The Soundtrack4Life Concert Series: Girlschool

Dedicated to

Mick Thompson

Happy Birthday Fella!

A double dose of Girlschool today as part of The Soundtrack4Life Concert Series and a bit of a continuation with the Girls With Guitars theme begun yesterday.

Live From London

Camden Palace 1984

Setlist

1.C'Mon Let's Go
2.Nowhere To Run
3.You Got Me
4.Play Dirty
5.Love Is A Lie
6.Hit And Run
7.Out To Get You
8.Rock Me Shock Me
9.Running For Cover
10.Can't You See
11.Running Wild
12.I Like It Like That
13.Ready To Rock
14.Emergency 999

Live at Wacken

Germany 

5th August 2016

Setlist

Demolition

C'mon Let's Go

The Hunter

Hit and Run

I Spy

Come the Revolution

Take It Like a Band

Future Flash

Kick It Down

Watch Your Step

Race With The Devil

Emergency

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 246 - Girlschool

I was wanting to carry on a little  with the theme I kind of started yesterday with the Girls With Guitars posts and that got me thinking about a number of bands and one in particular jumped out at me and as I've not really posted a lot before regarding them I thought I'd rectify that with this one.

Girlschool are a British heavy metal band originating out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene in 1978 and frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead. They are the longest running all-female rock band, still active after more than 38 years. 

Formed from a school band called Painted Lady, Girlschool enjoyed strong media exposure and commercial success in the UK in the early 1980s with three albums of 'punk-tinged metal' and a few singles, but rapidly lost their momentum in the following years.

In the 1990s and 2000s, they concentrated their efforts on live shows and tours, reducing considerably the production of studio albums. They  released their 13th Studio album Gulity As Sin a year ago. (You can listen to the Title Track Here and also Take It Like A Band - Here)

During their long career, Girlschool travelled all over the world, playing in many rock and metal festivals and co-headlining with or supporting some of the most important hard rock and heavy metal bands. They maintain a worldwide cult following and are considered an inspiration for many succeeding female rock musicians.

Hit and Run Revisited - Girlschool

Wacken Records / UDR

Produced by Tim Hamill and Girlschool

Released September 2011

Hit and Run Revisited was the 12th Studio album from Girlschool and was a complete re-recording of their second and most commercially successful album from 1981, Hit and Run. It was made to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the original release and included two bonus  cuts - a Re-Recorded version of Demolition that was the title track to their Debut Album and also another version of Hit and Run featuring German Metal vocalist Doro Pesch who had been the lead vocalist for Warlock. You can listen to the original album below.

Girlschool are still on the go today featuring three of the original band: Kim McAuliffe - Rhythm Guitar, Lead and Backing Vocals; Enid Williams - Bass, Lead and Backing Vocals; and Denise Dufort - Drums and Backing Vocals.

Jackie Chambers - Lead Guitar, has been with the band since 1999/2000 but has been connected to various members of Girlschool since the early 1990s.

Kelly Johnson who was a founding member of the band and had performed two tours of duty (1978-1984 and 1993-1999) passed away on the 15th July 2000 at the age of 49 after a six year battle against Spinal Cancer. She remained with the band and toured incessantly until 1999, when she was diagnosed with cancer. After she left the band Johnson remained associated with Girlschool, playing the occasional gig and instructing her substitute Jackie Chambers.

Hit and Run - The Original

1981 was a good year for Girlschool despite still being treated by large numbers of the press as somewhat of a novelty factor for being an All-Female Rock Band. In February they had released alongside Motörhead the brilliant St. Valentines Day Massacre EP under the banner HeadGirl which reached the dizzy heights of #5 on the UK Singles Chart. Then in April, prior to the release of the second album, they appeared on Top of the Pops performing Hit and Run which peaked just outside of the Top 30 (#32). They also got some TV attention from ITV's Rockstage when they were filmed along with Motörhead at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham was broadcast (the show had actually been filmed in August 1980). I could only find Furniture Fire/Race With The Devil and Demolition/Emergency on You Tube (I'm not totally sure if there is any other footage or whether this was the only part of their set that was broadcast).

The success of the Hit and Run album led to more opportuites for the band to play at Festivals and also play guest slots alongside Rush and Black Sabbath. Their Hit and Run Tour ended with a Headline performance on the opening Friday of the 21st Reading Rock Festival (Gillan headlined Saturday and The Kinks on the Sunday).

The band were sounding so good and had come along way since the first time that I saw them in 1978 at the Harlsden Roxy supporting Sham 69!

 Hit and Run - Girlschool

Bronze 

Produced by Vic Maile

Released April 1981

UK Chart #5

We'll let Lemmy have the last word as to whether Girlschool were good or not: In an inteview for Crypt Magazine David Necro said "With women rockers, you've always championed them. Like Girlschool, L7, Joan Jett...". Lemmy's response was so typical Lemmy:

"They go through a lot of shit, just 'cause they're chicks. It ain't right. Girlschool, when they started out, guys would say about Kelly Johnson (original lead guitarist) "she's really good for a girl." I'd say, "she's better than you mother******!" Because she was a great guitar player."

 

You don't want to argue with Lemmy now, do you?

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

The Rebel Kind - Girls With Guitars 3 - Various Artists (2014)

The third and final one (for the moment, let's hope there is more to come!) in the Girls With Guitar Series from Ace Records is The Rebel Kind - Girls With Guitars 3.

You can get more information about the album and how to get it FROM HERE. 

One of things that strikes me when listening to this series of albums is that there were some pretty talented ladies out there who packed a whole lot of sassiness but for various reasons they rarely seem to have been given the credit they actually deserve.

I can remember reading Joan Jett one time talking about how bad The Runaways were treated when they first started making waves and how no one took them seriously because they were Girls! In the male domintated world of Rock and Roll it always seems that we are taken by surprise when a group of ladies come together, have talent and make amazing music! But it shouldn't amaze us at all.

All-Girl groups were not just a thing of the 1960's. Some of the very first All-Girl bands go right back to the 1920s and 1930s with All-Girl Jazz Bands: The Blue Belles, The Parisian Redheads (later The Bricktops), Lil-Hardin's All-Girl Band, The Ingenues, The Harlem Playgirls, Phil Spitalny's Musical Sweethearts and Helen Lewis and Her All-Girl Jazz Syncopators were popular.

Into the 1960s there were many more than the ones that have been spotlighted in this series.

I think the series highlighted that there were some great bands paving the way for the likes of The Runaways, The Go-Go's, The Bangles, The Bodysnatchers, The The Belle Stars, The Like, The Slits, Dolly Mixture, The Innocents, The Raincoats, Mo-dettes, Girlschool, The Donnas, L7, Rude Girl, Babes In Toyland, The Be Good Tanyas, Dixie Chicks, Girl in a Coma, Halo Friendlies, Indigo Girls, Kleenex, Shonen Knife, Sleater-Kinney, The Spazzys, We've Got A Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It, and Maid of Ace to name but a few!

The Rebel Kind - Girls With Guitars 3 - Various Artists

Ace Records

Released March 2014

Tracklist

1 Colette & The Bandits - A Ladies' Man
2 Goldie and the Gingerbreads - Please, Please
3 The Girls - Chico's Girl
4 The Bootles - I'll Let You Hold My Hand
5 Jean and the Statesides - Putty in Your Hands
6 The Debutantes - A New Love Today
7 The Beas - International Girl
8 Dana Gillespie - You Just Gotta Know My Mind
9 Mousie & The Traps - How About You
10 The Debutantes - Love Is Strange
11 Lydia Marcelle - The Girl He Needs
12 Brenda Lee - What'd I Say
13 The Honeybeats - Dicci come fini
14 Gail Harris & The Fabulous Wailers - I Idolize You
15 The Chymes - He's Not There Anymore
16 Goldie and the Gingerbreads - Can't You Hear My Heartbeat
17 Jackie DeShannon - Dream Boy
18 The Chicks - The Rebel Kind
19 The Del Monas - Peter Gunn Locomotion
20 Pinky Chicks - Soba ni ite
21 The Debutantes - Strong Foundation
22 Ace of Cups - Stones
23 The Honeybeats - Fa come vuoi
24 The Chantals - Peruvian Wedding Song

Destroy That Boy! More Girls With Guitars - Various Artists (2009)

The second release from Ace Records spotlighting Girls With Guitars was Destroy That Boy! More Girls With Guitars.

From Ace Records' Website Description:
“Destroy That Boy!”, the sequel to 2004’s “Girls With Guitars”, delves into the world of garage femmes and all-girl bands in a quest to prove that females of the species do indeed rock, roll and even snarl. In the post-Beatles beat boom, many an impressionable lass was inspired to take guitar in hand and toe the line with their male counterparts, with at least 160 touring female bands in the USA alone. A select few hit the recording studio to leave their aural mark on the decade, from which Ace has melded the cream of crop with some solo sisters to create another healthy 24-track dose of girl garage goodness.

For more information and how you can get the album GO HERE.

I do love this one, Raylene & The Blue Angels doing Shakin' All Over is magnificent and probably one of the first times I had ever heard it sung by a female. Add to that She Trinity doing He Fought The Law, again probably the first time I had ever heard it performed with a female voice. There's some British interest on the album as well as two amazing tunes from Swedish Starlet Ann-Margret who was more famous in film and on TV than as a singer, though she had actually released a fair few singles and albums in her time! 

Destroy That Boy! More Girls With Guitars - Various Artists

Ace Records

Released March 2009

Tracklist
1. I'm Gonna Destroy That Boy-THE WHAT FOUR
2. You Don't Love Me-THE STARLETS
3. Shakin' All Over-RAYLENE & THE BLUE ANGELS
4. He Fought The Law-SHE TRINITY
5. No-TONI MCCANN
6. He's Something Else-THE LIVERBIRDS
7. Hear You Talking-BEVERLEY JONES WITH THE PRESTONS
8. Shake A Tail Feather-THE DEBUTANTES
9. The Beatles Are In Town-THE FONDETTES
10. Don't You Think It's Fine-PROJECT X
11. It's A Nice World To Visit (But Not To Live In)-ANN-MARGRET
12. Hold On-SHARON TANDY
13. You Just Gotta Know My Mind-KAREN VERROS
14. You Turned My Head Around-ANN-MARGRET
15. I've Been Workin' On You-THE FEMININE COMPLEX
16. Here I Am In Love Again-THE GIRLS
17. Tell Me-THE TERMITES
18. Talking About You-THE LIVERBIRDS
19. Baby, I Dig Love-THE WHAT FOUR
20. (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone-THE PIVOTS
21. He s About A Mover-THE LIVERBIRDS
22. That's My Guy-CHERYLL & PAM
23. Fraternity, USA-THE LADY BUGS
24. Climb That Tree-SHE TRINITY

Girls With Guitars - Various Artists (2004)

I'm going to be posting a few of these spoltlighting some great sets that Ace Records have released down through the years spotlighting the Ladies, or better still, the Girls With Guitars.

Hard to believe that this one is twelve years old but there you go, time moves quickly!

I seem to recall that prior to getting a copy of the album that I had actually not heard of any of these Girl Bands at all! I think it just shows you that there is a goldmine of quality music out there that has been longing for an ear to listen to it.

Ace Records had infact released the first Girls With Guitars album way back in 1989 on Vinyl with just 12 Tracks so these CD releases are absolutely brilliant uncovering many more great songs that have gone unheard for many years.

So this was the first set to be released on CD back in 2004 and it contains 24 songs.

For more information on the album and where to get hold of a copy GO HERE!

 

Girls With Guitars - Various Artists

Ace Records

Released April 2004

Tracklist

1. MY BABY - The Girls
2. I'D RATHER FIGHT THAN SWITCH - The Tomboys
3. GET AWAY FROM ME - The Angels
4. BOY, WHAT'LL YOU DO THEN - Denise & Company
5. CHOO CHOO FIE FI FUM - Goldie & the Gingerbreads
6. ONLY SEVENTEEN - The Beattle-ettes
7. DO THE DOG - Sugar & The Spices
8. I GOT A GUY - Kathy Lynn & the Playboys
9. DOUBLE SHOT (OF MY BABY'S LOVE) - The Goodees
10. I COULD WRITE A BOOK ABOUT MY BABY - The Pandoras
11. THEY ARE THE LONELY - Pat Powdrill & the Powerdrills
12. HEART - The 2 Of Clubs
13. HELP ME BOY - The Daughters Of Eve
14. SKINNY VINNIE - Goldie & the Gingerbreads
15. HULLY GULLY GUITAR - The Percells
16. ROCK CITY - Kathy Lynn & the Playboys
17. STICKS AND STONES - Lonnie Mack & the Charmaines
18. TAKE MY HAND - Goldie & the Gingerbreads
19. BOYS CAN BE MEAN - Sugar & The Spices
20. GUITARS, GUITARS, GUITARS - Al Casey with The K-C-Ettes
21. V.I.P. - Goldie & the Gingerbreads
22. COME ON ALONG - The Hairem
23. MY LOVE - The Girls
24. OUTTA REACH - She