Not quite a new band, or even a reformed band – The Prisoners have been around since 1980 and were part of the 60’s Garage Band revival of the 80s as well as the Psychedelic and Mod revivals. And almost permanent fixtures on the club circuit.
So, no new kids on the block but still delivering the goods and the fans, by way of this session done for Marc Riley at BBC 6 Music on December 22nd. Despite having called it quits in 1987 – they resurfaced 1997 and have been going strong ever since.
The Prisoners line-up in 1980 was: Graham Day (Vocal and Guitar), James Taylor (Vox Continental and Hammond Organ), Allan Crockford (Bass) and Johnny Symons (Drums). Fans speculated about the origin of the band’s name, with many believing it was derived from the 1960s TV series The Prisoner; however, Graham Day later stated that it came from the title of the first single by The Vapors (who later scored a hit with Turning Japanese). The band’s sound combined catchy, retro-flavoured melodies, punky guitar riffs, a distinctive vocal style and a lead instrument of the then-unfashionable Vox Continental organ. Part of the Medway scene, often referred to as the ‘Medway Delta’, they often toured with Thee Milkshakes, with whom they appeared in an edition of Channel 4’s The Tube dressed in Star Trek outfits. The band were adopted by the Mod revival, despite never considering themselves a mod band, and are widely considered to be one of the best bands from the 1980s mod scene. The Prisoners didn’t have much commercial success during their active years, but were later hailed as an influence on the Madchester sound of bands such as The Charlatans.
The band released their first album, A Taste of Pink, in 1982. Most of the songs were written by Graham Day. After releasing several self-financed records and spending a year with Big Beat Records, they made a final album, In From The Cold in 1986 for the Stiff Records label on their subsidiary label “Countdown”, run by Eddie Piller. After failing to find commercial success, the band split later in 1986. They have reformed for several live shows since then, and released a final one-off single in 1997.
Bassist Allan Crockford produced the single Strawberries are Growing in My Garden (and It’s Wintertime) by fellow Medway band, The Dentists. He joined James Taylor in the James Taylor Quartet. Graham Day continues to perform in a number of different beat combos, such as the Solar Flares, and MBEs alongside Billy Childish and Wolf Howard.
So in case you missed them over here in the States, now’s your chance.
Goes well with lunch:
