aeolianblues

Okay this is so cool! A friend yesterday showed me this new wave band from the late 70s and early 80s in Montreal, they’re called 39 Steps. They’d sent us this album, Slip Into The Crowd in the mid-80s.

The album cover, different from this one on Bandcamp, featured all five members, prettied up, hair done, a bit of eyeliner, sprawled out over the floor in various poses, immediately striking me as very Duran Duran-like. The decade was immediately placeable, only they were from Montreal, Canada and not from London or Birmingham. I’ll get a picture of that cover the next time I’m at the radio station.

Their song Slip Into The Crowd was an older song of theirs from the 70s, by singer Chris Barry’s old band called The 222s. 39 Steps had re-recorded Slip Into The Crowd, and the song was used in the Woody Allen film Hannah And Her Sisters, where the band themselves appear playing the song in CBGB in New York, very of its period!

I don't know what happened of the band, or rather when they split up and why, but it does seem like the band didn't quite expect the record to be remembered as it was, but even if for self-satisfaction and completion, Chris Barry had made his mind up to remaster the hastily recorded original, which he put up on Bandcamp in 2013.

The more I read about this band—and there isn't that much, the more interesting their story gets to me: after the 222s split up, Chris went to England and was in bands with former Sex Pistols, Generation X, Police members and others. Though things didn't quite work out with any of these bands, he was at the heart of this very UK late-70s, early 80s post punk music scene, in particular the one in London. The same scene that would throw up one half of the Blitz kids, the New Romantic scene, which makes the Duran Duran resemblance make more sense to me.

Chris Barry did return to Montreal, revive the 222s and they eventually became 39 Steps, but I wish I knew more about them!

In the absence of much besides a Discogs page and a page on a mirror site of Wikipedia (not actual Wikipedia), I guess there's only one thing to do, eh? I've got to ask around and track down Mr. Chris Barry and get him on the phone for an interview (if he still does those).

I FOUND HIM!!! Chris writes for Loose Lips in Montreal and I am going to reach out to him!

He's also got the 222s music up on Bandcamp!

The version used in the film takes from the single version, with a music video shot at the Montreal Spectrum in 1986.

I have to say, the song Faithless is my absolute song of the day. What a hypnotic melody. Detached, disaffected lyrics. It's like the underbelly of the sound of the 80s. I'm quite mesmerised.

The video too is so reminiscent of a certain time and style of the 80s. The hint at a mannequin at the start, all arty and calling back to say, Ultravox or even Visage's work. But on the other hand, grittier, darker. Interesting.

Okay this is so cool! A friend yesterday showed me this new wave band from the late 70s and early 80s in Montreal, they’re called 39 Steps. They’d sent us this album, Slip Into The Crowd in the mid-80s.

The album cover, different from this one on Bandcamp, featured all five members, prettied up, hair done, a bit of eyeliner, sprawled out over the floor in various poses, immediately striking me as very Duran Duran-like. The decade was immediately placeable, only they were from Montreal, Canada and not from London or Birmingham. I’ll get a picture of that cover the next time I’m at the radio station.

Their song Slip Into The Crowd was an older song of theirs from the 70s, by singer Chris Barry’s old band called The 222s. 39 Steps had re-recorded Slip Into The Crowd, and the song was used in the Woody Allen film Hannah And Her Sisters, where the band themselves appear playing the song in CBGB in New York, very of its period!

I don't know what happened of the band, or rather when they split up and why, but it does seem like the band didn't quite expect the record to be remembered as it was, but even if for self-satisfaction and completion, Chris Barry had made his mind up to remaster the hastily recorded original, which he put up on Bandcamp in 2013.

The more I read about this band—and there isn't that much, the more interesting their story gets to me: after the 222s split up, Chris went to England and was in bands with former Sex Pistols, Generation X, Police members and others. Though things didn't quite work out with any of these bands, he was at the heart of this very UK late-70s, early 80s post punk music scene, in particular the one in London. The same scene that would throw up one half of the Blitz kids, the New Romantic scene, which makes the Duran Duran resemblance make more sense to me.

Chris Barry did return to Montreal, revive the 222s and they eventually became 39 Steps, but I wish I knew more about them!

In the absence of much besides a Discogs page and a page on a mirror site of Wikipedia (not actual Wikipedia), I guess there's only one thing to do, eh? I've got to ask around and track down Mr. Chris Barry and get him on the phone for an interview (if he still does those).

I FOUND HIM!!! Chris writes for Loose Lips in Montreal and I am going to reach out to him!

He's also got the 222s music up on Bandcamp!

The version used in the film takes from the single version, with a music video shot at the Montreal Spectrum in 1986.

Okay this is so cool! A friend yesterday showed me this new wave band from the late 70s and early 80s in Montreal, they’re called 39 Steps. They’d sent us this album, Slip Into The Crowd in the mid-80s.

The album cover, different from this one on Bandcamp, featured all five members, prettied up, hair done, a bit of eyeliner, sprawled out over the floor in various poses, immediately striking me as very Duran Duran-like. The decade was immediately placeable, only they were from Montreal, Canada and not from London or Birmingham. I’ll get a picture of that cover the next time I’m at the radio station.

Their song Slip Into The Crowd was an older song of theirs from the 70s, by singer Chris Barry’s old band called The 222s. 39 Steps had re-recorded Slip Into The Crowd, and the song was used in the Woody Allen film Hannah And Her Sisters, where the band themselves appear playing the song in CBGB in New York, very of its period!

I don't know what happened of the band, or rather when they split up and why, but it does seem like the band didn't quite expect the record to be remembered as it was, but even if for self-satisfaction and completion, Chris Barry had made his mind up to remaster the hastily recorded original, which he put up on Bandcamp in 2013.

The more I read about this band—and there isn't that much, the more interesting their story gets to me: after the 222s split up, Chris went to England and was in bands with former Sex Pistols, Generation X, Police members and others. Though things didn't quite work out with any of these bands, he was at the heart of this very UK late-70s, early 80s post punk music scene, in particular the one in London. The same scene that would throw up one half of the Blitz kids, the New Romantic scene, which makes the Duran Duran resemblance make more sense to me.

Chris Barry did return to Montreal, revive the 222s and they eventually became 39 Steps, but I wish I knew more about them!

In the absence of much besides a Discogs page and a page on a mirror site of Wikipedia (not actual Wikipedia), I guess there's only one thing to do, eh? I've got to ask around and track down Mr. Chris Barry and get him on the phone for an interview (if he still does those).

I FOUND HIM!!! Chris writes for Loose Lips in Montreal and I am going to reach out to him!

my favourite story ever is at bob geldof’s wedding in 1986 tony hadley got so pissed that he fell onto a table that had bob geldof’s family members on it and simon le bon had to pick him up and tell him to get his shit together

my second favourite story ever is when tony hadley got pissed in italy and jumped on the hood of a moving car and dented it (it was a very expensive car) and the guy stopped and came out and pulled a gun on him

my third favourite story ever was when tony hadley got pissed in a hotel room with the rest of spandau ballet and he tried jumping from balcony to balcony like some kind of fucked up spiderman and they had to stop him

@rycerz-prawnik