40 Years of Punk & New Wave: The Sounds of 1977 #2 Playlist

The Sounds of 1977 #2 Playlist features another fine mix of twenty Punk and New Wave songs that were released at various points in 1977. A great mix that includes tracks released on some of the newer labels that were created during the Punk era like Raw Records from Cambridge, Deptford Fun City, Illegal Records, Rough Trade and Stiff Records. There's also a number on the more established labels like CBS, Decca, United Artists, Elektra, Island, Polydor and Harvest.


I pretty much bought all of these when they came out apart from the Métal Urbain single, which I found much later after hearing their third single Hysterie Connective in 1979 and The Flys EP as I got the EMI release in 1978 of Love and a Molotov Cocktail.

On The Playlist

Chinese Rocks - The Heartbreakers (Debut Single on Track Records)

Screwed Up - Menace (Debut Single on Illegal Records)

No Faith - Suburban Studs (B-Side of Debut Single Questions on Pogo Records, when reissued after removing the Sax parts No Faith was the A-Side)

Sick of You - The Users (Debut and first Single released on Raw Records)

Soda Pressing - The Boys (B-Side of Debut Single I Don't Care on NEMS)
 

Mannequin - Wire (Debut Single on Harvest)

How Much Longer - Alternative TV (Debut Single on Deptford Fun City Records)

Panik - Métal Urbain (1st single from French Punk band released on Cobra Records)

Love and a Molotov Cocktail - The Flys (from their Debut Bunch of Five EP released on Zama Records. It was also released on a three-track Single on EMI in early 1978)

Read About Seymour - Swell Maps (Debut Single on Rather Records)

Nasty Nasty - 999 (2nd Single by the band and their first for United Artists)

I.R.T. - Snatch (Debut Single on Bomp Records. When released in the UK on Lightning Records the B-Side, Stanley, was promoted to A-Side)

I See No Evil - Television (from the Debut Album Marquee Moon on Elektra)

Something Better Change - The Stranglers (Third Single on United Artists released July 1977)

We Love You - Cock Sparrer (2nd Single on Decca Records. It's a cover of a Rolling Stones song from 1967. Released in October 1977 on 7" and 12")

You're Cold - The Jolt (Debut Single from the Scottish trio on Polydor Records) 

Just Another Teenage Anthem - New Hearts (Debut Single on CBS for the band who would go on to become Secret Affair)

Police Car - Larry Wallis (Debut Solo Single on Stiff Records for former Pink Fairies and Motörhead member, backed by two members of Eddie And The Hot Rods - bassist Paul Gray, and drummer Steve Nicol)

Ignore Them (Always Crashing In The Same Bar) - Eddie and The Hot Rods (B-Side of  I Might Be Lying on Island Records)


Teenage Treats - The Wasps (Debut Single on 4 Play Records)

45RPM: #125 Absolute Reality - The Alarm

Record One

A Absolute Reality*    
B Blaze Of Glory**

Record Two    
A Room At The Top***    
AA Reason 36***

I.R.S. Records

Produced by Alan Shacklock*, Mick Glossop**, Nigel Luby and The Suicide Squad***

Released February 1985

UK Chart #35 

Record One

A-Side

Absolute Reality

(MacDonald/Peters)

B-Side

Blaze of Glory

(MacDonald/Peters)

Record Two

A-Side

Room At The Top

(MacDonald/Peters)

AA-Side

Reason 36

(Sharp)

Also Released as a 12"

A-Side: Absolute Reality

B-Side: Blaze of Glory (Extended Version)

Also as a 12" Maxi Single

A1 Absolute Reality    
A2 Reason 36    
B1 Blaze Of Glory (Extended Version)    
B2 Room At The Top

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Click on The Links in The Lyrics

For A

Pictorial Guide To

Absolute Reality
(MacDonald and Peters)

You may be rich, you may be poor
You may have nothing in this world at all
You may be black, you maybe white
You may be a prisioner in your own times
You may be lost, you may be found
You may have been beaten up and knocked to the ground
You may have belief, suffer from deceit
Or you just might be blind

You may affect the truth, you may be seen as false
You may be a king or a vagabond
You may be up, you may be down
You may sit in judgement with the rest of the clowns
You may have love, you may have hate
You may be the President Of The United States

 But even you, you can’t sit and hide
While the world’s resources die

This is ABSOLUTE REALITY
We are all the cause, the solution to

You may be in control, You may be controlled
You may stay down ’til you do as you’re told
You may work hard, you may never work at all
You may be accused but you don’t know what for
You may be innocent or partly to blame
You may just be afraid in this power mad age
But there’s one thing we all must find
Some peace in our time

This is ABSOLUTE REALITY
If I may speak of truth this is absolute reality

The absolute time, the absolute place
The absolute now for the absolute solution

It’s ABSOLUTE REALITY now

************************

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Absolute Reality - Live On The Tube 1985

Absolute Reality - Acoustic

Absolute Reality - Live at The Scala, 2004

Absolute Reality - Saturday Superstore 1985

Absolute Reality - The Gathering 2015

Absolute Reality - The Oxford Road Show, BBC TV 1985

Absolute Reality - UCLA 1986

Rewind: White Noise - XTC (1978)

White Music - XTC

Virgin

Produced by John Leckie

Released 20th January 1978

UK Chart #38

A1 Radios In Motion    
A2 Cross Wires    
A3 This Is Pop
A4 Do What You Do    
A5 Statue Of Liberty    
A6 All Along The Watchtower    
B1 Into The Atom Age    
B2 I'll Set Myself On Fire    
B3 I'm Bugged    
B4 New Town Animal In A Furnished Cage    
B5 Spinning Top    
B6 Neon Shuffle

2001 CD Remaster Bonus Tracks

13. Science Friction (3D EP)
14. She's So Square (3D EP)
15. Dance Band (3D EP)
16. Hang On to the Night (B-Side of Statue of Liberty)
17. Heatwave (B-Side of This Is Pop)
18. Traffic Light Rock
19. Instant Tunes 

Personnel
    Andy Partridge – guitar, vocals
    Colin Moulding – bass, vocals
    Barry Andrews – steam piano, clapped out organs
    Terry Chambers – drums

Singles on White Noise

A-Side: Statue of Liberty

B-Side: Hang On To The Night

January 1978

Did Not Chart

A-Side: This Is Pop?*

B-Side: Heatwave

April 1978

Did Not Chart

*Re-recorded version

Included on 2001 CD Remaster

A-Side: Science Friction

B-Side: She's So Square / Dance Band

October 1977

Did Not Chart

Related videos

This Is Pop? - Revolver 1978.

Radios in Motion - OGWT 1978.

Science Friction - Promo.

**********************

"What do you call that noise that you put on?"

Ah, the question that was asked a lot back between the years of 1976-79 as many new bands were unleashed upon the music business as a result of the whole Punk & New Wave Scene.

XTC's beginnings though go back a little further than the rise of Punk in 1976. In 1972  Colin Moulding (Bass and Vocals) and Terry Chambers (Drums) asked Andy Partridge to join their new band in Swindon and so The Helium Kidz were born (they changed their name often over the course of the years). Influenced by the New York Dolls they played their own style of Glam Rock and in 1976 Barry Andrews (Keyboards) was added to the band after the departure of John Perkins and they were already at this time playing under the new name of  XTC. There's actually some old footage of them performing Science Friction in 1975 (I think it is) with the line-up that featured Perkins on Keyboards. 

Whilst not a Punk band at all (I saw one comment somewhere that basically said, "lumped into the punk camp, they were not that angry and in person couldn’t pose a threat to your grandmother"), they did play many shows alongside Punk bands in their early days and by the time they had released their debut 3D EP they were seen to be a part of the whole New Wave. Trouser Press were not overly complimentary regarding the EP saying that it was "nothing to write home about" but ended their review by saying, "XTC  have more credibility as punks than Ultravox (and loads more energy), and appear to be on to something. They, too, are a band to watch".

Whilst hard to actually pigeon hole I love the answer to the question that we began with:

 "We come the wrong way
We come the long way
We play the songs much too loud
This is pop"

The Debut album White Noise was released on this day in 1978. It was Moulding and Partridge's vision of what was to come and precursor to the whole Post-Punk scene! It was a very different kind of Pop!

Statue of Liberty single got banned by the BBC for the line "sail beneath your skirt"! It wasn't by any means highly offensive when you give consideration to some of the utter garbage they allow these days on the radio from some of the top selling R&B artists from the States!

Whilst the album is a bit of a mixed bag and sounds a bit too rushed in places, it did set a marker for the band and by the time of their third album, Drums and Wires, and also their fourth, Black Sea, they were making a lot of progress vocally, musically and lyrically as well as getting a bit more attention from the buying public.

Mike Kellie (The Only Ones) RIP

I just heard the sad news from a friend regarding the the passing of Mike Kellie, former drummer for The Only Ones (and Spooky Tooth and The Living Dead with Johnny Thunders, as well as being an in demand session drummer). Mike Kellie would have been 70 years old in March.

Our thoughts go out to his family at this sad time.

You can read his story about joining The Only Ones on his Official Website.

To honour his memory I thought a playing of the Debut album from The Only Ones would be fitting.

 The Only Ones - The Only Ones

CBS

Produced by The Only Ones and Robert Ash

Released 14th April 1978

 

The Only Ones
    Peter Perrett – lead and background vocals; guitars; keyboards
    John Perry – guitars; keyboards
    Alan Mair – bass guitars
    Mike Kellie – drums

Session musicians
    Mick Gallagher – keyboards
    Gordon Edwards – keyboards
    Raphael & Friends – horns
    Koulla Kakoulli – backing vocals

Side 1

Side 2

Single on The Only Ones

A-Side: Another Girl, Another Planet

B-Side: Special View

Released 14th April 1978

Did Not Chart

(18th August 1978 Reissue)

There was also a 7" and 12" released that had As My Wife Says on the B-side that was apparently released in August 1978. I must confess that I don't think I have ever seen this version myself and the knowledge of it only came from seeing it listed on Discogs!

The 2009 CD Remaster included As My Wife Says and also both sides of their debut single:

A-Side: Lovers of Today 

B-Side: Peter and The Pets

Vengeance

Produced by The Only Ones and Robert Ash

Released June 1977

Another Girl, Another Planet

Live on French TV 1979

Another Girl, Another Planet on Later (2008).