Various Artists // The Roxy London WC2 (Jan - Apr
77)
The Roxy was the famous but short-lived Covent Garden
punk rock venue set up by Andrew Czekowski. From the club came an
album of live tracks from some of the bands that played the venue,
from the enduring (Wire, Buzzcocks) to the best forgotten
(Johnny Moped). The Roxy London WC2 (Jan - Apr 77) is a seminal
insight into the nascent UK punk scene, which almost as soon as
it was being recorded, was falling apart. That The Roxy had a shelf
life of just three months is testament to that brief legacy.
That EMI as opposed to some ramshackle indie label
released this album should be seen in the context of the furore
and bidding war that surrounded punk rock in the wake of the Sex
Pistols; this same clamouring would arguably be responsible for
Wire signing to former prog rock outpost Harvest. The tracks were
produced by Mike Thorne, who would produce all of Wire's EMI / Harvest
albums (including the bridge between punk and arty post-punk that
is their debut, Pink Flag) and who would later produce the
equally significant electronic pop of Soft Cell's 1981 debut Non-Stop
Erotic Cabaret (Daniel Miller produced some of Soft Cell's
early work and later signed Wire to Mute; thus another circle
is squared).
The first of Wire's two contributions to the album,
the sluggish and confrontationally too-slow-for-punk 'Lowdown' is
preceded by Colin Newman (here credited as 'Klive') adopting a faux-Rotten
sneer as he implores the crowd to 'Pay attention…we're Wire!',
and perhaps best signals punk's instant collapse in on itself. 'Lowdown'
is punk at half speed; all the respective component parts are there
- the simple bassline, buzzing guitars and aggressive vocal posturing
- but it's about half as slow as anything else on the album. The
speed allows for percussive intricacy which would normally be bludgeoned
to death by other punk groups. Punk as conceived by art students
indeed.
'12XU' (also available but uncredited as the Roxy
version on the EMI / Harvest Wire compilation On Returning),
on the other hand, is joyous speed-noise which at least satisfied
the die-hard punks; who cares if the lyrics detail the sexual ambiguity
prevalent among the young punks. The track concludes with what sounds
like someone vomiting - a sure signal of acceptance by the crowd
perhaps.
Mike Thorne's commentary on the making and recording
of this album can be found at http://www.stereosociety.com/theroxy.html
LP:
A1. Slaughter And The Dogs 'Runaway'
A2. Slaughter And The Dogs 'Boston Babies'
A3. The Unwanted 'Freedom'
A4. Wire 'Lowdown'
A5. Wire '12XU'
A6. The Adverts 'Bored Teenagers'
B1. Johnny Moped 'Hard Loving Man'
B2. Eater 'Don't Need It'
B3. Eater '15'
B4. X-Ray Spex 'Oh Bondage! Up Yours!'
B5. Buzzcocks 'Breakdown'
B6. Buzzcocks 'Love Battery'
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