The Vibrators

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Tell me what you know about The Vibrators and their album 'Pure Mania'? I can't work out whether they're American (music) or English (vocals).

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Friday, 15 August 2003 20:15 (twenty-two years ago)

into the future w/you
they're brits.

― thomas de'aguirre (biteylove), Friday, 15 August 2003 20:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Jon Savage: "Bandwagon jumpers to be sure, but sometimes bandwagon jumpers have the most fun and have the best tunes."

Great, great record.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Friday, 15 August 2003 20:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Pat Collier, the bass player, went on to form the Boyfriends (hated power-poppers) and has since had a long career as a producer working with all sorts of post-punk and indie bands. He also used to own Alaska Studios (rehearsals and recording studio) in Waterloo. I remember going in there one afternoon to pick up my drums and Collier dragged me into his studio where he was working on a mix of something by the Soft Boys. He asked me what I thought (can't remember what was bugging him...might have been that the snare was too loud or something). Anyway I offered something completely unconstructive like 'err..sounds alright d'nnit??'

― David (David), Friday, 15 August 2003 21:02 (twenty-two years ago)

david, that anwser rules!

― chad (chad), Friday, 15 August 2003 21:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"Into the Future" and "Yeah yeah yeah" are fucking great.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 15 August 2003 22:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Somebody recently told me they'd never broken up, still play around the UK regularly. (?)

― Burr (Burr), Friday, 15 August 2003 22:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I like the record a lot. They sometimes remind me of The Cars *ducks*

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Friday, 15 August 2003 23:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Why duck? The Cars don't get nearly enough love.

― M Specktor (M Specktor), Friday, 15 August 2003 23:09 (twenty-two years ago)

The Vibrators are very definitely still going

They spilt up in 1980 after having recorded 2 classic albums (Pure Mania and V2) although there was another, essentially different band called The Vibrators with only drummer Eddie from the original line up for a couple of years. However they reformed with the original line up in 82 and have been together ever since.

There have been a number of line-up changes since then but Eddie and singer / guitarist / main songwriter Knox are still there. They're now a 3 piece with bassist Robbie Tart.

They released what I believe was their 14th studio album, Energise, last year and it's definitely one of their best.

http://www.thevibrators.com/

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Saturday, 16 August 2003 13:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Only have the first album -- and you can thank Mr. Eddy for that, it's in Stairway to Hell -- but damn it's good. I just love the way Knox has this strange semi-lecturing voice on "Keep it Clean."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 16 August 2003 13:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Pure Mania is among the classicest classics of all classics, IMHO. Tremendous high emergy, fun punk stuff. The above-mentioned songs do indeed rule, and 'baby baby baby' gets me off every time. who says you can't play air guitar and sing along when you're over 30?

― John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Saturday, 16 August 2003 16:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, I was gonna say something, but I forgot I was on the "Music" side of ILX.

― BurmaKitty (BurmaKitty), Saturday, 16 August 2003 17:48 (twenty-two years ago)

They have a track on one of the Punk & Disorderly compilations (it's III I think, the red one) called "Dragnet" which verily kicks a seriously elephantine quantity of posterior!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 16 August 2003 18:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Why are they (to people like me who don't really know our 1977) relatively obscure, given the quality of their tunes? Did they miss the first wave of punk or was it that they were more party oriented than political?

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Saturday, 16 August 2003 19:49 (twenty-two years ago)

They were just one of hundreds of bands who, despite their merits, didn't distinguish themselves in some otherwise very gimmicky way (like, say, having Dave Vanian dress like a vampire). There was also the debate about their "punk cred" (of a kind not dismillar to the one inspired by the Stranglers). Whatever, Pure Mania is great.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 16 August 2003 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Alex is pretty much OTM; plus there is an issue that they never had good management; have had 20 years of problems with CBS refusing to reissue the first 2 albums but demanding ridiculous sums to release the rights to them / licence tracks for comp.s etc.

Fwiw they were actually the 2nd UK punk band to release a single (after The Damned but before The Clash or Sex Pistols) and the 2nd to release an album (again after The Damned, but before The Clash or Sex Pistols).

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Sunday, 17 August 2003 15:05 (twenty-two years ago)

this thread sort of makes me REALLY want to reconsider my age-old anti-vibrator animus based on some year-zero judgment made when i wz an implacable teenage idiot ("not really punk" = "forever worthless")

― mark s (mark s), Sunday, 17 August 2003 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

had 20 years of problems with CBS refusing to reissue the first 2 albums

Er? I have a CD copy released by Columbia here in the States in the early nineties.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 17 August 2003 18:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Unfortunately most of their audience is still in the UK Ned - the only way we've been able to get the first two albums over here until about a year ago has been on rare and expensive imports (the most common form being a German comp of the first 2 albums called Yeah Yeah Yeah which misses a bunch of tracks out).

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 07:22 (twenty-two years ago)

what about the stuff with CHriss Spedding?

― plu, Monday, 18 August 2003 07:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Afaik they only did a couple of singles with Chris Spedding (one in their name and one in his with The Vibrators as his backing band) and both are frankly forgettable.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 08:00 (twenty-two years ago)

"not really punk"

This accusation's been thrown at The Vibrators a lot over the last 27 years and has always puzzled me - why are they not punk?

Because they had the temerity to be out and gigging before the 'Pistols? Because they failed to play along with the myth about not being able to play their instruments properly? Because they weren't part of the Pistols bitchy clique and refused to suck up to the elitist Bromley Contingent?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 08:01 (twenty-two years ago)

i assume i made this judgment bcz they were around beforehand and switched tracks, like the stranglers

anyway, hardly anyone made MY cut, stewart!! we once proved by science on ilm that the only thing that WAS punk was the first adverts single

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 18 August 2003 08:46 (twenty-two years ago)

but not the b-side obv

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 18 August 2003 08:51 (twenty-two years ago)

b-but I thought X-Ray Spex and Eater also passed the Sinker test!!

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 18 August 2003 09:04 (twenty-two years ago)

"we once proved by science on ilm that the only thing that WAS punk was the first adverts single"

Well it's patently obvious that I wasn't around at the time Mark, or I'd have been forced to point out that allowing Stiff to put a picture of Gaye on the cover of the single = sexist exploitation + selling out != punk!

So does this mean punk never existed at all and it was all a dream?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 09:09 (twenty-two years ago)

X-Ray Spex couldn't possibly be punk - they were far too technically proficient on their instruments!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 09:11 (twenty-two years ago)

btw Dr. C, were A Nation Mourns the band who used to cover "Beep Beep Love" by Gruppo Sportivo; or might that have been early '80's RUSU perennials Sheila Grant's Baby?!?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 09:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Have you heard the live at the Roxy (2nd XRS gig) material Stewart? They were terrible. And great. Possibly the greatest band ever.

It was Sheila Grant's Baby!!! Some of ANM were in SGB, but not me. They were almost as great as XRS! Did you see the gig where they got the REAL Damon Grant from Brookie up on stage (he was a mate of SGB/ANM keybd player Janet).

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 18 August 2003 09:19 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.musicstack.com/user/a2zrecords/a/42.jpg

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 18 August 2003 09:25 (twenty-two years ago)

"Have you heard the live at the Roxy (2nd XRS gig) material Stewart?"

No, 'fraid not.

"Did you see the gig where they got the REAL Damon Grant from Brookie up on stage"

I definitely remember him turning up at one of their gigs.... I also remember they used to start the set with a rendition of the Brookside theme that somehow managed to make it sound like an outtake from Empires And Dance!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 09:26 (twenty-two years ago)

But Mark, that was their second single!

http://www.bestiff.co.uk/images/buy013.gif

was their first one!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 09:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Anyway, we're supposed to talking about

http://images.jandr.com/lmusicimages/f30696p0pkv.jpg?CVT=JPEG

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 09:29 (twenty-two years ago)

haha when i wz looking for pic sleeves i realised my main (unconscious) reason for excluding the vibrators was that the singer was TOO TALL AND THIN to be punk

"gary gilmore's eyes" was what we proved was the only punk artefact, i forgot it wasn't their first single — anyway that GGE alternate sleeve just made me laugh, it's german and winningly over-enthusiastic i think

i also found some supercute band-shots of eater

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 18 August 2003 09:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Just to tie all this together, of course Ian Woodcock of Eater was in the 1981 Knox-less incarnation of The Vibrators!

I bumped into him at a Vibrators gig about 10 years ago and apparently he was living somewhere in the far east making a fortune from something to do with IT / telecomms.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 09:44 (twenty-two years ago)

"TOO TALL AND THIN to be punk" = where does this leave dr c :(

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 18 August 2003 09:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I also fail the 'was around beforehand' test - my first band 'Mercury Skull Damage' started in 1975 when I was 13. We switched from very bad pop-metal to very bad punk as the Vice Principles in 1976. No-one noticed the difference.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 18 August 2003 10:16 (twenty-two years ago)

"TOO TALL AND THIN to be punk" = where does this leave dr c :(

...let alone JJ Burnell, Sid Vicious, Paul Simonon and Joey Ramone?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 18 August 2003 10:52 (twenty-two years ago)

haha well none of them except sid ARE punk alex, so that's no problem really!!

(was sid so very tall? not in the knox-beanpole sense surely - only compared to the other pistols, who are all relatively small)

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 18 August 2003 11:01 (twenty-two years ago)

He was completely tall (Sid, I mean), and if you're suggesting that the Clash and the Ramones weren't Punk, well then you're just wrong (I'll let you slide on the Stranglers, as that's never really been settled).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 18 August 2003 11:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes well obv the Ramones aren't punk because they're American. The Clash I think *were* punk when K Levene was in the band.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 18 August 2003 11:52 (twenty-two years ago)

You're just winding me up.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 18 August 2003 11:58 (twenty-two years ago)

"was sid so very tall? not in the knox-beanpole sense surely - only compared to the other pistols, who are all relatively small)
"

Actually Knox has never struck me as being particularly tall - I'd guess 5'10" - 5'11".... although of course those cuban heels add another 3-4"!

Sid was well over 6'; as far as I can remember Glen and Steve are both about average height - it's only Paul who's weeny!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 12:02 (twenty-two years ago)

"You're just winding me up."

I'm amazed you should suggest such a thing Alex - after all, winding people up definitely != punk, obv.!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 12:03 (twenty-two years ago)

see i never saw any of these people live in the flesh cz i lived in the boonies!! all my guesswork is based on pictures

"PINK FLOYD ARE SHORT!!"

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 18 August 2003 12:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, AND they're punk!

Well, they were up until Syd left anyway.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 12:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Vibrators used to cover Interstellar Overdrive

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 18 August 2003 12:11 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

Thanks to the good Mr. Osborne I am currently listening to that second Vibrators album and it's just as damn good as the first one. Made me smile when I needed it, bless its heart. Hurrah!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 19 September 2003 01:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Glad you liked it Ned!

That's the first two down, now you've only got to get Guilty, Alaska 127, Fifth Amendment, Recharged, Meltdown, Vicious Circle, Volume 10, Hunting For You, Unpunked, French Lessons With Correction, Buzzin' and Energize; then you'll be able to start on the demos and live albums!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 19 September 2003 12:42 (twenty-two years ago)

The Vibrators have been added to my list.

Is the first album by The Adverts "Crossing the Red Sea.." pretty good?

― earlnash, Friday, 19 September 2003 13:05 (twenty-two years ago)

They are playing CBGB this Tuesday, Sept. 23rd.

Yummy flyer here: http://cbgb.com/images/iclub/vibrators_flyer.jpg

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Friday, 19 September 2003 13:10 (twenty-two years ago)

"Is the first album by The Adverts "Crossing the Red Sea.." pretty good?"

No, it's extremely good.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 19 September 2003 13:17 (twenty-two years ago)

The Vibrators are playing Sudsy Malones in Cinci sometime soon, as I saw the flyer when we played there a couple of Mondays back.

Stewart, what other records of early UK punk are worth checking, How about TV Personalities or The Stranglers? They are both bands I never got around to hearing.

― earlnash, Friday, 19 September 2003 13:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Blimey, tall order earlnash (not to mention it re-opening all sorts of cans of worms re: what was and what wasn't punk); however notwithstanding any arguments as to whether they're strictly "punk" or not, I'd say the following were all pretty much essential:

Adam & The Ants - Dirk Wears White Sox
Alternative TV - The Image Has Cracked
Buzzcocks - Spiral Scratch, Product
The Clash - The Clash, London Calling
The Cure - Three Imaginary Boys
The Damned - Damned Damned Damned, Machine Gun Etiquette
The Fall - Live At The Witch Trials, Dragnet
The Jam - In The City
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Magazine - Real Life
The Monochrome Set - Tomorow Will Be Too Long
Penetration - Don't Dictate
Public Image Ltd - First Edition, Metal Box
Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks
Siouxsie & The Banshees - The Scream, Once Upon A Time
The Slits - Peel Sessions, Cut
Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material
Ultravox! - The Island Years
Wire - Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, 154
X-Ray Spex - Germ Free Adolescence
XTC - White Music

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 19 September 2003 14:13 (twenty-two years ago)

.... I think that little lot should be controversial enough to keep a thread with the title "The Vibrators" active for a while!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 19 September 2003 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Haven't heard these, so thanks for the list to work upon.

Adam & The Ants - Dirk Wears White Sox
Alternative TV - The Image Has Cracked
The Monochrome Set - Tomorow Will Be Too Long*
Penetration - Don't Dictate*
The Slits - Peel Sessions, Cut
Siouxsie & The Banshees - The Scream, Once Upon A Time (may have heard some of this from an ex-girlfriend)
Ultravox! - The Island Years

― earlnash, Friday, 19 September 2003 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

*Don't think I have even heard of these two bands.

I'm not worried about a definition of punk, just curious about music in that general direction.

― earlnash, Friday, 19 September 2003 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I love all those albums earlnash, but Cut by The Slits is the definitely the best

Monochrome Set: started by 2 former members of a band called The B-Sides (who, according to legend, imploded after being supported by the Sex Pistols at a very early gig - the remaining members turned into Adam & The Ants). Not remotely like any sterotype of punk but very theatrical, mock-suave / pseudo-sophisticated and somewhat gentile / gentrified in a very English psychedelic kind of way (Dr. C has referred to them "a bunch of fops" but on this occasion I'm afraid the dear old Doc's diagnosos is way off the mark!).

Penetration: from Newcastle, formed in 1977 after seeing an early Sex Pistols gig, best known for debut single "Don't Dictate" but actually relased a string of great singles, one classic album, another average-ish one and a semi-official bootleg of outtakes, sessions and live stuff (the title I've recommended is a Best Of) after which singer Pauline Murray went off to pursue a solo career (although she and her partner / bassist Robert Blamire actually re-formed Penetration last year). Very powerful dramatic stuff with amazing vocals but may be too HM / musically proficient for those who like their punk minimalist and neanderthal (their guitarist Fred Purser went on to join Tygers Of Pan Tang!).

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 19 September 2003 15:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Penetration were fantastic. 'Race Against Time' bootleg is the biz, especially the live side.

**somewhat gentile**

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lots of Monochrome Set verges on that hateful faux english whimsy nonsense that was almost in fashion for one wretched month in about 1987. You know - Mike Alway, el, King of Luxembourg etc. In fact they may have been resposible for it.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Friday, 19 September 2003 15:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Not quite. I think the Sex Pistols supported Bazooka Joe which was a band that included Stuart Goddard (Adam Ant). I've read interviews with Adam where he said that Bazooka Joe fell apart after that gig. The B-Sides were formed by Adam, Bid and Andrew Warren (and possibly Lester Square..I can't remember). Warren stuck with Adam after Bid left to form the Monochrome Set but when the original Adam & the Ants folded around 1980 he then joined the Monochrome Set.

― David (David), Saturday, 20 September 2003 17:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Never liked Pure Mania... though it's been years since I've heard it. There is a Vibrators song that goes something like "judy said she she's gonna knock you in the head" that's ok. I have it an old CBS new wave/punk comp called Permanent Wave.

The old school English punk (though probably straddling the punk/not punk fence) records I reach for the most are The Only Ones Peel Sessions and the Rezillos Can't Stand the Rezillos. One dark, one silly, both super tuneful.

Are the Revillos as good as the Rezillos? I've been meaning to find the Revillos records for years, but have never gotten around to it.

― Hildy, Saturday, 20 September 2003 20:02 (twenty-two years ago)

"**somewhat gentile**"
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

LOL! Of course I actually meant to say genteel or possibly gentrified (although of course the derivation of all three words is actually the same): Bid could hardly be described as a WASP!

David is absolutely correct, I was confusing Bazooka Joe with the B-Sides.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 22 September 2003 02:07 (twenty-two years ago)

four months pass...

From this thread, I have picked up these cds and have enjoyed them all.

Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material (This record is much better than remembered.)
The Stranglers - Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers - No More Heroes

(From a similar thread, I got this one and it is kind of related.)
New Model Army - No Rest for the Wicked

The bass playing on The Stranglers and New Model Army records is great.

I've just ordered this one:

The Adverts - Crossing the Red Sea

Thanks for the suggestions. The Vibrators and The Slits are probably next to check out.

What about 999? Are they any good?

― earlnash, Monday, 16 February 2004 00:43 (twenty-two years ago)

999 are (yes, they are still gigging occasionally!) OK but really not in the same league as most of the other stuff we're talking about here.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 16 February 2004 10:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I still love Concrete by 999.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 16 February 2004 14:48 (twenty-two years ago)

It is an under-documented fact that The Vibrators "We Vibrate" was actually the first ever UK punk single - it came out a week (or two?) before The Damned "New Rose".

(That's "punk" as in "they played that 2-day 100 club festival, so you kind of have to count them in, really.")

(That's "first ever" as in "doesn't actually make it any good, though".)

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Monday, 16 February 2004 15:19 (twenty-two years ago)

"New Rose" was released 22/10/76; "We Vibrate" didn't come out until the November.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I saw the Vibrators on Canadian Thanksgiving, 1992. I was 15 and me and my friends were so excited about seeing REAL PUNKS!

― My Huckleberry Friend (Horace Mann), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:12 (twenty-two years ago)

*googles*

*gulps*

*googles again*

Bugger! The assumption of over half a lifetime, shattered!

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Monday, 16 February 2004 17:42 (twenty-two years ago)

four years pass...

Anyone know what the deal is with the 2008 edition of Pure Mania via Sbme Special MKTS? It's three times cheaper than the 2004 Captain Oi! version, but the description on Amazon is the same as the 19-track Captain Oi edition. It's unclear whether it's the tracklisting and mastering.

― Fastnbulbous, Sunday, 9 November 2008 18:31 (seventeen years ago)

the same tracklisting...

― Fastnbulbous, Sunday, 9 November 2008 18:32 (seventeen years ago)

I would be pretty certain that the Sony version is the 15-track original.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Sunday, 9 November 2008 22:43 (seventeen years ago)

seven months pass...

Anyone been to a Vibrators gig recently? Should I go and see them?

― everything, Friday, 19 June 2009 19:09 (sixteen years ago)

nine months pass...

they just played 'Baby, Baby' on the radio. what a tune! guess i need to find Pure Mania. and i should finally get round to checking out Stiff Little Fingers while I'm at it.

― gnarly sceptre, Sunday, 21 March 2010 10:37 (fifteen years ago)

eight months pass...

Hey wow these guys are great and I missed out until now. The dumb punk w/a little pub rock thing is kicking my ass these days.

― 4 out of 5 Fenriz agree. (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Monday, 29 November 2010 12:18 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

lol My friend was really excited to find out they're playing in Gainesville FL. I was the killjoy who pointed out the only remaining original member is the drummer. He's a good drummer, but c'mon.

― Johnny Fever, Monday, 8 October 2012 20:24 (thirteen years ago)

Cleopatra actually did a Good Thing and put out the pre-Vibrators Despair stuff. Lo-fi Velvets/Modern Lovers and some pub rock stuff.

― I am a witch man, I am a Manwich (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Tuesday, 9 October 2012 06:13 (thirteen years ago)

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