Sham 69 - I Don't Wanna

I know many people have debated whether Sham 69 were Punk or Oi, but I can tell you in the beginning they were punk. Listen to these tracks and you will hear for yourself. The fact that an eventual mass skinhead following allowed them to be rebranded to Oi, and their later material could nearly be classed as pop (some of the cheesy songs like “Hurry up Harry”). It was too dangerous to go and see Sham 69 once the skinheads took over, I remember going to see them in Kingston after about 6 songs in, we had to run for our lives (about 30 chasing 2 – not to good odds in my books)

Their first single was a 12” released on Step Forward. For me this was another punk classic, and personally I couldn’t care how they were classified. I Don't Wanne is 1.40 long and still makes me wanna jump around and protest about working, etc. Red London is a mighty 1.50 long, this is the average one for me, and then the excellent Ulster. The cover is incorrect as side 1 is "I Don't Wanna" and "Red London" and "Ulster" is on the b-side.

If anyone has time and knows how to, they can go and up date Wikipedia as they do not show the original Sham line-up with Albie Maskell on Bass (see back cover).

Band: Sham 69
Label: Step Forward
Year: 1977
Tracks:
1. I Don't Wanna
2. Red London
3. Ulster

So ripped from glorious scratched vinyl:


If you like this then go and buy there excellent first album. I wouldn’t bother with any of the others, although if you do want to get a few more of their singles then the singles collection isn’t bad, although you will have to put up with a few a of their very commercial hits:

Tell Us the Truth: Remastered

Sham 69 - Hurry Up Harry!

This was Sham 69's sixth single and third to break into the national top twenty (this one at #10) and ironically when re-released as the England Football theme song as 'Hurry Up England' it also reached #10 again. However, I'm not posting this because of 'Hurry Up Harry', which in my opinion wasn't Sham 69 at their best, but the other side 'No Entry'.

This single was a double a-side but not that many people were aware of the alternative a-side 'No Entry'. Which in my opinion is a true punk classic is based upon when Sham 69 planned to play in the US, but when they applied for a visa, Jimmy Pursey was rejected as he had a previous conviction for possession of dope. The lyrics still make me smile today:

"They wanted us to go to New York Shitty" "But the man at the embassy said oooh what a pity" "With all the things you done in the past" "Never mind son, carry on smoking the grass"
"They didn't want us in the USA" "We didn't wanna to go there anyway" "They don't want us in the US of A"

and the excellent:

"The press all started to ring" "asking whats happening" "mama said I don't know" "but I said they wont let us go" "We don't care what you think of us" "This is where we live" "Stick America up your arse"

It's a shame they did want to go really (and they did in the end) but who can blame them. You can also see on the back cover they have given thanks to their local pub, The Waterman's Arms in Hersham and sarcastically to the American Embassy for their lack of support. Excellent.

Band: Sham 69
Label: Polydor
Year: 1978
Tracks:
1. Hurry Up Harry!
2. No Entry

Ripped from glorious scratched vinyl:


If you like this, then buy this, both these tracks are on it, plus all of their best singles, and a few more tracks, at £3 you can't go wrong. Buy it now:

Cockney Cowboys: the Very Best of Sham 69

Sham 69 / The Members Radio 1 In Concert

This ones for Gobshyte (and Viacomclosemedown on youtube) over at the excellent Mondo De Muebles and also any of you Sham 69 purists/completists out there.

I know your all thinking, I've got this Sham 69 rip but this one is a personal rip which includes the last two songs of the Members gig and then the Kid Jensen intro and a little bit of extra banter from Jimmy Pursey at the beginning and also some extra cheering and Kid Jensen outro at the end (I did say it was for the completists).

The rip is not as good as the one that Gobshyte posted, so I'm sure someone may take the missing bits and add them to the better rip, and then hey we have the best of both worlds.

Anyway here it is, exactly as it was first played on the radio.

Band: Sham 69 & The Members
Album: Live at Radio 1 In Concert
Tracks:
The Members
1. Solitary Confinement
2. Chelsea Nightclub
Sham 69
3. Everybody's Innocent
4. Angels With Dirty Faces
5. Anyway Who Gives A Damn
6. That's Life
7. Tel Us The Truth
8. Borstal Breakout
9. Day Tripper
10. Questions and Answers
11. If The Kids Are United

Ripped from glorious FM and then glorious hissing tape (see comment for link)

If you like then buy Sham 69's debut and my favourite Sham album:

Tell Us the Truth
and why not get the Members equally brilliant:

At the Chelsea Nightclub