STRAIGHT EIGHT: I’m sorry 7″ rare. UK power pop ala Cheap Trick. 1980 Check videos and audio & Check video of the actual single for sale

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“I’m Sorry”, the lead-off track from Straight Eights 1980 second album, shuffle ‘n’ Cut’. Released as a single. Kicks ass.
Straight Eight   I’m Sorry
Label: Logo Records  DEAL-1
Format: Vinyl, 7″
Country: UK
Released: 1980
Genre: Rock
Style: Power Pop
Tracklist:
A1 I’m Sorry
B1 Satisfied

Producer Mike Howlett

First came across this woefully underrated band when? they supported Queen at the Birmingham NEC (which made them the first ever band to play there!) in 1980….how were they never huge??!
Pure powerpop at its finest….all three albums are class. Best accolade I can give them is that they were like an English Cheap Trick in sound….

Rick Cassman Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Steve Cherry Bass, Vocals
Andy Hass Saxophone
Boot Kingsman Guitar, Saxophone, Vocals
Paul Turner Drums, Keyboards

Formed in early 1976, the band after gigging the uk pub rock circuit soon went on to being discovered and signed by Pete Townshend of WHO fame. He released the first album ‘No Noise From Here’ on his EEL PIE records label. Subsequently the band got picked up by Transatlantic Records(UK) and RCA in the States.Releasing shuffle n Cut’ and then their 3rd album straight To The Heart’ in 1982. Unfortunately just as the band were due to begin a World Tour supporting The Who, drummer keith Moon died and the rest is history.
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The songs made by Straight Eight would maybe have been considered better than those on the final Who albums. Pete noticed as well,which is why Straight Eight were signed to his own Eel Pie label and he was listed as Executive Producer. Lineup was Rick Cassman, Boot Kingsman, Steve Cherry and Rod Berriedale-Johnson. Shuffle ‘n’ Cut was the second album of the band bringing up some outstanding catchy tunes (“I’m Sorry”, “Tonite” and “Christine”).


Heres now a great album by this awesome band from London and their music is quite brilliant. On this release are 12 powerpop pearls which kicks the blues out of every depressive mind. Heres some info from their MySpace site for you: “Formed in early 1976, the band after gigging the uk pub rock circuit soon went on to being discovered and signed by Pete Townshend of WHO fame. He released the first album ‘No Noise From Here’ on his EEL PIE records label. Subsequently the band got picked up by Transatlantic Records (UK) and RCA in the States. Releasing shuffle’N’Cut and then their 3rd album straight To The Heart’ in 1982. Unfortunately just as the band were due to begin a World Tour supporting The Who, drummer keith Moon died and the rest is history. Lineup was Rick Cassman, Boot Kingsman, Steve Cherry and Rod Berriedale-Johnson. After a massive departure from the UK music scene, the band are busy arranging a best of compliation CD. Lead vocalist and main songwriter Rick Cassman has also been busy playing and producing in The Deputies and has also been involved with Twickenhams Club Acoustica. The Band recently got back together for a few numbers at Club Acoustica and enjoyed it so much they are planning an official reunion gig sometime in 2010 to celebrate their 30th aniversary!!”
Great Band, Great Stuff, Great Record!!


Light N.W.O.B.H.M. / A.O.R

British rock quartet formed in early 1976. The lineup was Rick Cassman, Boot Kingsman, Steve Cherry and Rod Berriedale-Johnson.
After gigging the UK pub rock circuit the band soon went on to being discovered and signed by Pete Townshend guitarist, singer and songwriter of The Who. He released the first album “No Noise From Here” on his EEL PIE records label. Subsequently the band got picked up by Transatlantic Records (UK) and RCA in the States. and released ‘Shuffle n Cut’ and then their third album “Straight To The Heart” in 1982. Unfortunately just as the band were due to begin a World Tour supporting The Who, drummer Keith Moon died and the rest is history.
Bassist Steve Cherry later joined S.O.S., the band assembled by guitarist BERNIE MARSDEN following his split from WHITESNAKE. Singer Rick Cassman established Triple X Studios before finding a successful new career as an animator.

Straight8

I’ve always been partial to 70s power pop – Big Star, Cheap Trick, Shoes, The Beat – and back in the BlipFM days I remember discovering a cool Power Pop session that played it all. That session was hosted by a man named Jimmy Stagger, and if my memory serves me correctly he played Christine by an obscure British power pop band called Straight Eight. I hadn’t heard that song in about 25 years and probably gave him a bunch of props. But ever since I’ve rediscovered Straight Eight and their hook-filled, super-catchy rock and roll.

Even though they never made it over the pond, Straight Eight weren’t so obscure in Canada. They were signed to Toronto’s El Mocombo Records, a label run by a rock and roll renaissance man named Robert Dunn who also booked bands into the world-famous club of the same name (and is also now the proprietor of one of my fav local record stores The Village Idiot – where I also recently heard Straight Eight again). Because of this, Straight Eight received some airplay on Toronto radio and a couple of tracks – Christine, and Heartbreaker – found their way to my ears. Unfortunately I never held on to my original vinyl (I have mp3s), but I am always looking.

Straight Eight are a British band formed in 1976, discovered by Pete Townsend and signed to Pete’s Eel Pie Records before being picked up by Transatlantic Records(UK) and RCA in the States. The band put out three records, toured the UK and Europe with the likes of Queen, Hall and Oates, Slade, and were supposed to open for The Who, that is until Keith Moon passed away. That was the beginning of the end and they called it quits in 1984.

watch this:

3 tracks from the Shuffle n Cut LP.
I’m Sorry
I Can’t Stop
Christine

Tell us about how the band formed in 1976. How did you know John Burns (Genesis, David Bowie, Mott the Hoople, Marc Bolan, Jethro Tull, Humble Pie, Motorhead)?

I was writing songs and working in my brothers record store in Chiswick, West London. I met John Burns through a girlfriend who was best mates with John’s girlfriend. John said I needed a band. In those days it was easy, you just placed a wanted ad in the Melody Maker. I found Richard ‘Boot’ Kingsman through the ad. He had a band doing covers, but needed a singer and some original songs, so we linked up. After a few rehearsals we started getting a good solid rock sound, and when drummer Rod Johnstone joined we were off and running. John took us into the studios and we started what became the first album.

Who were your influences early on?

Boot, loved Free, The Stones, The Who and I was really into American Rock and songwriters like Jackson Browne and Syd Barrett. When The Sex Pistols arrived we both got into that raw energy and block chord straight hard fast rhythm, mixed with angry vocals. I guess our sound became a hybrid of those people.

Punk (Sex Pistols, The Damned) was about to explode – how did Straight Eight fit into the scene in the UK at the time?
We never really did the punk thing although we had a bit of the attitude, energy and spiky hair. It was a strange period because the metal thing was happening as well. We never really fitted into either as we always had songs, with chorus’s, middles and ends.
When new wave came along we slipped into that scene, sounding similar to bands like The Cars and Blondie, but we were louder and more aggressive and not so homogenised. Songs, it was all about the songs. Still is really. I guess we were a tight little rock band with swagger. It was difficult because we could not be pigeon holed into one specific genre.

How did you become involved with Pete Townsend?
Pete got to hear our John Burns demos through his talent scout at the time, Peter Makowski, also a freelance music journalist. I was working in the record store when Pete called me and said he wanted to meet and talk record and publishing deals with me.
A week later we had signed to his label and started our first album, ‘No Noise From Here’. He was great, really supportive. I think he liked the fact we sounded a bit like The Who!

You opened for Queen, tell us what that was like.
Amazing. They were huge and we were tiny! We learnt tons on that short European Tour with them. Playing in the Berlin Olympic Stadium to a sell out crowd was a mind blower considering a few months before we had been playing The Nashville in Hammersmith.

I first heard Straight Eight (Christine) on the radio here in Canada and remember freaking out. (as an aside Robert Dunn of El Mocambo Records owns a local record store in my small city, amazing guy).
Did you ever make it over to North America?

We love Robert, he supported us after we moved from Eel Pie. He financed our second album and really worked us hard but unfortunately we never got the opportunity to cross the pond. I am convinced if we had we would have been massive as our music was getting radio AirPlay right across America. We were meant to support The Who on a big American tour as Pete was about to sign his label over to Atlantic Records. But Keith Moon died and the whole deal bombed out. Pete folded his plans and we were left without a deal. Robert stepped in thankfully…

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