First single by Theatre Of Hate on the SS record label, a kind of underground ‘super group’ featuring members of The Straps, Crisis and The Pack. Double A Side, ‘Legion’ winning by a nose in my opinion. The band went on to half conquer the UK!
By the way chums, SS Records is not quite as sinister a name for a record label as one might at first imagine, explaination below by Kirk Brandon:
“I’m going to back track here to fill in the picture, as best as my damage will allow…. while still in The Pack I had come across a certain Scotsman, a Terry Razor….I had met him when I had been trying to get record company interest in my aforesaid Punk band, The Pack, or The Park (“it sounds more regal” ..Simon Werner) as we lovingly called it at the time”.
“I had observed him with two girls on his arm and a bottle of champagne at The Marquee one night, I presumed he was in the Recording Industry.
Terry had been working for Stiff Records which probably needs no introduction to anyone in the meatpacking industry”.
“Terry worked for Robinson in what today would be called ‘marketing’…in fact all those mad Stiff logo legends like ‘If It Ai’nt Stiff it Ai’nt Worth a Fuck’..well picture Terrys Scots voice swearing at someone and you’ll guess where it all came from. Terry was asked by Robinson to start a shop/retail outlet in Covent Garden and to start up a Record Label. The shop was called Secret Service as was the label. It was pretty successfull as I recall. Anyway sometime prior to this I’d asked Terry to bring out a single for The Pack and this would all coincide with the shop time frame. The Pack song was ‘King Of Kings’, with one of my all time favourite songs I have ever written as the ‘B’ side, ‘Brave New Soldiers’. The recording sounds as fresh and raw and edgy today as it did all those decades ago. It sold well I believe”.
“We, Terry and I went our seperate ways. Now comes a hard bit, I don’t actually remember how it was Terry re-entered the picture, but he did. Terry was now working for The Clash doing their merchandice on tour/running his own label (Mikey Dread being one of his artistes, ‘DREAD AT THE CONTROLS’) and was also a personal friend of Ian Dury having helped Ian rehab himself with his condition…Terry was working out of the Blackhill Management office at Royal Oak close to the Westway. Luke Rendle reminded me the other day that this office was where I had first met him. He was working for Terry loading albums with Paul Simonon from The Clash helping him”.
“Terry and I decided we’d bring out a single for Theatre Of Hate, which would be ‘Legion’, on his record label imprint Secret Service Records, abbreviated to SS1 by the pressing plant, on the centre of the disc and catalogued as SS1. If you look, the artist the late great artist Chris Morton put two dollar signs as its logo on the cent re piece. Little did we know what lay in store for this bit of virtually irrelevant formality…..”
*** The Pack, The Straps and Theatre Of Hate’s debut 7″ singles are on this site if you search for them.
Text below from Wikki…
In 1980, The Pack evolved into Theatre of Hate, with Luke Rendle replacing Walker on drums, Stan Stammers joining on bass, Steve Guthrie on guitar and John ‘Boy’ Lennard on sax (the Werners joined The Straps, who Stan Stammers had previously played for). The first Theatre of Hate release was the “Original Sin” single in November 1980, which reached No. 5 on the UK Indie Chart. Theatre of Hate garnered much early attention as a live act and made their album debut in 1981 with the concert LP ‘He Who Dares Wins (Live at the Warehouse Leeds)’. Steve Guthrie left the band shortly after the album’s release. Another concert recording followed, ‘Live at the Lyceum’ on cassette format only.
In August 1981, Theatre of Hate entered the studio with producer Mick Jones of The Clash to record their first non-live album debut, ‘Westworld’, released in February 1982. Shortly after the album was recorded, new guitarist Billy Duffy (formerly of The Nosebleeds) joined the band, and soon after that, drummer Luke Rendle was replaced by Nigel Preston. The album reached No. 17 in the UK Albums Chart, and also spawned the Top 40 single “Do You Believe in the West World”.
In February 1982, Theatre of Hate released another live album, ‘He Who Dares Wins (Live in Berlin)’ recorded in September 1981.
Billy Duffy left the band to join Death Cult in April 1982. Theatre of Hate continued for a short time before splitting up later that year. Demos for their unreleased second studio album were released as ‘Ten Years After’ in 1993.
Brandon went on to front Spear of Destiny with bassist Stan Stammers. Theatre Of Hate’s post break-up compilation album ‘Revolution’ spent three weeks in the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 67. Nigel Preston joined his former band mate Billy Duffy as drummer for The Cult, playing on their 1984 album ‘Dreamtime’.
andus
October 3, 2008 at 11:46 pmI See you have the Kukl album up there as well, excellent stuff, saw them play back in 1984 at digbeth institute, an absolutely brilliant live band,
Josh
October 4, 2008 at 8:43 amThanx Andus, But That Lyrics Its for the other version..The Alternative version by its great thanx mate…
–>Josh<–
andus
October 4, 2008 at 10:44 amThey are the same lyrics are they not Josh, I have listened to it now on this website, the version on this website and the above lyrics are 99% spot on, apart from the fact that he sings, Talk about the festivals, moorcock and floyd. I don’t think Andy Martin changed peoples lyrics.
andus
October 4, 2008 at 10:48 ammy fav alternative tv track is the one that goes, ‘with their slick clothes from the kings road etc, they point they stare they always have a look, but they don’t care, what track is that; what the hell i am gonna have to go through my boxes of cassettes, do you see we what you have started .
Nic
October 4, 2008 at 11:24 amWe did play at that Chumbawamba gig in the Amphitheatre in Telford (along with Blyth Power, Mizrubul Bar Stewards, the Blue Chickens and others), Andus, but it was actually 31 August 1985. It was the 1st gig by ND after we reformed with Justin Broadrick on guitar. And, yes, we did play another gig that night at Peacocks in Birmingham with We’ve Got a Fuzzbox and We’re Gonna Use It…I seem to remember that we were all very, very ‘refreshed’ that day…
That Kukl gig (with Flux and Chumbas) was a bit of a nightmare if I recall correctly, Andus, due to the boneheads who menaced the nice Hippy Punks…
Off the top of my head, is that lyric from ‘Another Coke’, Andus?
I always liked ‘Still Life’ (great bass) and ‘Splitting in 2’, but my real favourites are ‘The Radio Story’ and ‘Facing Up to the Facts’ (but I suppose those tracks are more akin to the Good Missionaries sound)…
andus
October 4, 2008 at 11:57 amAlright Nik. Thats odd, because the tape I have, which has a proper cover says Chumbawamba live in Telford 31st august 1986. But come to think of it, I remember that gig taking place the day after I had met you for the first time, which was definately 1985, I remember Craido intoroducing me to you and Justin the day before or a couple of days before after Napalm had played a gig at the Mermaid.
Thats it yes, the famous Fuzzbox gig, when the pa man gave you a crap sound. oh yes we were very refreshed indeed, loots of throwing up.
Yeah i remember the skinheads at that gig, I was dancing with them after all the other punks left the dance floor through intimidation, they spent the whole time gobbing on the the lead singer of Flux, who was absolutely drenching in saliva. I think d and v and no defences played as well but i could be wrong.
Another coke of course, its come to me now, all i want is another coke, classic i used to think he was singing all i want is another coat.
The ‘hark the herald angels sing’ one was another one of my fav atv tracks, and the one about masterbation. right I must find this here tape i have of them;
The kukl album i was refering to was called The Eye i believe, the one on this website is live in Paris,
Nic
October 4, 2008 at 2:12 pmCould the ‘proper cover’ actually be ‘a cover put together after the fact and then zeroxed by someone who got the date wrong’?
😉
D&V and No Defences did play – it was the ‘Miners Benefit’ tour that they put together…
I found a couple of pics of the gig on the nookienet a while back: empty dancefloor except for a couple of England’s Finest…
andus
October 4, 2008 at 2:27 pmYeah I think thats exactly what has happened Nik, its got them live in Nottingham on the other side again supposedly in 86.
I would’nt mind seeing those pictures Nik. Empty dancefloor except for me and the Skins. ha ha. It was a miners benefit, One of the Skins was having a right old argument with one of the geezers out a Flux as I entered, He reckoned the miners got a good deal, The flux geezer disagreed, The argument went something lile this,
‘they were offered a good deal’
‘It was’nt a good deal ‘
‘they were offered a good deal’
‘It was’nt a good deal ‘
‘they were offered a good deal’
‘It was’nt a good deal ‘
‘they were offered a good deal’
‘It was’nt a good deal ‘
and so forth.
I was mugged of my bus fair at that gig by two punks who I now know as X and Y, I had to walk home.
Nic
October 4, 2008 at 2:28 pmHappy days, Andus, happy days…
😉
Penguin • Post Author •
October 4, 2008 at 2:31 pmApostles LP ‘How Much Longer’ uploaded over on post 86 section for anyone that gives a rat’s arse…must be dozen’s of them!
andus
October 4, 2008 at 2:40 pmActually Nik. I have just re-found the damn thing. It says live at Telford 31-8-85. and live at Nottingham 10-10-85. and its got fv-004 on it which means, yes. Its a DAZ RUSSELL tape !
andus
October 4, 2008 at 2:43 pmGreat fun, that was my second punk gig, so at the time I did’nt view it as a nightmare, I thought all punk gigs were like that, I thought it was normal, and I would have to get used to it if i wanted to see my favourite bands.
andus
October 4, 2008 at 2:43 pmThank god I was wrong
andus
October 4, 2008 at 3:03 pmI have just discovered another tape while looking through these boxes, The apostles live at thee akademie 3/2/89, their last live performance, it says on febuary 23rd 1989 the performance art group The Apostles ceased to exist, The akademie being 108 brougham road. sean stokes guitar and vocals. pete bynghall guitar. fanning, bass guitar, boo radley, drums ! andy martin vocals, guitar.
Penguin • Post Author •
October 4, 2008 at 3:44 pmThe tape recorded at 108 around that time is already uploaded on this site somewhere…
andus
October 5, 2008 at 7:01 pmYes, it has a statement on on it, that reads thus.made me laugh.
This product was created in a totally punk-free environment and is therefore ecologically sound, containing no artificial egotism, artificial hedonism, artificial pretence or punks at all. Our invited audience was carefully screened by our quality control department to ensure the absense of any punks or other harmfull ingredients to give you the standards you have rightly come to expect from cold iguana associates ltd.
Irish T0m
March 2, 2009 at 1:38 pmLuggy,
There were more people out of their heads than 50%, myself included. Though I do remember standing by the stage right underneath John Werner as they were playing ‘Abbatoir’ and thats about all I can recall. Shit drug but at the time I was a junkie, looking back I remember following the Pack with a bunch of other herberts all squatting in Brixton.
mick mada
September 15, 2011 at 1:27 amAlistairliv said “The bands who partook in this movement included: The Dentists, Homicide, The Ventz and The Raw Boys. These ‘Punk Front’ bands played the first Rock Against Communism shows the National Front organized, which took place in 1979.”
Al no arguements about Leeds bands Dentists & Vents, but I dont remember Raw Boys being Nutty Fairies! I’ve still got a tape somewhere by them no sign of any nazi crap on that. What giave you the idea they were NF? I’m gutted! Don’t remember Homicide at all any more info on them?
Penguin • Post Author •
September 15, 2011 at 1:57 pmMick Mada; Al seemed to have taken that information from this site; http://www.nazipunk.8k.com/history.html a site which he mentions further up his comment.
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