Plain Characters – I Am A [7''] (1977, Rouge)

 

Plain Characters emerged from the first wave of the British post-punk underground, bringing together vocalist Colin Tucker, guitarist Paul Johnstone, bassist John Hyde and drummer Tim Broughton. Formed in the UK during the late 1970s, the band mixed the nervous energy of punk with the sharper edges and melodic ideas that were beginning to shape the new wave movement. Their sound balanced angular guitars, driving rhythms and an understated sense of atmosphere, placing them somewhere between the DIY punk scene and the more experimental direction many independent bands were taking after 1977. Some of the members would later be connected with The Gadgets, another band that explored similar territory in the years that followed. 

"I Am A" was the group's debut single, backed with "Very Peculiar Julia" and issued on Rouge Records. Although the labels carry a 1977 copyright date, the exact commercial release date has long been debated among collectors, with some sources suggesting it may not have reached wider circulation until early 1979. Either way, the record captures that fascinating transition period when British punk was already branching out into something more adventurous, with bands experimenting beyond the raw three-chord template while still keeping the directness and urgency of the original movement.

 
Rouge Records was a short-lived imprint linked to the De Wolfe music publishing company rather than a conventional independent label. Only a handful of singles appeared on Rouge, making its catalogue surprisingly obscure and highly collectible. 'I Am A' is generally regarded as the label's earliest and best-known release, complete with its distinctive fold-out picture sleeve. The unusual connection between a music library publisher and an emerging post-punk band gives the single an interesting place in the history of late-1970s British independent records.

 
Plain Characters continued recording after the Rouge release, setting up their own DIY imprint, Final Solution Records, for the 1979 single 'Man In The Railings' before eventually releasing the album 'Invisible Yearnings' in 1981. Those later recordings expanded on the ideas first heard on 'I Am A', moving further into moody post-punk while retaining the crisp guitar work and melodic songwriting that had already begun to define the band's style on this early single. 

 

Label: Rouge – RMS/PC 1 

Format: Vinyl, 7", Single 

Country: UK 

Released: 1977 

Style: Post-Punk, New Wave, Art Punk 

 

Tracklist: 

A I Am A 3:44 

B Very Peculiar Julia 3:26 

 

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