The Pop Group ‎– "Y" (Radar Records ‎– RAD 20) 1979

To wrap up this brief sojourn into the seedy underbelly of post-punk Bristol, we end logically at the beginning, with The Pop Group's rather marvelous "Y" album.
Along with PiL's first two albums and anything by This Heat, this magical record loomed large in my teenage years. Everyone who reads this blog must be familiar with it(surely?),but it can't hurt by posting it again!? 
I hardly noticed the overbearing politics when i was a yoof, but without doubt they must have crept in by osmosis, because I'm the same kind of pain in the arse as Mark Stewart is.......but at least i recognise it and occasionally shut the fuck up!......i do describe my self as a Nihilist these days though,which is a nice cop out for me.
There are so many classic tunes on here, but what i like the best about it is they never thought twice about mangling them up completely, with the help of Brit-Dub producer Dennis 'Blackbeard' Bovell .
"We Are Time" has that classic, 'surely it had been written before' vibe that all classic tunes have.....could have been a hit if Echo and The Bunnymen had released it in its straight form; but with admirable,and fashionable for 1979, anti-commerciality, they walked the walk and rendered it unsellable.Nearly perfect in it's imperfection.....Y?.....because i say so! 

Tracklist:

She Is Beyond Good and Evil

Thief Of Fire
Snowgirl
Blood Money
Savage Sea
We Are Time
Words Disobey Me
Don't Call Me Pain
The Boys From Brazil
Don't Sell Your Dreams

3:38

DOWNLOAD Y and all the other letters of the post-punk alphabet HERE!

The Pop Group ‎– "For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?" (Rough Trade ‎– ROUGH 9, Y Records ‎– Y 2) 1980

The Pop Group's 'disappointing' second album,is in fact really good; despite some rather chaffing in-yer-face politics.
Snappy album title that, I wonder what these chaps' message to all us unenlightened worker ants is?
The Cover photo is a tactic used today by Charities,whose directors draw huge salaries, on those TV adverts voiced by millionaire actors who urge us to donate £3 a month with a background of sad piano music to manipulate our emotions.Except in this case the background music is designed to turn us into angry militants.......albeit dancing angry militants.
Its kind of patronising, and insulting.......but then again some of us need to be patronised and insulted, so fair enough.
Preaching self-righteousness aside, the music is ferocious punk-funk-dub, spat out with all the venom of a napalm attack on a village of vietnamese children.
The answer to the question?
We will continue to tolerate mass murder, because that's what the human race has always done.One day we will all realise,in all our arrogance, that we are not the chosen ones,but are merely on the top of a food chain and will do anything that maintains that position, including killing the opposition .If that means destroying ourselves then that is what we will do, clearing the way for a more successful species that can manage itself better than Homo-sapiens obviously are incapable of doing.

Tracklist:

1.Forces Of Oppression
2.Feed The Hungry
3.One Out Of Many

4.We Are All Prostitutes
5.Blind Faith
6.How Much Longer
7.Justice
8.There Are No Spectators
9.Communicate
10.Rob A Bank

DOWNLOAD and tolerate the pop group HERE!

Mark Stewart and the Maffia ‎– Learning To Cope With Cowardice" (On-U Sound ‎– ON-U L.P. 24) 1983

There are times when I think that anybody with an opinion shouldn't be allowed in front of a microphone,even worse, in front of a microphone connected to a P.A. system. Politicians are bad enough, but pop stars who think they are politicians,or even, a....gulp!... leader(!?), are far worse.Its a kind of fascism to be screamed at at high volume with no right to reply in a crowd all with the same opinion and dress sense......sound like anything we encountered before,like in Nuremberg for  example?
Having heard about some 'street' accented ginger bird 'tellin' us like it is' at the annual Glastonbury middle class convention, called Kate Tempest (uh?) last weekend.I thought i'd check this rant out on youtube (click here if you ain't seen it). Her scowling Brits academy face turning pink with the strain of projecting her spittle soaked views on how terrible things are. Like one was trapped in a corner being shouted at by a ruddy faced hairdryer. .....yeah I sort of agree with her,but whats the point in that? If she'd have done the same at the local Conservative club she'd have been bottled off the stage. Preaching to the converted was never anything more than a pointless exercise in futility. She don't look a barrel of laffs either.
I used to think the same of Mark Stewart until i saw him on that BBC documentary on Post-Punk, and he seemed like a rather lighthearted and amusing fellow.
The constant barrage of Politics was a major reason that the Pop Group split up.....he just never gave it a rest.He was never going to convert anyone.Those who bought (Yes they sold things,Ma Thatcher would have approved) Pop Group records were already either going to be leaning in that direction politically, or, completely apolitical. An occasional change in subject matter would have strengthened his message tenfold. Really I don't care what an artists Political opinion is,especially if they hammer the same nail for decades......change the fucking record please?.....or in Kate Tempest's case,please don't enter my world again.
On a more interesting subject, "Learning To Cope With Cowardice" is classic abstract inter-racial Dub,that within its existence, conveys a much stronger message than any barked rant. The ironic version of 'Jerusalem' is a fine example of how political music should be; subtly subverting a 'Last night of the Proms' classic, reclaiming it from the Hooray Henry's and giving back to the people it was written for, the serfs of feudal Britain. Very appropriate in this new era of debt driven neo-feudalism that we are trapped inside.......Yes I agree with Mark Stewart on ALL his points(If you're interested???....I wouldn't if I was you!), but I don't like being preached at, even if I am one of the converted.

Tracklist:
1.Learning To Cope With Cowardice
2.Liberty City
3.Blessed Are Those Who Struggle
4.None Dare Call It Conspiracy
5.Don't You Ever Lay Down Your Arms
6.The Paranoia Of Power
7.To Have A Vision
8.Jerusalem

Learn to cope with DOWNLOADING a rar file HERE!

Pigbag ‎– "Dr Heckle And Mr Jive" (Y Records ‎– Y 17) 1982

This blog of late has been getting into some pretty unhealthy, populist, 'Dance' orientated areas!.....I blame that bloody bunch of hippity-doodie commies 'The Pop Group'; especially as all their members seemed to crop up somewhere in all these groups.....Pigbag being no exception; as original bassist, Simon Underwood was to be seen doing that dancing with the bass thing, that all white boys felt obliged to indulge in from the Ska boom onwards.......YOU WILL ENJOY YORSELF!
One thing I can't stand is enforced jollity.
Mr Underwood also holds the undisputed honour of being the only member of The Pop Group to ever be on a Hit record..... "Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag", thanks to Mr Paul 'N-n-n-n-n-Nineteen' Hardcastle's punchy remix (included here); and they also got to do Top Of The Pops twice! 
Saving street cred stories were later heard about how naughty they were in the BBC studio's, making the director very very angry.......Oh those anti-capitalist Anarcho-socialists eh!?......just a pity that their need for success ran roughshod over their 'principles'.......but at least they could prance around on telly with their trumpets I suppose.
That said, they made a couple of well funky brass heavy tunes that can even get my Anti-Capitalist Anarcho-socialist toes-a-tapping.

Tracklist

Dr Heckle:

1- Getting Up
2- Big Bag
3- Dozo Don
4- Brian The Snail

Mr Jive:

5- Wiggling
6- Brazil Nuts
7- Orangutango
8- As It Will Be

Bonus Tracks:

9 - Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag (12" version)

10- Sunny Day (12" version)

11- Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag (Paul Hardcastle remix)

DOWNLOAD some pale white boys dancing with trumpets HERE!

Rip Rig + Panic - "I Am Cold" (Virgin Records) 1982

The Pop Group spin-off ,Rip Rig + Panic's slightly more controlled and structured follow up to the massive financial flop "God".Somehow they managed to persuade trumpet maestro Don Cherry to add a bit of class to augment his step Daughters' whiny vocals.

Basically it's more of the same anything goes kind of trendy dubby jazz-punk fusion but with less wild abandon of the first LP.

Again, Virgin give them the double vinyl treatment, which ensured that they lost even more money in the vane hope that they could find the next Sex Pistols or Mike Oldfield to finance Branson's greater ambitions.

Tracklist:
North Side
1 Hunger (The Ocean Roars It Bites) 3:00
2 Epi Epi Arp Woosh! 4:00
3 Another Tampon Up The Arse Of Humanity 4:00
4 Misa Luba Lone Wolf 3:06
East Side
5 Storm The Reality Asylum 4:00
6 Here Gathers Nameless Energy (Volcanoes Covered By Snow) 4:20
7 A Dog's Secret 1:30
8 Liars Shape Up Or Ship Out 2:00
South Side
9 Warm; To The If In Life 4:30
10 Nurse Increase The Sedatives (The Torment's No Better) 4:15
11 Take A Don Key To Mystery 4:00
West Side
12 Tax Sex 5:00
13 Subversive Wisdom 5:00
14 Fire Eyes Joyful Silent Tears 4:10

Bonus:

15 You're My Kind Of Climate (7" single)

DOWNLOAD this chilly relic HERE!

Rip Rig + Panic ‎– "God" ( Virgin ‎– V 2213, Uh Huh Prods ‎– V2213)

The Pop Group splintered into many pieces, none greater than the whole.
The very trendy Rip Rig And Panic(Jazzy namedrop number 1;nicked from Roland Kirk), featured Sager and Smith from the aforementioned Pop Group, plus keyboard hanger on Mark Springer, and future International Pop Star Neneh Cherry.
Thinking they were getting a poppier version of The Pop Group, Virgin Records signed them as quick as shit off a stick.......someone must have got the sack after Richard Branson heard this.
It does,however, sound like a bunch of pretentious ,and very recent Jazz Record fans shut in a room with instruments, a tape recorder, and some Tequila ,and told how fantastic they were.
The ,admittedly, lovely Neneh Cherry's whiney voice being particularly rasping on the delicate bones of the inner ear.
Whenever 'Jazz' becomes absorbed into Pop music, there is always a sense of annoying elitism treading water within the 'we are cooler than you' grooves. Someone bought some of those marked down Archie Shepp records from the eclectic record shop in downtown Bristol to leave lying around their squat........what music do you like?.........Moi?...I like Jaaaaaaazzzzzz, y'dig?
Oh...OK......I 'dig' Jazz too, but i'm not so far up my own arse as to not realise I feel slightly more sophisticated when i'm playing an Albert Ayler album than one by A Flock of Seagulls.......I know which one i'd prefer to be listening to most of the time......that's right, A Flock Of Seagulls, Ayler gets right on my tits. Neneh's dad, Don Cherry, happens to have made some rather great fusion records, and even appears on Rip Rig + Panic's second LP. 
I'm a big fan of the epoch when Jazz embraced rock, the Fusion era of Miles Davis,which was an evolution  rather than when Rock embraced Jazz, or worse, when 'Pop' embraced Jazz, which was motivated by a lack of idea's;so they steal from the past rather than look towards a future.
I hated this record when I bought it.....but as so often happens after a gap of thirty years it sounds fresh, wild and exciting.......now I thinks its very great(despite the fucking annoying people on spliff humour). I'm so fickle ain't I?

Tracklist:

Red Side
Constant Drudgery Is Harmful To Soul, Spirit & Health 3:24
Wilhelm Show Me The Diagram (Function Of The Orgasm) 1:10
Through Nomad Eyeballs 3:28
Change Your Life 3:01
Yellow Side
Knee Deep In Shit 3:30
Totally Naked (Without Lock Or Key) 1:54
Try Box Out Of This Box 2:34
Need (De School You) 1:32
Green Side
Howl! Caged Bird 3:30
Those Eskimo Women Speak Frankly 3:13
The Blue Blue Third 5:25
Blue Side
Shadows Only There Because Of The Sun 2:41
Beware (Our Leaders Love The Smell Of Napalm) 1:51
Miss Pib 1:34
It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Brrod 2:58

Bonus Tracks:

Bob Hope Takes Risks (7" Version)3:53

Go, Go, Go! (This Is It)2:19

The Ultimate In Fun (Is Going To The Disco With My Baby)2:30

Hey Mr E! A Gran Grin With A Shake Of Smile5:11

Billy Eckstein's Shirt Collar3:22

Bob Hope Takes Risks (12" Version)7:01

DOWNLOAD this rip and don't panic HERE!

Glaxo Babies ‎– "Nine Months To The Disco" (Heartbeat Records ‎– HB2) 1980

It's Glaxo Babies but not as we knew them.
After a line-up change, our second favourite Bristolians recorded their only official album, and its like a different group made it. No vocals,lots of of showing off how eclectic and sophisticated their record collections are, and some on-trend bass slapping,all glued together with a disco beat.
It was time to break up and they obliged us. Dick Catsis taking his funky bass slappin', and "Shake (the Foundations)" to the Pop Group.
A sad demise to a group with buckets of potential.

Tracklist:

A1 Maximal Sexual Joy
A2 This Is Your Vendetta
A3 Seven Days
A4 Electric Church
A5 Nine Months To The Disco
B1 Promised Land
B2 The Tea Master And The Assassin
B3 Free Dem Cells
B4 Dinosaur Disco Meets The Swampsstomp
B5 Conscience
B6 Slim
B7 Shake (The Foundations)

DOWNLOAD 37 years after the disco ended HERE!

Glaxo Babies ‎– "Put Me On The Guest List" (Heartbeat Records ‎– HBM 3) 1980

Early Glaxo Babies demo tracks from 1978 to 79, including a plodding version of the classic "This Is Your Life" and a reggae version of "Who Killed Bruce Lee".Some of the other tracks are lesser versions to the ones recorded for The John Peel Show, and for their excellent singles. However,its a better record than the official LP "Nine Months to the Disco" released earlier that same year.

Tracklist:

A1 Avoiding The Issue*
A2 Because Of You*
A3 This Is Your Life*
A4 Police State*
A5 Who Killed Bruce Lee (Version)#
B1 Stay Awake*
B2 She Went To Pieces#
B3 Burning#
B4 Flesh#
B5 Puppet Patrol~

* 01/12/78. 

#   09/03/79

~   25/06/79. 

DOWNLOAD yourself on to the guest list HERE!

Glaxo Babies - "Singles and Sessions 1979-80" (a Die or DIY? Compilation)

Another classic post punk combo from Bristol are Glaxo Babies, briefly called Gl*xo Babies when the pharmaceutical giant of the same name threatened legal action unless they changed their name. It was an unflattering reference to the fact that the very same drugs company had provided Thalidomide ,which caused deformities in unborn foetus's.......that's capitalism for you, killing and maiming our kids and ruining our favourite pop groups names.
Glaxo Babies released a string of classic singles and EPs in 1979-80, which were never matched by their long players. Again, this oversight was remedied by the BBC, with two great Peel sessions.
Put all this together and you've got one of the greatest post-punk albums that never existed!
Its almost impossible to choose between "Christine Keeler" , "This is Your Life", "Who Killed Bruce Lee", and punky funk classic "Shake",which was frequently covered live by The Pop Group, as their greatest un-hit.
In fact, bassist Dan Catsis, would add his considerable talents on the four strings for The Pop Group from 1980 onwards(sadly he's also in the recently reformed poop groop!); which explains why they started to sound like the Glaxo Babies plus Mark Stewart from then on.(but doesn't explain why they now sound like Haircut 100?!)
For which track the Glaxo's earned their place on the infamous Nurse With Wound list, i can't be bothered to find out, but on it they are! They are a bit too funky for Stephen Stapleton and chums,but, "It's Irrational", stands out out as an early example of ferocious discordant guitarwork, more akin with the kind of 'No Wave' stuff that was gestating on Thalidomide in New York at the time. Then again, if The Pop Group were american wouldn't we be dumping them in with the No Wave lot too?.....or were they too political for those mid-town trendies, rather like The Glaxo Babies?

Tracklist:

01 Christine Keeler [Christine Keeler 7" 1979)
02 Nova Bossa Nova [B-side Christine Keller 7")
03 This Is Your Life [This Is Your Life EP 1979)
04 Stay Awake [This Is Your Life EP 1979)
05 Because Of You [This Is Your Life EP 1979)
06 Who Killed Bruce Lee¿ [This Is Your Life EP 1979)
07 Shake (The Foundations) [single 1980)
08 She Went To Pieces (Live 28-03-1979, Shake B-side)
09 It's Irrational [Peel Session 17-04-79)
10 Bruce Lee [Peel Session 17-04-1979)
11 She Went To Pieces [Peel Session 17-04-79)
12 Burning [Peel Session 17-04-1979]
13 Limited Entertainment [Peel Session 19-02-1980]
14 Dahij [Peel Session 19-02-1980]
15 There'll Be No Room For You In The Shelter [Peel Session 19-02-1980]
16 Permission To Be Wrong [Peel Session 19-02-1980]

DOWNLOAD some mutant post-punk funk HERE!

The Pop Group ‎– "Idealists In Distress From Bristol" ( Vinyl Japan ‎– JASKCD195) 2007

Two whole compact disc's of vintage live performances by everyone's favourite Bristolian Punk Funk Dub combo, including several unreleased tunes, and a Capitol Radio session track from 1979; which was also included on "Cabinet Of Curiosities" and listed as being 'Live in Bristol 1978'????
The quality of the recordings are varied, as are the sources.Most are audience bootleg recordings, with only the Helsinki and Milan gigs being obviously soundboard feeds. Alas, its all very listenable, and captures the live energy and anger of this innovative,once legendary, and ironically named pop group.

Tracklist:

CD1:
Capitol Radio Session, April 5th 1979
1.1 Don't Sell Your Dreams 3:42

Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth UK, March 8 1979
1.2 She Is Beyond Good And Evil 5:48
1.3 Don't Call Me Pain 7:33
1.4 Snow Girl 3:39
1.5 Don't Sell Your Dreams 3:39
1.6 The Boys From Brazil 4:55
1.7 We Are Time 5:41

Milan, Italy, 1980
1.8 Thief Of Fire 1:36
1.9 Forces Of Oppression 2:17

"Beat The Blues" Festival, Alexandra Palace, London, June 16 1980
1.10 Shake The Foundations 3:26
1.11 Forces Of Oppression 2:24
1.12 Feed The Hungry 4:08
1.13 Thief Of Fire 3:50
1.14 There Are No Spectators 5:08
1.15 God Problems Communism 2:47
1.16 For How Much Longer 4:26
1.17 Justice 3:44
1.18 We Are All Prostitutes 4:40
1.19 Shake The Foundations 3:40

CD2:

Koln, West Germany, February 5 1980
2.1 Shake The Foundations 1:47
2.2 Forces Of Oppression 3:21
2.3 Thief Of Fire 3:27
2.4 Feed The Hungry 3:39
2.5 There Are No Spectators 3:57
2.6 Crime Of The Evening 2:51
2.7 For How Much Longer 4:10
2.8 Where There's A Will 4:47
2.9 Justice 3:21
2.10 We Are All Prostitutes 6:46
2.11 Shake The Foundations 3:02

Helsinki, Finland, October 1980
2.12 Liberty City 9:50
2.13 Hotter Than 1000 Suns 5:58
2.14 Feed The Hungry 4:36
2.15 Entertain Your Life Away 4:54

DOWNLOAD disc one ideally HERE!

DOWNLOAD disc two to avoid distress HERE!

The Pop Group ‎– "Cabinet Of Curiosities" (Freaks R Us ‎– FREAK 2) 2014

The reformation of The Pop Group has finally brought about the release of the remainder of the Pop Group archives.
This is the companion disc to the "We Are Time" official bootleg. A couple of live unreleased tunes,an 'original' version of a classic, remixes,and the rest of the Peel session from the tenth of August 1978; including a slow motion version of "Words Disobey Me". There's a weird 'pop' version of "Don't Sell Your Dreams" that reminds me of the crud that they would release in the recent reformed version of this classic group.
I double checked to see if the new stuff was as bad as I thought, so I re-listened to "Citizen Zombie" from 2015, and it was even worse than I remembered! Yes it really does sound like Haircut 100 fronted by Mark Stewart. Its even shitter than the 21st century version of PiL.
Tragic!

Tracklist:

1-Where There's A Will (Foel Studio 1980, Remastered Single)
2-She Is Beyond Good And Evil(Ramport Studio 1978,Original Version)
3-Colour Blind (Live Brussels 1978)
4-Words Disobey Me (Peel Session 10-08-1978)
5-Don't Sell Your Dreams (Demo 1978)
6-We Are Time (Peel Session 10-08-1978)
7-Abstract Heart (Live Brussels 1978)
8-Amnesty Report III (Previously Unreleased Mix Of 1979 Single)
9-Karen's Car (Live Helsinki 1980)

DOWNLOAD if you're curious HERE!

The Pop Group ‎– "We Are Time" (Rough Trade ‎– ROUGH 12, Y Records ‎– Y 5) 1980

The Pop Groups 'Official' bootleg, compiling demos, live tracks,and radio sessions onto one handy black disc. Not a bad track on here (excepting 'springer',which is rather irritating).
The revived Poop Groop are currently destroying their legacy at a concert venue and record shop near you, but don't let that detract from the brilliance of their back catalogue,which you should already have in your collection and know intimately.Of which 'We are Time' is an essential part.

Tracklist:

1- Trap - demo 78
2- Thief of Fire - live Electric Ballroom 79
3- Genius or Lunatic - live Brussels 78
4- Color Blind - demo 78
5- Spanish Inquisition - live 79 (venue unknown)
6- Kiss the Book - John Peel Session 78
7- Amnesty Report - Foel Studios 79 

8- Springer
9- Sense of Purpose - demo 78
10-We Are Time - live Glastonbury 79

DOWNLOAD this genius or lunacy HERE!

The Pop Group - "The Boys Whose Head Exploded (live 1979-80)" (Freaks R Us FREAK20LP) 2016

File under Post-Punk.

This is post-punk with zero per cent progressive content, thirty-three and a third funk and soul.A sprinkling of free Jazz and Dub,you name it, its in there.Which I guess is a definition of 'Post-punk' after it was released from the straitjacket of its rocky predecessor.

The preachy nature of the Pop Groups manifesto like lyrics tends to get on ones proverbial tits, and the dance-ability irks somewhat as a nod towards the commerciality they allegedly detested.

Then, the cherry on the top, they go and reform as slightly rotund middle-aged blokes, to earn some dough.....ironically they still play "We Are All Prostitutes" but now in the style of a Haircut One Hundred tribute band.

What we have here are ten live cuts from 1979 to 1980, all of which verge on the cusp of total chaos.

Bruce Smith (the drummer), has the particular distinction of playing in two of the worst reformed groups from this specific epoch; namely The Pop Group, and PiL. They both should take a leaf out of This Heats book of how to do things;starting with make good music , and then call themselves 'This Is Not.... The Pop Group'.In the case of PiL, they should have used the prefix 'This Is Not...' from about 1982.

Tracklist:

We Are All Prostitutes (Live Milan 1980)
Justice (Live Cologne 1980)
How Much Longer (Live Cologne 1980)
Blind Faith (Live Sheffield 1979)
Forces Of Oppression (Live Cologne 1980)
There Are No Spectators (Live Cologne 1980)
Feed The Hungry (Live Cologne 1980)
Rob A Bank (Live Milan 1980)
Shake The Foundations (Live Cologne 1980)
73 Shadow Street (Live Helsinki 1980)

DOWNLOAD the boys whose waistlines expanded HERE!