The Vibrators were a British punk rock band whose greatest success was in 1977–1978 with the albums Pure Mania and V2. Their first Epic Records single "Baby Baby" is considered a punk classic. A year later, their single "Automatic Lover" hit No. 35 on the UK charts.
Career
Early career
The Vibrators were founded by Ian "Knox" Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice at the 100 Club when they backed
Chris Spedding in 1976. On Spedding's recommendation,
Mickie Most signed them to his label
RAK Records. Most produced their first single, "We Vibrate". The band also backed Spedding on his single, "Pogo Dancing".
The Vibrators recorded sessions for John Peel at BBC Radio 1 in October 1976, June 1977, and February 1978.
Epic Records
The band signed to
Epic Records in early 1977. Their debut album,
Pure Mania was co-produced with Robin Mayhew, the sound engineer for
David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust live shows, and reached the top 50 of the UK Albums Chart. The album is well regarded by some music critics and, 17 years after its release,
The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music named
Pure Mania one of the 50 best punk albums of all time.
Their follow-up album, V2, narrowly missed the UK top 30. The only single to be taken from that album, "Automatic Lover", was the only Vibrators' single to reach the UK top 40 where it reached No. 35.Tim Rice (2026). 085112156X, Guinness World Records. 085112156X
Later years
During the 1980s, John Ellis recorded with
Peter Gabriel, as well as recording and touring frequently with
Peter Hammill, then subsequently
the Stranglers, eventually joining the latter full-time in the 1990s. Pat Collier went on to work closely with the Soft Boys, producing their seminal album
Underwater Moonlight, and
Robyn Hitchcock, producing and mixing some of his solo albums (to which Knox also sometimes contributed). Phil Ram went on to form Able Ram and brought out two singles, "Disco in Moscow" and "Hope We Make It", although without any chart success. Despite numerous line-up changes, the Vibrators continued to record and tour as a three-piece, with "Eddie" being the only original member.
In 2020, the original lineup of Knox, Eddie, Ellis and Collier reunited to record and release the studio album Mars Casino with Chris Spedding providing production, additional guitar, and vocals.[ News: The Vibrators Reunite with Chris Spedding for New Album. New Noise Magazine. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.]
In January 2022, the Vibrators released the new single "He's a Psycho". In July that year, the line-up of Knox, Honkamaki, Bennett and Eddie announced the release of Fall into the Sky claimed to be the final Vibrators album.
Since 2022, the band states in its official website that it would do "no more gigs" but "that individuals from the band might still be doing things".[ www.thevibrators.com > VIBRATORS' GIGS > 2022]
Collier died on 27 July 2024, at the age of 72.
Influence
The band Stiff Little Fingers took its name from the Vibrators' song of the same title. The song was penned by John Ellis, and appeared on the Vibrators' debut album
Pure Mania.
Street punk band
the Exploited covered the Vibrators' song "Troops of Tomorrow" and used it as the title track for their 1982 album. A cover of "Troops of Tomorrow" was also recorded by the Polish
death metal band Vader, and released as a bonus track on the band's 2011 album,
Welcome to the Morbid Reich.
Discography
Studio albums
-
Pure Mania (Epic, EPC 82097, June 1977) – UK No. 49
-
V2 (Epic, EPC 82495, April 1978) – UK No. 33
-
Guilty (Anagram, GRAM 002, 1982)
-
Alaska 127 – 1984
-
Fifth Amendment – 1985
-
Recharged – 1988
-
Meltdown – 1988
-
Vicious Circle – 1989
-
Volume 10 – 1990
-
Hunting for You – 1994
-
French Lessons with Correction – 1997
-
Buzzin' – 1999
-
Noise Boys – 2000
-
Energize – 2002
-
Punk: The Early Years – 2006 (cover album)
-
Garage Punk – 2009 (cover album)
-
Pure Punk – 2009 (cover album)
-
Under the Radar – 2009
-
On the Guest List – 2013
-
Punk Mania: Return to the Roots – 2014
-
Restless (Die Laughing Records) – 2017
-
Past, Present and into the Future – 2017 (containing members of the Pure Mania/V2 lineup, as well as the contemporary lineup)
-
Across the Pond (Die Laughing Records) split The Vibrators/Screaming Bloody Marys – 2018
-
Mars Casino (Cleopatra Records) – 2020
-
Fall into the Sky (Cleopatra Records) – 2022
Singles released up to 1980
-
"We Vibrate" / "Whips and Furs" (RAK, RAK 245, November 1976)
-
"Pogo Dancing" / "The Pose" (RAK, RAK 246, November 1976) by Chris Spedding; the Vibrators performed the song in TV appearances
-
"Bad Time" / "No Heart" (RAK, RAK 253, March 1977)
-
"Baby Baby" / "Into the Future" (Epic Records, SEPC 5302, May 1977)
-
"London Girls" (Live) / "Stiff Little Fingers" (Live) (Epic Records, SEPC 5565, August 1977)
-
"Automatic Lover" / "Destroy" (Epic Records, SEPC 6137, March 1978) – UK No. 35
-
"Judy Says (Knock You in the Head)" / "Pure Mania" (Epic Records, SEPC 6393, June 1978) – UK No. 70
-
"Disco in Moscow" / "Take a Chance" (Rat Race Records, RAT 4, October 1980)
See also
-
List of punk bands from the United Kingdom
-
List of 1970s punk rock musicians
-
List of Peel Sessions
-
List of performers on Top of the Pops
-
Music of the United Kingdom (1970s)
External links
