I remember as a 16-year old at school back in 1979 getting really excited about all the guitar-led New Wave bands that were springing up and wondering if there might be someone local to hook on to. That’s when I first became aware of Fingerprintz when they were mentioned in a local paper as having signed a deal with Virgin Records (which was a big thing at that time).
But I remember being disappointed to also read in the same article that while the main guys in the band were from just outside Glasgow, they were actually based in London, so there was no point in building up hopes of using a false ID to get along and see them.
One of the DJs on the local commercial radio station was also championing them on his weekly show, and I remember going out and buying their debut single the week it came out. But after that, I lost interest in the band – most certainly because I couldn’t see past The Jam for anyone else in among the football and the hope of landing the elusive serious girlfriend.
My rekindled interest in vinyl has led me, over time, to pick up second-hand copies of all three of the band’s albums released between 1979 and 1981 all of which have some very decent songs although there’s not quite enough throughout to completely hold my attention. The closing track on Distinguished Marks, released in 1980, (and whose sleeve was designed by Peter Saville), is a very much a short story:-
The metropolitan corps
Found a corpse in the middle of the night
And they wrote it down in their blackbooks
By the revolving blue light
The face has no name
The mouth doesn’t speak
He hasn’t shaved or brushed his teeth
For at least a week
Hide and seek
Another typical chore for the cops
They deserve a mention
The dirt from his nails in a plastic bag
Forensic attention
Any distinguishing marks?
Or a great physique?
Has he ever been kissed?
Is he on a missing list?
British, French Arab or Greek?
Ohhh, hide and seek.
mp3: Fingerprintz – Hide and Seek
A short story with a very inconclusive ending. I’ll admit, it’s not entirely satisfactory.
JC
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Unlike you, I thoroughly loved Fingerprintz. They were one of my favorite bands of the period. I’ve one more single to obtain until I can make DLX RM CD-Rs of the three albums with a sundry extras. And Jimme O’ Neill had also written great hits for Lene Lovich and had an [artistically, at least] fruitful collaboration with Siam singer Jacqui Brookes. Just a few months ago, the first Fingerprintz CD has manifested on the amazing Rubellan Remasters reissue label: https://www.rubellanremasters.com/fingerprintzbest
Better call DI Jimmy Perez.
My only real encounter with The Fingerprintz was the Beat Escape inclusion on the first Methods Of Dance-compilation. Great track, but for some reason I never looked them up any closer. They were very effective here, in less of 2 minutes out of close to 5 they had told the story to it’s open end. Who knows, maybe a case for a future season of Unforgotten?
@JTFL – you certainly got a chuckle out of me!
@Martin – I am right there with you, I knew them from Methods of Dance but only started really paying any attention to them about 10 years ago.
I haven’t heard of this band. Had I ever clapped eyes on that art work – if I had I would have bought it. So many things slip past … but some are not ‘forgotten’.