Blitzkrieg Bop (band)
Encyclopedia
Blitzkrieg Bop were a punk
band formed in Teesside
, England in February 1977. They were named after a song
by Ramones
with the same name. They released three singles
. These were "Let's Go"/ "Bugger Off" / "9 Till 5" (Mortonsound - June 1977); "Let's Go" (re-recorded) / "Life Is Just A So-So" / "Mental Case" (Lightning - January 1978); and "(You're Like A) UFO" / "Viva Bobby Joe" (Lightning - September 1978). A collection of all these tracks, plus other unreleased material, was released in 1998 entitled Top of the Bops (Overground), but it is currently out of print.
An eight week residency at the Speedway Hotel cemented their local reputation. Buoyed by their local success they recorded their debut single "Let's Go" / "Bugger Off" / "9 Till 5", and released a limited run of 500 copies in early June 1977. By this time guitarist Dimmer Blackwell had left. The band decided to carry on as a four piece.
The single sold out within days and received some favourable reviews in the national music papers, most notably the NME
. Keith Yershon of Lightning Records read this review and asked the band to re-record the A-side
for their second single, together with two new songs for the B-side, "Life Is Just A So-So" and "Mental Case".
The band played several local gigs with fellow Teessiders Dangerbird, featuring a young Rod Liddle
on lead vocals. As 1977 wore on, the band continued to gig regularly, securing support spots with bands such as Ultravox!, Radio Stars
and The Saints
. Anne Hodgson decided to quit the band, and was replaced in September 1977 by Ray Radford (aka Ray Gunn), an old friend of vocalist John Hodgson.
The re-recorded "Let's Go" was eventually released in December 1977 to decent reviews, but not as positive as the Mortonsound version. By February 1978 the band were ready to record the follow-up, and two songs were taped in London with line-up #3: "(You're Like A) UFO" and "Viva Bobby Joe", the latter a cover version
of the 1960s hit single
by The Equals
.
Gigs continued to happen, with support spots with Penetration
, Roogalator, X-Ray Spex
, Generation X
and Slaughter & The Dogs
. Slaughter invited the band on their 1978 "Do It Dog Style" UK tour, scheduled for April and May. Eater were also on the bill. The tour started off brightly, but poor ticket sales and poor organisation led to the tour disintergrating after only a handful of dates.
Following this debacle, guitarist Ray Radford decided to quit. He was quickly replaced by Mickey Dunne (aka Bert Presley), from local Teesside band The Lice. New material was written, with the band taking a more commercial direction, leaning more towards a power pop/new wave sound. The band continued to gig during the summer of 1978, with support spots with The Adverts, Ultravox! and The Doctors Of Madness, as well as their own gigs.
By September 1978 bassist Mick Hylton had also had enough, feeling the band had lost momentum, mainly due to the length of time Lightning Records were taking to release the "UFO" single, and their refusal to let the band record an album. He was replaced by Graham Moses (aka Kid Moses), again from local band The Lice. Around this time the "UFO" single, the band's third and final single, was released to poor reviews. This dismayed the band even further and their mood was not helped when their manager Larry Ottaway (a BBC Radio
presenter) quit in November 1978.
The band's spirits were revived slightly in January 1979 when Greg Shaw
licensed the Mortonsound "Let's Go" for a US release on the Bomp! Records
compilation Waves. This was short-lived, and in February 1979 the band finally called it a day when John left to join Basczax, who was joined a few days later by drummer Alan Cornforth.
A line-up of the band (featuring John Hodgson, Mickey Dunne and Graham Moses from the 1977-79 period) reformed in 1994 for two gigs, and finally in 1999 a line-up featuring John Hodgson, Mickey Dunne, Graham Moses and Ray Radford from the 1977-79 period came together for a 20th anniversary re-union concert at The Cornerhouse, Middlesbrough.
As well as the 28-track Top of the Bops compilation CD (Overground OVER69CD) in 1998, three more private CD releases followed in 1999: Bottom of the Barrell, Now That's What I Call Rubbish Vol.1 and Live at the Cornerhouse - 1999.
The original Mortonsound "Let's Go" 7" single is one of the more collectable artifacts from the punk era, regularly fetching upwards of £300 on eBay.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band formed in Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
, England in February 1977. They were named after a song
Blitzkrieg Bop
"Blitzkrieg Bop" is a song by the American punk rock band Ramones. It was released as the band's debut single in April of 1976 in the United States...
by Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
with the same name. They released three singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
. These were "Let's Go"/ "Bugger Off" / "9 Till 5" (Mortonsound - June 1977); "Let's Go" (re-recorded) / "Life Is Just A So-So" / "Mental Case" (Lightning - January 1978); and "(You're Like A) UFO" / "Viva Bobby Joe" (Lightning - September 1978). A collection of all these tracks, plus other unreleased material, was released in 1998 entitled Top of the Bops (Overground), but it is currently out of print.
Career
The core line-up of the band (John Hodgson aka Blank Frank, Alan Cornforth aka Nicky Knoxx & Damian (Dimmer) Blackwell aka Telly Sett) evolved from a rock band called Adamanta Chubb who started in 1974. After several false starts and many line-up changes this trio finally emerged as Blitzkrieg Bop in February 1977, joined in line-up #1 by Mick Hylton (aka Mick Sick) and Anne Hodgson (aka Gloria, no relation to John Hodgson).An eight week residency at the Speedway Hotel cemented their local reputation. Buoyed by their local success they recorded their debut single "Let's Go" / "Bugger Off" / "9 Till 5", and released a limited run of 500 copies in early June 1977. By this time guitarist Dimmer Blackwell had left. The band decided to carry on as a four piece.
The single sold out within days and received some favourable reviews in the national music papers, most notably the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
. Keith Yershon of Lightning Records read this review and asked the band to re-record the A-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
for their second single, together with two new songs for the B-side, "Life Is Just A So-So" and "Mental Case".
The band played several local gigs with fellow Teessiders Dangerbird, featuring a young Rod Liddle
Rod Liddle
Roderick E. L. Liddle is an English print, radio, and television journalist.He is an associate editor of The Spectator, and former editor of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he is the author of Too Beautiful for You , Love Will Destroy Everything , and co-author of The Best of Liddle Britain...
on lead vocals. As 1977 wore on, the band continued to gig regularly, securing support spots with bands such as Ultravox!, Radio Stars
Radio Stars
Radio Stars are an English new wave group formed in early 1977. They released three albums and had one UK Top 40 single.-Biography:Radio Stars were formed by ex-John's Children vocalist Andy Ellison, Sparks exile Martin Gordon , and Ian MacLeod in 1977, following the end of their underachieving...
and The Saints
The Saints (band)
The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...
. Anne Hodgson decided to quit the band, and was replaced in September 1977 by Ray Radford (aka Ray Gunn), an old friend of vocalist John Hodgson.
The re-recorded "Let's Go" was eventually released in December 1977 to decent reviews, but not as positive as the Mortonsound version. By February 1978 the band were ready to record the follow-up, and two songs were taped in London with line-up #3: "(You're Like A) UFO" and "Viva Bobby Joe", the latter a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the 1960s hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
by The Equals
The Equals
The Equals were a pop/reggae/rock group that formed in North London, England in 1965. They are mainly remembered for its million-selling chart-topper, "Baby Come Back". Eddy Grant, then sporting dyed blonde hair, founded the group...
.
Gigs continued to happen, with support spots with Penetration
Penetration (band)
Penetration is a punk rock band from County Durham, England formed in 1976. They re-formed in 2001 with several new members.Their debut single, "Don’t Dictate", is now acknowledged as a classic punk rock single and their debut album, Moving Targets , is still widely admired-Biography:The lead...
, Roogalator, X-Ray Spex
X-Ray Spex
X-Ray Spex were an English punk band from London that formed in 1976.During their first incarnation , X-Ray Spex were “deliberate underachievers” and only managed to release five singles and one album...
, Generation X
Generation X (band)
Generation X was a British punk rock band, formed on 21 November 1976 by Billy Idol, Tony James and John Towe.-History:...
and Slaughter & The Dogs
Slaughter & The Dogs
Slaughter & The Dogs is an English punk rock band that formed in the late 1970s in Manchester, England. They were one of the first UK punk bands to sign for a major label, Decca Records.-Career:...
. Slaughter invited the band on their 1978 "Do It Dog Style" UK tour, scheduled for April and May. Eater were also on the bill. The tour started off brightly, but poor ticket sales and poor organisation led to the tour disintergrating after only a handful of dates.
Following this debacle, guitarist Ray Radford decided to quit. He was quickly replaced by Mickey Dunne (aka Bert Presley), from local Teesside band The Lice. New material was written, with the band taking a more commercial direction, leaning more towards a power pop/new wave sound. The band continued to gig during the summer of 1978, with support spots with The Adverts, Ultravox! and The Doctors Of Madness, as well as their own gigs.
By September 1978 bassist Mick Hylton had also had enough, feeling the band had lost momentum, mainly due to the length of time Lightning Records were taking to release the "UFO" single, and their refusal to let the band record an album. He was replaced by Graham Moses (aka Kid Moses), again from local band The Lice. Around this time the "UFO" single, the band's third and final single, was released to poor reviews. This dismayed the band even further and their mood was not helped when their manager Larry Ottaway (a BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
presenter) quit in November 1978.
The band's spirits were revived slightly in January 1979 when Greg Shaw
Greg Shaw
Greg Shaw was a Los Angeles-based fanzine publisher, music historian and record label owner. He grew up near San Francisco, California.It was as a young teenager that he started writing about rock and roll music...
licensed the Mortonsound "Let's Go" for a US release on the Bomp! Records
Bomp! Records
Bomp! Records is an Los Angeles-based indie label formed in 1974 by fanzine publisher and music historian Greg Shaw.-History:The label has featured punk, pop, powerpop, garage rock, new wave, old school rock, neo-psychedelia among other genres, and its roster has included artists such as The Modern...
compilation Waves. This was short-lived, and in February 1979 the band finally called it a day when John left to join Basczax, who was joined a few days later by drummer Alan Cornforth.
A line-up of the band (featuring John Hodgson, Mickey Dunne and Graham Moses from the 1977-79 period) reformed in 1994 for two gigs, and finally in 1999 a line-up featuring John Hodgson, Mickey Dunne, Graham Moses and Ray Radford from the 1977-79 period came together for a 20th anniversary re-union concert at The Cornerhouse, Middlesbrough.
As well as the 28-track Top of the Bops compilation CD (Overground OVER69CD) in 1998, three more private CD releases followed in 1999: Bottom of the Barrell, Now That's What I Call Rubbish Vol.1 and Live at the Cornerhouse - 1999.
The original Mortonsound "Let's Go" 7" single is one of the more collectable artifacts from the punk era, regularly fetching upwards of £300 on eBay.
Line-up 1
- Blank Frank - Vocals/Keyboards
- Telly Sett - Guitar
- Gloria - Guitar
- Mick Sick - Bass
- Nicky Knox - Drums
Line-up 2
- Blank Frank - Vocals/Keyboards
- Gloria - Guitar
- Mick Sick - Bass
- Nicky Knoxx - Drums
Line-up 3
- Blank Frank - Vocals/Keyboards
- Ray Gunn - Guitar
- Mick Sick - Bass
- Nicky Knoxx - Drums
Line-up 4
- Blank Frank - Vocals/Keyboards
- Bert Presley - Guitar
- Mick Sick - Bass
- Nicky Knoxx - Drums
Line-up 5
- Blank Frank - Vocals/Keyboards
- Bert Presley - Guitar
- Kid Moses - Bass
- Nicky Knoxx - Drums