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 The Members New Single: INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CRISIS read more > |
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 The Story of The Members by Adrian Thrills, February 2006 The success of Sound Of The Suburbs set The Members up for their debut album, At The Chelsea Nightclub, released on Virgin in April 1979. Painstakingly assembled, it took the band further away from their punky roots, with tracks such as Stand Up & Spit and Don't Push emphasising their reggae leanings. There was also, in a title track cut live at Hammersmith Odeon, a hint of the band's incendiary stage power. The song itself was a hilarious attack on the shallow socialising of the Chelsea set in nightspots where 'half a pint of lager costs 60p'. They should be so lucky. For their next move, The Members abandoned rock completely and gave full vent to their love of reggae. Offshore Banking Business, a non-album single, featured a loping riff, reggae brass and even a Jamaican-style talk-over section - 'a lesson in home economics' entitled Pennies In The Pound - from Nicky Tesco. Lyrically, the song was also one of the first recorded cases of rock 'n' roll insider trading, with JC using the knowledge garnered working in a bank to fuel a scornful condemnation of global financial corruption. The band's second album, 1980 - The Choice Is Yours, was softer and more measured than At The Chelsea Nightclub. Produced by Rupert Hine, it contained new tracks such as Goodbye To The Job and Physical Love, plus a cover of Larry Wallis's Police Car, a live favourite. But while the overall mood was now darker, suggestions of their old, more irreverent style remained on the album's opening single, Romance. The Members, however, were growing up fast. After leaving Virgin in 1981, they broadened their sound by introducing a full-time horn section, Steve 'Rudi' Thompson (ex-X Ray Spex) and Simon Lloyd (Bananarama and Icehouse) and embracing funk and rap as well as reggae. A one-off single, Radio, was released on Island before the band enjoyed an American hit by reaching out to the burgeoning MTV generation with Working Girl. The band's third album, produced by Martin Rushent and Dave Allen, was originally released only in the States. On tracks such as Chairman Of The Board and We The People, it showcased a maturing group who were becoming more socially aware in their lyrics. The album was eventually released by Albion Records in the UK as Going West. Best remembered for their punky anthems, their invigorating use of reggae and dozens of great nights out, The Members never really achieved the widespread recognition that their musical vision deserved. But they were a group who moved on from the three-chord limitations of punk to leave us with a batch of songs that have stood the test of time remarkably well. The tracks assembled on the forthcoming "Greatest Best of In Living Memory" reiterate their impish brilliance. As JC said: 'We play English rock with a touch of reggae - and we do it so that people can enjoy themselves'.
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