Zoom Records Two

So, almost a year has passed since I set sail on the idea of collecting as many of the singles released on local Scottish Indie record labels. It seems the idea fell by the wayside except for the third and fourth releases on Zoom Records. I suppose I was deflated as it became harder to find decent rips on the interweb of the more obscure releases. What I will do is post the rips of singles that I currently have as they document some of the better post-punk / pub rock / new wave that was available. Zum 3 is another classic from the now legendary Valves. Both tracks on their second single relate to an area on the east side of Edinburgh called Portobello. They’re followed by Glasgow based New Wavers The Zones debut single which you should all own a copy of. There’s more from The Zones here with additional background information on the roots of the core band. Enjoy.

Under The Influence Of The Zones (Re-upped)

Christmas has come a day early to Themes From Great Cities with a batch of re-upped classics.

Before tackling a really great album, I’d like to set out some pre-history of this obscure Scottish new wave band. So let’s momentarily plunge back into the old wave of the early-to-mid seventies: flares, 8-track cartridges, prog rock and bubbleglam. Formed in Glasgow in 1974, after changing their name from Salvation, Slik (Midge Ure guitar and vocals, Jim McGinlay bass, Kenny Hyslop drums and Billy McIsaac keyboards) got a contract with seventies glam rock label Bell records and became involved with expert songwriters Bill Martin and Phil Coulter, at the time churning out big hits for the Bay City Rollers. Somewhat embarrassedly decked out in 1950s-style baseball outfits, Slik’s first single flopped miserably but the second, Forever And Ever, shot to the top of the British charts in February 1976. Eagerly anticipating a long and prolific career, the band hastily put out a follow-up, Requiem, which although just as catchy and theatrical as its predecessor, only made the top twenty.

In March 1977, Jim McGinlay left and was replaced by Russell Webb. Bell records became Arista and the next single, The Kid's A Punk, was not a hit. The song was doubtless intended as a response to the incendiary impact of the new energy explosion, but the public were unimpressed. In the midst of much spitting, ripped T-shirts and safety pins, well-groomed pop combos like Slik appeared decidedly bland. So they changed their name to PVC2 and cut a single for the local Zoom label in Glasgow, but this subterfuge failed and by late 1977 the group fell apart. Midge Ure later turned up in the Rich Kids before establishing himself as front man for Ultravox. Meanwhile, his erstwhile bandmates reinvented themselves as the Zones, adding Alex Harvey’s cousin, Willie Gardner, (formerly of Hot Valves) on vocals and lead guitar. Still on the independent Zoom label they issued a single, Stuck With You, which John Peel played a lot, garnering the attention of – surprise surprise! – their old major label chums, Arista Records. The band signed on the dotted line and studio time was booked at the Manor, with producer Tim Friese-Greene in charge of the sound. The first fruits of this was another 45, Sign Of The Times (1978), an underrated pop song with raging guitars and passionate vocals which failed to bother any charts. The Zones album, Under Influence, was finally issued in the summer of 1979 after two John Peel sessions and some high profile live appearances.

Edited from a review by Stuart Jones