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LP
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MR 343LP
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Repressed, originally released for Record Store Day 2014. Munster Records presents, in a co-release with Discos Alehop!, the three official singles of the British band Teenage Film Stars reissued on vinyl for the first time: "(There's A) Cloud Over Liverpool" (Clockwork Records), "The Odd Man Out" (Wessex Records/Blueprint Records) and "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape" (Fab Listening Records). After self-releasing two records with his band 'O' Level, in 1979 Ed Ball continued the path of '60s-influenced new wave pop already present in that band's The Malcolm EP (1978), now under the name Teenage Filmstars. In this new adventure he was accompanied by his school friends Dan Treacy and Joe Foster (both members of Television Personalities). With their help, Ball released a first single in September 1979 featuring two songs: the A-side was taken by "(There's A) Cloud Over Liverpool" (a tremendous chorus-song) and the B-side contained "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Follow Trends" (a comment on youth culture). The song "(There's A) Cloud Over Liverpool" received support by John Peel and reached certain fame in the UK and the United States, where it was interpreted as an homage to John Lennon. June 1980 saw the release of their second single, titled "The Odd Man Out," where Teenage Filmstars offered as the lead track a catchy ska-pop number in the vein of Madness. The other side featured "I Apologise," a beautiful pop melody punctuated by the kind of guitars characteristic of the revival mod bands of the time. Their last single, from November 1980, included the track from their repertoire with the biggest potential, "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape" (re-recorded in 1982 for Ball's next project, The Times, again along with Dan Treacy), an homage to the actor Patrick Joseph McGoohan, who worked on the late 1960s cult TV series "The Prisoner." The single's other side featured "We're Not Sorry," a power pop nugget which links them with bands such as The Jam and Merton Parkas (who were mocked on one of the two sleeves of "(There's A) Cloud Over Liverpool"). This compilation also includes two tracks never released on vinyl until now which were recorded in April 1979, in the style of 'O' Level: "He's a Professional" (anti-military punk-pop) and the folk-punk anthem "The John Peel March," dedicated to the legendary BBC radio host and great supporter of new bands. This retrospective is completed with a recording session dated to November 1980 which produced three tracks ("Storybook Beginnings," "Dressing Up for the Cameras" and "The Sun Never Sets") which further explore the power pop-mod sound that Ed Ball would develop in his next band The Times. Ed Ball's music career would continue into the 1980s and 1990s in bands such as Television Personalities (until 1985), The Times (until 1999) and many more projects, including four albums as a solo artist.
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