The Orson Family – Bugles, Guitars, Amphetamines [LP] (1985, Criminal Damage Records)

 

The Orson Family's 'Bugles, Guitars, Amphetamines' arrived in 1985 on the independent British label Criminal Damage Records, capturing the band's raw stage sound at a time when the UK underground was overflowing with bands mixing rockabilly, punk, goth and garage rock. Rather than polishing their material in the studio, the album documented the group's energetic live performances, where frantic guitars, pounding rhythms and dramatic vocals gave their songs a darker edge than many of their psychobilly contemporaries. 

Despite the name, The Orson Family was not actually a family. The band came together in England around 1982 and revolved around vocalists and guitarists Vernon, Ruby and John Orson, backed by Vincent on bass and David O. on drums, who was also known as Brewster. Vernon and Ruby were a couple, engaged but never married, and the lineup was later expanded with trumpet player Kevin, better known by the nickname Elmer. Their unusual blend of psychobilly, straight rock 'n' roll and gothic rock set them apart from the growing wave of bands emerging from the British underground during the early 1980s. 

Their influences reflected that broad musical approach. The band drew inspiration from classic rock 'n' roll artists such as Hank Williams, Link Wray, Bunker Hill, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, while also taking cues from Lou Reed, The Jam and The Cramps. Those references came together in a sound that mixed twanging guitars, driving rhythms, dark melodies and occasional brass arrangements without losing its raw, punk-influenced energy. 

Before 'Bugles, Guitars, Amphetamines', The Orson Family had already built a small but interesting catalogue. They debuted with a self-released three-track EP, followed by the six-track mini-LP 'The River of Desire' and the 12-inch 'No-One Waits Forever'. The live album became another snapshot of the band's brief career before they returned with the single 'The Sweetest Embrace', recorded after original vocalist Skully had left, or been dismissed from, the group. 

Criminal Damage Records was a small independent label closely associated with Britain's alternative underground during the first half of the 1980s. Its catalogue included punk, psychobilly and garage-oriented releases, making it a natural home for a band like The Orson Family, whose music comfortably crossed genre boundaries while remaining firmly rooted in the DIY spirit of the era. The label helped preserve recordings from groups operating well outside the mainstream, documenting a scene where live performances and limited-press vinyl releases were often the main way bands reached their audience. 

 

Label: Criminal Damage Records – CRI-LP-127 

Format: Vinyl, LP 

Country: UK 

Released: 1985 

Style: Rockabilly, Garage Rock 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Crawdad Hole 

A2 You Shake My Soul 

A3 Nowhere Train 

A4 River Of Desire 

A5 Deliverance 

B1 No One Waits Forever 

B2 Big Red Gretsch 

B3 Rockin Daddy 

B4 Rockin Fool 

B5 Girl Can't Dance 

 

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Mortimer – Profesión / Travoltini [7''] (1979, Chapa Discos)

By the time Mortimer released the 7" 'Profesión / Travoltini' in 1979, the Barcelona underground was still finding its identity. Just a couple of years earlier, the city's emerging alternative rock scene was built around only a handful of names: La Banda Trapera del Río, Basura, Peligro and Mortimer. It was a difficult period for independent bands, with very few opportunities to record or play regularly. In the end, only La Banda Trapera del Río managed to establish a lasting career, while the rest disappeared almost as quickly as they had appeared, leaving behind only a handful of recordings.

 
Mortimer were a power trio made up of Xavier Dalmau on guitar and vocals, Josep Llobera on bass and Iñaki Ferreter on drums. Although they were frequently grouped with the first wave of Spanish punk, their sound leaned much more toward tough, streetwise rock. There were traces of British pub rock and hard rock running through their songs, resulting in a gritty, direct style that perfectly reflected the rough neighborhoods of late-1970s Barcelona. They weren't punk in the strict musical sense, but in the years immediately following Franco's dictatorship, attitude often mattered more than labels. Their confrontational live shows and rebellious image were enough to make them part of the same movement in the eyes of audiences and the music press. 

 
That perception was reinforced by their record company. Mortimer had originally been signed by Belter, which was eager to capitalize on the growing interest in punk and presented the band as part of that new wave of dangerous, antisocial rock groups. When 'Profesión / Travoltini' appeared on Chapa Discos in 1979, it found a more natural home. Founded by producer Vicente "Mariscal" Romero and distributed through Zafiro, Chapa had become Spain's leading label for hard rock and heavy music, releasing records by artists who sat outside the mainstream but had a strong following among rock fans. 

 
The single captures both sides of Mortimer's personality. "Profesión" delivers raw, no-frills rock driven by crunchy guitars and an energetic rhythm section, while "Travoltini" reveals the band's sense of humor and willingness to poke fun at contemporary trends, all without losing their rough-edged character. The performances feel spontaneous and full of swagger, preserving the same street-level intensity that had made the trio stand out on Barcelona stages a couple of years before. 

 
Although Mortimer split up soon after and never recorded a full-length album, 'Profesión / Travoltini' remains an important document from the earliest days of Barcelona's underground rock explosion. It stands as a reminder of a brief but exciting period when the lines between punk, hard rock and pub rock were still blurred, and when attitude, energy and a healthy disregard for convention counted for far more than fitting neatly into a musical category.

 

 

Label: Chapa Discos – H-33023 

Format: Vinyl, 7", Single 

Country: Spain 

Released: 1979 

Style: Punk Rock, Prog Rock, New Wave, Rockabilly 

 

Tracklist: 

A Profesión 3:55 

B Travoltini 3:22 

 

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The Nips – Only The End Of The Beginning [LP] (1980, Soho Records)

The Nips are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1976 as The Nipple Erectors by punk artist Shanne Bradley and are notable as having been Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan's first musical group after Shanne auditioned him in her bedsit by The Arsenal Football Club.

 

Initially consisting of Shane MacGowan (known at the time as ''Shane O'Hooligan''), bassist Shanne Bradley, guitarist Roger Towndrow and drummer Adrian Fox (aka "Arcane Vendetta"), The Nipple Erectors performed their first gig at The Roxy Club in Covent Garden in 1977. The band later released four singles and there was one bootleg live album between 1978 and 1981. Inspired by The Stooges, The Nipple Erectors incorporated elements of rockabilly and 1960s garage rock into their music. 

 

Following the release of their first single, 'King of the Bop / Nervous Wreck' in June 1978, on Soho Records, the band renamed themselves The Nips and released the garage punk song 'All The Time in the World / Private Eye' with Phil Rowland of Eater on drums. By May 1979, the band's line up had changed to include Gavin "Fritz" Douglas, on guitar. 'Gabrielle' was released in November 1979, first on Soho Records, and then reissued on Chiswick Records. with John ("Grinny") Grinton (ex-Skrewdriver) on drums. By the time of its release, Grinny had been replaced by Roger Travis Williams. Gavin Douglas' guitar playing on this record marked a change in the band's sound to a more melodic style. The live album, 'Only the End of the Beginning' was released on Soho Records in 1980, from a recording made whilst on tour with The Purple Hearts. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]

 

 

Label: Soho Records – HOHO 001 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album

Country: UK 

Released: 1980 

Style: Punk, Mod, Punk Rock, Rockabilly, Power Pop, Pub Rock

 

Tracklist: 

Start 

A1 I Love To Make You Cry 

A2 Vengeance 

A3 Gabrielle 

A4 King Of The Bop 

A5 Ghostown 

A6 Fuss 'N' Bother 

A7 Venus In Bother Boots 

Stop 

B1 Happy Song 

B2 Stupid Cow 

B3 I Don't Want Nobody To Love 

B4 Infatuation 

B5 Maida Ada 

B6 Hit Parade 

B7 Can't Say No 

 

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Trigger And The Thrill Kings – Trigger And The Thrill Kings [12''] (1986, GMG)

 

Trigger and the Thrill Kings was a short-lived band formed in 1983 in United States. Members were Trigger Truth [Truus de Groot] (vocals, bass), Jim Duckworth (guitar), Jim Sclavunos (drums), Danny B. Harvey (guitar) and Chas Leyland (bass).

 

Truus de Groot was a member of groups such Blue Beast, Doe Maar, Nasmak and Plus Instruments. Jim Sclavunos has played in bands such 8 Eyed Spy, Beirut Slump, Fuse, Grinderman, Hypo, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, No Group, Plus Instruments, Sonic Youth, Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Teenage Jesus And The Jerks, The Cramps, The Gunga Din and The Vanity Set.

 

Daniel Bryan Harvey is an American guitarist, producer and composer born in Killeen, Texas. He has played and recorded with artists Levi Dexter, Tim Polecat, Johnny Ramone, Nancy Sinatra, Lemmy Kilmister, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim. Jim Duckworth was in groups such South Filthy, Tav Falco's Panther Burns, The Gun Club and Yes Men.

 

Trigger And The Thrill Kings just issued a couple of EPs: one split with Plus Instruments in 1984 released by the Germany label What's So Funny About..., and 'Trigger And The Thrill Kings' in 1986, released in France by the GMG label and in the US by Naked Spur Records.

 

 

Label: GMG – 75012 

Format: Vinyl, 12", EP 

Country: France 

Released: 1986 

Style: New Wave, Rockabilly 

 

Tracklist:

A1 Cry 

A2 I'm The Only One 

A3 St. James Infirmary 

B1 Tension Swing 

B2 Jealousy 

B3 Moanin' Low 

 

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The Very Things ‎– Motortown [12''] (One Little Indian, 1987)

The Very Things were one of various outfits launched under the umbrella organization of the Dada Cravats Laboratory (DcL), based in Redditch, Worcestershire, England. This group operated a number of musical projects under Dada principles: ‘Using that banner was a lot simpler than delivering lengthy manifestos’. Other groups operating out of the same stable included The Cravats, Babymen, and DcL Locomotive. After a series of personnel changes, they folded in 1988, leaving behind the Motown-influenced 'Motortown' (produced by Ray Shulman, ex-Gentle Giant, and Derek Birkett, ex-Flux Of Pink Indians). [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

Label: One Little Indian ‎– TPLP 6 

Format: Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, Mini-Album 

Country: UK 

Released: Oct 1987 

Style: Alternative Rock, Leftfield, Rockabilly 

Tracklist:

A1 Let's Go Out 

A2 This Is Motortown 

A3 There's A Ghost In My House 

B1 She's Standing Still 

B2 Walking In The Sand 

B3 Motortown Epilogue 

Credits:

Drums – Robin Holland

Guitar – R. R. Dallaway

Keyboards – R. R. Dallaway

Producer, Engineer – Brian Pugsley, Ray Shulman 

Producer, Engineer, Programmed By – Derek Birkett 

Vocals – R. R. Dallaway, The Shend 

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