April 1980 comes with a handful of calendar conundrums.....
Which era did ITV's Hollywood series cover (finished on the 1st)? I seem to remember it being the just silent/Sennett/slapstick age - but this may be because of a tie-in Harold Lloyd poster still in the loft.
Pelican Tennis (5th) - rings an unanswered bell
But 'snake, pub, fair' (13th) ? Not a clue!
Sinclair (9th) was the local bobby on the beat. A 'Mr Nasty' cut of copper, famously quick with his clips and fists, who on this occasion took to throwing me around the rose gardens (mostly trees and holly bushes in reality) by the throat - simply because he thought I was 'smirking'. Perhaps my God Save the Queen tee rattled him, or that we'd sometimes sing the Batman theme as he went barreling by on his boneshaker bike with the wind catching and flapping his cape.
'Gillow hit on head by roll' (22nd) could be where some sparky type threw a jam roll out of the school changing room windows, bouncing off of Andrea Gillow's noggin, only for a second sarney to land squarely on the head of a passing PE teacher. Whoops..class detention for that one (at lunchtime too - grrrr)
And it must be spring as local temptress LOTR seems to to be presenting again (18th)!
Singles added to the collection are: Devo, the Cockney Rejects brand of boot-boy of Oi and The Undertones. As a variant I'll post a lesser heard versh of My Perfect Cousin
Chartwise the top 75 is as Randomland as ever - 10 to 20 being a cross generational peppering of pop.And the albums *goes cross-eyed* John Cooper Clarke neighboring up with Martie Webb. And where did Bobby Vee come from!
The Bruce Lee double bill, seen at The Classic, Westcliff was my third trip to an X certificate. Previous peeps were Saturday Night Fever (age 12) Carrie/Pirhana (age 13)
Four song references scribbled around this pic' - can you get them all?
There's almost no greater spectator sport for a schoolboy than a bundle between your same-year peers (with the chants of 'fight, fight, fight, fight' ringing round and about) - better yet, when it's the unlikeliest of scrappers having a bash. And if this isn't robust enough, it's a double bill of bracket-punching in one day (28th) as Colbert (a Spaghetti Western drifter type) Vs Nelly (a sort of Gok Wan of our year) and Huggins (small with huge eyelashes) Vs Neary (rugger~team lump).
In other news, our frisky friend from over the road (LOTR) continues to put the 'goods on the barrow' with her free-wheeling liberated ways (28th) and Ye Olde Stereogram gets moved from the front room to my bedroom. Although it seems I jumped the gun slightly by adding The Stranglers to October's playlist when plainly it's November (24th). If you fancy a peep November '79 charts looked this
If you haven't seen it, The Damned's appearance on OGWT is a career highlight for both show and band.
The Cross and The Switchblade (14th) was shown in a local church hall to warn corruptible teens about the perils of peer pressure, gangs, drugs..... for us it was a free film, an evening in the warm and something with Poncho from CHips in...
Like John Peel I can remember my first earful of The Undertones 'Teenage Kicks'. I was off school on a not-strictly-legit' 'sickie' - and applying my trusty 'convalesence' technique of staying firmly tucked up in bed until middayish with a pile of comics (Whizzer and Chips, Krazy and anything Marvel or DC), a packet of chocolate digestives and my trusty tranny radio (with mono earplug).
It was during one of these recovery bed-ins that Paul Burnett cranked 'Teenage Kicks'. Burnett, or his producer, always had healthily punky playlist - Sham 69, The Strangers, Ian Dury album tracks and the Sex Pistols/Tenpole Tudor 'Rock Around The Clock' (with it's discreet effing and jeffing) were all fed to his lunchtime listeners.
However the first Undertones single I paid a few pocket money pence for was the Power-Pop meets Parka-Punk 'You've Got My Number', heard by way of Radio Luxembourg's Thursday night New Wave chart rundown.. It's a sizzling piece of guitar riffery that I still clonk out on my SG today -so after picking up the recent Undertones Anthology (loaded with one full disc of rarities and demos), being the cheeky blogger I am, thought I'd get in touch and fire off a few questions, and Tone me I only got a reply didn't I ....from Mr Damian O'Neill himself....
Was there one song, album or artist that made you pick up a guitar and go from passive listener to active learner? Quite a few actually...Van Morrison and Them doing Bob Dylan’s ‘It’s All Over Now Baby Blue’, John Foggerty’s solo on ‘I Put A Spell On You’, Keith Richards piercing guitars on Beggars Banquet, Johnny Thunders on ‘Babylon’, Wilco Johnson.
How did you first become aware of the growing punk scene, and if being Undertone hadn't worked out, where would you have ended up? I remember reading Neil Spencer’s review of the Sex Pistols at the Marquee in the NME in early ‘76. People forget how provocative it was then to call your group ‘The Sex Pistols’. We then heard the brilliant ‘New Rose’ by the Damned, followed by Anarchy in the U.K and I also remember cutting out an Observer article from Dec. ‘76 which talked about the English punk scene.
Was there a long term plan with the band - and did you expect to still be going in 2008? Are you kidding! You couldn’t plan anything in the Undertones as usually someone would quit every couple of weeks/months (except me of course)
No and neither do I expect to be going in 2058
Are you listening to any albums or artists in 2008 that you wouldn't have expected to (or admitted to) back in the seventies? Plenty! Joni Mitchell, Fairport Convention, The Incredible String Band, Faust, Can, Brian Eno, Free (are all these people hairy enough for you?)
I can hear The Undertones influence in a ton of other bands from seventies new wavers to noughties US punks - is there anyone you've ever heard and recognised an echo of The Undertones tone in? Supergrass, Blur, Ash, Sigur Ros (only joking)
Any plans for a complete album gig? No.
Excepting That Petrol Emotion, have you ever been tempted to do an album or selection of acoustic tracks, covers or dance tunes? No.
What's the breakdown of an Undertones audience? Supermodels, wags, A-list celebs and fat baldy old fellas with beer bellies slam dancing at the front.
The first Undertones single I bought was ‘You've Got My Number’ which features a blistering riff (and great cover on the B-side too) - do you feel other 'Tones tunes get overshadowed by ‘Teenage Kicks’? Absolutely and it’s all John Peel’s fault!
Do you know how often 'Teenage kicks' gets aired per day on radio or TV, and if so what's an average day’s play? No, maybe you should ask my brother’s accountant!
Given a second chance is there anything you'd do differently - or any advice you'd give to aspiring groups or songwriters? Well, I wish that I gave my tuppence worth in all those dreaded group meetings I’ve had over the years instead of nodding my head in silent agreement.
What’s your most pinch-yourself rock ‘n’ roll moment? Just recently, playing on stage again with That Petrol Emotion at the Electric Picnic festival in Ireland....amazing cos I never thought it would happen again.
The Undertones - 'You've Got My Number'
The B-side of 'Number' was 'Lets Talk About Girls' - a cover of a Chocolate Watch Band tune featured on Lenny Kaye's legendary Nuggets comp'
