BEATFOR86 - June Singles Weekender I

Typical new wave power pop band with early-'60s girl group influences, sounding like Blondie, and trying ,unsuccessfully, the hit wonder on the other side of the ocean. In a big way Play With Fire is a good tune, raw guitars at the bottom, graceful keyboard and Dee sweet voice.


Dee And The Monitors - Play With Fire [7" Ariola 1980]

Al Hodge was a singer/composer living in his native Cornwall –UK-. Turned professional at just sixteen, joining popular UK west country band `The Onyx` recorded seven singles on the Pye Label. Formed 'Rogue' with Guy Fletcher recorded three albums for CBS. In 1978 formed The Mechanics with Al Eden (Drummer) and Dave Quinn (Bass). The band made several singles and were championed by John Peel. This is one of these 45, a mixture of The Motors and the sharps choruses guitars of Andy Summers. Al Hodge finaly lost his two year battle with cancer on the 6th of July 2006.

The Mechanics - Gettin' Engagged [7" Big Fish 1980]



A little rain, the echo of a siren, a spooky horrorshow organ creeping up your spine, and then the band kicks in...
London's Hitmen — not the Australian group — debuted with a DIY single ("She's All Mine" b/w "Slay Me with Your 45") of razor-sharp rhythm'n'pop topped by Ben Watkins' Graham Parker-cum- croaky David Bowie vocals. This Bates Motel takes repeated listenings to discover that they have fallen victim to colorless, punchless production, but the sound is murky but razor-sharp, syncopated bass line (maybe The Moody Blues of the New Wave), a stunningly sophisticated piece of music.


The Hitmen - Bates Motel [7" CBS 1981]



Mike Read -Manchester, England- is a British disc jockey and former television presenter, who joined BBC Radio in 1978, presenting a Saturday evening show and made his TV presenting debut in the same year when he became one of the hosts of Top Of The Pops. He combined his radio work with a second career as a children's TV presenter. Read is a guitarist and writer in his own right, producing songs and poems. In 1979, recording as The Trainspotters, Read released the good punk pop of the period "High Rise", a single based on his National-Radio-1 radio show jingle.
He had been in bands since the 60s, making records under all sorts of names (Micky Manchester, The Rock-Olas, Grasshoppers, The Ghosts). Their second 7’ "Unfaithful" as The Trainspotters was never officially released. That’s where I live!.

The Trainspotters - High Rise [7" Arista 1979]