The Brilliant debut single 'Zip Nolan' by the 'Cult Figures', you can clearly hear a bit of the 'Swell Maps' sound here, and that's not surprising considering they are the backing band on this single. This one was donated from PaulSpizzles collection, so leave a big thanks to Paul in the comments.'Zip Nolan' was from the comic 'Lion' and as the lyrics say, he was a police highway patrol man. I love the cover for this, where they have used an Elvis Presley image and stuck Zip Nolan's head on top.
Zip Nolan is the standout track, but 'Playing with Toys' is a close second. The third track 'Zip Dub' is exactly what the title says, a dub version of the -a-side, and would again easily sit on a Swell Map's album.
A couple of etchings on the a-side there is "Spiney is Ace" and on the b-side "Hip To Mell Square".
Band: The Cult Figures
Label: Rough Trade
Year: 1979
Tracks
1. Zip Nolan
2. Playing With Toys
3. Zip Dub
Ripped from glorious scratched vinyl:
If you like this you can get a good digital copy plus a load of other tracks here:
MESSTHETICS #103 CD: 'D.I.Y.' and indie postpunk from the Midlands: 1978-1981 (part 1)
4 comments:
Zip Nolan, Highway Patrol Man....Great stuff Gary.
Cheers Nuzz, it is a classic, and deserves to be better known
OMFG! Zip Nolan! Highway Patrolman! I was beginning to think I had dreamt buying this as no-one I know had ever heard about it but as soon as I saw the pink cover my sanity returned: it did exist! With the single lost at somepoint in the last thirty years my brain had them filed under "Americans" (for obvious reasons) but with a little net digging I discovered they were practically Brummies! I gleaned this from their website (I know, its mad, they have a website and its all pink and cool like the single! www.cultfigures.co.uk) Whats more they were in the same art school class as the Swell Maps and Spizz of Spizz Energy fame (which weirdly I was just commenting on) was in the year above! I had no idea they did a second single (with backing vocals from the aforementioned Swell Maps no less) and I have just downloaded two tracks from it via their website and they are pretty damned cool as well...isnt the interweb wonderful!
ZIPNOLAN!HIGHWAYPATROLMAN!
Hi Whitepunksondope (again), yep this one is a real gem and you just cannot not singalong to it. Once you play it you find yourself walking around all day singing "Zip Nolan, Zip Nolan, Zip Nolan Highway Patrolman". Excellent.
Thamks for leaving a comment again.
Post a Comment