The Precautions (1980-83)

The Precaution, form Ellesmere Port, formed in 1980 and included Ian Wilson (vocals, later Action Transfers, now running Whitby Studios), Steve Coughton (aka Steve Coughlan, guitars, later Lilac Trumpets), Neil Senior (bass, later Lilac Trumpets), Dave Cooil (drums). They started doing cover-versions of Joe Jackson and Tom Petty numbers, then started writing their own material (a shift which the band thought of signaling by a change of name, one possibility being Toga Party). They recorded demos at Cargo studio in Manchester and at Amazon in Liverpool and released a three-track tape in 1982 (including Modesty Blaise, Safe Inside, Leeks on Mount Fiji), and gigged all over the country (supported Afraid of Mice at the Wharehouse). Inevitable Records was interested in signing them and they were to be featured on a Skeleton compilation, but nothing came of both. 

The Precaution “established a slight reputation within the small confines of Ellesmere Port. Coach trips have been organized to watch them at the Moonlight Club in London, their logo appears in graffiti all over the town centre and record shops display publicity photos” (Merseysound #1, January 1982)

By 1983 things started to change. According to their manager A.N. Jones:

‘They were one of the most promising act I ever worked with but due to general disorganisation within the group it never went further. I managed to secure them support dates with Siouxsie and the Banshees (Devon, 83), Blue Rondo (Manchester, 83), Claire Hamill (London, 83) and Icicle Works (several dates).

‘All these dates apart from one with the Icicle Works were blown out due to Dave Cooil deciding he wanted to leave just one week before the Siouxsie date. The biggest tragedy was that he never gave us a reason as to why he was leaving and it was just too short notice to get a replacement! It was eventually found in Tony Elson from the System, but this only lasted for one gig – Ellesmere Port. For this date the group also had the group also had a keyboard player called Ian [Lewis (keyboards, later Lilac Trumpets, Alternative Radio)]. That date was pretty shambolic and it could be seen that this lineup would not last and slowly the band crumbled.

‘A long period of inactivity followed until late ’83, when Ian Wilson went on to join the Action Transfers as second vocalist to Dave Whibberley and Neil and Steve went on to form the Lilac Trumpets’

No audio material seems to have survived.

Big In Japan - Cindy And The Barbi Dolls

Sons of Egypt - Shake Shake

Ellery Bop - Torn Apart

 

Thanks to Jamie and Thud

Western Promise - Justice (1985) [Re-Up]

Western Promise formed during the summer 1983 when four Birkenhead lads coming from different musical experiences met. John McGlone, previously with Fingerprint File and Tears of Joy, would front the band on vocals and guitars. Dave King, formerly with Choir Boys, Ulterior Motive and Five Play Dutch, joined on bass. Mick Clarke, former Frets, Harmonics, Fourmers, Forgotten Image, Second to None, Suspected Greenhouse, and also Five Play Dutch, would play the drums. Phil Fowler (later Thomas Lang) would be the second guitar and keyboard player. The group started off by writing and playing punk and hard rock -oriented numbers, performed in way heavily influenced by the Psychedelic Furs and Pil, and established their identity as a political band. In 1983 Phil Morton wrote about them: “Each member is a committed socialist dedicated to spreading their message through the power and passion of their music. Each member comes from the poorest and roughest places on both sides of the river Mersey”. This line-up only release a demo tape (featuring Uncle Joe / I’ve Been Waiting / Katyn Wood / The Hot Rain / Steelyard). In 1984 Clarke left the band for Shell Collectors (then would join Jenny Lind and Fallen People) and, in December 1984, his place was taken by Sean Butler (formerly with Change to the East). The band released its first single in April 1985.

Justice (1985)
- Promise Land
- Justice
- All Souls Day
- Uncle Joe

here

Where's the Beach - Peel Sessions (1989-92)

After the release of the track Tripping the LUV Fantastic for the Freak Beats compilation, John Peel got in touch and booked Where's the Beach - Peter Jones and Adam Marshall - for a first session, which was recorded on August 1st 1989 at Maida Vale Studios, with Dale Griffin producin and Mick Robinson engineering. Chloe Mac was on vocals. At the time the band only had three number, which clashed with the four-number format of a Radio One Session. Jones and Marshall wanted to record a version of the Cabaret Voltaire classic Nag Nag Nag but Dale Griffin cut the session short and only three tracks were recorded, namely the two songs from Freak Beats (Tripping The Love Fantastic, Deliciously Deranged) and a version of their soon-to-be first single Suakin (pronounced Sue-R-Kin). Peel loved the session and played it three times once being in his best-of-the-year round-up in December. Rumours have it that WTB never regained the raw energy that was captured on that session, mainly due to the equipment not being very good and slack midi timings caused by connecting things up incorrectly. The session aired on Augusr 31st, 1989.

Exactly one year later, after the release of the band's first single (Suakin), John Peel booked again the band for a second session (of which he said: "I can't understand why this band aren't what you kids call MEGA"). Marshall, Jones and vocalist Angie Summons on August 19th recorded three tracks (Feed The Fire, Chaos At The Axe Factory (Inst),Mega Armagedron Death / Yankamantra) which then aired on September 26th.

The third session for John Peel was recorded after the release of their third single (Sex Slave Zombie), in 1992. On October 11th Jones and Marshall gathered ay Maida Vale Studios, this time with Mike Engles producing and Andrew Rogers angineering, and recorded four new tracks (Unstoppable, Sex Slave Zombie Part Two, Oasis, Pop Killer). This session was finally aired on December 4th 1992.

trippin the luv fantastic (peel)

third peel

(Thanks to Angie for the pic!!)

Where’s the Beach - Some Recordings (1989-92)

Where's The Beach were formed in late 1987 in Liverpool when two ex-students working on synths and samples out of an attic on Canning St., Pete Jones and Adam Marshall (also with Elliptical Trampolines, Frontiers of Chaos, Cindy and the Barbie Dolls, Flaccid Botulists Incorperated and Machine Age Voodoo) first heard the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu's ‘The Queen and I’. Jones and Marshall soon enlisted Chloe Mac on vocals, playing their first Liverpool gig in the Jacoranda Club on 3rd February 1989.

The band got their first big break when Radio Lancashire's seminal On The Wire radio show played all the tracks from the bands first porta-studio demo. Alison Martin of Scam Records heard the tracks and got the band to supply two songs for the Freak Beats compilation. Since all other bands on the album provided only one number, one of the songs by Where's The Beach, Deliciously Deranged, was credited to The Elliptical Trampolines, (or the Convoluted Pullovers as John Peel called them). The bands looked destined for the big time after having their other Freak Beats track, Tripping The LUV Fantastic (aka Trippin the Love Fantastic, as credited on the LP cover), broadcast on daytime Radio Ones' Newsbeat program.

WTB got a gig at the 'Greetings' Festival Festival in Florence, Italy supporting The Residents. Things went badly and Chloe Mac left the band as soon as the gig finished. When they arrived back in the UK the band began the search for a new singer. In the end Angie Sammons was recruited.

In 1990 the band quickly put together enough tracks to make up a mini LP and recorded it in a small studio in Liverpool (the tracks were Suakin, Feed The Fire, Tripping The LUV Fantastic, Swallow Me, No Liberty, Metal Machine). Most of the songs were not considered good enough, so a 12 inch single was released instead containing Suakin, Feed The Fire, Tripping The LUV Fantastic. The single gained absolutely ecstatic reviews in Music Week and Sounds. Music Week described it as "the first proper acid crossover record" and Sounds stated quite categorically that "This band are going to be massive". The band also recorded Suakin for an appearance on Granada TV.

At around that time Sammons left the group. ('WTB were writing mainly instrumentals when I went away [...] and I had only about three numbers to do on a gig, so it was just an evolution really. I didn't say, I'm leaving, they didn't say you're going.'). Nonetheless WTB were soon hard at work, releasing a second single, Primeval Goddess (backed with Liberty and a re-recorded version of Deliciously Deranged).

In 1992 they released their third single Sex Slave Zombie (containing Sex Slave Zombie 1 and 2,  Minutes to Bomb (Live) and Kaos at the Axe Factory), which was single of the week in NME.

In the mid-nineties the band provided the song LA (Drudge Nation) for the LP Evening We Are Not The Fall, and later released the cassette Sous les PAves, la Plage (containing among others Manta Ray, Malibu Stacey Theme, Zoner, Universe, Bodfar, Yankamantra).

trippin the love fantastic

primeval goddess

(see also:

http://www.myspace.com/wheresthebeachmusic

http://users.ox.ac.uk/~adamm/personal/wtb/wtbhomep.htm )