red army fetish

Judy Nylon, now sixty-two years old, arrived in London sometime in 1970.  Between the death rattle of the swinging 60s and the arrival of glam rock, most of the British Isles – the media would have had one believe – was deep in the grip of a very public mourning over the demise of The

a pair of live deuces

Do not contort, extort or otherwise put yourself out. Make no commotion.The serial MO remains intact, if a little interrupted. By lassitude or intrusion. Chance.Actually, it was a recent reader’s comment which prompted me to dust off the keyboard and dig out a couple of dirty Brown covers entangled at the bottom of the laundry

FSLN 1 > the armagideon times no. 3

Engineered and mixed by Bill Price. Version remixed by Mikey Dread. illustration by steve bell. ▼ THE CLASH: THE EQUALIZER from “Sandinista!” 3 x LP (CBS) 1980 (UK)

after the box, a wobble in space

john wardle, 1981. unemployed and still drowning in pussy. Disenchanted with the business model for Public Image Ltd., and itching to dub deeper, John Wardle stepped out alone to record a solo 45 followed by an entire LP, “The Legend Lives On: Jah Wobble In Betrayal“; an exercise in the perils of one man’s ambition

blair witch project, after a fashion

Alan Bennett is drowning in his teacup; a surfeit of suburban semi-detached ennui posing as angst. A whirlpool in a sweeping – suitably modest – driveway emptied of carp. No koi, then, just cloyingly demure. Petty resentments smouldering under doilies scattered like iced fancies. Or fossils behind chintz curtains. Well, alright; as per usual it

dub weh

cry tuff Shot dead on home turf in Kingston, Jamaica in 1983 following a confrontation, seemingly, with an opportunistic armed intruder, Michael James Williams – aka Prince Far I – qualifies for an honorary season ticket on the Bleachers; no refund. The findings of any police enquiry in a city notorious for its ‘higher than

clockers

design by ib.Long overdue. This one I intended to feature a couple of months back at least, but circumstances, alas, drew close scrutiny from the relentless ticking of hands. In short, I f@cked up. Dating from 1980, this 45 clocked in on the John Peel Show on at least three late evenings between 10 and

anonymous crack

VS370. A b-side I’ve played more times than may be strictly sensible. Stay off the tracks. Malcolm Owen: vocals; Paul Fox: guitar; John “Segs” Jennings: bass; Dave Ruffy: drums. “For Malcolm who lived for the crack – shine on.” ▼ THE RUTS: THE CRACK from “West One (Shine On Me) b/w The Crack” 45 (Virgin)

C-30; C-60; C-90…

Managed by Malcolm McLaren, and fronted by a fourteen year-old Anabella Lwin, Bow Wow Wow was essentially the great rhythm section behind the original Adam + The Ants; drum and bass with a pan African slant. A distant precursor to the controversial nature of blogging and the internet, this piratical celebration of “home-taping” caused considerable

cry tuff, holler tuffer

Style Scott: drums, percussion; David Toop: flute; Sowell: lead guitar;Bing Bunny: rhythm guitar; Earl “Chinna” Smith: rhythm guitar;Prince Far I: percussion; Steve Beresford: toy synthesizer, melodica, whistle. Produced by Prince Far I; mixed and overdubbed by Dub Syndicate. ▼ PRINCE FAR I & THE ARABS: FINAL CHAPTER from “Cry Tuff Dub Chapter 3” LP (Front

i’m only sleeping

08/12/80. This morning I discovered an unsmoked – and relatively unbent – cigarette among the crumbs lurking under the cushions of my sofa.I am smoking it now. Looking at the hoarfrost melting in the sun from my window here on the twenty-second floor, and pondering John Winston Lennon’s December demise twenty-eight years ago. I considered

grafitto 191

grafitto 191. Kenny & Leon left in a huff David First: guitar; Barry Halkin: drums;Steven Bilenky: bass ▼ NOTEKILLERS: SPACELAND CHANT (1980) from “Notekillers (1977-1981)” CD (Ecstatic Peace) 2007 (US)PURCHASE NOTEKILLERS 1977-1981 (SUREFIRE DISTRIBUTION) PREVIOUSLY: NOTEKILLERS; PENNSYLVANIA EXPERIMENTAL NOISE

les hommes morts sont dangereux

The first release – a 45 – on Geoff Travis’s independent Rough Trade label in December 1977 was not homegrown. He didn’t look to London, and he didn’t scour the seedy venues of northern districts and boroughs in a bid to fly the flag. The first release on Rough Trade was Metal Urbain‘s “Paris Marquais

wall of voodoo

SP 70401. cover photograph by scott lindgren. Written by June Carter with Merle Kilgore, and made famous by husband-in-waiting, Johnny Cash. Stanard Ridgway: vocals, organ; Marc Moreland: guitar; Chas Gray: synthesizer; Bruce Moreland: bass, piano; Joe Nanini: percussion. I first heard this version on a porn soundtrack in the early 80s. The video footage featured

baden powell: nosso baden

palminor rodrigues ferraira with ‘os originais do samba‘, 1968. It seems ‘normal service’ has been resumed. We have musical accompaniment once again. Hopefully, those earlier rations of some Beer and me were sufficient to keep you entertained. The following tracks come from Baden Powell’s 1980 LP, “Nosso Baden“, released on the Atlantic label. From Loronix:

motörhead

that’s right…Having done the backline breakdance for a solid couple of months once, this shit resonates. My stint as a roadie may have been short lived, but I don’t think my back has ever fully recovered. This version kicks ass, as they say. Take it away, Ian. ▼ MOTÖRHEAD: WE ARE THE ROAD CREW (ALTERNATIVE

freez

freeze, muthaf@kers! I was never really much of a clubber. Unless you bring coshing teenage thugs into the equation. And that was a long time ago. When I was a mere teenager myself. So was this one on the legendary independent label, Beggars Banquet. It reminds me of a brief episode in my youth when