Sixty Eight Guns

Last updated
"Sixty Eight Guns"
The Alarm 68 Guns single.jpg
Single by The Alarm
from the album Declaration
B-side "68 Guns Part II"
ReleasedAugust 1983
Recorded1983
Genre Alternative rock, new wave
Length3:15
Label I.R.S. Records
Songwriter(s) Mike Peters, Eddie MacDonald
Producer(s) Alan Shacklock
The Alarm singles chronology
"The Stand"
(1983)
"Sixty Eight Guns"
(1983)
"Where were you Hiding when the Storm Broke?"
(1984)

"Sixty Eight Guns" is a song by Welsh rock band the Alarm that was released as a single in August 1983 and later appeared on the group's debut album Declaration in February 1984. It was written by Alarm members Mike Peters and Eddie MacDonald.

Contents

The song reached #17 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the Alarm's first Top 40 appearance and their highest-ever position on that chart. The song also reached #39 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the United States, the Alarm's first-ever chart position in that country. Soon after, it "bubbled under" the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at #106, becoming the band's first charting single on the American pop charts.

The song was recorded at Good Earth Studios and mixed at Abbey Road Studios. [1]

Background and writing

The lyrics to "Sixty Eight Guns" were inspired by a book that Peters had read about the 1960s street gangs of Glasgow. [2]

Title

The song's title is written as "Sixty Eight (sic) Guns" and "68 Guns" interchangeably on the various I.R.S. releases. The back cover of Declaration and the front cover of the 7" single show the title as "Sixty Eight Guns" while the labels on the discs themselves show the title as "68 Guns". [3]

Track listing

All songs written by Mike Peters and Eddie MacDonald.

UK 7" Single

  1. "68 Guns" - 3:15
  2. "68 Guns Part II" - 3:25

UK 12" Single

  1. "68 Guns (Full Version)" - 5:45
  2. "Thoughts of a Young Man" - 2:50

Credits

Charts

Chart (1983)Peak
position
UK Singles Chart 17
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles 106
U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks 39

Other releases

The song appeared on several other Alarm releases:

Notes

  1. "The Alarm – Sixty Eight Guns (1983, Vinyl)".
  2. Interview with Mike Peters published in 'Zig Zag' magazine, 1983
  3. "The Alarm - Sixty Eight Guns". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-08-08.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">With a Little Help from My Friends</span> 1967 song by the Beatles

"With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and sung by drummer Ringo Starr, his lead vocal for the album. As the second track on the album, it segues from the applause of the title track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summertime Blues</span> Original song written and composed by Eddie Cochran and Jerry Capehart

"Summertime Blues" is a song co-written and recorded by American rock artist Eddie Cochran. It was written by Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Originally a single B-side, it was released in August 1958 and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 29, 1958, and number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. It has been covered by many artists, including being a number-one hit for country music artist Alan Jackson, and scoring notable hits in versions by Blue Cheer, The Who, and Brian Setzer, the last of whom recorded his version for the 1987 film La Bamba, in which he portrayed Cochran. Jimi Hendrix performed it in concert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Feel Fine</span> 1964 single by the Beatles

"I Feel Fine" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in November 1964 as the A-side of their eighth single. It was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The recording includes one of the earliest uses of guitar feedback in popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Help! (song)</span> 1965 single by the Beatles

"Help!" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that served as the title song for the 1965 film and its soundtrack album. It was released as a single in July 1965, and was number one for three weeks in the United States and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">And I Love Her</span> 1964 single by the Beatles

"And I Love Her" is a song recorded by English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It is the fifth track of their third UK album A Hard Day's Night and was released 20 July 1964, along with "If I Fell", as a single release by Capitol Records in the United States, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You've Really Got a Hold on Me</span> 1962 Motown song by the Miracles

"You've Really Got a Hold on Me" is a song written by Smokey Robinson, which became a 1962 Top 10 hit single for the Miracles. One of the Miracles' most covered tunes, this million-selling song received a 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame Award. It has also been selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was recorded by the Beatles for their second album, With the Beatles (1963). Many other musicians also recorded versions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slow Down (Larry Williams song)</span>

"Slow Down" is a rock and roll song written and performed by Larry Williams. Recorded in 1957, AllMusic writer Stewart Mason describes it as "raucous enough to be punk rock nearly a full two decades before the concept was even in existence." Specialty Records released it as a single in 1958, but only the second-side "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy" reached the record charts. Both songs were later covered by the Beatles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Alarm</span> Welsh rock band

The Alarm are a Welsh rock band that formed in Rhyl, Wales, in 1981. Initially formed as a punk band, the Toilets, in 1977, under lead vocalist Mike Peters, the band soon embraced arena rock and included marked influences from Welsh language and culture. By opening for acts such as U2 and Bob Dylan, they became a popular new wave pop band of the 1980s.

<i>The Alarm</i> (EP) 1983 EP by The Alarm

The Alarm is a studio EP by The Alarm. It was released in 1983 by IRS Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Peters (musician)</span> Welsh musician

Michael Leslie Peters is a Welsh musician, best known as the lead singer of The Alarm. After the band split up in 1991, Peters wrote and released solo work, before reconstituting The Alarm in 2000. Additionally, he is co-founder of the Love Hope Strength Foundation. Between 2011 and 2013, Peters was the vocalist for Big Country as well as The Alarm.

"Drinking Champagne" is a song written by Bill Mack. He released the first version of the song on Pike Records in the mid-sixties. The song grabbed nationwide attention when the version by Cal Smith reached #35 on the country music charts in 1968.

Second Generation Volume 1 is an album by Mike Peters. The cover also contains the phrase "rare songs of The Alarm revisited". All tracks had previously appeared on albums or singles by The Alarm apart from "The Peace Train", which had only appeared in a non-lyrical format on the remastered edition of the album "Declaration".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">45 RPM (song)</span> 2004 single by The Poppy Fields (The Alarm)

"45 RPM" is a song written by Mike Peters and Steve Grantley.

<i>Declaration</i> (The Alarm album) 1984 studio album by The Alarm

Declaration is the debut studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1984 by IRS Records. The album was released initially on vinyl and cassette. A CD version was released in the U.S. by June 1984. An extended re-master version was released in 2000, including extra tracks.

<i>Strength</i> (The Alarm album) 1985 studio album by The Alarm

Strength is the second studio album by The Alarm, released in 1985 on IRS Records. The single "Strength" was released before the album, reaching #40 on the UK singles chart. This was followed after the album release by "Spirit of '76", which reached #22 and saw the band on Top of the Pops and in various other TV appearances. "Knife Edge" was the final single from the album to be released, just failing to reach the top 40.

<i>Eye of the Hurricane</i> (The Alarm album) 1987 studio album by The Alarm

Eye of the Hurricane is the third studio album from The Alarm. It was first released in October 1987 in the US on I.R.S. Records. The album was initially released on vinyl LP and cassette, reaching number 23 in the UK charts and number 77 in the US charts. A CD version was released later the same year and in 2000 an extended re-mastered version was released, including extra tracks.

<i>Change</i> (The Alarm album) 1989 studio album by The Alarm

Change is the fourth studio album by The Alarm. It was released in September 1989 on IRS Records.

<i>Raw</i> (The Alarm album) 1991 studio album by The Alarm

Raw is the fifth and final studio album released by the original line-up of The Alarm. The band split up after the album was released. It was released in 1991 on IRS Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I've Done Everything for You</span>

"I've Done Everything for You" is a song written and performed by Sammy Hagar, and released as a single in 1978. A version by Rick Springfield in 1981 became a top 10 hit in the US. In addition to recorded versions by Hagar and Springfield, the song has been performed and recorded by numerous bands, including Buckcherry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Poppy Fields</span> Fictitious teenage group

The Poppy Fields were a fictitious teenage group, invented by the Welsh rock band The Alarm. The Poppy Fields scored a hit with the release of "45 RPM" that would become The Alarm's first hit in over a decade. Mike Peters revealed the truth on live radio as Radio 1 was conducting a 2004 broadcast of their then current chart countdown. The story was highlighted by international news outlets with several headlines being published globally.