"CLANG! Smiley Drops A Few - Book Review

"CLANG" the art of name dropping someone famous in to a conversation.....and let's face it I would imagine those nights and days on The Alarm tour bus could sound like a gong with the collective Clangs that there must be potential for in any conversation!

In Smiley's memoir Clangs come thick and fast but what would you expect from someone that has played a wide spectrum of music from Robbie Williams to Joe Strummer and even being in The Who (for 2 minutes - read the book!). This isn't a boring by the book autobiography tripping over dates and places or dwelling long on his formative years before hitting the nitty gritty which bought us all to the book in the first place, in fact Smiley lays out very early on that his memory for dates is shocking and is often worked out by which teams were in that years Cup Final! The chapters are short and sweet and are designed to be read mostly in any order so you can skip to read about your favourite bands or to try and track down the juicy bits!



I'm not going to repeat any of the stories Smiley tells as they are there for you all to discover and delight in but his time with Robbie, Strummer and From The Jam get a fair bit of coverage. Even without being a fan of the former Take Thatter I found this time interesting especially the sliding doors moments and the various times he crossed paths with a Gallagher brother! The time of being in the Mescaleros was obviously a key point in Smileys career and there are many stories that will cement your opinion that Joe Strummer was someone special and Smiley handles his departure from the band with class and that is something that comes across again and again, there's no bitterness (or very little) and some doors close allowing others to open.

For those coming to the book from an Alarm point of view then it will obviously be no shock how his passion for his band mates, "family" and fan base obvious, there will be some new info for you - did you know that Mark Taylor had taken a lecturing post at a music school for instance? There is no salacious gossip here and the criticism from some areas of the fan base to the current Alarm line up is given short thrift. Personally I think pointing out that Jules had given up her stage membership in the Poets Of Justice when she and Mike began a family and was now returning to that role might have been a better explanation than the fact she is a grade 8 pianist but hey it's not my book or my story to tell! I would have loved to have had more, a lot more on Smileys time with The Alarm and I'm sure most people reading this will come to the same conclusion.

Archive are an amazing band, every single time I've seen them they've been like no other time and every single time they've been magnificent! The fact that Smiley acknowledges the general fan response of "massive in France, can't get arrested in the UK" says something and I hope after reading CLANG! more Alarm fans may explore Smiley's "other" band! The peanut story was something else!

From The Jam don't appear until the end of the book and to be fair they don't come out of it that well, there is an obvious respect of the material and of Bruce Foxton but both Bruce and vocalist/guitarist Russell Hastings come across as a little petty and a million miles away in attitude from Smiley. Shame as anyone who saw them during Smiley's tenure will attest that they were blinding! 

The writing style here is very conversational, deliberately so and you could imagine all these stories being told over many libations across a few great evenings in your favourite watering hole or as a post gig wind down. This ironically makes it the perfect holiday/airport book at a time when you can neither fly or grab a copy from the local bookshop! Instead you will have to order direct and help Smiley clear the boxes stacked in his living room or head over to Amazon. Either way CLANG! is a must read that will make you smile and in this day and age what more could you want!

ORDER YOURS HERE!!!

The Record Charity Book

Tim Darvell will be known to many UK Alarm fans (and many American ones after attending the Gathering there this year and last!) as well as being a fan himself he is also an author and fundraiser raising both money and awareness for the treatment of Bowel Cancer. His first book had heavy Alarm connections and now with the publication of his new volume "The Record Charity Book" that is something that continues! So here is what you need to know....over to Tim!

"I had been thinking about doing a follow up book to Lives & Times during the last couple of months of Mum’s life, and when she died my mind was made up, and I began approaching people to be in The Record in September 2016.

The Record has been done in memory of mum who died of bowel cancer on August 29^th, 2016 one week after her 80^th birthday. The cancer had spread to her brain, and she was moved into a nursing home for palliative end of life care once there were no ore treatment options available.

Lives & Times concentrated on Mike, Eddie, Dave & Twist, so for The Record I turned my attention to the current line up. 

I met Smiley at his studio in Fleet in spring 2016 just after his 4^th album, Smiley’s Friends Eclectic, was released. I spent a fascinating hour talking to him about his career, and this was just before the launch of the Blood Red album. 

I met James in Oxford at the O2 Academy before the band’s gig there in October 2017, and he gave me a fascinating insight into his musical roots.

 Then just when I thought I wouldn’t get Jules we had a great chat a couple of months ago, and her chapter is the longest chapter in the book and covered just about everything in her life.

The connections in the book continue with Gaz Top who I met before the concert at The Forum in London last May. Welsh rugby legend Rupert Moon also came on board. He is a great friend of Mike & Jules, and he gave me an amazing tour of The Principality Stadium.

 Ryan Hamilton needed to store his stuff in my hotel room at the recent New York Gathering, so I grabbed the opportunity to get him in the book. Finally there is the wonderful and inspirational fan of The Alarm, Gillian Wood, who is a bowel cancer survivor.

The book has 65 chapters, and everyone taking part gave up their own time to do it.

Since I published Lives & Times in 2015 I have met and become great friends with so many fellow fans of The Alarm. The support for that book took me rather by surprise, and as someone who used to keep very much to myself at concerts it made me come out of my shell, and it has been one of the best and rewarding things that has ever happened to me. I remain truly grateful for the wonderful and generous support from the fans.

The Record is available to pre order now in paperback and hardback from my website rivers2cross.com, and it will also be available to buy from all the usual online outlets soon including a kindle edition. All proceeds raised from sales of the book will be donated to Bowel Cancer UK. Since mum was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2012, almost £10,000 has been raised.

Bowel cancer is the second highest cancer killer in the UK. 16,000 people die every year. 42,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year, which is one person every 15 minutes… Bowel cancer is one of the most treatable and if detected early at stage 1 over 90% of patients can be successfully treated. At the last stage 4 just 7% of patients live for 5 years or more. This makes raising awareness about the disease vital to help improve early diagnosis rates. This is the reason why I continue to do what I do, as it raises money for Bowel Cancer UK, but just as important it helps to raise awareness about this awful disease."

James Stevenson "40 Years" A selective Interview!

For 40 years James Stevenson has lent his unique talent to a massively diverse selection of bands & solo artists with the release of "40 Years in the Rock 'n' Roll Wilderness (a Selective Retrospective)" you can now marvel at the diversity while enjoying some truly great music....and guitar solos!

What made you decide to release a retrospective?

It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a few years. The logistics were quite complicated, getting all the right permissions etc. but I kind of wanted to do it for myself – me being the only common thread. I think it’s an interesting collection – and also I wanted to introduce people to some of the lesser known artists whose work I really admire and to introduce fans of one band to others I play in.

Why now?

The time just felt right. It’s actually taken about two years to sort it all out.

With such a long and broad career how did you go about choosing which tracks to include?

Tons of different factors. It was hard. I would have loved a Scott Walker track on there, but sometimes the logistics were too complicated or permission was impossible to obtain. I had to like the track myself. I know that sounds weird but I have played on stuff I didn’t like just to pay the bills.

What was it like revisiting some of the more off the beaten track songs during your selection process?

That for me was a really enjoyable part. I hadn’t heard the Charlie Harper song for years. The Gary Holton track was something I suddenly remembered at the last minute and knew I had to include it.

The album kicks off, quite rightly, with “Urban Kids” by Chelsea, recording that must have been pretty special considering how young you were at the time?

Yeah I was nineteen I think. Kit Lambert produced it. Working with him was really great. I think that was the first time I played proper lead guitar on a record.

I’m guessing from some of the absences of material reflecting parts of your career you may not have been able to secure the rights for some songs?

Well everyone was really helpful. Billy Idol’s manager refused me permission for the Gen X track – so I went to Tony James who got them to change their minds – so I owe him for that. When I went to Beggars for Desire by Gene Loves Jezebel they just said I could have it “gratis” which was really sweet of them – usually you have to pay an advance. Obviously it’s easier if a mate, or you yourself, own a recording.

There's nothing representing your time in The Cult?

Well I’m not on any Cult recordings. I’m sure no guitarist except Billy Duffy ever will be. I was just a hired gun. There might be the odd live recording with me on it but I was never a member of the band – I was just a hired gun, so it never entered my mind to try to include a Cult track.

What made you choose “Andy Warhol” by Gen X ? Does it have fond memories or is it a nod to your present Bowie connection with Holy Holy?

I just thought it was a great version – very different to Bowie’s. The band really gave it our own slant. And I suspect many people have never heard it. Dancing With Myself would have been a bit too obvious.

You’ve said on social media before that one of the favourite things you ever did was the Henry Badowski album “Life Is A Grand…” I’m guessing it’s not an album that most people are familiar with, what makes it so special to you?

Well I was in bands at school with Henry so I’ve known him virtually my whole life. He’s a very talented and unique songwriter and instrumentalist. Yeah, he just made that one album for A&M in 1981, but he still has a cult following. I’ve often tried to talk him into recording new material commercially, but he hates the music industry.

Your start with Chelsea & Gen X doesn’t seem a natural fit to bring you to Kim Wilde & Annabel Lamb what was it they wanted you to bring to their sound?

Well things just happen along the way don’t they? Mickie Most got me in with Kim because he wanted there to be a band in the Kids In America video. I only play on a few tracks on her first two albums. Annabel was really just a session. Wally Brill who produced the first Chelsea album was producing it – so he knew what I sounded like and wanted a bit of that on the song. She went on to have a hit with a cover of The Doors’ Riders On The Storm of course.

I thought I knew most of the acts you’d been involved with, baring some of the sessions maybe, but The Hot Club and The Smart are new ones to me! What can we expect and what made them essential tracks to include on “40 Years…”?

Well Hot Club was the first band I had with Glen Matlock. We only made two singles, both with different singers. Steve Allen from Deaf School and The Original Mirrors is on the track I chose, which was a B side. When he left we got Clark Datchler in. He and Calvin went on to form Johnny Hates Jazz. It was kind of an unfocused band – but still important to me because it got me out on the road again which I hadn’t done for a while because I’d been a professional mimer with Kim for over a year. As for The Smart let me make it clear at the outset the name The Smart was nothing to do with me LOL. Dave Martin the singer was the rhythm guitarist in Chelsea and he and Geoff the bass player left to form The Smart in 1980. They asked me to join a couple of years later. We made an album that never got released at the time. Epic kept saying they were going to sign the band but never did – typical of the industry at that time. I actually really like the album – you can get it now – so I had to include a track.

Many will know Gary Holton from his acting career in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet or musically for his time in Heavy Metal Kids so where does The Gang Show fit in?

Well just after Hot Club, Glen and I formed a band with him. As well as an actor he was a rock and roll legend of course. I don’t think Big Tears has ever been released before. I just realised I had to include it right and the end of compiling 40 Years. I remembered it in the nick of time. I saw The Heavy Metal Kids at The Biba Rainbow Room when I was about fourteen and they were brilliant – especially Gary. I think I went to that gig with Henry Badowski actually……

For those that haven’t heard it before it may surprise some people that you feature on “Brand New You’re Retro” by former Massive Attack member Tricky which is very different to the genres that you usually favour.

Yeah – you end up on all sorts of records along the way LOL. I actually loved playing on Maxinquaye – I’m pretty sure I’m on a lot of it – but only got credited on this one track.

Was it difficult trying to mix different genres into a working running order?

No – it’s more or less chronological except here and there where I’ve kept tracks by the same bands next to each other in the running order. For example Desire and Break The Chain by GLJ are about seven years apart time-wise but I kept them next to each other on the CD.

When you approached this project did you have certain essential cornerstones that you had from day one or was the selection process fairly fluid?

The track-listing changed all the time. I was mortified when I first got refused Gen X – although I wasn’t in the band for long it was an important part of my career I felt I had to include. The cornerstones were the bands I feel are most important in my career – Chelsea, Gen X, GLJ, The Alarm, The International Swingers and Holy Holy.

Did you have any trusted friends that would suggest songs to you or give you a deciding vote if you were stuck?

Yes a few people. There are friends you respect whose help you engage when you can’t make a decision. Jules Peters vetoed the original cover LOL – which I’m glad about because Karl Parsons came up with a brilliant one after that.

What tracks were on the short list but didn’t make the final album?

It was especially tough deciding which tracks to include from the first Chelsea album and also The Smart. I nearly went with Something’s Got To Give from Under Attack too because I love the song. Also from Chelsea’s Faster, Cheaper And Better Looking – Cosy Family Way almost didn’t make it but then I decided I really liked the guitar solo LOL.

You’ve chosen just 3 songs to represent your work within The Alarm, “45 RPM”, “Superchannel” & “My Town” what is it about them that stands out for you above others?

Well Superchannel and 45 were both hits, that’s why I went with them. Then it was a toss up between My Town and Something’s Got To Give. Tough choices.

You’ve not chosen anything from your latest albums with either Chelsea or Gene Loves Jezebel is there any reason for this?

I just felt they were too recent – I’m really proud of both Mission Impossible and Dance Underwater - they need to be listened to in their entirety – for now anyway.

Your collaborations with Glen Matlock see you choose 2 tracks from the Philistines & 3 from The International Swingers. Now that Glen has left the Swingers do you have any plans to work together again?

Well John Carlucci’s been playing bass with The Swingers and he’s worked out great. But with Glen never say never, I guess. He told us the reason he didn’t want to do TIS anymore was that he wanted to stop playing bass and concentrate on being a singer songwriter. But recently he’s been playing bass with Clem and Walter Lure in The Heartbreakers so who knows.

The retrospective closes with 2 tracks from your excellent solo album “Everything’s Getting Closer To Being Over”, I remember you saying you were writing a follow up album so what’s the latest and how long will we have to wait to hear it considering how busy you are?

Well I’ve written the title track – it’s called The Other Side Of The World. It’s about my younger brother Dave and his battle with early onset Alzheimers. It’s been absolutely fucking heartbreaking

Are there any plans for a Vol. 2 if the album is successful?

Hadn’t thought of that. Maybe, although getting this one together has been a monster job.

Lastly……what can we expect from James Stevenson in 2018?

Well there’s a lot of Alarm in the diary. I want to get out and promote Dance Underwater with GLJ because I think it’s such a great album. Holy Holy too of course and also there may be some stuff with Daphne Guinness whose album I played on courtesy of Mr. Visconti. Sometimes I don’t know what to expect to come round the corner myself……

James, as always it's been amazing! Thank you & see you at the Gathering!

"40 Years in the Rock 'n' Roll Wilderness (a Selective Retrospective)" is available to order now for just £15 plus £3 p&p! Just CLICK HERE for details!

Mike, Jules & family interview on Welsh TV

Mike, Jules, Dylan and Evan have all been interviewed for the Welsh TV programme Heno - which my Welsh to English translator tells me means "tonight". The programme is totally in the Welsh language so apart from being about Ben Nevis and LHS I really can't figure out that much more but for all the Welsh speakers and those that are curious you can watch the interview HERE 

The interviews start at the 37 minute mark.

Stream "The Song That Changed My Life"

Mike is featured on "The Song That Changed My Life" and is now available to stream at the BYUtv web site HERE

It features various performances by Mike solo and with The Alarm, some great photos and clippings and interviews with both Mike and Jules. The programme may be under half an hour long but it is brilliant and insightful and a definite must see, it also has a share button so you can get everyone involved!

Ask Jules!

Jules and Mike at The Gathering

Ever wanted to ask Jules a question? Well now's your chance!

The very lovely Jules Peters has kindly agreed to be interviewed for In The Poppy Fields and we are in the process of gathering (pun intended!) the questions we will put to her. If you want your question asked then send it to us via inthepoppyfields@gmail.com BE QUICK! We will be sorting these next week!