The Jolt
You have to feel sorry for The Jolt. While The Rezillos and Skids are feted as the best of Scottish punk and loved, The Jolt were/are dismissed as just Jam copyists and punk opportunists who turned their back on Scotland and got lucky with a record deal.
In my view this is unfair and I hope these pages help give a more balanced history of a band that deserves a bit of recognition and who produced some great tunes and an unsung classic punk LP.
It’s criminal these aren’t available on Spotify or given the deluxe treatment these re-issuers give.
The Jolt formed in the Glasgow area of Scotland September 1976 while guitarist/songwriter Robbie Collins and bassist Jim Doaks were working as lowly clerks in the Civil Service and Ian Sheddon was a journalist writing the pop page for his local newspaper.
Apart from The Self Abusers and The Zones there were few Glasgow punk bands not helped by an unofficial ban on punk in Glasgow. Originally playing 60’s based covers the band influenced by the new punk spirit quickly got up to speed with tunes like Decoyed and Mr Radio Man and built up a following in Jim and Robbie’s home town of Wishaw playing the Crown Hotel.
Rob: “There was a great sense of something happening in Scotland, we felt that anyway and the gigs used to be really great. There was a spirit of being part of some sort of revolution…”
As a lot of Scottish bands found there was only so far you could go in their native land and the decision was taken to move to London. In one sense the gamble paid off. They played the Marquee and Nashville and supported bands like The Jam, Stranglers and Generation X. In Sounds 13.8.77 it reported the bands signing to Polydor which they did for £90,000 and a four year deal. In another way it was the start of their troubles.
Having left Scotland they were accused of selling out and got the cold shoulder from ‘the scene’ and the press. Ian: “Really it’s the other way about. It takes guts to go out on a limb, but some people turned their backs on us because we went.”
Worse than that the punk scene they came from was now over a year old and there were hundreds of bands in London. Ironically punk was taking a different direction that would have suited the Jolt. Punk had turned to New Wave to power pop and The Jolt went back to their roots (just like The Cortinas) and began to change image and produce commercial pop with a punk punch.
Ten months after forming, the band released the Faces What’cha Gonna Do About It? and overhauled their image into a sixties mod-suited look. Jim: “We’re wearing these suits out of genuine affection for other groups who had that style.” Whereas they were conceived as a tribute and for originality, I think in the end the suits helped kill the band and just created more Jam comparisons.
Another single and an album were released to some critical acclaim along with favourable live reviews and interviews but not translated into sales. At the same time other events overshadowed the band that took the spotlight off their music. The Jolt were signed to Polydor, home to another three piece with a monosyllabic name beginning with ‘J’ and a penchant for suits. We mean of course The Jam who The Jolt often toured with and were great pals with. Inevitable comparisons were made to the detriment of the band.
Around September 1978 the band expanded into a four-piece with keyboards. Kevin Key from fellow Scots band The Subs was added on guitar. In June 1979 they released a final single before splitting up ironically just missing the mod revival that in the end they seemed to becoming so suited (sic) to.
Ian Sheddon drummed with Kym Bradshaw in the mod band Small Hours before joining The Saints in 1981 for a while.
Just looking through the covers below you’d think it obvious where the band’s music lay. The initial punky single was followed by their return to a 60’s style with seventies edge and fashion. Not quite; the only blatant 60’ism is their version of The Faces What’cha Gonna Do About It? The rest is a heady brew of good tunes, hooks and punky, new wave power pop. Closest band I can think of are the The Cigarettes in sound. Again And Again is a classic punk toon and it’s a B-Side! and the album is a forgotten gem! Sadly a major label in Polydor and a lot of promotion for their singles and albums through the music weeklies didn’t translate into sales.
You’re Cold / All I Can Do (1977)
Described by the band thus. Rob: “The guy who produced it was under the delusion it was still ’76, and you could do things roughly and cheaply and it’d still work.”
In my view a good single. Got the energy and enthusiasm to carry it through though yes it does sound like a small-label punk offering but that’s not a bad thing even at the end of 1977.
The Jolt from the Punk In London Video – Interview & You’re Cold from around the 1.12 mark
What’cha Going Do About It? / Again & Again (1978)
Unusual move by Polydor to have no picture cover and unusual to do a cover version that set the band out firmly in the sixties mod time.
The pick here is Again & Again and in Punk77’s opinion should have been the A side.
The Jolt S/T LP (1978)
Ignore the cover! A cracking album. Punk, New Wave, Power Pop – call it what you like, there’s loads of good tunes here and none sound like The Jam. There’s enthusiasm and spirit. Works best on tracks like Decoyed, No Excuses and Mr Radio Man. Great poppy hooks in Chains and I‘m Leaving. Forget what Rob says below the production was fine.
Rob: “Considering what our roots are what we’ve done is take our influences and move them on. Maybe it comes over sounding a bit safe, but I think that’s a lot to with the production. I’d like to do the second album a lot rougher with maybe just one guitar track.”
“If London’s burning Glasgow’s razed” Mr Radio Man
I Can’t Wait / Route 66 (1978)
It’s uptempo non threatening power pop with obvious comparisons to labelmates The Jam and matching jackets to boot. Was this really the best single from the album? Noahhhh!
Route 66 was an easy way out
Maybe Tonight/I’m In Tears/See Saw/ Stop Look (1979)
Punk77: Average sounding single. Seesaw was written by Paul Weller for The Jolt and it sounds like errr…..The Jam unsurprisingly.
The first single with The Subs guitarist Kevin Key who the Polydor Press Release for the single noted he had slowed the pace of the band with his introduction though added more variety.
Maybe Tonight is a jaunty number in a more pop vein but this was it and goodnight!
TalkPunk
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