WELCOME TO LPCDREISSUES
First vinyl reissue of the recordings of Teenage
Filmstars, one of the early bands of maverick pop
artisan Ed Ball, also a member of 'O' Level, Television
Personalities and The Times.
Ed Ball has one of the most interesting careers to
come out of UK punk, spanning over three decades
under different names and as a solo artist, and touching
on pop, punk, new wave, psychedelia and anything else
in order to create pure pop art.
Munster Records presents, in a co-release with Discos Alehop!, the three official
singles of the British band Teenage Film Stars reissued on vinyl for the first time:
'(There's A) Cloud Over Liverpool' (Clockwork Records), 'The Odd Man Out'
(Wessex Records/Blueprint Records) and 'I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape'
(Fab Listening Records).
After self-releasing two records with his band 'O' Level, in 1979 Ed Ball continued
the path of 60s-influenced new wave pop already present in that band's 'The Malcolm
EP' (1978), now under the name Teenage Filmstars. In this new adventure he was
accompanied by his school friends Dan Treacy and Joe Foster (both members of
Television Personalities). With their help Ball released a first single in September 1
979 featuring two songs: the A side is taken by '(There's A) Cloud Over Liverpool'
(a tremendous chorus-song ) and the B side contained 'Sometimes Good Guys
Don't Follow Trends' (a comment on youth culture). The song '(There's A) Cloud
Over Liverpool' received support by John Peel and reached certain fame in the UK
and the United States, where it was interpreted as an homage to John Lennon.
June 1980 saw the release of their second single, titled 'The Odd Man Out', where
Teenage Filmstars offer as the lead track a catchy ska-pop number in the vein of
Madness. The other side featured 'I Apologise', a beautiful pop melody punctuated
by the kind of guitars characteristic of the revival mod bands of the time.
Their last single, from November 1980, included the track from their repertoire with
the biggest potential, 'I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape' (re-recorded in 1982 for
Ball's next project, The Times, again along with Dan Treacy), an homage to the actor
Patrick Joseph McGoohan, who worked in the late 1960s cult TV series 'The
Prisoner'. The single's other side features 'We're Not Sorry', a power pop nugget
which links them with bands such as The Jam and Merton Parkas (who were mocked
on one of the two sleeves of '(There's A) Cloud Over Liverpool').
This compilation also includes two tracks never released on vinyl until now which
were recorded in April 1979, in the style of 'O' Level: 'He's A Professional' (antimilitary
punk-pop) and the folk-punk anthem 'The John Peel March', dedicated to the
legendary BBC radio host and great supporter of new bands. This retrospective is
completed with a recording session dated in November 1980 which produced three
tracks ('Storybook Beginnings', 'Dressing Up For The Cameras' and 'The Sun Never
Sets') which further explore the power pop-mod sound that Ed Ball would develop
in his next band The Times.
Ed Ball's music career would continue into the 1980s and 90s in bands such as
Television Personalities (until 1985), The Times (until 1999) and many more projects,
including four albums as a solo artist.
Side 1
1. (THERE'S A) CLOUD OVER LIVERPOOL
2. SOMETIMES GOOD GUYS DON'T FOLLOW TRENDS
3. THE ODD MAN OUT
4. I APOLOGISE
5. I HELPED PATRICK MCGOOHAN ESCAPE
6. WE'RE NOT SORRY
Side 2
1. STORYBOOK BEGINNINGS
2. DRESSING UP FOR THE CAMERAS
3. THE SUN NEVER SETS
4. HE'S A PROFESSIONAL
5. THE JOHN PEEL MARCH
6. (THERE'S A) CLOUD OVER LIVERPOOL (Composite Mix)
