The SPICS, a decade later and they would have been slaughtered for their name, but they came from a time when racism was still confined to discrimination against a chosen few and our SPICS rocked against it with the best of them.

You and Me and Bus stop the first single released on Wavelength Records was produced at David Lord's Crescent Studio's in Bath. Toss (Yeh, Thomas Brooman - WOMAD) started Wavelength just to release it.

Originally meant to be a 3 tracker, the SPICS, new to recording just couldn't cope with the long hours required and cut it down 2. Nothing quite turned out how it was meant, they had planned to record Midnight Girls but John Shennan threatened to leave if they didn't record You and Me. He'd only written one verse so Mike wrote the second and rearranged and everyone was happy. That's Mike Crawford, (no, not the one with the beret) which was why he was affectionately called 'Mike Spic' for years, to avoid 'oooh Betty' jokes.

The SPICS were formed because Nick Shepherd (Yeh, 'The Clash one'), Johnny Britton and Mike thought they'd discovered the 50's listening to Phil Spector, Ben E King and Otis Redding. But by the time the single was released in 1979 they'd been through a serious of members including Johnny. Rachel Morgan had been replaced on bass and the Spicettes were down to Jo Swan and the Partridge sisters. Phoebe Beedell and Heidi Hutton (yeh, Tim's sister) had jumped. So with John Carly on Percussion, and Nick Croucher - also on guitar, the nine piece recorded 2 songs that have stood the test of time and could have made someone a lot of money at any time over the last 30 years.

CBS unprepared to sign a 9 piece offered them a deal without the girls and percussion- they declined.

The SPICS started by doing covers and finished by doing their own stuff, Their biggest gig was a sell out headline at the Anson Rooms, they did lots of Trinity Gigs, supported the Only Ones and the Leyton Buzzards but this is the only commercial recording in existence.

I have yet to see a more attractive line up of personnel, perhaps a row of Johnny Depps' would do it but I've got a horrible feeling they wouldn't sound so good.

Gill Loats