CONTAINERS, THE - Self - Contained (Sealed) (LP)

When James A Smith moved to London in 1977, you would often see him at the Marquee club or you might have caught him on stage during The Containers brief period of gigging. He was back in 1980 with a band called The Beach Bullies, featuring his astringent wit-inflected songs that were stripped back to their minimal core. A simple drum machine, an electric guitar, no frills - not even any bass! The Containers had played many of the same songs, but their versions had the swagger of a gang, along with distinctive dual male/female lead vocals, a full rhythm section, and and even the participation of Robyn Hitchcock in his full Soft Boys majesty. They had the good fortune to record the demos that make up the bulk of this album. For several decades the tapes either were missing or on unplayable formats, but a couple of years ago copies of the sessions showed up on cassettes carefully preserved by bass player Adrian 'Hots' Foster. A quick scrub up and recognition for The Containers' and The Beach Bullies was on its way!