The Indie Years 1981

Britain in the Early Eighties enjoyed or suffered a sound track provided by old punks, new wave, new romantics and New Order.  Whilst many in Britain celebrated the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana this occurred against a backdrop of economic decline, unemployment racial conflict and police brutality which sparked riots in the inner cities with Brixton and Toxteth being the most infamous of a spate of unrest from disaffected youth across the UK.  The simmering resentment boiled over into battles with the police, arson attacks and looting.  This spirit was captured in many of the alternative acts of the time.  Whilst The Clash had a full back catalogue predicting a riot, it was ska revivalists The Specials who took their Ghost Town anthem to the top of the charts.


1) Ghost Town by The Specials

Addressing the themes of urban decay of the inner cities and the impact on the people who reside in the towns that closed down.  Named song of the year in 1981 by NME, Sounds & Melody Maker.  

The Specials original lineup split after this record forming Fun Boy Three and The Special AKA.

2) Rise Above by Black Flag
Henry Rollins joined as lead singer in 1981 and Black Flag recorded their debut album Damaged. Black Flag originally formed in 1976 but had issues with their major record company who didn't like their material and refused to release records.  They set up their own influential hardcore label SST to release their confrontational songs.

3) One In Ten by UB40
This song was the ratio for the unemployment figures in UB40's West Midlands during 1981 and is a statistical reminder of a world that doesn't care.

4) I'm In Love With The Girl On The Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk by The Freshies
In a change of styles here is an enjoyable song from a Manchester punk band formed by Chris Sievey who would later be known by his stage persona Frank Sidebottom.  Apparently they turned down a 14-year old Johnny Marr for an audition because he was too young. 

5) Pretty In Pink by The Psychedelic Furs
One hit wonders who struggled on for over a decade on the strength of these four minutes of pop genius.  This song didn't even make the Top 40 on its original release until it was rerecorded for a movie soundtrack five years later.

6) I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives by Television Personalities
No hit wonders - Television Personalities were unappreciated by the masses but they recorded excellent quirky songs like this ditty about finding the reclusive former Pink Floyd singer. 

7) Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads 
A sermon about drifting through your own life on autopilot and suddenly having a moment of clarity where you wonder WTF happened?

8) Primary by The Cure
Minimalist punk rock played on drums and two bass guitars.  It was the only single released from their gloomy third album Faith.  One critic panned this records as "hollow, shallow, pretentious, meaningless, self-important and bereft of any real heart or soul".  Can't win them all!  

9) Ceremony by New Order
The debut single from New Order who renamed themselves after the death of Ian Curtis the previous year and handed vocals to Bernard Sumner bringing in Gillian Gilbert on keyboards.  Initially they sounded very similar to Joy Division with dark melodies and Ceremony was originally recorded as a Joy Division song.  The band would travel to New York City later in 1981 where they experienced the dance clubs that provide the inspiration for their future direction.  They also had all their musical equipment stolen and they went shopping for synthesizers.
   
10) October by U2
Haunting piano played by The Edge on this title track from U2's second album.

11) Souvenir by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
OMD from Liverpool were already mixing piano with synthesizers so maybe New Order didn't need to cross the Atlantic to find their new direction.  Souvenir maybe a bit soppy but it successfully tugs at the heartstrings.

12) Idiot Strength by The Nightingales
Formed out of the ashes of Birmingham's first punk band The Prefects, this band had the third highest number of recordings for the Peel Sessions.


13) Rapture by Blondie
Blondie popularizes the New York Rap scene in one of the earliest international hits influenced by the underground.  Deborah Harry raps for the second half of this song.  She name drops Fab Five Freddy and Grandmaster Flash but soon runs out of lyrics and rambles on repeating herself and jibbering about the man from mars eating cars.  Rapture has been highly sampled in hip hop tracks ever since. 

14) The Magnificent Seven by The Clash
The Clash had also been influenced by hip hop and they also tried their hand at rapping with greater success in my opinion.  The Magnificent Seven was actually recorded six months earlier than Blondie's Rapture although it had a later release date. 

15) That's Entertainment by The Jam
Back to England and Paul Weller's acoustic song of frustration about city living and is so British it can transport you back with its vivid imagery.  All the way back to a place you'll want to leave!

16) Wunderbar by Tenpole Tudor 
A short lived punk band and another one hit wonder released on Stiff Records

17) Just Can't Get Enough by Depeche Mode
Infectiously catchy and the first sizable hit for Depeche Mode.  Main man Vince Clarke pulled the pin after this success and went on to form Yazoo and later Erasure.

18) One Step Ahead by Split Enz
Neil Finn's composition was a huge international hit which surprised him as he said "it hasn't got a proper chorus".

19) Tainted Love by Soft Cell
Marc Almond and David Ball met at Leeds Polytechnic and formed Soft Cell in 1977 after initial chart failures their record label gave them one last shot.  They recorded a cover originally recorded by Gloria Jones in the 1960's as a Northern Soul anthem.  Gloria was later a member of T.Rex and the girlfriend of Marc Bolan. Tainted Love was a huge international hit for Soft Cell who made a lot of money which went to Gloria as royalties. 

20) Invisible Sun by The Police
Sting's wrote this song about the power that people find to carry on living through war and disasters with Belfast and Lebanon being particular influences.

Further Reading...
The Indie Years 1977
The Indie Years 1978
The Indie Years 1979
The Indie Years 1980
The Indie Years 1982
The Indie Years 1983
The Indie Years 1984
The Indie Years 1985
The Indie Years 1986

The Indie Years 1979

Twenty punk and new wave songs selected songs all culled from the final year of the 1970s.  

The third in the ongoing series of The Indie Years.  Spoiler...1980 is next!

The Indie Years 1979

The Indie Years 1979 Spotify Playlist

1) Boys Don't Cry by The Cure (Fiction) An early single from Robert Smith's gothic pop band. Despite being totally awesome, it wasn't a big hit until it was re-released in 1986 with a new video.  The Cure didn't even include it on their debut album Three Imaginary Boys

2) Are 'Friends' Electric by Tubeway Army (Beggars Banquet)
Gary Numan's new wave outfit with a synthetic anthem.  I once owned this 7-inch which I picked up whilst browsing the second hand racks in a record shop.  I miss that - it's not the same now that almost all of recorded music is available at the end of a search engine.  However, the flip side is I purchased a lot of lame music back then on a hunch without hearing it.  The keyboard riff was later used by the pop group Sugababes on their Freak Like Me single in 2002.



3) Guns of Brixton by The Clash
The Clash were at their creative peak in 79 when they recorded and released the classic London Calling double album.  This reggae rock rebel song dealt with a common theme of fighting The Man.   It references the reggae movie The Harder They Come and poses a recurring question asked by The Clash - Are you going to surrender meekly to unjust authority or go out kicking and screaming, in a hail of bullets and a romanticized blaze of glory?





4) California Uber Alles by Dead Kennedys (Alternative Tentacles)
The West Coast Punk band sing an unflattering tribute about their State Senator Jerry Brown comparing him to Hitler.  They create a terrifying vision of the future which evokes images of a satanic hellhole worse than the alternative 1985 in the Back To The Future movies.  Jerry Brown had political ambitions as a Democratic Party's Presidential candidate but he never had enough support to be the front runner - this song may have hindered his appeal.   Amazingly he is still Californian Senator today having been re-elected in 2011.

5) Sound of the Suburbs by The Members (Virgin)
Back to England for a song about the punk explosion in the suburbs.

6) Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles (Island Records)
Buddy Holly glasses and a synth pop lament on new technology and obsolescence made this a worldwide hit for these one hit wonders.

7) Oliver's Army by Elvis Costello and The Attractions (Radar)
Another anti-war song inspired by The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

8) The Monochrome Set by The Monochrome Set (Rough Trade)
In Britain, there was a band called the B-Sides who morphed into Adam and The Ants.  Not all the B-Side band members wanted to be involved in the Ants and The Monochrome Set was established by the members who were opposed to spending the rest of the decade wearing make-up and dressing as pirates and highwaymen.



9) Gangsters by The Specials (2-Tone)
2-Tone ska revivalists from Coventry who sang about social issues and mashed up mod, punk and ska.  Gangsters was their debut single taken from the debut album The Specials produced by Elvis Costello who was having a busy year.

10) One Way Or Another by Blondie
Debby Harry sings her Stalkers Anthem.

11) Damaged Goods by Gang Of Four (Fast Product)
Political and dance-able post-punk from Leeds.

12) Cities by Talking Heads (Sire)
Where over a relentless beat the lead singer of Talking Heads deliberates on which city he should live in.  He considers both good points and bad points.  Options explored include London, Birmingham and Memphis.  Who doesn't enjoy a list? The song fades out before any conclusion is reached so I'm sure he just stayed in New York.

13) I'm Bored by Iggy Pop 
Where Iggy is bored with it all and sick of all the stiffs.

14) Dead Souls by Joy Division (Factory)
The intense sounds of Joy Division's music stands out above all peers at this point. Their classic debut album Unknown Pleasures was released in '79.  This song would later be covered by Nine Inch Nails in the Nineties for the excellent soundtrack of The Crow.



15) I See Red by Split Enz (Mushroom Records)
New Zealand's greatest band return with this unhinged colour coded rocker. Tim Finn's song of being used and abused by an older woman.

16) The Eton Rifles by The Jam (Polydor)
Paul Weller sings about class warfare recalling a fight between an unemployment march and students of the elite Eton College.

17) Up The Junction by Squeeze (A&M)
A three minute love story - "boy meets girl, domestic bliss, pregnancy, poverty, heavy drinking, girl meets soldier, betrayal, bitterness and regret". Love the rhyming couplets especially the ones that seem strained!

18)  Into The Valley by Skids (Virgin Records)
Stirring Scottish punk rock with dueling guitars and undecipherable lyrics.  Written about a friend who died during a tour of Northern Ireland.

19) Banana Splits (The Tra La La Song) by The Dickies (A&M)
Kids TV themes were fair game for otherwise obscure punk artists who needed a hit.  The same tactics were used in the early 90's by otherwise obscure rave artists.



20) Rebellious Jukebox by The Fall (Step Forward)
Manchester's must cultish band recorded their debut album in a studio in a single day - can you tell?  The band had just recruited their 16 year old roadie (future Radio DJ and co-founder of The Shirehorses) Marc "Lard" Riley on bass guitar.







Further Reading...

The Indie Years 1977
The Indie Years 1978
The Indie Years 1980
The Indie Years 1981
The Indie Years 1982
The Indie Years 1983
The Indie Years 1984
The Indie Years 1985
The Indie Years 1986

The Indie Years 1978

This is the second blog in the series The Indie Years - I am going to create one blog and playlist for each year.  Inspired by the original punk bands there was an explosion of new talent that embraced the D.I.Y. ethos and didn't see lack of musicianship as a reason not to get up and perform.
The term post punk was used as a catch-all phrase as the new bands playing the most interesting music were all heading in different directions and leaving the limited pure punk behind.

The Indie Years 1978

The Indie Years 1978 Spotify Playlist

1) Shot By Both Sides - Magazine
In Manchester, Howard Devito had left the Buzzcocks and formed Magazine in 1977.  This is their classic first single which reached the dizzy heights of #41 in the UK Charts in January 1978. 



2) (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais - The Clash
This song showcases a remarkable progression the The Clash had made since their debut album the previous year.  The lyrics are savage - they were no longer predicting a riot, they were documenting the decline of the country.

3) The Saints Are Coming - Skids
The third single by these Scottish punks was later a world-wide hit when covered by U2 and Green Day.   Southampton FC used to play this before emerging on the pitch at St Mary's Stadium.

4) Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie and the Banshees
Oriental tinged post punk ditty in homage to their favourite Chinese takeaway.



5) Alternative Ulster - Stiff Little Fingers (Rough Trade)
Northern Ireland's best punk band were the Stiff Little Fingers who found shot to fame after John Peel played their debut single Suspect Device on high rotation.  Island Records paid for the recording of their debut album but refused to release it as they didn't think it would sell.  Their manager then walked off with the master recordings and they were mixed and released on Geoff Travis' independent Rough Trade label. Inflamable Material became the first independent album to chart reaching #14 the following year.

6) Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't Have) - Buzzcocks
Pete Shelly took control of Manchester's Buzzcocks and had a big hit pairing the energy of punk rock with the winning pop subject matter of unrequited teenage love.  It is a sub-three minute masterpiece.

7) Another Girl, Another Planet - The Only Ones
In the same vein is this gem from an otherwise forgotten band who released three albums between 78-81.  They gained a cult following so may be worth some investigation but I haven't found the time yet.

8) Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
Another Norther Irish punk band and this song was beloved by Radio 1 Indie champion John Peel.  They had a bit of a rivalry with the Stiff Little Fingers who they accused of exploiting the conflict of Northern Ireland.  In return the Stiff Little Fingers accused The Undertones of ignoring it.


9) Down In The Tube Station At Midnight - The Jam

Paul Weller's social commentary and storytelling was at its peak with mid period The Jam.  This was a single taken from their third album in under two years which shows either the unstoppable work ethos or lack of quality control.  This tells a tale of a young man who gets a late night kicking from some thugs in an underground station.

10) Solitary Confinement - The Members
It's a joy to discover songs as fresh and funny as this four decades later.  A punk rock story of a lad who moves to the big city for the excitement but the dream doesn't live up to expectations.  Includes a spoken verse that would later become the trademark of Jarvis Cocker.

11) Digital - Joy Division (Factory)
Joy Division's first release was on the debut release from Tony Wilson's Factory Records on a double seven inch released in December 78.    

12) Part Time Punks - Television Personalities
One of my favourite songs about indie snobbery - sneering at the trend following rich kids.

13) Okay - The Shoes
This is a long way from punk - A sweet power pop song by a US outfit with a sound that would be adopted by a number of indie bands in the 1980s.


14) Walk On By - The Stranglers
A cover of Dionne Warwick's 1964 R&B pop song.  The Stranglers version has dirtier guitars and the punk vocal delivery.  However The Stranglers were never a real punk band and had been touring the pub circuit for most of the decade.  Doubling the length of the original with packing it with long winded organ solos reveals their true prog rock pretensions.



15) Because Of The Night - Patti Smith Group 
Patti Smith's biggest hit was partially written by Bruce Springsteen whilst he was in a dispute with his record company and unable to record his own material.  Patti Smith finished off the lyrics recorded it as a rock ballad to worldwide approval.

16) Take Me To The River - Talking Heads (Sire)
Another cover - This one was originally by Al Green and the Heads make it their own with this stripped down take.

17) Hanging On The Telephone - Blondie
Blondie's broke into the mainstream with a series of classic singles in 1978-79.  Hanging On The Telephone was written by a LA band called The Nerves and it was this pile-driving cover that helped Blondie crack the UK top ten.

18) Be My Girl, Sally -The Police
An early album track, with another spoken word interlude, telling the tale of Sting's passionate relationship with a blow up doll.  You won't find this on any of the later coffee table compilations!


19) You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory - Johnny Thunders
Ex New York Doll's member Johnny Thunders with backing support from Peter Perrett of The Only Ones.

20) Public Image - Public Image Limited
The Sex Pistols had imploded after their first album.  Sid Vicious had murdered his girlfriend and died of a heroin overdose whilst of bail. Johnny Rotten had reverted to his real name of John Lydon and formed Public Image Limited in 1978.  This was their debut single.

Further Reading...
The Indie Years 1977
The Indie Years 1979
The Indie Years 1980
The Indie Years 1981
The Indie Years 1982
The Indie Years 1983
The Indie Years 1984
The Indie Years 1985
The Indie Years 1986

Punk 76

I was born in the year of Punk so my safety pins were stuck through my nappy rather than my nose.
Punk's origins had begun in New York in the mid Seventies but '76 was the moment it kicked off in the UK and Australia.

The Ramones and Blondie released their debut albums in the States.  The Damned released the first UK punk single on the independent Stiff label and Manchester's Buzzcocks recorded their Spiral Scratch EP although it wasn't released until January '77.
Joe Strummer left his previous pub rock band The 101'ers and went on to form The Clash.
In Australia Radio Birdman and The Saints also released early classic punk singles.

The Sex Pistols made headlines in the UK when they appeared on a UK TV show and swore a lot when encouraged by the presenter.  Shocking behavior 40 years ago but rather cute now.

Sex Pistols Bill Grundy Interview 1st December 1976