Elti Fits - Elti-Fits EP (1980)

A - Their Grip
AA1 - Going Straight
AA2 - Letterbox

Post Punk From this Manchester based Band (I say Manchester based; as the only actual Mancunian was the Drummer. The Singer was from Loughborough & the other 2 from London)

Sarah Keynes (voc)
Graham Elis (guitar 2nd bass keyboard voc) later in momo & The Dodo's & life
Nigel Ross (bass)
Karl Burns (drums) ex -Fall (apparently he has left & rejoined them a mind boggling 9 times) + playing with P.I.L. / the Teardrops / Bok Bok , seemingly concurrently with Elti-Fits & live with ex-Fall members Blue Orchids in Mid '81 when they were support to Echo & the Bunnymen.

The band's short lifespan appears to be Mid '79 - Early '81 although don't hold me to that! - During that time they played some pretty prestigious gigs including "Stuff the Superstars" at the Mayflower

This was their sole 45 (recorded at Rochdale's Cargo Studios) but there is more recorded output if you dig deeply:
Peel Session 04/09/1979 - Factory Room / Letter Box / Reject / Song - recorded at Maida Vale studio 4, produced / engineered by Bob Sargeant & Mike Robinson (Aired 29/09/79)
30 Miles Of Torment availabe on the Live At Leigh Rock Festival 27/08/79 Bootleg
Rebel Rebel availabe on Deeply Vale Festivals DVD

Useless information 1 - The photocopied sleeve is of the Charles Barry Crescent Estate in Hulme which is the address on the back of the sleeve - so I guess they lived (squatted?) there!

Useless information 2 - Their manager Paula Cooke (née Greatbatch) worked under the name of Ruth Putrid

Can anyone tell me why John Robb's book - The North Will Rise Again (Manchester Music City 1977 - 96) completely ignores this band?

Sounds, Scans & other goodies below

http://www.mediafire.com/?d7237887xhfu9r9

Joni Dee And The Times - Here Come The Holidays (1982)

b/w - Three Cheers For The Sun

Cool Mod pop with the right amount of bubblegum to stay just on the right side of Cheesy.

Why of all The Times 45's choose this one? I hear you ask.
Well let's face it, there's so many tracks by Mr Edward Ball & friends to choose from + you can get loads of info on him & the band I thought I'd try to add something! rather than regurgitate.

The music to both tunes were written by Ed Ball but the lyrics to Here come the Holidays were penned by his old school chum John Bennett. Who was also a member (Drummer) of:
The Television Personalities (on 14th Floor/Oxford Street - srts records)[AKA Hughie Green]
O level (on East Sheen EP - psycho records)[AKA Jim Horne]
Reacta (on Stop The World/sus – battery operated records)


Now on to Joni Dee Sackett; she seems to first crop up in Ed's life in early 1980 with the band Dry Rib & later also added backing vocals to his 1984 LP Hello Europe. (the pic on the left is of her & Ed Ball, summer 1982)
1983-84; saw her collaborating with Frank Tovey (Fad Gadget) as singer & Viola player.
1986; with I start counting.


BTW this 45 was recorded Easter 1982 & the Times were

Ed Ball - guitar
John East - bass
Paul Damien - drums
Ray Kent - keyboards

I believe the second sleeve with The Times sticker over Jonie Dee's name was used to re-promote the 45 after the minor hit of the This Is England LP in Late 1983.

Sounds & scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?q7m92n83pd0fpa3

Boys In Darkness - Back To France (1981)

b/w - A Man An Island

2 tracks of Post-punk (more New wave with prominent Synth) from this Scottish [Bathgate] band

Dave Gilhooly - (Voc)
Richard Wade - (Guitar)
Mike McCann - (Bass) - same guy that played with Hey Elastica! ?
Colin Laverty - (Drums)
Dave Milne - (Keyboards)

This 45 was released twice in '81 - 1st in October on the Bid for Freedom label [7" & 12" format - no p/s]. Then again in late November on the E.D.M. Champagne label [7" & 12" format - with p/s] - (Although their names on the label Of the EDM pressing are D Gillhooly (voc) G Wade (guitar) M McAneny (bass) C Laverty (drums) D Milne (keyboards)


Dave Gillhooly (An Art lecturer) wrote - "Back to France was written about a late night return to a Paris hotel. The Blackened tongue referred to, was after a night of drinking red wine and arguing about the impact of colour in Scottish Landscape painting."

Just speculating; but I suspect the 2nd pressing was to coincide with them scoring the support slot on the 2nd leg of the Stranglers La Folie Tour

21.01.82 Sheffield Polytechnic
22.01.82 Aberystwyth University
23.01.82 Leicester University
24.01.82 Day Off
25.01.82 Brighton Top Rank
26.01.82 Guildford Civic Hall
27.01.82 St Austell Colliseum
28.01.82 Hemel Hempstead Pavilion
29.01.82 Hanley Victoria Halls
30.01.82 Swindon Oasis
31.01.82 Poole Arts Centre
01.02.82 Bristol Locarno
02.02.82 Day Off
03.02.82 Derby Assembly Rooms
04.02.82 Warwick University
05.02.82 Ipswich Gaumont
06.02.82 Portsmouth Guildhall
07.02.82 Leeds Tiffanys
08.02.82 Hammersmith Odeon

Discography
Back To France / A Man An Island - Bid For Freedom Records - 7”/12” (1981)
Back To France / A Man An Island - EDM Champagne Records - 7”/12” (1981)
Heart Of Darkness / Under the Bridge - Parlophone Records - 7”/12” (1984)

Sounds & scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?weggxejgu3aw0d2

Commuter - Dear Marge (1982)

B1 - Dear Marge (Dub)
B2 - You Don't Get Crispy Chips From New Potatoes

I don't think much of the Instrumental version Of Dear Marge (which incidentally is not indicated on the labels) but the other 2 tracks fall nicelly into the Mod / powerpop sound bracket.

I was hoping to have more information than the below but hey ho!

The band (5 piece?) were from the Hatfield / Welwyn Garden City area.

John Erentrauts (voc, harmonica) RIP ex Albert Monk
David Boon (guitar) RIP*
Billy Lund (Bass)
Glen Mansfield (Keyboards)
Paul Turley (drums / keyboards) later in Classix Nouveaux (84 -85) / Smalltown Elephants (86-88) / Christmas Island (90-91) / Baby Boomerang (92-94)

All tracks were produced by Phil Nash at the 24 track Wickham House Recording Studios in Croydon

* David Boon tragically died when the light aircraft he was piloting crashed near Steep, Petersfield, Hampshire, on 10 April 2009.

Thanks to Malcolm Green for the extra info

Sounds & scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?o5xo9646hem5lpf

The Intelligents - Take It From The Top (1979)

b/w - Superdrain

OK - First off, Ignore the A-side & listen to the flip. It's decent New wave in a sort of Buggles meets BA Robertson way.

I know nothing about the band, I think they may have been led by Alan something or other.

There were as far as I know 2 other 45's but if they're like the A side they are probably going to fall into the "Pop trying to be Disco by a person that knows New Wave is all the fashion"

Discography (as far as I know)

Rocking Band / Wardance - Atlantic K11162 (June 1978)
Take It From The Top / Superdrain - Atlantic K11292 (May 1979)
Sorry / When We Dance - Atlantic K11408 (November 1979)

Sounds & scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?mns377j029b2700

The News - Trying To Ride The New Wave (Unreleased)

b/w - Stereo Generation

Again 2 more Mod /Powerpop tunes from this Rock Springs, Wyoming 3 peice.

This was to be the follow up (their 2nd release) to the Spread The News EP but for some reason the tracks never made it to vinyl.

The Band were

Eddy Delbridge (Voc Guitar).
Mike Fitzgerald (Bass)
Billy Dolence (Drums)

Both tunes were written by Mr. Delbridge & were again recorded at Colorado Sound Studios, Denver, Colorado (probably in '79 or it could have been 1980 - Eddy was unsure)

Big Thanks to Eddy Delbridge for sharing these tracks with us.

Sounds & scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?1bp55gg29ld1n8c