excerpt from article on Pogues record collecting Source: Record Collector No. 105 Date: May 1988 Author: Dave Thompson Copywrite: © Record Collector 1988 EARLOBE Shane MacGowan first came to notice in 1976 when he appeared on the cover of 'Sounds' as "The face of ´76" - one of the new breed of beast known as Punks. He reached further prominence when Jane Modette bit off his earlobe during a Clash show at the ICA (an exaggeration, but it made a nice story), when he got so carried away by the Jam at Ronnie Scott´s that he smashed up their speakers, and when he put together a fanzine called 'Bondage', and the lost interest before the first issue was even hot of the photocopier. And then he formed the Nipple Erectors. At a time when punk was already sliding down the slippery slope to self-parody, the Nipple Erectors brought a bit of fun back into things. Originally there were just three of them, Shane, ex-Laundrettas bassist Shanne Bradley, and future NME writer Adrian Thrills, recording demos in Shanne´s bedroom. Their first song, written ba Shane, was "My Degeneration". Later a new guitarist, Roger was recruited, along with a drummer called Arcane. The band´s name was never antything more than a joke; but not only did the Nipples find it hard to get gigs, they found it hard to get people to attend them as well. Jane Suck of 'Sounds' was an early champion of the band, the owners of the Rock On record stall in Soho Market were also impressed, to the extent that the Nipples became one of the first signings to their Soho Records label. COMA "King Of The Bop"/"Nervous Wreck" was released in a picture sleeve in June 1978. "When we recorded it we were all drunk and on drugs", Shane later confessed. "Shanne was in a coma". All in all, it was fairly accurate assessment of the band in full flight but the single never got played, it didn´t get bought, and a decade later, copies are selling for as much as £10. Two months later, the band tried again, Roger had left by this time; he was last spotted selling postcards in the National Gallery. Gerry, who replaced Arcane shortly before they cut the first single, also left, turning up in an early incarnation of the Pretenders, Shanne changed her name to Dragonella, and the band shortened theirs to the Nips. Their new guitarist, Larry Hinrichs, was a familiar figure on the punk scene, and was so close to the Damned that when Dave Vanian forgot to turn up for a gig one night, Larry filled his boots without a second thought. Bernie Torme´s drummer Mark Harrison had taught him to play guitar; Larry returned the favour when he landed Mark a place in the Nips. Phil Rowlands, drummer with Eater, also had a spell in the band. Working Saturdays at the Rock On stall, it didn´t take Shane long to see where the music scene was heading. Rockabilly was making an unheralded street level comback, and of course the Nips had to give it a go. The only trouble was, as Dragonella later admitted, "We couldn´t play it very well, so they called us Punkabilly instead." By contrast, the Nips´ second single, "All The Time In The World", was a driving R&B number born of Shane´s hatred for what the pop press were calling 'New Music'. It showed a healthy respect for bands like the Inmates and the Bishops, but came as a shock to anyone who had got off on the original Nipple Erectors. Six months separated "All The Time In The World" from "Gabrielle", the Nips´ third single - a period in which Larry was replaced by Fritz, 'Zigzag' magazine described Shane as resembling Plug from 'The Bash Street Kids', and Shane grew ever more dissatisfied with current pop. "Records by the Police and Tourists don´t mean anything to what´s happening in the world today. Music should reflect the mood of the times, but now it´s just fucking escapism. It´s got absolutely nothing to do with the way people feel any more. Bands like the Sex Pistols and Moby Grape both summed up the mood of the times; only Public Image and the Pop Group really sum up today." Classic He threatened to send the Nips careering off in a totally new direction, borrowed from the Pop Group, but in the event "Gabrielle", the next single, issued early in 1979, turned out to be more of a classic pop song than a step into the avant-garde. Chiswick Records were so impressed that they picked up the record for distribution. In fact, the Nips seemed to be on the edge of a major break-through. "Gabrielle" picked up some respectable airplay, while the band gigged alongside the Jam, Dexy´s and the Purple Hearts. Paul Weller sang their praises and talked of producting them. But the Nips never did make it. An album, the terrific "Only At The End Of The Beginning", appeared to muted praise towards the end of 1980, and one final single, "Happy Song", was unleashed by Burning Rome close to a year later. But the band were dead on their feet. When they did finally call it a day, nobody outside their immediate circle even noticed. And even today, their importance is scarcely realised: when Big Beat released "Bops, Babes, Booze And Bovver", a budget-priced compilation of their finest moments and first three singles, late in 1987, it died as drastically as anything the Nips did in their own lifetime. Expensive Shane´s presence has at least given the band´s singles considerable value in collecting circles. At £10, "King Of The Bop" is by far the most expensive, although "Happy Song" is probably the hardest to find. The remaining singles can usually be picked up for £3-£5, and the album for no more than £8. Cat. No. Title Current Mint Value £ NIPPLE ERECTORS SINGLE Soho SH 1 King Of The Bop/Nervous Wreck (p/s, June 1978) 10 NIPS SINGLES Soho SH 4 All The Time In The World/Private Eyes (p/s, August 1978) 4 Soho SH 9 Gabrielle/Vengeance (p/s, February 1980) 3 Burning Rome TP5 Happy Song/Nobody To Love (p/s, October 1981) 5 NIPS LPs Soho HOHO 1 Only At The End Of The Beginning (October 1980) 8 Big Beat WIKM 66 Bops, Babes, Booze And Bovver (December 1987) 3