First release on Mark Perry’s and Miles Copeland’s Step Forward Records, soon to be home for Sham 69, Menace, The Fall, and Chelsea. The Cortinas from Bristol were spotted by the pair performing at The Roxy Club, Covent Garden, London, WC2 and thus the band’s brand of energised R & B was placed onto vinyl. The band were not that popular image-wise with the fanzine fraternity supposedly, the vocalist had a quiff which was definitely ‘unpunk’ in 1977. Great single anyway, went onto to produce an even better single for Step Forward Records called ‘Defiant Pose’.
Jim
March 8, 2008 at 11:24 pmSo that’s where Defiant Pose (Paisley) got their moniker?
gerard
March 9, 2008 at 12:28 amnot to mention the car 😉
Nic
March 9, 2008 at 11:43 amI love this single – one of my favourites from the period…
It usually goes on when ma femme and I are having a few drinks at home (along with ‘Dynamo’ by The Method)…
The Cortinas were all still at school in Bristol when they started up (so they had to stipulate that gigs were on weekend nights), and were friends of The Pop Group (for a Mark Stewart connection)…
Their album on CBS had graphic design by Hipgnosis who had designed sleeves for Pink Floyd sleeves and included Peter Christopherson (Throbbing Gristle / PTV / Coil) in their team…
Their guitarist went on to play with The Clash (playing on ‘Cut the Crap’)…
Step Forward was a great label – I love the records which they put out…
Copeland (son of a CIA agent and brother of the drummer of The Police) also started Illegal records (releases by The Cramps, Menace and Vermilion), and Deptford Fun City records (releases by ATV, Good Missionaries and Squeeze)…
Step Forward consistently released great singles during its brief life – first singles by Chelsea, Sham 69, The Fall, The Models and Lemon Kittens: not bad…
Incidentally – has anyone seen the Step Forward ‘I Wanna Punk Rock’ Boxset?
It’s a reproduction of the first 10 singles from Step Forward…Nice little item…
john
March 13, 2008 at 11:13 pmgreat stuff,not heard this for years,i never really remember hearing anything else by them after this single.no doubt there is ,anymore to come?
nic mentions an album but never got to hear it.
Nic
March 14, 2008 at 2:02 pmHere’s a link to the lot in one dl, John…
http://powerpopcriminals.blogspot.com/2007/09/cortinas-true-romances-1978-cortinas.html
Nic
March 14, 2008 at 2:07 pmLooking at the link reminded me: the LP has a version of the almighty ‘First I Look at the Purse’ by The Contours – fantastic song…
sean
March 15, 2008 at 12:14 pmtezz roberts (discharge) told me he got the classic “D-Beat” from the cortinas.
Nigel Valentine used to run the bristol land rover center,just by where I lived in bristol with Bear, Beano, Chaos et al, and big brother Jeremy was a regular visitor, as were we. He was always very dismissive of us “too many years too late ” punkers (even tho I was a free party type by then). Very stuck up bloke,old Jezzer…but then I spose he had a right to be….great band
baron von zubb
October 17, 2008 at 8:11 pmOnly five comments for this truly great punk classic.
And 1 million for the Varukers ?
Penguin • Post Author •
October 17, 2008 at 9:31 pmTis the sign of the times Zubber…
Sam
October 17, 2008 at 10:23 pmToo true Jake. The Cortinas get a bad rap these days but they were a classic singles band. Saw them at the Roundhouse. Always liked the middle class stripped pine kitchen they were sat in on the back of Defiant Pose/Independance. I was at St Martins when bass player Dexter Dalwood was there. I chatted to him a couple of times. Very quiet chap in a tank top as I remember him. I think he’s showing at the Saatchi Gallery now and doing pretty well for himself.
Steve
October 18, 2008 at 2:16 pmThese “new” Cortinas releases sound promising:
http://bristolarchiverecords.com/blog/?p=9
baron von zubb
October 18, 2008 at 4:42 pminteresting about Dexter D.
That roundhouse gig.
Supporting the Stranglers? My first punk gig mid ’77 I went with Manuel remember him? and Nick Fik.
You with Si?
That defiant pose cover ranks with the greats.
Nic
October 20, 2008 at 2:14 pm“Only five comments for this truly great punk classic.
And 1 million for the Varukers”
And where were you 7 months ago when this was posted, eh BVZ?
Johnny-come-lately…
😉
Carl
October 20, 2008 at 4:35 pmYeah but Nic, most of the million comments have sod all to do with The Varukers…Why am I always reminded of schooldays and plasters floating around the swimming pool when I hear the name Varukers LOL !!
baron von zubb
October 21, 2008 at 10:02 amComing lately.
Pat
November 25, 2009 at 3:38 pmI heard The Cortinas did a proper cd??? Anyone have details where to purchase it????
javiercrasher
December 31, 2009 at 6:42 amperfecta combinación de punk y r&b, a mi siempre me pareció que podÃan colar en cualquier lista de pub-rock tardio.
Estuvieron en contacto con polydor records e incluso llegaron a grabar dos temas en el estudio de la compañia con peter wilson como ingeniero ( que les producirÃa su finalmente su debut), pero al final se decidieron por un nuevo sello, step forward records, creado por miles copeland (hermano de stewart copeland de the police) y mark perry (editor del fanzine sniffin’ glue); siendo su single la primera referencia del sello.
Editado a principios de junio de 1977, el single fue un verdadero éxito, vendiendo la friolera de 20.000 copias. Con un sonido crudo y bastante básico, tiene todas las cualidades que hicieron transcender el nuevo sonido (aunque también tiene muchos de lo que serÃan los estereotipos del punk).
Aunque el tema de la cara A ‘fascist dictator’ es el más conocido, en parte tambien porque juegan con la ambiguedad de la primera época:
“i’m a fascist dictator, yeah that’s what I am
i’m a fascist dictator, I ain’t like no other man”
ya que no es un tema que hable de politica, sino de amor.
Pues si ‘fascist dictator’ es bueno, el tema de la cara B, ‘television families’, lo es tanto o mejor.
Ambas tocadas con ganas, desprendiendo mucha energia!
http://javiercrasher.blogspot.com/2009/12/52-cortinas-the19777-fascitst-dictator.html