Nigel Simpkins, (real name
Martin 'Cally' Callomon) started off as the drummer and songwriter for 70s punk band The Bears and 80s indie band The Tea Set. Formerly manager to Julian Cope whom he signed to Island, Cally also was the co-founder of Bam-Caruso Records, A&R for EastWest/WEA and head of Island Art, Island Records' art department. He is the executor of Nick Drake's estate. He currently works for the Bill Drummond arts project Penkiln Burn.
Nigel Simpkins had released the first ever sampling record in 1978, to tremendous applause from the underground scene. "Time’s Encounter" (the A-side of single 'X. ENC.') had taken a drum demonstration record and added snippets of every hip record in the world to its Krautrock stew. The sleeve featured Nigel as a guy with 'Madcap Laughs'-period Syd Barrett hair, wearing seven pairs of shades at the same time -it was an image that Robyn Hitchcock would copy a year or so later.
The Reflections were a parallel group of Alternative TV members. From 1981 to 1982 Mark Perry had this new project, a band with Nag from The Door and the Window, Karl Blake (of Lemon Kittens) and Grant Showbiz, among others. They released one album, 'Slugs and Toads', and a single, '4 Countries', before disintegrating. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
In 1978 School Meals released their one and only single, a double A side 'Headmaster b/w Such A Spiv', recorded on an 4 track at John Rivers' original Woodbine Studio in Woodbine Street, Leamington Spa. With limited resources, 500 copies were pressed and they set about flogging them at gigs, around various vinyl emporia and even by post if you sent a postal order. While this record received glowing praise from the press, including an amusing plug from John Peel, it was also the subject of a court injuction from a defunct kiddies theatre group who had been calling themselves School Meals. A writ was duly served forbidding the use of the the name School Meals until the case could be settled in court. Amongst the legal verbiage in the writ were the words "School Meals who shall henceforth be known as the defendants". So we got out their crayons and hurridly created a new logo, printed up a load of Defendants stickers and set about obscuring the original artwork on the remaining 350 singles. [SOURCE: WEB ARCHIVE]
Sara Goes Pop was Sara (Sara Fancy) and Amos (a.k.a. L. Voag, real name: Jim Welton) from The Homosexuals. They released a self-titled double 7" in 1982 on the It's War Boys label.
These songs sometimes appear credited to Amos & Sara / Amos and Sara but should be retagged as they were a separate release. [SOURCE: NTS]
The Seize was a late 70's / early 80's punk band from Reading in the UK who had a popular single called 'Why?'. They were formed
in 1979 by Colin Newton (vocals, bass), Andy Stafford (rhythm guitar), Julian Stafford (lead guitar) and David Newton (drums). In their music you can hear 70's roots, 80's cheekiness, post-punk angst, hardcore urgency, DIY charme and an almost tweeish poppiness. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]
The Scissor Fits were a post-punk English band founded in Hounslow in 1978. They are best known for their classic DIY punk single "I Don't Wanna Work for British Airways", which was recorded before they had appeared in public. A part-time member and occasional manager was Mike Alway, later famous for his A&R work with Cherry Red Records and Él.
The band comprised Nick East (vocals), Simon Ives (bass), Colin Roxborough (rhythm), Bud Drago (drums) and Vic Watson (lead) in the early days. When Drago returned to his native US he was replaced by drummer Pete Garrard.
[SOURCE: LAST.FM]
The Rest
formed in London
in 1979. Members were Norman Webb, Ian Morton Jones, Simon Mathews (also member of The Colours), Simon Davidson and Tony Beech. They released two 7" singles on their own Shooting Star Records label, 'Carnival' in 1979, and 'My House' in 1980.
Sema 4 formed in the late '70's by Steve Gibson and David (Jock) Marston; they were an offspring of two bands. Jock and Steve had both been in a band called Stratford Canning with two other members, Dave (Fawlty) Sollitt and Mick Gregg. Then the York scene took off with bands like Cyanide, The Jermz, etc. and Jock was a former member of Cyanide who had considerable success nationwide.
However Jock decided that he had to make a decision about his future and quit Cyanide to form Sema 4 with Steve and Geoff Hardaker, just gigging around the local area. Sema 4 then took the York scene by storm and released two EP's which were both limited editions, numbered, signed, etc. which were received really well, and are now in real demand.
Their songs, written and produced by the band were short catchy Punky / Mod type with a Jam feel to them.
The band split due to musical differences and Jock went on to be part of The Pullovers with Dave Astley, also in Our 15 Minutes.
Unfortunately after the band split, Jock was tragically killed in a car accident, hence the 'In Memory Of...' final versions of Sema 4 stuff released by Detour Records in 1997 on both LP Vinyl and CD, including all their recorded, two unreleased studio tracks and some live stuff never before released. [SOURCE: BORED TEENAGERS]
Reptile Ranch were a Welsh post-punk band active in the late-‘70s/early-‘80s U.K. DIY scene. Like Wire and The Fall, theirs was a singular sound with guitars that often weaved together in odd, intricate ways, sometimes accompanied by percussion, and off-the-beaten-path song structures. They released two singles, 'Animal Noises' and 'Don’t Give the Lifeguard a Second Chance'. True to their era, the music is a bit challenging in spots, especially in this era where so much of the “alternative” has been commodified into camps that too often reward homogeneity, but there is much in both interesting listening and influence that can be gleaned here for those looking for sounds outside the box a bit. [SOURCE: RAZORCAKE]
Friends Tom Cannavan and Frank Quadrelli had written songs and played together in various school bands before discovering punk and going on to create Restricted Code in 1978. Influences were pretty eclectic from punk (big Sex Pistols fans) to New Wave (Talking Heads, Magazine, etc.) to funk and soul (Chic, Otis Reading, etc.).
In 1979 the band got together with fellow Glaswegian bands Positive Noise and The Alleged to release an EP called 'Second City Statik', which enjoyed considerable critical acclaim. Even as 'Second City Statik' climbed the indie charts, the band recorded further demos in search of a deal. In 1980 they got a call from Bob Last, manager of The Human League and the man whose Fast Product label released seminal records by The Gang of Four, The Mekons and Joy Division. Last loved the demos, and after arranging a showcase gig, he became their manager and signed them to his new record label, Pop:aural.
Restricted Code released two further records on Pop:aural and toured extensively, including supporting The Human League in the UK and Europe and a nationwide tour with the Fire Engines, label-mates at Pop:aural. They recorded sessions for John Peel and Richard Skinner at the BBC.
Aged just 17 at the time, the increasing touring committments led to drummer Robert McCormick’s decision to quit the band, being repaced by Steve Lironi. Restricted Code enjoyed fantastic critical success and something of a ‘cult’ following. Paul Morley in NME picked them as “band most likely to…”; in 1981 Sounds music paper claimed they delivered the “best gig of 1981”, and there were rave reviews and extensive features in magazines including The Face and Melody Maker. As one of the hottest up-and-coming bands around, one memorable gig at The Embassy Club in London saw a who’s who of musical faces in the audience including John Peel, Debbie Harry, Frank Zappa, Julian Cope and members of The Sex Pistols and dozens of other bands. There were also, as one magazine reported at the time, “dozens of record company A&R people.”
Despite the critical acclaim, an extremely loyal fan-base and universal praise for their live gigs, the band didn’t sell the volume of records that they, or their record company, expected. The single 'First Night On' topped the NME indy charts -but that didn’t mean huge sales in 1980- and while 'Love to Meet You' sold well, it didn’t break though into top 40 success.
The band split up late in 1981, perhaps down to the pressures of not
acheiving real breakthrough success despite such critical acclaim. Each
of the members formed or joined other bands in and around Glasgow and
Edinburgh, with some success. But life moved on, with the members
developing careers in everything from teaching to aircraft engineering. [SOURCE: RESTRICTED CODE]
Reacta was a Punk Rock band from West London, formed in April 1978 by brothers Gerard Bennett (bass, vocals) and John Bennett (drums), together with Mark Denn (guitar) and Adrian Owalaka (guitar). They only released the 7" single 'Stop The World / SUS' in 1978 on Battery Operated Records, label founded by Daniel Treacy, core member of the Television Personalities. Gerry and John Bennett were also members of
'O' Level, Teen '78 and Television Personalities.
Reducers were a Punk band from Bury, Lancashire, formed in mid 1977 and signed to Vibes Records. They debuted with the 7" 'Things Go Wrong / We Are Normal' (Vibes, 1978), a classic mid tempo with a grungy bass driven single a la Stranglers with Lou Reed's "Vicious" melody with a lovely bored "1,2,3 4" intro. Extremely catchy melodic punk. Another single, 'Man With A Gun / Vengeance / Can't Stop Now' (Vibes, 1979) came with a sticker and strangely had A Side played at 45RPM and the B Side at 33RPM. The B Side tracks are the more interesting.
One more single followed, 'Airwaves', from 1980 when the band had surprisingly signed to EMI and were suddenly a synth pop band. [SOURCE: PUNK77]
The Scabs were all university students in Exeter with with very varying degrees of musical ability but but that wasn't the point. They only lasted about 18 months and apart from a few support slots (including The Members) and a final tour in the summer of 79, the 'EP', their only recording, was the highlight. All four tracks were recorded and mixed in four hours in a shed of a studio in West London as part of one of those all-in recording & pressing deals and released on the studio's own Clubland label. The first pressing was issued with a red and blue cover, this quickly sold out and there were two further pressings of 500 each, but with red and black covers. It sold quite well outside Exeter after some favourable music press coverage, although Melody Maker were very sniffy, dismissing us as being merely "college punks". Rough Trade and Virgin picked up on it for distribution and one or two of the tracks have ended up on numerous punk compilations.
Live they were always a quartet, although on the 'EP' they roped in a sax player. They didn't play much outside of Exeter, apart from their swansong tour of places such as Bradford and Bicester. They had about 10 of their own songs and also covered "I'm A Believer" (The Monkees), "Let's Dance" (Chris Montez) and "Swallow My Pride" (The Ramones). Drummer Patrick Cunningham and bassist Steve Pardoe went on to form a ska-pop band called The M5's. [SOURCE: BORED TEENAGERS]
Six Minute War
was an Anarcho-Punk band formed
in 1979 in London and disbanded
in 1981. Members were
Egg [Steve Key] (vocals, bass), Dog [Rob Taylor] (bass, vocals), Charlie "Chaz" Deane (guitar, vocals), and Dave Deane (drums). Rob Taylor started here as a member of several punk and industrial bands (Concrete, Fallout, 400 Blows), then produced some UK techno / breakbeat / hardcore in the early '90s with Andrew E Beer. A few years later he met the originators of the Fifth Era doomcore project. He founded the eponymous label and eventually became the main composer and live performer behind that project.
Royston (aka The Different I's)
were an English punk band formed by vocalist Royston Fitzgerald, bassist Simon Gilham (later on to form new wave band Intaferon), drummer Des McManus and guitarist Geoff Watts. They released the split 7'' with The Different Eyes 'Shish EP' in 1979 on Tuzmadoner Recordson a pressing of 1,000 copies. The Royston tracks have The Different Eyes as a backing band.
In 1983 they released the 7" 'Long Distance Love' on the Oxford label VM Records.
Basically The Scrotum Poles were a punk / DIY band from Dundee, Scotland, in the style of the Television Personalities and had one single -'Revelation' (self-funded)- which sold about a thousand copies. The group amassed a small but vocal following around Tayside and split up in 1981. Band members went on to play in Pigs are Cute / AAGA / Synthetic Dreams and The Summerbees (featuring Red Snapper and Beth Orton bassist Ali Friend). Incidentally bass player Steve Grimmond went on to be Director of Music and Art and Cultural Services at Dundee District Council. [SOURCE: PUNK77]
Praxis is the name of an experimental rock project, led by producer / bassist Bill Laswell and featuring guitarist Buckethead and drummer Brain in nearly every incarnation of the band.
Bill Laswell initially used the name Praxis for an experimental solo EP recorded for Celluloid Records in 1984, simply named '1984'.
The band's debut album, 'Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis)', released in 1992, was well received by critics. Praxis was composed of guitarist Buckethead, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, drummer Brain, bassist Bootsy Collins and Afrika Baby Bam as "AF Next Man Flip" on turntables. Bill Laswell masterminded the project and served as producer and co-writer of much of the album's material. Praxis combined elements of different musical genres such as funk, jazz, hip-hop and heavy metal into highly improvised music. The P-Funk-inspired track "Animal Behavior," with a lead vocal from Collins, was released as a single. A video was also shot for the track.
Their next studio album, 'Sacrifist', was released two years later on the new Laswell-led label Subharmonic and featured a rotating roster of guests including sax player John Zorn, drummer Mick Harris from Painkiller, and members of the band Blind Idiot God. The death metal-influenced album was not as acclaimed as their debut.
The same year saw the album 'Metatron', with a trio of Buckethead, Laswell and Brain, which included the song "Wake the Dead."
In 1996 the band toured Europe and recorded two live albums called 'Live in Poland' and 'Transmutation Live' containing material from shows in Zürich and Warsaw. Both albums featured members of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz. After the shows, the project broke up.
In 1997, Bill Laswell re-released his '1984'. This was followed by the album 'Mold' with Pat Thrall, Peter Wetherbee and Alex Haas instead of Buckethead, Brain and Bernie Worrell respectively. The album was essentially somewhat of a remix album with Wetherbee and crew taking elements from '1984' and crafting a full-length release. Laswell's involvement with this album was minimal. In 1998, Laswell contributed "Dreadnot" to the compilation 'Abstract Depressionism'. Though labeled a Praxis track, this was essentially a solo Laswell creation.
In the same year a first compilation album also containing two songs from the Death Cube K album 'Dreamatorium' (Death Cube K is an anagram of Buckethead) was made available.
In 1999, a re-worked version of 'Live in Poland' was released as 'Warszawa'. Little was heard of the band for the next years, while Brain and Buckethead played for Guns N' Roses and Laswell concentrated more on his dub releases.
Most original members reunited for a small tour in 2004 culminating in their appearance as part of a Bill Laswell themed episode of the PBS series Soundstage. Laswell also began working on their next studio album 'Profanation (Preparation for a Coming Darkness)', but due to the label (Sanctuary) going broke the project was put on hold for about three years.
In 2005 'Transmutation Live' was re-worked and re-released as Zurich. Another live album called 'Tennessee 2004' was released in 2007 which was a truncated version of a longer show performed at the Bonnarroo festival.
On 5 April 2005, Laswell performed a 2-hour concert at WTTW Stusios, Chicago with three incarnations of his groups: Tabla Beat Science (with Zakir Hussein, Ustad Sultan Khan, DJ Disk, Karsh Kale, Selim Merchant and Nils Petter Molvaer), Material (with Pharoah Sanders, Foday Musa Suso, Hamid Drake, Aïyb Dieng and Abegasu Shiota) and Praxis (with Buckethead, Brain and Toshinori Kondo), with Bootsy Collins performing MC duties at its climax. An hour long edit was broadcast on the Soundstage series on 13 July 2006.
On January 1, 2008 the studio album 'Profanation (Preparation for a Coming Darkness)' was released in Japan with guest contributions by Serj Tankian, Mike Patton and Iggy Pop as well as Buckethead's old friend Maximum Bob and many more.
In early 2011, 'Profanation' was re-released on Bill Laswell's new M.O.D. Technologies label with two additional live tracks. Later that month Bill Laswell stated in an interview that there was likely no more future for the band. M.O.D. Technologies also released a vinyl version of 'Profanation' in April 2013.
In 2015, the band released a new album entitled 'Sound Virus'.
In 2022, Bill Laswell, Buckethead and Brain returned to the stage as Praxis to play two shows in New York. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
A group formed in 1983 by the artist Afrika Bambaataa shortly after he began collaborating with the producer Bill Laswell on the Celluloid Records label, Shango is the meaning, tradition and practice of funk, as interpreted by Afrika Bambaataa and Material; dance-hit singles, horns, and Bernard Fowler.
