Time Wasters - Kool Love (1979)

b/w - You Came Home

Great Mod / Powerpop from this Staffordshire area 4 peice [1978-82]


Tim Pye (Voc, Guitar)
Mark "Benny" Bates (Guitar Voc)
Jon Pye (Bass Voc)
Fred Skidmore (Drums)

There is a long convoluted history to this band which I'll try to make short.

In 1974 Greg Holt became Music Tutor at Sandwell's Residential Arts Centre, Ingestre Hall. The Centre, near Stafford was the former ancestral home of the Earl of Shrewsbury. Pupils from schools throughout Sandwell spent five days on creative workshops in Music, Art or Drama. This is where Greg recruited the members of the Time Wasters, the main purpose being to encourage their musical development collectively and as individuals. They mostly did not know each other before joining the group.

In 1977, Greg made a Folkie Supergroup by recruiting the best students [9 in total] to record an LP

Time Wasters [Personal Records STICKY 1] 1978 Smile/Won't Find Another/Maybe Next Time/Won't Get To Heaven/Balloons/The Same Again//Not Fit For Your Love/The Cost You Have Paid/Keep Me Hanging On/Last Words/Seventh Wave/Change My Mind

The Band were:Tim Pye (Vocals, Lead Guitar, Slide Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar), Dave Beale (Vocals, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar), Chris Stevens (Vocals, Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Harmonica), Pete Ralley (Bass Guitar), Fred Skidmore (Drums, Electric Piano), Pauline Taylor (Vocals, Percussion), Ken Barnsley (Double Bass), Phil Jones (Alto Saxophone), Chris Burton (Flute) + Greg Holt (Vocals, Drums, Congas, Synthesizer)

Over the years the pool of musicians continued to change, with some who had missed the LP sessions returning and several new people being added. There were different performing combinations according to the occasion. Two of those who were on the 1st LP (Tim Pye & Fred Skidmore) and two who had missed the sessions (Jon Pye and Benny Bates) went professional with the name & scored a recording deal with Ariola.

Even after this incarnation more recordings were made under the name at Ingestre Hall until Greg left at the end of 1983 (going to Aston University Arts Centre) and from then on, to this day, multiple home-made albums have been made by several former Time Wasters.

Discography [all Germany only releases]

7" Kool Love/You Came Home [Ariola 101 127 100] 1979

7" Bad Girls/Judgement Chair [Ariola 103 026 100] 1981

LP On The Street [Ariola 203 544-320] 1981

Rita (What's In A Name)/Bad Girls/Judgement Chair/It Can't Be Love/Ask Me//
On The Street/Loose/Best Friends/Cupid Girls/My World/Linda Don't Go

Useless Info 1 - Greg coined the band name as a joke based on newspaper ads of the day for musicians to join bands, that would sometimes end with "No Time Wasters"! So Greg called them "Time Wasters Only" with the generic name for any of the musicians in the group beconing “Time Wasters”

Useless info 2 - when this incarnation of this band folded (1982) some of them became Alvin Stardust's backing/touring band. Tim writing at least 1 song for him "In The Morning"

Useless Info 3 - On The Street [The Title track from the 1981 LP is comped on Powerpearls 5]

If anyone can send me MP3's Of the LP On The Street - I'll add it to the link

Sound & Scans