Formed: London, England, UK

Lineup 1:

Alan Lee Shaw - guitar, vocals
Steve Schmidt - guitar
Christer Sol - bass
Steve Bye - drums

Lineup 2:

Alan Lee Shaw - guitar, vocals
Steve Schmidt - guitar
Alvin Gibbs (pre-UK Subs) - bass
John Towe - drums

Having an oh-so-controversial record is good punk form. Ask the Sex Pistols, The Stranglers, and Buzzcocks. Raped even. But when a mild shock factor is all your band has, and there really is nowt else, you won't be propelled into the Top 40, lads. And lo and behold, even though some authorities banned the Physicals’ All Sexed Up EP, no one was conned into buying it and it sank without trace. Hardly surprising, as it was a below-par New York Dolls rip-off, badly recorded and sluggish. Singer/guitarist Alan Lee Shaw, fresh out of Maniacs and The Rings, uncannily apes Thunders’ guitar, but that’s about all this shit record has going for it. It was such a crap seller that the band were giving away free copies at a gig that December.

The follow-up single, Be Like Me, is miles better, a nearly memorable power pop ditty with something approaching a personality to call its own. Paul Cook drums and produced.

Skulduggery - a typical Overground bin-rummage - augments both singles with live/studio stuff from ‘78 and ‘79, including painfully incompetent and dull versions of old garage classics. The list of helpers is notable: in addition to Paul Cook you get Alvin Gibbs and John Towe.

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DISCOGRAPHY

Singles & Albums

All Sexed Up (7", 1978)

Be Like Me (7", 1980)

Extraneous Releases

Skulduggery (CD, 1999)

Live At The Electric Ballroom (CD, 2013)

Various Artists

Chiswick Aquaria Collection Spain LP 1980 (Chiswick): Pain In Love / Be Like Me

Sonido Chiswick Vol. 3 Spain LP 1980 (Chiswick): Sé Como Yo [Be Like Me]

Overground Catalogue Sampler UK CD 2005 (Overground): All Sexed Up

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Links