Bad Manners

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Bad Manners
Bad Manners
Bad Manners
Background information
Origin London, England
Genre(s) Ska
2 Tone
Years active 1976 – Present
Label(s) Magnet, Portrait, Blue Beat, Pork Pie, Moon, Bad
Members
Buster Bloodvessel - Vocals
Simon Cuell - Guitar
Lee Thompson - Bass
Richie Downs - Keyboards
Russel Sheen - Sax
Steve Washington - Drums
Colin Graham - Trumpet
Russel Wynn - Percussion
David Turner - Harmonica
Former members
Winston Bazoomies - Harmonica
Louis Alphonso - Guitar
David Farren - Bass
Brian Tuitt - Drums
Martin Stewart - Keyboard
Paul 'Gus' Hyman - Trumpet
Chris Kane - Sax
Andrew Marson - Sax

Bad Manners are an English 2 Tone ska revival band. Fronted by Buster Bloodvessel (born Douglas Trendle), the band was formed in 1976 while the members were together at Woodberry Down Comprehensive School near Manor House, North London. They were at their most popular during the late 1970s and early 1980s, during a period when other ska revival bands, such as Madness and The Specials, filled the charts. Bad Manners spent 111 weeks in the British singles charts between 1980 and 1983.[1]

After becoming popular in London, Bad Manners signed to Magnet Records in 1980 for a six figure sum, and then became more well known. Some of Bad Manners' more notable hits include "My Girl Lollipop", "Lip Up Fatty", "Ne Ne Na Na Na Na Nu Nu", "Lorraine", "Just A Feeling", "Walking In The Sunshine", "Can Can" and "Special Brew". One of the main reasons for their notoriety was their outlandish huge-tongued and shaven-headed frontman, Buster Bloodvessel. His manic exploits got them banned from the British BBC TV chart show Top of the Pops.[citation needed] The band was also banned from Italian TV after Bloodvessel mooned a concert audience, after being told that the Pope was watching on TV.[2]

Contents

[edit] Breakup and reformation

In 1986 Bad Manners went their separate ways, but Buster Bloodvessel reformed the band with original members Louis Alphonso, Martin Stewart, Chris Kane and Winston Bazoomies in 1987. In 1989, he licensed the Blue Beat Records name and logo, and set up office in a 50ft barge in his back garden in Spring Hill, London. He closed the label in 1990, and two years later moved back to Stoke Newington.

In 1995, Buster Bloodvessel moved to Margate opening a hotel on the seafront called "Fatty Towers", which catered for people with huge appetites. While living in Margate, Buster was a regular spectator at Margate F.C. sponsoring the club for one season. "Fatty Towers" closed in 1998, and Buster moved back to his native London. As of 2007, Buster Bloodvessel still performs with Bad Manners in venues all over the UK and Europe. He is the only original member left in the band, but Winston Bazoomies is an 'honorary member' of the group, meaning he can rejoin Bad Manners at any stage he wishes to. The harmonica player was last seen travelling on a bus in Marsh Hill in North London and often turns up at Bad Manners & Skaville UK concerts. He left the band in 1993.

Martin Stewart and Louis Alphonso, now play in Skaville UK, who released their debut album, 1973, on Moon Ska World in the UK. The band is fronted by Grammy Award winner Nick Welsh, who played in Buster's All Stars and King Hammond. David Farren now plays in The Rolling Stones' tribute band The Rollin Stoned, while Chris Kane plays sax in an Elvis tribute act. Brian Tuitt runs a recording studio in Surrey, and Andrew Marson now works as a carpenter in and around London. Paul Herman lives on the south coast near Brighton. He has often guested with his trumpet with the ska band Too Many Crooks.

Bad Manners headlined their own annual music festival - 'Badfest' in 2005 and 2006. This festival featured ska, mod-related music and punk rock bands from the 1980s to the present. Bad Manners toured the United States, Canada and Mexico in summer of 2007, and completed a 30 date Christmas Tour in the UK.

The Demon Music Group ( via Warner Bros ) have just released a 36 track best of compilation, titled Walking In The Sinshine : The Best of Bad Manners, featuring all the bands hits plus album tracks and b - sides from their heyday on Magnet Records.

[edit] Selected discography

[edit] Studio albums

An album, Eat The Beat, was released in 1988. Only 1000 copies were printed, and sold to members of the Bad Manners Fan Club. Some of the tracks later appeared on Return of the Ugly in 1989.

[1]

[edit] Singles

Title Released UK Singles Chart position
"Ne-Ne Na-Na Na-Na Nu-Nu" February 1980 28
"Lip Up Fatty" June 1980 15
"Special Brew" September 1980 3
"Lorraine" December 1980 21
"Just A Feeling" March 1981 13
"Can Can" June 1981 3
"Walking In The Sunshine" September 1981 10
"Buona Sera" November 1981 34
"Got No Brains" May 1982 44
"My Girl Lollipop" July 1982 9
"Samson And Delilah" October 1982 58
"That'll Do Nicely" April 1983 49
"Blue Summer" August 1985 -
"What the Papers Say" December 1985 -
"Tossin' In My Sleep" March 1986 -
"Skaville UK" May 1989 87
"Gonna Get Along Without You Now" July 1989 -
"Christmas Time Again" November 1989 -
"Fatty's Back In Town E.P" September 1995 -
"Millennium Knees Up" December 1999 -

[1]

[edit] Compilations

  • Bad Manners (MCA Records / America) (1982)
  • Klass (MCA Records / America) (1983)
  • The Height of Bad Manners (Telstar) (1983) UK # 23
  • Can Can (Hallmark Records / Ireland) (1986)
  • Live And Loud (Link Records) (1987)
  • Greatest Hits Live (Dojo Records) (1993)
  • Fatty Fatty (Lagoon Records / France) (1993)
  • Skinhead (Lagoon Records / France) (1994)
  • Inner London Violence Live (Lagoon Records / France) (1994)
  • This Is Ska (Dojo Records) (1995)
  • Forging Ahead (cd re - issue / Sony / America) (1995)
  • Rare (T - Leaf Records) (1996)
  • Lip Up Fatty (Castle Records / America) (1996)
  • Can Can (Tin Box cd) (Harry May Records) (1997)
  • Don't Knock the Baldhead: Live (Receiver Records) (1997)
  • Viva La Ska Revolution (1998) (Snapper)
  • The Collection (Cleopatra Records / America) (1998)
  • Mental Notes ( cd re - issue / Captain Mod) (1999)
  • This Is Ska ! (Moon Ska Europe) (1999)
  • Eat The Beat (Moon Ska Europe) (1999)
  • Rare & Fatty (Moon Records / America) (1999)
  • The Singles Album (Crash Records / Germany) (2000)
  • Ska 'N B ( cd re-issue / DSS Records / Austria ) (2000)
  • Magnetism : The Best of Bad Manners (Warner Music) (2000)
  • The Best, The Baddest And The Ugliest (Ceresco / France) (2000)
  • Buster Bloodvessel's Bad Manners (Time Music) (2000)
  • Ska Party (Platinum Records) (2000)
  • Bad Manners (GFS) (2000)
  • Special Brew (Harry May Records) (2000)
  • Anthology (Eagle) (2001)
  • Best of Bad Manners Live (Pegasus) (2002)
  • Oi Our Greatest Hits (Blitz) (2003)
  • Bastards (Culture Press) (2003)
  • All Favourites ( Brilliant Records ) (2003)
  • CD Box : Bad Manners 15 Years Jubilee Edition (Pork Pie / Germany ) (2004)
  • Bad Manners Box Set Collection (10 Themed Albums / Bad Records) (2004)
  • Special Brew: The Platinum Collection (Warner Platinum) (2005)
  • Bad Manners Live! (Crown) 2005
  • Feel Like Jumping: Greatest Hits Live! (Sanctuary) (2005)
  • Can Can (Digipak) (Snapper Music) (2006)
  • Walking In The Sunshine : The Best of Bad Manners (Demon / Warner Music) (2008)

[edit] Audio samples

Bad Manners - Special Brew excerpt

An excerpt from Special Brew
Problems listening to the file? See media help.

Bad Manners - Walking In The Sunshine excerpt

An excerpt from Walking In The Sunshine
Problems listening to the file? See media help.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums, 19th, London: Guinness World Records Limited, p. 39. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  2. ^ http://www.badmanners.net/lard/history.html

[edit] External links