THE NEON HEARTS (REGULATIONS SINGLE)

Honestly,there's not much I can add to the legend of this record. You know how great it is by now I'm sure. A true punk classic!! "Enjoy" Just out of curiosity ?? The labels on my copy are switched, were they all this way?? The NEON HEARTS were formed in the spring of 1977 by saxophonist Steve Heart who had left SUBURBAN STUDS, following musical differences (the band feeling a saxophone player inappropriate in a punk band) and returned to Wolverhampton to form a new band. He’d already written several songs and soon began recruiting members. First recruit was his cousin, a bass player called Paul Raven. Then came drummer Keith Alien, another local musician and friend of Paul’s who was asked to join after Steve heard tapes of him playing.A guitarist was required. Keith knew someone, so dispensing with the idea of advertising, an audition was arranged in the attic bedroom of Keith’s house in Lower Street, Tettenhall. The guitarist was Martin Ratcliffe (later known as The Inferior Member’ on the bands first single). He was shown the songs and his playing fitted them perfectly.At the time, Keith was working in a town centre shop called Langdon’s Electric Music. His boss, Pete Langdon, allowed the band to rehearse in the empty flat above the shop. From then on an intensive rehearsal schedule was put into force with the band rehearsing for 3 hours every night, followed by a pint at the pub. After a few months rehearsing, the band had a considerable amount of material and entered Ginger studios to record the best of them. The result was the now legendary double A-side 'Regulations' and 'Venus eccentric', released in December 1977 on their own Neon hearts label. Packaged in an outrageous oversized 8" cover, a copy will now set you back £60.
The band established their own punk venue at the lord Raglan in Wolverhampton and gigged furiously nationwide, building a substantial following and reaching the attention of many labels.
Despite various options, NEON HEARTS made the wrong decision and signed to Satril. Immediatly things started to go wrong as the label tried to manipulate the band by rewriting their lyrics, allowing them no say in the production of the records and releasing singles without their consent.
Satril released two singles 'Answers' and 'Popular music'. Line-up changes followed and by the time the album - also titled 'Popular music' - was released in April 1979, the band dispirited, had already split.
There was a brief reformation before Tony joined Fashion, Paul raven joined Killing joke and later Prong and Steve formed 21c. Keith Allen and Martin Ratcliffe formed The Circles in 1979

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REFERENCES - THE MOD POP PUNK ARCHIVES http://punkmodpop.free.fr/neonhearts_pic.htm LAST.FM http://www.last.fm/music/Neon+Hearts

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NEON HEARTS RECORDS 1977

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1. REGULATIONS

2. VENUS ECCENTRIC

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