The Spoils Of Plymouth

 

Out and about trawling the streets of Plymouth this weekend (it's about 45 miles South of where I live) with the eldest (Oscar) and managed to find time between the Skateboard parks and emporiums to pop in to the wonderful 'Really Good Records' shop on Exeter Street, just opposite The Barcode for those with local knowledge. 

I came out a pony lighter and a very happy man. I found a good copy of the Starjets "War Stories" 7". It was the follow up single to the magnificent "Ten Years" 7", both released in 1979. 1979, the year I saw Starjets live in Lincoln supporting Stiff Little Fingers on their "Gotta Getaway" tour. A prime slice of late 70's New Wave Pop. The singer of Starjets, Terry Sharpe, went on to be in The Adventures. I love C Cat Trance, I have followed them since the release of their 1983 12"EP simply called "C Cat Trance". The EP includes a spine chilling version of the Chairman Of The Board classic "Dangling On A String". C Cat Trance were the group formed in 1983 by Medium Medium ex members Nigel Kingston Stone and John Rees Lewis. Back in 1979 (could have been 1978 ... not too sure) I was the 'roadie' and part time sound engineer for a Lincoln New Wave Politico-Pop trio called Collide and they had a Sunday night residency at The Hearty Goodfellow in Nottingham supporting Medium Medium. The residency lasted maybe two months or so before Medium Medium hit the big time and a Derby band called The Models took over (No, not the The Models that turned in to Rema-Rema, these were a bunch of Blondie wannabes who were bloody awful)! Collide supported them once, and that was it ... "Zouave" is C Cat Trance's third LP from 1986. Now the age of the Internet is upon us I looked up the band Pinski Zoo. I always thought that they were (like C Cat Trance) a 'splinter' group from Medium Medium. I saw Pinski Zoo twice in 1982, supporting Household Name at the Lincoln Art College and supporting Pigbag on their "Doctor Heckle And Mr Jive" tour when it hit the Retford Porterhouse. Pinski Zoo were more of a freeform jazz ensemble than anything I had heard up to that point (I always take the 'Spinal Tap' side of the story when it comes to jazz). But it now turns out that I was completely wrong, or misinformed about the Medium Medium connection.

The final piece of vinyl I managed to find was the 1981 compilation album "Start Swimming", A 'promo version' no less, on the Stiff America label. I saw the names The Bongos and Bush Tetras on the front cover and knew it was mine! The album was recorded on December 30th 1981 at The Rainbow Theatre in London. Two tracks from five bands. Bush Tetras doing a great version of John Lennon's "Cold Turkey" and The Bongos "In The Congo" has Cosey Fanni Tutti on Cornet, Chris Carter on Electronics and Genesis P-Orridge on synthesiser and vocals. (He gets to shout "We Need Discipline In Here" down the microphone towards the end). I never knew this LP existed and I never knew I like the sound of Fleshtones and The Raybeats. It's a great LP. 

Really Good Records in Plymouth .... it never fails.