Urban Dogs - Urban Dogs

Started in 1982 by Charlie Harper of the UK Subs to play the 100 CLUB because the UK Subs wouldn't (they felt they shouldn't play there more than once a year because of their "pop star status"). The first main line-up of the band comprised of Charlie Harper (UK Subs - vocals/harmonica), Knox (Vibrators -guitar) whom Charlie had met at a party, Alvin Gibbs (UK Subs - bass), and Matthew Best (drums). The band had a pretty amateur approach to playing, taking the drums around in a car, and lugging the gear in to the 100 CLUB (where the band played regularly enough to almost be the house band) in front of often quite good crowds. The band did various gigs and under the management of Richard Bishop the band made an album for Fallout Records in 1983 called "Urban Dogs", recorded at Silo Studios, west London.

The Vibrators - Peel Sessions

The Vibrators were founded by Ian 'Knox' Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice at the 100 Club when they backed Chris Spedding in 1976. On Spedding's recommendation, Mickie Most signed them to his label RAK Records. Most produced their first single, 'We Vibrate b/w Whips And Furs’. The band also backed Spedding on his single, 'Pogo Dancing'. Both singles were released on 19th November 1976. The Vibrators recorded sessions for John Peel at BBC Radio 1 in October 1976, June 1977, and February 1978. The sessions span the seminal years of their career leading up to the releases of their classic "Pure Mania" and "V2" albums.

As drummer Eddie says in the sleeve notes, “The musicianship developed as the sessions went on, from an embryonic punk band to the masterful "new wave" act they became. From a shaky version of "Nazi Baby", through punk anthems "Baby Baby", "Keep It Clean" and "London Girls" you can hear the band grow in stature and power. The real highlight is the March 6, 1978 session, with its excellent rocking version of "Fall In Love" and the best recording the ‘brators ever made of their masterpiece "Troops Of Tomorrow".  After hearing this version on the John Peel show, the version of "Troops" which made it onto "V2" was disappointing in comparison. I've always thought that this session was the Vibrators finest hour, this track their best ever recording”.

Automatic Lover (Re-upped and expanded as requested)

Were the Vibrators real punks? Maybe not, but then again, were the Stranglers? Or Eddie and the Hot Rods? Even more to the point, was Steve Jones? Plenty of rock careerists jumped onto the punk/new wave bandwagon in the wake of the Sex Pistols' success (and more than a few folks, like Jones, stumbled into the new movement by accident), but unlike most of them, the Vibrators took to the fast/loud/stripped down thing like ducks to water, and both Ian Carnarchan and Pat Collier had a genius for writing short, punchy songs with sneering melody lines and gutsy guitar breaks. If the Vibrators were into punk as a musical rather than a socio-political movement, it's obvious that they liked the music very much, and on that level their debut album stands the test of time quite well. Pure Mania boasts a bit more polish (and less politics) than many of the albums from punk's first graduating class (such as Damned Damned Damned or The Clash), but if you're looking for a strong, satisfying shot of chugging four-square punk, cue up "Yeah Yeah Yeah," "No Heart," "Petrol," or "Wrecked on You" and you'll be thrown into a frenzy. 

Maybe Pure Mania isn't purist's punk, but it's pure rock & roll, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Do you dance often? I hate dancing. I rarely get caught dancing in public, unless I’m under the influence of punk rock, where dancing is loosely interpreted. Older punk records usually go as far as getting my feet tapping, but rarely do they ever cause me to kick my chair from beneath me and twist my hips. I’ve been dancing lately, and it’s because of The Vibrators’ “Pure Mania.” Very similar to The Buzzcocks’ pop-punk flavour, The Vibrators display a mastery of hooks that would embarrass modern pop-punk bands if ever put to comparison with these punk rock veterans.
“Pure Mania” focuses on sex. What’s more important than girls? If you’re in the business of making albums, I’d recommend following The Vibrators’ formula of love ballads with ridiculously catchy beats and those vocals that will make almost every girl swoon. Why not throw in a piano and organ behind a voice yearning “Baby, baby, baby, won’t you be my girl?” Make sure you have a decent crew of backup vocalists to match your chilling “Ooooooh’s,” designed to run up a girl’s spine. They need to be solid musicians as well to achieve a similar overlay of guitars that provide a spark on top of a throbbing bass. You can try, but you probably will only get as far as succeeding as a Vibrators’ cover band. I doubt you can also match the relentless gear shifting vocals of Ian “Knox” Carnochan. His voice grinds and soothes, with recognizable resent and confidence, as he sorts through his love life. He is the ignition to The Vibrators’ aforementioned mastery of hooks and a vital supplement to the competent instrumentation that drives The Vibrators’ sound.
Once “Pure Mania” begins, you’re tapping. You’re fidgeting, you’re nodding, and you're mouthing the words. “Into the future! SEX KICK!” You sing along. Why? Because The Vibrators have got your number. After the opener “Into the Future,” the corny but undeniably amusing “Yeah Yeah Yeah” begins with a repetitive line that you can only guess given what you just learned. It gets better. Whether it’s the pounding “No Heart,” with its deep vibrations and verbal accusations of “She ain’t got no heart and no love…gonna send her off to heaven with a .38,” or “Stiff Little Fingers,” with lyrics indicting the living dead, The Vibrators create music that is legendary.
There are many songs on “Pure Mania” that qualify as compelling. With the possible exception of “I Need a Slave,” every song on “Pure Mania” will draw you in with an addictive sound. What you should consider then is that the first 13 songs of the album are stellar, catchy, and raunchy doses of punk rock. The closer “Bad Time” does not disappoint, so you can add it to the list. It also helps immensely that the entire album clocks in at just over 30 minutes. If you’ve connected the dots, you probably understand that this all means you have something new to listen to tonight.

That’s right, dancing shoes.

A Double Headed Vibrator??!!

As in their first album, V2 shows the Vibrators taking the driving energy of punk and applying it to songs that have a subtle, pop-like quality; while it does not have the wonderfully brash and itchy cohesiveness of Pure Mania; it's a solid album well worth hearing. The songs are mostly catchy and listenable, the lyrics are as capable as those in the group's previous release, and the arrangements have much more variety and colour than most punk records of the time do. "24 Hour People" sports Chuck Berry-style guitar licks and 1960s-derived backing vocals, "Public Enemy No. 1" and "Fall in Love" are less punky and more straightforward rockers, "Feel Alright" has a 1960s garage band-style chorus, and "Nazi Baby" audaciously adds strings to the fast, almost danceable music. The only really ineffective excursion on this album is "Troops of Tomorrow," a slow, menacing number that somehow gets too thick for its own good and is further marred by an excessively lengthy opening section.

However, changes were definitely on the horizon, as Old Father Time hoofed 1977 out the door. In the brave new world of 1978 when Punk looked washed up after the Pistols split, the Vibrators pulled off the enviable trick of managing to go with these changing times, by mainlining their bad style to a tacky but appealing plastic New Wave image. Authenticity was over-rated anyway: what counted in the final analysis was the noise you made and the Vibrators, resplendent in lurex and wraparound shades, bashed out a beguiling disposable Pop racket on V2. With Gary Tibbs coming into replace a Boyfriends-bound Pat Collier, the Vibrators attacked the new year with gusto.

This LP even spawned a hit single in Automatic Lover (the non-LP Judy Says also made the lower reaches of the Top 75, both sides appended to this disc), but listen to the section of Pure Mania where they chuck every audio effect imaginable on top of their standard speed Punk to make for pure 1978 listening – the speed of the hand defeating the eye, or ear in this case. The pace only really lets up on the churning drone of Troops Of Tomorrow and a slight country hue to the Sweet Jane vibe on Fall In Love. It is smart, snappy and fun, particularly the daft, semi-choral mid-section from Wake Up and Flying Duck Theory. V2 is irrepressible Pop music of the time and can tell you much more in its grooves about Britain in 1978 than any BBC4 multi-part documentary.