Backseat Romeos - No Ambition

A. Zero Ambition


B. In The Night


BACKSEAT ROMEOS (Lincolnshire, England, UK)
Zero Ambition b/w In The Night
Future Earth (FER-007), 1980

While in college, John Clay and some friends decided they wanted to start a band. After deciding who would play what, they went out and got instruments and proceeded to learn the rudiments. The band, which formed in 1972 was called Nebulah. They did a mix of covers and original material. From there, John found himself in a folk rock band called Terra Pax. Influenced by the guitar workings of Mick Ronson and Bill Nelson, he began coming up with licks in that vein.

He later joined a band called Seagull that started off doing covers but gradually worked originals into their set. They gigged all over the midlands in the UK for a few years, and then punk hit. John joined a group which was oddly enough called Six Pistons. Doing mostly fun punk-influenced rock, the project was short-lived following the departure of the drummer and singer. Bassist Ash Aisthorpe decided to bring in an old drummer acquaintance named Mick Freer. The new three piece group with John, Ash and Mick called themselves The Classics.

It was 1979 and the band started off playing primarily punk, power pop and new wave covers. In time John started writing original material which was mostly straight forward power pop. Eventually they phased out the majority of the covers, leaving only the most popular ones such as the Jam's "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight" and "First Time" by the Boys. The band played lots of gigs in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, building themselves a strong fanbase over a 50 mile radius.

They practiced frequently. Typically John would come up with the basic song ideas (the structure, lyrics, and melodies), and bring them to rehearsal where Ash and Mick would help form them into completed songs. It came to their attention that another band in the area was going by the name The Classics, so they changed theirs to Backseat Romeos, which was the title of one of their songs.

Without having a booking agent or label support, John would sneak into empty offices at work to make calls to venues to try and get them gigs. At one point he was able to book them a short tour which got a mention in NME, but they never landed themselves on a bill with a large act. Nonetheless, they did catch the attention of Future Earth Records who signed the band.

In 1980, they went to Fairview Music in Hull to record two songs for a single. Since Future Earth had a limited budget, the band had to record and mix the songs in a single day. Being well prepared, they banged it out quickly. The only trouble they had was getting the right guitar tone, which they attest came out thinner than they had hoped due to the engineer wanting them to play at a low volume.

1,000 copies of the single were pressed. Future Earth did little to promote the record or get it reviewed, though it did get played on BBCs Radio 1 program. The DJ made a comment to the effect of "it won't be a hit." Sure enough, it wasn't. But still, "Zero Ambition" stands up today as a power pop classic and the single was even reissued on 1977 Records in Japan.

The band went through a couple line-up adjustments over the duration of their existence. At one point they brought in a second guitar player named Steve Robinson. When he left the band, they brought in a keyboard player named Shaun Ashworth who stayed around for about a year. Later on, Mick would leave the band and was replaced by Trev Fearnley, who John had played with in Seagull. That line-up took them in a more rock, less punk direction, and ultimately they split within six months. The band played a few reunion gigs about 10 years ago, going under their original name The Classics.

The Boyfriends - Boyfriend

A. Boyfriend


B. Give A Little, Take A Little


THE BOYFRIENDS (UK)
Boyfriend b/w Give A Little, Take A Little
Pinnacle (INT 113.712), 1983

This is what I love about power pop. Fun, hook-filled, catchy tunes that get stuck in your head. "Boyfriend" exemplifies everything great about the genre. Unfortunately, I cannot find ANY information as to who this band was, where they were from, how long they were around, or what else they may have done.

To my knowledge, there are atleast two other power pop bands who called themselves The Boyfriends. There's the well-known US band who formed in the wake of the Poppees, and a UK group who put out a few mediocre singles on United Artists. From what I can gather from a couple "new wave" discographies, this particular Boyfriends released a single in late 1982 on the UK-based Plastic Records, presumably their own label. It appears that the two songs were licensed and released in Germany on the Pinnacle label shortly after that with a different picture sleeve (see above).

The B-Side is a less enthused ballad, but there is perfection in the song "Boyfriend" that brings to mind classics such as The Know's "I Like Girls" and others of that caliber. The band obviously had competent musicians and the song structure and harmonies were top notch. The people in this band had to have gone on to do something else of merit, or possibly even before this since the single came out pretty late compared to other similar records. So who were they?! Anyone know anything?

Spizzenergi - Where's Captain Kirk?

A. Where's Captain Kirk?


B. Amnesia


SPIZZENERGI (London, England)
Where's Captain Kirk? b/w Amnesia
Rough Trade (RTSO-4), 1979

Kenneth Spiers, better known to the world simply as "Spizz," started his first group in 1977. Over the next several years he routinely changed the names of his bands to variations of the Spizz moniker including Spizz 77, Spizzoil, Athletico Spizz Co, and the Spizzles, amongst others. In 1979, he released this single on Rough Trade under the name Spizzenergi. The fun, singalongable sci-fi classic spent several weeks on the UK indie charts and was later documented live in the archival new wave film, Urgh! A Music War, under the name Athletico Spizz 80. Spizz and company put out numerous singles and a couple LP's before calling it quits in 1982, but nothing else ever reached the minimal success of this fantastic single.

The V.I.P.'s - I Need Somebody To Love

Record 1 - A. Need Somebody To Love


Record 1 - B. One More Chance


Record 2 - A1. Stuttgart Special


Record 2 - B1. Who Knows


Record 2 - B2. Janine


THE V.I.P.'S (United Kingdom)
Need Somebody To Love b/w One More Chance
Plus bonus "Beat Crazy EP" - Stuttgart Special b/w Who Knows/Janine
GEM (GEMS-43), 1980

The VIP's released a string of terrific and very diverse singles in the early 80's. This one is my favorite, as it really showcases how dynamic the band was. "Need Somebody To Love" and "One More Chance" are pure power pop perfection with strong musicianship, crisp, clear recordings, beautiful instrument tones, and tight harmonies. The single came with a bonus "Beat Crazy" EP which features more straight forward punk tracks "Stuttgart Special" and "Who Knows" which are almost unrecognizably performed by the same group. The EP finishes with the ever so catchy "Janine."

These tracks along with the rest of the band's singles were all compiled on a short-run import LP entitled "Beat Crazy." Their entire works are impressive, spanning the musical spectrum with should-have-been power pop hits like "Quarter Moon," a cover of "Hippy Hippy Shake" to appease the mod following they unintentionally acquired, and more comedic songs like "Causing Complications" as seen below.

"Need Somebody To Love" was comped on Powerpearls #8.

The Jags - Dumb Blonde

A. Woman's World


B. Dumb Blonde


THE JAGS (Scarborough, England)
Woman's World b/w Dumb Blonde
Island (WIP-6531), 1980

The Jags released a 12" EP, two full length albums, and five singles in the few years they were a band. Pretty much everything they put out is worth owning, and being that they were on a major label, the vinyl is fairly easy to find and usually inexpensive. Of all the bands that adopted the quintessential early Elvis Costello vocal style, the Jags really perfected it, adding clever, witty lyrics, strong musicianship, and hooks galore.

Lead vocalist/guitarist Nick Watkinson and long time pal John Alder (lead guitar/vocals) started a songwriting partnership in early '77, which eventually evolved into forming a band in the summer of the following year. After a brief period of rehearsals in Wales, the group moved to London and secured a contract with Island Records after just three gigs! Shortly after that, with their second bassist Steve Prudence in tow, they went from playing lousy support gigs to hitting the road on their own headlining club tour. But difficulties finding the right drummer persisted, including fist-throwing altercations on stage, until they found Alex Baird (who played with Midge Ure in Stumble, and later in the Banned -> does anyone know if this is the same Banned that did the "Little Girl" and "Him Or Me" singles?).

The first Jags release was a four song 12" featuring "Back Of My Hand" and "Single Vision," which were later released as a single and re-recorded for their debut album "Evening Standard," but the 12" also had two tracks which never appeared elsewhere, "Double Vision" and "What Can I Do." The "Back Of My Hand" single had a 10 week chart life in the UK, peaking at number 17. At the time of its release, that is all they had recorded and it was some time before "Evening Standard" was put out.

"Woman's World" was their second single and it grazed the charts for one week before falling off. This is my favorite single because not only is the A-side excellent, but I think the B-Side is one of their best songs and it's only available on this record. The band later released one more single off their first album, "Party Games," but it never charted.

"No Tie Like A Present" was the bands second LP, and they produced two singles off that one, which both failed to chart as well: "I Never Was A Beach Boy" and “The Sound Of G-O-O-D-B-Y-E.” Island mis-credited the song "Here Comes My Baby" as the band's own, when it was originally penned/performed by Cat Stevens and later a hit by the Tremeloes. Their sophomore effort isn't as strong as their earlier work, as I believe the band was starting to crumble with personnel changes, the addition of keyboards, and a slight change in musical direction (admittedly trying NOT to sound like Costello), but it's still enjoyable.

"Dumb Blonde" was featured on Powerpearls Volume 2.

Back To Zero - Your Side Of Heaven

A. Your Side Of Heaven


B. Back To Back


BACK TO ZERO (London, England)
Your Side Of Heaven b/w Back To Back
Fiction (FICS-004), 1979

Back To Zero were forerunners of the British mod-revival movement. Formed in 1978, they lasted just a short while with various line-up changes and only have this one single to carry their legacy. But what a terrific pair of songs they left in their wake.

The record was produced by Chris Parry, who also did outstanding work with the Purple Hearts, on his own Fiction Records label. Fiction, which is now owned by Universal, is best known for boosting the career of the Cure. Back To Zero was one of the earliest singles released on the label.

During their heyday, Back To Zero played regularly with Secret Affair, The Chords, Purple Hearts and other great mod bands of the time until they vanished in 1980. "Your Side Of Heaven" was comped on a terrific mod revival collection called Unsung Heroes, released on Unicorn records in 1988.

Kursaal Flyers - Television Generation

Television Generation


KURSAAL FLYERS (Southend-on-Sea, UK)
Television Generation b/w Revolver (Live)
CBS (5771), 1977

The Kursaal Flyers (aka The Kursaals), formed at the tail end of 1973, primarily playing covers as a pub rock band with the likes of Dr. Feelgood and the ilk. After a few releases on the UK Records label (a London Records subsidiary), and having worked more originals into their repertoire, the band had built a following and were signed to CBS in 1976. Their CBS debut was an album entitled 'The Golden Mile,' which was produced by Mike Batt of The Wombles fame.

Under the leadership of Paul Conroy (who later had managerial and presidential roles with labels such as Stiff, Chrysalis, and Virgin UK), the band scored a spot on Top Of The Pops and had a minor hit with "Little Does She Know." Following this, guitarist Graeme Douglas left the band to join Eddie & The Hot Rods. The Kursaals released one more full length, 'Five Live Kursaals' and the "Television Generation" single, which was a far cry from their earlier work. The infectious, stutter-filled power pop classic was comped on an early Epic sampler called 'Permanent Wave' (which I highly recommend picking up). The single was produced by Muff Winwood (brother of Steve and member of Spencer Davis Group, who also produced records for Sparks, Mott The Hoople, Nirvana and many more) and Rhett Davies (who's spectrum of work includes Eno, Talking Heads, B-52s, Wang Chung, King Crimson, and plenty more).

John Wicks joined the group three months before the band dissolved. He and drummer Will Birch became a strong songwriting team who then started a much more successful group called The Records who had hits with "Starry Eyes" and "Teenarama," amongst others. Unfortunately nothing else the Kursaals did compared to the perfection or style of "Television Generation." One form or another of the group is still playing today.