Windows - Uppers on Downers (1981)

In September 1981 the Windows (Roddie Gilliard plus session musicians) released their first and only LP on Skeleton Records:

Uppers on Downers (1981):

- Immortal

- Toolbox Guitar

- Electric Cowboy

- Creation Rebel (aka Creation Dub)

- Prime Evil Scream

- Tenement Girl

- When the Music’s Over

The band gigged around the Liverpool area to promote the release. Here is how Merseysound (#18, September 1981) reviews the band’s gig at Kirklands:

‘Wondered how they would come over in Kirklands, but after brief nerves (on my part) I needn’t have worried. After the first song (back to the psychedelia boys) they continued strongly and atmospherically with a zippy rendition of Immortal followed by another newie about grass and trees. Other favourites from the album followed on with a familiar strains of My Guitar though I did think that sawing a piece of wood was a bad move especially not appreciated at Kirklands.

‘Despite a few drunk hecklers, a good number stayed enthralled. On stage Roddy and Steve came over as honest blokes, modest almost to the point of being shy, thus letting their music take your attention. I had reluctantly to tear myself away after Tenament Girl which seemed very different from the LP version. I left feeling pleaded and hoping that their live performance was a promise of good things to come’

In late 1981 Windows were history, and Roddie Gilliard would resurface in 1985 with the Munchies.

uod

Windows - Re-arrange (1981)

Windows were formed in 1980 by Roddie Gilliard (guitars, keyboards, voice, percussion, former Afraid of Mice), basically a solo project carried out through the aid of session musicians. The first release by the band − this time with Madtrax the Tank-driver on drums and Omega the Rainmaker on sax − was a rendition of When the Music’s Over for the compilation A Trip to the Dentist in May 1980. Almost a year later the band released their first fully fledged single, with Steve Cockrill (keyboards, guitar, vocals, from Geisha Girls) and Dave Morton (bass, guitar, keyboards and vocals), in August 1981:

Re-Arrange (18981)

- Re-Arrange

- Over Dub

Roger Hill’s review of the single reads as follows:

‘Watch out, ‘Ghost Town1’ This is spooky, has character, is bound to be hated by anybody who is allergic to ‘created’ sound, but has an A-side to compel the rest, whatever they make out of the typical Windows fuzzy-dub-without-the-reggae on the other side. I had hopes of this signle and wasn’t disappointed’ (Merseysound #17, August 1981).

re-arrange

Second to None (1982-1983)

Sefton band formed in late 1981. Three of the original members − Paul Masters (aka. Paul Marsters, guitar, vocals, former Shwerlemont & The Bad Spadges), Steve Swinnerton (guitars, former Frets, Harmonics, Fourmers, Between The Lines) and Mick Clarke (drums, former Frets, later Shell Collectors, Jenny Lind, Fallen People, Western Promise) − were together in the mod band Forgotten Image (1981-1982). When the act split Swinnerton and Clark played for a short time in Suspect Greenhouse (1982), before getting back together with Masters and bass-player Dave Deevey (bass) with a new band, Second to None. The band released one single in April 192:

Stop Thinking (1982)

- Stop Thinking

- I Don’t understand

Second to None disbanded in 1983. Clarke joined Western Promise, and Masters went on to form Blueprint.

secondtonone

Liverpool Rock Photography (Francesco Mellina)

Liverpool Eric's - The Book

A Game of Soldiers (1988)

On the band’s page that’s the only information to be found:

‘WE BEGAN IN THE EARLY 1980'S WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT LINE UPS.
WE GIGGED ALL AROUND LIVERPOOL. PUBS & CLUBS.
PLUMMERS, FIREHOUSE,
SULLIVANS, PEN & WIG,
MOUNTFORDHALL, DAYLEYS DANDILION, STAR & GARTER,
EVERYMAN BISTRO, VENUE, PYRAMID,
SYSTEM, ETC’

In 1988 the line-up consisting of Dave Lang (guitars), Gary Marshall (vocals, keyboards), and Johnny Morrison (bass) recorded and released the band’s first (and only?) single, produced by Keith Hartley and the band.

Big Bad Money World (1988)

- Big Bad Money World

- Heaven Is High

Material by the band (including the debut single) can be found here and here.

A Man Called Russell

Gordon Hon (former Dalek I Love You) writes:

‘I have had a cassette knocking around for more than 25 years of music by a man called Russell. It was recorded in his Birkenhead bedroom on a 4 track. I think he had a clerical job in the tax office. That’s all I know about him. I only met him once and I remember him as a nice chap. He gave copies of his tapes to Alan Gill who copied them for me. I have always really liked these songs. They have something of Half Man Half Biscuit’s humour but are musically more inventive. Anyway I have finally copied them & here they are in cyber space almost 30 years later. I wonder what happened to him. I didn’t have titles for the songs; all that was written on the tape was “Russell for Gordon” so I have invented them based on the lyrics or almost arbitrarily for the couple of instrumentals.’

russell

(Thanks to Gordon for making this material available)