Snips(aka Steve Parsons)
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1978) - Jackie Badger -- bass - John Bentley -- guitar - Graham Deakin -- drums - Mick Dyche -- lead guitar - Snips (aka Steve Parsons) -- vocals, guitar
backing musicians: (1978) - Keith Hale -- keyboards - Steve Lillywhite -- keyboards - Zoot Money -- sax - Rudi -- sax
line up 1 (1981) - Jackie Badger -- bass, backing vocals - Clem Cattini -- bass - Dave Matticks -- drums, percussion, drum synthesizers - Bill Nelson -- synthesizers - Chris Spedding -- guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
backing musicians (1981) - Duncan Bridgeman -- synthesizers - David Ellott -- backing - Jo Julian -- bassg vocals
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- Baker Gurvitz Army (Steve Parsons) - Harlot (Mick Dyche) - King Mob (Steve Parsons) - The Maddy Prior Band (Mick Dyche) - McCallla (Mick Dyche) - Sharks (Steve Parsons) - Sniff 'n' the Tears (Mick Dyche) - The Pat Travers Band (Mick Dyche) - Wild Turkey (Mick Dyche)
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Genre: rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Video King Company: Jet Catalog: JETLP
212 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: UK pressing; blue vinyl; still in shrink wrap (opened); original lyric insert Available: SOLD Catalog ID: SOLD 5637 Price: SOLD $20.00
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Can't say I know a great deal about Steve Parsons (aka Snips). Stretching back to the early-1970s he served as lead singer for a number of bands including The Baker Gurvitz Army and replacing Andy Fraser in the post-Free Sharks. He also released a pair of late-1970s/early-1980s LPs "Video King" and "La Rocca!".
His solo debut came with the release of 1978's "Video King". Co-produced by Snips and Steve Lillywhite the set featured backing from The Video Kings (former Sharks bassist Jackie Badger, rhythm guitarist John Bentley, drummer Graham Deakin (who'd toured and recorded with the late John Enwistle), and journeyman lead guitarist Mick Dyche).
I'll be perfectly honest and admit I'd never been a big fan of Snips earlier work. His fragile voice always struck me as being poorly suited for the rock repetoire both Baker Gurvitz Army and Sharks put out. Accordingly I wasn't sure what to expect from this album - add in the funky pseudo-Goth cover and the fact it was released on the Jet label (best known for Jeff Lynne and The Electric Light Orchestra) and I was clueless what this one was going to be like. Well, anyone expecting another set of Sharks-styled rock was in for a major surprise. Featuring all original material, tracks like 'Film Club', 'Waiting for Tonight' and 'Animal Century' were surprisingly pop-oriented, though with an occasional touch of new wave angst ('Walking'), or goofiness ('Dracula'). In fact, 'Stravinsky's Shoes' even sounded a bit like Snips have been listening to too much Morrissey. The other big surprise was that this time out Snips' voice proved far better suited to the more pop oriented material. Yeah, 'Under Suspicion' and 'Babaloomah' found him falling back into that mildly operatic mode, but those were the exception. Elsewhere Dyche turned in some first-rate solos - check out his performances on 'Film Club' and 'Eat It Up'. Maybe not a classic LP, but far better than I expected and worth looking for since you can still find copies relatively cheap.
"Video
King" track listing: 1.) Love Is Blind (Snips) - 2.) Film Club (Snips) - 3.) Walking (Snips) - 4.) Under Suspicion (Snips) - 5.) Eat It Up (Snips) - 6.) Waiting for Tonight (Snips) -
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2) 2.) Dracula (Snips) - 3.) Stravinsky's Shoes (Snips) - 4.) Babaloomah (Snips) - 5.) Animal Century (Snips) -
I don't know if it was released before or after the album, but there was also a stand-alone 45:
- 1978's 'Waiting for Tonight' b/w 'Smash Your T.V.' (Jet catalog number S JET 118) - the 45 was originally pressed on green vinyl
I've never bothered to track down a copy, by there's a 1981 follow-up "La Rocca!" (EMI catalog number EMC3359). With support from the likes of Bill Nelson, Chris Spedding, and Midge Ure it supposedly has more of a new wave edge. EMI tapped the second LP for a series of three singles:
- 1980's '9 O'Clock' b/w 'What's Your Number' (EMI catalog number EMI5040) - 1980's 'You're a Wonderful One' b/w 'Mr. Dillinger' (EMI catalog number EMC5071) - 1980's Telepathy'' b/w 'Lolita' (EMI catalog number EMC5107)
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Genre: rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: La Rocca! Company: RIO Catalog: JETLP
212 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/ VG+ Comments: UK pressing; Available: 1 Catalog ID: 2590 Price: $20.00
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While I didn't think Snips' solo debut "Video King" was the greatest thing I'd ever heard, nothing prepared me for his subsequent change in creative direction. Produced by Chris Spedding (who also contributed guitar throughout the album), 1981's "La Rocca!" all but abandoned his earlier blues-rock moves in favor of a then-contemporary punk and new wave inspired sound. Though the messages were frequently lost on my American sensibilities, tracks like 'Skies of England', 'Backs of Million', 'Work', and 'Happy Sometimes' seemed to include a healthy dose of English work class unhappiness with various facets of English life. Whereas Snips fragile voice was an acquired taste on his Sharks and Baker Gurvitz catalog, it proved surprisingly well adapted to the rawer and tougher arrangements that characterized this collection. The punk/new wave leanings certainly limited the set's appeal, but I found them surprisingly enjoyable with about a third of the songs sticking in my head - the opener 'Nine O'Clock', 'The Rain' and 'Happy Sometimes'.
"La Rocca1" track listing: 1.) Nine O'Clock (Snips) - rating: **** stars Not sure about the rest of you, but I wasn't expecting to hear Snips diving headlong into a punk/new wvae sound. The funny thing is it was surprisingly enjoyable with a strong melody and some sweet (!!!) vocals. The tune was tapped as a single:
- 1981's 'Nine O'Clock' b/w 'What's Your Number' (EMI catalog number 5040) YouTube has the promotion video for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaElQ3pb1GE 2.) La Rocca (Snips) - rating: ** stars How to describe the title track .. Punky funk? Regardless, it was raw, jittery, kind of irritating (imagine chalk of a chalk board), and not particularly memorable. Didn't do much for me. 3.) Skies of England (Snips) - rating: *** stars Snips version of a Genesis tune ? Yeah, it remained true to his new found punk/new wave roots, but powered by Bill Nelson's synthesizers the song had kind of an anthemic melody. Unfortunately the tune's underlying meaning ("Brian Jones black eyes ..." was lost on my American sensibilities ... 4.) The Rain (Snips) - rating: **** stars Can a punk song have a lysergic edge? Judging by the hypnotic 'The Rain' the answer was yes. Built on a simple, but irresistible Clem Cattini bass line, the song was propulsive and catchy. Yeah, it made me think about The Beatles version ... This one should have been one of the singles. 5.) Dark Outside (Snips) - rating: **** stars Reaching for a deeper, darker voice, 'Dark Outside' sounded like a warped English working class take on Northern Soul. Strange, lyrically bleak and troubling, but quite compelling. Once again Clem Cattini provided a nice bass line. 6.) Backs of Millions (Snips) - rating: *** stars As mentioned, 'Backs of Millions' seemed to be one of those songs that was a clear swipe at Thatcherism and the impact it was having on English working classes. The boys chorus at the end was kind of cool.
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2) Ever wonder what an angry Lou Reed might have sounded like were he English ? Probably not, but the dark and disturbing 'Police Car' might not be too far from the results. Seriously disturbing tune. 2.) Happy Sometimes (David Elliott) - rating: **** stars One of two non-originals, 'Happy Sometimes' may have been one of the album's most pop sounding tune, but the lyrics portrayed a much darker undercurrent. Wish it had been longer. 3.) Tight Shoes (Snips) - rating: **** stars Kicked along by Spedding's Eddie Cochran-styled lead guitar figure, 'Tight Shoes' WAS the album's most commercial and catchy tune. Imagine Elvis Costello and the Attractions with a more commercial singer. This one was tapped as the third UK single:
- 1981's 'Tight Shoes' b/w 'Noise' (EMI catalog number 5138) 4.) Work (Snips) - rating: *** stars With a stomping rhythm section and some "I'm part of the downtrodden" lyrics, 'Work' was another standout tune that would have sounded hysterical on BBC radio. 5.) Telepathy (Snips) - rating: *** stars When did I put on the Gary Numan and Tubeway Army LP ? 'Telepathy' was a nervous, jittery tune than showcased Jackie Badger on backing vocals. The Ure Geller name check always makes me smile. It was the album' second single:
- 1980's 'Telepathy' b/w 'Lolita' (EMI catalog number 5107) 6.) What Is Pop? rating: *** stars Shades of David Byrne and the Talking Heads. I like the Talking Heads so I'm more than okay with the comparison.
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