Alphabet Beats #145: U is for....The Users

U is for....

When it comes to putting out music it's not the quantity of product that defines how good a group was/is but it's actually the quality that matters a whole lot more!

With that in mind today's Alphabet Beats zooms in on a band that in their short existence only released two singles, both of which in my opinion should be classed as Classic Punk Singles.

The Users were from Cambridge and formed in 1976 sporting a sound clearly influenced by the likes of The Stooges, New York Dolls, The Pistols and The Rolling Stones.

Local Record Shop owner Lee Wood was invited down to see them rehearse and he immediately decided to make a record with them.

By the time their Debut Single was released on Raw Records the band had only actually played two shows.

A-Side: Sick of You.

B-Side: (I'm) in Love With Today.

Released 5th May 1977

Raw Records

2500 copies of the single were originally pressed and numbered and they pretty much sold out on release. A further 2500 were pressed to cope with the demand but were not individually numbered. Sick of You was named at #37 on John Peel's Festive 50 for 1977.

A-Side: Kicks in Style.

B-Side: Dead on Arrival.

Released 1978

Warped Records

In 2008 Detour Records issued a 9 Track Album entitled 'Secondary Modern 1976-1979'

Secondary Modern 1976-1979.

 Tracklist
Unreleased Sessions From May 15th 1979
1. Listen    
2. It's Not True    
3. Now That It's Over    
4. All I Get    
Plus:
5. Message # 1    
6. Kicks In Style    
7. Sick Of You    
8. I'm In Love With Today    
Live, September 1978
9. Bad Decision

In 2011 Rave Up Records of Italy reissued the same album with a different running order, album title and front cover.

A1     Kicks In Style    
A2     Sick Of You    
A3     I'm In Love With Today    
A4     Message #1 (Dead on Arrival)    
B1     Listen    
B2     It's Not True    
B3     Now That It's Over    
B4     All I Get    
B5     Bad Decision 

And in 2013 the same album was released again, this time on MondoTunes, with a different running order to the first two releases.

Kicks in Style Album.

01     Sick Of You      

02   Kicks In Style    
03     Now That It's Over    
04     In Love With Today    
05     It's Not True    
06     Dead on Arrival (Message #1)    
07     All I Get    
08     Listen    
09     Bad Decision

Apparently they also recorded 'Louie Louie' under the name The Bloodclots (not to be confused with the Seattle based Anarcho band of the same name) for a Raw Records Compilation called 'Raw Deal'.