and on July 30 they released
this EP, recorded live at London’s Marquee Club
and featuring four adrenalin-filled cover versions
of Van Morrison’s GLORIA, ? & The
Mysterians’ 96 TEARS, the classic Stones hit
SATISFACTION and a Bob Seger composition
entitled GET OUT OF DENVER. Island’s
reintroduction of the ’60s EP format was an
instant hit, and for the first time Eddie and The
Hot Rods entered the British charts for five
weeks, peaking at no. 43. Dr. Feelgood’s live
album STUPIDITY emerged in August and
projected Wilko Johnson’s band and their energetic
mixture of Ršn’R and R&B to the top of the
UK chart: Pub Rock was at its zenith while at the
same time London’s 100 Club Punk Rock
Festival was officially baptising the New Wave of
Rock'n'Roll and its undisputed leaders, The Sex
Pistols. In France two of the songs of the LIVE
AT THE MARQUEE EP – 96 TEARS and GET
OUT OF DENVER – were chosen for a 7”
which was housed in a unique band-photo
picture sleeve. The four-track EP was also
pressed in Australia and New Zealand: these
editions come in company sleeves. An
American 7” (which also comes in a company
sleeve), couples GET OUT OF DENVER, lifted
from the LIVE AT THE MARQUEE EP, and
TEENAGE DEPRESSION, the title-track of
Eddie and The Hot Rods’ forthcoming long-player:
promo copies only include mono and
stereo versions of GET OUT OF DENVER. At
the end of 1976, NME journalists voted the LIVE
AT THE MARQUEE EP second best Single of
the Year.

Steve note: this is surely the actual moment when
pub rock officially died.

Big A - Caribbean Air Control

1- CARIBBEAN AIR CONTROL
(S. Everitt / T. Horn / C. Trevor)
2- JUKE JOINT BOP (S. Everitt / C. Trevor)
06/78- Sonet Rec. SON-2150 ps - 7”
Note: T. Horn and C. Trevor are one and the same person.
***

Together with co-conspirator Alex Everitt (the
'S. Everitt' credited as songwriter), the man
behind Big A was Trevor Horn, formerly Tina
Charles’ bass player and future leader of worldwide
stars The Buggles of VIDEO KILLED
THE RADIO STAR fame (see listing). Big A was
a studio project whose debut single surfaced on
Sonet Records on June 2, 1978. The A-side is a
rather dull Disco/Pop effort, but the flip is a
much better rock number with New Wave-ish
overtones. Horn produced and co-composed
both sides, using his real name or under the
pseudonym C. Trevor (on CARIBBEAN AIR
CONTROL he is credited twice: probably for
lyrics and music). The single sold poorly and is
now quite hard to locate especially in its picture
sleeve. The platter secured licences in Germany
(housed in a unique cover) and in Australia (in
a company sleeve). A few months later, Horn
would re-record and release both tracks with his
next project, Chromium (see listing).

Free Sample - Hello My Friend

1- HELLO MY FRIEND (S. Davis)
2- SOMETHING IN HER EYES (T. Whitney)
05/79- The Oblivion Label S/79/CUS-339 no ps - 7”
**1/2

Pressed in an edition of a couple of hundred
copies through the SRT plant in May 1979, this
obscure self-produced and self-financed 7’’ is
the one and only vinyl output by a
Bedfordshire-based group formed in 1977 as
Black Dog. The combo later played as No Name
Band, Sky and The Gary Martin Band, before
calling themselves Free Sample from February
1979. Recorded by a line-up comprising Steve
Davis (gtr), Trevor Whitney (gtr/k), Steve
Simonis (d), Steve Good (b/harp) and Dennis
Dracup (k), this 7” includes two songs loosely
reminiscent of The Hollies circa-1967 and of
early Nirvana (the ’60s variety). The A-side
HELLO MY FRIEND is more instantly appealing,
but the Psychedelic-tinged pop of the
SOMETHING IN HER EYES is also quite pleasant.
The only problem comes from the release
date: over a decade too late! In mid-’79 The
band, with Neil Peterson (k/gtr/fl) replacing
Dracup from mid-’79, were active until early
1980, when Whitney, Good and Peterson
teamed up in Gentlemen In Overalls.