A few weeks back, the great Mike Innes posted a link on my
facebook page to a youtube clip featuring a couple of recordings by a Penzance-based
band from the early 1980s called Shazam. The songs were entitled “Let’s Get Together” &
“Memories”, and featured icy cold-wave futurist synths -a Roland Promars, an
Octave Kitten & a Roland TR 606, if you’re counting- and mannered post-punk/pre-goth
vocals. The two songs were issued on a 45 in 1983 on the band’s own ADSR label
(great name!), and - while clearly DIY recordings – were accomplished enough to
make me wonder why I’d not heard them at the time; I was a huge fan of Kraftwerk,
OMD & The Human League back then, and presumably lived within three miles
of the band. Accomplished enough also to get me digging, and soon enough I
found a copy of the single. More importantly, I found band vocalist Frankie
Abbott, who filled me in a little on Shazam.
The band consisted of Abbott on vocals, Steve Millard & John Mellor (both on synths), and were active from 1981-83, playing shows on the local circuit, mostly at Demezla’s & Kenegie Manor. It seems that they were pretty much working in isolation; there were a few post-punk bands still working in the area, but no other groups had made the leap to electronic music. The 45 was recorded in 1981 at John Knight’s studio near St Keverne; sadly the band couldn’t raise sufficient funds to press & distribute it until 1983, by which time their moment might have passed. 500 copies were pressed, of which 200 copies were sent to radio stations & record labels with the aim of attracting a major deal. Sadly it seems there was little response from either radio or potential labels, and, disappointed by the lack of reaction, the band split towards the end of 1983. What goes around comes around, and much to Frankie’s surprise, in 2016 he was approached by a German record label called Mannequin, who specialise in re-releases of minimal synth obscurities, and who subsequently reissued the single on 12”.
After the band split, Frankie continued working within the music biz, and is still an active singer-songwriter in west Cornwall. Many thanks to him, and to Mike Innes for making me aware of the single.
The band consisted of Abbott on vocals, Steve Millard & John Mellor (both on synths), and were active from 1981-83, playing shows on the local circuit, mostly at Demezla’s & Kenegie Manor. It seems that they were pretty much working in isolation; there were a few post-punk bands still working in the area, but no other groups had made the leap to electronic music. The 45 was recorded in 1981 at John Knight’s studio near St Keverne; sadly the band couldn’t raise sufficient funds to press & distribute it until 1983, by which time their moment might have passed. 500 copies were pressed, of which 200 copies were sent to radio stations & record labels with the aim of attracting a major deal. Sadly it seems there was little response from either radio or potential labels, and, disappointed by the lack of reaction, the band split towards the end of 1983. What goes around comes around, and much to Frankie’s surprise, in 2016 he was approached by a German record label called Mannequin, who specialise in re-releases of minimal synth obscurities, and who subsequently reissued the single on 12”.
After the band split, Frankie continued working within the music biz, and is still an active singer-songwriter in west Cornwall. Many thanks to him, and to Mike Innes for making me aware of the single.
Frankie can be found at www.frankieabbott.com.
Here’s the Shazam 45 www.youtube.com/watch?v=awcRkzVFpMQ
Here’s the Shazam 45 www.youtube.com/watch?v=awcRkzVFpMQ
