SHOWADDYWADDY - “Under The Moon Of Love”
A recurring theme on recent Popular comments threads has been the idea that one track or another represents “why punk had to happen”: a feeling - easy, perhaps too easy, to identify in hindsight - that pop and rock had stagnated or slipped into irrelevance. The phrase is slightly weaselly - it suggests that bad or dull records somehow caused punk, whereas more likely they provided the background conditions for it to be embraced. Anyway, here’s another candidate, at Number One when the Sex Pistols were first nosing into the charts and when John Peel was publically embracing the new music.
Showaddywaddy’s rock and roll revivalism - covering obscure numbers like this and more fondly recalled classics - is bouncily riskless, a jolly dead end. It’s the culmination of a turn back to rock’n'roll that’s been gathering pace for most of the decade, from the half-remembered inspirations of Roxy and T Rex, through the muscular callbacks and pantomime references in glam, and ending up at Showaddywaddy’s honks and vamps and put-on voices.
But the problem is that punk is also born - in part - out of that opening up of rock’n'roll and the 1950s as a well to draw on: viewed through a particular lens the back-to-basics, DIY spirit in punk is skiffle run through the greaser aggression of the Teddy Boys and rockers. Showaddywaddy are as effective an alternative to progressive “bloat” or complexity as punk was - they just seem like a less honourable one.
Their alternative won in the end, though: making soundalikes for 20 year old (or older!) records isn’t disreputable any more, far from it. I’ve seen pop-loving comrades digging tracks this year by Duffy, Alphabeat, and Annie which keep the revivalist spirit burning bright. Turns out it’s a Showaddywaddy world after all. 3
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FT's pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør on May 21st, 2008
wash yr mouth out erithian PS wz my TOTAL SUPER-GORGEOUS YEAR-ZERO DALEK-TEEN THROB in 77 and ever shall be [/waldoismus]
FT's and everybody elses Mark G on May 21st, 2008
Actually, she was on some punk documentary not so long ago. Attractive pretty much covers it.
FT's and everybody elses Mark G on May 21st, 2008
I got that “Let’s Submerge” XRaySpex anthology recently.
Has there ever been as big a leap of quality as there was from “Silly Billy” to “Oh Bondage” ?
(Falcon Stuart produced both tracks)
Erithian on May 21st, 2008
OK, I’ll go with “attractive”. “Germ Free Adolescents” shoulda been a monster too.
Misheard lyric spot - I always thought the Waddy were singing “your ass shining so brightly, under the moon of love”. The fact that it got broadcast suggested otherwise, mind you.
LondonLee on May 21st, 2008
“Germ Free Adolescents” got in the Top 20, not too shabby. Though I did think it was a bigger hit than that.
Picture sleeves did make a difference in sales. I had a Saturday job in the record department of a WH Smith and when a new Jam single came out there was a stampede of local Mods into the store to snap (no pun intended) them up. I remember rushing to a record store after school just to get a piccie sleeve of ‘When You’re Young’ on the day it came out.
FT's Alan on May 21st, 2008
/posts germ free adolescent cover and girls aloud biology covers
oo, as seen here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology_%28song%29
Snif on May 22nd, 2008
Speaking of picture sleeves, in 1979 i picked up a Japanese import single of The Jam’s “When You’re Young”…it even printed the lyrics on the picture sleeve. Now I have a tin ear when it comes to picking up lyrics at the the best of times, but I’m not quite sure what was going on in that Tokyo Polydor office.
Here’s the actual lyrics…
Life is timeless, days are long when you’re young
You used to fall in love with everyone
Any guitar and any bass drum
Life is a drink and you get drunk when you’re young
Life is new and there’s things to be done
You can’t wait to be grown up
Acceptance into the capital world
You pull on some weed and you pull on someone when you’re young
But you find out life isn’t like that
It’s so hard to comprehend
Why you set up your dreams to have them smashed in the end
But you don’t mind you’ve got time on your side
And they’re never gonna make you stand in line
You’re just waiting for the right time
You’re fearless and brave - you can’t be stopped when you’re young
You swear you’re never ever gonna work for someone
No corporations for the new age sons
Tears of rage run down your face
But still you say “it’s love”
And you find out life isn’t like that
It’s so hard to understand
Why the world is your oyster but your future’s a clam
It’s got you in its grip before you’re born
It’s done with the use of a dice and a board
They let you think you’re king but you’re really a pawn
You’re fearless and brave - you can’t be stopped when you’re young
You used to fall in love with everyone
Any guitar and any bass drum
And here’s what was on the sleeve….
Why does time take so long when you’re young
Used to fall in love with anyone
Any guitar and any bass drum
Life was a drink and you get drunk
When you’re young
Life is new and there’s things to be found
You can’t wait to be grown up
Your set turns into the capital world
You pull out the weeds and they pull us along
When you’re young
But you find out life isn’t like
It’s so hard to comprehend
You set up your dreams
To have them smashed in again
But you don’t mind
You got time on your side
You know you’ll never get ‘em
If you stand in line
You’re just waiting for a lifetime
You’re finished with life your clock stopped spinning around
This way another lover’s gonna suffer so hard
No corporation starts a new age son
Tears of fright run down your face
When they say it’s done
But you find out life isn’t like that
You try hard to understand
That the world in your eyes
Is just a future Japan
You said you’d read the script before you’re bored
You’re stoned with a reason that I can’t afford
They let you be a king
But you need applause
If you’re to survive you can’t stop when you’re young
Used to fall in love with everyone
Any guitar and any bass drum
Make of that what you will, music lovers.
FT's DJ Punctum on May 22nd, 2008
With all this talk about picture sleeves, we seem to have overlooked Number Two Watch, which in Showaddywaddy’s case was “Somebody To Love” by Queen. One of only three singles in the second half of the seventies to debut within the top five on a Top 50/Top 75 basis (unless you know different) - and out of these three, only one made it to the top.
Billy Smart on May 22nd, 2008
“You pull out the weeds and they pull us along/ They let you be king/ but you need applause” - I like this imaginary song. In my head, it sounds a bit like Radiohead.
“Bread for the teeth!”
FT's DJ Punctum on May 22nd, 2008
According to the trailer for his interview on the Janice Long Show on Sunday, Weller is currently listening to inter alia William Walton and the Velvet Underground so clearly more observations of this nature to be expected on imminent epic double concept album, though if his performance on Jools on Tuesday was anything to go by the new album should have been called 22 Pub Rock Greats.
Rob M on May 22nd, 2008
Going back a bit - the unexpected bonus of those twelve inch singles with acres of ungrooved space in the middle was that they were ideal bases for playing flexidiscs. Very handy in the C86 era - again, won’t be troubling Popular at all with that!
FT's DJ Punctum on May 22nd, 2008
I hope I’m not over-tempting SB by musing that 1986’s number ones, with a few sore-thumb-sticking-out exceptions, don’t quite live up to the standard set by 1976.
FT's Tim on May 22nd, 2008
Rob - I’m not sure about that, because lifting the flexi off a 12″ record was much more difficult than lifting it off a 7″: using a 12″ generally resulted in my leaving big greasy fingerprints all over the 12″ vinyl.
Regular 7″ers were OK as long as they didn’t have those great big moulded notches around the moulded label that Polydor (in particular) seemed to like.
FT's rosie on May 23rd, 2008
A thought - in the musing about why there should have been a sudden enthusiasm for 50s music round about now - nobody’s mentioned Happy Days and The Fonz - very popular with my 12-13 year-olds at this time.
Just a thought that occurred to me.
FT's DJ Punctum on May 23rd, 2008
Happy Days didn’t get shown on TV here (at least not on STV) until early ‘78.
pink champale on May 23rd, 2008
yes, i was wondering about a ‘happy days’ connection too, not least because i have a great charity shop-purchased ‘fonze’s favourite 50’s hits’ (or similar) cash-in compilation album from around this time. aside from being the first place i ever encountered the flamingos’ immortal ‘i only have eyes for you’, the record is notable - and glorious - for two reasons: i) the front cover is a portrait of the fonze giving it the classic sly grin and thumbs up pose, unadorned by and title or any other writing and the back cover is cut with one of those punch-out triangular stands you get on the back of picture frames - so you don’t just get a record, you get a portrait of the fonz to put on your dressing table and moon over! this is a great gimmick that i’ve never seen elsewhere (though i’m sure others will know of examples); and ii) the final track is called “the fonz rock” or something and is a generic rock ‘n’ roll backing track over which someone who is very clearly not henry winkler runs through selection of fonze-like catchphrases in a desultory fashion, mainly “eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh” and “sit on it!” if i remember rightly.
pink champale on May 23rd, 2008
oh. x-post. another great theory down the dumper.
FT's DJ Punctum on May 23rd, 2008
Ah yes, Fonzie’s Favourites on Warwick Records which I once had and which began with a version of the Happy Days theme which wasn’t the same version as on the 45 (which was a minor Top 40 hit in late ‘77 so I guess it must have been showing somewhere here) but merely an amateurish cut-up as though someone had taped it off the TV and glued all the different bits together. I think there were a few “RE-RECORDED BY ORIGINAL ARTISTS” tracks in there too. The final track I have long forgotten and by the sound of it it’s probably just as well.
pink champale on May 23rd, 2008
yes, i’d forgotten about the version of the ‘happy days’ theme, which is very much as you describe.
Martin Skidmore on May 23rd, 2008
Leaping into action by replying to comment #1:
Wichita Lineman: The leader of Linus (a bloke, thus not entirely Riot Grrrl) was a really good friend of mine. He looked a lot like Robert Pires, so you were sort of close. (I say ‘was’ because he sadly died a couple of years ago.) (Another parenthesis to say it was good to meet you last week! I was the old bloke in a suit!)
Waldo on May 28th, 2008
Nothing too much wrong with this one, although three weeks at the top was probably a bit more than it deserved. I recall their routine on TOTP when the wonders of Seventies technology saw the group’s suits change colour more than once as they performed the song. Everyone thought this was indeed wonderful, particularly the Radio One jock presenting the show, who tried to convince us that the largesse of this fete was akin to open heart surgery instead of a simple camera trick not beyond the wit of Winnie the Pooh. Showaddywaddy were what they were, a Fifties revival band and you could take them or leave them. I left them. No harm.
Billy Smart on June 3rd, 2008
Light Entertainment Watch EXTRA! As you might expect, Showaddywaddy were always on TV. Other appearences included;
CHEGGERS PLAYS POP: Featuring Showaddywaddy, Slade (1978)
CHEGGERS PLAYS POP: Featuring Showaddywaddy, Darts, Shakin’ Stevens (1980)
CHEGGERS PLAYS POP: Featuring Showaddywaddy, The Dooleys, Tenpole Tudor (1981)
JIM DAVIDSON’S SPECIAL: Featuring Jim Davidson, Showaddywaddy, Carl Wayne, The Ladybirds, Frank Bruno, Isla St Claire (1984)
LIVE FROM THE PALLADIUM: Featuring Jimmy Tarbuck, Showaddywaddy, David Essex, Duncan Norvelle, Norman Collier, Canon & Ball, Pet Shop Boys (1987)
MULTI-COLOURED SWAP SHOP: Featuring Noel Edmunds, Barry Took, Showaddywaddy, Status Quo (1981)
MULTI-COLOURED SWAP SHOP’S ROCK GARDEN PARTY: Featuring Noel Edmonds, Bob Wilson, Showaddywaddy, Darts, Patti Boulaye, The Goodies (1978)
NEW FACES: Featuring Showaddywaddy (1973)
THE ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE: Featuring Showaddywaddy, The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Anne Shelton, The Kings Singers, Andy Stewart, Acker Bilk, The Nolans, Kenny Ball, Arthur Askey, Max Boyce, Paul Daniels, Harry Secombe, Danny La Rue, Max Bygraves, The Krankies (1978)
SEASIDE SPECIAL: Featuring Showaddwaddy, Tony Blackburn, The Bachelors, Little & Large (1977)
SEASIDE SPECIAL: Featuring Showaddywaddy, Peter Powell, Peters & Lee, Chas & Dave (1979)
The details of Showaddwaddy’s New Faces competitors are worth recording here. Final. The winner won the chance to appear on SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM the next day [30/12/73]. Competitors also included: The George Huxley Jazz Band, Charlie James (singer), Dry Ginger (folk group), Tom Waite (singer), Yakity Yak (comedy impressions pop group), Elaine Simmons (singer), Anthony Waters (actor), Ricky Disoni (singer), Trotta (folk group), Showaddywaddy (rock ‘n’ roll group), Jean de Both (singer), Jacky Carlton (camp comedian), John D Bryant (folk singer/songwriter). The winner was Tom Waite and Showaddywaddy came second.
DJ Punctum on June 4th, 2008
That’s Tom WAITE, everyone…
Mark G on June 4th, 2008
From Showad’s Q&A Page:
1) You mentioned in an old TV interview that New Faces was a fix? Was this really true and what did the band think about this at the time? Did you awkward about it?
We knew that Tom Waite was going to win as he was already on the schedule for the winners slot on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. Our manager actually told us that we were going to come 2nd. We obviously weren’t particularly happy about it, but it was a good introduction to the workings of our weird & wonderful industry!
a logged-out pˆnk s lord whatnot on June 4th, 2008
i like “awkward” as a verb, i shall start saying it myself