Clash, Buzzcocks,Siouxsie, Eater & 999 Debut
Punk 76-77 was very much a live experience, mainly because all the bands we liked hadn’t released any albums so the only place to hear them was at a small club or possibly on the John Peel Show. Many an evening at 10pm I would be sitting beside my Sony Radio-Cassette player waiting for the great man to tell us…”on tonight’s show we have a session from the exceptionally talented Climax Blues Band”….urh….then on 12th October 1976 I was elated as he announced The Vibrators would be that evening’s artists…..waiting to press play and the red record button I managed to get 4 of the 5 tracks taped. As we moved into 77 singles were coming at us fast and furious so I would build up my C90 PUNK cassette recording with a first play of The Clash/Pistols/Subway Sect/Eater etc singles as they came out their first national airing on the Peel Show.
Having just released my debut single with my new band Eddie Roxy & The Adjacent Kings , (34) Let's Go (Official Video) - YouTube , it drove me back to those days and the first singles from my favourite bands, I remember the anticipation and excitement of what they would release, would the Banshees release Metal or Make Up to Break Up as their first single? So here are my thoughts on debut offerings from 5 of my favourite artists of the time :
The Clash : White Riot / 1977 wow what a great offering, this raw sound perfectly captures the energy of the live shows. White Riot not only lyrically captures the frustration of youth in those times the rhythm punches through the soft rock that was dominating the charts. 1977 was testament to the Clash giving us value for money by putting a great song on the B Side, it was always one of my favourite Clash songs with the classic punk “no Elvis, Beatles or The Rolling Stones”.
Eater : Outside View classic street punk, there is a naivety in the production and the jangly guitar sound actually sounds more 79 than 77. That said it is 2 minutes of excellence which should have been the platform to take on the world…Andy Blade’s voice cuts you like a rusty knife and that’s a bass line to die for. Eater where always one of my favourite bands so when I saw they were playing a club near my school I blagged my way onto the bill with my school punk band, went down a storm and got offered a record contract by Dave Goodman (but that’s another story).
Adam & The Antz : Young Parisians By the time this was released The Antz were a must see band on the scene, very popular with their dark and arty stage show to an audience that worshiped the Cult of Adam. However this single was a real disappointment, a cartoonish Parisian pastiche…..perhaps this was life reflecting art, didn’t Elizabeth the First glance the future in the film JUBILLEE that Adam had just stared in. Like McCartney, Adam is capable of producing both a Zerox/Paperback Writer or Prince Charming/Yellow Submarine. Luckily the DIRK WEARS WHITE SOX album was not too far away
999 : I’m Alive this band played every small venue in London 77-78 about four times, well it seemed like that. They were a PUNK BAND with short sharp songs that were catchier than covid. If you were jumping up and down at The Nashville covered in sweat…I was the bloke pogoing next to you. Their debut has the feel of the live shows, good song but not as strong as Emergency or Nasty Nasty…..but actually it’s a good idea not to kick off with your best song. Always expected these guys to go further….Separates is a fantastic LP which should have made them a massive hit in the USA appealing to that quirky Television/Devo/REM audience….still a great band to see live and their recent album BISH BASH BOSH is well worth a Spotify
Buzzcocks : Spiral Scratch OK I know this was an EP not a single. I got mine from Flyover Records on Hammersmith roundabout, I had heard it on Peel the evening before and had to have my own copy. Coming out in January 77 these 4 tracks were on my record player every day for a month. Breakdown, Times Up, Boredom, Friends of Mine…….the only offering of Howard Devoto’s time in the band, a version I always regretted not seeing live. I loved the edgy production, the drive of the songs, playing this I knew this was the first step on a road to greatness…what I didn’t know was that it would be for two bands as Pete Shelley went on to write some of the greatest POP-PUNK, whilst Howard gave us New Wave classic albums. I did manage to see the Buzzcocks at The Roundhouse and Magazine at Brunel University soon after and have shared a stage with Buzzcocks a few times over the years.