Snips: The Solo Years 1978-1981, 3CD Box Set

• Features former Sharks and Baker Gurvitz Army singer Steve ‘Snips’ Parsons’ 1978 debut solo album ‘Video King’ and its 1981 follow up ‘La Rocca!’, both forgotten new wave gems ripe for rediscovery.

• Packaged with associated singles and BBC recordings.

• ‘Video King’ is released on CD for the first time.

• Includes 31 previously unreleased recordings including the never before issued songs ‘Taxi’ and ‘Kustom Car Kommandos’. 27 of these unissued recordings are BBC live in concert and session tracks.

• Snips compiled this box set and wrote the notes.

CD 1 focuses on Snips’ first solo album ‘Video King’ that was recorded with his band The Video Kings who included bassist Jackie Badger formerly of cult prog rock band Mother Superior, co-produced by Snips with Steve Lillywhite and originally issued by Jet Records. The songs on this new wave pop album are all written by Snips except the excellent ‘Walking’ which is a co-write with his fellow former Sharks member Chris Spedding. Other highlights include the single ‘Waiting For Tonight’ and ‘Love Is Blind’.

CD 2 features Snips’ second album ‘La Rocca!’ originally released on MAM Records that contains the radio hit ‘9 O’Clock’ on which Midge Ure plays guitar and synth, Jackie Badger plays bass and Steve Young from Holly And The Italians is on drums. Unfortunately, not enough copies of the single were pressed, shops ran out and by the time it was re-pressed all momentum had been lost so it was never the huge hit it should have been. Midge Ure was also part of Snips’ band for the March 1980 BBC In Concert included on CD3. ‘La Rocca!’ also includes the singles ‘Telepathy’ and ‘Tight Shoes’ and a cover of Larrry Wallis’ ‘Police Car’. Snips’ version of the Holland / Dozier/ Holland penned ‘You’re A Wonderful One’, originally recorded by Marvin Gaye is a bonus track.

CD3 is comprised of previously unreleased BBC recordings and shows that Snips was a consistently great live act.

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE

SNIPS: Video King

1  Love Is Blind

2  Film Club

3  Walking

4  Under Suspicion

5  Eat It Up

6  Waiting For Tonight

7  Video Kings

8  Dracula

9  Stravinsky's Shoes

10  Babaloomah

11  Animal Century

BONUS TRACKS

12  Smash Your T.V. (B-side) SNIPS AND THE RADIO KINGS

13  Radio Kings (Re-record) *

14  Dracula (Re-record) *

15  Babaloomah (Re-record) *

16  Taxi *

SNIPS AND THE VIDEO KINGS

LIVE: BBC Andy Peebles Show

Paris Theatre, London, 22nd November 1978

17  9 O' Clock *

18  Video Kings*

19  Stravinsky’s Shoes*

20  Eat It Up *

21  Flow My Tears *

22  Babaloomah *

23  Love Is Blind *

24  Walking *

25  Music Breakout *

DISC TWO

SNIPS: La Rocca!

1  Nine O'Clock

2  La Rocca

3  Skies of England

4  The Rain

5  Dark Outside

6  Backs of Millions

7  Police Car

8  Happy Sometimes

9  Tight Shoes

10  Work

11  Telepathy

12  What Is Pop?

BONUS TRACKS

13    What's Your Number (B-side)

14  You're A Wonderful One (A- side)

15  Mr Dillinger (B-side)

16  Lolita (B-side)

17  Tight Shoes (Tight Mix) (A- side)

18  Noise (B-side)

DISC THREE

BBC RECORDINGS

SNIPS AND THE VIDEO KINGS:

BBC Andy Peebles Show 16th February 1979

1  Flow My Tears *

2  Music Breakout *

3  Nine O’Clock *

4  Twelve O’Clock

SNIPS: BBC In Concert th March 1980 (featuring Midge Ure)

5  Work *

6  Mr Machine *

7  I Am The Line *

8  What Is Pop? *

9  Rat Catcher *

10  Lolita *

11  Police Car *

SNIPS: BBC In Concert 6th June 1981

12  Tight Shoes *

13  Work *

14  La Rocca *

15  Happy Sometimes *

16  Dark Outside *

17  Skies of England *

18  Kustom Car Kommandos *

*Previously Unreleased