John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett

(Cor Baby That's) Really Free!/Beware Of The Flowers ('Cos I'm Sure They're Gonna Get You Yeah!) (Polydor 2058951) 1977

Aylesbury's finest, released November 77. This one should go on the Punkertainment Blog too... picked up some airplay and a chart placing at the time. Comedy punk at its finest by two hippies from the home counties.

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/Otway01.mp3

The Jags

Back Of My Hand/Double Vision (Island WIP6501) 1979

Classic PowerPop from this Bournemouth quartet, this made an impact on radio and the charts but the group didn't last more than a couple of years and never managed to build on its success.

Sound edit:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/Jags01.mp3

Krypton Tunes

Limited Vision/(All In) Jail (Lightning GIL546) 1978

Second single by Welsh group Krypton Tunes, released on the Lightning label in June 1978. Quite hard to find nowadays, as is their debut single Behind Your Smile, released at the tail end of 1977.

Sound edit:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/KryptonTunes01.mp3

Eater

Lock It Up/Jeepster (The Label TLR004) 1977

Great third single by Eater, released October 1977 in both 7" and 12" formats.

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/Eater03.mp3

China Street

Rock Against Racism (RAR)/Dubbage (EMI EMI2864) 1978

Released on the EMI label (who were busy associating with RAR via the Tom Robinson Band) in October 1978. Sleeve design by Hot Pink Heart/Red Wedge Graphics.

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/ChinaStreet02.mp3

China Street

You’re A Ruin/(I Wanna Be) Your M.P. (Criminal Records CRM1) 1978

Lancaster, February 1978. Strange sleeve design, home made layout but professionally printed, and issued on the band's own label.

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/ChinaStreet01.mp3

Automatics

When The Tanks Roll Over Poland Again/Watch Her Now (Island WP6439) 1978

Released June 1978, apparently (according to Mario P) featuring Johnny Thunders on guest guitar. Island Records didn't invest too heavily in punk, other than the Pub Rock/Proto Punk fringes with Eddie & The Hot Rods, Ultravox! and later Killing Joke.

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/Automatics01.mp3

Gloria Mundi

Fight Back!/Do It (RCA PB5068) 1978

February 1978 release from a group loosely associated with Ultravox! and bearing some musical similarities.

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/GloriaMundi01.mp3

The Cannibals

Nadine/You Can’t/Sweet Little 16 (Hit Records F-UK2) 1978

Follow up to their cover version of the Standells' garage classic Good Guys Don't Wear White, this was released in December 1978.

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/Cannibals02.mp3

The Realists

I've Got A Heart/Living In The City (Stiff One Off OFF4) 1978

Another Stiff Records one-off release, June 78. Others on the Stiff one-off roster included the debut singles by The Members and The Subs, great New Wave singles all.

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/Realists01.mp3

The Duggie Briggs Band

Punk Rockin' Granny!/I'm A Flasher (It Records IT3) 1978

Released Belfast, February 78. Novelty single – think this one will also make it onto the Punkertainment Blog, where I'm aiming to cover a range of comedy punk singles together with various releases which don't come under the Hitsville UK umbrella.

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/DuggieBriggsBand01.mp3

Downliners Sect

Showbiz/Killing Me (Raw RAW10) 1977

London, November 77, released on the wonderful Raw Records label. A bit of a cash in from some professional musicians on the live circuit: Downliners Sect had been a successful British rhythm and blues band in the early 1960s, and renewed interest during the punk boom led to their reformation. Worth a listen all the same.

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/DownlinersSect01.mp3

The D.P.'s

Television Romeo/Born To Win (Barn 2014129) 1978

Final single release from the Depressions/D.P.'s. This was released in November 78, again without a picture sleeve.

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/Depressions05.mp3

The D.P.'s

If You Know What I Mean/Running Away (Barn 2014126) 1978

Brighton, August 78 release. Don't know why they decided to go without picture sleeves on their final run of singles – I'm sure it would have affected sales at that point in time (as the Television Personalities said, "we didn't want to, but what else do we do?").

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/Depressions04.mp3

The Depressions

Get Out Of This Town/Basement Daze (Barn 2014122) 1978

Never issued in a picture sleeve, this was the final Depressions single before they changed names to The D.P.'s and released two further 7"ers in late 1978. Good band this, featured in Stewart Home's 'Cranked Up Really High' as a classic example of dumb street punk rock for their debut album. They went New Wave after a couple of singles and their eponymous debut, but I have to say the later singles are all growers in my opinion, and even the name change to the D.P.'s and the glossy production of the second album don't take too much away from it in retrospect.

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/Depressions03.mp3

The Denizens

Ammonia Subway/People Of The Night (Big Records SOLD5) 1979

First single by The Denizens from Birmingham, released April 79. Great, angular Post Punk, surprising they weren't more successful. If only they had come from Sheffield, Leeds or Manchester...

Sound clip:-

http://punksleeves.com/sounds/Denizens01.mp3

Welcome to the Hitsville UK blog

Welcome to the Hitsville UK: Punk in the Faraway

Towns blog...

Please bear with me on this, I haven't used a blog before

so it'll take me some time to get things working properly.

Feel free to send in comments and questions relating to the

Hitsville UK website, and I'll do my best to respond.

Right, April 2010 and I'm finally getting around to making

a start on posting. I've started adding some sleeve examples

from a range of singles which didn't fit onto the Hitsville

website grid, and I'm trying to find a way to add sound samples

so you can get to hear what they sound like too...

Russ