Tom Cotton's Truth Hurts - Who Needs Friends (1980)

b/w - Boogie Street

Interesting A-side from this North East based band of which I know very little about.

Tom Cotton (voc)

Pat Mount (guitar voc)

Bopper Robson (bass voc)

Robert Zipfel (drums) later in Badge

Doc Montana (keyboards)

with help from Lido Jackson & his guitar on Boogie Street

The flip is not really my cup 'o tea nor the funky guitar, it's his voice that makes me want to listen to it again (I'm reminded of someone else but I really can't put my finger on it.)

As usual when I can't tell you much about the band I'll pad it out with other snippets; such as; it was probably recorded at the Fairview Studios in Hull as the recording engineer was Roy Neave &  it was produced by Nigel Ward

Later

Scant info here but you can hear both sides of the drummers later NWOBHM band Badge on You-Tube here & here

The Record was released on Evolution Records* so here's a discography of the 45's (N.B. most of the sleeves [If they have one] are poster sleeves)

EV1 - The Plague - In Love / Wimpy Bar Song (Oct 1979)
EV2 - Truth Hurts - Who Needs Frieds / Boogie Street (March 1980)
EV3 - Morgan - One More Day / Princeton (March 1980)
EV4 - The Plague - Out With Me All Night / Er? / I Don't Want To Be Like Jimmy (April 1980)
EV5 - Tom Paxton - Feed The Children / That's The Way It Seems To Me (April 1980)
EV6 - John Ian - Don't Slow Down /Love Love Love Love Love (May 1980)
EV7 - Dolly Dots - Radio / Please Stay (May 1980)
EV8 - Tom Paxton - Be A Sport Afghanistan / Outlaw (June 1980)
EV9 - Paul Ringer - Something To Live For / Scarlet Ribbons (Dec 1980)

* Evolution Records was a subsidiary of RCA [whose warehouse staff had a tendancy to "Strike" at a moments notice] - I guess that's why these records are hard to locate.

Sounds & Scans

The Visions - Paper Kids (Life In Books) (1982)

b/w - The Ghost

Cool Powerpop on the A-side with a more XTC orientated B-side.

Even though this is a Dutch only release (Top Hole Records - June 1982) the band were from the UK (Chailey, East Sussex)

Dave Haw (Voc Guitar)
Steve Reeve (Guitar Voc)
Charles P.Q. Foley (Bass)
V. J. Blake (Drums) 

The 2 sides were recorded at different times in different countries with different producers.

Paper kids - Recorded December 1981 at Blue Tape Studios Luinjeberd, Heerenveen, Holland. Produced by Michel Hoogenboezem

The Ghost - Recorded May 1981 at Safesounds Mobile Studio in Chailey,UK.

Produced by Doug Siviter & Phil Siviter (If you do one thing today follow this link) the brothers are infamous for giving us the earlist recorded output from Bruce Dickinson (1977) & for being the brains behind The Shots 

 Later

After The Visions, Steve Reeve and Charley Foley along with Mick Neaves (Drums) became LAT - (releasing 2 tracks on the VA LP Tracks On The Green). Steve was also a member of "Over Seven Foot Long Soul Band" & more recently The Koan Brothers

The band apparently gets a brief mention in "International Discography Of The New Wave Vol. 2"

As always if you have any corrections or additions please leave a comment

Sounds & Scans

Finally - if you want this 45, it looks like you can still pick up copies from Top Hole

Dee And The Cheetahs - You To Me (1980)

b/w - Touch Me

Cool New Wave from this Doncaster (Armthorpe) 4 peice. (Touch me being the better track if you ask me)

Dee (voc)
Malc Walker (Guitar)
Tim Bradley (Bass Keyboard voc)
Jan Carline (Drums)

The 45 was produced by Jan's brother (?) Jeff Carline (Guitarist for Uncool Danceband) & they were Managed by Father, Frank Carline.

Dee, Tim & Jan had previously been 3/4 of  The Shy Tots who released 3 tracks on 2 compilation LP's
Logical Steps (Waiting For Stardom & Oyster)
Bouquet Of Steel (Robot Maid) - d/l the LP here
The remaining member of  The Shy Tots (who kept the name) was Dennis Hardcastle who went on to release another 45 under the name in 1982 (Gallery) - If you followed the link you'll have noticed the new band also incorporated Ex-Fall member Yvonne Paulette on keyboards & Tim again on Bass.


Previous to The Shy Tots, Tim had also played on the (1978) Charlie Webster – No Horse Town LP & post Dee & The Cheetahs he took over bass duties from Mathew Seligman in the Louth (Lincolnshire) band Still Life. He currently gives Bass tuition if your interested in a new career

For a while I wondered if  Dee was the same singer as in Dee & The Monitors (apparently not!)

You To Me & Touch Me are both on You Tube to save you downloading the tracks

Scans & Sounds

Look Back In Anger - Caprice (1981)

b/w - Mannequin (Double A Side)

I was asked for this a few months back (I'm not sure why as it has already been posted elsewhere) however on looking around it seems the information is quite scattered so...

Firstly this is Post Punk / Goth so now you know (honestly, I saw this being sold as powerpop a few months back)

The Hampshire (Waterlooville*) based band began life in 1980 whilst studying for A levels at Havant College to create a "musical version of the eponymous John Osbourne play." (their 1st public appearance being at the Merchistoun Hall in Horndean, performing a subdued synth-based set that included a cover version of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”)

The band then were Michelle Ebeling (Voc), Jim Newby (Guitar), Steve Butler (Bass, Keyboards), Rick Butler (Drums)

*I say Waterlooville based as three of the band lived there but Jim was from Swanmore - In the early days, rehearsals took place in the Butler Brothers record shop, Focus Sounds (yes in Waterlooville)

However by the recording of this 45 Rick had been replaced on the Drum stool by Gary Hawkins (ex - Clive Pig And The Hopeful Chinamen & The Oral Exciters)

After this recording the personel changed again to the more well known

Michelle Ebeling (Voc)

Jim Newby AKA Sean O'Farrell (Guitar)

Simon Tufnail (Bass)

Chris Pickford (Drums)

This was the line up that recorded

Cassette Single - Foxhunt / Life's Dispute - Stick It In Your Ears 1982 PLUG23  

12" - Flowers / Inamorata / Torment - Criminal Damage label jan 84 CRI 12 107

LP - Caprice - Criminal Damage label  in july 84 CRIMLP 118

 More info on this time of the band here & if you wanna hear more LBA  go here

Later 

Gary Hawkins joined  The Remayns & was a technical assistant for the Bam caruso record label

Jim Newby AKA Sean O'Farrell joined  The Fifteenth,  & Splashpool

Michelle Ebeling sang backing vocals  on Mankinds Audio Development + for The Cult (The Gimmick)  + Balaam and the Angel (She Knows)

If anyone wants to add to this please feel free to leave a comment

Sounds & Scans

Atom - Oh I'll Never Get Over You (1979)

b/w - I Could Never Take Her Away From You

Catchy as hell A-side from the pen of Claude Taylor - I warn you, once heard not forgotten!

It's hard to describe but I'd say a Bubblegum / Glam / New Wave Pub Rocker, which should cover it!

It's released on the Belgium / Holland label Lark

I can't tell you anything about the band except (I'm guessing here) that they were probably brought together for this release by Bobby Patrick & at least one of them is from our fair Isles.

The production (Tommy Boyce) / engineering (Phil Chapman) team are also of a decent calibre, with the tracks being licenced from Interworld Music Ltd (set up by John Velasco for the British end of the publishing house Bertelsmann Group (BMG), in 1977)

The B-side is an "Essex Boy" version of the (also 1979 released) USA Couchois Album track

Useless information -  Boyce & Chapman had earlier been the backroom boys for the Autographs 45

Sounds & Scans

Roy Hill - From The Bottom Of My Heart (1980)

b/w - And Two Three Four

Nice pop/rock on the A-side & an ever nicer track on the flip - I'd say someone had been listening to XTC.

I'm posting this as a follow on to an earlier post (you'll need to have a look to understand the next bit) The dead wax has HS 404 scratched out & 3 scratched in (someone really cocked up at the mastering / pressing stage)

If you want to know about Roy then there's a bio from May '78 in the download or a plethora of info here (strangely no mention of this 45 though)

There's a myspace that also fills in some of the gaps.

I suspect the players on this 45 were the same as those on the 2nd Peel session

Roy Hill (Guitar Voc)
John Knightsbridge (Guitar)
Chas Cronk (Bass)
Tony Fernandez (Drums)
Mike Taylor (Keyboards Voc)
Peter "Bimbo" Acock (Sax Voc)

Early Discography

Marionettes / More - Arista Records (1978)
George's Bar / He's Coming Back - Arista Records (1978)
Roy Hill - Arista Records (1978) LP
I Like, I Like, I Like / Taller Of The Two - Arista Records (1978)
From The Bottom Of My Heart / And Two Three Four - Scratch Records (1980)
Vancouver Nights / Can You Hear Me Callin' - Attic Records (Canada Only) (1981)

Peel Sessions

It Can Take A Lifetime / Melody Avenue / I Like, I Like, I Like / More / It's Only My Life - Recorded 12-06-78 / Aired 27-06-78
[players - Roy Hill (Guitar voc), Ross McGenny (Guitar), Gary Twigg (Bass), Colin Wilkinson (D), Mike Taylor (K), Peter Acock (Sax)]
Baby Don't Pretend / Small Adventurer / The Loser / TV Detective -
Recorded 02-04-79 / Aired 09-04-79
[players -Already mentioned above]

Sounds & Scans