Likewise a run through the song titles gives an indication of what you will be getting  - Mean Muthafucking Man, Toilet Love, Cream In My Jeans right through to a more thought provoking and elegantly constructed tune like Things Your Mother Never Told You off the final album. The fact is that Wayne owes a lot to his backing band the Electric Chairs who rarely failed to deliver and provided the oomph. Still 3 albums and a clutch of singles is not a bad haul over a two and half year period. Though guaranteed publicity, Wayne's antics and suggestive lyrics also meant any kind of success eluded the band!

It all starts here!

Max's Kansas City '76 - Pt. 1/Max's Kansas City '76 - Pt. 2
(Max's Kansas City  Records 1976)

Before the Electric Chairs were the Backstreet Boys (and to be on the nail before this there was Queen Elizabeth who had an album recorded by Mainman but unreleased till many years later) and this was their first single name checking the legendary venue and some of the many bands that played there.

Stuck On You / Paranoia Paradise/ The Last Time
(Illegal June 78)

A seven half minute cover version of an old  Rolling Stones song might seem a strange and tame way to kick off a punk rock recording career and it was! Safer ground on the flip side with the excellent Paranoia Paradise (originally titled Fucked By The Devil) and Stuck On You. A precursor to the shocker that was ....

Yes indeed! While the music sounds like some boogie woogie tune till the ramalama punk ending kicks in the lyrics and obscenity are pure over the top punk. Pity the a side overshadows On The Crest. Its an excellent out and out punk rocker and recommended!

Released on Sweet FA after Safari had trouble releasing the record!

Jayne County Well, Miles Copeland got mad at us cause we gave 'Fuck Off' to Safari instead to his Illegal record company. I'm glad I gave it to John Craig at Safari cause he has always paid me my royalties, and I have never gotten a penny out of Miles Copeland for all those tracks I did for him!!! But I must give credit where credit is due. He brought me to jolly ole England and booked all my early gigs.

"Eddie & Sheena...starts off as a tongue in cheek 50's rock'n'roll ballad after we learn that Eddie (a Ted) and Sheena (a punk) have married and 'named the little brat Elvis...Rottennnnnnnnn!' It explodes into a mad race as they 'pogoed the night away'" Summer Salt Fanzine 1978

Very apt song given the Punk/Ted wars of the time!

Just in case you didn't get it before here's Fuck Off again but available on a shit brown coloured disc and including Toilet Love about some dodgy S&M club in New York and a gratuitous Mean Muthafuckin Man. Nice version of Night Time tho! Blatantly offenzive is an apt description!

 

Trying To Get On The Radio/ Evil Minded Mama
(August 1978 Safari)

 

Hard to explain this single. At first glance I thought it was the Radio Stars! A dig at the powers that be that ban songs off the radio. A squeaky clean song song with pianos, violins and well that's it. The back cover features a list of radio stations who had banned Wayne. File under novelty record. The B side features an uncredited Levi Dexter of Levi & The Rockats who also went on tour with Wayne County when the Punk/Ted war was still raging.

Levi Dexter: It's the B side of the single "Trying To Get On The Radio". I wasn't credited on the label but this is my very first recording. Wayne County had recorded "Eddie & Sheena" and there were plans to release it as a single. The song told the story "Eddie was a Teddyboy, Sheena was a punk and they have a baby and name it Elvis Rotten". There was a video project for it and Dibs was on the 45 picture sleeve with some punk chick. If the Teds had found out we would have got a good kickin' and would have been banished from the Teddyboy scene. With the Ted/Punk war still raging we were booked to open for the Wayne County & the Electric Chairs "Eddie & Sheena tour". The papers said "First Punk/Ted tour expected to be a bloodbath". It wasn't. Those that had an open mind enough to go had a great time. It marked the end of the Ted/Punk war. After that everyone got along pretty good as long as the punks stayed out of the Ted clubs. Punk Globe

Thunder When She Walks / What You Got
(Illegal Feb 1979)

 

 

What was it with Illegal Records back then. As the picture cover shows its Wayne from Mid 77 which is exactly when these recordings date. Didn't they do the same with Menace with I Need Nothing? What you Got is shortened from It Ain't How Much You Got That Counts It's What You Learn To Do With What You've Got. Yep its another song laced with sexual innuendo.

 

Berlin / Waiting For The Marines
(June 1979 Safari)

End game and a different sound, look and feel to the band reflected in the picture cover. Berlin was where Wayne was virtually exiled due to visa problems, home to many a transsexual at a time and where she was awaiting her sex change operation.

Waiting For The Marines is one of JJ's (The Chairs drummer) favourite tracks...", for its atmosphere and at the time it's groundbreaking man/machine type approach to the rhythmics, dynamics, production, and the lyrics, which was about soldiers in the jungle waiting to go into battle."