Run 229 one of the lost mod bands of the 1970's

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:25:00 +0000

This month’s listeners choice is a compilation CD by Mod band RUN 229. To those of you not familiar with the name. RUN229 operated on the circuit in the late 70’s early 80’s and built up a very large following in the North West amongst the scooter clubs. The band also toured the length and breadth of the UK, back in the days when this was the done thing to ‘learn your trade’ Add to this the fact that they played with just about anybody in their brief but productive existence.

Mod- Eration has been released after all this time as a history of the band’s short life, and makes great listening especially if you are into ‘Power Pop’ as the 229’ers were one of the leaders of this brand of ‘no holds barred’ raw energy approach to their music. The line up was not typical of your average Mod band at the time as they toyed with keyboards and electric violin to obtain a very original and frantic sound unlike anything around at the time. Their lead singer’s (mark Allen) almost operatic type vocal combined with tight harmonies give the band a distinctive sound.

The band’s leader was drummer Ray Bibby who was a fanatic Who Fan and wanted to put together a line-up capable of getting the same type of power. Some of the songs on this CD suggest that he achieved this and some. From aggressive tunes like ‘Say that it’s hard’ and the amazingly catchy and chorus orientated ‘we can dance forever ‘ are surely good enough to have followed The Jam up the charts in a fairer world. Although 229 never wrote any actual love songs as such, tunes like ‘Emily’ have undeniable frustrated emotions while eerie and edgy tracks like ‘realise’ and ‘growing up’ show a band with a definite finger on the pulse of raw aggressive muscle. The now cult single ‘Soho’ is on the album which features the violin playing of John Tallon Jones who also plays fiddle on ‘listen to the Radio’ which is one of the tracks that hark back to the days of punk. Some of the less energetic songs are ‘don’t say you’ll go’ and ‘Shellshock’ which show another side of the group’s versatility with a Heavy reggae ‘Dub’ type feel.

Despite some TV appearances and being signed for a short time by Baal Records which was a subsidiary of Pye records, RUN 229 never quite reached their full potential and split up in the early 80’s. Even though all this happened over thirty years ago, their music like fine wine has lasted the test of time, and Mod-Eration is now there to be rediscovered by a new ‘Mod’ generation. If you don’t listen to anything else this year, listen to this CD.

MOD-ERATION'

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:15:00 +0000

'RUN 229'

'MOD-ERATION'

- Label: 'MM RECORDS (www.run229.com)'

- Genre: 'Rock' - Release Date: 'July 2009'

Our Rating: 5 Stars

RUN 229? To my shame, I wouldn't have been any the wiser either until very recently when a discerning friend of mine provided me with this compilation of one of the UK'S great lost bands from that all-important Post-Punk era when the 70s collided with the starkness of the early 1980s.

Cannily subtitled “the complete history of the band's recordings”, 'Mod-Eration' (currently only available as a CD-R from www.run229.com) is exactly that: all 15 songs recorded professionally by the band during their brief, but creatively rich existence from approximately 1979 – 82. The sound quality is sometimes lower than you'd hope for, but bearing in mind Run 229 only ever released one official single ('Soho') and that some of these songs have been mastered from cassettes and other less than pristine sources, that they are here at all is little short of miraculous.

So who the devil were Run 229? Well, as the collection's title, Pop art touches and scooter graphics suggest, anyone growing up with the Mod resurgence of 1979 will already be well acquainted with them. They hailed from Shotton, a town on the border of Cheshire and North Wales (which means we can't quite claim them as a Liverpool band) and adhered to a hard-gigging attitude which ensured they were regulars on Merseyside and North Wales, not to mention crucial London hang-outs like The 101 in Clapham and Canning Town's Bridge House. Along the way, virtually all the other nascent Mod outfits around (barring Secret Affair) would go on to share a stage with them.

The band's instigator was drummer Ray Bibby, a long-time Who fanatic keen to put together an outfit capable of similar incendiary power. Some of 229's songs suggested his wish was granted in spades, as sharp, aggressive tunes like 'Say That It's Hard', the strident state of the nation address 'In This Day & Age' and the dramatic, chorus-heavy anthem 'We Can Dance Forever' are surely good enough to have followed The Jam up the charts in a fairer world.

Despite the amphetamine energy of these songs and Bibby's Moon-esque drum clatter, to label Run 229 as merely a 'Mod' band is to do them a grave disservice, not least because the group's personnel hailed from a variety of backgrounds. Charismatic singer Mark Allen and guitarist/ songwriter John Tallon Jones had both done time in a Hippy outfit called Hybrid, scarily youthful bassist Nick Carr was already well-versed in the Dub'n'spliffs lifestyle of the hard line Reggae head and guitarist Steve Eaton Jones openly flaunted a Flying V copy: hardly the guitar of choice for the Rickenbacker-obsessed Mod brigade.

These diverse backgrounds nonetheless blended beautifully to create a body of work which passes the test of time with flying colours. Although 229 never wrote obvious love songs per se, tunes like 'Emily' come with an undertow of lovelorn resignation, while eerie, edgy tracks like 'Realise' and the snotty, Joe Jackson-isms of 'Growing Up' showcase a band with a firm grasp of dynamic Power Pop. Elsewhere, Carr's Reggae leanings stick their head over the parapet on the spacier likes of 'Don't Say You'll Go' and 'Shell Shock' and – perhaps most intriguingly – Tallon Jones' violin adds rich, 'Baba O'Riley”-ish textures to the punchy 'Soho' (their lone 45) and the storming energy unleashed by 'Listen To The Radio.'

Despite a few near misses like slots on Granada TV's influential 'What's On' and a brief spell on Pye Records' subsidiary label Baal, Run 229 never quite fulfilled their potential. There's nothing unusual in that old story, yet the potent contents of 'Mod-Eration' suggest quality was very much their watchword and that they could just as easily have enjoyed the fruits of a bright future had the run of the green been theirs. Regardless of the 'what if”s, though, 'Mod-Eration' is a splendid archival release from a band who are ripe for re-discovery.

author: Tim Peacock

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WELCOME TO THE RUN229 WEBSITE

Run 229 one of the lost mod bands of the 1970's

MOD-ERATION'