Johnny Moped

Here's some rare pictures of Johnny Moped taken at Camden Town tube station for a Dutch music magazine first published in July 1978. And nope, that's not the infamous Brenda, but some interim girlfriend that looks like she could have saved his career...

Count Bishops reunion 2005

Ticket for the Ace 30th anniversary fest plus some fuzzy pics of Johnny Guitar and Dave Tice the 100 club.

More ads from the vaults

New releases

This month's releases from Ace Records include Whirlwind, Radio Stars, Leiber & Stoller, Millie Jacksoen and a great Country Rock anthology...

Early Ace ad

Rarities (1)

Rocky Sharpe & the Replays - Heart/Mary Won't You Marry Me?
(Dice 9, July 1982)
Despite a new pressing and distribution deal with PRT, the Chiswick label was on it's last legs by 1982. New signings like Jakko and Two Two failed to sell, while other releases seem to be pressed in such limited numbers that they were hardly available (the Minor Classics come to mind, anybody got a spare copy?). Meanwhile Rocky Sharpe & the Replays signed to RAK just when Chiswick was set to release their version of Rockpile's Heart, the disc was instantly withdrawn and according to an article in Record Collector (issue 196, Dec 1995) only around 100 copies of this are in circulation.

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Johnny Moped in Hamburg

Here's some pictures of Johnny Moped playing Hamburg in 1978...

And while diggin' around for some Mopeds related info, I came across this site, that mentions the possibility of more Johnny Moped archival releases.
Here's hopin'!

Update

Added another German picture sleeve

Whirlwind promo shot

Rock On calling card

Johnny Moped

"Johnny Moped is alive + well and living in the deapths of Croydon, with his wife. He did two gigs that I know of in the last 4 years, but it seems pretty certain he has quit the music scene for good - Dee Rock On."

This was the note I received after inquiring if Johnny Moped was available for production duties for my then band (January 1984).

Update

Updated the Dutch discography.

Radio Stars sheetmusic

Cassettes

Hip Pocket Disc series

(From the Ace Records website)

"This month we'’re pleased to announce the latest two releases in our new Hip Pocket inspired series. The Radio Stars "“Songs For Swinging Lovers"” and the classic Link Wray compilation "“Early Recordings"”.

The original Hip Pocket format ran from 1967-69 and included more than 60 titles. The records measuring just 3 7/8 inches were manufactured in either 33-1/3 or 45 rpm speeds and could be played on a standard turntable that did not auto-return the tone arm.

The format aimed at the "“music-loving young set,"” who want their music "“portable, low-priced and groovy"”, boasted a versatility ahead of it'’s time, enabling kids to carry up to 50 of the virtually indestructible, wafer thin releases at a time.

Ace'’s new CD based Hip Pocket series (measuring 4 7/8 inches) presents classic albums from the Ace vaults in replica LP packaging. These limited run replicas are selling fast so act quickly to ensure you maintain your complete set, the titles so far to gain the Hip Pocket treatment are:

Link Wray: Early Recordings CDCHM 6
Radio Stars: Songs For Swinging Lovers CDWIKM 5
The Radiators (From Space): TV Tube Heart CDWIKM 251
The Radiators: Ghostown CDWIKM 252
Count Bishops- Count Bishops CDWIKM 254
Bishops – Crosscuts CDWIKM 256

More titles will follow over the next few months. Please note these releases unfortunately still require laser pick up rather than tone arm and belt drive to perform. We're hopeful that the new format will encourage the people in hardware-land to develop a battery operated "single-play" style Hip Pocket CD player..no news as yet on this though".

*****

This is nothing new for the label of course, in 1978 Chiswick put out three 6" vinyl singles.


Bishops - I Want Candy/See That Woman
Catalogue number: NS 376 and 6 CHIS 101
I Want Candy was already pressed (also as 7" and 10" discs when Chiswick changed distribution to EMI. New catalogue numbers were needed and all copies were stickered with the CHIS 101 numbers...


Bishops - Train Train/Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White (plus excerpts from Don't Start Me Talking, I Want Candy and Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight)
Catalogue number: PROMO 4


Radio Stars - From A Rabbit/To A beast
Catalogue number: NS 36

Peel sessions

04/05/1976 - Count Bishops
* Takin' It Easy
* Confessin' The Blues
* Wang Dang Doodle
* Dust My Blues

17/05/1977 - Radio Stars
*Horrible Breath
*Dirty Pictures
*Dear Prudence
*No Russians In Russia

20/07/1977 - Count Bishops
*Til The End Of The Day
*Don't Start Me Talking
*Hands On The Wheel
*I Want Candy

19/10/1977 - Skrewdriver
*Street Fight
*Unbeliever
*The Only One
*Anti-Social

07/11/1977 - Radio Stars
* Good Personality
* The Beast Of Barnsley
* Don't Waste My Time
* Is It Really Necessary?

04/09/1978 - Radio Stars
* Boy Meets Girl
* Radio Stars
* Sex In Chains
* Sitting In The Rain

22/10/1979 - The Damned
*I Just Can't Be Happy
*Smash It Up
*Liar
*I'm So Bored

02/04/1980 - Whirlwind
* Oakie's In The Pokey
* Cruising Around
* Staying Out All Night
* Nervous Breakdown

06/10/1980 - The Damned
*Curtain Call Part 1
*Hit Or Miss
*Therapy

05/01/1981 - T.V. Smith's Explorers
*The Servant
*Walk Away
*The Last Words Of The Great Explorer

Hammersmith Gorillas acetate

(From Record Collector # 196, Dec 1995)

RC: The first Chiswick recordings never came out...
Roger Armstrong: They were done at (future Stiff supremo) Dave Robinson's studio above the Hop & Anchor. I've got tapes of them all. We thought we'd lost them. It actually sounds better now, the Hammersmith Gorillas thing. I's love to have the mastertapes to remix it, because I was producing and I wasn't very experienced, which didn't help matters.

German picture sleeves

Motorhead ads

Amazorblades ad

Sept '77 mailorder catalogue

Count Bishops ads for first album

Little Bob Story promo shot

Radio Stars video

Catch the Radio Stars' 'Marc' appearance on Youtube

Dutch discography

Being Dutch myself, I figured it's time to make a first attempt at a Dutch discography.
Some background details; from 1977 to '79 Chiswick licensed it's wares to Ariola Benelux after which RCA took over 'till about '82. From that point on the records were generally only available as imports, with probably the only exception bein' the 1991 re-issue of Driver's Seat (a number 1 hit!). O.K. here goes:

Ariola:

45s:
***11.631 Radio Stars - Dirty pictures/sail Away (1977)
***11.969 Whirlwind - Hang Loose (I've Gotta Rock)/Together Forever (1978)
***15.561 Radio Stars - From A Rabbit/The Beast No.2 (1978)
***15.832 Whirlwind - Don't Be Crazy/A thousand Stars
***100.229 Whirlwind - I Only Wish (That I've Been Told)/Ducktails (1979)
***100.371 Rocky Sharpe & the Replays - Rama Lama Ding Dong/When The Clips Are Downs (1979)
***100.672 Damned - Love Song/Noise Noise Noise, Suicide (1979)

(The booklet in the Chiswick Story CD mentions various Dutch only couplings, but the catalogue numbers mentioned don't match with those above...) Corrections and updates are welcome in the comment box...

***550101 Count Bishops - Count Bishops
***550102 Motorhead - Motorhead
***550103 unreleased
***550104 Radiators From Space - TV Tube Heart
***550105 Radio Stars - Songs For Swinging Lovers (with two extra tracks) LPs:
***550106 Little Bob Story - Off The Rails
***550107 Whirlwind - Blowing Up A Storm
***550108 Johnny Moped - Cycledelic (in gatefold sleeve)
***550109
***550011 Radio Stars - Holiday Album
***550200 Skrewdriver - All Skrewed Up
***550201 v/a - Submarine Tracks And Fool's Gold
***550203 Link Wray - Early Recordings
***550204 v/a - Long Shots, Dead Certs & Odds on Favourites
***550207 Bishops - Live

***200352 Radiators - Ghosttown
***200660 Bishops - Crosscuts

RCA:

45s:

***CHIS 3 Rocky Sharpe & the Replays - Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)/Hey! Hey! Good Lookin'
***CHIS 116 Damned - Smash It Up/Burglar (1979)
***CHIS 117 Sniff'n'the Tears - New Lines In Love/Rock'n'Roll Music (1978)
***CHIS 121 Rocky Sharpe & the Replays - Martian Hop/A Fool In Love With You
***CHIS 129 Sniff'n'the Tears - One Love/5 And Zero
***CHIS 134 Rocky Sharpe & the Replays - You're The One/Choo Choo Valentine
***CHIS 148 Sniff'n'the Tears - The Driving Beat/Roll Them Bones (1981)
***CHIS 152 Rocky Sharpe & the Replays - Come On Let's Go/Please Don't Say Goodbye (1981)
***CHIS 153 Sniff'n'the Tears - Hungry Eyes/Bagatelle

***PB 4569 Sniff'n'the Tears - Driver's Seat/Slide Away (1980) (released in two different sleeves)

***SNIFF 12 Sniff'n'the Tears - Driver's Seat (long version)/The Game's Up (12")

LPs:

***CWK 1611 Rocky Sharpe & the Replays - Come On Let's Go

***CWM 2001 Bishops - Live

***CWK 3002 Sniff'n'the Tears - Fickle Heart
***CWK 3003 Radiators - Ghosttown
***CWK 3007 Whirlwind - Blowing Up A Storm
***CWK 3008 Motorhead - Motorhead
***CWK 3010 Rocky Sharpe & the Replays - Rama Lama
***CWK 3011 Damned - Machine Gun Etiquette
***CWK 3012 Whirlwind - Midnight Blue
***CWK 3013 Rocky Sharpe & the Replays - Rock It To Mars
***CWK 3014 Sniff'n'the Tears - The Game's Up
***CWK 3015 Damned - The Black Album
***CWK 3016 Albania - Are You All Mine
***CWK 3017 Tommy Koklin - Time Chaser
***CWK 3018 Sniff'n'the Tears - Love Action
***CWK 3020 Sniff'n'the Tears - Ride Blue Divide

***CHISLP 750 v/a - Buy Chiswick Records

RCA also picked up the remaining stock of 550104, 550105, 550011 200352 and 200660 from Ariola, and stickered them "Marketed by RCA".

Obviously there's plenty more out there, and your additions are welcome in the comments box...

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