In my Brian Appleyardesque post of yesterene I furgoat to mention...Lloyd Cole and The Commotions. Their keyboard player/accordianist was Andrew Alston, who was also from Stra'ven. I went to school with his brother Angus. We shared a rehearsal space with the Commotions, across the road from Berkley studios in the basement. Ou room was split between us and Lloyd and the other one was Strangers and Brothers and The Bluebells. Across the raod in the sound studio were Hue and Cry.
Also the Scars, (from Edinburgh really) whose single All about You is still one of my faves. Their first single Adultery came out on the Human Leagues label, Fast Product.
The Scars recorded at least part of their album Author! Author! at the studios in Bentink Street. I stayed in Bentink Street when I was at Art School. I used to see a few of the bands that hung around at the time, the Shaking Pyramids (from Greenock) were a rockabilly act who had a minor hit with "Take a Trip on The Train" just after the Stray Cats had hit it big in the UK. Very popular in France, the Pyramids. The Cuban Heels were a favourite of mine. Homes For Heros. I still have their album "Work Our Way To Heaven" somewhere. The cover has them on the beach at Girvan. Romance, eh? The record label was Cuba Libre but I can't remember the name of the studios. Casa? I may be confusing it with the Records and Tapes place in Sauchihall Street, now defunct.
Bizarre find of the day
http://www.printfection.com/cubanheels American website sells Cuban heels Tshirt shocker.
Of course, growing up in Stra'ven gave one an "in" to that particular generation of post punk pioneers as many of the bands recorded their singles (most of the Orange Juice Postcards for instance) at John McLarty's Emblem Studios off the Common Green. Originally upstairs from his tailors shop, in an attic room panelled with egg boxes (I'm not making this up) the operation moved to a disused tearoom next to the Boo Backet Brig in the very late 70's. Emblem studios are the ones you see the Majestics in in Tutti Frutti. I met Robbie Coltrane going into the Spar during filming. About a year later I was at the Edinburgh Festival and I met him again walking up North Fredrick street. When he stopped to chat you coulda knocked me pals over with a feather. Nice guy. For a short period in the early 80's I used to go out with Johns daughter.
The sound engineer there was an RD Warwick, now Ricky Warwick of the Almighty. McLarty's money was made recording groups like The Men of Orkney Male Voice Choir or local favourite Wallace Kirkland, a Lanarkshire based crooner whose sublimely awful "Wallace Kirkland Sings the Happy Heart" I am proud to own. I have never been entirely sure quite why there were so many recording studios dotted ariound such a small town. There was Emblem, a dance band and radio broadcast studios at the Kirkland Park Hotel (demolished in the 90's) and another out by Auldhouse.
On a seperate point, I was amazed in the 90's at the emergence of so many Lanarkshire bands with cycling based monickers, viz
Campag Velocet (a racing gruppo)
The Delgados (after Pedro of that ilk)
De Rosa (Italian framebuilders to Eddy Merxck)