Sham 69
Sham 69 were quite simply one of THE top punk bands of the late seventies. Led by the charismatic and irrepressible Jimmy Pursey they produced a stream of catchy, populist, short and sweet punk tunes including If The Kids Are United, Hurry Up Harry and Angels With Dirty Faces that made the British charts.
What makes Sham 69 even more interesting though is their arrival on the scene when Punk began to move from the more elitist fashion driven art scene to a rougher, more working class ethic. While some original faces on the scene perceived this as a dumbing down, others saw it as a breath of fresh air on a moribund scene. Add in a skinhead revival, frequent violence at their gigs and the Sham 69 one is a fascinating story.
But above all Sham 69 were a fantastic, full on punk band with great tunes, a top singer and a dynamic live act.
Early bands and getting into Punk
Dave Parsons The first band I ever saw was T.Rex at Wembley Empire pool. I had no idea what I was gonna see as some friends had arranged it – but the whole thing just blew my mind. I must have been about 13. The first band I was in was while I was still at school – I answered a local ad and got in, the rest of the band were about 10 years older than me and because of that I got turned onto a lot of music I’d never have otherwise heard ! A lot of blues, Irish folk and the Stones/Kinks, Small Faces etc etc. This really paved the way for the next band I was in. I formed a local band Bobalouis, mainly from school friends, really a sort of mod band before mod became fashionable again. We were playing a couple of my songs and Stones/Kinks/Credence Clearwater Revival/Beatles songs and stuff like that.
Punk happened as I was leaving school at 16, and needless to say it was just what I’d been waiting for – as a teenager the whole two fingers up at at the rest of society – the idea that you could get up on a stage and say what / how you felt – that it was anti fashion (you got your clothes from army surplus or the Oxfam) was just perfect timing! I liked loads of the bands around at that time – Sex Pistols, Clash (before they went American) X Ray Spex, Eater, early Generation X etc etc. Punk77 Interview
For Jimmy Pursey, early life was working at the local greyhound track, before he ran away from home and worked on the barrows at East London’s Roman Road market for a year. Returning back to Hersham he did a number of dead end jobs, the last of which was washer up in the local Wimpy.
Around this time the first incarnation of Sham 69 (named after graffiti on wall spelling Hersham 69 had lost the ‘Her’ from the front came into being. Mentioned in the NME of 12.10.76 by Julie Burchill as ‘potentially great.’ Allegedly before turning punk Sham were a Bay City Roller cover version band called Jimmy & The Ferrets consisting of Jimmy Pursey on vocals, Billy Bostik on Drums, Johnny Goodfornothing on Guitar and Albie on Bass. They used to play at the Walton Hop miming to Gary Glitter and Rolling Stones songs!!
Originally, when I, Jimmy Pursey, in 1975, formed the band, with a friend of mine called Albie Maskill, who like me as another farm boy, wanted to escape the ‘groundhogged day’, greyness of our world. None of us were musicians just kids looking for an answer, as in here’s one chord, here’s another now form a band, to us THIS was PUNK! As far as music was concerned there was only one blueprint “The Ramones” PunkNews.org
Jimmy Pursey I’ll tell you how it all started for me; I used to go to this disco in my home town Walton on Thames and get up on stage and mime to the records, Gary Glitter and things, in front of about 500 people…it gave me confidence. NME 12.11.77
In March 1977 they supported Generation X at London’s infamous Roxy Club. Arcane Vendetta was on hand at the gig and reviewed it in his fanzine ‘These Things.’
Arcane Vendetta (‘These Things’ fanzine) Sham weren’t so bad really, a bit of a ‘Rotten’ take-off on the singer’s part, but they did some nifty little numbers, such as ‘Rich Boy’, ‘Get Out’ and the magnificent ‘Borstal Break Out’.
All was not right in the Sham 69 camp though and in June 1977 virtually the whole band was changed.
Dave Parsons My band Excalibur was playing around the local working mans clubs and the local (Walton) Hop and so was Jimmy’s band. One night we both happened to be on the same bill and because he loved my band and I loved the attitude of his we decided to form a new band. The only member of Jimmy’s band we kept was Albert Maskel on bass. Mark Cain we found at the Walton Hop. All the songs were written from that moment on – the only thing kept from Jimmy’s old band were his lyrics to Borstal Breakout which I wrote new music to!
And the songs came quick and fast.
Dave Parsons It wasn’t conscious; we’d just sit down with a guitar and blast out what ever came into our heads. It was all very quick and spontaneous and once it had been written there was no mucking about with it, that was it. That was the whole point; we weren’t going to do a Pink Floyd on it and spend half a year working on one track. Ten minutes and it was done!
In fact the story from here on is a rollercoaster for the band as they develop the songs and become tighter.
Dave Parsons Once we formed, things moved really quickly – we just hung out all the time together, rehearsing in Albert’s pig barn, playing any gig we could get and before long we were playing gigs down the Roxy. Playing all those clubs in the early days was just such a buzz – being in London at that time was just like being in a big family – you’d walk down Oxford street and constantly be bumping in other band members all getting their shit together. There was no star shit or one up man ship. The gigs were always a mad frenzied rush from start to finish, usually in appalling conditions, but it was just the best rush you could imagine. We always seemed to go down a storm; some nights the audience doing more vocalising than the band!
The Roxy was typical of the gigs Sham played and Jimmy tells a great tale about the perks of being top of the bill at the Roxy.
Jimmy Pursey We were top of the bill one night with four bands underneath us and Kevin said to me ‘look, if you sweep the floor I’ll give you enough money to go and buy some food up the road.’ I said ‘O.K.’ So I’m sweeping the cans up and all the shit and crap from the night before and this band came down the stairs. They had the right clothes on, leather jacket, leather trousers, and new guitars and one of them said to me ’Oi mate what times the main band getting here’ and I went ‘they’re fucking here mate’ and carried on sweeping the floor. I have never seen anyone’s face drop in my life like that! Paul Marko, The Roxy Club, WC2
One of the reasons for Sham’s rise was the fact that they attracted fair size crowds which promoters like Kevin St John at the Roxy loved. These crowds were predominantly skinheads, a youth cult on the wane, but which would re-emerge both attracted to bands like Sham and Skrewdriver and punks and at war with punks until the emergence of the more hybrid OI music.
Jimmy Pursey (Sham 69) Let’s really get to the truth of this other business of skinheads. What happened there was this, somebody in the audience shouted out at one of the gigs at the Roxy ‘Skinheads are back’, to which me, being a little skinhead from 1967 where it lasted for about six months, and if you didn’t go to fuckin’ school with a shaven head you would get the crap kicked out of you and which 90% of kids at that particular time in 1967 had, you would then understand that someone shouting that out in 1977 would bring a sarcastic reaction from me, as normally things like that do. As ‘yeah mate, yeah your O.K. sure they are…blah, blah, blah’, to which someone took it upon them to say that I was saying ‘Yeah, they are back aren’t they.’
Dave Parsons (Sham 69) What actually happened was, at an early gig when we were drawing a crowd of about five, an old friend of Jimmys who had been an original Skinhead the first time around was in the crowd – Jimmy spotted him and said (tongue in cheek) “Skinheads are back.” The next time we played, the place was packed with people queuing to get in, all with freshly cropped heads.
Gary Bushell Why did experience such a meteoric rise? Sham are a working class and fitting in neatly with working class teenage gang mentality. Skinheads were a working class phenomenon, encompassing tow main types of kids. The ex-Punk disillusioned with the middle class element of punk and the rip off fashion scene side, and kids who at other times might have stayed happy with football and gang fights. Sounds 28.10.78
There was also an air of violence that often became real.
Paul Weinling (Roxygoer) Sham 69 was playing the Roxy and there was about fifteen to twenty Skinheads in the place. I’m standing there watching the band and two of them start giving me a bit of grief and we had words. It turned into a bit of a ruckus and before I knew it I had the whole bleeding lot of them onto me. I managed to grab one of them, pull him down on top of me and roll under one of the banquettes around the side. They were trying to get to me but couldn’t and eventually a couple of doormen came down and broke it up. But what really pissed me off was that not one other Punk did anything to help me out. I thought thanks a lot. This is supposed to be our club and they basically were doing what they liked in it. Paul Marko, The Roxy Club WC2
For many mid to late 1977 was the golden period for Sham. That time when a band has a charismatic lead singer, that certain something, is writing cracking songs and doing the business live. In contrast to their first appearance at the Roxy they were now packing the place out. Rita Burgess from Liverpool came to the club and commented in an article in ‘Summer Salt’ fanzine
Sham 69 were heading the bill. Jimmy Pursey their singer looks really mean. From the moment they leapt onto the stage and announced their first number ‘I Wanna Fight’ the atmosphere was truly electric. They play fast and violent songs. I was pogoing myself in between snapping shots of the band in action. The audience were really getting frantic, hurling themselves against the stage so violently that the bouncers had to rush onstage and force them back. The band didn’t like this. One guitarist took of his guitar executed a perfect head butt to an over violent bouncer. The less brave members of the audience stampeded to the safety of upstairs. The violence subsided once the bouncers left the stage. Sham 69 were even better after the outbreak. The crowd were behind them all the way. One scene I’ll never forget was Jimmy Pursey pogoing with a fan who had been upstage fighting for him. The band came back to do two encores, they could have played all night and still kept the same force.
This is partly due to the incredible Jimmy Pursey. He has charisma onstage, and is a vocalist. It was an experience watching him sing. He is so dedicated and into the music. No superficial bandwagon jumper, could sing with such conviction. I hope Sham 69 come to Liverpool soon. They’re too good for London to keep exclusively.
Add to that some fantastic press from strangely enough Tony Parsons in an NME review.
Reaction! Not that you’d know it twenty four hours later, as a docile Thursday night Roxy crowd look up from their cans of lager to clock the bottom of the bill band and stir from their apathy in response to the lanky, crop haired, big mouth yob howling in the face of Kings Road chic…Sham 69 are ex-skinheads who don’t have the cash or the inclination to dazzle you with the mandatory sartorial elegance of corporate sponsored urban guerrillas. They’re content to use their performance to provoke REACTION. I shouted at them with the sense of self -righteous omnipotence of a Stretford Ender on crusade; Mark P grinned, nodded, said he loved Sham 69; some people laughed nervously; Punks danced like frenetic dervishes…God I wish you could have been there. Sham 69 are a band who do everything except lie. NME 20.8.77
Of course having motormouth Jimmy also helped when it came to getting gigs and being noticed!
Dave Parsons Jimmy walked into Miles Copeland’s office (He had his own label “Step forward Records at that time ) told him we were the best Punk band he was ever gonna see and he should give us a gig, which amazingly he did supporting Chelsea, the Cortinas and The Lurkers at the Acklam Hall in Notting Hill. When we went on stage no one was in the audience, they were all in the bar – so Jimmy got on the mike and basically ordered them out onto the floor before we would play. Miles had bought along John Cale, ex Velvet Underground musician, who loved us and told Miles he wanted to produce us. On the strength of that Miles signed us to a one off singles deal.
And that single was ‘I Don’t Wanna’. It was following the recording that the band realised another reshuffle was necessary.
Dave Parsons Albie was, and still is one of the loveliest people your ever likely to meet; he was perfect for the band in every way but it wasn’t until we finally got into a multi track studio (all be it 8 tracks) at Pathway with John Cale to record our first single that I could actually hear what he was playing. Sadly the guy had absolutely no timing so Jimmy had the unfortunate job of telling him he had to go (that must have been difficult for Jimmy as they had been lifelong friends). Instead Albie became our road manager and stayed within the band.
Before he left some more welcome publicity came with the records release and a gig on top of the newly opened Vortex record shop in Hanway Street.
Dave Parsons By that time we had got to know Brian Adams, the guy who was running the Vortex. He was opening a small cafe just off Oxford Street and had asked us if we would play a gig on the roof to open it and we of course said yes. It was a long way up to the roof and by the time we had got there it wasn’t clear which part of the roof was the right part. Anyway we ended up playing on the wrong roof, whence the owner called the police and all hell broke lose. It certainly wasn’t set up because we had a gig in Bristol that night and after being arrested Jimmy only just made it to the gig with 10 minutes to spare.
The Sham 69 single was perfectly timed establishing them as pure punk rock 1) On the small Step Forward label 2) Classic punk them and us picture cover (policemen arresting a protestor) and 3) An authentic punk howl with classic 3 chord buzzsaw riff and rabble rousing lyrics of resistance – ‘No I Don’t Wanna’
His replacement was Dave Treganna in October 1977 and so began arguably the classic Sham 69 lineup.
With the buzz about Sham spreading it was no surprise a major stepped in and that was Polydor. Surprisingly they agreed to the bands demands about featuring live material.
Dave Parsons At this point we were being managed by Tony Gordon (he later managed Culture club etc etc). We’d done some demos for Island but they only offered us a one off single deal. Tony was good friends with Jim Cook who at that time was head of Polydor and he bought him down to the Roxy to see us play. As luck would have it there were queues around the corner and he offered us a deal that night.
At that point we were predominantly a live band and we stipulated that we would only sign if we were allowed to make half the album a live one. Also the gigs were such a two way thing between us and the audience we thought it wouldn’t be fair to leave them out.
On 6/12/77 a John Peel broadcast of five songs was broadcast.
Dave Parsons It’s all a bit hazy really, just turning up in the old transit van – loading in the gear and having a bit of a laugh. John wasn’t there, but the engineers were cool. We listened to the playback over a couple of beers and then went off to play a gig somewhere.
and in January Borstal Breakout was issued followed swiftly by the half live and half studio album Tell Us The Truth in February reaching number 25 in the charts. Sham were here and publicity was rolling in in the music weeklies and appearances.
While the Skinhead element was useful at the start for a ready made audience, the rise of the right wing National Front and the image of Skinheads and violence becoming inextricably linked with it began to become a problem for Sham 69. Add to this their increasing popularity and exposure and songs about fighting and football terrace style choruses began to attract certain sections of people who’s idea of fun consisted of beating people up people in and out of gigs and hijacking gigs for their own political ends.
Dave Parsons We were anti fascist, and on odd occasions we would get fans coming back stage and saying that they used to be members of the BNP or National front and that after listening to us they’d given it up. Every little action – no matter how small, makes a difference; if we inspired a few people to think for themselves then that’s good enough for me. NO REGRETS.
If any one started to spit at any of our gigs, we would stop it straight away – and the same with any violence. In the early days there really wasn’t that much and generally speaking , once Jimmy had said his piece it would stop!
Others saw it differently.
Gareth Holder (the Shapes) Thanks to the likes of Sham 69 and Co not making a stand against violence and right wing involvement until it was way too late, there was a time when going to *any* gig could result in violence. It was the violence at gigs that was one of the things that killed off the old punk. I fucking hated OI music and the bands that did nothing to stop the violence at gigs. That idiot Pursey had his head so far up his arse it wasn’t true. He just didn’t want to deal with it. He’d be singing “If the Kids are United” and the whole fucking place would be a war zone while he was doing it. Maybe I’m being a bit unfair to him, but they could really have done more to control the situation in my view.
Christian Paris (the Bears) I remember going to a Sham 69 gig at the Vortex and a big fight breaking out and I just thought what the hell has happened. Punk has gone downhill. I never saw any fights at any other Punk gig and definitely none at the Roxy.
Their populism also managed to get up the original punks noses who saw Sham as the end of the party. By mid 1977 the original Roxy had closed and reopened with new owners and the cosy elite of bands and faces had been invaded and swelled by out of town band and faces. This second wave of punks were harder, tougher and more street orientated and bands like Sham 69, Menace were indicative of the time. While the first wave of faces had been scene setters and shapers they were now starting to be derided as poseurs walking round in expensive Kings Road clobber and shouting about Anarchy while if they saw anarchy would run a mile.
Marco Pirroni (the Models) I got bored with it after Grundy but I still went to the gigs. I just didn’t wear a leather jacket. I wore my personal collection bondage suit with pride and I didn’t scream sell out (whatever that means?) at the Pistols because I knew that they were too good to spend the rest of their lives in a grotty cellar and on some dead end indie label. I didn’t get what old Mark Perry was on about ‘Today the El Paradiso club. Tomorrow the world’ I say, if you you’re going to do it… do it BIG! In my view the great Pursey finished it off good and proper. I don’t bare grudges (ala mackay ) but I still blank that cunt Pursey. He undid everything that had gone before. I saw their first support gig at the Roxy. In those days it was cool to be bored. The indifference to their set was deafening. Silly sod. Fuck off down the pub and stay there, just like your dad. Know your place oiks.
Gary Bushell But if the kids love Sham, the intelligentsia don’t. The people who consider punk to be their very own private property and hate the idea of ‘commoners’ getting their grubby paws on it…
Jimmy Pursey All the intellectuals say ‘he’s very naive, he’s very thick’ because if I’m not part of their intellectual scene, I’m a moron, I’m a cunt. Well I’d rather stay a cunt…The punk movement in the beginning musically, was it was great, because it was fucking action packed. But then came the manipulation, you got ‘Seditionaries’ and ‘Boy’ and eventually after a year it wasn’t just going on stage and going ‘Bollocks’, it was all a fucking show, all robotised….half these fucking posers would walk around saying ‘Anarchy’ – if they saw the law running down the street with a fucking riot going on they’d be the first to run down the road… Sounds 5.8.78
For Pursey & Parsons the elitism and fashion was precisely what he was against.
Jimmy Pursey (Sniffin Glue 12 1977) Do you know what a real punk is? a real punk today is the bloke with a belt joining the legs of his trousers together, or a girl in fishnet stockings. And they’re the first people to shout wanker at my band. Cos they’re in their little smug groups of fashion …..My attitude might seem thick to you cos I was brought up to be thick to keep rich cunts in money…Sham 69 speak exactly what loads of geysers think.”
Dave Parsons (Sham 69) Punk for us was many things, anti fashion for one – to try and get away from that multi corporate control always there dictating what you should be listening to or wearing. This is what the ripped shirt and safety pin symbolised, so no we never bought our clothes on the Kings Road! It also meant for us that anybody was welcome at a Sham gig no matter what they were wearing. Bands like Siouxsie didn’t like us at all, lord knows why, maybe they thought we showed them up! It’s always the same old story; I mean think what a voice the youth could have had if they weren’t always fighting amongst themselves ” If the Kids were united”?
Bands like Sham 69 were quite simply breathing new life into Punk as it stalled mid 77. To some they became punks last hope and the spirit of the working class and mouthpiece for this and that. They became championed by Burchill and Parsons (double edged sword there) and Mark Perry.
Dave Parsons (Sham 69) It was a help sometimes and a hindrance at others. People always tend to project their own views onto others in the spotlight so it was probably inevitable. We were strictly A-Political; Punk was supposed to be about getting rid of labels and boxes anyway!
I suspect that Pursey et al didn’t really have time to think about what they were doing or its impacts because events were happening so quickly and were out of their control.
By February 1978 gigs were already being disrupted by violence and the police being called out. So much so that the first statement of stopping playing was issued. Sham 69 had also started playing Rock Against Racism gigs which clearly stated their intent. They also rather than trying to ignore prescribe or drive out the NF actively welcomed to their gigs in order to change their views by argument. A dangerous act. Say what you like about Jimmy Pursey but here was a genuinely brave guy with rock solid cahones. Others threw bricks at Nazis from the safety of numbers, others tried to ban them speaking.
But here was someone who walked on a knife edge, who was an anti Nazi and who could be outnumbered 300 to one by skins and who engaged in a dialogue to try and make them change their ways. You can only admire Jimmy Pursey.
Jimmy Pursey I thought I could get them thinking the same way I was thinking. When they started those Nazi salutes I thought I could bicker them down about it. They know EXACTLY what I’m about. In the early days the National Front sent someone to see whether we’d work for them and I said ‘You must be fucking joking. NO WAY’. So when the skins start all that I say ‘What are you doing? You want to do that. Why come here and do that? You know I don’t believe so why do it? I don’t beat around the bush. I’m a figurehead and they know I’m having a go at them…I think I’m winning if I can get someone aged sixteen just thinking about politics so they’re not just going down the road and voting for the National Front…and its hard when you’re out on stage to put it across like that. Sounds 3.6.78
The stage was set for what was to follow…
The band was still in the ascendant though. With the Sex Pistols splitting, The Clash obfuscating over their second album and a host of bands changing from punk to New Wave or Powerpop to get airplay and publicity enabled a band like Sham 69 who solidly proclaimed themselves PUNK and for the people to and with such an engaging and likeable singer to get publicity and strike a chord with kids up and down the country. This was punk rock for a lot of people and Sham would soon be swelled by the likes of the UK Subs, Ruts and Angelic Upstarts in the charts as Punk caught a second wind.
Jimmy Pursey I feel that we’re the only band trying to do something and everybody else is shitting on the kids around us. When I last saw the Clash, Joe Strummer said to me: ‘Y’now, we’re not really a punk band anymore, we’re trying to get away from that type of thing.’ That’s what gives ’em their bread and butter! It give me my bread and butter an’ I’m not ever gonna deny I’m in a punk band. We’re in a punk band that’s it. If the bands gonna die it’s gonna die as a punk band, not as a fuckin’ pop group.” Sounds 29.4.08
Their next single ‘Angels With Dirty Faces’ hit the charts and they appeared on Top Of The Pops helping propel the song up the charts. Live problems continued as the band were adopted by a hard core of NF/BM supporters who would regularly capture the stage (like rival football supporters) and harangue, bully and beat up members of the audience not in their gang.
Meanwhile the arrest on the Vortex roof hit the band as Pursey was denied entrance to the USA to do gigs. In July If The Kids Was United was released which again charted and meant more TV appearances. Pursey was also in the frame for Quadrophenia and the band supplying music though both mysteriously got dropped they got thrown off the film because people ‘couldn’t dance to them’ according to the official line! In August their appearance saw more trouble at the Reading Festival with the crowd storming the stage and a distraught Pursey.
In October 1978 another charting single Hurry Up Harry was released. before the end of that month their second album That’s Life hit the shops peaking at #27.
It all should have been rosy but in Jan 79 a gig at Hendon was stopped after 30 minutes due to fighting, with again a distraught and tearful Pursey. The event was being filmed for Arena programme on the BBC. Prior to the gig tracks from the film Clockwork Orange and ‘Land Of Hope & Glory were played. Not the wisest choice. On the 31st of Jan at Friars Aylesbury Pursey announced the band’s last gig.
Jimmy’s not standing still though…he produces Angelic Upstarts ‘Teenage Warning’ LP and is going to produce the Cockney Rejects LP. Both bands influenced and in a similar ilk to Sham 69.
From here on in the end of Sham 69 becomes very very messy. Record wise all was well. Another single Question & Answers is released and again charts at #17.
But by June 1979 the band were in disarray with live gigs stalled rumours abounded of a Sham Pistols supergroup link up of Pursey, Treganna, Cook and Jones. Indeed Pursey and Treganna had thought Sham’s days were numbered for a while. On top of this with a new album in the can Doidie the drummer had departed and Ricky Goldstein ex of The Automatics was brought in temporarily to replace him.
In the NME of 21.7.79 Pursey, who was clear the Sex Pistols would happen with him and Dave joining the ‘two best rock musicians in the country,’ was asked what he could do with the Pistols he couldn’t do with Sham?
Jimmy Pursey International credibility for punk – That’s my ultimate ambition. I want the new songs to be a warning, and I want them to be the best songs to come out of the ’70s.
Pursey also talked about having 10 songs down pat, 7 originals and 3 covers and that they would be ready to play live in September that year.
The main problem was contracts. Sham owed two more albums to Polydor if they decide to retain their options meaning the group could take 6 months to become operative. This is not even taking into account the mess the Ex Pistols contracts were in with Virgin. It all became so confusing that conflicting statements started coming out.
Jimmy Pursey How do you think the lads feel when they see all this ‘Pistols 69’ crap in the papers? Sham 69 are still together, right? Steve and Paul have asked me to join the Sex Pistols ands tour and if Sham finishes it finishes, but we’re still going.
In the end it all came to nothing.
Pursey seemed to be never out of the music weeklies though didn’t seem to affect the band though they didn’t necessarily agree with everything he said.
Dave Parsons Jimmy was a born front man, so it was always obvious to us that he would take most of the limelight – on the odd occasion it was frustrating that we couldn’t just get on and play and there was the odd occasion when I didn’t necessarily agree with him – but all in all we were quite tight.
And in the end as the hits happened Pursey changed and moved from man of the people sharing a stage with the crowd to, for want of a better word, a star.
Jimmy Pursey I’m not going to pretend to be Joe Bloggs off the street any more. The reason that punk was destroyed was that people wouldn’t admit to what they were. Look if you go on stage every night and say, ‘I don’t want to be star, I don’t want to be star’, then you’re going to become star…I’ve accepted the position they’ve put me in…I went absolutely mad in the head trying to stay Joe Public. Joe Public don’t come to see Joe Public. Joe Public come to see someone they’re not – someone they’d like to be. NME 21.7.79
Other frustrations surfaced while playing
Dave Parsons …the skins and everybody are up on stage bouncing about and rally enjoying themselves. But then I’m not. So where do you draw the line. I can’t get to my mike, I can’t sing, I can’t move. People are standing in front of my speakers so I can’t hear what I’m playing … the crowd are enjoying themselves. But surly I should enjoy myself as well? Sounds 3.6.78
The fame game
Dave Parsons I don’t think we were seduced by the fame game (though at the end it was possible Jimmy was heading that way) , to be honest we turned down more TV spots than we took up. Our management certainly had ideas that they could turn JP into some sort of a Suggs, Polydor to be fair to them were pretty good, but then our contact gave us a lot more freedom over our destiny than most bands had signed for.
It did start to get hard, we had loads of people from all over the place – managers / record company / fans / press all trying to tell us what we should be sounding like, in the end we just did what came naturally, we were never in the business of formula writing.
On June 29th they play another farewell show in Glasgow and in July issued ‘Hersham Boys’ their biggest charting single which reached #6. On the 28th they play The Rainbow which again ended in a fiasco. The gig lasted 20 minutes through fighting, stage invasions and skinheads out in force. And that was it!
Dave Parsons At the very end it was getting silly, it was mainly down to right wing elements, which were organised to cause trouble at our gigs and gain maximum publicity for themselves but they weren’t true Sham fans.
And afterwards….
Dave Parsons A sort of relief really. I put the Wanderers together with ex Dead boy singer Stiv Bators and Kermit, we did an album, a US tour etc, so I had that to get my teeth into – ended up for months in an isolation ward with Hepatitis (now that was a bastard !)
Jimmy got into Modern dance and was on the fringes of the Batcave Goth scene
Of course it wasn’t really the end for Sham. Over the years they’ve reformed a few times and released more cds and currently even a Purseyless Sham 69 is treading the boards as well as an original line up though minus Doidie.
Sham 69…What a band!!
Jimmy Pursey When I write, I write for Joe Bloggs, the thickest bloke out, because if he understands it, everyone understands it. That’s the way I work. Record Mirror 3.6.78
Jimmy Pursey Words are the most important thing about punk. If I just wanted to pogo, there’s hundreds of bands I could go and see – that’s just as bad as disco. What I’m interested in is people who tell the truth. That’s what I believe in. Punk Rock, Virginia Boston
Paul Morley They attack, taunt, and pummel. They play unengineered rock music, with that extra special English cheekiness / plainness…Pursey’s language is abrupt/identifiable/straight street…just words, no silly abstractions. Positive, and like he says, from personal experience/situation. NME 12.11.77
I Don’t Wanna /Ulster /Red London (Step Forward 1977)
Sham 69 seem to be cast in the true punk tradition and … they’ve come up with some solid street material. ‘I Don’t Wanna’ and ‘Red London’ add more voices to the ‘no present/no future’ protest while the longer flipside ‘Ulster’ complete with gunfire and explosions, expresses what a lot of people feel about Northern Ireland – ‘You’re all losers.’ Okay it’s political expression at the most basic and simplistic level, but at least it’s a start. Tony Mitchell Sounds 15.10.77
Punk77 says… Classic driving lo fi punk rock and an absolute winner.
Song Of The Street (Polydor 1977)
Some 2,000 copies given away at gigs and later on another 10,000 given away at gigs.The sng was What Have We got and was the classic call and refrain of the band and the Sham army. Great John Peel version substituting the ‘Fuck all’ with ‘John Peel’ amazingly!!
Later on after the band had a couple of hit singles Pursey would change the lyrics from ‘What have WE got.’ “That’s why I sing ‘What have YOU got’, I can’t sing what have I got anymore of I’d be a hypocrite.”
Borstal Breakout / Hey Little Rich Boy (Polydor 1978)
Described by the twat Robin Smith in Record Mirror as ‘Boring is such a boring word to use when describing a single bit I can’t think of anything else that would fit so well apart from zzzzzz. 7.1.78
Punk77 says...From the manic laugh and reverb drenched door slamming this is classic Sham with an Eddie Cochran propelled riff the Ramones would have been proud of. Full pelt punkarama with the perfect yob chorus.
Angels With Dirty Faces / The Cockney Kids Are Innocent (Polydor 1978)
‘Who’s gotta dirty face then?’ Jimmy asked as the boys launch into their third straight cracker.
Sheila Prophet in Record Mirror (6.5.78) said “Technically its no great shakes. Lyrically, it’s not very original. Musically, its at best, basic. But…I LIKE IT!
The B side will be familiar to owners of the first album where it was called ‘George Davis Is Innocent.’ In the highly charged gigs filled with trouble Pursey would change the lyrics to ‘Sham 69 Are Innocent.’
If The Kids Are United/Sunday Morning Nightmare
(Polydor 1978)
I personally love the sensitive and poignant ‘Sunday Morning Nightmare’ cataloguing the aftermath of A Saturday night out complete with mock Bee Gees opening motif and a darts pastiche in there somewhere.
That said ‘If The Kids Are United’ is Sham 69 encapsulated in 3 mins. The very essence of chords to the gut, catchy riff and direct lyrics that don’t leave room for any doubt because the message is so simple.
Slabs of Pistol like guitar propel this shout a long Sham classic and even the tarnishing by the Labour Party and McDonalds can’t really harm it.
Hurry Up Harry / No Entry (Polydor 1978)
Punk77 says… They moan if you write catchy basic songs and then they slate you if you write a knockabaout sing a long a cockernee classic. It’s not rocket science but it sure is fun.
Years later it would be reworked as Hurry Up England for the 2006 Fifa World Cup getting as high as #10.
Questions And Answers/I Gotta Survive/With A Little Help From My Friends (Polydor 1979)
To my mind a drop in quality as the song and lyrics start to sound just a touch contrived and the chorus a little predictable. Am I reading too much into it but is that cover echoing the cover of Tell Us The Truth? I know Pursey is holding the mike but like ‘TUTT’ it’s almost pointing a finger to the crowd that both gave Sham their meteoric rise and contributed to their downfall. Of course I could just be talking shit!!
Hersham Boys/I Don’t Wanna (live)/Tell Us The Truth (live) (Polydor 1979)
And then as if by magic this little beauty appears, Ok we all know Hersham is not exactly within the sound of Bow Bells, but its such a joyous racket that I can’t help but laugh and feel happy when it’s on. Even more so because I remember it being the favourite song of my brother aged four who used to love singing it!!!
Tell Us The Truth
This has to rank as one of my favourite punk albums of the time and I’ve got to say I still play it today. It touches all the right buttons alright! Look at that sleeve. It’s them and us isn’t it? It’s teachers, parents, police, the establishment ..and they are represented by that pin suited hand holding our four punky heroes captive with lies in a police cell. But our heroes aren’t having it are they? They’re railing at the injustice.. about growing up, no jobs, poseur punks, fighting and being young. Our boys are coming out fighting…so much so that you might think the first song confirms your worst prejudices of the band as advocating violence as the live side erupts with ‘We Got A Fight’ but the whole of the live side proceeds as a noisy rabble filled, intimate, sweaty gig with football like chants holding sway with a very Laaandaan feel to it all.
You can’t argue with Sham’s credentials. They said they wanted to break down the barriers and they persuaded Polydor to feature the one side live with their audience.
It amazes me that people think Sham were one dimensional because the studio side has such variety and catchy punk. There’s loads of good stuff there including ‘Tell Us The Truth’, ‘I’m A Man, I’m A Boy’, ‘What About The Lonely’ and ‘Its Never Too Late’. Catchy choruses, razor sharp guitar breaks, good use of the studio and multi tracking and to boot the weird instrumental of ‘Who’s Generation’ that’s completely leftfield. For me the perfect expression of Pursey’s lyrics and Parsons music. Paul Marko July 2008
We Got A Fight
Rip Off
Ulster
George Davis Is Innocent
They Don’t Understand
Borstal Breakout
Family Life
Hey Little Rich Boy
I’m A Man I’m A Boy
What About The Lonely
Tell Us The Truth
It’s Never Too Late
Who’s Generation
SHAM 69 – Tell Us The Truth (Polydor)NME Adrian Thrills 18.2.78
If the Berlin Wall in “Holidays In The Sun” really is the gap between the stage and the fans (as Rotten declared at the Uxbridge Pistols gig last year), then Sham 69 are currently closer than any other band to crossing it.
I had me doubts when I saw that there was a live side on this Sham debut. But that little worry wasn’t worth it. “Tell Us The Truth” doesn’t attempt to build any castles in the air.
It’s live in the true sense of the word. The audience are there with the band all the way – on the same level. Sham 69 are one band who could never leave their fans feeling inadequate – even if Jimmy Pursey has to tell them not to invade the stage.
This is audience participation captured like nothing since the “Live at the Roxy” album.
“Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner – If you’re glaaaad to be a Cockney clap yer ‘ands . . . Knees up muvva braaaaaaan . . . Skeeenneeeeaad!!”
It’s all there, including inevitably the pathetic All Boys Together gang mentality so prevalent in some sections of the Sham audience.
Sham 69 are derivative. This album could never have been made were it not for the all pervading influence of The Clash and The Pistols. In fact most of the songs – with notable exceptions on the studio side like “Hey Little Rich Boy”, “What About The Lonely”, “It’s Never Too Late” and the title track – are not particularly memorable. But Sham deliver with an intensity and conviction which sets them apart from the New Wave flotsam. They really do communicate.
Never mind the suits, ties and plastic ultrabrite smiles, here’s the passion and anger of a kid with one hell of a chip on his shoulder.
Two of the tracks on the live side – “Ulster” and an immensely danceable twelve-bar song by the name of “Borstal Breakout” – have already appeared in single form, but nowhere near as raunchy as on the album.
The songs need little explanation and, if there is one needed, Jimmy “The Mouth” Pursey is on hand to tell the crowd just what he means, and then he lays it right on the line, no messing. There can be few songs more straightforward than the opening “We Got A Fight”, a plea against mindless violence:
“I went out on a Saturday night/I got in a bleeding fight/ All the lads came down with me/I ended up in the bleedin’ gutter”.
On a completely different level there’s the scary desperation of “They Don’t Understand”:
“Everyone keeps telling me I’m gonna be free/We all know we’ll never be free/I wanna take a knife and end my life/Don’t understand, No they don’t understand. “
Some hilarious amateur dramatics in the form of a playlet acted out by Jimmy and his mother open the studio side. Guitarist Dave Parsons – composer with Pursey of all but one of the songs – tries nothing fancy. He’s a master of the ten second guitar break. The riff on “Hey Little Rich Boy” is thrilling in its simplicity, while there’s more than a nod to Johnny Ramone on “Borstal Breakout”. The playing is (dare I say it) minimal, and on a couple of occasions horribly out of tune, but the Shams are more about emotional than musical credibility.
It’s “Never Too Late” proves that soul searching, self-centred lyrics aren’t the sole concern of the Devotos of this world, the haunting repetition of “Nobody really cares who you are, who you are . . . ” ramming home Jimmy’s confusion and desperation. Shades of early Townshend in that song and a bit of ’60’s harmony in the vocal, too.
“Jimmy Pursey Is Innocent”, chant the punters at one point. Innocent as in naive: Also bitter and sometimes bigoted, but still so much a man (or a boy?) of the street. It’s easy to see why he gets up
so many backs. He sings straight from the heart. Either that or he’s a Grade A con merchant.
Final track on the album is the strangest. Penned by Pursey alone, “Whose Generation” is the Shams in Kraftwerk territory. A motorik workout over the “My Generation” riff with weird dub-like effects sifting in and out. And what about the doomy tolling bell at the end of the track? Is Jimmy having us all on?
But if that all seems a little too pretentious, you can always simply flick back to the more familiar territory of the live side – rock ‘n’ roll at its basic best.
I dunno, maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner . .
Adrian Thrills
Kennyhel 77 says….
Released in 1978 and hitting #25 in the National charts, truth be told, this album, one half studio, and one half live is a big improvement over their debut single on Step Forward. As much as I enjoyed that release, the combination of a better studio and possibly a different producer (even though John Cale did a good job) has brought out all of Sham’s strengths. Polydor took a chance on a band that for all it is worth, comes across as the band for the youth, and the kids on the streets.
This album is the shot fired across the bow. This album would inspire many bands in its wake, but namely the two most famous would be The Cockney Rejects and The Angelic Upstarts. From the first opening seconds of the album with Jimmy’s…..ahem, mother chastising him before his father comes home gives a small peak at where we are about to get into. ‘Family Life’ has the sound that Sham would keep them in the charts for the next few years. The thing that makes the songs sound better than their debut is the improved playing of Dave Parsons and the addition of bassist Dave Treganna. Parsons guitar playing had taken on a more 60’s Beat kind of playing where you can hear touches of The Yardbirds (which the band would later cover ‘Mr. You’re A Better Man Than I’), and maybe The Faces.
Just listen to ‘Hey Little Rich Boy’ and listen to the riffs that Dave Parsons is laying down and you will get what I mean. And by no means is that a bad thing, I feel his playing is quite underrated. Dave Treganna adds steady bass and keeping a solid groove with their drummer Mark “Dodie” Cain.
One can say that some of Jim Pursey’s lyrics were a little hard to comprehend, but when he was on, then it was a different story. Just the sloganeering alone could make you feel like you are part of something, and that was the appeal. ‘What About The Lonely’, ‘Tell Us The Truth’, ‘Hey Little Rich Boy’, they all have that in them. The live set is a fine testimony of what kind of live band Sham were in their early days. The sound quality is perfect and the band and crowd are up for it. What have we got? Fuck all.
July 2008
That’s Life
Leave Me Alone
Who Gives A Damn
Everybody’s Right Everybody’s Wrong
That’s Life
Win Or Lose
Hurry Up Harry
Evil Way
Reggae Pick Up Part 1
Sunday Morning Nightmare
Reggae Pick Up Part 2
Angels With Dirty Faces
Is This Me Or Is This You
‘That’s Life’ (Polydor POLD 5010)**** ‘Sounds’ October 28th 1978
1ST BLOKE: “Oi, ‘arry, you ‘eard fe new Sham LP, then?”
‘ARRY: “Nah, me bleedin’ dole money ‘ain’t come fro yet, ‘as it? 1’m skint, ain’t 1? Anyway, I ‘eard it was a bit dodgy, like. You know, some sort o Poncey concept, or summink. Bleedin’ doin’ fe `Whistle Test’ next, you wait…”
1ST BLOKE: “Leave it aht. Ve album’s magic. onest, ‘undred times better than fe first…” `ARRY: “Don’t give me that-they ran aht of good songs ahter fe first one, and, anyway, fe live side was worth fe price o the LP on its own…”
1ST BLOKE: “Bollox. That’ Life has magic songs all dahn fe line. Take Leave Me Alone’, fe first track on side one. F*** me, you won’t find anyfing that powerful on fe first one. Jim’s voice don’t ‘arf come over strong. Or fe title track, which I reckon is one of fe best fings fe band’s ever done. It nearly knocked me old dear’s head off when I played it fe ovver night.”
‘ARRY: “Yeah, but somebody tole me ere’s a couple o Soddin’ slow songs on it someplace…”
1ST BLOKE: “You ain’t ‘alf fick ‘arry. Slow songs? Look, Side one ‘as two songs called `Who Gives A Damn’ and ‘Everybody’s Right, Everybody’s Wrong’. Sure, a piss’ead like you would call ’em slow, like, but they still got all the old Sham energy an’ that, sunshine. Jim know’s what ‘es doin’, you know. ‘Es not fick like you are…”
‘ARRY: You shut you’re bleedin’ face, mate, an’ fell me vis. What abaht all vem stupid bits of talkin’ between fe tracks? Eli? Bleedin’ daft I call that, mate. Bleedin’ daft . . .”
1ST BLOKE: “Wot a load of old cobblers
you fork, sunshine. Them’s wat gives fe record a bleedin’ live feel, ain’t they? Gord blimey, it was a stroke o genius puttin’ those bits on fe album I reckon. Stroke o genius it was.”
1ST BLOKE. “Alrighl, maybe it DOES work, but, fell me fis, ‘ow fair jou fink it is puttin’ free tracks on fe album, FREE minjou, that have been aht before in one form or another? Tell me ‘vat…”
‘ARRY. “You got me vere. Yeah, vat’s a stinker, vat one. No doubt abaht it. I dunno. 1 would ‘ave fought vey would ‘ave come up wiv enuf new songs, y’know? A real let dahn,vat.’
1ST BLOKE: “Pleased as pie to see we agree on summit old son. Now, wot abaht you and me goin’ dahn the boozer?
‘ARRY “I fought you’d never gel rahnd to if. C’mon, it’s your rahnd.
DAVE McCULLOUGH
Kennyhel 77 says…. Sham 69’s second album continues from where their first one left off. But this time, no live side, and this one is a concept album. Concept album? Isn’t that for long hair prog rockers? Based on a day spent in a young working class kid life. We get to explore all the boredom and nowhere-ness that kids had to endure. Where as the ‘Tell Us The Truth’ had Sham finding their way, this one has them more defined. Much more yobbish in approach lyrically, it makes perfect sense that Sham 69 would pick up the following that they became famous for. Again the playing is top notch, and Sham 69 show that they are no one trick pony and have the ability to write a good pop song. Incorporating acoustic guitars, and keyboards make for a much fuller sound.
As a concept album, this works for me. It has such a pace to it. It for some reason reminds me of Quadrophenia for some reason….Hmmmmm. This album charted at #27 and could be viewed as a success but truth be told, only half to three quarters of the songs make the mark. I know that both ‘Reggae Pick Part. 1 and 2’ are for atmosphere but they are tedious to listen to. With that said, songs like ‘Hurry Up Harry,’ ‘Angels With Dirty Faces’ are the strongest on the album. Maybe that is why they were singles. Probably two of Sham’s most popular songs I’d guess. For the record this album, became the soundtrack to aggro at many Sham gigs and would lead to their demise, and subsequent comebacks. Overall more polished than their first effort and more influential to the whole fledging Oi scene that would develop a few years later with Sham’s patented terrace chants. Just listen to ‘Hurry Up Harry’ or ‘Angels With Dirty Faces’, and you’ll understand.
July 2008
The Adventures Of Hersham Boys
If The Kids Are United
Money
Fly Dark Angel
Joey’s On The Street
Cold Blue In The Night
You’re A Better Man Than I
Hersham Boys
Lost On Highway 46
Voices
Questions And Answers
Kennyhel 77 says….Guns a blazin…….Here comes The Cockney Cowboys!! Sham 69 dressed as extras from a spaghetti western movie. Yep! Well this is no country album, but a more dare I say, powerful, yet restrained Sham? From the opening track Money, you get the feeling that your ears are in for a treat. This album is much more pop oriented, but still retains their anthemic drive they are known for.
Songs like Hersham Boys, Joey’s On The Streets Again, Voices carry on the path that Sham 69 started with their debut single on Step Forward. The difference in this album versus the other two is the usage of slower, moody songs that you would not expect from Sham 69. Fly Dark Angel, Questions and Answers, and the wonderful You’re A Better Man Than I, shows growth and progress, and a more restraint in their playing, more than some of their contemporaries at the time. Now more evident is the 60’s influences that Sham have on display. Even though their take on Mister You’re A Better Man I, is a pretty straight forward rendition, it still shows the ability to turn it down a notch and groove with a song. This song has got to be my favorite of the album. Keyboards again show up in some of their songs, and I feel they lend a nice accompaniment to their songs.
As much as this album has it’s strengths, it does suffer some weaknesses. The version of Questions and Answers on the album is far weaker than the wonderful single that was released the same year. It just seems to be over produced to my ears, and where are the keyboards? Voices could have been stronger if they would have excluded the boogie woogie piano. Voices sounds like a bridge gap between The Adventures of The Hersham Boys and The Game. Mind you this is not a bad thing, but it just does not seem to fit in with the rest of the material. It probably would have been better to save it for The Game. Overall though, this is one fine album, and based just on the singles that were released from the album Sham 69 had not run out of ideas.
July 2008
Punk 77 says….Is the cover a metaphor for how the band was feeling? Trouble on and offstage and critics starting to turn on them after their early success? Is this Sham coming out fighting? Well yes and no. By the time this album was released drummer Doidie as featured on the cover had already left the band unsuccessfully attempting to gain employment with the milk marketing board! The band were in disarray and a Sham Pistols supergroup was on the cards which would essentially break the band. Times were also changing and Jimmy Pursey man of the people was also beginning to realise that actually he wasn’t a kid like you and me, he was a star on stage with people looking up to him. The new wave of mods had arrived and Two Tone and hell the album was being finished in a £1000 a day recording studio in France.
So in these fractured times what do you get? To my ears a fractured and mixed rock album. ‘Money’ and ‘Cold Blue In The Night’ came from the abortive Quadrophenia sessions. A faithful 60’s sounding Yardbirds cover version and on the free 12″ an elongated version of ‘Borstal Breakout‘ recorded for (but not used) the film Scum.
The trouble for me is that Parson’s guitar used to be so strong but on this album its bye bye to the guitar and the songs as they disappear under a thin production, tinkling ivories and an American inflection.
Pursey is obviously trying to sing more but for me he’s at his best when he goes for the slightly rough shout. When you combine that with Parsons heavy guitar (Hersham Boys) then all is well but too often he’s shouting over weedily produced guitar.
Even when they get both you get that horrible boogie woogie or tinkling piano which just sucks the life out of the songs (Lost On Highway 46) rather than adding colour of variety which I expect was the intention.
In all a jumble of ideas, sounds, lyrics and songs but which amazingly gave them their highest placed album and ‘Hersham Boys‘ their highest place single.
July 2008
Nigey B July 2008 OK, let’s get this straight from the start – I loved Sham 69. Sham 69 were the punk band I saw more than any other in the heady days of ’77-’78. I was just too young to see the Pistols in ’76, and it was early ’77 before I started going to gigs. The first time I saw Sham 69 was at the 100 club. There were 10 people in the audience: my two mates, 7 skinheads and me. Earlier that day Sham 69 had signed to Mark P’s Step Forward label. The skinheads were heckling Jimmy Pursey for having “sold out”. Jimmy responded with what was to become a familiar blend of pleading and sincerity – this style was to become most frequently used to try and stop the crowd fighting – though on this occasion Jimmy was protesting that “we ain’t sold out”. Jimmy’s distinctive eyebrows were always used to great effect when he was trying to convince an unruly crowd to go along with his suggestions.
I was blown away by Sham at that 100 Club gig. Jimmy Pursey was an engaging and passionate front man. Great tunes, great lyrics, great attitude and simple sentiments. Who could argue with “it’s just a fake, make no mistake, a rip off for me, a Rolls for them”?
Step Forward, of course, later released the excellent I Don’t Wanna / Red London / Ulster Boy EP. A prime slice of punk magic.
Somehow Sham’s popularity seemed to increase dramatically over the next few months, as did the numbers of skinheads who turned up at the gigs. The fighting and the skinheads became increasingly intimidating and the celebratory us-against-the-world vibe gave way to music-to-have-a-punch-up-to situation. I’ve always been a lover not a fighter.
My last Sham gig was at the Roundhouse in Autumn ’77. At least half the crowd were skinheads, many more marauding around outside without tickets. One gang reversed a truck into one of the fire exits to try and break in. That gig was very violent and put me off ever seeing Sham play live again. Coincidentally the gig was filmed for the Old Grey Whistle Test, the clip they showed included Jimmy handing a young punk at the front the remains of his lager – I was that young punk.
Anyone lucky enough to experience first hand the excitement of punk rock in Britain in ’77 would agree that Sham were one of the best. These days people seem to remember them for their slightly cartoony hits – Hersham Boys, Angels With Dirty Faces, The Kids Are United and Hurry Up Harry. But the early songs – stuff like Borstal Breakout, Ulster Boy, Rip Off, What Have We Got, Tell Us the Truth, Questions and Answers – were among the best of early UK punk.
ML July 2008 Sham were “my” band from the 1st time I ever heard the awesome Borstal Breakout. They were the third punk band I ever saw (saw them twice down here in 78 at Plymouth Casterways and The Metro in Devonport. The first time was great, the second….scary! Those nazi bastards killed that band. People can slag Pursey all they want and yes, he could be a bit of a p***k sometimes but at their peak, they were simply awesome.
I got to know them and meet them eventually much later on in 81 but they had split by then.. I met up with JP in a London cafe where I was (unfortunately) one of the 1st people to listen to JP’s awful solo album (Alien Orphan) his 2nd one (and before anyone says it, I know they are ALL bad!) The other members of Sham were forming The Wanderers with Stiv Bators. Don’t ask me how but I actually visited the homes of all of that band. Dave Parsons’s Mum made me a nice cup of tea (he was still living at home in Walton On Thames) I got a signed Song Of The Streets from him. Top bloke. Dave Kermit lived in Surbiton with his girlfriend and he was probably the best of the lot. Another Song Of The Streets there as well. Met second drummer Ricky Goldstein in his flat in Ladbroke Grove. A great laugh he was. And then there was Stiv…………met up with him in Hammersmith and went back to his flat which had no furniture. He may have been on the smack then. He was a weird fish and his Mrs looked out of her tree too. The Wanderers didn’t have their name then and I was given the task of helping Kermit think up a name. I gave him about 200 names for a band over a period of time but not The Wanderers! All my early Sham singles are signed too!
Anyway I used to ring them all up alot and at the time Pursey had a certain Ms Honey Bane living with him. I ended up chatting to her too but my sister was really into The Fatal Microbes and that Crass Girl On The Run thingy and she ended up getting more friendly with her. Her parents lived in Cornwall and Ms Bane stopped via Plymouth and had tea at my (posh) parents house. Picture her with her blonde spikey hair, all punked up. She ended up staying the night (unfortunately not in my bedroom!) and a few weeks later we saw her again….on Top Of The Pops! Sorry for veering off on one and name dropping!
The first 6 singles and first 2 albums are superb imo. ‘Tell Us The Truth’ remains my favourite Punk album just as ‘Borstal’ remains my favourite 7”. I hate ‘Hersham Boys’ both the single and album but thankfully ‘The Game’ was a much better album to finish with. As a kid, I could identify with their lyrics, particularly the ‘That’s Life’ album. That always went on when I was having a hard time for some reason (getting a kick-in from the old man etc.) Always made me feel better afterwards though. “Who Gives A Damn” and “Everybodys Wrong, Everybodys Right” were the two that got played the most. Still love those songs today.
I hate it when people slag them off. They really were a great bunch of guys and a superb live act. Musically not the best of the Punk bands by a long long way (although Dave P is a very underrated guitarist) but at time, it didn’t matter one bit. They were REAL!
Kennyhel 77 July 2008 How much Sham meant to me is an interesting one. I was too young to see them in their heyday being a fan from 1980 onward. I am well aware of their history, violence at gigs with their fans doing stage invasions, fighting each other, Sham’s working class populace stance, etc. To be a kid in The USA, we did not understand some of the situations that were occurring both economically, and socially in England during the late ‘70’s. BUT I can say this, this band was mine, just as much as anyone else.
For some reason they spoke to me with their passionate anthems that they created. I was part of the poor, working class kids that they sang to. For this reason I too joined the cropped hair, Doc Marten, Merc Harrington wearing crowd for much of the 80’s and into the 90’s. Some would say that Sham killed off any true spirit of punk that was left in 1978. I look at their rise in popularity as the 2nd wave of punk. More urgent, and dare I say “real”.
With the success of Sham, came other liked minded bands like Menace, Angelic Upstarts, Cockney Rejects, and of course the return of Cocksparrer……but they would be a few years later. Jimmy Pursey produced bands and gave them a chance. I always thought that was a great thing to do. As much as he can come across as an interesting character, his heart is in the right place. I only saw them once which was in 1988 supporting their comeback album Volunteer. Not the same Sham 69 of the 1976-1980 but it still put a smile on my face. You really don’t have to look to far to see how popular Sham were here. Two folks that led important US Hardcore bands cite Sham 69 as early influences: Henry Rollins of SOA and of course Black Flag and Ian of Minor Threat and Fugazi.
TalkPunk
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