In The Trashcan
Records GEM079
"Just like 1959 and 1969 the year 1979 meant
transition. I'm not sure if there was any improvement at
all..."
Where punk meets goth, yet in 1979 and not 1983… Much underrated UK band with charismatic frontman Abbo. A 4-track EP released on Plastic Records in 1979. Their best effort was, of course, "For my country". For its flipside, see vol 27.
An unexpected B-side by The Police from 1979. While "Walking on the moon" was topping the charts all over Europe, "Visions of the night" should have earned more airplay. Sting never sounded punkier afterwards.
I don't believe they released anything else but this 1980 single on Fetish Records. This side was recorded in 1979, while the flipside was a 1977 recording. They hailed from New Jersey. A late 70s new wave duo featuring Dave Goessling and Dennis Kelley.
Squeeze was for me the band that featured Jools Holland from The Tube, one of the few good 80s music shows on television I could watch in Belgium. This is the flipside to the well-known "Cool for cats", recorded in 1979.
Still my favourite Bunnymen song and from their first release in 1979 on Zoo when they were a trio and a drumcomputer called Echo.
Ken Lockie's short-lived outfit that was formed in 1979 included The Clash' first drummer Terry Chimes, who even joined Black Sabbath for a while. Did you know Terry was a genuine doctor? Together with "Thrash" this is the highlight of Cowboys International.
B-side of his very first record "Back to nature". Only 22 years old Frank Tovey chose the Fad Gadget alias which he has used for about 5 years. This is the second Mute release, following label owner Daniel Miller's own band The Normal's "TVOD/Warm leatherette", the beginning of a promising career.
At first I thought it was Johnny Rotten's face on the sleeve, but it's a guy who used to play with freakbeat band The Attack in the 60s and with progrockers Atomic Rooster in the early 70s. It's the flipside to "Don't be a dummy" which hit the UK charts in 1979.
A song already played when they were called Warsaw, just like the A-side "Transmission", the best period of Joy Division. This version was released in 1979.
This will always be my favourite Cure song. Here they still sound punky. It's pre-Seventeen Seconds and Robert Smith's hairdo wasn't their main gimmick yet. Fantastic new wave pop punk from 1979.
A new wave minimal synth cover by this band formed by Daniel Miller, who also founded The Normal and started one of Britain's most influential record labels, Mute Records. This was their debut 45 from 1979. No, this is not the David Bowie song!
First and best 45 by this UK post-punk band, formed in the heyday of punk in 1977 by the Butler brothers, Richard and Tim. Duncan Kilburn and his sax fave this band their special sound in those early days. Two years later, in 1981, they recorded "Pretty in pink" which was to become the title track of John Hughes' teen movie featuring Molly Ringwald in 1986 and it's only then that they became famous outside of the UK. The best Furs track for me is "Sister Europe" from their second 45.
When art school meets punk rock in 1977, you'll find Wire. This is a 1979 recording for Rough Trade. While their first 3 singles ("Mannequin", "I am the fly" and "Outdoor miner") and their first album "Pink flag" were still punk rock in a certain way, they moved away from that label in 1978 and 1979 to become a highly rated art-rock band that influenced a whole new generation during the 80s. See vol 10 for a later recording.
Million seller "My Sharona" has a surprising flipside. "Let me out" is fantastic power pop from that year 1979. What a debut single this was! It's also the opener of their first album "Get The Knack", issued by Capitol Records.
Not so bad B-side of their biggest hit "Are friends electric?" from 1979. Punky tunes with synthesizers by Gary Numan and his typical nasal vocals. See also vols 3 and 57.
It's 1979 and powerpop ruled. At the end of the year this 45 was released and it was over with the powerpop hype. All mod cons… It's a terrific '79 mod tune on the B-side of "Blood spattered with guitars" on Hook Line 'n' Sinker Records.
