It's summer 1977 and Ari Up's last day at Holland Park Comprehensive School, a huge, modern, controversial, forward thinking, educational establishment, catering for the local youth aged 8 to 16. As proof of their liberal and experimental attitude, they have allowed Ari to give a performance with her new band the 'Slits', in the main hall. All 2000 or so kids have been invited. Now, Ari Up happens to be the daughter of Chris Spedding and Nora Lydon. Chris I'd never really met, although we'd both produced the Sex Pistols. Nora I'd met at the Roxy and Sex Pistols' rehearsal rooms in Denmark St. A very kind woman who became a sorta 'older sister' to many waywood punks. I'd been booked to supply my 2000 PA system - the same one the Sex Pistols used to hire. The party itself was a bizarre scenario with eight year olds dancing with teenagers and kids running riot, having the time of their lives. GLORIOUS SUMMER HOLIDAYS HAVE ARRIVED! It took me back to my last day at school in 1967, when my band 'Frinton Bassett Blues" gave a concert in the main hall which up to that point had been divided in two - girls one end, boys t'other. The next term they were going comprehensive, and that concert was a taster of things to come.

Back to 1977 and Holland Park. There was a support band who I assumed were friends of the 'Slits'. They had this singer dressed in black leather calling himself 'Steve Strange'. I also remember at least one female musician who turned out to be Chrissie Hynde. The other female could have been Patti Paladin. They had a certain 'first gig' quality about them, their sound being somewhat chaotic and the lyrics unintelligible. I couldn't believe it when they announced themselves as 'The Moors Murderers'. It really was controversial, I had lived through that gruesome event and the darkness it brought to my childhood still felt gloomy. To protect me, my mum would remove any 'Moors Murderers' tabloid sensationalism from the papers after reading it herself. After the show Steve Strange came up to me at the mixing desk and confirmed the band's name. I'd heard right - it was as I thought. We got talking. It turned out that they had this song called 'Free Hindley'. They'd just performed it but I hadn't noticed. I had my interest - what was the motive behind it? Steve explained. He felt that it was hypocritical of the government to automatically consider other child murderers for parole after a certain length of time, while ignoring Hindley. Being a high profile case, Ibelieve he felt they were just pandering to public demand. We also discussed change and to what level people can achieve it. Steve wanted to record his 'Free Hindley' song. I suggested two main things to Steve - 1. To show he is not condoning murderers, he should create a balance. Why not record the Ten Commandments to music, for the B-Side? You know, drop some acid in the studio, really get into it man! He liked the idea.2. Talk to Lord Longford, he's been visiting Hindley in prison and is campaigning for her release. He likedthat idea as well.  Steve wanted to rehearse in my basement in Fulham and wanted me to produce his song. I said I'd think about it. I rang Vivienne Westwood, who knew Steve Strange and Chrissie Hynde. Vivienne pointed out that the Queen is in effect a murderer, as she signs death warrants. After much soul searching I bottled out and the 'Moors Murderers' went ahead and recorded it themselves. They rang me from the studio and played me a very tripped out version of the Ten Commandments. Steve also rang me later and said he'd had a very interesting conversation and lunch with Lord Longford. A following Saturday morning, me and my business partner Caruzo Fuller had just returned from the café, when our flatmate Dave Fowel, announced that "two journalists had been there looking for the 'Moors Murderers'. He told them that he "didn't know that they'd escaped". He told them to come back later." What's going on I wondered, as I sat at my desk working and waiting. Down the back steps trundled four leather-clad beings with pillow-cases over their heads. I opened the back door. "It's me, Steve, I've got the News of the World interested in the single, they wanna do an interview and I needed somewhere to do it so if you don't mind…?" Well, it was a bit too bloody late now, so in they trundled. I believe Chrissie Hynde and Nick Holmes (Eaters roadie) were two of them. Nick apparently played drums on the 'Free Hindley' recording. The two journalists returned and an interview took place in my office. I sat in the corner in amusement whilst the journos offered them ever increasing amounts of money to remove their hoods for a photo. It got into four figures, but the band wouldn't comply.

One of the journalists turned to me, "Who are you then?" I informed him I was the Sex Pistols' producer and went on to explain my involvement (or lack of it) in the record. The next day, on the front page of the News of the World there was the headline 'How Could They Be So Cruel?' and I was incorrectly named as 'the man behind the record' which is total bollocks and I should have sued them there and then for Libel, but I was a stoned hippy with little resources. Months later I spoke with some solicitors but they felt it had passed its 'sell buy' date so I put it all down to experience. I remember hearing an acetate of the two recordings 'Free Hindley' and 'The Ten Commandments', possibly played to me by Nick Holmes the drummer. Not long after that, I saw an ad in the back of Melody Maker or NME for the sale of ten 'Moors Murderers' acetates @ £10 each, I believe. I seem to remember Malcolm bringing that ad to my attention. Anyway I didn't buy one, I'd heard it once and that was enough. Years later, when entering a record store in San Francisco, I saw a sign offering thousands of dollars for one. That was the only time I wished I'd grabbedone, when I had the chance.

The above is a truthful and accurate account of the events as I recall this 10th May 2002 So help me GODDESS. Recently I came across a reference to the 'Moors Murderers' in Steve Strange's so called autobiography, where he claims that the original idea for the bandand the record was mine. That is total lies and I will be challenging his distorted account of history in due course.

Dave Goodman