Brilliant Corners Part 1

There seem to be quite a few internet sites dedicated to the band but I guess this is the only place you are going to hear from me. So I will take this as an opportunity to use this space to look back, inform and maybe even entertain from time to time.

I will begin in the beginning. In the black n white late seventies a bit of black plastic called a record still had the power to change a young person’s life. For me it was The Buzzcocks, Bowie, The Jam, Roxy Music, Clash, The Damned, Dr Feelgood, Joy Division and The Kinks. It would also be Iggy, Dylan, and The Velvets but they came later. I wanted to be like the people who made those records, to me they inhabited a world I wanted to be part of and in a strange way was part of. They were talking to me; they were acknowledging my crummy life. Somehow mysteriously and magically they had teleported into my tiny mind and understood everything that no other human being ever had. They were my confidants, my soul mates. They made my existence bearable. They had something that I wanted. They represented something that I could aspire to at a time when there was nothing but violence, dread and emptiness. They also looked weird, cool and sexy. I knew I looked weird but I did not look cool or sexy. So it began; buying records, clothes, records, clothes, records , clothes, going to gigs , buying records, gigs, gigs, gigs, gigs, clothes, records, gigs. I gorged myself in the ways of rock n roll. Then one day I heard a voice in my head that sounded a bit like a Bristolian Johnny Cash (but higher pitched, sucking a gob stopper ). The voice said ‘I gort a base snow yew shurd by a gurrtar’

Way back in 1979 me and Chris (Galvin) full of youth and swagger decided to form a band . Chris had a bass and he told me to by a guitar. We formed a band called The Hybrids. In our 2 year existence we alternated between having a real drummer ( Jimmy ) and a Doctor Rhythm drum machine. We sounded something like the Jam meets Echo and the Bunnymen. Strangely enough considering I had only been playing guitar for 6 months we got gigs at the The Stonehouse , where we got quite a following of suburban mods and punks. I guess not because we were any good but because we were always smashing our gear up, more through nerves than real anger. We also got gigs at ‘nightclubs’ called Mistys where guys who looked like they had walked out of Miami Vice would beat us up because their girlfriends thought we looked ‘funny’ and ‘cute’ despite our best efforts to exude a quality of menace and cool.

The Hybrids never released any records but did record demo’s that I would send to Rough Trade records and John Peel. I remember getting a very nice letter from Rough Trades Geoff Travis saying how he liked our tape but he couldn’t put it out. Around 81 maybe 82 I met Bob ( Morris) when I was working at Clifton College as a chemistry tech. (It didn’t matter that I knew nothing about chemistry I somehow landed the Job, and get this , I went to the interview wearing a white tank top with no shirt on underneath. Summers back then were really hot! This fuddy old guy, actually he was probably in his twenties , just dressed fuddy like prince Charles, called Dr Hopely offered me the job) Bob was working part time as a washer up of test tubes. I would regularly put Sodium and other explosive elements in test tubes that would blow up in his face when he washed them. I have to mention that the previous washer up was Dan ( Catisis) a great guitarist who was in a band called The Glaxo Babies. They had put out a record with a song about Bruce lee that Bought and used to play all the time.

Brilliant Corners Discography

The Brilliant Corners Discography


Singles and EPs


SHE'S GOT FEVER (March 1984 SS21-SS20 7")


Track Listing:

1. She's Got Fever,
2. Black Water

BIG HIP (June 1984 SS22-SS20 7")

Track Listing:

1. Big Hip
2. Tangled Up In Blue

MY BABY IN BLACK (December 1984 SS23-SS20 12")


Track Listing:

1. My Baby In Black
2. Sixteen Years
3. Rope In My Hand

FRUIT MACHINE EP (March 1986 SS25-SS20)


Track Listing:

1. Meet Me On Tuesday
2. Jim's Room
3. Everything I Ever Wanted
4. The Funniest Thing

BRIAN RIX (April 1987 SS27-SS20 7")


Track Listing:

1. Brian Rix
2. Trudy Is A Squeel DELILAH SANDS (October 1987 SS28-SS20 7"/12")
   
   
   Track Listing:
   
   
   
   1. Delilah Sands
   2. Is Anybody Home
   3. Please Please Please (12") TEENAGE (March 1988 MCQ1-MCQUEEN 7"/12")
      
      
      Track Listing:
      
      
      
      1. Teenage
      2. I Don't Want To Talk To You
      3. How Embarassing To Dance Like That (12")
      TEENAGE (March 1988 MCQ1-MCQUEEN 7"/12")
      
      
      Track Listing:
      
      
      
      1. Teenage
      2. I Don't Want To Talk To You
      3. How Embarassing To Dance Like That (12")
      WHY DO YOU HAVE TO GO OUT WITH HIM WHEN YOU COULD GO OUT WITH ME? (October 1988 MCQ2-MCQUEEN 7"/12")
      
      
      Track Listing:
      
      
      
      1. Why Do You Have To Go Out With Him When You Could Go Out With Me?
      2. Shangri La,
      3. Things Will Get Better (12"), Goodbye (12")
      
      LOVE IT I LOST IT (March 1990 MCQ3-MCQUEEN 12")
      
      
      Track Listing:
      
      
      
      1. Love It I Lost It
      2. White Gates
      3. I Cried, Loves Like This THE POPE THE MONKEY AND THE QUEEN (September 1990 MCQ4-MCQUEEN 7"/12")
         
         
         Track Listing:
         
         
         
         1. The Pope The Monkey &The Queen
         2. Ghost Of A Young Man
         3. When The Blossom Falls (12"), Silias (12")
         
         The 7" inch has a red love heart cover & the 12" a green love heart cover
         
         
         
         Albums and Mini Albums
         
         GROWING UP ABSURD (November 1985 SS24-SS20)
         
         
         Track Listing:
         
         
         
         1. Rambling Rose
         2. A Girl Called Property
         3. Growing Up Absurd
         4. Southern Mystery
         5. One Of These Days
         6. Mary
         
         WHAT'S IN A WORD (December 1986 SS26-SS20)
         
         
         Track Listing:
         
         
         
         1. Laugh I Could Of Cried
         2. Brian Rix
         3. I Never Said That
         4. Delirious
         5. A Very Easy Death
         6. Sweet Brendan
         7. Egotistical Me
         8. Boy And A Cloud
         Re-issued in June 1988 exactly the same except for a red cover instead of blue on MCQLP2-MCQUEEN
         
         
         SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME (May 1988 MCQLP1-MCQUEEN)
         
         
         Track Listing:
         
         
         
         1. Somebody Up There Likes Me
         2. Teenage
         3. Friday Saturday Sunday Monday
         4. Shes Dead
         5. Never A Young Girl
         6. Oh!
         7. Your Feet Never Touch The Ground
         8. Father Like Son,
         9. Trust Me
         10. Forever
         11. I Can't Wait That Long
         12. With A Kiss
         Re-issued in 1994 on CD for the Canadian market (PFTP-BC1 PEARLS FROM THE PAST) with the same tracklisting as the 1988 release plus Singles A's & B's ;
         
         
         Sixteen Years, Meet Me On Tuesdays, Jim's Room, Brian Rix, Trudy Is A Squeal, Please Please Please, Delilah Sands, I Don't Want To Talk To You, Love It I Lost It, The Pope The Monkey & The Queen, The Ghost Of A Girl
         
         
         EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED (November 1988 MCQLP3-MCQUEEN)
         
         
         Track Listing:
         
         
         
         1. Rambling Rose
         2. A Girl Called Property
         3. Growing Up Absurd
         4. Southern Mystery
         5. One Of These Days, Mary
         6. Meet Me On Tuesday
         7. Jim's Room
         8. Everything I Ever Wanted
         9. The Funniest Thing
         10. Under The Bridge
         11. Trudy Is A Squeel
         
         JOYRIDE (June 1989 MCQLP4-MCQUEEN)
         
         
         Track Listing:
         
         
         
         1. You Don't Know How Lucky You Are
         2. Emily, This Girl
         3. Nothing
         4. Grow Cold
         5. Hemingway's Back
         6. I Didn't See You
         7. Accused By The Angels
         Re-issued in 1995 on CD for the Canadian market (BOE-002 BLISS OUT ENTERPRISES) with the same tracklisting as the 1989 release (the cover is same as Why Do You...) plus Bonus Tracks;
         
         
         Why Do You Have To Go Out With Him When You Could Go Out With Me?, Shangri La, Things Will Get Better, Goodbye, Ghost Of A Young Man, When The Blossom Falls, SS20 Collector's Corners: She's Got Fever, Black Water, Big Hip, Tangled Up In Blue, My Baby In Black, Rope In My Hand, Everything I Ever Wanted, The Funniest Thing
         
         
         
         
         
         HOOKED (Oct 1990 MCQLP5-MCQUEEN)
         
         
         Track Listing:
         
         
         
         1. Long Long Way To Go
         2. Where Are The Supremes Tonight
         3. The Pope The Monkey &The Queen
         4. Sandy Knows
         5. Gone, Positively Lips
         6. Sam
         7. Desperate Situation Blues Song
         8. Heaven Inside Her
         9. Take The Gun
         10. Subtle As The Bomb
         11. Love Is Over
         
         CREAMY STUFF the singles 84-90 (1991 MCQLP6-MCQUEEN)
         
         
         Track Listing:
         
         
         
         1. She's Got Fever
         2. Tangled Up In Blue
         3. Big Hip, My Baby In Black
         4. Sixteen Years
         5. Meet Me On Tuesdays
         6. Jim's Room
         7. Brian Rix
         8. Trudy Is A Squeel
         9. Please Please Please
         10. Delilah Sands, Teenage
         11. I Don't Want To Talk To You
         12. Why Do You Have To Go Out With Him When You Could Go Out With Me?
         13. Shangri La
         14. Love It I Lost It
         15. The Pope The Monkey And The Queen
         16. Ghost Of A Girl (cd)
         A HISTORY OF WHITE TRASH (March 1993 CMP5-CHEESEY)
         
         
         Track Listing:
         
         
         
         1. Get It Up
         2. Around The Bend
         3. You Make The Days Seem Longer
         4. Death Of A Protest Singer
         5. I Like It Here
         6. Gushing
         7. Electric Slam
         8. La
         9. Jukebox Junk
         10. He Looks To Be With You
         11. Closer
         12. Always On A Sunday
         13. Electric Slam No.6
         
         Also included with the LP version was a 7" featuring Get It Up, Meet Me On Tuesday (folk version) 7CMP5
         
         
         BBC SESSIONS (November 2000 asklp117-VinylJapan)
         
         
         Track Listing:
         
         
         
         1. What Can I Do?
         2. Sweet Brendan
         3.  I Never Said That
         4. Happy Capital
         5. Arlington Villas
         6. Would It Be Sad?
         7. Anticipation
         8. Trust Me
         9. Oh!
         10. Please Please Please
         11. I'll Never Be The One To Break Your Heart
         12. Teenage
         13. Honey Whispers None
         14. Across The Border
         15. Nine Out Of Ten Unbelievers
         16. Hidden Snakes
         17. Tangled Up In Blue
         18. Sixteen Years
         19. My Baby's In Black
         20. Trash
         
         CREAMY STUFF (1991 - JE218 Jettisound VHS)
         
         
         Videos:
         
         
         My Baby In Black, Brian Rix, Delilah Sands, Teenage, Why Do You Have To Go Out With Him When You Could Go Out With Me?, Love It I Lost It, The Pope The Monkey And The Queen
         
         
         Other releases on Various Artist Compilations
         
         
         Revenge Of The Killer Pussies
         She's Got Fever
         (1984 GRAM17 - Anagram Records)
         
         Bludgeoned : A Collection
         Song
         (1986 BLUD1 - Bludgeoned Records)
         
         Imminent 4
         Trudy Is A Squeel
         (1986 Food Records)
         
         
         
         On The Dotted Line ( Here)
         Everything I Ever Wanted (Live)
         (1987 EE3531 EMI Records)
         
         
         
         
         Bet She’s Gonna Go ( Live)
         1987 EE3531 EMI Records
         
         
         
         Brian Rix
         Indie Top 20 Beechwood Music
         
         
         
         War of The Independents
         Delilah Sands
         (1988 TTO3 Beechwood Music
         
         State of the Independents
         Teenage
         ( 1988 TT05 Beechwood Music)
         
         
         
         Airspace 2 ( The Sequel)
         Where are The Supreme’s Tonight?
         (1990 BREAK LP3 Breaking Down Records)
         
         
         
         Mind The Gap The Tape
         Not The Boy
         ( 1990 MTG2 Mind The Gap)
         
         Revolution No 9
         Drive My Car
         ( 1991 PAX Records)
         
         
         Who Covers Who
         The Goods Gone
         ( 1994 Cargo)