At the Coach House are the original recordings made by The Members with Producer Steve Lillywhite in 1978 that helped secure the band there record deal, however these recordings then sat unreleased in a cupboard for the next 45 Years and have finally been released. Recorded at Eddy Grant's Coach House studios with more or less the bands original line-up of Nick Tesco, JC Carroll, Nigel Bennett, Chris Payne and Adrian Lillywhite. Due to JC having to go to his day job in a bank the backing vocals are by his brother Meesh and Steve Jameson. This album is a must have for any of the bands fans and any fans of early punk.
The album opens with Electricity that has a dark bassline and with dubby effects and crisp spacey drumming, setting up the atmosphere for the bands Punky reggae crossover sound. Soho A Go Go builds, into this classic look at the struggle to get anywhere, before trying to make it in Soho, they tell us to clean up your act that could easily be aimed at the notorious Soho vice squad and all the gangsters running all sorts of dives, the raw guitars and galloping drums add levels of tension to the drama of all the sleaze, that made Soho A Go Go for anyone living the life.
At The Chelsea Nightclub in this version sounds quite close to My Generation musically, while they look at the fun they were having, going to that Chelsea Nightclub that must have been something like the Main Squeeze or other late night haunts of the time, the bass and guitars collapsing gives Patti Smiths version of My Generation a run for its money.
Sally is in praise of a girl who they grew up with who becomes a page three girl, getting the jet set life, but at what cost, her dreams quickly shattered, this switches effortlessly from riff-based punk to dubby punk interludes and has a mighty guitar solo.
Solitary Confinement is snotty sing along raw punk, sounds just as brilliant as it still does in The Members live sets, all the bitterness of having to live a 9 to 5 existence that stops you from having any freedom to go out and enjoy yourself, all the hopes for a better life being seemingly snubbed out, I just want this stuck on repeat.
Don't Push is the classic snotty teenage cry to be left alone and for the man to allow them to do what they will, so Don't Push you are not running this town, or the bands lives for them, this is a clarion call to remain independent and do what you want to do with your life, a great squiggly guitar solo with chanted backing vocals help really make this work.
This first recorded version of Sound Of The Suburbs has an urgent rush and very upfront vocals, the bassline seems dialled back compared to the hit version, but nothing stops this, just how magnificent this song sounds, when they take it down it's like they are all crouching in the studio, getting as low as they can, waiting to jump back up and let rip as the guitar comes storming back in.
Phone In Show has a distinct skank to this list of the problems people would call into radio Phone In Shows with, they ask why would you let your problems be aired this publicly on commercial radio, they listen in the misery of there bedsits. For the Dub section JC Carroll calls in with some very rock & roll problems.
Physical Love and they are in lust with another woman, they really don't want anything other than some fun and games and not the relationship your after, with a great loose pulsing bassline and a guitar line that soars through.
Stand Up And Spit is a lolloping reggae beat and lyrics about the sort of people you should spit at, no not your favourite bands, but the authorities and anyone keeping you down, this has the heaviest dub parts on the album.
Love Inna Lift is less salacious take on the subject than Aerosmith managed a few years later, this is much more tender with a slow pumping beat and gang style sing along vocals for a brief encounter.
That gets more urgent towards the end like they are ready to explode like the guitar solo does, the solo alone is worth getting the album for, but really this album should be unmissable.
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