The Adverts – Safety In Numbers // We Who Wait (Anchor Records) 1977. The Adverts were one of the best of the original class of 77 UK punk rock bands. They could barely play their instruments yet they always managed to come up with these really unique riffs and chord progressions. Maybe that was because they couldn’t play? And they had something really special in TV Smith, their front-man and singer. TV wrote lyrics that were head and shoulders above most other punk rock lyrics. Sure, they dealt with teenage and post-teenage concerns like The Ramones or something, but TV’s wording was eloquent in a way that made him seem much older than he was. This 7inch was the third in a string of amazing releases from the band and it finds them in top form. Both sides are perfectly worded statements of intent. The A Side was on their classic first album Crossing The Red Sea, an album that everyone must own. This is my decree. The B Side was only available on the single back then and it’s a perfect example of what I’ve been talking about. “I have been dancing in the penny arcade among the symbols of my apathy” Can you dig that?
Hardcore Podcasts
September of 2010 I put together eight Hardcore Podcasts. You can check them out here if you are interested. For more insight into how I came up with the years 78-90 for the First Wave you can read about The Hardcore Superiorty Myth.
a 1977 classic we want more of this kind of stuff
excellent!!!! thanks so much!
We Who Wait…. best fucking song ever (well, close anyway). And I LOVE that breakdown (the penny arcade bit). How’s about ‘I Will Walk You Home’ as another bit of under-appreciated Adverts genius.
I saw TV Smith recently here in London. He’s still pissed off and a clever lyricist, but now he’s operating in the acoustic guitar singer-songwriter mould.
everything adverts is great (well, actually, there were one or two clunkers on Cast of Thousands, due to bad production really, there was plenty of majesty to go around!)
Peel Sessions was one of the first records i ever bought
One of the best too