Be Stiff - Class of '78

Stiff’s 2^nd Wave: Jona Lewie, Lene Lovich, Rachel Sweet, Mickey Jupp, Wreckless Eric (and all of ‘em are still alive, as far as I can determine!)

Move over Elvis Costello and Ian Dury…

It’s taken me a few decades to get around to the “Son Of Stiff” artists. The only one I followed at the time was Rachel Sweet. I only recently got her debut British 45, “B-A-B-Y” b/w “Suspended Animation” (BUY 39). I saw her perform live at the Whisky A-Go-Go, with Fingerprintz as her band (at least, that’s who I remember it being) – I think she was the opening act for 999. I have always been a big fan of “Fool Around” her Stiff debut LP. I have both the UK & US versions, as well as a Japanese paper sleeve CD, and a white vinyl UK original LP. Thumbs up for her work on John Waters’ “Hairspray” and “Cry Baby” films. Never cared much for her 2^nd album, but I have a UK copy, and I suppose I could give it another try.

I think Lene Lovich’s “Stateless” is Stiff’s blue vinyl release in this series. I once found a US Epic / Stiff copy that was autographed at a tiny record store in San Francisco (for $1). I like it better now than I did back then. Like Rachel Sweet, I never got into her 2^nd LP – though I do own it on both LP & CD.

But I guess why I’m writing this today, is because I have become somewhat interested in the works of Jona Lewie. I have his Stiff debut LP of “On The Other Hand There’s A Fist” (orange vinyl) and I recently mail-ordered a CD of it (which isn’t here yet, as of this writing). I even recently found a Lewie 45 from the early 70’s by Terry Dactyl & The Dinosaurs “Seaside Shuffle” that’s pretty good. I guess they were really Brett Marvin & The Thunderbolts! Some readers may be familiar with Lewie’s ‘Xmas single’, “Stop The Cavalry”. Because I never paid attention at the time, I didn’t know he was a keyboard player (as opposed to a guitar player). “On The Other Hand There’s A Fist” is a fairly quirky keyboard player’s record, worthy of my closer attention. I’d like to find all of his Stiff 45’s that I don’t already have. I’ve really enjoyed all of the Jona Lewie Stiff 45’s that I’ve found; good pop songs. I don’t think he ever came to the U.S.

Wreckless Eric…I suppose I am OK with his Stiff 45 “Whole Wide World”, but I don’t own a copy. The only thing I have by him (other than songs on samplers) is his self-titled 10” brown vinyl Stiff debut. Very ’78 UK punk-rock-looking stuff.

I knew that Mickey Jupp had been in Legend, a band on Vertigo. I’d had their debut LP (the one with the shoe on the cover) and didn’t think much of it (after all, it wasn’t progressive rock, my style of choice for the early / mid 70’s). Was “Juppanese” Stiff’s green vinyl release? I don’t know. I’ve never owned a copy. I guess I’d buy an LP copy if it was inexpensive. I remember seeing that some Mickey Jupp songs were being covered by Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker on one of his solo albums.

I have kept my PAL VHS copy of “Stiff Visions” for years – so I have clips for most (if not all) of these artists. That’s also where I was fully awakened to Tenpole Tudor!