Big Country

Big Country were a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline,in the early 1980s, Big Country comprised Stuart Adamson (formerly of Skids, vocals / guitar / keyboards), Bruce Watson (guitar / mandolin / sitar / vocals), Tony Butler (bass guitar / vocals) and Mark Brzezicki (drums / percussion / vocals).

The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s and the band incorporated Scottish folk and martial music styles, and they engineered their guitar-driven sound to evoke the sound of bagpipes, fiddles and other traditional folk instruments.

Their biggest hit and my favourite track is 'In a Big Country', also 'Look Away' and their first single 'Fields of Fire'

Bow Wow Wow

Bow Wow Wow were an English new wave band, created by manager Malcolm McLaren in 1980. McLaren famously recruited members of Adam and the Ants to form the band behind 13-year-old Annabella Lwin on vocals. At one stage John O'Dowd (later Boy George) was a co-vocalist in the band. They released their debut EP ' Your Cassette Pet ' in 1980, which I played endlessly from this they relased their first single, " C·30 C·60 C·90 Go !", shortly thereafter.Initially released only on cassette, it was the world's first-ever cassette single (a 7" vinyl version was released several months later). EMI did not promote the "cassingle" due to its lyrics, which promoted home taping at a time when music piracy was a hot issue. In 1981, after splitting from EMI, Bow Wow Wow signed with RCA Records. In October of that year, their first full-length album was released: ' See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy! ' The cove...

The Adverts

The Adverts were an English punk band who formed in 1976 and broke up in late 1979. They were one of the first punk bands to enjoy chart success in the UK. The band was formed by T.V. Smith (Tim Smith) and Gaye Advert (Gaye Black), both originally from Devon but relocated to to London, the two young punks recruited guitarist Howard Pickup (Boak) and drummer Laurie Driver (Muscat), and the Adverts were born. Their 1977 single " Gary Gilmore's Eyes / Bored Teenagers " reached No. 18 in the UK Singles Chart. The Adverts played at the Roxy Club, London no less than nine times between January and April 1977, the first of which they supported Generation X, their third gig was supporting the Damned and they soon signed a recording contract with Stiff Records. In April 1977, the Adverts recorded the first of four sessions for John Peel at BBC Radio 1.Days later, on 29 April 1977, their debut single " One Chord Wonders " was released by Stiff. After the tabloid-fueled ...

Hazel O'Connor

Hazel O'Connor was a bit of a flash in the pan, new wave star in the early 1980s, she shot to fame in the film 'Breaking Glass' for which she wrote and performed the sound track. I saw her perform in Reading, when at Uni and she was supported by an up and coming New Romantic group called 'Duran Duran'. Her two big tracks were ' Eighth Day ' and ' Will You '

The Boomtown Rats

The Boomtown Rats are an Irish New Wave band originally formed in Dublin in the mid 1970s, that had a series of Irish and UK hits in th elate 1970s and early 1980s. The group was led by vocalist Bob Geldof, the other members of the original line-up were Garry Roberts (lead guitar), Johnnie Fingers (keyboards), Pete Briquette (bass), Gerry Cott (rhythm guitar) and Simon Crowe (drums). They were another early starter band coming out of the Punk movement but developed their sound to really place them as New Wave artists in my opinion. They always suffered for not being as cool as Stiff Little Fingers or as popular as The Undertones but they were the Republic's pride before teh rise and fall of U2. Their first hit was the controversial ' Mary of the IV Form ', a record I remember going to the local Boots store to purchase soon after hearing it on the radio. They followed this up with ' Lookin after No1 ' Before developing into a more sophisticated sound and teh release...

Dr. Feelgood

Dr. Feelgood were a Pub Rock band formed in the early 1970s in Canvey Island, Essex, the group are best known for early singles such as " Back in the Night " and " Milk and Alcohol ". The group's original, distinctive British R&B sound was based on Wilko Johnson's choppy guitar style. Along with Johnson, the original band line-up included singer Lee Brilleaux and the rhythm section of John B. Sparks, known as "Sparko", on bass guitar and John Martin, known as "The Big Figure", on drums. I was actively aware of the band from about 1975 onwards and followed them until about 1980, although with diminished enthusiasm as other genres began to take a lead. First track here is the classic ' Milk and Alcohol ', a favourite of my friends when at Uni in Reading in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The other classic is ' Back in the Night ' I have one or two of their singles in my collection, these are firmly stuck in the loft ...

Muzical Mystery Tour

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