“101 Dam-Nations” / “What Is This Thing” (Parlophone R 6058) September 1982
Scarlet Party | 101 Dam-Nations | (Parlophone) 1982 | If Phil Spector had been born in Liverpool then the Beat Boom would have sounded like this. The Dye brothers from Barkingside (who’ve been writing songs for ten years and are only just into their twenties) have a sparkling mid-Atlantic skill that becomes irresistible when allied to the kind of massive production job they’ve been given. (Sounds, 18/09/82)
The music’s East End Beat and the drinks are on Mark Ellen
There was a time, many moons ago, when bands started concocting extremely rich and exotic-sounding names. This managed to create the impression that, in listening to their music, you were obviously about to undergo some profound and rather mystical experience.
It’s a period of pop history that’s fondly recalled by Graham Dye, singer with the East End quartet Scarlet Party.
“They all had colours in their names then — Pink Floyd. Blue Oyster Cult, Tangerine Dream, Deep Purple — and we decided we wanted one too. An atmospheric name.”
Combining the title of one of Batman’s impressive array of sidekicks — Captain Scarlet , “the indestructible man” — and the name of an ancient Peter Sellers movie, The Party, Graham set up shop in the field of cleverly-wrought, guitar-driven pop.
Not his first band, mind. Back in ’74 together with brother Steve, various assorted school friends, and several old Slade numbers he braved as many local pubs as would actually admit 15 year-old musicians.
Scarlet Party | 101 Dam-Nations | (Parlophone) 1982
From there on their course has run so closely in the wake of The Beatles as to be downright uncanny. The group played a gruelling round of German bierkeller clubs, among them The Star Club in Hamburg (where the mop-tops had a residency) and later — as Scarlet Party — signed to EMI releasing their single, the unforgettably-titled “101-Dam-Nations”, on the Parlophone label (same as The Beatles), a song written a couple of days after the tragic death of Graham’s long-time hero John Lennon almost two years back.
In fact they even met Paul McCartney while recording at the Abbey Road studios who declined to comment on their music but did apparently applaud their trousers.
Graham doesn’t waste words on the obvious similarities. “A lot of people slag us off for sounding like The Beatles,” he says, “but nobody has a go at Shakin’ Stevens for sounding exactly like Elvis Presley.”
The song in question — immensely likable and accompanied by a distinctly psychedelic video — makes its point in wonderfully economic fashion. “It’s about the problems that you have in relation to tine greatest problems that are going on in the world.
And what of the band?
“We’re not actually out to rule the world, just to have fun. And if anyone happens to like the music,” he adds, “they can have fun too.”
(Smash Hits)
Leave a Reply