Willard's Wormholes

Paying For The Summer Of Love (1978)
UK Power Pop Band’s 1978 Demos

In the late 70s, the short-lived UK power pop band The Records churned out meaty slices of harmonic pop that, for reasons unknown, just seemed to vanish amid the changing of the Punk/New Wave guards. Even Jude Cole’s recruitment in 1980-81 didn’t seem to help the band that arose from the ashes of beloved pubsters, The Kursaal Flyers. Too bad, too. As can be heard in these pre-debut demos, The Records’ appeal is clearly tangible on soon-to-be-ignored pop blueprints like “Starry Eyes” and “Teenarama.” Most of these high-quality, (nearly) live in the studio demos would be re-recorded and polished for their 1979 debut, Shades In Bed (a.k.a. The Records in the US), HERE. Most prefer these stripped, pure pop versions over the official album. Sadly, the group splintered in 1982, but these demos (which first surfaced in 1990) are textbook pop. The “Coca-Cola Jingle” is a re-working of the band’s own “Teenarama,” which name-checks the sugared water confection. This set has since been reissued (with a new cover). Amazon.

Teenarama
Up All Night
Wives and Mothers of Tomorrow
Girls That Don’t Exist
Held Up High
Coin Machine
Starry Eyes
All Messed Up and Ready to Go
Insomnia
Affection Rejected
The Phone
Hearts in Her Eyes
Coca-Cola Jingle
If I Write Your Number in My Book