(Virgin Records V2086)

It was meant to be shocking when it came out and just as expected the establishment was shocked but now that has worn off somewhat and we can concentrate on the music and the message. Things are much freer now and hopefully some folks are much less uptight. Some bands were great at singles but although albums may have been produced, the singles were what made their mark on the world.

(Deptford Fun City Records DLPO1)

The first track on the album is different but worth a listen and still we have the same problems, and then the band gets down to really playing, helped along on one track by Jools Holland.

(Mercury Records 00602557256697)

Good things were also happening on the other side of the Atlantic and the idea of sending up everything worked really well – ‘Jet Boy’ has the right idea.  Mothers at the Filmore East was Zappa’s send up of celebrity.

(Epic 82495)

The opening of side 1 with the V1 buzz bomb is a good lead in to ‘Pure Mania’ but it is worth waiting for the last track on the album ‘Troops of Tomorrow’. This is the second Vibrators album and the comparison with the first album is worth making as it shows how things have moved on for the band.

(United Artists UAG 30045)

There are so many good tracks on this album that it might be hard to pick until you hear the bass intro on ‘Peaches’, not bettered until PiL came on the scene.  In those days it wasn’t one to play for your mother.

(Harvest SHSP 4076)

How many tracks can you get on an LP – there are twenty-one on this one – but it does mean that they are fairly brief.  As a band, their music develops really quickly and it is almost a problem seeing the second album ‘Chairs Missing’ as coming from the same team but is more New Wave than punk.

(Virgin Records OVED 57)

Babylon’s burning made the charts but I’m not sure how many realised that there was more than one song unless, of course, you listened to John Peel.

(Sanctuary Records Real Gone Music RGM 0752)

I didn’t have this album when it first came out but I’ve got it now – it has the great single ‘The day the world turned dayglo’ and if you like sax on your punk music then this is the one for you.  There was a BBC documentary about Poly Styrene that told her story but it isn’t really very cheery viewing.

(United Artists UAG 30159)

I had no doubts about acquiring this one – it’s all energy and once you’ve played both sides you either start again or put on their next album ‘Love Bites’.

(United Artists UAG 30199)

There is no doubt of what you are listening to when you play 999 – vocals with edge – just try ‘Emergency’.

(Polydor Deluxe POLD 5009)

Unmistakeable both instrumentally and with that powerful vocal line driving through everything.

(Virgin Records V2109)

This was produced on luminous glow in the dark vinyl as well as black and the lucky ones got a playable record – the alternative was to take it back and swop it for the ordinary black version.  Strangely (?) I like the cover versions on here of ‘Nostalgia’ (Buzzcocks) and ‘Free Money’ (Patti Smith) and the latter I play in preference to the original on ‘Horses’.  Pauline Murray is good vocal line to bring it all together.