By Jim Rowland
1982 was a pivotal year for the second wave of ÜK punk. In fact these days ‘UK82’ (named after the Exploited song of the same name) has become a genre of its own. Whilst the likes of The Exploited, GBH and Discharge are the bands that immediately spring to mind when you look back on that era (each one released a stone cold classic album in 1982), there were plenty of other punk bands around at the same time releasing quality stuff. Leeds’ Abrasive Wheels were certainly one of them, releasing their highly charged debut ‘When The Punks Go Marching In’ in the same year. ‘Abrasive Wheels (1981-1984)’ is a new double CD from Cherry Red, collecting together the band’s whole recorded output between the years of 1981 and 1984.
Disc one contains the aforementioned very fine ‘When The Punks Go Marching In’ album, plus all the associated singles and b-sides from the era, along with the excellent and very raw ‘Criminal Youth’ which was released on the ‘Riotous Assembly’ compilation album in the summer of ’82. You also get the band’s very first single from 1981 originally released on their own label, ‘The Army Song’, a blistering three song assault of raw, youthful, fast punk energy which is quite superb, and a great way for Abrasive Wheels to announce their arrival.
The ‘When The Punks..’ album itself has an ever so slightly higher production level than the early singles, but still maintains the gritty, raucous, raw approach. Tracks like ‘Vicious Circle’, ‘Danger Danger’, ‘Gotta Run’ and the Thatcher-bashing and quite excellent ‘Voice Of Youth’ are all belting fast punky thrashers, with ‘Burn Em Down’, ‘1982’, ‘BBC’ and ‘Just Another Punk Band’ showing that Abrasive Wheels could certainly pen a catchy tune amid the punk frenzy, with the latter two clearly displaying the influence of the early Clash stuff. Whilst perhaps not quite hitting the heights of ‘Troops Of Tomorrow’, ‘Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing’, or ‘City Baby Attacked By Rats’, ‘When The Punks Go Marching In’ is still up there as one of the great albums of the UK82 era.
It’s not quite the same story by the time we get to the second disc and the band’s second album ‘Black Leather Girl’, with associated singles. By 1984 Abrasive Wheels had ditched the studded leather jackets and torn jeans punk uniform for a more colourful look, and made a valiant effort to move the music forward as well. ‘Black Leather Girl’ was very different, perhaps too different, from what had come before, and you could certainly imagine the hardcore punk element turning their noses up at this at the time.
Whilst it’s got some decent songs on it, such as the opener ‘Maybe Tomorrow’, the album suffers from a smoother, more commercial-leaning production, with a pretty horrible reverb-soaked and unnatural drum sound, common at the time. They certainly weren’t the only punk band from this era to make a wrong move and change their sound too much, it happened to Discharge and Anti-Nowhere League, amongst a fair few others, too. Much better are the singles that preceded the album the year before in the shape of Elvis cover ‘Jailhouse Rock’, with a cracking b-side ‘Sonic Omen’, and ‘Banner of Hope’, which actually sounds a bit like the Skids.
All in all, this is a very decent release compiling everything Abrasive Wheels did in their original incarnation from start to finish, and well worth a purchase for those with an interest in British punk from this era.
- ‘Abrasive Wheels (1981-1984)’ is released today (Friday 9 September). You can get your copy HERE.
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