Under Influence was the only album of New Wave

New Wave music

New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 band Zones

Zones (band)

Zones was a British punk and power pop band founded in 1977, after the end of PVC2 and the Midge Ure's membership demise. PVC2 was conformed by Ure on guitar, Russell Webb on bass, Billy McIsaac on keyboards and Kenny Hyslop on drums...

, released by Arista Records

Arista Records

Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...

 in mid-1979. The album contained multi-genred songs, being very far from the early punkier stuff, like the case of 7" single "Stuck with You". Jim Green in Trousser Press distinguished or tried to define it as "pop

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

? Hard stuff? Commercial new wave? Reggae-pop?"

Zones was the New Wave band formed by Alex Harvey

Alex Harvey (musician)

Alex Harvey was a Scottish rock musician. With The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, he built a reputation as an exciting live performer during the 1970s glam rock era.-Biography:...

's cousin Willie Gardner

Willie Gardner

Willie Gardner was a Scottish musician, who formed part of various pop and rock bands in the 1970s and 1980s, playing guitar. He was a cousin of the glam rock icon Alex Harvey....

 (lead vocals, guitar), and ex-Slik

Slik

Slik were a Scottish pop group of the mid 1970s, most notable for their UK no.1 hit "Forever and Ever" in 1976. Beginning with glam rock and changing their style to soft rock/bubblegum...

 (1974–1977) and PVC2 (early to September 1977) members, Kenny Hyslop

Kenny hyslop

Kenny Hyslop is a Scottish drummer who played with different projects and bands who were varied in different styles, such as glam rock, 1970s teenybop, soft rock, punk, new wave, new romantic, blues and modern electronica.-Biography:Hyslop attended Hermitage School.He joined the band Salvation...

 (drums), Billy McIsaac

Billy McIsaac

Billy McIsaac is a musician, who played mainly keyboards since his early days with different pop bands, and still does, with his current ceremony-band The Billy McIsaac Band....

 (keyboards) and Russell Webb

Russell Webb (musician)

Russell Webb is a New Wave bass guitarist who was member of bands like Slik, PVC2 , The Zones, The Skids, The Armoury Show and Public Image Ltd., and collaborated with Richard Jobson and Virginia Astley, and The Who.-Slik and PVC2:In 1977, future Ultravox and Live Aid face, guitarist and singer...

 (bass), in 1977, after the latter three's bandmate, Midge Ure

Midge Ure

James "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter...

, departed to join The Rich Kids

The Rich Kids

Rich Kids were a short-lived, seminal new wave band from London, founded in 1977 by Glen Matlock following his departure from The Sex Pistols. The band also included future Ultravox member Midge Ure, and Rusty Egan, who later went to found Visage.-Career:...

.

Although the album has New Wave sounds, was unsuccessful at the time of its release. Shortly afterwards, Zones released an 7" single called "Mourning Star", whose eponymous song (a shorter version of the album song) was backed with "Under Influence", which did not appear in the album, despite name like it. At the end of 1979, Zones split up, and after years of failures, the group split up, McIsaac and Gardner went solo, and Webb joined The Skids

The Skids

Skids were an art-punk/punk rock and new wave band from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, founded in 1977 by Stuart Adamson , William Simpson , Thomas Kellichan and Richard Jobson...

 in early 1980, being followed by Hyslop in 1981.

Track listing

All tracks written by Willie Gardner, except by Russell Webb (*) and Billy McIsaac (+).

Side two

1. You're Not Foolin' Me (+)
2. Anything Goes (+)
3. Strength To Strength
4. Looking To The Future (+)
5. Mourning Star

Personnel

• Willie Gardner
  Willie Gardner
  Willie Gardner was a Scottish musician, who formed part of various pop and rock bands in the 1970s and 1980s, playing guitar. He was a cousin of the glam rock icon Alex Harvey....
  
  : lead vocals, guitar
• Billy McIsaac
  Billy McIsaac
  Billy McIsaac is a musician, who played mainly keyboards since his early days with different pop bands, and still does, with his current ceremony-band The Billy McIsaac Band....
  
  : keyboards, vocals
• Russell Webb
  Russell Webb (musician)
  Russell Webb is a New Wave bass guitarist who was member of bands like Slik, PVC2 , The Zones, The Skids, The Armoury Show and Public Image Ltd., and collaborated with Richard Jobson and Virginia Astley, and The Who.-Slik and PVC2:In 1977, future Ultravox and Live Aid face, guitarist and singer...
  
  : bass, vocals
• Kenny Hyslop
  Kenny hyslop
  Kenny Hyslop is a Scottish drummer who played with different projects and bands who were varied in different styles, such as glam rock, 1970s teenybop, soft rock, punk, new wave, new romantic, blues and modern electronica.-Biography:Hyslop attended Hermitage School.He joined the band Salvation...
  
  : drums, percussion