Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 149 - The Professionals

I Didn't See It Coming - The Professionals

Virgin

Produced by Nigel Gray

Released November 1981

With the demise of the Sex Pistols the question was what will they do next was on the horizon. Rotten reverted to Lydon and formed Public Image Ltd, Sid Vicious went off the rails and got arrested for the murder of his girlfriend and died from an overdose before the case came to trial, Cook & Jones flirted briefly with the possibility of a combination of Sham 69 and the Pistols but that came to naught except for a few recordings (Check on You Tube for more). A few recordings for what became The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle Soundtrack offered some light on what the future might offer (Lonely Boy and Silly Thing especially).

Andy Allan played bass on Silly Thing and Lonely Boy and after Cook & Jones parted ways with McLaren they teamed up and became The Professionals. Just Another Dream was released as a single in July 1980 and 1-2-3 in October also was issued as a single. An album was recorded and due for release but legal issues relating to Andy Allan (he had no contract with Virgin Records meant that the album was shelved as Allan sued claiming he had not been credited or even paid by the label. Kick Down The Doors had been relased on the Cash Cows Compilation but was withrdrawn during the legal process.

With Allan's departure Paul Myers (formerly of Subway Sect) came in on bass and Ray McVeigh came in as 2nd guitarist. Some of the previous material on the album was re-recorded so that Allan had no claim to future royalties.

In May 1981 the brilliant Join The Professionals single was released (infact it was 35 years ago yesterday). Little Boys In Blue came out as a freebie split single from Sounds music paper and then in October The Magnificent (backed with a re-recorded version of Just Another Dream) was issued as a single and finally in November the album appeared.

A UK and US tour was set up to promote the album but whilst in the States the band had a car accident that saw Cook, McVeigh and Myers injured and that cut short the promotion. The band split in 1982 mainly due to drug issues with Jones and Myers.

Cook & Jones did have some of their music feature in a movie in 1982, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (with Ray Winstone). Join the Professionals was one of four songs featured in the Soundtrack. Paul Simonon of The Clash does bass duties for The Looters in the film.

The Professionals were out and about doing some live dates in the UK in 2015 and 2016 but without Steve Jones. Tom Spencer was on vocal duties and guitar.

Last year a boxset was also released called The Complete Professionals that's worth getting hold of as it has BBC Sessions, both albums, Sham Pistols songs and The Looters as well.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!