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Wayne County and The Electric Chairs Boxset CD release

Cherry Red Records have released a 4 CD boxset of the three LPs the group recorded with Safari records between 1977-1979. Extras are on CD4.

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Dead Sea Scrolls release

Some Bluesy,"Beef hearty" Experimental Rock recorded at ALASKA STUDIOS in London in 1993. With, ex Screaming Blue Messiahs frontman BILL CARTER. Bass player SARAH CORINA, of the The Mekons and Striplight etc. and GBM founder member JOHN(JJ)JOHNSON.

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GBM Release New Tracks

GBM have released a two track EP from the GBM "Cave Studio" sessions which will form part of a new album. "Paradise Lost" and "Rough Justice"

All instruments with vocals performed by John (JJ) Johnson

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Chunk of Punk Exhibition

Barbican London

chunk of Punk Exhibition Barbican.

The Clash at The Rainbow Theatre 1977.photo by Jill Furmanovsky.

The original line up of THE ELECTRIC CHAIRS was one of the Bands featured in the ROCKARCHIVE’S A CHUNK OF PUNK Exhibition at the BARBICAN MUSIC LIBRARY in LONDON.
The Exhibition, which was part of PUNK.LONDON: 40 YEARS OF SUBVERSIVE CULTURE.
@ http://www.punk.london

A photographic celebration of 70’s Punk, which is also part of the 40th Anniversary Festival of Punk.

The Exhibition is built around the photos, record sleeve design and posters etc of world renowned  music photographer and founder of ROCKARCHIVE.COM  JILL FURMANOVSKY.
Featuring Bands, THE SEX PISTOLS, THE DAMNED, THE POLICE, SQUEEZE, THE SLITS, CHELSEA, THE MODELS, ATV and many more

Her photos capture the people, places, gigs and Bands throughout Punks ascent from 1976 onwards, and also capture the spirit, attitude, d.i.y. rawness and performances of the time, at venues like THE ROXY CLUB, THE VORTEX, THE MARQUEE CLUB and many others.

The Electric Chairs EP covers fron t and back

The Electric Chairs, line up (the original and Best)
L-R, JJ Johnson, Wayne County, Greg Van Cook, Val Haller

Front cover detail: The Electric Chairs - photo taken backstage at the original Marquee Club 1977 by Vic Von Schwanberg-Kruchina.
Back cover detail: Wayne County onstage - photo by Harry Mulowski.
Cover design Jill Furmanovsky.

 


TRIBUTE TO ‘LEMMY’

Lemmy and Motorhead
What can you say about the Legendary MOTORHEAD founder and Ex-HAWKWIND Member ‘LEMMY’, and add to all the Plaudits from around the World that has not already been said?

Unfortunately, Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister passed away on Boxing Day 2015

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Photo: Metalchris @FlickrMetalchris on Flick


Gardening by MoodnlightGardening by Moonlight, Sherwood Forest 1983. Duncan Bridgman and John Johnson (L to R)
Photo: Christine Robertson

Gardening by Moonlight "Strange Clues", re-release on Sherwood At The Controls Volume 1: 1979 – 1984

Strange Clues has been included in a compilation of mixes by legendary Mixer Adrian Sherwood

Sherwood at the controls

On-U Sound Compilation of early tracks produced or remixed by the legendary Adrian Sherwood; a pioneering blend of post-punk, mutant disco, dub, funk and electro, released by Warp Records/On-U Sound.

Includes 6 tracks that have never been reissued in any format, and 2 completely unreleased tracks from the On-U vaults.

Adrian Sherwood is a name most commonly associated with dub reggae, particularly his own leftfield version of the sound that he developed over the 80s and 90s, having been mentored by the likes of Prince Far I, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Dennis Bovell.

 

 

 

 

 


Wayne County and the Electric Chairs Live at Rockpalast

Wayne county and The electric chairs - Live at the RockpalastPERFORMANCE DATE: Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany, 9th December, 1978

Wayne County and the Electric Chairs was one of the most vibrant, startling acts playing the gig circuit through punk's peak years of 1977-78, bringing a touch of authentic New York street life to European stages. Featuring Wayne County, Eliot Michaels, Val Haller, John (JJ) Johnson & Henry Padovani.

ROCKPALAST is a legendary ‘live’ music TV show hosted in Germany by the WDR channel. It first broadcast in 1974 and has become a pan-European television institution. It has its own fan club and online forum, and in almost four decades, it has become a trademark of quality viewing and listening.

Expertly restored and remastered. Superb vision, outstanding sound.

Repertoire records

Wayne County and the Electric Chairs Live at Rockpalast RESTORED CONCERT PERFORMANCE on REGION FREE NTSC DVD: (Audio selection of Stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound) & REMASTERED STEREO SOUNDTRACK CD RELEASED.


CBGB (THE MOVIE)

Electric chairs first LPWayne County and The Electric Chairs track " Out of Control " is featured on the CBGB Movie soundtrack.

‘ Out of Control ‘ taken from the Bands first Album ‘ The Electric Chairs’ recorded in London in 1977 during the British Punk explosion and released by Safari Records features the original Band line up of (Photo: L to R:) Greg Van Cook, John (JJ) Johnson, Wayne County & Val Haller

CBGB The Movie DVD coverThe CBGB movie Premiered in 2013 at the massive CBGB Music and Film Festival, stars Alan Rickman as Hilly Kristal founder of the Legendary CBGB’s Club in New York City’s Bowery district in the 1970's.

The movie also features Malin Akerman, Rupert Grint, Ashley Greene, Johnny Galecki Justin Bartha and a host of others including apperances from Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters Drummer as Iggy Pop.)

From 1973 the CBGB’s Club gave a platform to thousands of Bands including The Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, The Police, Misfits, Television, Patti Smith Group, The Dead Boys, The Dictators, The Cramps, Joan Jett, Wayne County and The Backstreet Boys, ( whose members included Drummer Mark Bell, AKA Marky Ramone and Guitarists Greg Van Cook and Eliot Michaels. )
Many of the above Bands are portrayed by the cast in the Movie.

Through the 80’s with Agostic Front, Murphy’s Law, Cro-Mags, Gorilla Biscuits, Sick of it All and Youth of Today.
And into the 90’s with Sum 41, Korn, Green Day, Guns n Roses and many others, until the Club finally closed it’s doors in 2006.

Links

CBGBtheMovie on Facebook

CBGB The Movie on IMDB

CBGB Club

CBGB Festival

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TRIBUTE TO ‘LEMMY’

Lemmy and Motorhead
What can you say about the Legendary MOTORHEAD founder and Ex-HAWKWIND Member ‘LEMMY’, and add to all the Plaudits from around the World that has not already been said?

Read more>

Val Haller dies

CBGB Film soundtrack


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Can it be? Unconditional Film info>>

Gene Simmons and The Electric Chairs name

The Skids Fan Gathering

GBM Media Site

Buy Digital Downloads

Coochies Bream release

Ramones: End of Century

Punk Attitude
Don Letts

Jayne County and "The Electric Chairs" - (not the original band)

 

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GBM - SINGLE

GBM
Soundtrack Album

GBM
Method in the Madness

 

 

 

 

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VAL HALLER R.I.P.

18/12/2012

It is with great sadness that I have to report the loss of English Bass player/Musician/Songwriter, VAL HALLER.

Wayne county and the Electric chairs

Val Haller (Left of picture) of The Electric Chairs 1977

Val was an original member of WAYNE COUNTY AND THE ELECTRIC CHAIRS and THE MYSTERE FIVES, AUTUMNFAIR with Thom Fuhrmann and was also later intermittently part of California Band SAVAGE REPUBLIC.

Val took his own life on the 16th of December 2012 in California USA, where he had been living since the 1980’s with his wife and three sons whilst struggling against the effects of the global economic recession in America.

I first met Val around 1974, an intelligent, quiet but energetic man, when he came to rent a cheap room in a flat that I had been living in for a couple of years at Queens Gate Place in London SW7, a large atmospheric, historic, but run down property that, because of the austere and difficult economic climate in England at that time, plus a difficult and absentee Landlord, I would later turn into a ‘Squat’.
Later In 1978 Wayne, Greg and later Eliot Michaels and Henri Padovani also moved into the property, which became the band’s base until 1980. 

Val had started playing the Bass and had ambitions to join a Band; working hard to fulfill these ambitions he eventually joined the Rhythm&Blues outfit called ‘THE ROCKETS’, who gigged relentlessly up and down the Country in ‘THE PUB ROCK’ scene in the middle of the 1970’s.

Although we were playing in different bands at the time I have fond memories of the endless cups of tea, Conversations, fun, the exchange of ideas about music, and our struggles with playing music in my room at Queens Gate Place and attending gigs with him around London.
I sat in on Drums with The Rockets for a couple of gigs after they had lost their Drummer
One of which was at a venue in Leighton Buzzard with the CLASH as support band ! Which was only their second gig.

By now it was it was getting to the end of 1976 and the Rockets were on the verge of splitting, the British PUNK Scene was on the rise. Val was a big Fan of the Bands and the Punk movement and was a sociable and popular figure within that scene, attending many gigs at venues around London such as THE 100  CLUB, THE MARQUEE, THE ELGIN,THE HOPE AND ANCHOR, THE NASHVILLE and later THE ROXY etc.

Val liked to hang around the ROUGH TRADE Record shop in the Portobello area of London sifting through the new singles and Albums and chatting to various musicians passing through the shop. He later had a chance meeting with WAYNE COUNTY’S then Manager, who was thinking of bringing WAYNE and original band guitarist GREG VAN COOK over to London and was looking for a rhythm section.

Val got the call to join Wayne and Greg around the beginning of 1977 and they started rehearsals. Several weeks later Val invited me to join the Band, initially on a temporary basis, which became permanent, and introduced me to Wayne and Greg,we were a great team and great rhythm section. We played some challenging, but Fun gigs and Tours for most of the year, recording and releasing, a one off Single and EP deal “the ELECTRIC  CHAIRS 1977 EP” on Miles Copeland’s ILLEGAL RECORDS Label.

Through this period the band had been rejected by all of the record companies approached to sign a permanent record deal, and Val, through his initiatives and contacts with Safari Records, persuaded them to come and see the Band at a live gig. The Band signed to Electric chairs first lpSAFARI RECORDS in late 1977, which was crucial at that point, otherwise the Band would have to split and Wayne and Greg would have had to go back to the USA.

However, because of signing to Safari we went on to do many Tours, releasing 8 Singles, 2 EP's and 3 Albums, and the rest as they say, is History.

REST IN PEACE, VAL HALLER, A GOOD FRIEND, A BIG MAN, NOT ONLY IN STATURE, BUT ALSO IN INITIATIVE AND SPIRIT.

 

JOHN(JJ)JOHNSON © 2012Elecctric chairs from 1978

 

Val Haller (Fourth from left)

Electric Chairs 1978 - 1980

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