The Good Missionaries – Deptford Fun City – 1979

Another Coke / The Body / The Force Is Blind / Thief Of Fire / The Radio Story / Strange Looks

Fire From Heaven / Release The Natives / Fellow Sufferer In Dub / Bugger The Cat

The only (vinyl) LP by Mark Perry’s Good Missionaries that was released during the band’s short existance, recorded live during the band’s supporting role on The Pop Group tour in 1979.

“I rejected punk’s restrictive format and took ATV into a direction that was more like free form jazz than the three chord thrash. Some critics despised the change, a few applauded it. I didnt give a shit. As far as I was concerned, it was my band and I could do what I wanted with it. Miles Copeland (my manager at the time) still talks about the day thet I first played him ‘Vibing…’, he sat there aghast thinking it was some sort of joke until he realised that I was deadly serious. ‘Vibing …’ had, and still has a clarity that I could never acheive within the confines or the traditional rock sound. Punk inspired me but I could never let it constrain me. ‘Vibing …’ is all about me and my life – wierd, stark and sometimes even embarassing. I wanted people to like the album because I guess I wanted them to like me. The real me, not Mark P Punk prophet, but me that lurks behind all the bullshit. I thought that people would appreciate my honesty but most rejected it, perferring the safe world of pop-punk. I still think that ‘Vibing …’ is a classic punk album because it takes it into truly chaotic territory – witness the brooding ‘The Radio Story’ for proof. To me, punks only boundaries are the ones that have been set up in peoples closed minds. Punk became the new rock music.”

5 comments
  1. Farmer Glitch
    Farmer Glitch
    October 27, 2008 at 7:40 am

    Superb stuff – always loved the truly out-there version ‘Thief of Fire’ – what a tour that was !

    Vibing still sounds excellent to this day – one of the repeat-spiners over here ..

    Now if you only had the Peel sessions in good quality of ATV from this period – that would be a dmn fine winter treat ..

    Nice post again sir !!

  2. Graham Burnett
    Graham Burnett
    October 27, 2008 at 7:50 pm

    Love the copious use of ‘sliding whistle’, as previously most widely exemplified in Carry On films when somebodies trousers fall down or suchlike…

  3. baron von zubb
    baron von zubb
    November 1, 2008 at 12:18 pm

    Help !

  4. Graham Burnett
    Graham Burnett
    November 2, 2008 at 11:26 pm

    I think you are thinking of The fabulous Beatles Brothers, Mr BVZ…

  5. Haych
    Haych
    December 20, 2008 at 2:20 am

    Never even SEEN a copy of this before, let alone heard it. Brilliant stuff, thanks for posting…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *