The Wild Swans (1980-82)

The Wild Swans are one of the greatest "lost" bands of the Liverpool scene. Formed in 1980 by Paul Simpson (on vocals) who, after leaving The Teardrop Explodes (where he played keyboards) long before they even planned to record an album, teamed up with Jeremy (Jem) Kelly (guitar, ex Psycamesh, ex- Systems), and Gerard (Ged) Quinn (who had briefly replaced Simpson in the Teradrop on keyboards). The three-piece was assisted on drums by Justin Stavely first and then by Alan Wills, and on bass by Rolo McGinty (later of the Woodentops), Phil Lucking and Baz Hughes (for the BBC sessions).

Pete de Freitas of Echo and the Bunnymen (a friend and flatmate of Simpson's), possibly the band’s first and biggest fan, decided to invest his first royalty cheque from the Bunnymen and fund the Wild Swans’ first single The Revolutionary Spirit (1982, the last Zoo Records release and is considered by legendary label boss Bill Drummond to be the best single he released). At the day of the recording came, Stavely was unable to make the session so De Freitas played on the single as well as producing it. Simpson describes the title track as “virtually bass-less and in mono due to Pete (Freitas) being off his head on cocaine and the band too stoned to notice”.


Revolutionary Spirit (1982)
- Revolutionary Spirit
- God Forbid



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The single received a measure of critical acclaim and in time, even developed cult status, capturing the youthful optimism that existed on the Liverpool indie scene in those early days of post-punk, and featuring a completely new ‘sound’: “In most rock music at that time the guitar occupied the middle of the sound, filling it out - remember, the most influential group in Britain at the time was Joy Division: upfront drums and bass, guitar mixed back but deep, menacing and other-worldly. And then listen to the Wild Swans: Bass practically inaudible, the guitar up at the very top of the sonic spectrum, playing melodically, often flirting with the vocal line, and then the keyboards, mainly piano and/or string synth, filling the sound out, often even carrying the rhythm, adding incredible dynamics and drama. And it's a warm sound, as opposed to the icy jags of synthesizer that had become de rigueur since people had heard Wire's Chairs Missing and 154 and then Joy Division‚s Closer. And the vocals were sung with a very English delivery when most British singers affected American accents” (Nick Halliwell) – anticipating Morrisey’s style of a couple of years (listen to Enchanted and Simpson’s influence on the Smiths singer is embarrassingly manifest).

After a short tour with the Bunnymen, the group was asked by David Jensen to do a session for his BBC Radio 1 show in May 1982. They recorded two of the strongest tracks from their live set, Now You're Perfect and Fruits Of The Earth - now rechristened Flowers Of England - plus the two new composition, The Iron Bed and Opium (listen carefully to the guitar parts: the Lotus Eaters’ single The First Picture of You comes directly from here!).


Jansen Session (March 23, 1982)
- Flowers Of England
- The Iron Bed and
- Opium
- Now You're Perfect


Only a couple of weeks later they were asked to do a session for John Peel's show. They didn't have any new songs and only manage 3 tracks for that session. (The session was released much later, in 1985)


Peel Sessions (May 1, 1982)
- No Bleeding
- Enchanted
- Thirst



The first split occurred very soon after this auspicious debut and resulted in Kelly starting up The Lotus Eaters with co-founder Peter Coyle. Simpson followed suit with the Care project, teaming up with Ian Broudie. But the original chemistry of the Wild Swans (Mk I, circa1980-82) would never resurface in any later projects. Simpson confesses: “It was definitely a chemistry thing with The Wild Swans. Jerry was the mind, Ged was the body and I was the soul. Ged was the unsung hero of the story, he was our John Cale.”

Because of their involvement with The Teardrop Explodes, Care and The Lotus Eaters, it's already easy to view Paul Simpson, Jeremy Kelly and Ged Quinn as pivotal members of the much-revered Liverpool post-punk scene. However, even their triumphs with these projects pale by comparison with what they achieved together as The Wild Swans. Indeed, during an all-too brief period (roughly 1980 - late 1982), this trio recorded one of the greatest debut singles of all time in "The Revolutionary Spirit" and two tantalisingly brilliant BBC Radio Sessions that in effect would become the band's elusive legacy.
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Wild Swans 1980-82

http://www.thewildswans.co.uk/discography/discography.htm
http://www.whisperinandhollerin.co.uk/chat/chat.asp?id=1392
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The Yachts - Part 2 (1978-1981)

Before the release of the first album, and due to the success of the first single the Yacht put out a live version of the song (as a freebe):

2/1/78 (1978)
- Suffice To Say (Live)
- On And On

On the cover of the single the group appears as a four-piece, and as a four-piece the group continued to record. After the departure of Campbell and Dempsey (the latter replaced by Ray "Chopper" Cooper, then Glyn Havard and finally Mick Shiner), the Yachts release a new single:

Now I'm Spoken For (1979)
- Now I'm Spoken For

- Secret Agent

The following year, two more singles were released by Radar Records

There's A Ghost In My House (1980)
- There's A Ghost In My House

- Revelry

- Yachting Type (album version)

I.O.U. (1980)
- I.O.U. (In The Oddments Drawer)

- 24 Hours From Tulsa

The same year was issued the second album ‘Without Radar’ – whose title was meant to reflect the parting of ways with their British label (Radar).

Without Radar (1980, UK version)

- Consequences (Watson / Bellis)
- On The Bridge (Priestman)
- Trust You (Watson / Bellis)
- Out Of Luck (Priestman)
- This Thing, That Thing (Watson / Bellis)
- March Of The Moderates (Priestman)
- There's A Ghost In My House (Holland / Holland / Dozier / Taylor)
- Life Saving's Easy (Watson / Bellis)
- Now I'm Spoken For (Priestman)
- The Lush (Priestman)
- Don't Call Us (Priestman)
- Spimosa (Priestman / Watson / Bellis / Cooper)

The album had also a US version with a differently ordered track-list (without Spimosa, but with Revelry and I Couldn't Get Along Without You This album, which is said to suffer from an uncharacteristically poor production by Martin Rushent, is considered “a mediocre follow-up and the band's parting shot” (Chris Woodstra, All Music Guide).
In 1981 the group released their final single

Fool Like You (1981)

- Fool Like You

- Dubmarine

At this point, not only power pop started to fall from favour, but also the fact of not being taken seriously because of funny lyrics may have taken its toll, and the band finally split up in 1981. Priestman went on to join It's Immaterial, Wah! and, later The Christians.

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Singles 1978-81
Without Radar (1980)

Mel-O-Tones

After the release of the Yachts first album, in January 1980 Martin Dempsey left the band. He teamed up with Jayne Casey (they had already virtually met while occupying the two sides of the split single by Big in Japan and The Chuddy Nuddies) playing bass with the Pink Military on Do Animals Believe in God? (1981). After briefly joining the first formation of It’s Immaterial, with ex Yacht fellow member Henry Priestman, Dempsey was also a temporary/occasional member of Rebél Da Fé, with future It’s Immaterial JJ (Jarvis) Whitehead, ex members of the Liverpudlian punk act Psycamesh Gary Williams on bass and Mark Robson on drums, and Tomo on vocals. After these short-term musical experiences, Dempsey efinally joined the Mel-O-Tones.
The Mel-O-Tones was a five-piece band featuring, Marlyn Dempsey on guitars, David Dickie on piano, Bob Parker on bass, Jon Neesan on drums, and Frank Martin on vocals (the latter three to become the Walking Seeds). The music is possibly the weirdest thing to be heard among the musical product of the period, combining warped Captain Beefheart-esque vocals and acid lyrics to twisted rockabilly riffs choked in swirling echo effects - and the band itself is possibly the last Liverpool band to carry the torch for weirdness and psychedelia in mid 80's .

The first vinyl release by the group in is the mini-lp Bomb Sutra (1985)

Bomb Sutra
1. Bomb Sutra

2. Burton Buzz

3. Lice Age

4. Scaffold

5. 40 Nights

6. I Walked With A Bugs Bunny Bendy Toy

Later the same year a 12" was released under the title Melonheaded (1985)

Melonheaded
1. Mad Jesus

2. Seedy Lotion

3. Happy Hour

4. Happy Hour

5. Melonhead

Mel-o-Tones

The Yachts - Part 1 (1977-1979)

The b-side of the firs Big in Japan single was credited to an obscure Liverpool group, the Chuddy Nuddies, and the song’s credits read: ‘Do the Chud’ written by Priestman / Watson / Dempsey / Bellis. As the names suggest, The Chuddy Nuddies were basically the Yachts (minus Campbell) and the song was recorded a few days the Yachts completed their first single ‘Suffice to Say’.
The group was formed in Liverpool in April 1977 by Henry Priestman (vocals, organ, later with It’s Immaterial, Wah! And the Christians), Martin Dempsey (bass, vocals, later Pink Military, Rebel Da Fe, It’s Immaterial, Mel-o-tones) Martin Watson (guitar, vocals), Bob Bellis (drums, vocals) and John (J.J.) Campbell (vocals, later It’s Immaterial) all of whom art students that already played in an earlier band, known as 'Albert Dock', ‘Albert Dock and the Codfish Warriors’ or 'Albert and the Cod Warriors', who had supported the Sex Pistols in a 1976 gig in Liverpool. They played their first show at Eric’s Club in Liverpool, supporting Elvis Costello. In 1977 the band released their first single, the witty and self-referential Suffice To Say (Priestman / Campbell) which was to become a mini-classic.


- Suffice To Say
- Freedom (Is A Heady Wine)



In 1978 the band released 2 singles


- Look Back In Love (Not In Anger)
- I Can't Stay Long


- Yachting Types
- Hypnotising Lies



Before the end of the year Campbell left the group. On the cover of their first 1979 single the band appear as a four-piece unit.


- Love You Love You
- Hazy People (Live)



In 1979, while touring the US The Yachts recorded their first self-titled LP whose release was paralleled by another single


- Box 202
- Permanent Damage



The Yachts – The Yachts (1979)
1. Box 202
2. In A Second
3. Love You Love You
4. Tantamount To Bribery
5. Easy To Please
6. Mantovani's Hits
7. Then And Now
8. Semaphore Love
9. I Can't Stay Long
10. Heads Will Turn
11. I'll Be Leaving You
12. Yachting Type

'Liverpool's Yachts were capable of alternating a scaled-down version of pomp-rock (faster, more cheaply tricked out, no instrumental exhibitionism) and '60s-influenced rock with leader Henry Priestman's cheesy organ sound. And that in the service of humorously melodramatic caricatures of the usual boy/girl lyric fodder: love by letter ("Box 202"), unfair romantic competition ("Yachting Type," "Semaphore Love," etc.). Despite sympathetic production by Richard Gottehrer, Yachts sounds a bit tinny, and the group was unable to equal their mini-classic Stiff debut single ("Suffice to Say"), though the potential to do so is evident.' (Gim Green)

1977-1979 singles
1979 LP

( see also http://trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=yachts )

The Teardrop Explodes - Early Recordings (1978-1980)

After the early musical experience with The Crucial Three (with Wylie and McCulloch) and some musical experimentation with the Hungry Types (in 1977 with Chris Goodson, the only available document is a semi-improvised song titled (1) Ritchie Blofeld, sung with Goodson about the other ‘occasional’ singer with the band, a song then to be rearranged to appear in Cope’s Fried with the title of Search Party) and with Nova Mob (with Pete Wylie, Griffs from the Spitfire Boys and Budgie pre-Big in Japan), Cope and McCulloch re-united in Uh?, with the occasional addition of Dave Pickett and Paul Simpson (future Wild Swans, at that time member of a two guitar noise duo Industrial Domestic with Will Sergeant, later Bunnyman: during a raw rehearsal with them Cope taped a cover of Satisfaction (2)). It was in this period that Cope (and McCulloch) found the perfect formula to write songs in no time: combine guitar riffs or bass lines ‘stolen’ from rock classics with original melodies and lyrics. In this period songs like Robert Mitchum, Jefferson Davies, You Think It’s Love, Iggy Pop, Stammhein and Books saw the light (of which only few traces are left, a much later version of the former (3) and a recording of the latter, by A Shallow Madness). A Shallow Madness was born when Simpson joined the band for good, with Dave Pickett and Mick Finkler. Simpson (Mr. Big No), a quite charismatic Bowie-like character, decided the musical and stylistic direction for the band (for instance ruling Robin Mitchum out of the band repertoire) and also collaborated with McCulloch on some songs (like the yet unheard There Go the 70’s). The turning point for A Shallow Madness was a live performance by Dalek I Love You: the combination of old (psychedelic guitars, Doors-like bass lines, Seeds-like organs) and new (drum-machines) charmed the Simpson, Pickett, Finkler and Cope (little did he know that less than a year later both members of the DILY – Gill and Balfe – would become full-time members of Teardrop Explodes), whereas McCulloch did not share their enthusiasm. Such difference brought about the split between the group and McCulloch who instead joined forces with Will Sergeant (alone, after the split of Industrial Domestic). Without McCulloch A Shallow Madness became the Soul Giants, and after sacking Pickett and recruiting Gary Dwyer on drums they finally became the Teardrop Explodes. Their first release was the EP Sleeping Gas (1979), featuring:


(4) Sleeping Gas
(5) Camera Camera
(6) Kirby Workers Dream Fades


Soon after they contributed the song The Tunnel (7) for the compilation Street to Street vol. 1 (see below), which got cancelled by mistake during the recording session for the Naughty Lumps’ track.
At this point Simpson quit the band, who released other two singles before the Kilimanjaro album (1980), namely Bouncing Babies (1979) and Treason (1980):


(8) Bouncing Babes
(9) All I Am Is Loving You


(10) Treason
(11) Books


They band also contributed 2 songs to the Zoo compilation To The Shores Of Lake Placid, under the Teardrop’s name (Take a Chance (12) and When I Dream (13)), plus an odd track authored by Kevin Stapleton (Cope) and Milk (Balfe), under the name of Whopper, titled Kwalo Klobinsky’s Lullaby (14), which was a weird version of Sleeping Gas.
Bouncing Babies, Sleeping Gas, Treason & When I Dream would be re-recorded for the Teardrops' debut Kilimanjaro (1980), whereas other songs written in this period would never be recorded or would be released as part of BBC 1 Peel Sessions (like Went Crazy). Before the release of the album, Mick Finkler (with Cope in the picture) was asked to leave the group.


Early Recordings (1978-1980)

Blitz Brothers

The Blitz Brothers were Chris Hughes (drums and FX, formerly of Virgin Records, then to join Dalek I Love You, and then Adam’s Ants), Dave Bates (vocals, A&R manager for Phonogram), Steve Lovell (guitars, ex Tontrix, later Hollycaust, and with Julian Cope) and Hugh Jones (bass).
They released a couple of singles: Gloria (1979) and Rose Tattoo (1980, written by Bates / Hughes, b/w Walking all alone by Bates / Hughes / Jones / Lovell).

Gloria
- Gloria (Van Morrison)
- Songs/Records (C. Huges)

The Blitz Brothers (mainly Hughes and Bates) were also responsible for the subsidiary Back Door, which first signed Dalek I Love You and released the Dalek I Love You (Destiny) track in may 1980. The blitz Brothers are also credited as producers of much of the DILY’s Compass album, to which Dave Bates also provided additional backing vocals, Chris Hughes some additional drums, percussion, and FX and Hugh Jones bass on the track Heat.

(Many thanks to Endorphin)

Dalek and post-Dalek: Alan Gill

After the Compass Kum-pas album and before Dalek I Love You, the group shrank down to its founding member Alan Gill, who soon would join the Teardrop Explodes (and write for them their major hit Reward). But some traces of Dalek life during that lapse of time still circulate. One of them is the existence (somewhere, God only knows where…) of ‘Notes from the Underground 6 (1981)’ an unofficial fanzine containing two original tracks (‘Conveyor Belt’ – recorded live at Eric's 1978 and ‘You Make Me Feel Like a Fly’ - Alan Gill home demo) together with the original mix of the single ‘Heartbeat’ and of ‘Dad on Fire’ (then to appear on 1983 album Dalek I Love You). Another interesting piece of the Dalek history was in an audio magazine in tape form called SFX. The Issue No 15 (June 12-24 1982) contained a song titled ‘Wild Jim’. The spoken intro, beside name-checking Dalek I Love You and mentioning their link to Teardrop Explodes, introduces the song as the first part of a 'never ending story/saga'…

After the 1983 release a disillusioned Alan Gill almost completely retired from the commercial music world. The few signs of his Gill’s post-Dalek activity are two tracks in Letter to Brezhnev (1985) soundtrack (credited by not sung by Gill).

Letter to Brezhnev Theme (Alan Gill)
Lockets & Stars (Margi Clarke/Alan Gill)

The same year (1985) (allegedly) saw the release of the cassette only release Naïve (containing Prince of Clowns), after which, five yeas of silence followed. In 1990 Dalek I came back to life with one track on the compilation ‘Liverpool: All This And Heaven Too’ (1990): the title of the song is ‘Everything I Do’.

(thanks a lot to Endorphin & Swiftnick)