The Papers: Press

In an age of girlie bands to be suddenly confronted with agit pop reggae rock seems ludicrous. But this is real fun and the messages are woven into the fabric of what are in fact very clever pop songs. John Fitz, the singer punches the lyrics across with charisma, and the syncopated rhythm is literally drummed into your feet by the fantastic pace and invention of drummer Norman Marsh and Mike Fitz on bass. John Wilkinson adds the washes of sound and the whole thing just hums along. Favourite track for me is "The Only One I See is me"... (my God, what a great song!) and the final track 'Roxy Plays The Wild Card" had my radio glands going. If this lot don't make the year something to remember no one will. Buy it.

Welcome to America boys- I don't know if this will do much here but it should. Not since the days of The Clash have I heard such well-crafted commercial polico-pop. While the songs are messages, they also made me smile. Android seems to be about falling in love with metal women, while Reggae on the Radio (surely a number 1 hit) takes us to the streets of London for a journey in a police car. Maybe America will still keep twanging on country guitars but there might just be enough to launch this on a sleepy generation of kids. Join the party now and get a ride into town.

Who put the reggae on the radio? The Papers evidently. What a band. Just when we were all about to give up on the UK scene along comes this. Essentially they rescue the tired reggae formula and imbue it with life. From the opening track to the end there Is endless Invention and sparkle. Did I say sparkle? I meant fireworks. The first track, Telephone is pure commercial pop, while the anthems that follow seem like they are hits already. The messages are clear environmental concerns. war and peace but it is the cleverness of the formula that makes them appealing.

Take my advice. Listen to "Miracle" and bet me 2000000 dollars it won't be in the charts by next year. listen to “The Only One I See Is Me" and tell me it won't be a massive hit. Do this because you'll be entirely wrong and I'll be entirely right. Then I can gloat with mg stash and you can apologise from your garret in New York.

I get over a hundred records a week to listen to, and generally I miss out all the stuff that looks like a new band trying to make it big. Why? Because after 50 years of rock and roll it’s unlikely that anything new will happen. Then yesterday I saw this cover, which looked like, ripped up bits of old newspapers. I liked it, so I though well, give it a go. I made some lunch and then sat down to listen. I nearly choked. This is new. Impossible. I listened again. Innovative, inventive, funny, sad, grim, politically incorrect...and not based on a James Brown backing track. Wow! I opened the cover to find out who this lot are and discovered four lads from London telling stories about living in the big smoke. Police car stories, bus stop stories, strange love stories and one classic sad song. Are they The Beatles come back to haunt us I wonder. Why am I still singing "the Only One I see is me" days later? They say pop is unpredictable but I never expected this. It will be Christmas soon. Do yourself a big favour and buy this for your best friend. It will make them love you forever.

Dear Mr Fitzsimons
Mirror Group Newspapers Limited

Holborn Circus London EC1 DO
Switchboard: 01-3530246
Direct Line:01-822 3

Telegrams: Mirror London EC1 Telex: 27286




25th February 1981.

Thank you very much indeed for your letter of the 28th January, and the very kind enclosure of your new single. I find your letter most invigorating and a tremendous inspiration. It is wonderful that there are people like you who want to get off their backsides and do something about the terrible political situation that we are in, particularly about nuclear weapons. I am not an expert on POP music, but it would be very odd if I were to write about a record and a type of music which I don't understand (although I very much approve of the political sentiments in it.'), but I will certainly pass it on to our pop music department, in the hope that they may be able to do something to publicise it. Don't rely on this for heaven's sake but please accept my very best wishes for you and your band and for all your future ventures.

Sincerely,




PAUL FOOT