Burning up Times Issue One: September 2005 Exclusive Online Stranglers PDF
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The Burning Up Times Issue one: September 2005 Exclusive online Stranglers PDF Featured album: Kicking ass with Black And White Jean Jacques Burnel Battersea exposed Latté with Black And White on tour Hugh Cornwell Rock Goes To College uproar The Burning Up Times Issue one Page 2 The Burning Up Times Issue one In this issue… 4 You have been informed 20 things you really ought to know about Black And White 12 5 The road to Ruan Bearshanks Lodge uncovered 8 What an album! What a year! 1978 The Burning Up Times We look back at Debbie Harry, Wonder Woman and other delights Issue one September 2005 11 Dissecting Dave’s organs In The Shadows Everything you ever wanted to know about Greenfield’s toys Editorial 19 Black and white innit? Welcome to issue one of The Burning John Robb argues why Black And White is definitive post-punk Up Times, a brand new Stranglers PDF created on a shoestring by Stranglers fans. Each issue will be available when JJ Burnel remembers 1978, 21 Total recall... Bearshanks and all that... it’s ready, and will focus on a particular A personal view of Black And White from Jim Drury year and a particular album. And here in issue one you can 29 I was there! indulge yourself in all things Black And 22 White. It’s 1978 again! Throw on a Battersea exposed! tank top and get a basin haircut! Dig out your vinyl copy of the LP and turn it 31 I was there, two! up loud! Fans looks back at Bingley Hall and Lancaster University gigs There are exclusive interviews with band members, along with articles by established writers as well as fans on a 32 Cocks go to college myriad of related topics and themes. How storming off stage at the BBC cost the Stranglers dear There is also, hidden somewhere in this issue, a hyperlink to a rare unofficial 33 Rovers’ return live recording from Madrid (19 May Vivid memories of the Northern Ireland tour 1978). Happy hunting! Thank you to everyone who supported this issue and helped us out. Hugh Cornwell trawls his 39 Means To Me Special thanks to JJ Burnel, Hugh memories of creating Black Cornwell, Jim Drury, David Fagence, And White Fans old and new reminisce on Black And White Jamie Godwin, Alastair Graham, Stephen Howard, Tony Kinson, Jackie Burning Up Times is published when it’s ready. It is available free of charge from the website and you are free to distribute it to whoever you want. Issue one, In The MacKay, Donald MacKay, Jim Radley, Shadows, September 2005. © Planet Earth Editor: Gary Kent Production Editor: Dominic Pilgrim Webmaster: Ian Keiller Contributors: Chris Alderton, Billy Bragg, Gary Stephen Reid, John Robb and The Cook, Jim Drury, Jamie Godwin, Stephen Howard, Richard Kolkman, Donald MacKay, John Robb, Carl Sanderson, Barry Spooner, Mark Tall, Eric Vonk, Al Wallis, Stratfords. Damian Franklin, Mike Contact: [email protected] Website: www.strangled.co.uk Page 3 The Burning Up Times Issue one You have been informed 20 things you should know about Black And White... Black And White was the first Teenager Billy Bragg was one of the JJ wrote the music for Toiler Stranglers LP written to order. first to hear the songs at Bearshanks. On The Sea in 1 5 11Northamptonshire and Hugh wrote the lyrics in Morocco. The Each side was to be divided into It is their only album to not feature title comes from a novel by French Hugh’s music and JJ’s lyrics and the Stranglers name on the cover. writer Victor Hugo. 80s electronic 2 vocals – with JJ’s music and Hugh’s 6 band A Flock Of Seagulls took lyrics and vocals on the other. their name from the lyrics in the It is probably the first album to middle 8 section. The Walk On By video featured The band originally wanted white feature Morse Code in a song, the two guest musicians on the vinyl on the White side of the LP. According to JJ, Threatened was B-side, Old Codger: well-known which was invented by Samuel 17 7 inspired by a conversation on jazz man George Melly – and an 3 Morse. The first dot-dash-dot architecture. It built up from infamous harmonica virtuoso and message in 1844, read: “What hath 12 Bearshanks Lodge in there. Built up from there…! Boom, wild man of R’n’B by the name of Northamptonshire was the place the God wrought?” In a similar vein, the boom... Lew Lewis. Lew, real name Keith 4 band wrote the album. It was message in Enough Time read: “This Lewis, lived in West Road in owned by musician and is planet Earth, we are fucked!” – Sweden (All Quiet On The Westcliffe-On-Sea. In December photographer Ruan O’Lochlainn, courtesy of Mr. -.. .- …- . Eastern Front) could have been 1986, he robbed a post office of whose remit was take the front Greenfield. 13a single. A video was filmed. £5,386 with an imitation pistol. The cover picture. post office was in the same road Frank Sinatra’s lawyers objected to In Sverige, ‘Jag Ar Insnoad Pa where he lived. He got seven years. the title of Nice ‘n’ Sleazy. They Estfronten’ means ‘I am snowed 8 thought it was too similar to Nice 14in on the Eastern Front.’ Tank and Walk On By were ‘n’ Easy. Though the hair colourant originally intended as a double of that name didn’t receive such A video was made for Nice ‘n’ 18A-side release. Sleazy, but never shown. The attention from the crooner’s legal band rejected it. “It was The album was released on eagles. Keep your toupee on, 15 terrible!” JJ told The Burning Up May 12th. It was also Burt Frank! Times in 2005. 19Bacharach’s birthday, the co- writer of Walk On By. Nice ‘n’ Sleazy is about touring the Hugh directed a video for US and the Dutch Hell’s Angels. Walk On By, based on It went straight in at No.2 in 9 16Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 the albums charts. The album cult classic, Blow Up. It was shot 20that stopped them hitting the Shut Up! is the shortest in Maryon Park, Charlton, southeast top spot? Saturday Night Fever. Stranglers’ B-side at 6 seconds London where the film features ‘Well, you can tell by the way I use 10over the minute mark. heavily. my walk…’ ❏ Page 4 The Burning Up Times Issue one Calling occupants of Bearshanks Lodge! Gary Kent tracks down residents past and present of the The Stranglers arrived with Hell’s Angels and isolated farmhouse that gave birth to the Stranglers’ Black And White album Finchley Boys. One thing I’ll never forget is Jet being the mummy of the band. He sent Hugh and JJ miles off to the shops to get some food and gave them a £10 note – and they came back with a tenner's-worth of The road to Ruan Wagon Wheels! Billy Bragg hippy couple in wellies and Laura Ashley up his kit – out in the cornfield! Then after garb. that, we got a booking from The “They didn’t like us much, and this Stranglers.” farmer dumped a huge pile of manure News quickly spread among the youth opposite our home, just to let us know our from the myriad of villages and towns in place. So Ruan wrote a song about it, with the area. Although it was doubtful whether lyrics based around us going to the any of them had ever seen The Stranglers country for some peace of mind and before. Billy Bragg: “When me and Riff finding a pile of shit instead. Raff went into town in our ripped jeans, “He then contacted Esther Rantzen’s everyone thought WE were The Stranglers! That’s Life TV programme and sung to All the girls wanted kisses and autographs, them down the phone. By the time he’d and their boyfriends would be waiting finished, they said: “Right – we’re sending round the corner to kick our heads in!” up a team! So when they came with the Soon teenage Billy moved in and film crew, Ruan jumped on top of the became a bit of a handy man. “I looked manure with his mandolin and performed after the goats, although, I remember one the song with Riff Raff while I went about day they all escaped, went into the house spraying a can of air freshener!” and chewed through a reel of quarter Surrounded by flat arable fields and inch tape!” little else, the old farmhouse lies at the Bearshanks Lodge in 1982 end of a long lane in the middle of Dinner with The Stranglers nowhere. Once the renovation work Jackie also recalled the day The Stranglers OR TWO snow-swept months during bustle of West London in 1975. “We began, a 50ft studio was set up for bands arrived, but she soon sensed something had the white winter of 1977-78, The always had this dream of having a house to practise and record four-track demos. been troubling the band about the FStranglers stayed at Bearshanks Lodge in the country with a studio,” said Jackie, Their first ad in Melody Maker went out in arrangements at Bearshanks. They decided near Oundle, Northamptonshire to write a who is now in her mid-60s. “We found the summer of 1977. they wanted the place solely for collection of songs that became Black And Bearshanks – which was basically a pile of “Billy Bragg was the first person to themselves.