Sunday 23 June 2013

Jump Vision - Can't Get Used To You 7" Basilisk BAZ 004, 1980

If by choice or circumstance the subculture you swam in was Sydney mod revival, then we hope you have a good memory of the time. Mind you, if the purple hearts did do a number on your bonce, you can relive it all through the excellent Stark Raving Mod book and website. We say all that because the physical records (i.e. discs, 45s, singles) of the scene are, by and large, an underwhelming lot. This is typical of scenes which are backwards looking, and where the music isn't the prime aesthetic focus.

One particular example which slightly pre-dates the more formalised union jack/scooter scene is Jump Vision's only recording. Though commonly described as a soul/ska band, the prominent bass, echo and guitar effects on the A-side come across more as a slightly (more) anaemic Cure fronted by a pre-tantric Gordon Sumner. The Sting inflections aren't as obvious as on fellow scenesters The Personnel's effort, but still there. It's alright though. The flipside is a ska instrumental; you know by now we'll save you the few minutes.

The band were Richard Knott on bass, David Rowley on drums and Mark Bradridge on guitar. All shared vocals. Rowley ended up in the last line-up of The End, and all three went on to Watusi Now with Peter Mengede. Organ was provided by Russell Handley of Popular Mechanics.

Can't Get Used To You [Download]


Jump Vision collared, from Inner City Sound.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

on the right is Gary Dodd - replaced Mark Bradbridge

David Rowley said...

David Rowley, the drummer here. Not quite sure why Gary Dodd (far right) is in the picture at all. He never replaced Mark Bradridge - or, if he did, I don't remember it. Tough not to notice in a three piece. But he was in closely associated Popular Mechanics (both bands were on the Basilisk label at this point).

Andrew Gaynor said...

Ahoy. I was in the same year as Richard Knott at North Sydney Boys when he memorably caused our cadets-loving Principal to have conniptions. Richard and our now-near-mythical school captain Jon Dickson (later of Kill The King) blasted the end of year school concert 1977 with their defiantly punk first band which later evolved into Set 16. Said Principal already had blood pressure problems; this sent him ballistic. Best of all, Jon had already been elected Captain for the following year (it helped that he was Dux of EVERYthing) so there was no way he could be removed from the position without a huge outcry. With this as one of THE galvanising musical experiences of my youth, I then saw Jump Vision a couple of times, most notably at the Civic. Sadly, I lost my copy of their single in a dubious share house years ago, a similar story we all no doubt have.