Troy Tate - Lifeline (1982)

In January 1982 Troy Tate, still with the Teardrop Explodes, released his second single:

Lifeline (1982)
- Lifeline (Hold on to That)
- Kamikaze
- Thomas (Moonbase version)

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NME dismissed the release follows:
‘Troy Teardrop loks in no mind to neglect his solo sideline. Pity that this ‘interesting’ cut does nothing much to establish an identity for him. Better is b-side ‘Thomas’, a version of his last and first solo single’ (NME, Feb. 27, 1982).

Tate talked about the single and much more in an interview with Ray Brittlewink of Merseysound (November 1981).

‘Q. What’s the title of the next single you have worked on and who plays on it?
‘A. The A-side is Lifeline and the b-side will be Kamkazzi (sic) – on those sessions were Rolo (Wild Swans), Dave Balfe, and a girl called Virginia Ashley (sic, a.k.a. Virginia Astley) who played on Townsend’s latest LP, she has done some singing on that. And I’ve got Joe Musker on the b-side – he would have been on the a-side but he couldn’t make it. So we used Ally Patterson from TV21 who was at Rockfield Studios at the time, and we were friends and liked what he had done with TV21, and he and I had been in Shake together as well, so it seemed pointless ringing Pete Kershew up who I usually work with to come down when Ally could do the job, plus we had planned to do a single together for a long time anyway, and now was our chance. […]

‘Q. If you wouldn’t have joined Teardrop what do you think you would have been doing now?
‘A. I would have been doing my own stuff, I think, and formed a band around that. Because there aren’t that many bands that I would like to join really and there isn’t that much choice when you think about it. And it’s just that everything’s gone well, and this year’s been like a dream come true. […]

‘Q. Is ‘Thomas’ about a certain person or just fictitious?
‘A. No. It’s not about anyone in particular that I know. I suppose it could be about friends but also about your own self, just how fate sets you up in certain situations. […] I wanted a short story line for it which it is. And again it was interesting to use someone different. Like in Teardrop you all rehearse together and you know everything but when you get someone who doesn’t know the songs it’s harder but more exciting. See, I can do that because I do one thing with Teardrop which I enjoy and then I do my own stuff and experiment with other people and I feel lucky in that respect.

‘Q. Do you find working with people you know better than with someone new?
‘A. No, if I had the time I would like to use all different musicians. Like I don’t like starting with a set idea about a song anyway and stick to saying from the start it[‘s] going to be like this or that. Like with ‘Thomas’, that was called Missile Time before I changed it.

‘Q. Were you disappointed over Thomas not being more of a success?
‘A. I wasn’t say disappointed over it not getting a chart entry. I was more fed up that it didn’t get any radio play, because we thought it was a good record, and the things that I have done say with Teardrop, TV21 and Shake had all done OK, and I thought this would. Mind you there is the possibility everyone thought it was shit so they didn’t play it.

‘Q. What are your plans for an album and solo dates?
‘A. Well I would like to do them but, like the single, I would do it when say I have something to say and the time. Because like next we’re doing the Teardrop LP and maybe some dates, then I wouldn’t mind two weeks off and stop having so much fun’ […]

‘Q. Who’s your main influence?
‘A. John Lennon and anyone else who’s been good. I know Lennon is an obvious answer, but he had a gutsy and intelligent way about him. I don’t like anything too bland.

‘Q. What do you think of Liverpool and the so-called scene?
‘A. It’s great the people are so alive and open about things, and even if people don’t like you they say well fuck you. And I love the girls here and everyone has their own different thing. Even when people are depressed here they have time to laugh, like where I cam from, Yorkshire. I love London, but here things are on a smaller scale so you can get around quicker like when I lived in Edinburgh.’

(Merseysound #19, November 1981)


Lifeline can be found here (thanks to our friends at fade2gray)