The Names – Swimming

The Names' Swimming isn't the sharpest arrow in infamous producer Martin Hannett's quiver, and the Belgian group indeed wallowed in the obscurity that journalist Jon Savage claimed they didn't deserve, but the record still fares rather well as a second-tier post-punk record. Starting off with a relatively upbeat first side and eventually drifting into a not exactly inventive morass of lumpen tempos and a rather off-putting level of mopey meandering (a sequencing scheme conceived by the producer), it certainly isn't the most listener-friendly record of its era. Like a number of bands that favoured their rhythm sections and keyboard dressing over guitar pyrotechnics and over-emotive vocals, the Names truly come to life when they find a sticky groove capable of scaling tall buildings and allow it to take centre stage ("Life By the Sea," "Discovery"). Otherwise, the songs risk losing their tether and dissipate. Reissued in 1991 as Swimming + Singles, the attentive archivists at Factory Benelux tacked on "Calcutta," "Nightshift," and "The Astronaut," a trio of decent to great singles that add significant value to the overall package. Along with another key 7" release that can be found on the Spectators of Life compilation, the bonus tracks show that the Names were much better at the singles game. The Factory-issued "Nightshift," a nocturnally glum tune that somehow manages to glisten in a manner similar to Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart," stands as one of the Names' standout moments, if not their absolute best. And don't miss the B-side, "I Wish I Could Speak Your Language," which impressively mimics the "no midrange" features of PiL's Metal Box with deep lows and piercing highs, along with a Lydon-unlike romantic lyric.

Night Shift

The 10 double singles posts experiment seems to be a success, which is great news for you, but a royal pain in the ass for me. Over the next couple of weeks there follows a selection of single, single posts (with a little help from Wiki) that I hope you’ll enjoy. First up, The Names.

After local gigs as The Passengers, the band changed their moniker to The Names in time for their debut single, "Spectators of Life", released by WEA in 1979 to test the Belgian market for home-grown new wave music. The band though was keen to sign to a British label, and connected with Factory Records at a Joy Division gig at the Plan K venue in Brussels. The Names, augmented by new drummer Luc Capelle, recorded "Nightshift" in Manchester in August 1980 with in house producer Martin Hannett. The single was representative of their overall sound: dark, controlled modern rock in the mould of Magazine, Comsat Angels and Joy Division/early New Order. It peaked/stalled at No. 35 on the UK Indie Chart.