Probably my fave lineup of The UK Subs
And a shameless plug of my old band The Forgotten with Charlie wearing a Forgotten t shirt
I just wanted to touch upon something I experienced last night. I went to a BBQ that was attended by a bunch of old high school friends and had a fantatic evening, eating and drinking! Anyways, after a fun evening my wife drives us back home and out comes the music for the hour long drive. I decided upon listening to The UK Subs album Brand New Age. Instantly I was transported back to a teenager and singing along to every song while my wife drove my drunken ass home. While listening to this album it reminded me of the sheer power, excellent musicianship, the fantastic production and just amazing songwriting. I know The Subs were looked down upon by the trendy London punk elite when they started, and the fact that some considered their following to be a little on the simplistic side, again the London elite??? But truth be told, this band was heads and shoulders above many. Their recorded output from 1977-1983 was STUNNING. From Stranglehold to Warhead. From the crushing assault of Endangered Species to Party In Paris. Then the amazing War of The Roses as Nicky and Co. leave Charlie, there is no doubt how damn good this band was. Live? The Subs could, and did wipe up the floor with just about any band. Today we still see Charlie and Alvin still at it, with Nicky joining on certain tours and recordings. I just wanted to shout out how much I love The UK Subs and I am glad that I have met them, listened to them, and how much joy they have given my life. Long live The UK Subs!
Does your missus like punk Ken?
ReplyDeleteI think you'll find many of the London elite pissed off to be new romantics pretty soon so their opinion counts for zero in my book. The same people who came back to punk 20+ years later and learnt more then they ever knew at the time. Did I mention that Marco is a poser? :)
If it wasn't for bands like the subs, Damned, Ruts and SLF etc punk may well have died, but they carried people through the lean/transitional times. I saw the subs quite a few times, but the most memorable was at a local night club where Charlie invited people on stage....after 2 minutes of pogoing the left side of the stage collapsed and that was gig over....lukilly it was the encore.
Brand new age is the subs at their peak in my opinion. Classic album.
Neil, yeah my wife listens to punk. Her fave bands are The Cramps, X, Social Distortion, also she listens to a lot of the 77'ish stuff too. Though she tends to stay away from the harder stuff like GBH, Discharge etc. I agree with everything you wrote and then some. Seems we both know the poser types that fucked off on punk.....:). It is just amazing that there were so many bands post 79 that produced some great music.
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Loved the Subs from my schooldays.'Crash Course' has got to be in my top 5 live albums,(purple vinyl,free 12" too!)Got 'Brand New Age' in clear vinyl,but now i find the record is gradualy turning a worrying brown colour?
ReplyDeleteRecently sold a copy of their fan club 1-sided 7" 'Party in Paris' (French version)for a small profit, (50p new). Alvin Gibbs book is a great read about the Subs rise to fame. Also liked the Urban Dogs...ramble,ramble,mumble,but i was verry,verrry Drrrunk!
Crash Course is indeed in my top 5 live albums too. Love it
ReplyDeleteKen Days Of Our Youth
The UK Subs are one of my heroes and I've already seen them several times live, still with full power and heart. The first 4 albums are absolutely brilliant, especially Crash Course blows me away every time.
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