Those Helicopters - Shark (1980)

b/w - Eskimo

Great DiY tunes from:-

Alan Robinson (Voc)

Andy Wood (Guitar on 1st 45)

Harlan Cockburn (Guitar, Saxophone) ex  "Twenty Five Views Of Worthing"  

Stephen John Maughan (Bass, Voc)

Andrew Barnden (Drums, Voc)

Vincent Whitlock (Keyboards, Voc)

David Ives (additional Guitar occasionally)

Those Helicopters [1978-82] were formed at the Maidstone College Of Art in Kent, where the members were all students [except Cockburn, who was a tutor] in the film, video and sound department.

Discography

11/1979 7" South Coast Towns//World Without Love/Flash Benadette - Bonaparte Records ‎[BONE 4]

05/1980 7" Shark//Eskimo - State Of The Art Records ‎[State 000001]   

06/1981 7" Dr. Janov//Technical Smack - Lavender Sound Studio ‎[Lavender 001]

1980 World Without Love On  VA - "We Do 'Em Our Way"

1981 ? - Singing Brains [Cassette Only LP]

Useless Info 1 - The band name was inspired by the opening Scene of Francis Ford Coppola's Movie "Apocalype Now" [As was this sleeve]

Useless info 2 - Prior to the band's formation Harlan Cockburn had been part of a casual band of staff & students at Maidstone Art College called Vic Damone. [Their rule being that as soon as anyone got halfway good at an instrument, they would to swap for something else.] They would record several times a week, it was these tapes that formed the basis for student David Cunningham’s (The Flying Lizards) ‘Money’ and ‘Summertime Blues’  (Cockburn's home-made guitar can be heard on the intro bars to Money).

Want More ... Go here to hear what Alan Robinson was doing post TH

As the sleeve of their 1st 45 states : Thanks to Marc Arscott [Manager] for the extra info

 

Sounds & Scans

The Shots - A Lethal Dose Of Rock n Roll EP (1983)

 

A1 - Wondering
A2 - Best Of Me
B1 - Not Like Everybody Else
B2 - It's Over

 

70's Powerpop in the 80's from this Townsville based 4 peice. Orginally hailing from Melbourne.

Jeff Salter - Voc, Guitar 
Steve Sampson - Guitar, Voc
Paul Scofield - Bass, Voc, Keys
John Griffin - Drums

Recorded April 1983 : Audio Media Productions Townsville
Pressed : Sundown records

Useless info - Sundown Records was a record label and pressing plant established by Eleanor and John Briskey in 1981. They purchased the press from CM Records in Dubbo, NSW & commenced pressing records in Lawnton, Queensland closing operations in 1993.

Sounds & Scans

Street 66 - Conman (1983)

b/w All The Small Minds

Great Mod/Powerpop from this Welsh (Caerphilly/Cardiff) band led by Alex Silva (Voc, Guitar)

The band appears to have been short-lived & I'll admit I've been having problems working out the line up as there is not much info available & what there is appears to be conflicting.

The band seems to have been a 4-piece  (see photo)
Steve "Vannie" Van Koningsveld - Guitar (Later playing with Bryn Gregory & the Co-Stars)
? - Bass (From Liverpool apparently)
Clive (Worked in Ivor Barnetts Music Shop in Caerphilly) - Drums

Street 66

Alex was also in another Cardiff Mod band "Living School" (who becmae A Sound Reaction [1983-85])
with
Jamie Sinclair-Thomson (Guitar Voc)
Nick Morgan (Bass)
Kris Ayre (Drums)

Useless Info - Alex Silva is better known for being the Guitarist for Papa's New Faith [1987-89] & Even more renouned as a record producer. Famously the Manic Street Preachers 1995 Holy Bible amongst others.

Sleeve Front

The 45 does come with a Pic sleeve but mine is without.

As always anyone that can add/put straight any info please leave a comment

Sounds & Scans

Rave To The Grave - There's Life In The Old Boy Yet! EP (1983)

A1 - Be Mine Tonight
A2 - Even Old Men In Suits Wear Dr. Martens
B1 - Force Twelve To Zero
B2 - Country Boys


Nice Pop Rock/Powerpop EP from these Avon & Somerset Boys. (Think Brinsley Schwarz Crossed with The Raspberies)


Roger Bastable (Voc)
Michael 'Mutter' Slater (Voc,Rhythm Guitar,Keys,Flute & Harmonica) Ex The Anonymous,The Cellar Rats,Stackridge
Mick Howe (Lead Guiar) Ex The Cellar Rats
Martin Cutler (Bass)
Jimmy Foster (Drums)
Peter Chaundy (Saxophone)
Terry Doble (Accordian)

As well as this 45, RTTG had a track (Saturday Night) On The Various Artists LP "Class Of '83"  
& An LP Slease With Ease [Jolly Roger Records ‎– YOHO X2] 1985
[The End,Let Me Fly/Gimme  Some Lovin'/ Got My Mojo Workin'/ Bye Bye Bird/ Some Kind Of Wonderful// All Or Nothing/ One Step At A Time/ Mustang Sally/ I Just Wanna Make Love To You/ I Can't Turn You Loose]

Useless Info 1 - Between leaving Stackridge, working as a petrol pump attendant & forming RTTG Mutter had a short lived solo career. Signed to Elton John’s Rocket label (1976) He had 2 singles released. The first of these (If You Were The Only Girl in The World/Solitude - ROKN 504) was withdrawn & substituted by Dancing On Air/Solitude - ROKN 510.

Useless Info 2 - Roger Bastable's Rave To The Grave can still be seen playing around The Zomerset area

Sounds & Scans

Dafne And The Tenderspots - Disco Hell (1979)

b/w I'm A Natural

Short lived band (1978-79) that released an Interesting New Wave 7" [Scheduled release Date 18th May] treading the line of "Disco Satire"

Dafne Nancholas (Voc)  
Graham Smith (Guitar)
Jo Burt (Bass) Ex-The Dragons
Nick Monnas (Drums)
Alan Wilder AKA Alan Normal (Keys) Ex-The Dragons

Jo Burt was Replaced by Steve Hughes (Bass) Ex-Burlesque


Useless Info 1 - The “No Soul, No Rhythm” monolougue Was by Graham Smith

German Release

Dutch Release

Useless Info 2 - No Picture Sleeve was issued for the UK release (Although it was released on Blue Wax as well as the usual Black). Look to The German Or Dutch releases for a PS.

Useless Info 3 - After Dafne And The Tenderspots Alan Wilder went onto Real To Real and The Hitmen (Both bands are worth checking out) Oh, and Depeche Mode who became fairly popular.

 Sounds & Scans

David Singleton - If You Can Sing In Tune (1981)

b/w - Lazy Bugger

Nice DIY Tunes all Played/Sung by Mr Singleton (I'll admit I only picked this up as It's Produced By Andy Arthurs)

However a small internet search later and:

Singleton has co-produced and/or engineered almost every Robert Fripp release (including King Crimson albums, EPs and archive releases) since 1992, and has also worked on releases by Bill Nelson, Bill Bruford, Europa String Choir and many others. Singleton is the co-owner/director (with Fripp) of the Discipline Global Mobile record label, half of the Ton Prob production team (again with Fripp) and the developer of the BootlegTV live concert streaming setup.

This 45 was recorded and released whilst he was still an undergraduate reading philosophy at St Johns College, Cambridge

Singleton currently releases his own material under the alias of The Vicar – a multimedia project persona that has produced a story blog and videoblogs, printed fiction, graphic novels, and song albums


Sounds & Scans

Sidewinder - Basil Herd (1983)

b/w - The Game

(Double A-Side)

Sole released, (Self-Financed?) "Basil Herd" (Dated 1982 on the label) is an excellent piece of 60's styled Powerpop.Whereas "The Game" is slightly more intense having some guitar interplay which may appeal to the NWOBHM fans


Again I'm coming up short on Band info.. Possibly from the West Country [Somerset]

Release date is put at Dec 1983

If anyone can add anything, Please Leave A Comment

Sounds & Scans

Fanatics - Total Confusion (1980)

b/w When The Sun Goes Down

2 Great Punk Powerpop tunes with the B-side being the better to these ears.

Well; thanks to the scant info on the labels, you know as much about this band as I do.

Produced by John Mills on the private Grudge Records

Record Company – Watermelon Songs

If you can add something/anything please leave a comment

Scans & Sounds

Field Marshal Slug - Glam Bang (1985)

b/w Spider Screen

Nice Post-Punk/Powerpop from this West Wales (Carmarthan?) band [1982-86]

I can't tell you much about them. I think the line up was:
Jamie Crawford (Voc)
Andy Duff (Bass)
Simon Dale (Guitar)
Dennis D Menace (Drums)

With Dino & Geoff Russell also having a go at the guitars at some point.

There is a pic sleeve to this [but most seem to come without it]

If you want to hear more there have been some Live & Demo tracks uploaded by presumably a band member on Youtube

As always if anyone can add some more info please leave a comment

Sounds & Scans

Josef Garret - Without Sex (1982)

b/w - Pop Star, Pop Star

Two striped back tunes from East London Folk-Punk troubadour Patrik Fitzgerald, his Guitar & a borrowed Revox on this, his 7th 45 release.
The 45, released under a pseudonym was funded by Uber fan Andrew Hoddle who liked the 2 songs, so dug into his own savings & got some copies pressed up with ellie jay records.

NME Press Clipping

The name comes from an almagamation of Patrik's middle name being Joseph & the economist Garret Fitzgerald + poets wrote and lived in garrets.

Patrik F

If you want to know more about Mr Fitzgerald Go here




Useless info - Without Sex had a reworking in 2016 by Russian Dance duo Wolfstream

Sounds & Scans