APB – The Radio 1 Sessions CD

Scottish post-punk band APB nineteen track collection recorded for the BBC radio from 1981-84 featuring fifteen tracks previously unavailable

In 1979, APB was formed in the small rural town of Ellon, Aberdeen, Scotland. Ignoring their remote location the band took inspiration from the punk do it yourself ethic of the burgeoning independent music scene.  With a hard-working approach George Cheyne drums, Glenn Roberts guitar and Iain Slater bass and vocals were spotted by Aberdeen’s small independent label Oily.  In 1981 they were impressed enough by the band’s live shows to finance the band’s first single Chain Reaction. The band’s first single was a two and a half minute punk/pop song with fuzzy distorted guitar and Scottish inflected vocals.  Already the band was evolving with a sparser and more rhythmical sound.

The band’s trademark post-punk dance rhythms were there from the start, with debut single “Shoot You Down” crackling with serrated guitar and Slater’s native vocal inflections. APB was in lock step with similarly militaristic dance factions of the time — Gang of Four, Au Pairs, Delta 5 — but their own music was more celebratory and inclusive. Everyone was invited to an APB party. In 2018’s Beastie Boy Book, band member Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz referred to “Shoot You Down” as a “punk dance-floor classic.”

Over their 40 plus year career the Scottish post-punk band has released three studio albums and one singles compilation “Something to Believe In”. The Radio 1 sessions compiles nineteen tracks recorded for the BBC radio featuring fifteen tracks never available on any APB recording.

The performances were recorded throughout 1981-84 on various radio shows hosted by legendary UK DJs, John Peel, David Jensen and Peter Powell.

Track Listing:

1. My Love (John Peel Session, 12/23/81)
2. Higher the Climb (John Peel Session, 12/23/81)
3. Crooner’s Lullaby (John Peel Session, 12/23/81)
4. From You and Back To You (John Peel Session, 12/23/81)
5. Danceability (David Jensen Session, 5/23/82)
6. Crazy Grey (David Jensen Session, 5/23/82)
7. Stop Before I Go (David Jensen Session, 5/23/82)
8. Out Of Town (David Jensen Session, 5/23/82)
9. Got It In One (John Peel Session, 12/13/82)
10. Play It (John Peel Session, 12/13/82)
11. Wonderdrug (John Peel Session, 12/13/82)
12. Back Inside Your Heart (John Peel Session, 12/13/82)
13. Hypnotic Love Affair (Peter Powell Session, 8/9/83)
14. Don’t Close the Door (Peter Powell Session, 8/9/83)
15. Take Me To A Good Place (Peter Powell Session, 8/9/83)
16. What Kind Of Girl? (David Jensen Session, 3/29/84)
17. You Can’t Have Her (David Jensen Session, 3/29/84)
18. Something To Believe In (David Jensen Session, 3/29/84)
19. So Many Broken Hearts (David Jensen Session, 3/29/84)