Glad All Over / Good Sculptures / I Like It / Getting Me Down / Cold Wars / Bad Guy Reaction
The Rezillos from Edinburgh, the debut LP which I have decided to upload, which coincidentally contain the A sides of the first three singles (different versions though), how pleasant life can be sometimes…
Great bit of new wave pop from this band that everyone likes!
Text below ripped from allmusic.com
Although frequently aligned with the punk movement, the Rezillos’ (later known as the Revillos) irreverent glam rock image and affection for campy girl group iconography set them distinctly apart from their peers. Formed in 1976 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the group was initially a fluid and highly informal collective centered around lead vocalists Eugene Reynolds (Alan Forbes) and Fay Fife (Sheila Hynde), and fleshed out by lead guitarist Luke Warm (Jo Callis), second guitarist Hi-Fi Harris (Mark Harris), Dr. D.K. Smythe on bass, drummer Angel Patterson (Alan Patterson), and backing vocalist Gale Warning.
The Rezillos’ early repertoire contained material from the likes of Screaming Lord Sutch, the Dave Clark Five, and the Sweet. The success of their 1977 debut single “I Can’t Stand My Baby” was unexpected, especially by the band members themselves, who never considered the group much more than a lark; as a result of the more serious pressures now exerted on the Rezillos, Harris, Smythe, and Warning all departed, while bassist/saxophonist William Mysterious (born William Donaldson) signed on as a permanent member.
After signing to major-label Sire, the quintet reached the U.K. Top 20 with a single titled, ironically enough, “Top of the Pops.” After releasing their 1978 debut LP Can’t Stand the Rezillos, Mysterious was replaced by Simon Templar, but internal problems continued to plague the group, and following a farewell tour, they disbanded in December 1978. Patterson, Warm, and Templar continued on as Shake, while Reynolds and Fife, promised they could be released from their contract if they dropped the Rezillos name, formed the Revillos.
Rejoined by Harris as well as one-time Pork Dukes drummer Rocky Rhythm, bassist Felix and backing vocalists Babs and Cherie (aka the Revettes), the first incarnation of the Revillos recorded a pair of singles, “Where’s the Boy for Me?” and “Motorbike Beat.” In mid-1979, Harris left to become an architect, and was replaced by 17-year-old guitarist Kid Krupa in time to record 1980’s Rev Up. Following the usual lineup fluctuations (Felix was replaced by Vince Spik, and Babs was replaced by singer Drax), the Revillos signed to the Superville label and issued the single “She’s Fallen in Love with a Monster Man” and the 1983 LP Attack! After a pair of self-financed U.S. tours, the band split in 1985; Reynolds formed Rockatomic and Planet Pop, while Fay joined Destroy All Men.
John No Last Name
April 26, 2008 at 8:24 pmNice work Penguin. Blackbeard, the Slits, Reagan Youth and the Rezillos all in a matter of days, impressive range and a lot more representative of what a lot of us were listening to back then rather than Flux etc.
Also nice job posting the 4-skins, I never much cared for them at the time and you posting them didn’t make me see the light, but hey I never much cared for quite a few of the bands represented on here either. How about some Subway Sect, Menace, Monochrome Set or Rema Rema.
alistairliv
April 26, 2008 at 10:12 pmIn the summer of 1977, The Rezillos played in Castle Douglas… only punk band ever to do so. The town hall was packed out to the rafters – everybody became a punk for the day. The Rezillos played a blistering set/ were bloody brilliant and at the end I jumped up on stage and got them to do an encore.
Which they did, after saying how gob-smacked they were to get such an enthusiastic response from a one horse town like Castle Douglas. Bit unfair – we sold the town horse (and cart) in 1947. Never mind.
It was a bit like a fifties B movie – Rezillos come to town = flying saucer attack… Had the album,it vanished so got the cd.
And well said John NLN… I remember GLC by Menace as KYPP fave rave . Must have been the catchy chorus…all together now “You’re full of shit, shit, shit shit shit….GLC GLC, GLC GLC”.
Niff Numan
April 27, 2008 at 7:48 pmThis album is one of the few albums that has travelled well with time….999s separates being in the same category….even now in 2008 I listen to this album and cannot stop myself from airguitars and a quick pogo…..the bass guitar on this is the best bass on any album I have ever heard ! my CD collection is in excess of 4000 so ive heard a few ! its not anarchic punk its pure teen pop/angst/melodic Andy Warhol would have flipped had they been in NYC in 1967……cosmic/sci fi new wave unrivalled
chris
April 28, 2008 at 10:15 amOne of my eternal regrets is that I went to see Sham 69 at the Glasgow Apollo rather than The Rezillos a night or two later who, it transpired, had an obscure but up and coming manchester band as support. Joy Division.
Used to hang out with Jo Callis a bit in Edinburgh and have bumped into him a couple of times since moving to London around Kentish Town. Think Fay Fyfe was a drama teacher to Telford College in Edinburgh last I heard (which was around 1987)
Yes, great band. “Top of The Pops” was one of those records, like ‘Ca Plane Pour Moi’ that you used to just hear everywhere and would get stuck on about ten times at every local disco you went to. Happy days…
Nic
April 28, 2008 at 2:00 pmIf you don;t like The Rezillos, you must be dead…
🙂
This LP really does stand the test of time: great production, spot-on performance by the band (solid, full of energy and attack), and perfectly Popcult lyrics… it’s always welcome on the decks and may induce a quick bout of ‘The Grapple’ around the living room…
They’re playing Birmingham soon with a bunch of other ‘Punk’ bands at some all-dayer, but those kinds of concerts usually come across as depressing more than energising, so I’ll go and see Pissed Jeans instead…
🙂
I’ll second John NLN on the Rema Rema: great record…
Thumbs up on ‘Ca Plane Pour Moi’ as well (and the Elton Motello ‘original’)…
AL Puppy
April 29, 2008 at 6:56 amGot 12″ Rema Rema “Wheel in the Roses” recorded live June 1979, released 4AD 1980. Have managed to ‘record’ side one on computer. Seems ok.
simon
April 30, 2008 at 9:15 amTried posting this yesterday but kept getting errors… bloody technology, be quicker with a chisel and a slab of stone sometimes… here’s what I said:
“Anyone after the Rema Rema 12” can grab it from the following ‘blog’ link:
http://systemsofromance.blogspot.com/2007/12/rema-rema-wheel-in-roses-ep.html
John NLN I’m sure you had this on a 12 way back when, as that’s where I first heard it, still sounds good all these years later!”
;->
John No Last Name
May 1, 2008 at 2:14 amThanks Simon, and you’re right it does still sound great. That Marco Pirroni, great guitarist even if he did ruin Adam and the Ants. Oh no here come a flood of angry e-mails talking about the irony of prince charming.
John No Last Name
May 1, 2008 at 2:33 amAlso outside of the Rezillos being such a great band and Jo Callis being a great musician and writer, one of the reasons this record sounds so good was that this record was one of the first records produced by Bob Clearmountain. Bob went from ‘Can’t stand the Rezillos’ to become one of the most in demand mixers in the music industry working with everyone including Bowie, Springsteen, Roxy Music, Huey Lewis, INXS, Bon Jovi, Meatloaf and a ton of others oh and he just finished mixing the live sound for the Rolling Stones/Scorsese film -I guess it was all downhill from the Rezillos.
Nic
May 1, 2008 at 7:48 amI also read once, John, that the Rezillos weren’t happy with Clearmountain at the time as he kept telling them to play faster and faster (in comparison – for example – to the tempo of ‘Can’t Stand My Baby’ on the single release)…
He was right though as the wild energy is one of the very appealing things about the album…
🙂
Phil
June 14, 2008 at 2:10 pmThere was always so much gobbing at Rezillos gigs..Why was that?
I guess it was good that most of them wore wipe proof P.V.C.
I remember one tour they did with the Human League supporting them, and
they erected this perspex screen around them for protection which seemed to be adopted later by dole office workers.
Stewart
June 14, 2008 at 10:45 pmLOL!