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.