Tag: Sixty-Eight Guns

Grant’s Rock Warehaus – The Alarm: A Career Retrospective – The IRS Years

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic4 Comments

On YouTube right now, Grant’s Rock Warehaus had me on as a guest and we talked the I.R.S. Years for the band The Alarm. I love the I.R.S. Years of the band and they were one of my favorite bands of the 80’s. I mean who’s talking about The Alarm!! We are so join Grant and myself as we spread the love of this band.

The Alarm, hailing from Wales, burst onto the scene in the early ’80s with a powerful blend of punk rock energy and anthemic, socially conscious lyrics. Fronted by Mike Peters, the band quickly gained attention with their passionate performances and songs like “68 Guns” and “Strength.” Their music, often characterized by ringing guitars and a distinctive mix of punk, rock, and folk influences, resonated with fans looking for both substance and style. Over the years, The Alarm has remained a beloved band, known for their resilience and Peters’ commitment to using music as a force for change.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=1-C52q4oWEw%3Fsi%3DJE2MhNcG5vYlGj5n

The Alarm – “Sixty-Eight Guns” (45 Single)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic17 Comments

In my quest of the finding cool things on vinyl, occasionally I pick up 7″ singles or 45’s of bands I like and while in Florida, I found this 45 Single from the band The Alarm.  Mike Peters and crew released their debut album, ‘Declaration’, in February 1984 and the single for “Sixty Eight Guns” well before the albums release in August of 1983. Due to the success, they put it on their debut album.  Now, the single I have is not that particular single. My single is a re-issue of the single done on February 14, 1984 for the official release of the album.  Where the original single had alternate version of “Sixty Eight Guns”, mine has a previously unreleased track called “Pavilion Steps”.

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The Alarm were a new wave, alternative rock band that liked to take on the “Establishment” and were not afraid to write politically charged songs.  Something other bands at the time were not doing.  “Sixty Eight Guns” was inspired by a book called A Glasgow Gang Observed by the Scottish author Patrick James that Mike Peters was reading about gangs in Glasgow around 1968 (thus the title).  The song is a battle cry for that gang mentality that you were invincible and ready to take on the world. Continue reading “The Alarm – “Sixty-Eight Guns” (45 Single)” →

The Alarm – Strength Live ’85 (RSD) – Album Review

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For Record Store Day April 13, 2019, The Alarm released a live album in support of their 1985 album ‘Strength’.  It was a previously unreleased show recorded at the Boston Orpheum Theatre on November 9th, 1985.  Since ‘Strength’ is one of my favorite albums, this was quickly added to the albums I needed to grab on RSD.

The album has 20 songs, of which, 16 have never been released before (officially). There have been bootlegs of the show, but none with the actual mixed recording which was done about a month after the show by Nigel Luby.  The sound is untouched and no overdubs.  It is as it was back in the day.  You can hear the rawness, the crowd and you know it is truly live.  It is fantastic.

With only 2 albums out at this time, the band played a ton of songs from both ‘Declaration’ and ‘Strength’ (which hadn’t been out long) and some you hadn’t heard before.  Songs like “Majority” and “The Chant Has Just Begun” were not on the studio albums, but later released as bonus tracks on deluxe editions.  You get to hear them live here before ever seeing the light day.

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Continue reading “The Alarm – Strength Live ’85 (RSD) – Album Review” →