Somewhere (There's a Place for Us)

Description

Product Description Most of the best of proto punk-rockers Radio Stars, although space considerations meant that some things were unhappily left off. But you do get four previously unreleased tunes, one tune which was 'previously unreleased properly', the elusive 'Accountancy Blues' the words to which were included in the Holiday Album sleeve but not the actual tune itself, and the specially-recorded title track. What's not to like? About the Artist Radio Stars were formed by ex-John's Children vocalist Andy Ellison, Sparks exile Martin Gordon[2] (bass, songwriter), and Ian MacLeod (guitar) in 1977, following the end of their underachieving glam supergroup, Jet, the previous year. The group signed to Chiswick Records and released their debut single in April 1977. "Dirty Pictures" was featured on the Chiswick various artists sampler Submarine Tracks & Fool's Gold (Chiswick Chartbusters Volume One). Later that year, the same track came number 26 in the NME's end-of-year critics' chart. In May 1977, the band both performed live for the first time[3] and recorded the first of three sessions for John Peel at BBC Radio 1.[4] Later adding Steve Parry on drums, the band's second release came in August. Playing "No Russians in Russia", the Radio Stars made their TV debut on Marc, Marc Bolan's show.[5] The track later appeared on the 1978 Chiswick sampler Long Shots, Dead Certs And Odds On Favourites (Chiswick Chartbusters Volume Two). In October 1977, the band had a brief flirtation with the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. "Nervous Wreck" b/w "Horrible Breath" peaked at #39.[1] The b-side, "Horrible Breath", was a song written by Marc Bolan from his time with John's Children. The debut album, Songs for Swinging Lovers, sarcastically named after the Frank Sinatra album, finally appeared in December 1977. The band toured with Eddie and the Hot Rods and Squeeze, and played the Reading Festival in 1978. Adding Trevor White (who was also in both Sparks and Jet) the Radio Stars put out their second album, Holiday Album. Gordon left soon after the record flopped, effectively ending the band, although Ellison attempted to revive the band's name to little success in the 1980s and 1990s. The group's recordings have been anthologised twice; firstly on 1982's Two Minutes Mr. Smith by the Moonlight record label, then on 1992's (band-approved) Somewhere There's a Place for Us on Ace Records. A one-off London concert performance took place in March 2008 in support of their live album (recorded in 1977/78) Something for the Weekend, released by Radiant Future Records that same month. An official spokesperson points out that "Radio Stars should not be confused with radio stars, namely stars that produce by means of chemical and electrical discharges, emissions of various radio frequencies, whether constant or pulsed. Radio Stars, no matter whether constant or pulsed, will under no circumstances produce discharges or emissions. Well, under no circumstances to which we can refer in polite company, at any rate". The band played the Rebellion all-dayer at the Kentish Town Forum on Saturday 13 December 2008 alongside the likes of The Damned, Johnny Moped and Penetration. They reprised their earlier tours with Eddie & the Hotrods as special guests of that band on January 22, 2010 at the 100 Club in London. P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); Review With two albums and a boatload of deleted 45s to their name, Radio Stars always merited far more consideration from the archivists than the earlier Two Minutes Mr. Smith collection allowed them - and Somewhere There's a Place for Us delivers in fine style. The 29 tracks include each of the band's 45s, a clutch of their better B-sides, and no less than seven unreleased cuts, including one ("Dear Prudence") that dates from the last days of their earlier incarnation as Jet, and two ("My Mother Said" and "The Ghost of Desperate Dan") that hail from an early-'80s reunion of founding members Andy Ellison and Martin Gordon. The vast majority of the Songs for Swinging Lovers debut album is here, together with enough of the sophomore Holiday Album to make one regret never having held onto the original vinyl, while the highlights that scream out of nowhere include so many all-time punky-playtime masterpieces that even the most familiar titles ("No Russians in Russia," "Dirty Pictures," "Beast of Barnsley," "Nervous Wreck") pale in the face of "From a Rabbit" -- essential listening for every body-building hulk who's ever kicked sand in your face -- and "Johnny Mekon," the story of the greatest rock star you've ever felt desperately sorry for. -- All Music Guide See more