The Users | |
---|---|
Origin | Cambridge, England |
Genres | Punk |
Years active | 1976–1979 |
Labels | Raw Records, Warped Records, England In June, [1] Damaged Goods, Bin Liner (Detour Records) |
Past members | James "James" Haight Chris "Panic" Free Andrew Bor Bobby Kwok Pete Bevington Rick Tucker Alvin Gibbs |
The Users were an English punk rock band, formed in Cambridge, England, that was active between 1977 and 1979.
In 1977, Cambridge record dealer Lee Wood founded Raw Records, and quickly recorded The Users in March of the year, releasing the single "Sick of You" / "(I'm) In Love With Today" on May 5, 1977. Sounds magazine stated that it "burns into your brain without compromise." [2]
Despite only releasing two singles and being active for less than three years, the band developed a lasting cult following. BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel placed their first single "Sick of You" in his chosen Festive Fifty chart of 1977, and after his death it was revealed that he'd kept it as part of his favourite singles of all time. [3] [4] The single was later reissued in 1999 and 2006 by Damaged Goods. [5]
Guitarist Chris Free, would find some success as the writer of Tracie Young's 1983 hit single, "Give It Some Emotion". [6] & now writes and plays for The Sound Of Pop Art [7]
The drummer's son Sean Patrick O’Hanrahan is now the keyboard player in Max Bianco & The Blue Hearts. [8]
Bass player Rick Tucker went on to be a lead for mental health nursing in secure environments before returning to music and becoming becoming a novelist. His album Paint the Blue Grass Green is available online and his novels A Dog Unchained, and Under the Flamboyant Tree, both set in Trinidad and Tobago have gained him a wider audience.
In October 2008, a discography compilation, Secondary Modern: 1976-1979, was released on Bin Liner records (part of Detour Records). [9]
In 2007, Spin magazine named "Sick of You" one of the 20 best singles of 1977 by bands who not yet released an album. [10] Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys has cited the single as one of his favorite singles in terms of production when his band recorded 1980's Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables . [11]
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. Q magazine included John McKay's guitar playing on "Hong Kong Garden" in their list of "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever", while Mojo rated guitarist John McGeoch in their list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" for his work on "Spellbound". The Times called the group "one of the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era".
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. They achieved commercial success with singles that fused pop craftsmanship with rapid-fire punk energy. These singles were collected on Singles Going Steady, an acclaimed compilation album described by music journalist and critic, Ned Raggett, as a "punk masterpiece".
The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill, Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley and Billy Doherty (drums). Much of the earlier Undertones material drew influence from punk rock and new wave; the Undertones also incorporated elements of rock, glam rock and post-punk into material released after 1979, before citing soul and Motown as the influence for the material released upon their final album. The Undertones released thirteen singles and four studio albums between 1978 and 1983 before Sharkey announced his intention to leave the band in May 1983, citing musical differences as the reason for the break up.
A Certain Ratio are an English post-punk band formed in 1977 in Flixton, Greater Manchester by Peter Terrell and Simon Topping, with additional members Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop, Donald Johnson (drums), and Martha Tilson (vocals) joining soon after.
Adam Paul Tinley, known professionally as Adamski, as well as Sonny Eriksson, is an English DJ, musician, singer and record producer, prominent at the time of acid house for his tracks "N-R-G" and "Killer", a collaboration with Seal, which was a No. 1 song in the UK in 1990.
The Motors were a British pub rock band formed in London in 1977 by former Ducks Deluxe members Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster together with guitarist Rob Hendry and drummer Ricky Slaughter. Their biggest success was with the McMaster-penned song "Airport", a number 4 UK hit single in 1978.
Rich Kids were a short-lived new wave band from London, founded in 1977 by Glen Matlock following his departure from the Sex Pistols. The band also included future Ultravox member Midge Ure and Rusty Egan, who both later founded Visage together. They released one album and three singles during their existence, from March 1977 to December 1978.
Eric Goulden, known as Wreckless Eric, is an English rock/new wave singer-songwriter, best known for his 1977 single "Whole Wide World" on Stiff Records. More than two decades after its release, the song was included in Mojo magazine's list of the best punk rock singles of all time. It was also acclaimed as one of the "top 40 singles of the alternative era 1975–2000".
The Lurkers are a British punk rock band from Uxbridge, West London. They are notable for being the first group ever on Beggars Banquet Records for whom they released two albums, the first of which charted in the UK Albums Chart, while five singles also charted in the UK Singles Chart.
Cut is the debut studio album by English punk band the Slits, released on 7 September 1979. It was recorded at Ridge Farm Studios in Rusper and produced by Dennis Bovell. The album was praised by later acts such as Kurt Cobain and Massive Attack.
Another Music in a Different Kitchen is the first studio album by the English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released in March 1978 by the United Artists record label. This was the third line-up of Buzzcocks, with the guitarist Pete Shelley singing following the departure of the original vocalist Howard Devoto and then the firing of the bass guitarist Garth Smith. The album includes the single "I Don't Mind", which reached number 55 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1978.
"Teenage Kicks" is the debut single by Northern Irish punk rock band the Undertones. Written in the summer of 1977 by the band's principal songwriter, the song was recorded on 15 June 1978 and initially released that September on independent Belfast record label Good Vibrations, before the band signed to Sire Records on 2 October 1978. Sire Records subsequently obtained all copyrights to the material released upon the Teenage Kicks EP and the song was re-released as a standard vinyl single on Sire's own label on 14 October that year, reaching number 31 in the UK Singles Chart two weeks after its release
U.K. Subs are an English punk rock band, among the earliest in the first wave of British punk. Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain's R&B scene. They were also one of the first hardcore punk bands.
The Vibrators are a British punk rock band that formed in 1976.
The Pork Dukes are an English punk rock band, formed 1976 during the first wave of British punk in London.
The Bleach Boys are an English punk rock band, originally from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, who have been together since 1976.
The Membranes are an English post-punk band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1977, the initial line-up being John Robb, Mark Tilton (guitar), Martyn Critchley (vocals) and Martin Kelly (drums). Critchley soon left, with Robb and Tilton taking on vocals, and Kelly moving to keyboards, with "Coofy Sid" (Coulthart) taking over on drums.
Good Vibrations was a Belfast record label and store. Founded by Terri Hooley in the early 1970s, Good Vibrations started out in a small derelict building on Great Victoria Street, Belfast. Good Vibrations began life as a record shop, opening in late 1976; it grew to become a popular record shop.
The Incredible Kidda Band (aka The Kidda Band) were a British power pop band formed in Nuneaton on 10 February 1976, and composed of Alan Hammonds (guitars, vocals), Graham "Kidder" Hammonds (percussion, backing vocals), Dave 'Legs' Lister, (lead guitar, backing vocals], John Rollason (guitar, backing vocals), Les Rollason (bass), Graham "Dick" Millington (drums). Later members of the band were Mark "Tarky" Bates (drums, backing vocals), Keith Taylor (bass), Mick Rollason (guitar, backing vocals) and Paul Gardner (drums).
We're Only Human were an English powerpop and rock band, formed in London on 1 July 1981, and composed of Alan Hammonds, John Rollason, Keith Taylor (bass) and Mark "Tarky" Bates.