THE LEN BRIGHT COMBO WRECKLESS ERIC MILKSHAKES GARAGE

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THE LEN BRIGHT COMBO

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TRACKS ARE

YOU'RE GONNA SCREW MY HEAD OFF / SELINA THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD / YOUNG UPWARDLY MOBILE ... & STUPID / SOMEONE MUST'VE NAILED US TOGETHER / SOPHIE ( THE DREAM OF EDMUND HIRONDELLE BARNES ) / THE GOLDEN HOUR OF HARRY SECOMBE / LURELAND / SHIRT WITHOUT A HEART

Wreckless Eric gained notoriety as part of Stiff Records' highly eccentric roster of punk and new wave artists during the late '70s. With his whiny, slurred cockney voice, Eric couldn't carry a tune, but that didn't prevent him from being an enjoyable, if limited, rock & roller. With his early Stiff singles "Whole Wide World," "Semaphore Signals," and "Take the Cash (K.A.S.H.)," Eric bashed out a series of ragged, chaotic, three-chord punk-pop singles driven by his pent-up energy and a knack for melodic pop hooks. Wreckless Eric never had a big pop hit, but his engaging sense of humor and fondness for simple rock & roll helped make him a cult figure who continued to have a following into the '90s.

Born Eric Goulden in Newhaven, Sussex, England, Wreckless Eric became interested in music through the pub rock scene of the mid-'70s. Once punk emerged in the late '70s, he became attracted to its amateurish sense of freedom, and his music soon reflected his fascination with the music. Stiff Records signed him in 1977 and had Nick Lowe produce Eric's debut single, "Whole Wide World"/"Semaphore Singles." In addition to producing the record, Lowe played most of the instruments on the single. "Whole Wide World" received positive reviews and became a moderate hit in the punk underground, but what made Wreckless Eric infamous were his performances on the Live Stiffs package tours. On both of the Live Stiff tours, Eric earned headlines in the U.K. press for his ridiculous drunken antics, which occurred as frequently on-stage as they did behind the scenes. His 1978 eponymous debut had the same boozy sense of charm, but his second album, The Wonderful World of Wreckless Eric (1979), demonstrated a previously unknown musical versatility. However, the album didn't receive much attention after its release, primarily because Stiff was concentrating their efforts on Ian Dury and Madness, as well as a variety of half-baked marketing schemes. Wreckless Eric fashioned his third album, Big Smash, as a commercial breakthrough, but the record was poorly received and neglected by Stiff, prompting him to quit the music industry in the early '80s.

After spending several years in retirement, Wreckless Eric returned to music in 1985 with Captains of Industry, a group he formed with several former members of Ian Dury's Blockheads. The group released a record called A Roomful of Monkeys on Go! Discs before disbanding. The following year, Eric formed the Len Bright Combo with bassist Russ Wilkins and drummer Bruce Brand, who had both played with the Milkshakes. The Len Bright Combo released two albums in 1986 before disbanding. Shortly after the group's breakup, Eric moved to France, where he released Le Beat Group Electrique in 1989. By the early '80s, Wreckless Eric had developed a more subdued pop direction which was often compared to that of Jonathan Richman. Throughout the '90s, he released records and performed in France, occasionally venturing to England and other parts of Europe.

When his punk band, the Pop Rivets, broke up in 1980, Billy Childish formed a new group with Mickey Hampshire, a Pop Rivets roadie who had been performing in a group called Mickey and the Milkshakes. The two began writing songs together and released their first LP, Talkin' About, in 1981. With Childish on guitar and vocals, Hampshire on guitar and vocals, Bruce Brand on drums, and Russ Wilkins (later replaced by John Agnew) on bass, the Milkshakes sound was a primitive blend of British beat groups, like the early Kinks at their toughest, and hard-rocking American guitar instrumentalists, like Link Wray. This sound came to be known as the "Medway sound" and Childish has been playing a variation on it throughout his whole career. The Milkshakes were a very prolific group, recording nine records in their six years together. Childish and Hampshire split the lead vocal duties and the band was very much a blend of Childish's primitive songwriting and Hampshire's more melodic leanings. The group also masterminded and backed a Medway girl group, the Delmonas. The Milkshakes broke up in 1984 and Childish, Brand, and Agnew went on to form Thee Mighty Caesars where Childish's raw punk-blues could roam untainted by any semblance of professionalism.