music

i can’t remember why i wanted to listen to the tubes. i may have read about them in ‘sounds’ or ‘the melody maker’, i may have even heard them on nicky horne’s ‘your mother wouldn’t like it’.
i am pretty certain that the first tubes album i bought was the double live album ‘what do you want from live’ (and i have always had a soft spot for double live albums). i even went to see them on the tour that promoted the live album. if memory serves it was one of my first ‘big’ gigs and i thought i was badly dressed for the occasion (a safari jacket that would not have looked out of place in the wardrobe of the campier roger moore james bond movies, and the previously mentioned manhattan transfer tie. i didn’t look out of place. much).
the tubes provided me a great night of entertainment. the music and visuals combining into the musical theatre that became the hallmark of the tubes stage show. though they were known for the humour in their music, they were also excellent musicians who composed catchy and tuneful songs.
in terms of creativity they had a good innings, now most tubes releases are either live albums or yet another collection. i was lucky enough to have seen them at their peak and to have listened to them when they were growing as performers and creators.
if you have never heard them – then you are in for a treat.

perhaps the song that is most linked to the tubes is the epic 'white punks on dope', this excerpt if from the bbc's much lamented (well by me) 'old grey whistle test'. it is faded out before the end, which is a shame as bill spooner is about to go into his solo.
things to note: fee waybill in his guise of quay lewd topples from his platform boots, a few years later fee would fall from the stage and break his leg. this was annoying for me as it meant the gig i was supposed to attend later in the tour had to be cancelled. check out the monitors on stage - later the tubes will have their biggest commercial hit with the 'remote control' album which was all about the all-emcompassing effect of television (and it was a good lp to boot).



the second track is from the last great lp of the tubes career, outside inside, and is a homage to cheesey exploitation movies. it starts off with a certain lack of professionalism but it does rock.