Sorry!

For the lack of updates on here. Most of my time has been taken up on MySpace helping out with The Return Of Ralph Coates site. You can access it here:

http://www.myspace.com/returnofralphcoates

For those that don't know, The Return Of Ralph Coates are set to return to the fray in the very near future. Check the site for details!! Global Ralph domination beckons - Come on over and join the fun!

Return Of Ralph Coates Exclusive Interview!

Return Of Ralph Coates - Exclusive Interview To Be Posted Soon!

I've recently managed to make contact with Paul Drew, erstwhile agent provocateur from The Return Of Ralph Coates!
He's promised an exclusive interview which I'm currently arranging. Let's hope he'll reform the band and play support to Rumblefish!!

Check back regularly, it'll be online as soon as possible.

Sign Petition For Rumblefish To Play Live Again!!

I've started an online petition that I will present to Summerhouse Records to try and persuade Jeremy Paige to reform Rumblefish to play live again. See details in the Rumblefish post below, I think he would do it!
What with all the C86 reunion gigs going on at the moment, I think the time is right so please click the link and sign. Perhaps we could persuade some others to do a one off '20 years since C86' gig at the same time in Birmingham- Mighty Mighty? The Jack Rubies? The Surf Drums? The Nightingales? The Return of Ralph Coates? The Atom Spies? The Sea Urchins ? The Capitols ? Sign away!!
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/RumblefishGigs/index.html

Wingless Wonders - The Return of Ralph Coates

The Return of Ralph Coates
What else can be said about this little known (outside the beat elite and hepcats of indie land), but hugely influential, combo of northern types who formed in the West Midlands in 1986.
Although short lived, this band caused quite a considerable stir in their year long existence. After one outrageously thrashy gig, I took the bus home along with many other Ralphites and Ralphettes who had been quite simply blown away be the sheer intensity of noise produced by the band. One punter remarked ‘they sound like a cross between The Housemartins and The Sex Pistols.’ This might not give you the whole story of the Ralphsters but it does give a good indication as to the split personality of their sound. On the one hand they displayed the deftness of touch and quick turn of phrase more commonly associated with the cream of the burgeoning C86/shambling scene such as The Brilliant Corners as well as seasoned music intelligentsia such as The Jazz Butcher or The Monochrome Set. They could never keep their punk rock instincts totally in check however and would often explode mid song into a white noise thrall of feedback so intense that it could quite literally backcomb your Bobby Gillespie moptop into a Morrissey quiff at 30 paces!
Surfing the cultural zeitgeist of the day were Paul Drew, Darren McKillop, Paul Heathcote, Howard Crossley and the mysterious guitarist known only as ‘Clive.’ I was lucky enough to witness their first gig at a Walsall College talent night. The usual crap that these events through up (Queen covers bands, stand up ‘comedians’ etc) were going through the motions to polite applause. THEN……..The Return of Ralph Coates took to the stage and literally blew the place apart. The language was colourful from the off as the band took on all comers with an exuberant heavily percussioned noise. Mr Drew prowled the stage in his anorak and marraccas spitting out invective showing the type of stage presence that would later be copied by Bez from The Happy Mondays. McKillop, all drunk arrogance and pose, kept up a machine gun rat a tat tat vocal assault. Mr Crossly dropped the beats (and his pint), underpinning the chaos around him to a voodoo rhythm. Baseball capped PH, looking like an extra from a Big Audio Dynamite video prowled around the stage delivering short, sharp social observations that linked beautifully with McKillops’ deranged Mark E Smith style streams of consciousness. Then there was the guitarist, Clive. He stood alone at the back of the stage shooting out pure white noise that the Jesus & Mary Chain could only dream of, and yet…..he never quite looked like he was part of the rest of the group. Even on the gig posters his photograph appeared separate to the rest of the band. As Ralph’s stock began to rise, this difference would become all too tragically apparent.
These boys meant it, that was what stood them apart from your run of the mill bands. That first gig ended in near anarchy. They came off to a mixed reception from the student squares in attendance, many of them running off back to their Tanita Takarim and U2 records in terror. Following the Ralphmeisters on to the stage was some appalling long hair rock band. Halfway through an interminable guitar solo the curtains at the side of the stage began to rustle….suddenly PH burst onto the stage grabbed the nearest microphone and told the audience exactly what the band thought of this rock crap. There followed an off stage altercation with the security staff and the band had to collect their gear and make a very speedy exit out into the night. Nobody there that night will ever forget their first encounter with The Return of Ralph Coates.
Sadly, this genius could not last. Another gig followed in Walsall but the signs were already on the wall….and then, the bombshell! Ralph had split. Clive the guitarist had been found in possession of a Rush record and dodgy haircut and was unceremoniously sacked, the band then drifted apart. There are live tapes available of the band and, should you come across one, make sure you pay whatever you have to get it. You will never, ever have heard anything quite like it. Mr McKillop relocated to the North East and formed ‘Where’s George Berrys’ Wife’ who gigged for a couple of years before splitting. Mr Drew returned to Manchester and was last heard of trying to reform Big Flame. PH moved to Hull and formed the post industrial noise outfit ‘Offshore Steel Boat’ before reverting to jangle pop with the highly acclaimed 'quirk-core' outfit ‘The Umbrellas.’ The whereabouts of the others is unknown.

Birmingham's Greatest - Rumblefish

Rumblefish

The second city is not exactly well known for it's musical excellence, but if you scratch beneath the surface of the shocking Duran Duran and the apalling UB40 and any number of hoary old rock dullards you will find the likes of Felt and the recently reformed Nightingales. Best of all, and ridiculously, most obscure of all were Jeremy Paige's Rumblefish. This band were truly, truly magnificent. Initially signed to the excellent pink label (home of The June Brides, McCarthy and The Wolfhounds) this band released a trio of perfect, trumpet driven jangle pop singles.

I can't remember if it was on the John Peel or the Janice Long show that I first heard the monumentally good 'Tug-Boat Line' but I scooted off to town and purchased it straight away. The b sides ('Dum-Dum' and 'Rave') were almost as good. This band meant business! The next single signifyed a line up change as ex-members of the then defunct Nightingales joined Mr Paige for the 'Medicine' 12". This single was fantastic, very uptempo affair with trumpets and guitars flying around all over the place like a dove tailing Gheorge Hagi and Marius Lacatus.

Next up was another line up change (sounds like a mini version of The Fall doesn't it?) and the jangly, but trumpet-less(!), 'Don't Leave Me.' The a side was as good as ever, however the b sides were a lot longer than before (4-5+ minutes) and gave a good indication as to the direction the band would take for the debut album.

Rumblefish then seemed to disappear from view. In the following years I did hear rumours that they may have made an lp but never took this any further……UNTIL I got hold of a computer and logged on to Ebay. I found a copy of a cd on East West records simply titled ‘Rumblefish.’ Further investigation revealed the track listings to contain both ‘Don’t Leave Me’ and ‘Tug-Boat Line.’ A bid was hastily placed and I managed to get hold of it for the princely sum of £3.99 (plus 1.25p P&P.) Excitement was almost at fever pitch!!
BUT………..(you knew that was coming didn’t you?)…….have you ever picked up the local paper excitedly after hearing a rumour that your football team was going to Paris, only to find out they’ve signed George Parris and are not going to the French capital after all? I remember wanting an Action Man and being given something called ‘Atomic Man.’ I know this sounds ungrateful, but this atomic geezer had a bushy Tom Jones style afro and a black jumpsuit with silver piping. He looked shit. There was no way I could fight the nazi menace with this clown. Well, the lp when it arrived was a similar experience. The first track ‘Everything Electrical’ was originally released (with trumpet) on the ‘Tug-Boat Line’ 12”. Here it was given a rocking, trumpet less makeover and though still half decent was not a patch on the original. Alarm bells started to ring…where’s the trumpet?...why is the production so glossy and shiny as to be almost verging on mainstream AOR rock territory (I exaggerate a little, it’s never THAT bad!.) The next track was the single called ‘Mexico’, this was more like it, an uptempo jangly strummer. In fairness, the new version of ‘Don’t Leave Me’ stands up well in comparison to the original, not deviating from the original blueprint too much. The next track is a bonafide classic called ‘Hammersmith Queen’, fantastic vocals, great lyrics and lovely laid back arrangement. Top marks! Now….oh dear….comes the re-worked ‘Tug-Boat Line.’ For those of you not familiar with this tune, the original is one of THE great lost singles of all time. It is impossibly perfect with the most beautiful trumpet solo in the middle. This new version however caused me great pain. It’s not that it’s bad, it isn’t. If you had never heard the original you would note it down as a decent tune (which it is)….but the trumpet solo has been replaced by an electric guitar solo and I just can’t get on with it. From here, the album never really kicks back in. New versions of ‘So Lightly’ and ‘The Lodge’ pass by without bettering the originals and the ‘new’ (?) tunes whilst never being bad, just seem to meander a little whereas once they used to sparkle. If you see this cd on sale anywhere, buy it. It’s worth the money for ‘Mexico’ and ‘Hammersmith Queen’ alone. However, first you should buy the compilation album ‘1234’ released by Summerhouse Records. This contains all the early singles plus b sides and a couple of tracks that appeared on compilations around that time - the fabulous ‘Solid Wood’ and the nearly as good ‘Theatre King.’ This cd will not leave your listening device, it is fantastic, really really brilliant.
I read an interview with Jeremy Paige saying that he would love to do some Rumblefish gigs again but doesn’t think there would be any call for it. I say let’s start a campaign to bring them back!!

Where Did It All Start? - Television Personalities

Television Personalities
Daniel Treacy is a genius. This is a fact. He is responsible for some of the most sublime and beautiful music ever released. Most people in this country have never heard of him.
My elder brother went away to University back in 1980 and in doing so, left his record collection at home and therefore at my disposal. In amongst the myriad of 7" punk singles I found a record entitled 'Where's Bill Grundy Now? EP' by a band called Television Personalities. I liked the cover and the fact that the first track was called Part Time Punks. I popped it onto the ancient Grundig stereo in my brothers' room and proceeded to play it over and over and over again. This was magnificent! Lyrically both sarcastic and witty, very tuneful even though practically everything was out of tune and wonderfully inventive. This track stood head and shoulders above most of the '1,2,3,4..' stuff that was passing itself off as 'alternative' music in those days. I liked it nearly as much as my Dundee United/Hull City/Wolverhampton Wanderers three for one subbuteo team. I was 12 years old.
Fast forward to 1984, the dark Thatcher days of a bleak and depressed Britain (there was certainly very little ‘Great’ about it at that point in its’ history) and to the basement of Sydney Scarboroughs record store in Kingston-Upon-Hull. Having now progressed to having my own records, I was keen to add to my collection and was idly flicking through the ‘indie’ section seeking inspiration. The last copy of ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’ by The Jazz Butcher had been pilfered before my very eyes by some psychobilly variant (bugger off back to The Stingrays section you mutant!) and I WAS NOT HAPPY! A replacement fix was required sharpish.
I came across a stark black cover with four earnest looking men, two in shades two without, staring blankly out at me. There was no indication as to who the band where or the name of the record. I was intrigued enough to pick it up and flip the cover over to find that this was a record by Television Personalities called 'The Painted Word.' ‘I loved that ‘Bill Grundy’ EP’, I mused, ‘shall I buy it or that Diagram Brothers 12” and six cans of Stryke lager (you could tell how crap the lager was because they spelt the name like some dreadful metal band - but, at 37p a throw I was prepared to liquid headbang. I was morally bankrupt and easily corruptible as I’m sure you can tell) on the way home?.’ I purchased ‘The Painted Word.’
‘Sometimes just to see you smile would make it all worthwhile..’
These were the first words sung by Dan Treacy on the first track ‘Stop and Smell the Roses.’ We were in personal angst territory here and I loved every single minute of it. That evening was one of those balmy summers evenings that we seemed to get a lot of back in the day (you know, pre global warming and Eamonn Holmes) as we waited for the pubs to open (yes, you read it correctly! 7 O’bloody clock! How extremely draconian is that?? Thatchers’ miserable sodding Britain!!.) My friend, Mr J Watson esq and myself were sat on the window sill in my bedroom with our legs dangling out of the window, cans of Challenge bitter (34p a can!! Have some of that Mr Stryke metal band crap lager man!) clutched in our hands. ‘ I bought this record by a group called Television Personalities today’ I said, ‘put it on then Heath, we’ll have a listen’ Mr J Watson esq replied.
Approximately an hour later we were gob smacked. The Challenge had been consumed and the cigarettes smoked. That record was simply unlike anything else we had ever heard. From the minimal musical arrangements (Listen, I didn’t even know what a Velvet Undergound was in those days) to Dan’s lyrics veering from council estate misery (‘Paradise Estate’) to nuclear disarmament (‘A Sense of Belonging’) to the loss of childhood innocence (‘Bright Sunny Smiles’) to heartwrenching longing (‘Someone to Share My Life With’) to the insanity of Vietnam (‘Back to Vietnam’) this was one unforgettable journey. I never ever looked back. I was 16 years old.

Next came the wonderful ‘How I Learnt To Love The Bomb’ 12” backed with ‘Now You’re Just Being Ridiculous’ and ‘God Snaps His Fingers.’ Bizarrely, the title track was re-recorded (and got even better!) and released as a 7” with two new b sides, ‘The Grocers’ Daughter’, dedicated to that lovely Mrs Thatcher and the bouncy ‘Girl Called Charity.’ Both records and all tracks are essential. At this point, I started buying up as much of the old material as I could. The track ‘Silly Girl’ from the ‘…And Don’t The Kids Just Love It’ album being a particular favourite. I don’t think I’ve heard another record reference Cheshire’s’ finest railway settlement Crewe before. ‘..You ran away on a train to Crewe/Such a silly thing to do’ - well, you can’t exactly argue with him can you?
The Televison Personalities, as has been documented elsewhere, have been an enormous influence on the indie scene over the years. Alan McGee was inspired enough to start Creation Records after Dan formed his own Whaaam! Label. They continued to put out records on an irregular basis over the years including the quite sublime (and well produced!) ‘Privilege’ and the double album ‘Closer To God.’ Both absolutely essential.
The good news is that they are, after 11 years and countless rumours of Dan Treacys’ demise, back with a fantastic new lp ‘My Dark Places.’ Do yourself a favour and buy it, it is as wonderfully addictive (and lo-fi!) as ever!! A friend of mine once perceptively told me that 'Part Time Punks' was indie year zero, I think he was right. I am 38 years old.