PARADES IN PERSON - EARLY 80S

Parades were a new wave/alternative pop act on the go in Dundee in 1981-82.

Line-up : Steve Knight, bass - Mike Knight, guitar - Sandy Chisholm, drums - Angus McFarlane, vocals.

They had a really good reputation at the time, almost everyone in agreement that they were a top notch band.

The 2 Cranked Up reviews were both caught live at the Tayside Bar - top one being their debut gig in 1981, and the lower one from 1982.

Parades sound was compared to The Associates, and there is probably a very good reason for this, because bassist, Steve Knight, used to be in The Associates. That's a picture of Steve I've put up to accompany the reviews.

There is also a mini interview with the guys when they all met up in the Tav for a chinwag.

As far as I know, Parades split later in 1982 after Steve set sights on a move to London.

You'll need to click on the top sheet to read the enlarged version.

PAUL WELLER'S DUNDEE PEN PAL

These 2 poems penned by Paul Weller, were published in Dundee fanzine, Cranked Up, in the early 80's.

The reason they ended up there was because they came from Alan Matheson.

Alan used to correspond with Paul Weller, and during the course, Paul would send examples of his poetry up to him.

Alan was working in DC Thomson's at the time, notably with pop/teen mag, Jackie.

Alan actually had the lyrics to The Jam's "That's Entertainment" a year before it came out as a single.

Anyway, Alan passed these two poems on to Cranked Up, and they may very well be exclusives!

Bearing in mind that poems don't always mean they are song lyrics, however I did a bit of research on the net with songs in mind, and I found 1 tiny sketchy reference linking Paul Weller to "Along The Grove", which may possibly have been recorded as a demo. Nothing clearer than that.

As for "Optimmorning"- absolutely nothing whatsoever cropping up on that one at all.

I know Paul has dabbled in publishing too, with the material not relating to his musical output, but I can't find any trace of info about the two poems above via that route either.

So if there are any Paul Weller aficionados out there who can pass on further details, feel free to share it here.

"Optimmorning" - published in Cranked Up 1981.

"Along The Grove" - published in Cranked Up 1982.

Prior to that, Alan once had an article published in London fanzine "Sniffin' Glue" back in summer 1977.

It was a report about what happened when Dundee's punk scene was attempting to spark into life with gigs put on at the Ambassador.

Unfortunately, in true shambolic punk style, the organisation of it fell flat right at the very start when a certain well known band didn't turn up.

Read about it in the original Sniffin' Glue article above.

Sadly, Alan Matheson died in 2002.

Click on the items to enlarge.

HAVE A SAY WITH RADIO TAY

The top item is a good example of what I was saying earlier about getting an idea down when it hits you. These are the original lyrics to "Radio Tay", the song written by Craig Methven when he and the Scrotum Poles were in an Edinburgh recording studio in 1980. Just scrawled on the back of a flyer that was lying around, with an ad for B & R Rugs on the other side! Radio Tay was one of the tracks on their Revelation vinyl EP which has now gone on to become a bit of a collectors item, almost cult status in fact judging by the amount written about it on the Net! Even just recently word came through that the Revelation EP is to be re-produced by an American company, complete with a replica of the original sleeve insert!

Not a record that would have been played on Radio Tay itself of course, but just a couple of years later, Craig found himself making an appearance on the station along with Jock Ferguson after being invited on to have their say on a show called "Not So Much Kid's Stuff" hosted by Sally Masterson. This was in 1982 when Craig & Jock were doing Cranked Up, a time when the fanzine published a few scathing articles about Radio Tay! So they got a wee guest spot which allowed them to mention a few things about the local music scene that the station didn't touch on.

Radio Tay - so near and yet so far away!

Click on the Cranked Up item to read the large version.

Many thanks to Craig.

UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS - 1981

Broughty Ferry wanted a piece of the action, live band action that is, and so Upstairs Downstairs cropped up on the scene to provide such a venue.
I have no images or ads of their place in Erskine Street, but I do have these 2 articles from a 1981 Cranked Up.
Top piece is a short review of Upstairs Downstairs, describing the sewing machine tables they had.
The one below it tells of the time The Grip played there, and in particular the moment the van carrying the band's gear crashed into the canopy above the main door!
Luckily the landlord wasn't there to witness it!!
You should be able to read it ok as it is, but if you're struggling, just click it to get the large version.

ST ANDREW & THE WOOLLEN MILL - 80'S

Formed in 1979, Saint Andrew & The Woollen Mill were regulars on the Dundee music scene by the time these 3 articles were written about them in the early 80's.

They stood out from your average local band because they specialised in humour, with plenty of well known tunes getting the comedy mash-up treatment in their set, along with their own quirky material.

You may get an idea of their silliness from the list of influences they mention - Kenny Everett, Dolly Parton, Patrick Wayne, Rolf Harris...etc.

I remember them doing their version of "Close Encounters" at the Tayside Bar and The Bothy - one of those hand held Casio mini keyboards was used for the famous UFO encounter tune bit, I think it then burst into a kind of disco groove!

They also had a few songs in oor oary local lingo.

The line-up in 1981 was - Andy "St Andrew" Pelc, vocal - Stewart Ivins, guitar - Eddie (Chris?) Marra, keyboard - Gus Foy, bass and Glen Jones, drums.

The band have released quite a few records over the years and I'm fairly sure St Andrew still performs from time to time.

So, the 2 items above...

Top, is an interview in Deadbeat, which the band did just before their gig at the Tayside Bar on 22nd December 1982 - and also includes a short review of the show.

Below it is a brief, light hearted introduction to the band taken from a 1981 Cranked Up.

Click them to bring up the large versions.

DUNDEE HEAVY METAL GUIDE - 1981

In Cranked Up #3, back in 1981, there was an entire page devoted to local talent titled "A Guide To Dundee Bands - For The Uninitiated".
It consisted mostly of acts generally tagged as "alternative", many of which have had a mention on Retro in the past.
In amongst the alternative pack, however, were a few bands categorised as being Heavy Metal.
Each band was given a brief description and a score out of 10.
Here's the 7 HM bands who made the list - ASGARD - STARFIRE - SATAN'S EMPIRE - STREET URCHIN - SPEARHEAD & SARCOPHAGUS - PUSH - SILIGON.
Top of the pile was Street Urchin with 7/10, a higher score than many of the alternative bands.
Bottom of the bucket was Spearhead & Sarcophagus with no points, the only zero on the page and who were described as being a heavy metal kiddie band, a music genre I've not been aware of!!
Anyway, I thought they were all worth a gaze on Retro to see if anybody could recall them.
I don't have any other material on these bands, so if someone knows a little something about them, drop the info into the comments.
Or if you have any photos, memorabilia, sound samples etc, feel free to send them into Retro and I'll do a wee feature.

NO FIXED ABODE - LIVE - 1981/82

I reckon the graphic at the top of the page on the first item is based on a Gibson Firebird, and so from that you may guess Dundee band No Fixed Abode was a guitar based rock outfit, in which case you'd be bang on. Being a trio, however, they weren't full-on heavy metal merchants, but they did like to rock the joint!

NFA members were - Lloyd Anderson, drums & lead vocal - Jed Ward, bass - and doing all the guitar work was Lyle (or Lyall?) Osborne.

This live review is a positive one, the gig having taken place at the Tayside Bar in 1981. They played for an hour & a half, the majority of which was their own material, but they did slip a couple of covers in the set as well. It doesn't say so in this particular write-up, but to give you an idea of their musical leanings, cover versions they've indulged in have been Thin Lizzy's "Dancing In The Moonlight" and David Bowie's "Stay".

The second item is also a fairly positive review of a gig NFA played up at the University in January 1982. This one appeared in the national music press.

There's a bit of advice in the write-up, but all 'n' all it's a general thumbs up for the performance.

Despite the band's ambitions, as far as I know No Fixed Abode's recording output never got past the demo tape stage.

You may need to enlarge the top item to read it, so just give it a click.

SAVAGE PENCIL v VOCIFEROUS BIRO - 1980

Following on from yesterdays Scrotum Poles poster where I mentioned the work of Savage Pencil (Edwin Pouncey) - I managed to track down an example of his cartoon strip in an old Sounds mag I have from 1980. It was based around the weekly antics of his weird music biz creatures and was called "Rock N Roll Zoo".

Below it, however, is a parody of the strip by mystery cartoonist Vociferous Biro, also drawn in 1980, and appeared in the very first issue of Dundee fanzine, Cranked Up. This one was called "Rotten Roll Zoo", and in it, exposes the strange goings-on along at Radio Tay!!!

Click on images to enlarge.

SCOTT PRESTON OF REVOLT

Here's a familiar face (and jacket) from Dundee's punky past - it's Scott Preston.

The photo is from around 1980 when he was roadie for the Scrotum Poles. In fact this is him having a wee rest during one of their practice sessions.

Scott himself ended up fronting a band called Revolt a couple of years later.

The item under the photo is from Cranked Up, and features Jock Ferguson in a witty mini interview with Scott and the rest of the lads in Revolt - Jojo, Segs & Spike.

Don't dare say they're "a punk band" though or you're in for it..!!

After Revolt he was in Under The Sun.

Scott died in 2006.

Big thanks to Craig

PEOPLES FESTIVAL OF MUSIC - 1981

This event called the Peoples Festival Of Music took place at Baxter Park on 29th July 1981.

It consisted of stalls selling various knick-knacks alongside those who were selling politics - CND, Anarchists, Friends Of The Earth and so on.

There was also a kiddies farm, and of course there was the main music festival itself.

I haven't got the full band list as to who played that day but Dundee rockers, No Fixed Abode were on, as were a couple of punk bands, with Perth's ska outfit, the RB's, top of the bill.

The main complaint in Sid Gripple's report at the top, published in Cranked Up, was the lack of enthusiasm in the crowd.

Sid also suggests the smaller than expected turnout may have been down to the fact that the Royal wedding was being televised the same day!

Well whatever was causing the apathy, all I know is I wasn't at Baxter Park that day, neither was I at home watching any Royal nonsense because I was actually in the middle of a tour of Spain & Portugal with my Inter Rail card, and on the 29th July 81, I was in Lisbon.

I probably would have popped along to Baxters though if I was in Dundee.

So to read about Sid's account of the festival, click onto the image to enlarge it.

Ditto, if you want to have a nose around the photograph of the festival crowd to see if you recognise anyone.

 

Photo by DC Thomson.

CRANKED UP COVERS - 1981/82

I already have the first & final issue of Cranked Up on Retro, so thought I'd show you the rest of the covers in between. There are too many to put each one up individually, so I've stitched them together and made a wee video with all 18, in numerical order, below.
Thanks to The Major, Craig, Mike, Kevin & DD.

CRANKED UP'S FASHION OUTLOOK FOR 1982

Sid Gripple grapples with what's happening on the fashion front for Dundee in 1982, and comes up with a rather gloomy outlook.

The main problem being that High Street chain stores churned out clones and there were no individual fashion shops of note, leaving Dundonians lagging behind other cities.

An observation I agree with.

Shops that get a Cranked Up "thumbs down" are - Chelsea Girl, Top Man, Virgo & Nico.

Dundonians who get a "thumbs up" are - members of the band Waiter Waiter, and Morag from Alien culture.

Back then, I was basically just a jeans & t-shirt chap mostly, although I must admit, I did favour, and indulged in, the post punk anti-fashion trend. Youths deliberately shunning the main chain stores and choosing to rummage around charity shops & jumble sales instead.

As well as being a bit of a statement, this anti-fashion look, in an ironic twist, then became quite fashionable itself!

I would occasionally enhance the Oxfam look by adding some Millets chic to it!

There was also a certain "skint student" logic to it - that being, the less you spent on clothes, the more dosh you'd have for booze!!

Click item to read.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE GRIP - 1982

This piece written by Jock Ferguson is an account of the general state of play with Dundee reggae band, The Grip, who at the time (early 1982) had made changes to the band line-up and were trying out new material live before going into the recording studios.
It includes a bit of background info, a brief interview and a smashing photo of the lads!
Click it to read it.

THE NOLANS - CAIRD HALL - 1981

Here's a cute wee review from the pages of Cranked Up featuring The Nolan Sisters at the Caird Hall in 1981, and was written by local lass, Lorna McCulloch, aged 12.
3 lucky lassies were plucked out of the audience and got to go up on stage to sing along with the group. I'd imagine the trio knew all their songs and dance routines off by heart, like most girls that age seem to with pop music!

WAITER WAITER AD - 1982

This full page ad appeared in Cranked Up in 1982.
A reminder that you can hear a track from this Waiter Waiter cassette in the September 2009 Retro blog archive.

AT THE MOVIES IN 1981

From the pages of Cranked Up comes this round-up of 1981's best movies, written by their critic, Fabian Bell.
I remember going to quite a few of the ones mentioned, but for some reason I never went to see the winner, Raging Bull.
One of the films I noticed in the write-up but not in the top 10 was "Clash Of The Titans". I just thought I'd remind you that this featured the brilliant stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen. This actually turned out to be his final piece of work, and although this type of film was a bit played out by the 80's, RH's contribution in the Titans was still pretty amazing.
Click image to enlarge.

THE BLUSH - TAYSIDE BAR -1981

Here is a review from 1981 of The Blush playing their 3rd gig at the Tayside Bar.
The constructive Cranked Up critique, once again, is Jock's work.
Click to enlarge.

DUNDEE RESTAURANT GUIDE - 1981

A reminder of some of the eating places on the go in 1981 can be found in an overview presented in Cranked Up, with Egon Boney taking us on a youthful guide to dining out in Dundee.
For this food tour, EB lists the following - KOH-I-NOOR - GUNGA DIN - HIMALAYA - BALAKA - HIGHLAND STAR - GULLISTAN - BRUNO'S - PIZZA GALLERY - FORTE'S COFFEE HOUSE - RAFFLES - PENTHOUSE - DEEP SEA.
I remember Raffles in the Nethergate/Perth Road got a rave review in Punch magazine in the early 80's. This was when food critic & MP, Clement Freud was doing a weekly food column in the publication. The reason he ended up in Raffles was because he was in Dundee for the Liberal Party conference. He had of course previously been Rector of Dundee University from 74 to 80, so he was well acquainted with the Perth Road area.
He gave Raffles a really good write-up and commented on how cheery the staff were...and Clement wasn't easy to please!
Not only that, but in the mid 80's, Raffles actually achieved an award from the real Egon Roney and got a mention in his 1985/86 publication "Just A Bite Guide".
To find out the ratings by our own Egon Boney, click onto the image to read the large version.

THE DUNDEE MUSIC SCENE - 1981

 

You may have noticed the media like to look back over past events when the year ends, and so from the pages of a Cranked Up festive issue, here is an account of what was going on in the local music scene during 1981.

Click on the image to view the large version and read about bands such as - THE MEGAZONES - SCROTUM POLES - STREET LEVEL - ALIEN CULTURE - MAFIA - ST ANDREW & THE WOOLEN MILL - LONDON BROADS - THE GRIP - THE BLUSH - PARADES - VEX - WAITER WAITER - NO FIXED ABODE - PUSH - MISBEHAVIN' - SYNTHETIC DREAMS - PULSEBEAT PLUS - PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES - STRUTZ - ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN - APB - THIRTY BOB SUITS - NEW LONDON - FRENZY - JAZZ TOO - STREET URCHIN - BLIND PEW AND ASGARD.

Phew!...and they even managed to squeeze in a Rockpile ad as well..!!

A salute to "The Major" for getting all that info down in print.

THE FINAL CRANKED UP FANZINE - 1982

In this very last issue of music fanzine, Cranked Up, main man Jock Ferguson reaches the end of his tether and he puts the boot into those he sees as the major factor to blame for the lack of enthusiasm towards the alternative music scene in Dundee. He blasts out at the likes of Radio Tay, big brewers, DC Thomson, the Council and Dundonians in general, and as the cover depicts, renders them all brain dead!!
Even contributors to the mag don't escape his wrath as Scrotum Poles, Craig Methven, who wrote for Cranked Up under the name Fabian Bell, also gets on Jocks hit list!
It's not only Jock having a work-out at the punch bag, another Scrotum Poles member who contributed to C.U, Sid Gripple, has a pop at Billy Mackenzie for being "pretentious" and "nauseous"!!
But once the backlash has settled, here's what we find inside.
Bands who get a mention are - SYNTHETIC DREAMS - THE BLUSH - THE GRIP - PARADES - THE JUNKIES - AAGA - HEY ELASTICA - LITTLE WOLVES.
Places that are mentioned are - I&N - ROCKPILE - BRUCE'S - TAYSIDE BAR - OUTPOST - WINDMILL BAR - THE UNIVERSITY.
A candid little snapshot of life in Dundee '82.