The Alarm pulls a fast one!

[BERIGAN]

Wonder if a few old Jazz men and woman should reinvent themselves as some new Young Lions?????

POPPYFIELDS RAISE THE ALARM

Welsh rockers The Alarm have pulled off an amazing chart comeback by entering the top 40 for the first time since 1990 with their new single '45RPM'. However, The Alarm, who can lay claim to 14 Top 50 singles, and album sales of over 5 million worldwide, took the unusual step of releasing their new hit single as The Poppyfields. Many might have considered the move to be commercial suicide, but the reason behind the decision to release the '45RPM' single under a pseudonym came about while the band were recording demos for the band's forthcoming new album, titled 'In The Poppyfields'. The Alarm's lead singer, Mike Peters, explains, "We thought we'd send the demo for '45RPM' to a few radio stations, but made out it was a new band so we could get some honest feedback. The reaction was so good that were blown away! However, we were sure the reaction wouldn't have been so positive if they knew it was The Alarm. We noticed that a lot of bands suffered when they attempt comebacks because people generally don't believe they can ever be as good as they once were. We wanted to make sure that we are judged purely on the strength of the music, and not by our old hairstyles!" With '45RPM' entering the Top 40 on Sunday, Mike has decided to come clean, "We've proved a point to ourselves more than anything, and in doing so we're back in the charts. It's amazing really and I'd really like to thank all the people who have supported '45RPM' at radio and press across the country, and all the people who have bought it. " The Alarm will release another single - this time as The Alarm - and will play more live dates across the UK before releasing a new album, 'In The Poppyfields', in April on the Snapper Music label.

Press release posted on 13/02/04

http://www.angloplugging.co.uk/viewPressRe...ssReleaseID=699

[ghost of miles]

Damn, I'm gettin' old... I remember when "The Stand" came out. C'mon down, and meet your maker... etc. Omagod, it's so 1983! B)

Pretty interesting story, Berigan. I'm always intrigued by established artists and authors who put out product under another name... This item really shows the prejudice of the music-biz powers-that-be.

[Chrome]

Those were the days ... how 'bout: "I don't know why, I don't understand, how you sold me down the river!"

[DrJ]

Must admit I could never stand The Alarm the first time around, though can't comment on this recent development since I haven't heard it. They made my teeth ache - always struck me as having all the pseudo-political pretentions of U2, but without any of U2's gift for anthemic pop craft.

[Alexander]

They opened for Dylan one time in the late 80s when I went to see him in Saratoga. It was a HORRIBLE set (Dylan wasn't too great either, come to that). The thing I thought was interesting was that there were a BUNCH of people who had bought tickets JUST TO SEE THE ALARM. These folks all left after the opening set, and were replaced by OTHER people who had come to see Dylan. I made it a point to miss opening acts in general after that experience (although I do regret missing Laura Nyro before she died).

[ghost of miles]

Must admit I could never stand The Alarm the first time around, though can't comment on this recent development since I haven't heard it. They made my teeth ache - always struck me as having all the pseudo-political pretentions of U2, but without any of U2's gift for anthemic pop craft.

A lot of people also thought that they were a Clash ripoff--or a Clash/U2 hybrid ripoff. And there's some truth to that, I think. I liked first EP and DECLARATION but dropped 'em after that, partly for the reasons of which you speak.

[medjuck]

I saw them at the Palace in LA. All I remember is their haircuts.

[scottb]

Did anyone else see them on VH1s Bands Reunited?

It's a pretty interesting show where they try to to reunite old bands with mixed results. Although I wasn't a big fan of any of the bands featured, it is interesting to see these guys come back together and interact after years of not seeing or even talking to each other in some cases.

I guess the Alarm enjoyed their reunion and decided to make a go of it. Good for them.

[ghost of miles]

Anybody around here a fan of the English Beat? I liked them quite a lot, as well as the first album that Dan Wakeling and Ranking Roger put out as General Public... actually saw General Public on that tour when I was a freshman in college. Quite a dancin' concert! Also caught the Psychedelic Furs around the same time on the MIRROR MOVES tour. Some really good bands used to come through here, but these days it's all programmed for the older crowd. Last semester we had Art Garfunkel. I mean, I like S & G and all, but I'm thinkin', man, if I were an undergrad, who cares?

Of course, I'm getting close to becoming part of the "older crowd" myself!

[kulu se mama]

i did see the vh1 bands reunited. that was a pretty good show.

it's interesting, you could tell that the less you meant in the band heirarchy, the easier it was to move on with your life.

the bass player is making a good living being a photographer, and he seems to be rather well adjusted.

the lead singer and the guitar player seem to have never gotten over the fact that they were no longer in a band.

[Chrome]

I saw the one where they tried to get Squeeze back together ... it is pretty fascinating stuff.

... and I still bring out "Special Beat Service" every now and then!

[scottb]

Some of the band members from various groups on BANDS REUNITED claimed they hadn't played in years and even one drummer stated he didn't own a drum set.

I suspect this is a general disclaimer about their current abilities and is not to be taken literally. I think it would be very odd for a musician of that level to walk away from his instrument just because his band broke up.

I had heard similar claims about George Harrison before his comeback in the late eighties and found it hard to believe. I miss playing guitar when I can't find the time and I SUCK.

[DrJ]

I remember The Alarm being compared to the Clash, but never really heard that at all - I guess the vocals were a bit Joe Strummer-ish, but I always heard them as more in the Big Country/early U2/Waterboys camp, the "big sound," heart on the sleeve crowd from the UK. Obviously all these bands had their own sound and were far superior to The Alarm, mind you, but I tend to view them as operating within similar territory.

In another bag altogether: oh yeah, SPECIAL BEAT SERVICE is a fine album, all the English Beat's (few) albums were really good. General Public was all good fun but I was always deeply disappointed at how much of a comedown that gig was after the Beat.

Probably my favorite, oddly enough, is still WHA'PPEN? - probably their most maligned. The first one is of course a party classic, hard to beat in that regard but not necessarily what I sit and listen to these days. SPECIAL BEAT SERVICE has probably their best tunes but also quite a bit of filler. WHA'PPEN? just has a weird, other-worldly vibe, more of a reggae than ska feeling, and I think Wakeling's lyrics are remarkably rich within the confines of 2-3 minute pop tunes. It was also the Beat album that was the least overplayed/overexposed on the college stations, so it still sounds fresh to me.

David, I also saw the Furs on the MIRROR MOVES tour, at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. That was an excellent show...by that point their albums were becoming overproduced in the worst 80's pop way, but the songs were still quite strong and they had a lot more room to breathe (and a great deal more intensity) in a live setting. Butler was quite a front man. Excellent band, particularly their first three albums.

[ghost of miles]

David, I also saw the Furs on the MIRROR MOVES tour, at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. That was an excellent show...by that point their albums were becoming overproduced in the worst 80's pop way, but the songs were still quite strong and they had a lot more room to breathe (and a great deal more intensity) in a live setting. Butler was quite a front man. Excellent band, particularly their first three albums.

My sentiments exactly! Butler was amazing--in fact, I remember feeling a bit jealous at how much my girlfriend ooed and ahhed about him afterwards. And the MIRROR MOVES songs came across quite well live, better than on the record, as you said. They opened with "India," which was just a killer anthem (the intro even more drawn out, I think, than it was on the original PSYCH FURS album) and ended with an extended "Forever Now"... "The Ghost in You" also received a longer treatment as well. That show remains one of my favorites from that era.