Music View (Radio Show)
Details
- Date
- October 12, 1987
- Venue
- Music View (Radio Show) New York, New York
- Billed As
- Robyn Hitchcock
- Gig Type
- Radio
Notes
Release sent to radio stations to play as a 'new music magazine' for specific weeks.
Episode 1 was "For Broadcast The Week Of 10/12/87" and Episode 2 for week of 10/19/87. The actual date in 1987 on which the Music View interview was recorded is unknown. Episode 1 includes a brief interview with Robyn in which he talks about a planned "upcoming unreleased rarities" compilation, including a song selected to play on this episode of Music View - an extremely rare recording by Maureen & The Meatpackers doing 'Zip Zip'.
There appear to be several versions of this song -
1) the original version by The Containers
2) a version by James A. Smith's other band, the Beach Bullies
3) a studio version recorded by early (pre-Soft Boys) Robyn collaborators Maureen and the Meatpackers, slated for release on Armageddon records but only produced in a handful of test copies (Armageddon promo single)
4) a Soft Boys studio version, recorded at Alaska Studios with Rosalind and Anst (ex-Meatpackers) on guest vocals (see below) and released via this Music View show, and
5) A live version from Maxwell's in 1980 during the Soft Boys' first (brief) US tour. This was included on a 7" with the 2001 re-release of Underwater Moonlight and was reportedly a B side on something else in the 80s.
We are not certain, but we believe this version of Zip Zip featured on Music View 1 is the fourth in the list above (A Soft Boys recording credited to Maureen and the Meatpackers due to the collaboration of Rosalind and Anst.) Matthew Seligman indicated that he played on the Music View version, so it follows that it was the 1980 Soft Boys lineup (plus the lady vocalists) who recorded this. There is a small chance it could be the third entry in the list above, the unreleased Meatpackers track that was recorded by Pat Collier and intended to be released by Armageddon.
The song is by Robyn collaborator James A. Smith, also known as The Great One, who provided the following details - thanks James!:
"The song was written by me, and originally recorded by my band of 1978-80, the Containers, at Spaceward Studios. The lineup was Myself on Guitar and vocals, Adrian Foster bass, (Also bass player with Cambridge pub/party favourites 'The Ducks On The Wall Gang' named after a strip cartoon I once drew), Stella Barker on rhythm guitar (she later played with The Bodysnatchers, a ska band, and The Belle Starrs, who had several hits in the early eighties), with Robyn on lead guitar for a couple of numbers (not Zip Zip) and Morris Windsor on drums.
The version you may have heard was recorded at Alaska Studios, Waterloo, London SE1 as part of the Underwater Moonlight sessions, or shortly afterwards. The Soft Boys had played Zip Zip as an encore a couple of times in the States - I think there is a bootleg from a show in NJ - must have been 1980? The Alaska version was the Soft Boys, with Rosalind Kunath and probably Anstis Fisher on vocals with Robyn."
Episode 1 was "For Broadcast The Week Of 10/12/87" and Episode 2 for week of 10/19/87. The actual date in 1987 on which the Music View interview was recorded is unknown. Episode 1 includes a brief interview with Robyn in which he talks about a planned "upcoming unreleased rarities" compilation, including a song selected to play on this episode of Music View - an extremely rare recording by Maureen & The Meatpackers doing 'Zip Zip'.
There appear to be several versions of this song -
1) the original version by The Containers
2) a version by James A. Smith's other band, the Beach Bullies
3) a studio version recorded by early (pre-Soft Boys) Robyn collaborators Maureen and the Meatpackers, slated for release on Armageddon records but only produced in a handful of test copies (Armageddon promo single)
4) a Soft Boys studio version, recorded at Alaska Studios with Rosalind and Anst (ex-Meatpackers) on guest vocals (see below) and released via this Music View show, and
5) A live version from Maxwell's in 1980 during the Soft Boys' first (brief) US tour. This was included on a 7" with the 2001 re-release of Underwater Moonlight and was reportedly a B side on something else in the 80s.
We are not certain, but we believe this version of Zip Zip featured on Music View 1 is the fourth in the list above (A Soft Boys recording credited to Maureen and the Meatpackers due to the collaboration of Rosalind and Anst.) Matthew Seligman indicated that he played on the Music View version, so it follows that it was the 1980 Soft Boys lineup (plus the lady vocalists) who recorded this. There is a small chance it could be the third entry in the list above, the unreleased Meatpackers track that was recorded by Pat Collier and intended to be released by Armageddon.
The song is by Robyn collaborator James A. Smith, also known as The Great One, who provided the following details - thanks James!:
"The song was written by me, and originally recorded by my band of 1978-80, the Containers, at Spaceward Studios. The lineup was Myself on Guitar and vocals, Adrian Foster bass, (Also bass player with Cambridge pub/party favourites 'The Ducks On The Wall Gang' named after a strip cartoon I once drew), Stella Barker on rhythm guitar (she later played with The Bodysnatchers, a ska band, and The Belle Starrs, who had several hits in the early eighties), with Robyn on lead guitar for a couple of numbers (not Zip Zip) and Morris Windsor on drums.
The version you may have heard was recorded at Alaska Studios, Waterloo, London SE1 as part of the Underwater Moonlight sessions, or shortly afterwards. The Soft Boys had played Zip Zip as an encore a couple of times in the States - I think there is a bootleg from a show in NJ - must have been 1980? The Alaska version was the Soft Boys, with Rosalind Kunath and probably Anstis Fisher on vocals with Robyn."