Suburban Studs - Slam (Expanded Edition)

Suburban Studs initially got their start as Gnasher, a rock covers band led by vocalist Steve Burton.  When he left the band, they changed their name to the Zipper Kids and then Suburban Studs.  At first, they were more of a glam band, but shifted in a punk direction, largely influenced by supporting the Sex Pistols and The Clash in August of 1976 and then The Runaways a few months later in October.   With the band now consisting of vocalist Eddie “Zipps” Hunt, guitarist Keith Owen, bassist Paul Morton, drummer Steve Poole and saxophonist Steve “Heart” Harrington they signed to the new label Pogo Records and recorded their debut single “Questions” / “No Faith”, which was released in June 1977.  Harrington left the band a short while later, so they continued as a four-piece.  They remixed the single without the sax and turned up the guitar a little and re-released it in October 1977, boosted by a distribution deal Pogo got with WEA.  That connection got them a nationwide UK tour supporting AC/DC, which was followed by a John Peel session recorded in November 1977 and then the release of their sole album Slam in 1978.  While the album didn’t really sell much when it was first released, over the years it has become one of the more collectable punk albums.  It was initially reissued on CD in 1996 on Anagram Records, but now thanks to Captain Oi! it is available on CD again with a second disc of bonus tracks including the original single, demos for the second album (two that were previously unreleased) and the Peel Session, available on CD for the first time.  

When Slam was released, the reviews tended to be less than favorable, often saying they were by the numbers.  Yes, there are some weaker tracks, and the lyrics are at times lacking, but there is a lot more diversity among these seventeen tracks than they get credit for.  Having said that there is plenty of strong straight-ahead punk like “Suburban Studs”, “Questions”, an extremely catchy cut with a ripping guitar solo, “No Faith”, album highlight “I Hate School”, a blast of fast punk where all the pieces fit and “Raw” and “Rumble”, which both add a little harmonica to the mix.  They also do a great breakneck paced cover of The Who’s “My Generation”.  On the flipside there are also songs like “Necro”, which is dark and haunting but then every once has a reggae backbeat, “Razor Blades, a track reminiscent of The Heartbreakers, “Two Victims”, another absolute standout that is more of a classic rocker that at times strangely reminds me a little of Thin Lizzy (this is one song that I definitely wish had better lyrics) and “Panda Patrol”, again more of a rocker with a great galloping beat.

Kicking off disc two are the original single versions of “Questions” and “No Faith” and while it’s interesting to have them here the production is muddy and the sax definitely sounds out of place.  Next up is a live version of “I Hate School” that’s taken from the compilation LP Hope & Anchor Front Row Festival, which was recorded at the Hope & Anchor in the winter of 1977 and also contained contributions from artists like The Stranglers, Wilko Johnson Band, XTC, X-Ray Spex, The Saints and Dire Straits.  The aforementioned Peel Session feature “Suburban Studs”, “No Faith”, “Necro” and “I Hate School” and actually sound better than the album versions with crisper production and a spontaneous edginess.  Closing out the disc are ten demos recorded for a potential second album that was never finished.  From the sound of these tracks, they were shifting away from punk and moving back in more of a glam direction.  “Sniper”, “White Light”, “Hit And Run”, which is glammy, but with a punk edge and the more mod sounding “Forget About You” all show real potential.  Other cuts like “Supernatural”, “Sinkin’ Down” and “All That Jazz” have a T Rex vibe, and while the first is probably the strongest of these demos, the other two are a little too campy.  Slam is an interesting look back at the early days of punk and one of the unsung bands there early on.   

(Captain Oi!)