Deadbeat #25 - Pop Wallpaper & the hot May of 1984

As we head into May 36 years ago I'm reminded of one of my best fuck ups as I apologised for an entry in Deadbeat #24 commenting on the release of "Love" by Alone Again Or, the band got in touch to saw "naw", I re-read the press release and announced the band Love have got a single out on WEA called "Alone Again Or".

Good name for a band, I thought....as I reminded our readers to never believe what they see in the media....oh and their demo

Edinburgh's Pop Wallpaper were the cover & the centrefold while Grangemouth's Dead Neighbours were interviewed by Julie.

Hilary interviewed Swansway & Gene Loves Jezebel in Dundee, Guy Dadge talked about Random Rhythms Music Workshop in Stirling while Jill & Rose gave us their guide to good living in Glasgow and Keith interviewed Fiction Factory.

Yes, #25 felt like heaven.....with our 2nd anniversary approaching a 24 page issue.

In our first anniversary issue, #17, we'd put out a flexi single with Pop Wallpaper/Wild Indians.

Yes, its time to put a real Deadbeat single out.

Every day that went by we made it up, blagged records, into shows, interviews, asked bands to send us demo.

Who the fuck did we think we were trying to press a record.

It was that 'ready fire aim' mentality.

The counter-culture to 'you need to aim high'. Naw, you just need to set it on fire!

If only we'd bumped into fast forward....

Jock Edwards gave us an update on the 10th Meadows Festival in Edinburgh, a fascinating insight into how easy it was to select bands to play and hats off to Wilf for donation of the sound.

The polis, wanted the bands not to have much of a following, so there wouldn't be a big crowd.

Brilliant, Edinburgh, 1984, that's all but guaranteed I laughed.

The early 80's were a tough period. The 1983 election polarised our music scene into stadium bands and those who just wanted to enjoy it. Some had turned rebellion into money but as you read the interviews the joke about artistic control comes through strongly. Success wasn't to be measured  at any price. Some with deals quietly rolled a big fat one and slept through 1984.

For me the buzz, was simply living, writing, gigging. Underground for many was happy to philosophically, be underground.

The release of the 2nd Deadbeat Tape was heralded with a random set of bands from around the country. You wouldn't hear them on the radio and listening now, proves that music was alive and well. Aberdeen's Alone again Or didn't quite make the cut but along with Glasgow's Wee Cherubs they made the cut for Scottish Korner. As with other tapes I'd send them on to some of the A & R guys in London while theyd send me copies of the music they wanted to sell. Ha Ha, the music industry's maestro had won the election, and it was time for extravagance, nous demandons la Roi de soleil!

I think Scottish music at the time was more Montmartre than Versailles, the penny drops as the mushroom rises!

I'm looking forward to asking that question as we approach all the interviewees 36 years on for a 2020 perspective!

For a full copy click on the page #25