Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Cowboys International / Ken Lockie


8-4-09 Cowboys International / Ken Lockie


Cowboys International! Another entry into the British pop / new wave field in ’79.


7" AFTERMATH / FUTURE NOISE VIRGIN UK VS 253

1979 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

7" NOTHING DOING / MILLIONS VIRGIN UK VS 267

1979 3 TRKS with pic sleeve (+ flexidisc, “Many Times”)

LP ORIGINAL SIN, THE VIRGIN UK V 2136

1980 11 TRKS U.K. version, plastic outer sleeve

LP ORIGINAL SIN, THE VIRGIN US VA 13138

1979 11 TRKS U.S. version

7" THRASH / MANY TIMES (Revised) VIRGIN FR 2097 817

1979 2 TRKS with pic sleeve, clear vinyl

7" THRASH / MANY TIMES (Revised) VIRGIN UK VS 293

1979 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

7" TODAY TODAY / FIXATION VIRGIN UK VS 326

1980 2 TRKS with pic sleeve



Ken Lockie solo:


7" DANCE HOUSE / TENDERNESS OF FOOLS VIRGIN UK VS 408

1981 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

LP IMPOSSIBLE, THE VIRGIN DE 203.699

1981 10 TRKS

7" TODAY / TRAIN OF EVENTS VIRGIN UK VS 394

1981 2 TRKS with pic sleeve


I started buying this stuff right away, without hearing it or knowing who / what it was. It was enough for it to be on Virgin UK in ’79 (I was working at a record distributor, anyway). My favorite C. I. single at the time was “Thrash”, I put that on dozens of cassette compilations, back in the day! Their debut 45, “Aftermath” is also excellent – very ‘pop’ (and under 3 minutes long)! I recently played the “Nothing Doing” 45, too – really nice stuff!


They were “in the machine” – Virgin UK got their album released in the U.S., with a totally different cover (I know the Americans wouldn’t go for that plastic cover used for the UK LP). I believe the “selling point” in the U.S. was that Keith Levene of Public Image Ltd. guests on one song. I do not think they ever came and played live in L.A. – I would’ve noticed that! I have some performance videos of them (“Today Today” and one other song, 1980), from the Old Grey Whistle Test (British TV).


After the sole LP by C. I., there was a sole solo LP from Mr. Ken Lockie, the writer / singer of C. I. I don’t know if he did anything else in eth music business – I certainly am not aware of any other releases by Ken Lockie or Cowboys International. And I don’t think any of this stuff in on CD as of 2009.


There were so many ‘new’ bands back then! I will never forget arriving in London, England in the fall of ’79 – Spizzenergi, The Slits, Gary Numan, The Selecter…I distinctly remember those bands, as I walked Soho and the West End in general.


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Geeez! You don't have either of the Cowboys International CDs?? A re-jig of the first album came out as "Revisited" in 2003 and the next year saw Mr. Lockie's 3rd album, "The Backwards Life Of Romeo," get released as did the first CI album on his own Pneuma Records label. The new album is great! It's as if the intervening 25 years didn't happen. Mr. Lockie lives in Atlanta now and you should buy them directly from him as it's much easier (and cheaper) than trying to find them elsewhere! http://www.cowboysinternational.com/ci-buy.html

The reissue of of the 1st album has b-sides and new material added as well as a revised running order. http://www.discogs.com/Cowboys-International-Revisited/release/842261
I only had the Virgin International LP so I don't mind this revisionism.

Now we just need "The Impossible." I remember reading about this band at the time of release and I never saw the debut LP until the early 90s, at a show or store. I was blown away when I discovered the CDs a while back.

August 4, 2009 at 8:07 AM
Ron Kane said...

Did not know about Ken Lockie being in the US. I will have to track those CD's down!

August 5, 2009 at 6:57 AM

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