This is a release I know next to nothing about and which ordinarily might never have been in my record collection, given that I was never very much into the more ramalama punky end of the spectrum, much preferring the artier end of the new wave. So a solo release from Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69, which I’d have tagged at the shoutier end of the street in my ignorance, was never likely to be leaping out of the record racks back in my youth. Yet, this release is something else altogether. When I first heard it, I’d never in a million years have thought it had that connection. What it does have is Peter Gabriel written all over it – for musically this seems very much a production of he and John Ellis, one time Vibrator and later Strangler, amongst other credits. Musically, this certainly has 80/82 Gabriel all over it. A low quality dub can be heard on youtube.
Quite how this musical team-up came to be I have no idea – seems unlikely, but certainly produced an interesting take – never been able to find out much of the background to it. Lighter in feel than much of the third and fourth Peter Gabriel albums, but clearly with a shared bloodline in there somehow.
The B side, ‘SUS’ is fair bit darker in nature… also to be found on youtube for those with eager ears – the “are you one of us” hook clearly a throwback to the third Gabriel album.
One curio is that the sleeve states 1980, though it was more like mid 1981 I recall coming across it and when I saw adverts in the music press for it.
