Discography - Part 1

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We strip away all the niceties that got into music in the last six years and made it boring
Arturo - Sounds 23.7.1977

The one thing you notice is what a fantastic set of singles the boys produced. Its no wonder in eighteen months that they had 5 charting singles and 1 charting album and an appearance on Top Of The Pops.  Quite simply they knocked out catchy, tuneful and minimalist punky songs that got under your skin. and so the Ramones comparisons.

However in these strengths also lay their downfall.  Ok 5 hit singles, but the big one eluded them - nothing got higher than number 45 even with the might of WEA behind Beggars Banquet. Sadly they didn't have the ability to break out of the punk mould or take it elsewhere. By the time The Lurkers had built up a head of steam in late '79 it was time for the New Romantics, Gary Numan and hard edged OI music. When they finally got two guitarists to beef out the sound what did they do? Released There's a New Guitar In Town / Little Ole Wine Drinker Me  which sounded like the pub rock music of three years earlier. The Lurkers were out of step. 

Shadow / Love Story
Aug '77

Raw, frenetic, a punk classic right from Pete Stride's brilliantly simple opening guitar riff.

"Jenny says she'll lend me her gun/She knows I'm not well/Then I'll shoot that boy in the leg/When he comes to ring your bell" - Shadow

 Click  to hear audio clip of 'Shadow'

Freak Show / Mass Media Believer. Nov '77

The production on this is crap & sounds really murky although not a bad song. B-side notable for being the only Lurkers Mark 1 song written by Arturo Bassick and opens with the immortal line "Mass media believer/You're so full of shit". Charming.
     

Ain't Got A Clue / Ooh! Ooh! I Love You
 Jan '78 - Reached No 45

The first Lurkers single to chart and another superb song to pogo to. Again,
right from the opening bit where Stride blasts out the opening chord over Esso's drum fill, this is a classic. Came with free gold flexidisc.

 

I Don't Need To Tell Her / Pills
Apr '78 - Reached No 49

"I don't need to tell Her/I'm a super fella."

Pure magic. The B-side is a cover version of the Bo Diddley and  New York Dolls track and kinda.  pub stylee.

Just Thirteen / Countdown
Jan '79 - Reached No 66

Keeping up the high standards of previously. It lasts two minutes and you will be singing along to it after at the very most your third listen. Countdown is a cracker.
Excellent.

Out In The Dark / Cyanide/ Suzie Is A Floozie / Cyanide Apr '79 - Reached No 72

A progression from the earlier stuff, this is a much more dark and paranoid song at a much slower pace. Also features two versions of Cyanide plus Suzie Is A Floozie featuring the group's roadie Plug on harmonica.

New Guitar In Town / Little Ole Wine Drinker Me
Oct '79 - Reached No 72

The final Lurkers Mark 2 single and the only one to feature "Honest" John Plain. Slower and in a pub band sing a long a Lurkers style. From here the band would be dropped by Beggars Banquet split up and continue right up to the present day in various forms.

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