While lying on a beach in Barbados last month, it hit me that quite a few tremendous, or at the very least, interesting, singles from 1979 wouldn’t have made the charts and would therefore be missing from this series. So, the plan is to consult one of my reference books – in this case the mighty tome that is The Great Indie Discography by Martin C. Strong (Canongate Books Ltd, 2003 edition) – and find some 45s which didn’t sell in great numbers. These are from January 79.
mp3: The Cure – Killing An Arab
The band’s debut was released on 22 December 1978 on Small Wonder Records, and later in 1979 was given a re-release on Fiction Records. Those lucky enough to have a Small Wonder pressing could get £150 upwards if they wanted to sell it.
mp3: Destroy All Monsters – Bored
Destroy All Monsters came to be in Detroit in the mid-late 70s. The vocalist was Niagara, (real name Lynn Rovner), a former model and visual artist, while the musicians included, among others, Mike Davis (ex-MC5) and Ron Asheton (ex-Stooges). This was their debut single, released in the UK on a then newly-formed label, Cherry Red Records (Bored has the catalogue number Cherry 3). I think it would be fair to say that Sonic Youth were influenced by them.
mp3: Fingerprintz – Dancing With Myself
Debut single, on Virgin Records, of a London-based band whose singer Jimmie O’Neill was from the Glasgow area. Fingerprintz were perfectly described by Martin Strong:-
One of the earliest bands to translate the energy and anger of punk into a more accessible New Wave style, they were an obvious choice for Virgin.
The eponymous debut single had gone Top 5 in August 1978, but ultimately proved to be a one-hit wonder for the first alter-ego of Graham Fellows. There was an album, True Love Stories, which was produced by Martin Hannett, from which this single was lifted without much fanfare in January 1979. Twee-pop anyone?
mp3: The Ramones – She’s The One
This was the third single to be lifted from the Road To Ruin album, but if failed to trouble the charts. Its b-side, which could also be found on the album, is probably the better known song:-
mp3: The Ramones – I Wanna Be Sedated
Bill Drummond has been around a long time. He’d been part of Big In Japan, whose debut (and only) single has been the first release on the Liverpool-based Zoo Records. He was also part of the band which who released the label’s second 45:-
mp3: Those Naughty Lumps – Iggy Pop’s Jacket
Bill played lead guitar on this one.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
I thoroughly enjoyed that.
Flimflamfan
As soon as I heard Bored I thought of Sonic Youth. Never heard of Destroy all Monsters or Fingerprintz so will have to check them out.
Paul McLaughlan
In this category, how about The Mekons ‘Work All Week’ – the lyrics are as apt today as then. Or for a contrast, Japan ‘Life in Tokyo’ – ahead of its time then and not landing in the charts until 1982 on the 3rd release of it. And how about this, opening with the lyric “hey hey it’s me again”: Pere Ubu ‘The Fabulous Sequel (Have shoes will travel)’. All available on a YouTube url near you.
And the magnificent Fingerprintz never really came within spitting distance of a hit as far as I can tell. An astonishing miscarriage of Pop!
*Love* Iggy Pop’s Jacket!!!
Some winners, no losers. My favorites today are Bored and She’s The One. Niagara’s voice immediately made me think of Kim Gordon.
The songs that JiveLad suggests aren’t bad either. With the Pere Ubu song I recognize the desire not to chart. [sk]
I can smugly announce that I am the proud owner of a Small Wonder pressing of Killing an Arab, but not selling any time soon. Also to add that it’s the object of one of the most depressing instances of cancel culture idiocy. “Ooh that’s racist,” chirp whiney snowflake millennials who are too stupid and lazy to read the book on which it is based. Dickbrains.
I’m very taken with Those Naughty Lumps.