Make no mistake about Steve Cooke; he’s a studio wizard, or wizzard. We met up again, a mere 30 years after making the Stereotypes single and we decided we were unsatisfied.

“What, with the universe?”

No, with the original recordings of some of the Stereotypes 1970s output. So, went into Art Theft Studios in London, a lot like the Tardis, and tried to re-record a few to get them sounding how we’d always wanted them to sound; when we only had a tin can and weasels….and adding new songs.

Yes, he had bits of felt in his scrap book and I had aubergines that needed a middle or an ending.

I must say that I was very pleased with the finished product, even though I’m not supposed to say that myself.

Y’see, back in 1979, when we were playing Dirty Water and Rave On! I’d always imagined our LP would sound like Midnight does. It sounds like a real LP; a proper LP and, even if the production is not your cup of tea, being quite heterogeneous, I think the songs stand up: The Old Grey Whistle Test.

It’s about songs. It always was. The songs have to stand up, by themselves; at the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of an era. And they do.

So….I’m a bit excited about this….because it’s one of the few things I’ve actually helped create that you can buy. Yes, you can buy it! Links below, Chocks away! Chocs away! So, judge for yourself.

However, I have to add this time that I’ve been a bit stingy and only added one track here just to give you an idea of the sound. I can’t put the whole album up ‘for free’ as they now say.

Steve worked very hard on this, so he does deserve some credit. I get bored with production after precisely eleven minutes; I just want to play guitar and do the vocals; I’m the kind of guy who would tell George Martin to splice together the first half of the song in the higher key, to the second half in the lower key,

“No problem, George! Just get on with it!”

Steve has the patience to produce this stuff and put it out.

So, there are recordings out there all over the place, there were singles available, taken form the album – see pics below. I’m not sure where all of it is, in the ether, either, but perhaps start with Amazon, iTunes and Spotify, if you’re interested.

And then came…..Monday at the Pleasure Beach…..