History

The initial line-up was Richard Blackborow (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Simon Armstrong (guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

, vocals). Jem Morris (bass guitar

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

), joined the duo in 1986, and, augmented with a drum machine, they recorded the band's first release, a flexi disc, released in 1986 on their own House Of Teeth label, and containing three short songs: "Prune (Your Tree)", "Groove" and "Brian Wilson's Bed". The band gave a copy to John Peel

John Peel

John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...

 in a fortuitous encounter in the Rough Trade record shop

Rough Trade Shop

Rough Trade are two independent record shops based in London, UK.The first Rough Trade shop was opened in 1976 by Geoff Travis in the Portobello Road district of west London. In 1978 the shop spawned the famous Rough Trade Records, which was to go on to be home to bands from The Smiths to The...

, and he played it several times. The drum machine was replaced by Gary Connors (drums) in 1987, and this line-up recorded 1987's What a Performance EP and the first of three BOB John Peel sessions. Blackborow stated in 1988 that the band had a diverse set of songs in their repertoire at that stage and that the songs on the EP were selected from "by doing a quick poll of our friends".

Early in 1988, Gary Connors was replaced by former Jamie Wednesday

Jamie Wednesday

Jamie Wednesday were a British 1980s jangle pop band, formed in Streatham, South London in 1984, that released eight songs on two records between 1985 and 1986...

 drummer Dean Legget, and the band recorded their second single, the Kirsty EP, a session for BBC Radio One's Simon Mayo

Simon Mayo

Simon Mayo is an English radio presenter who has worked for BBC Radio since 1981. As of January 2010, Mayo is presenter of Simon Mayo Drivetime on BBC Radio 2 and, with Mark Kermode, presenter of Kermode and Mayo's Film Reviews on BBC Radio 5 Live.In 2008, Mayo was recognised as the "radio...

, and their second John Peel session. Both singles received heavy play by John Peel. The two singles were compiled together with the earlier flexi disc as Swag Sack, which was their final recording for the Sombrero label. All later releases were on their own House Of Teeth label.

In 1989, the band released the Convenience EP (which reached no.31 in John Peel's Festive Fifty

Festive Fifty

The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's fifty best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show...

 at the end of the year), followed by a limited edition/fan club release containing three songs: "Esmerelda Brooklyn", "I Don't Know" and "Sink". After their third and final John Peel session, Morris was replaced by ex-Caretaker Race

The Caretaker Race

The Caretaker Race were an indie pop band formed in East London in 1986 when singer/guitarist Andy Strickland left The Loft. Strickland recruited Dave Mew , Henry Hersom , and Sally Ward . The band's name came from a Star Trek paperback adventure...

 bassist Stephen 'Henry' Hersom, and this final line-up recorded the Stride Up EP in 1990, an LP Leave The Straight Life Behind and the Tired EP in 1991, and one last single, the Nothing For Something EP in 1992. BOB became one of the victims of the demise of Rough Trade

Rough Trade Records

Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...

's distribution arm, which limited sales of the album and forced the band to tour for an extended period to recoup the album's costs. A feeling of disillusionment with the 'business' side of the music caused a drop in morale, and they disbanded early in 1995.

Singles

• Flexi Disc (1986, House Of Teeth, HOT 001) 7" flexi-disc
• What A Performance EP (1987, Sombrero, 12", Sombrero One)
• Kirsty EP (1988, Sombrero, 12", Sombrero Two) (UK Indie Chart
  UK Indie Chart
  The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
  
  #17)
• "Convenience" (1989, House Of Teeth, 7"/12", HOT7002/HOT12002)
• Fan Club/Limited Edition EP (1989, House of Teeth, 12" Vinyl in 2 different sleeves, and 7" white-label, HOT 7003/12003)containing 'Esmerelda Brooklyn', 'I Don't Know' and 'Sink'. (UK Indie #12)
• Stride Up EP (1990, House Of Teeth, 12", HOT12004)
• Tired EP (1990, House of Teeth, 12", HOT12005) also a 7" white-label promo
• Nothing For Something EP (1991, House Of Teeth, 12", HOT12006)

Albums

• Swag Sack (1988, Sombrero, LP, Sombrero Five)
• Leave The Straight Life Behind (1991, House Of Teeth, LP/CD, HOT13013)

The BOB single "Convenience" was released for the first time on a digital format on the John Peel compilation box set Kats Karavan in October 2009.