The Lurkers

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Name = The Lurkers

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Img_capt = The picture cover of the "Lurkers"' July 1977 single: "Shadow"
Died =
Origin = Uxbridge, London, England
Instrument =
Genre = Punk rock Pop punk New Wave
Occupation =
Years_active = 1976 – 1979; 1982 – 1984; 1987 - 1994; 1996 - present
Label = Beggars Banquet Records Clay Records
Associated_acts = the Boys, 999
URL = [http://www.thelurkers.co.uk/ Lurkers official website]
Current_members = Arturo Bassick Dave Kemp Nellie
Past_members = Manic Esso (given name: Pete Hayes) Nigel Moore Pete Stride Howard Wall Mark Fincham Nigel Moore Pete Stride
Notable_instruments =

The Lurkers were a late 1970s English punk rock group from Uxbridge, West London,Larkin, Colin: "The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music", 1992, Guinness Publishing, ISBN 0-85112-579-4] notable for being the first group ever on Beggars Banquet Records.

Career

The Lurkers formed late in 1976, with Arturo Bassick on bass, Manic Esso on drums, Pete Stride on guitar, and Howard Wall on vocals. Despite not being the principal vocalist, Stride was the band’s main songwriter. The band were one of the pioneering punk bands that played live in the first few months of the now-legendary Roxy Club in London. They supported The Jam in February 1977, Eater in March, and Slaughter & The Dogs in April. [Thompson, D. (2000) "Punk", Collector’s Guide Publication, Ontario, Canada, p. 61-62]

The Lurkers recorded four sessions at Maida Vale 4 studio for John Peel at BBC Radio 1, on 18/10/1977, 18/04/1978, 25/07/1978, and 24/01/1979. Their debut single "Shadow", the first release on Beggars Banquet Records, was voted by John Peel as his twelfth best track of the year in 1977's "Festive Fifty". with "Love Story", the B-side, at number 31. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/sessions/ John Peel Sessions on BBC Radio 1] ] Bassick left the band after this first single, and was replaced by former Saints member Kym Bradshaw, who left before the recording of the third single, 1978's "Ain't Got a Clue"/"Ooh, Ooh I Love You". That single was their biggest hit, reaching No. 45 on the UK singles chart.

The following month, the band’s debut album, "Fulham Fallout", reached No. 57 on the UK albums chart. One reviewer described it as "by far their best with production that really makes the guitar kick. It's sloppy and amateurish, but that's what makes it so great." [ [http://www.hiljaiset.sci.fi/punknet/top100lp.htm Steve Gardner (1996) “Hiljaiset Levyt: 100 Best Punk LP's”] ] "Be My Prisoner", a song from the album, also appeared on "Streets", a 1977 compilation album of early UK punk bands from a variety of independent record labels. [ [http://www.trakmarx.com/2004_01/index.htm Johnny Normal, trakMARX, Issue 13] ] .

In January 1979, The Lurkers’ fifth single, "Just Thirteen", was released, and in 2001 it was included in "Mojo" magazine’s list of the best punk rock singles of all time. [Mojo (October 2001) - "100 Punk Scorchers ", Issue 95, London] A month after the release of this single, The Lurkers' track "I'm on Heat" appeared, alongside songs by more famous bands like The Jam and The Stranglers, on the punk compilation "20 of Another Kind" (Polydor, POLS 1006}. The album reached number 45 in the UK charts. Another of the band's tracks, "Out in the Dark", appeared on the follow-up "20 of Another Kind Volume 2".

The band’s second album was not as well received, critically or commercially, as their debut, and the band split for a few years. Pete Stride collaborated with ‘Honest’ John Plain (of English punk band the Boys) and released an album in January 1980. [ Joynson, V. (2001) "Up Yours! A Guide to UK Punk, New Wave & Early Post Punk", Borderline Productions, Wolverhampton, isbn=978-1899855131, p.216; ] In 1982, Stride re-formed the Lurkers. [ Strong, M.C. (2003) "The Great Indie Discography", Canongate, Edinburgh, p. 94; ] They signed for Stoke-on-Trent-based label Clay Records, for whom they released four singles and one album. The band broke up again in 1984. [ Thompson, D. (2000) "Punk", Collector’s Guide Publication, Ontario, Canada, p. 83; ]

In the years since, they have reunited with various members numerous times, and continue to record and perform to this day. [ [http://www.thelurkers.co.uk/news.htm News page on official website] ] Their legacy, however, is primarily based on their late 1970s output. "Shadow", "Ain't Got a Clue", and "Just Thirteen" in particular are cited by punk as classic examples of the style, and still show up from time to time on genre overview compilations. The current line-up is: Bassick (bass and vocals) who also plays for 999, Dave Kemp (guitar), and Nellie (drums), ex Hangups and Fiend. [ [http://www.thelurkers.co.uk/history.htm Band History on official website] ]

Reviews

* ‘Bouncy pub-punk that owed far more to a band like Eddie & The Hot Rods than to The Clash’. [ Joynson, V. (2001) "Up Yours! A Guide to UK Punk, New Wave & Early Post Punk", Borderline Productions, Wolverhampton, p. 215; ]

* ‘Unabashedly as indebted to The Ramones as the Pistols but boasting a mock-cockney swagger which was utterly unique’. [ Thompson, D. (2000) "Punk", Collector’s Guide Publication, Ontario, Canada, p. 82; ]

* ‘Relentless, uncompromising barrage of 100 mph raw punk rock, taking its lead from the Ramones but replacing the bubblegum factor with an aggressive edge more akin to Motörhead’. [ Strong, M.C. (2003) "The Great Indie Discography", Canongate, Edinburgh, p. 94; ]

* 'No pretensions, no hype, no frills and were nothing less than pure rock'n'roll. This is a band who deserve so much more respect than they get'. [ [http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/lurkerspunkrock.htm 'The Lurkers & Punk Rock' from www.punk77.co.uk: A history of UK Punk Rock from 1976-79] ; ]

* ‘London’s answer to the Ramones’. [ Buckley, J. & Ellingham (ed.) (1996) "Rock: The Rough Guide", Rough Guides, London, p. 528; ]

* ‘When the band is at its best (notably in their singles "Ain't Got a Clue," "I Don't Need to Tell Her," and "Shadow..."), the album is an astonishing accomplishment, a blur of high octane riffs and unforgettable hooks tumbling over one another without a care for manners or niceties’. [ Dave Thompson’s review of “Fulham Fallout”, Allmusic; ]

* ‘The Lurkers were not loved by the Punk Rock cognoscenti - that didn’t stop juvenile urchins like me latching on to their Ramones-esque brevity & celebrating for all it was worth. Their debut 7, Shadow (Beg 1) was one of the greatest Punk Rock sides in the relatively short history of the genre’. [ [http://www.trakmarx.com/museum/index.html Jean Encoule (March 2004) “A-Z Of Punk Rock”, trakMARX, Issue No.13] ; ]

* ‘Their records are very simple, basic, underproduced stuff that makes the Ramones sound like Queen. But they had a knack for really catchy, singalong choruses and they've got this amateurish charm that you just have to fall for eventually. I now rank these guys as among the greats’. [ [http://www.hiljaiset.sci.fi/punknet/top100si.htm Steve Gardner (1996) “Hiljaiset Levyt: 100 Best Punk singles”] ; ]

Discography

Albums

tudio albums

*"Fulham Fallout" (June 1978: Beggars Banquet, BEGA 2) # 57 UK Albums Chartcite book
first= David
last= Roberts
year= 2006
title= British Hit Singles & Albums
edition= 19th
publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
location= London
pages=
id= ISBN 1-904994-10-5]
*"God's Lonely Men" (April 1979: Beggars Banquet, BEGA 8)
*"This Dirty Town" (July 1982: Clay Records, CLAY 104)
*"Wild Times Again" (Feb. 1989: Weser)
*"King of the Mountain" (June 1989: Link)
*"Powerjive" (October 1990: Released Emotions)
*"Non-Stop Nitropop" (November 1994: Weser)

Compilations

*"Last Will and Testament - Greatest Hits" (November 1980)
*"Totally Lurkered" (Dojo, December 1992)
*"The Beggars Banquet Punk Singles" (Anagram, May 1997)
*"Take Me Back To Babylon" (Receiver, December 1997)

Live albums

*"Live And Loud" (Link, November 1989)
*"Live In Berlin" (Released Emotions, June 1992)

Appearances on various artist compilations (Selective)

Listing of those various artist compilation albums mentioned in the text of the main article:
*"Be My Prisoner" featured on the "Streets" compilation album (End of 1977: Beggars Banquet BEGA1)
*"I’m On Heat" featured on the "20 of Another Kind" compilation album (1979: Polydor Records POLX-1) UK #45 UK Albums Chartcite book
first= David
last= Roberts
year= 2006
title= British Hit Singles & Albums
edition= 19th
publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
location= London
pages=
id= ISBN 1-904994-10-5]

ingles

*Shadow / Love Story (July 1977: Beggars Banquet, BEG 1)
*Freak Show / Mass Media Believer (October 1977: Beggars Banquet, BEG 2)
*Ain't Got A Clue / Ooh Ooh I Love You (May 1978: Beggars Banquet, BEG 6) # 45 UK Singles Chartcite book
first= David
last= Roberts
year= 2006
title= British Hit Singles & Albums
edition= 19th
publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
location= London
pages=
id= ISBN 1-904994-10-5]
*I Don't Need To Tell Her / Pills (July 1978: Beggars Banquet, BEG 9) # 49
*Just Thirteen / Countdown (January 1979: Beggars Banquet, BEG 14) # 66
*"Out In The Dark E.P.": Cyanide / Suzie Is A Floozie / Cyanide (pub version) (May 1979: Beggars Banquet, BEG 19) # 72
*New Guitar In Town / Pick Me Up / Little Ol' Wine Drinker Me (November 1979: Beggars Banquet, BEG 28) # 72
*Shadow / Love Story / Freak Show / Mass Media Believer (1979: Beggars Banquet, BACK 1) double-7" pack
*I Don't Need To Tell Her / Pills / Just Thirteen / Countdown (1979: Beggars Banquet, BACK 3) double-7" pack
*This Dirty Town / Wolf At The Door (June 1982: Clay, CLAY 12)
*Drag You Out / Heroin (It's All Over) (November 1982: Clay, CLAY 17)
*Frankenstein Again / One Man's Meat... (February 1983: Clay)
*"Final Vinyl EP": Let's Dance Now (No Time To Be Strangers) / Midnight Hour / By The Heart / Frankenstein Again (March 1984: Clay)
*Let's Dance Now / Midnight Hour (May 1984: Clay, CLAY 32)

See also

* List of British punk bands
* List of musicians in the first wave of punk music
* List of Peel sessions

References

External links

*
* [http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/lurkers.htm The Lurkers] on www.punk77.co.uk
* [http://punkmodpop.free.fr/lurkers_pic.htm The Lurkers] on Punkmodpop