No Exit - Discography (1981-1985)

The band formed around 1978 when Graham Trust (vocals, bass, later with The Vow) joined school mates Martyn Gilbert (guitar), Pete Creswell (vocals) and Nic Corke (drums), but the line-up became stable in 1980 as a trio after Creswell and Corke left, and Perry Leach joined (drums). The band, influenced by acts like the Jams, the Police, Elvis Costello, and Joe Jackson, gigged extensively in the North building up a loyal following. This line-up recorded and released their first single in August 1983, which got a lot of airplay from local radios and from John Peel on Radio 1:

Casablancan Nights (1983)
- Casablancan Nights
- Anything You Say


In the same year Leach left to become a full member of Danse Macabre (see post below) and was replaced by Colin McCormick (later Cracked Actor). A compilation tape collecting all the material recorded by both line-ups was released in 1985. According to the review of the time, the tracklist is as follows:

Songs fro the Wilderness (1985):
- The Real World
- White Man
- The Stories You Tell
- Don’t Call Me Grapevive Face
- Now You’re Talking
- Hero
- Martyn’s Brain
- In the Dark

In the link below the track-list is slightly different, but the ‘missing’ songs can be found in the Oddments and Sodments’ folder.

http://www.noexit-thevow.co.uk/lyrics/songsfromthewilderness/index

For an extensive biography of the band, see the following web page:

http://www.noexit-thevow.co.uk/history/childhood

(Thanks Graham for the site. I wish more bands had webpages like this…)

Danse Macabre - On No! Not I! (1983)

Danse Macabre was formed by Pete Chegwin (keyboards, former Ex Post Facto, then Oceanic Explorers), Karl Anthony (bass, later Cair Paravel), Paul McNeil (guitar), Graham Gallant (drums) then joined by Peter Carroll (vocals, at the same time in Visual Aids and Dark Continent), the most experienced member of the group, having spent two years with Visual Aids. This line-up recorded the band’s only single (“it was really a rush job!” remembers McNeil):


On No! Not I! (1983)
a. On No! Not I!
b. Angel


.
Soon after the single, drummer Gallant was asked to leave (and joined Straight Cuts) and Perry Leach (ex No Exit, later Dream Theatre) joined. In 1984 the band changed band and became Innervision.
PS. Liverpudlian Danse Macabre are not to be confused with the Belgian and Siouxsie and the Banshees’ clone band with the same name.

On No! Not I! (1983)

Holly - Hobo Joe (1980)

In 1980 Holly Johnson released his second solo single:

Hobo Joe (1980)
a. Hobo Joe
b. Stars of the Bars

Here are Johnson’s memories of the time:

“I was still going to Eric's occasionally to see Pete Fullwell. I persuaded him to record another `Holly' single I'd written called `Hobo Joe', which was recorded at the Cargo sixteen-track studios in Rochdale. I remember seeing Mark Smith from The Fall sitting in the small reception area. The lovely Gary Dwyer, the drummer from Teardrop Explodes, kindly played drums for me. Ian Broudie produced and played guitar and I played bass. We thought the result was quite good. Almost commercial.

Meanwhile Steve Lovell, a guitarist then in his mid-twenties who worked at Virgin record shop, rang me at home to ask me if I would sing on a songwriter's demo. He had heard 'Yankee Rose' and liked it. He then asked me if I wanted to form a band with him and Ambrose Reynolds, a bass player who had been in The Walkie Talkies, and had also played on `Black Leather' by Pete Burns's Nightmares in Wax, which had a great disco bassline and fabulous trashy lyrics.

We rehearsed in Hambi's basement with a drummer called Phil. Ambrose had the idea that I should play bass as well to create a rhythmic counterpoint. We booked a `gig' in the Masonic pub in town, but needed a name for the group in order to do this. In our rehearsal room someone had stuck a page from Guy Peelhaerts' book Rock Dreams. It was a painting of a newspaper front-cover, and the headline ran, `Frankie Goes Hollywood'. Underneath was a picture of Frank Sinatra getting off a plane. I added the `To' so that it scanned better, and we had a name.
Ironically this show never actually happened. I didn't really feel happy with the music we were making. Ambrose was a bit upset but accepted it in good grace. I planned to work further with Steve though. He seemed to me to be older and more sensible than most musicians I knew in Liverpool, so over the next few months I kept in touch with him. […]

Shortly after I moved into Grace's flat in Falkner Street, `Hobo Joe' was released, and got a few favourable reviews. It was the week that John Lennon died. I remember not really being affected by his death as I had not been of the generation who had idolised him. Marc Bolan's death had upset me more, even though I realise now that Lennon had a far greater influence on pop culture.” (A Bone in My Flute: 132-133)

“Around the time 'Hobo Joe' was released, someone from Granada Television came to Eric's in Liverpool They were looking for Northern bands to play on an arts programme called `Celebration'. I was chosen on the strength of my two singles on the Eric's label. Pete Burns's band were also chosen, but I can't remember what they were called at the time.
The day of the TV recording was Thursday, 30th of October 1980. I still have the daily call-sheet that Granada printed. It has my name at the top, then below, a cast list for `Coronation Street'. It was such a good experience for me, learning to react to the camera. The director had set up a rocking horse for me to sit on to sing `Yankee Rose'. On a blue screen in the background was projected an old Western. I sang in my quasi-cowboy outfit, playing an acoustic guitar, while the rocking horse wore sunglasses and had an arrow through its head. It was all very tongue-in-cheek. I came home on the train elated by the experience.” (ABIMF, 137)

hobo joe (1980)

Holly Johnson - Yankee Rose (1979)

Long before becoming Fankie Goes to Hollywood and shortly after the end of Big in Japan (and the imaginary The cSausages form Mars, with Jayne Casey), Holly Johnson was simply Holly, trying to work his way as a solo artist.
In November 1979 he released his first single, recorded with Mick Reid (on guitar), Rob Jones (percussions), Pete Wylie (keyboards), and Lori Lartey (of Lori and the Chameleons, on backing vocals):

Yankee Rose (1979):
a. Yankee Rose
b1. Treasure Island
b2. Desperate Dan

Here are Holly Johnson’s memories of those days:
“One night I left Gerald's house and walked home in the dark - about ten miles or more. On the way I wrote a song in my head. It was called 'Treasure island' and summed up my feelings about the situation I had just walked out of.

`Wasn't it enough to hurt me with the fact You wanted me to lie and listen to the act?'

This was the first time an idea for a song had come to me in this way. Usually I would sit with my guitar trying to put a melody to poems that I had already written. Now the lyrics and the melody seemed to come to me all at once. Over the next few weeks I worked out a few simple chords on the guitar to accompany myself.” (A Bone in My Flute: 111)

“I seemed to drift without direction for a while after Big In Japan, though still wanting to be a star, still writing songs on my acoustic guitar in between my social activities. At this point, Jayne kindly persuaded Pete Fullwell to record a Holly single. I creamed my jeans. I was going to make my very own record. This is one of my few memories of feeling truly elated. I was given a whole day in Amazons' eight track studio, which I was determined to make the most of. I recorded three songs: `Treasure Island', `Yankee Rose' and `Desperate Dan'.

`Treasure Island' was meant to be the A side. Ian Broudie was going to produce it, but he had to drop out due to other commitments, though he did give me some good ideas for arrangements, bass lines, backing vocals, etc. I got Lori Larty, a good friend of mine at that time, to do backing vocals. Pete Wiley contributed a bit of guitar on `Treasure Island' but didn't really understand the calypso feel of the song. I also got Wah Heats' keyboard player to add a string synth line.

To create a cinematic sound-scape on `Yankee Rose' I got people in the studio to play Cowboys and Indians. Pete Fullwell got down on his hands and knees and made horse noises with coconut shells. It was a bit unorthodox but a lot of fun. I would point at one set of people like a conductor and they would do their allotted thing. Someone tinkled onn an out-of-tune saloon piano and Wiley played harmonica. I used a tape loop to create the cowboy-on-the-range bass line as it was too difficult for me to play the monotonous line over and over in perfect time. Lori's `Yankee Rose' vocal line was meant to conjure up memories of `Johnny Remember A4e% Her voice really added something special. Pete Fullwell thought 'Yankee Rose' the best of the three songs, and I let him persuade me that it should be the A side, although 'Treasure Island' was a better song in my opinion.”

“I think I got an extra afternoon to mix everything, then there it was. For the sleeve, Bob Wakelin, a cartoonist and illustrator, created a drawing of my head with a glinting tooth smile. Lynched cowboys formed the background. I did some publicity photographs and created a photocopied mail out. The single got a favourable review in either NIVE or Melody Maker, but without a band I had no way of promoting it by playing live dates. This was a problem which I knew had to be solved eventually.
(ABIMF: 126-127)

yankee rose 1979

Nasty Pop - Mistaken I.D. (1977)

After the release of the first album John Heath left the band and was replaced by Steve Corduner (drums, ex Byzantium). This line up recorded a second single (Love in a Raw b/w Track You Down) in January 1977, by March of the same year the band’s second LP was issued. This time among the musicians involved there were Chris Mercer (on sax) and Martyn Ford (horns).

Mistaken I.D. (1977)

1. Dip My Pocket
2. Love In The Raw
3. Leave It Alone
4. Lone Wolf
5. You're Not The One
6. She's Mine
7. Mistaken Id
8. We Don't Wanna Die
9. Track You Down
10. Hold On
11. Keep Her Use Her
12. Leavin'

The only connection between the band and the incestuous Liverpool post-punk music scene is represented by the band’s afterlife: while Corduner and Wimhurst would join Twist in 1978, and much later Wilkinson joined Squeeze (1985), Steve Grace in 1978 joined a couple of unknown teenagers, Sue James and John Jones, in the Stopouts. The trio released one single and contributed a song to the compilation A Trip to the Dentist (see post below) and went as far as supporting Elvis Costello in some gigs. When Grace left the band in the summer of 1979 James and Jones teamed up with Adrian Mitchell and Marck Vormawah (later Personal Column) in the Upsets, who also had one song featured on the compilation A Trip to the Dentist. When the group disbanded Mitchell and James joined Pete Burns in Dead or Alive (see relevant posts below).

mistaken i.d. (1977)

Nasty Pop - Nasty Pop (1975)

Nasty Pop was one of the earlier pop rock band in Liverpool (1975-78) who had major success. The original line-up (1975-1976) gathered unsuspicious of what was going on in London at that time and of the major changes that punk would bring about in a few months time, and included Steve Grace (on guitar, later Stopouts, The Return of the Toreador), Keith Wilkinson (bass, vocals), Anthony Wimhurst (guitar), Jon Fitzpatrick (vocals, keyboards) and John Heath (drums), with the sporadic collaboration of Dick Cuthell (flute) and Gordon Smith (bottleneck). In October 1975 the band released the first single (Crow b/w Gracie), and some months later the first LP saw the light of day, mixed by Tony Visconti:

Nasty Pop (1975)

1. Stage & Plays
2. Play It Loud-I Don't Know
3. Pretty Author
4. Ballad Of Doodie Handstand
5. Ticking Fats
6. The Invisible Kid
7. Lady Sings
8. Lonely King
9. Airs & Graces
10. Crow
11. One Of Those Days
12. Country Lover

nastypop 1975

Dalek I - Naive (1986)

After the release of Dalek I Love You second album, in 1983, Alan Gill devoted some time in writing and recording the soundtrack for the film Letter to Breznhev (1985), even though, besides the title track, only another song (Lockets & Stars) is co-credited to Gill and Margi Clarke (who also features in the film).
In December Gill formed the Bop A Dub label in Birkenhead. Actually, it was a cooperative run by Gill and Jill Thompson, who previously worked for Inevitable records. Their manifesto read like this: “Bop A Dub is a co-operative of local musicians and non-musicians alike, who aim to bring music back to life by approaching Pop music from a different angle, a far departure from the typical Merseyside Sound, and a sense of humour so often lacking in modern music. The Bop a Dub label began in December 84 when Dalek I (sic) split (sic) and decided that it was not a good idea to work with Record Companies! They formed a co-operative with some other local musicians, of various experiences”.
Bop a Dub released a string of compilation-tapes of numerous unknown bands, which was for most of them their first and possibly only release. Among these acts there are Ecce Homo (Gordon Hon’s project), Nature Tablets (Kenny Peers’ project), Sex Tribe (Keith Hartley’s project, together with Peers), Chuca Russo (backing vocalist of Dalek’s albums and live sets), and other studio bands like Bop Co-Op, Robin Hood and Gimp Jizz with which Gill was also plying on an un-stable basis . Dalek I also contributed to these tapes:
- In June 1985 The Art of the Unemployed was released, featuring Dalek’s tracks All Lose Blues and Soldier of Love (both to appear on Naïve)
- In September 19985 D-Beat was released, featuring Garden of Delight, We Have Some Curious Infection, and No Reason (to my best knowledge all unreleased)
- In January 1986 Birkenhead Blues was released, featuring Dalek’s Birkenhead (otherwise unreleased) and Bad Science (later on Naïve).
But, most remarkably in May 1986 Naïve was released, a C90 cassette by Dalek I – the flavour of what could have been the third Dalek’s album.

Here’s the full track-list:

Naïve (1986)

1. Dawn
2. Wake Up
3. Into The Lion's Cage
4. Dig For Treasure
5. Shoe Song
6. This Perfect Life
7. All Lose Blues
8. Joe The Turtle Boy
9. Before The Gong
10. Soldier Of Love
11. Dulcetta
12. Osaki Pearls
13. Ridiculous Day
14. The Retailer's Dream

1. Bad Science
2. Little Green Monsters
3. Prince Of Clowns
4. There Is A Destiny
5. African Kings
6. Ad Men
7. Dandelion
8. The Vultures Of Cordoba
9. I Could Fall
10. Joy
11. Sunset

In October of the same year (after the release of Ecce Homo’s and Gardners’ tapes) a fourth cassette compilation was issued.
- Blue Vol. I, featuring Old Salmon Blues, I Use to See No Evil (both otherwise unreleased), and These Walls We Build (b-side to the Horrorscope single 1983).

In a 1986 interview Alan Gill confesses:
“The Liverpool music scene is something I’ve never felt a part of really, I’m a hermit myself & Dalek I have always been a small individual band. I don’t think we wanted success as much as the other bands, we were more into being arty or clever than famous. The whole thing seemed to me like a growing up process. In the beginning everybody was very idealistic & creative, then they were drawn to London and became boring!”
“I’m not really interested in working for a record company anymore, I’m much more interested in producing music that is individual and personal. I’ve always been interested in music not money, to me musci business is about money not music!”
“Dalek I still exists, but at the moment I’m the only member, at the moment I’m looking for singers. So hopefully in a few months the group will be a vocal group (for the next tape)”.
(…famous last words.)

For the Naïve cassette, visit this site:

http://www.dalekiloveyou.com/naive.htm


(For more info visit also: http://www.dalekiloveyou.com/
and the always informative: http://robinparmar.com/dalek-i-love-you.html )