It's been a few weeks since I last did a post here so I better rectify that with this one that spotlights (in my mind at least) one of the finest Debut Albums by a band that I have a fond affection for since buying their Debut 7" "Don't Dictate" in 1977.
There are links to the music below just click on the coloured titles.
MOVING TARGETS RE:CALIBRATED - Penetration 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Polestar 1st November 2024 Limited Edition of 250 on Red Vinyl (Now Sold Out) Available on Streaming Services Also
Penetration have a couple of dates left on their UK Tour with Essential Logic (London tonight, 17th November and on the 18th November in Brighton) celebrating 45 years since the release of their magnificent debut album 'Moving Targets'. This new re-recording of the album was actually done back in 2007 during rehearsals for a gig at the 100 Club in London. It's the first time it has been released on Vinyl and is only limited to 250 copies which is a bit of a shame. It has been remixed and remastered for this release.
There was a very limited edition of 100 copies self- released on a CDR in 2008 of this by the band, so I am assuming that it is from this recording that has been remixed and remastered for this new vinyl release .
The Debut Album was released in October 1978 on Virgin Records and there was a limited edition of 15,000 on Glow In the Dark Luminous Vinyl.The album reached #22 on the UK Albums Chart.
The band had beefed up their sound for the album with the addition of the twin guitar attack of Neale Floyd and Fred Purser (he would go on to play with Tygers of Pan Tang).
I've done a lot of posts on Soundtrack4Life over the years spotlighting the Ramones but I was flicking through many of them recently and noticed that most of them have dead links and pictures that are missing and so I thought maybe I should redo some of them and there's no better place to start than the debut album which was released on this day 48 years ago in 1976. There's lots of links to the music so click on them to enjoy.
Ramones - Ramones Sire Produced by Craig Leon Released 23rd April 1976 US Chart #111 🌟🌟🌟🌟
It's been 48 years ago since my ears first heard the sound of the Ramones blaring out of the radio (thanks John Peel) and in that moment the way I listened to music totally changed. The world of music was a bizzare place in the mid seventies. There were Prog bands playing songs that sometimes lasted 20 minutes or more, hard rock bands who seemed divorced from reality, and a pop world that was even more confusing at times. Enter into this mix the self titled debut album of a band from Forest Hills, New York called Ramones. Released on April 23rd 1976, containing 14 songs that clocked in at 29 minutes and 4 seconds! This album was a radical departure from what had been the norm. Even in New York City bands like Television and Talking Heads were quite arty whereas the Ramones were a band that had their sight clearly set on reclaiming true pop music! Though in saying that, the themes of their songs were not exactly "radio friendly" and on release the album was pretty much ignored by American Radio and the record only reached #111 on the Billboard Chart. You wonder if today a number of these songs would not see the light of day due to their subject matter. The album cost $6,400 to record over a period of seven days. There's no guitar solos, no pompus musical arrangements, just plain old rock and roll played at breakneck speed. It was an album that for many changed their whole musical landscape and 48 years on it still sounds incredible. "Hit it Dee Dee...1-2-3-4!"
There was a 40th Anniversary Mono Mix of the album released by Rhino Records in 2016 that came as part of a 3CD, 1 LP Limited Edition of 19,760 set (the LP was the Mono Mix). You can listen to the Mono Mix by clicking here. You can also listen to the complete 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition by Clicking Here. CD1 includes the 2016 Remaster & Mono Mix on CD1. CD2 is a mixture of Single Mixes and Demos. CD3 features two identical sets from The Roxy, CA on 12th August 1976.
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Joey Died 15th April 2001 Dee Dee Died 5th June 2002 Johnny Died 15th September 2004 Tommy Died 11th July 2014
All the original members of the band have passed away but their legacy still lives on through the music of CJ Ramone, Richie Ramone, Marky Ramone and loads of bands scattered across the world.
I first saw The Alarm supporting U2 at The Lyceum Ballroom, London 20th December 1981. U2 were touring on the back of their second album 'October'.
I was totally unaware that The Alarm had released their debut single in September 1981 ("Unsafe Building"/"Up For Murder") and I was even more unaware that they had previously been a Mod band called Seventeen.
I had been standing in the upstairs bar when I heard the sound of Acoustic Guitars and what could only be described as a sort of cry of the heart and a call to arms all at the same time:
"Take this song of freedom
Put it on and arm yourself for the fight
Our hearts must have the courage
To keep on marching on and on"
Then it burst into a song called "For Freedom" and I was hooked. Every song seemed like an anthem waiting to be sung by the masses, except only a few knew who they were that night. It was sort of Punky without being Punk or sort of Folky without being Folk and Rocky without being Rock. In other words, very difficult to describe and maybe that's why I felt drawn toward them because they were like nothing I'd really seen before.
I have to confess that I remember little about the U2 set because I was absolutely blown away by this band who were totally new to my ears. It had been a very rare thing when the support band had stood out at the gigs I had been to up until that moment.
I saw that they were also on the following evening as support but it was way too difficult to get a ticket due to the ever growing popularity of U2.
I would have to wait awhile before I saw them again and by that time they had released another single called "Marching On".
By 1983 they had signed with Miles Copeland's I.R.S. Records and contined to release some cracking singles: "The Stand" (April 1983), "The Alarm EP" (June 1983) and their first Top 30 single "Sixty Eight Guns" (September 1983, reached #17 on the Charts).
A month prior to the release of the debut album came another great single in the form of "Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke?" that peaked at #22. An excellent foretaste of what was to come. "The Deceiver" (May 1984, #51) was the only other single released from the album.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Declaration - The Alarm I.R.S. Records Produced by Alan Shacklock Released 13th February 1984 UK Album Charts #6 US Album Charts #50
*All the links here are from the 2019 Remastered 'Declaration 1984-1985'
The Alarm Mike Peters - vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica Dave Sharp - acoustic and electric guitars, vocals Eddie Macdonald - bass, guitar, vocals Nigel Twist - drums, percussion, vocals
Back in the day you didn't have all the details of a band available at click of a mouse or on a phone, yes kids, the Internet wasn't a thing back then. To access what was going on with a band you could sign up for a newsletter by post or you would read about them in the music press (who were not always favourable towards The Alarm), other than that it was TV performances on Top of The Pops or The Tubeor The Oxford Road Show, where you would catch them or maybe a DJ on the radio took a liking to them and would spin their latest record.
Your streaming service back then was you physically getting up and putting the record onto the turntable and getting up to turn it over to listen to side 2. 😆
I have a number of Favourite Debut Albums that I have bought over the years and 'Declaration' sits sweetly among the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Eddie and the Hot Rods, The Clash, The Specials, Slade, Buddy Holly and The Crickets, Gene Vincent, Ramones, Blondie, Television, The Psychedelic Furs (to name but a few). I think I have bought it on Vinyl, Cassette and CD as copies have been played until they have worn out.
When it comes to playing the album I always think that this one sounds much better when played from start to finish rather than today's habit of cherry picking a song here or there. That's not to say I don't have favourite songs on the album, because I do, "Tell Me" and "Howling Wind" are two of them.
Forty years on from its release I still think it sounds great and as a result of finding The Alarm that night back in 1981 at The Lyceum I have made some true and lasting friendships from many different places. I wouldn't trade that in for the world.
One Step Beyond - Madness Stiff Records Produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley Released 19th October 1979 UK Chart #2
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Specials - Specials 2 Tone Produced by Elvis Costello Released 19th October 1979 UK Chart #4
Two of the bands at the forefront of the 2 ToneSka Revival released their Debut Albums on this day in 1979. Madness of course had moved on from the 2 Tone label to the "Most Flexible Label in the World", Stiff Records and The Special A.K.A. had been dropped in favour of the more simple Specials.
Out of the two I preferred One Step Beyond, mainly because I didn't think that Elvis Costello had properly captured the urgency and frenetic nature of the Specials that they displayed when playing live, whilst with Madness, Langer and Winstanley did manage to capture the energy of the band.
It was One Step Beyond that had the upper hand when it came to the Charts peaking at #2 whilst Specials made it to #4.
Both bands are still out and about playing live (with newer personnel) and I think I read somewhere that the Specials are hoping to record a new album soon. Can't Touch Us Now in 2016 is the latest studio album from Madness (their 11th) and the first not to feature Cathal Symth (Chas Smash) who had left the band to focus on a Solo Career.
Pauline Murray - vocals Fred Purser - lead guitar; keyboards on "Reunion" Neale Floyd - guitar Robert Blamire - bass Gary Smallman - drums, percussion
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It's amazing to think that Moving Targets is 40 Years Old today! It's an album that I have never had to blow the dust off or brush off the cobwebs because it gets played often and even after 40 years I never tire of listening to it.
Penetration were formed in 1976 in County Durham but at first were called The Points and played their debut live show at the Rock Garden in Middlesbourgh in October 1976. Their second live performance saw them supporting The Stranglers at Newcastle City Hall! The change of name came from the Iggy and The Stooges track Penetration that was released in 1973 on the Raw Power album.
The band signed to Virgin Records and in November 1977 released their debut single Don't Dictate which is widely regarded as a Punk Classic. They followed up in March 1978 with the excellent Firing Squad single.
(Firing Squad Picture Sleeve)
Neither single dented the chart and the single released as the forerunner to the debut album, Life's A Gamble, didn't set the chart on fire either!
It's a shame because all three singles were really decent quality tunes and fortunately the debut album would be the one to open the door to some much deserved chart activity.
The first two singles were not included on the album though when reissued on CD both A & B Sides were present.
A John Peel Session was recorded on 5th July 1978 and it included Future Daze, Vision, Stone Heroes and Movement, all of which would appear on the Debut album.
Nine of the eleven tracks were written by members of the band and it ends suprisingly with two cover versions, firstly Nostalgia which had been on the second album Love Bites by Buzzcocks (released only a month before!) and secondly Free Money, written by Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye (and had originally appeared on the Horses album from 1975).
Whilst those cover versions are excellent it's actually the quality of their own writing that really stands out for me. They had grown musically as a band from their debut single to what is offered here on the debut album. A lot of that I think can be put down to the twin guitar attack of Neale Floyd (who had replaced the original guitarist Gary Chaplin, who departed in March 1978) and Fred Purser (who joined in July 1978).
Whilst the studio versions of the songs are just brilliant it was actually the live performances that really captured the sheer force and energy of the songs.
Listening to this once again brings up great memories of shows at The Marquee in Wardour Street and The Lyceum Ballroom down at The Strand in London.
"Sometimes there's a song in my brain And I feel that my heart knows the refrain I guess it's just the music That brings on nostalgia for an age yet to come"
There arelots of linksbelow to more music byDr. Almantadoand music that's associated to this album. Click on them to enjoy the sounds.
The Debut Album from Dr. Alimantado was actually a collection of previous recordings dating back to 1973 with Just The Other Day , Ride On (which was released as a single in 1974 on Ital Records - which was owned and run by Alimantado himself ) and Plead I Cause - which was originally titled Plea I Cause and issued as a B-Side to the 1973 single Jah Have Mercy on Ital. On the CD Reissue Ital Galore dates back to 1972 (the other bonus tracks: I Am The Greatest Says Muhammed Ali was a single with the Soul Syndicate in 1974 on Ital; Johnny Was A Baker was recorded in 1975 at King Tubbys; and Tribute To The Duke was recorded in 1977 but there was a version released under the banner of Dennis Ferron and Doc. Alimantado in 1976 on Ital Sounds.
It was the first album released from UK based Reggae label Greensleeves which had been founded in 1977 by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgewick. They had actually begun as a small record shop in West Ealing in 1975 and like other shops like Small Wonder, Beggars Banquet and Raw would move into the process of releasing records once they had moved to Shepherd's Bush in 1977.
The title track (originally called Best Dress Chicken) had been released on the Sun and Stars label in the UK back in 1975 (and in Jamaica on the Capo label the same year though it had actually been recorded in 1974).
The album employed several major reggae hits as the basis for the tracks, including Horace Andy and John Holt's version of A Quiet Place which was also a recut of The Paragons classic Man Next Door - Got To Get Away was its actual title and was released as a B-Side in 1968 on Duke Records in the UK (on Poison Flour and I Shall Fear No Evil), John Holt's Ali Baba (on I Killed the Barber), and Gregory Isaacs' Thief a Man (on Gimmie Mi Gun which had been released as a single originally in 1975 on Ital Sounds) and My Religion (on Unitone Skank).
Best Dressed Chicken In Town is among my Top Three Favourite Reggae Albums and although there were to be other albums from him this one, more than any of them, stands the test of time.
Another wonderful surprise in 2017 was the annoucement back in April that former frontman of The Only Ones, Peter Perrett, would be releasing his Debut Solo Album in June 2017! Such an annoucement would often be met with a healthy dose of skepticism because one was aware that Perrett had health and addiction issues and he had also spoke in the past that The Only Ones were possibly going to release a new album back in 2007 (that would have been their first one since Baby's Got A Gun in 1980) but after a brief UK Tour (and dates into 2009) the band went on hiatus without releasing anything new at all. But...this was not just some rumour to get us all excited again and lead us to dig out our copies of The Only Ones albums and Singles or The One album Woke Up Sticky from 1996 (I'll have to do a post on that album one day)...it was a reality! The album was made and featured his two sons Jamie and Peter Perrett Jnr and man alive, what an album! Perrett still has that ability to get provide brilliant social commentary (just listen to the title track and his comments regarding Kim Kardashian!). He still sounds as good as he did back at the tail end of the 1970's and into the 1980's with The Only Ones with that almost make no great effort voice. Whilst we never got another album from The Only Ones I am totally delighted that we got How The West Was Won. From start to finish it is just a wonderful listen and I'm hard pressed to say what are my favourites because every track has special moments. Listen and enjoy if you haven't heard it before, and if you have, and loved it when it was released, play it again...very loud so your neighbours can listen also! 😀 Peter Perrett is touring in the USA next year,check out his websitefor dates.
How The West Was Won - Peter Perrett
Domino
Produced By Chris Kimsey (Peter and Jamie Perrett produced the Title Track)
Released June 2017
Watch Videos and Listen To Audio: How The West Was Won
Tracklist
A1 How The West Was Won 4:33 A2 An Epic Story 3:20 A3 Hard To Say No 3:28 A4 Troika 3:44 A5 Living In My Head 6:31
B1 Man Of Extremes 2:42 B2 Sweet Endeavour 3:25 B3 C Voyeurger 5:47 B4 Something In My Brain 4:53 B5 Take Me Home 4:21
BONUS LINKS
The Only Ones - Albums, Live and John Peel Sessions
The Crack - The Ruts Virgin Records Produced by Mick Glossop Released 29th September 1979 UK Chart #16
The Crack Full Album with Bonus Tracks
Side 1
Side 2
Personnel
Ruts Malcolm Owen - vocals Paul Fox - guitar, organ, backing vocals John "Segs" Jennings - bass guitar, piano on "Jah War", backing vocals Dave Ruffy - drums, backing vocals Additional Personnel Richard Mannah - backing vocals on "S.U.S" and "Criminal Mind" Mick Glossop - synthesizer on "It Was Cold" Gary Barnacle - saxophone Luke Tunney - trumpet
1990 Reissue on LP and CD included Bonus Tracks
B6 Give Youth A Chance 3:07 B7 I Ain't Sofisticated 2:16 B8 The Crack 5:49
2016 A Picture Disc Reissue was released
The Tracklisting was the same as the Original 1979 Release.
(I have posted about this album a couple of times in the past few years but as a number of the links on those posts are dead I thought I'd revisit the album and update with some additional artwork etc. - Doug, S4L)
(L to R: Paul Fox (RIP), Segs Jennings, Malcom Owen (RIP), and Dave Ruffy)
I wrote this on a previous post on the album and I still think this way about the album:
"The Ruts debut album The Crack takes me right back to my teenage years in South East London, Forest Hill to be precise (I was 16 years old when it was released). It makes me think about many of the friends who I used to hang about with - the Forest Hill Punks. Some of them I know are still around, and like me have grown up, got married etc. Others I have no idea about, except the ones who are no longer with us.
Listening to the album makes me think not just about good times but bad times as well because there's lots of stuff going on lyrically that made an impact upon our young lives - the attitude of the cops toward us (Sus and Jah War), the violence of the age (Something That I Said), the bleakness (It Was Cold), the addictions (Criminal Mind), the betrayals (Backbiter), and the smell of danger (Out of Order).
It makes me remember hanging around Counterpoint Records in Forest Hill listening to the latest music when some of us should have been at school, or day trips, when we bunked off school, to go up to the Portobello Road and hang around Virgin Records' Offices hoping to scrounge new posters, badges etc of our favourite bands on that label (Skids, Sex Pistols, The Members and The Ruts).
When I hear it now I don't, to quote that great Pete Shelley song, wish "I was sixteen again". Time has moved on but a lot of stuff that happened in those days shaped who I am today and that's fact.
But listening to the album also makes me think of the band who made it. Segs and Ruffy lived in Forest Hill at the time and I reckon that they are still one of the best Rhythm Sections around, only Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare are better! In 2016 they are still playing many of these songs but also writing and performing new ones with Ruts DC. It makes me think of guitarist Paul Fox who was one of the most exceptional around. People always talk about the sounds that a guitarist like The Edge makes when he plays but Foxy was able to make some incredible noise without even a third of the technology that U2 have at their disposal. Sadly Foxy is no longer with us having passed away after a battle with cancer in 2007. Also it makes me think of Malcom, the volatile frontman who tragically died of a heroin overdose in July 1980 aged 26, ten months after the release of this album. It was a life snuffed out far too young! It makes me think about what could have been.
Finally it's an album that makes me remember that life goes on, inspite of all that I went through, what this band went through, there is still a life to be lived.
There's not a poor track on it and from start to finish you enter a world where Punk and Reggae meet on a level playing field and this wonderful sound just blows your mind. You feel the anger, the discrimination, and perfectly understand the violence conveyed because it was exactly what your life was like at the time and was clearly what was going on in society at the time."
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The Crack is still one of my favourite debut albums 38 years on. The combination of Punk and Reggae was something that was not done to jump on any bandwagon and follow the likes of The Clash etc. It was part of the make up of the group and the things that they drew influence from.
My favourite tracks on the album aside from the singles are S.U.S., It Was Cold, Savage Circle and Criminal Mind. Human Punk was a live recording and you can listen to the full show from the Marquee in 1979 on the link below.
The singles that were featured on it were all brilliant (including Jah War! - Charles Shaar Murray writing for the NME had said in a review of it that it was "Possibly the most unimaginatively earnest piece of white reggae ever" - maybe I should ask him if he knew what the song was inspired by and whether he was aware of the links between The Ruts and Misty in Roots down there in Southall and the violence that had been unleashed on them at the hands of the Metropolitan Police's SPG in April 1979! I thought his review was overly harsh). It was great seeing Babylon's Burning reach the Top Ten (peaking at #7) yet disappointing that the other two singles didn't do as well.
The B-Sides of the singles were also pretty tidy. Society (B-Side of Babylon's Burning) is just a totally in your face assualt speaking of how we are being watched and information being gathered on us - this was 1979, just think how it is in 2017!
"Our media controlled by hate You've been programmed, it's far too late The first time that you open your eyes They plug you into all their lies"
- Society
Give Youth a Chance (B-Side of Something That I Said) was originally called Black Man's Pinch (see John Peel Session link below).
I Ain't Sofisticated (B-Side of Jah War) always gives me a chuckle with it's little dig at Education! Though not keen on the use of the C word on it!