London SS

British Rock and Roll band

London SS

Genres| Punk rock
Years active| 1975–1976, 2012-present
Members| Eunan Brady
Jimi McDonald
Taj
Robert Godfrey
Andy Knott
Past members| Geir Waade
John Brown
Mick Jones
Kelvin Cyril Blacklock
Tony James
Brian James
Roland Hot
Website| thelondonss.com

London SS is a British rock group founded in March 1975 by drummer Geir Waade, bassist John Brown, guitarist Mick Jones, and guitarist Eunan Brady (formerly of the Hollywood Brats). They later became associated with the then new punk rock scene when the Sex Pistols broke in early 1976. In 2012 Brady put together a new lineup, featuring himself along with Jimi McDonald, Taj Sagoo, Michael Kane, and Andi Emm.[1]

## History

[edit]

The origin of the name "London SS" is disputable. Geir Waade claims to have been the first to propose it:

> Andrew Matheson begs to differ, even though every other band member insists that it was immediately following Geir's arrival that the band's old name, 'The Delinquents', was dropped. Brady confirms it was Geir who came up with the replacement name, but John insists it was the result of a general brainstorming session with a dictionary and thesaurus. Obviously, the London prefix was a nod in the direction of The New York Dolls and The Hollywood Brats.[2]

The group's name caused disquiet in some quarters, because "SS" was generally understood to refer to the Schutzstaffel, the infamous paramilitary force of Nazi Germany, at a time when Nazi chic was a trend in UK pop. This came to haunt Mick Jones (who is Jewish) when The Clash became Britain's premier left-wing political band. When questioned about the name, Tony James stated:

> We hadn't thought at all about the Nazi implications. It just seemed like a very anarchic, stylish thing to do.[3]

The London SS recruited Kelvin Cyril Blacklock to front their band. Blacklock's arrival led to Geir Waade and Mick Jones's departures. The band then changed its name to Violent Luck.

> Even while still with Overtown, Kelvin had kept his options open by attending auditions for several other bands. One of the Melody Maker ads he answered had been placed by bassist Tony James. Tony was reading mathematics at Brunel University in Uxbridge, on the western outskirts of London and living in Twickenham, a few miles to the south.[2]

The second lineup of The London SS started with Blacklock and James.[4] The band spent most of their short history auditioning potential members. Besides Blacklock and James, guitarist Brian James (no relation to Tony James) was the only other semi-permanent member at this time. Other musicians who played with them included Matt Dangerfield and Casino Steel, then members of The Hollywood Brats, who would later go on to play in The Boys. Future Clash bassist Paul Simonon also auditioned for the group, albeit unsuccessfully.[2]

## Recordings

[edit]

London SS's only recording was a demo featuring James, Jones, James, and Hot. Musically, they played straightforward rock 'n' roll and covered 1960s R&B. An example of this is their song "1–2 Crush on You", which was later recorded by The Clash.

The reformed version did release a limited edition Demo CD, entitled "High Jinks On A Low Budget" which was sold at The Rebellion Festival in 2013, following their successful gig there.They also recorded an EP, whilst they were signed to the French label, Combat Rock Records. The E.P. is entitled "No Beards, No Beerguts, No Beginners"

## Later bands featuring members of The London SS

[edit]

Ultimately, The London SS members were more famous for what they did later than they were for anything that they accomplished during the band's existence. As described by music critic Dave Thompson, the band is "regarded as the testing ground-cum-meeting place for what became a who's-who of punk".[5]

Brian James and Rat Scabies joined Johnny Moped guitarist Ray Burns and backed up music journalist Nick Kent in the shortlived Subterraneans.[5] James and Scabies later formed The Damned. Tony James joined the band Chelsea with Billy Idol and the two later started Generation X. According to Chelsea drummer John Towe,

> When Brian James played with London SS he wrote a song called 'Why Won't She Talk' [...] October kept the tune but put new words to the song and re-titled it 'Get Out and Walk'. When he discovered that the tune had been ripped off (early '77) he dropped it from Chelsea's set.[6]

Jones and Simonon teamed up with Joe Strummer and founded The Clash.

Jones and Tony James later worked together in Carbon/Silicon.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "We're not Nazis, says London SS, punk band barred from Upper Street venue". Islington Tribune. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015.
2. ^ a b c Gray, Marcus (1995). Last Gang In Town: The Story and Myth Of The Clash. Fourth Estate Ltd. ISBN 9781857021462.
3. ^ Salewicz, Chris (15 May 2007). Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer (1st American ed.). New York: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-21178-4. OCLC 76794852.
4. ^ Deming, Mark. "allmusic ((( Carbon/Silicon > Overview )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
5. ^ a b Thompson, Dave (7 February 1992). "The Damned". Goldmine. Retrieved 19 June 2018 - via Rock's Backpages.
6. ^ John Towe's letter to the editor (Spiral Scratch magazine 1/1991, p.19)

* v
* t
* e

The Clash

* Joe Strummer
* Mick Jones
* Paul Simonon
* Topper Headon
* Terry Chimes

* Keith Levene
* Rob Harper
* Pete Howard
* Nick Sheppard
* Vince White

Studio albums|

* The Clash
* Give 'Em Enough Rope
* London Calling
* Sandinista!
* Combat Rock
* Cut the Crap

Live albums|

* From Here to Eternity: Live
* Live at Shea Stadium

Compilations|

* Black Market Clash
* The Story of the Clash, Volume 1
* 1977 Revisited
* Clash on Broadway
* The Singles (1991)
* Super Black Market Clash
* The Essential Clash
* Singles Box
* The Singles (2007)
* Sound System
* The Clash Hits Back
* 5 Album Studio Set

Extended plays|

* Capital Radio
* The Cost of Living

Singles|

* "White Riot"
* "Remote Control"
* "Complete Control"
* "Clash City Rockers"
* "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais"
* "Tommy Gun"
* "English Civil War"
* "I Fought the Law"
* "Groovy Times"
* "London Calling"
* "Clampdown"
* "Train in Vain"
* "Bankrobber"
* "The Call Up"
* "Hitsville U.K."
* "The Magnificent Seven"
* "This Is Radio Clash"
* "Know Your Rights"
* "Should I Stay or Should I Go"
* "Rock the Casbah"
* "Straight to Hell"
* "This Is England"
* "Return to Brixton"

Other songs|

* "Career Opportunities"
* "Capital Radio One"
* "Garageland"
* "I'm So Bored with the USA"
* "Janie Jones"
* "London's Burning"
* "Police and Thieves"
* "Jail Guitar Doors"
* "Brand New Cadillac"
* "Death or Glory"
* "Lost in the Supermarket"
* "Revolution Rock"
* "Rudie Can't Fail"
* "Spanish Bombs"
* "Junco Partner"
* "Washington Bullets"
* "Overpowered by Funk"

Films|

* Rude Boy
* Concert for Kampuchea
* Westway to the World
* Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten
* London Town

Related articles|

* Discography
* Songs
* Band members
* The 101ers
* London SS
* Public Image Ltd
* Big Audio Dynamite
* Havana 3am
* The Latino Rockabilly War
* The Pogues
* The Mescaleros
* Carbon/Silicon
* The Good, the Bad & the Queen
* Gorillaz
* Spirit of St. Louis
* Rock Against Racism
* The Joe Strummer Foundation
* Bernard Rhodes
* Don Letts
* Alex Michon
* Caroline Coon
* Sandy Pearlman
* Guy Stevens
* Kosmo Vinyl
* Mick Gallagher
* Norman Watt-Roy
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* Category

* v
* t
* e

The Damned

* Dave Vanian
* Captain Sensible
* Monty Oxymoron
* Rat Scabies
* Paul Gray

* Brian James
* Lu Edmonds
* Algy Ward
* Roman Jugg
* Bryn Merrick
* Moose Harris
* Patricia Morrison
* Stu West
* Henry Badowski
* Jon Moss
* Lemmy
* Gary Holton
* Garrie Dreadful
* Spike Smith
* Pinch
* William Granville-Taylor

Studio albums|

* Damned Damned Damned
* Music for Pleasure
* Machine Gun Etiquette
* The Black Album
* Strawberries
* Phantasmagoria
* Anything
* Not of This Earth
* Grave Disorder
* So, Who's Paranoid?
* Evil Spirits
* Darkadelic

Live albums|

* Live Shepperton 1980
* Live at Newcastle
* The Captain's Birthday Party
* Not the Captain's Birthday Party?
* Final Damnation
* Ballroom Blitz – Live at the Lyceum
* Molten Lager
* Live at the 100 Club

Compilation albums|

* Light at the End of the Tunnel
* The Radio One Sessions
* Smash It Up: The Anthology 1976–1987
* Black Is the Night: The Definitive Anthology

EPs|

* Friday 13th
* Testify
* The Rockfield Files

Singles|

* "New Rose"
* "Neat Neat Neat"
* "Stretcher Case Baby"
* "Problem Child"
* "Don't Cry Wolf"
* "Love Song"
* "Smash It Up"
* "I Just Can't Be Happy Today"
* "White Rabbit"
* "The History of the World (Part 1)"
* "There Ain't No Sanity Clause"
* "Wait for the Blackout"
* "Lovely Money"
* "Dozen Girls"
* "Lively Arts"
* "Generals"
* "Thanks for the Night"
* "Grimly Fiendish"
* "The Shadow of Love"
* "Is It a Dream?"
* "Eloise"
* "Anything"
* "Gigolo"
* "Alone Again Or"
* "In Dulce Decorum"
* "Fun Factory"
* "Prokofiev"
* "Shut It"
* "Little Miss Disaster"

Associated acts|

* Masters of the Backside
* London SS
* The Lords of the New Church
* Dave Vanian and the Phantom Chords
* Naz Nomad and the Nightmares

Related articles|

* Band members
* Discography
* The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz

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