Don't you just love it when...

... One of your favourite bands comes out of a 12-year recording hiatus with a fantastic new album!

I've followed A Certain Ratio's career since stumbling into a dingy basement in Brighton at one of their very earliest gigs (A Sussex University venue in Brighton). In those days they were very much a post-industrial band with a funky drummer, searching for a way to shrug off their long overcoats.

Over the years, the highs of; Sextet (especially Knife Slits Water), Life's a Scream/Sounds like something dirty, the WOMAD festival gig, Brazil shirts, samba whistles, madness in the streets of Kings Cross, The Wag Club (complete with Tilly onstage), ACR:MCR, 27 forever, Up in Downsville, through to the fantastic 40th anniversary gig in Islington in 2019 (complete with a chat with sorely missed Andrew Weatherall), ACR:BOX with their version of Houses in Motion (originally planned to be with Grace Jones) have all added up to being one of my most rewarding and long lasting musical experiences. 

In addition there are very few lows (with the most notable being the sad loss earlier this year of the lovely Denise Johnson - She would light up every show with her fantastic vocals and infectious interactions with the ACR Barmy Army - she is sorely missed).

So, the arrival of the fabulous new album ACR:Loco (released on 25th September) has been greeted with much fanfare and celebration round our way. Do yourself a favour - get this album now! 

Bouncy Bouncy! 

Lockdown - Day #30

And so, that journey ends, at the end of the pier, with the promise of love and the threat of violence. The soundtrack of youth and exuberance spills out into the night and floats along and over the Channel. 

Even now, fisherman swear that on any given Monday night they can hear 'Southern Freeze', 'Favourite Shirts' and 'Tears are not enough' reverberating up and down the coast, from the Royal Sovereign platform to Belle Tout. 

Those nights live on...

Another 40 gigs...

The rules. Following on from the first 50 gigs post. Time to follow up with a further 40 gigs that spring into my head - in no order specific order of brilliance - although...

1) The CTMF - Koko (AKA Music Machine) - 2018. As part of a gig to celebrate 30 years of Damaged Goods records. Wild Billy Childish, Nurse Julie & Wolf Howard played a truly uplifting and suitably spirited set that brought the house down. Highlight - A cover of Hendrix's Fire...

2) Paul Weller - Sydney Opera House - 2017. The first of three nights was a truly joyous experience, don't think I've ever seen Weller quite so happy and comfortable on stage. Highlight - Have you ever had it blue...

3) Graham Day and The Gaolers - Lexington - 2018. I've managed to see Mr Day in a few different guises, first time with the Gaolers and suitably pugnacious. Highlight - Seeing the whisky bottle being passed around...

4) The Galileo 7 - Garage Islington - 2016. Punchy psych garage guitar pop (or variations thereof). Supporting Ebbot Lundberg and the Indigo Children and quite frankly, stealing the show. Highlight - The bouncing bassist...

5) The Pop Group - Komedia. Messrs Stewart and Sager delivering a blistering evening of dub, funk/punk. Happy night in the darkest of days. Highlight - Being passed the microphone to sing 'Where there's a will, there has got be a way"...

The Specials - Enmore Theatre
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Sydney Entertainment Centre
The Chords - Richmond Pub
Chalk Horse Music - Towner Art Gallery
The The - Sydney Opera House
Johnny Marr - Enmore Theatre
Billy Bragg - Manning Bar
A Certain Ratio - Islington
Blur - Hyde Park
Richard Hawley - De La Warr Pavilion
Nick Heyward - Concorde 2
The Style Council - Southampton
Stormzy - Enmore Theatre
Ben Watt - The Basement
Purple Hearts - The Lyceum
Wire - Sydney Arts Theatre
French Boutik - 100 Club
The Fallen Leaves - Hope and Anchor
Martin Stephenson and the Daintees - Town and Country Club
The Fall - Garage Islington
The Jesus and the Mary Chain - Sydney Opera House
Echo and the Bunnymen - Top Rank
Arctic Monkeys - Homebush
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleroes - The Astoria
Robyn Hitchcock - Social Club
Run DMC/Public Enemy - Brighton Conference Centre
The fReds - Sydney Opera House
Massive Attack - Steps of the Sydney Opera House
Martin and Eliza Carthy - Hailsham
Animal Nightlife - Ace Cinema Brixton
PIL - Enmore Theatre
Dexy's - Enmore Theatre
Morrissey - Paris
The Damned - Enmore Theatre
Linton Kwesi Johnson - CND March

Bands I wish I'd been in #6 - The Pop Group

Born out of the debris of The Avon Soul Army and the catalytic impact of seeing The Clash and Sex Pistols early on in the nascent punk scene. The Pop Group swiftly took the punk rule book and ripped it up. Incorporating funk, free jazz, dub and punk soundscapes. The original band featured Mark Stewart, John Waddington, Simon Underwood, Gareth Sager and Bruce Smith. Their heady combination of James Brown, Albert Ayler, Funkadelic and King Tubby mixed with radical lyrics was a complete headfunk for a teenage suburban punk like myself. 

Their debut single 'She is Beyond Good and Evil' was the most searing combination of potent punk/funk and poetic imagery I'd ever heard. These boys were different to anybody else on the scene. This was followed by their debut album 'Y', which covered all the bases (and basses). The relentlessly funky chaos of 'We are time' & 'Thief of Fire' interspersed with dub piano melancholy of 'Savage Sea' - the album beautifully underpinned by Dennis Bovell's production work.


Then came 'We are all Prostitutes' the song that sold thousands and the (bootlegged) t-shirt that sold millions....

They then followed up with a second album 'For show much longer do we tolerate mass murder', an album that was even more political and featured The Last Poets and Mark Springer. An album that was pilloried by the likes of the IPC owned NME but still stands up as a fine piece of work - albeit not quite as remarkable as 'Y'. In amongst all this activity was a formal bootleg LP 'We are Time'... And then came the most joyous slab of Funk to come out of the UK in the 1980's - 'Where there's a will' b/w 'In the beginning there was rhythm' but the equally unconventional and fabulous The Slits.

The first incarnation of The Pop Group played their last gig at the CND march in Trafalgar Square in 1980 in front of half a million people. The gig featured old and new versions of the band and they finished with a version of 'Jerusalem', which to those of us present took on almost magical properties (We having sprinted through traffic whilst 'We are Time' ricocheted around the heart of London). It was a remarkable/shambolic day...

So, why do I wish I'd been in The Pop Group? Well apart from the songs, the free form mindset, the lyrics, the amazing iconography, the willingness to challenge the musical 4/4 status quo of punk (which very quickly simply reverted to rebel posturing, boring guitar solos and appropriating the language of tired old cock rockers), the courage to wear their politics on their (LP) sleeve and the desire to SEEK - they were the most dynamic live act I'd ever seen! 

Postscript.
I was initially concerned that their return in 2011 would tarnish their name. I had no need to fear - live they are still an astonishing proposition and I did finally get to fulfil my ambition at Komedia in Brighton a couple of years ago. Mark Stewart thrust the mic forward for me to sing... 

"Where there's a will, there has got to be a way..."

Excelsior!

Bands I wish I'd been in #5 - A Certain Ratio

A Certain Ratio (ACR) are a post-punk band formed in 1977 in Wythenshawe, Manchester, England. While originally part of the punk rock movement, they soon added funk and dance elements to their sound. This coincided with super funking drummer Donald Johnson joining. They are sometimes referred to as "post punk funk". The band's name was taken from the lyrics of Brian Eno's song "The True Wheel" from the 1974 album Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy).

The group's longest serving original members are Martin Moscrop (guitar, trumpet), Jez Kerr (bass, vocals) and Donald Johnson (drums, vocals, bass) who joined after the first drummer less single (All Night Party/Thin Boys). Two of the original members subsequently left the band: Simon Topping (left in 1983 for Quando Quango and later joined T-Coy), plus guitarist Peter Terrell, who left in 1982. Keyboardist Andy Connell, who joined in 1982, left to form Swing Out Sister in 1985.

A Certain Ratio's first recording contract was with Factory Records in 1979. They released The Graveyard and The Ballroom only on cassette in 1980. This led them to put out  To Each..., released in 1981. Their first album was blighted by a studio technician who reset all of the panel prior to the final mixdown. The impact of which significantly hindered the final pressing, with the final mix not truly reflecting their new found funky dynamic.

Despite being signed to Factory (and the labels notoriously industrial aesthetic) ACR were heavily influenced by the NYC funk scene. Their sound incorporated latin tinges too. Their magnificent second album Sextet featured NYC vocalist Martha Tilson and captured the funky vibe that To Each... had hinted at.  

This was followed up by I'd like to see you again, the cover of which showed the band in the Hacienda nightclub. The album took the band even further away from the bleaker landscapes of the traditional Factory artists (Joy Division, Section 25, Crispy Ambulance etc). I'd like to see you again was the last album to feature Topping and Terrel.

The second age of ACR is regarded by some as their best. The keyboard work of Andy Connell and sax of Tony Quigley fleshed out their sound. As someone who saw a lot of the band at this time (Lance Corporal Franks of the notorious ACR Barmy Army reporting for funk patrol sah!) their gigs became euphoric events. 

Studio albums Force and Good Together followed (the latter their first for a major label). The album failed to produce a hit, leading to the band's departure from the label, which whilst I'm sure was very frustrating for the band was never important for their fans. In the early 1990s, they signed with Rob's Records, owned by New Order manager Rob Gretton.

The trio of albums they released in the 90's acr:mcr, Up in Downsville and Change the station all hit the spot. With the title track of the second of those albums in particular becoming a firm favourite on the PNUK dancefloor (@ The Foundry, Shoreditch) at the turn of the millennium.

In 1990 Creation Records reissued the albums on CD and in 2002 Soul Jazz Records reissued the albums with bonus tracks (but using the same masters as the Creation editions.) Further re-issues and a live recording from 1980 have also been made available on the LTM label.

A Certain Ratio were initially managed by Tony Wilson. They feature in the film 24 Hour Party People where Tony Wilson (played by Steve Coogan) described them as "having all the energy of Joy Division but better clothes." Martin Moscrop was Musical Supervisor of 24 Hour Party People.

I reckon I must have seen the band over 30 times and from the very first gig at the basement in Brighton to the most recent one in East London they have consistently sent me home happy with their unique mix of Manc samba, punk and fundamentalist funk!

Although the band does not play full-time any more, they continue writing, recording and performing. Jez Kerr has released a thoroughly enjoyable solo album 'Numb Mouth Eat Waste' and it is hoped that the band will follow up their 2008 release Mind Made Up in due course. And if they are looking for a second guitarist to splatter wah wah guitar all over their funk, then I am available!

Personal ACR Top 10

1. Si firmir o grido (Womad festival live version)

2. Knife Slits Water (12")

3. Rialto (Sextet)

4. Sesamo Apriti - Corco Vada (I'd like to see you again)

5. Flight (12")

6. Do the Du (Casse) (12")

7. Brazilia (12")

8. Mello (12")

9  Guess who?  (12")

10. Abracadubra (Sir Horatio 12")

Album[edit]

• The Graveyard and the Ballroom (December 1979) – FACT 16 [cassette] 
• To Each... (1981) – FACT 35 
• Sextet (1982) – FACT 55 
• I'd Like To See You Again (1982) – FACT 65 
• Force (1986) – FACT 166 
• Good Together (1989) – A&M ACR 550
• acr:mcr (1990) – A&M 397 057-2
• Up In Downsville (1992) – ROB20 
• Change The Station (1997) – ROB50
• Mind Made Up (2008) – reissued via LTM (2010)

Singles[edit]

• "All Night Party" / "The Thin Boys" 7" – FAC 5
• "Shack Up" / "And Then Again (live)" 7" – FBN 1
• "Flight" / "Blown Away" / "And Then Again" 12" – FAC 22
• "Do The Du (Casse)" / "The Fox" / "Shack Up" / "Son And Heir" 12" – FACUS 4
• "The Double 12" " (12" 2 x 12", 7 tracks) – FACT 42 – Italian Import inc FAC 22 and FACUS 4
• "Waterline" / "Funaezekea" 12" – FAC 52
• "Knife Slits Water" / "Tumba Rumba" 7" – FAC 62-7
• "Knife Slits Water" / "Kether Hot Knives" 12" – FAC 62-12
• "Guess Who?" (Parts 1 and 2) 12" – FBN 17
• "I Need Someone Tonight" / "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" 12" – FAC 72-12 (
• "Life's A Scream" / "There's Only This" 12" – FAC 112
• "Life's A Scream (Edit)" / "There's Only This (Edit)" 7" – FAC 112P
• "Brazilia" / "Dub" 12" – FBN 32
• "Wild Party" / "Sounds Like Something Dirty" 12" – FAC 128
• "Mickey Way (The Candy Bar)" / "Inside" / "Si Firmi O Grido" 12" – FAC 168
• "Greetings Four" EP – "The Runner" / "Inside" / "Bootsy" / "Fever 103" (all session versions) 12" – MASO 70004
• "Bootsy" / "Inside" 7" (Australian only) – FAC 1667
• "Bootsy (Remix)" / "Mickey Way" 12" (Australian only) – FAC 16612^[9]
• "The Big E" – A&M
• "Backs to the Wall" / "Backs to the Wall (Dub)" / "Be What You Wanna Be" (ACR version) 12" – ACRY 517
• "Your Blue Eyes" / "Thin Grey Line" / "Coldest Days" 12" (also on 7") – ACRY 534
• "Won't Stop Loving You (Bernard Sumner version) / "Repercussions" (ACR remix) / "Love Is The Way" (Instrumental) 12" – ACRY 540 – UK No. 55^[7]
• "Won't Stop Loving You (Bernard Sumner version) / "Won't Stop Loving You (Norman Cook remix) / "Won't Stop Loving You (Cook Instrumental) – ACRY 540 – This was essentially a hurried re-press by A&M in an attempt to push the single up the singles chart (it failed).
• "Good Together" – EP – A&M 12"
• "Shack Up (Machine)" / "Shack Up (Man)" / "Shack Up" (Norman Cook remix) / "Party Up" 12" – ACRYDJ 590 – Promo only
• "The Planet" / "Loosen Up Your Mind" 12" – 12 ROB 2
• "27 Forever (Bubble Bath Mix)" / "27 Forever (Fix Mix)" (both remixed by Jon Dasilva) 12" – 12 ROB 5R
• "Mello" / "Dub" / "27 Forever" (Jon Dasilva remix) / "Moist Dub" 12" – 12 ROB 6R
• "Tekno" / "Tekno" (Way Out West remix) 12" – 12 ROBS 18
• "Soundstation Volume 2" EP – "Samba 123" (Fila Brazilia remix) / "Yeah Boy" (Sons of Samarkand remix) / "Yeah Boy" (DJ Die) 12" – 12 ROBS 22
• "Shack Up" / Human League – "Being Boiled" 12" – SJR 57-12 (Soul Jazz Records)

Compilations and live albums[edit]

• A Certain Ratio Live in America (Live Album, 1985) – DOJO 47 (Castle Communications)
• The Old and the New (Singles Compilation, 1986) – FACT 135
• Looking for a Certain Ratio (Remixes, 1994) – CRE159B
• Early (2002) – SJR60 (Soul Jazz Records)
• Live in Groningen (2005) – LTM 2443

Thanks to Wikipedia for discography!