Today’s offering is the only 45 ever released by The Submarines, courtesy of it being part of the C87 boxset, a 3 x CD compilation issued by Cherry Red in 2016.
mp3: The Submarines – Grey Skies Blue
From the accompanying booklet:-
This obscure Scottish band comprised Paul McNeil (guitar/vocals), Brian Kane (guitar), Craig Keaney (drums) and Scott Blain (bass). The Submarines’ sole release was the wistful, Weather Prophets-ish ‘Grey Skies Blue’ (backed by the equally wonderful ‘I Saw The Children’) on Jeff Barrett‘s Head label in 1987. Sadly, it didn’t launch a glorious career and the band was no more by 1989. However, Jim Kavanagh‘s Egg label did an excellent excavation job, raiding the vaults for Telegraph Signals : Recorded Artefacts 1986-89.
The Egg label release was a CD with all ten songs ever recorded by The Submarines. As such, I’ve been able to get a hold of the b-side of the single:-
mp3: The Submarines – I Saw The Children
Also worth mentioning that one of the tracks from the Egg compilation, found its way onto the Big Gold Dreams boxset that I’ve referred to many times throughout this series.
mp3: The Submarines – Take Me Away
Just to mention that this series is taking a short break……it certainly deserves it after 333 weeks! I’m needing the next few Saturdays to ensure a number of scheduled and guest posts can be incorporated, but I guarantee #334 will appear early in the new year.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
333 – Half the Number of the Beast.
I know the name Submarines. I’d had assumed when I hit play there’d be some familiarity with the songs. Nope.
@Sid commented a short while ago about JC’s Age of Chance post: “I’ve been reading the recently released and excellent “Whatever Happened to the C86 Kids” book, and doing a lot of C86 band re-listening alongside.” I hadn’t heard of the book but Sid is spot on–it’s a great little read. In it, Stephen Pastel mentions how the C86 label as a symbol of jangly shambolic pop fairly applied to his band, but not everyone else on the cassette. Today’s single by The Submarines is squarely in C86 territory.