V2 (album)
Encyclopedia
V2 is the second studio album by the punk
band the Vibrators
, released in 1978 on Epic Records
.
. The single "Automatic Lover", taken from the album, was the only Vibrators’ single to reach the UK Top 40
where it reached No. 33. It earned the band a TV appearance on the prime-time TV show Top of the Pops
.
were combined to form the American album Batteries Included, released by CBS Records
in 1980. It was packaged together with Pure Mania by Track Records in 2002, and has recently been re-issued by Captain Oi! Records
with bonus tracks "Judy Says (Knock You in the Head)" and "Pushing Too Hard".
Scottish
punk rock
band The Exploited
covered the track "Troops of Tomorrow" and used it as the title track for their 2nd album
.
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 the Vibrators
The Vibrators
- Early career:The Vibrators were founded by Ian 'Knox' Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice at the 100 Club when they backed Chris Spedding in 1976. On Spedding's recommendation, Mickie Most signed them to his...
, released in 1978 on Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
.
Chart Success
It was their most successful album, reaching No. 33 in the UK Albums ChartUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. The single "Automatic Lover", taken from the album, was the only Vibrators’ single to reach the UK Top 40
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
where it reached No. 33. It earned the band a TV appearance on the prime-time TV show Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
.
Reissues
Some of the songs from this album and the previous album Pure ManiaPure Mania
Trouser Press writer Ira Robbins described the album as a "treasure trove of memorable ditties". Allmusic's Mark Deming said the album "isn't purist's punk, but it's pure rock & roll, and there's nothing wrong with that." In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau...
were combined to form the American album Batteries Included, released by CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
in 1980. It was packaged together with Pure Mania by Track Records in 2002, and has recently been re-issued by Captain Oi! Records
Captain Oi! Records
Captain Oi! is a punk rock and Oi! record label based in High Wycombe, England. The company has released over 300 albums by many notable punk and Oi! bands of the late 1970s and 1980s. The label was set up by Mark Brennan, former bassist of The Business, who had previously co-run Link Records and...
with bonus tracks "Judy Says (Knock You in the Head)" and "Pushing Too Hard".
Reception
- "V2 shows the Vibrators taking the driving energy of punk and applying it to songs that have a subtle, pop-like quality; while it does not have the wonderfully brash and itchy cohesiveness of Pure Mania, it's a solid album well worth hearing." (David Cleary, Allmusic)
- "V2 is a letdown, the energy dissipated with nothing but the cheap thrills of secondhand kinkiness to compensate." (Dave Marsh, Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
) - "While some of the material is not that different from the debut LP, V2 is pretentious and overblown, following too many different cul-de-sacs to hang together." (Ira Robbins, Trouser PressTrouser PressTrouser Press was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow Who fan Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" ...
)
Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
punk rock
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 The Exploited
The Exploited
The Exploited are a Scottish punk band from the second wave of UK punk, formed in 1979. Originally a street punk band, they transformed into a faster hardcore punk band with a heavy political influence. From about 1987 on they changed into a crossover thrash band...
covered the track "Troops of Tomorrow" and used it as the title track for their 2nd album
Troops of Tomorrow
Troops of Tomorrow is the second album by the punk rock band The Exploited, released in 1982 through Secret Records. A medley of "War", "Disorder" and "UK 82", covered by Slayer and Ice T is featured in the soundtrack for Judgment Night ...
.
Side one
- "Pure Mania" 3:00
- "Automatic Lover" 3:04
- "Flying Duck Theory" 2:58
- "Public Enemy No. 1" 2:07
- "Destroy" 2:16
- "Nazi Baby" 4:19
Side two
- "Wake Up" 1:57
- "Sulphate" 1:43
- "24 Hour People" 2:52
- "Fall In Love" 4:31
- "Feel Alright" 1:51
- "War Zone" 2:17
- "Troops Of Tomorrow" 5:39
Personnel
- KnoxKnox (musician)Knox also known as I.M. Carnarchan is a British musician and founding member of the seminal punk band The Vibrators.-Early life:...
- guitar, keyboards, vocals - John EllisJohn Ellis (guitarist)John Ellis is an English guitarist and songwriter.-Career:He was a co-founder of the pub rock band Bazooka Joe in 1970 and a founding member of the punk rock band The Vibrators. Ellis formed The Vibrators in 1974 while still at art school studying illustration. The Vibrators released two albums...
- guitar, keyboards, vocals - Gary TibbsGary TibbsGary Tibbs is a bass guitarist and actor, who appeared in the film Breaking Glass, alongside Hazel O'Connor....
- bass, vocals - John "Eddie" Edwards - drums