Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang…
Occasional Albums Thing 055 - Flesh For Lulu “Flesh For Lulu”
Flesh For Lulu were another band that shoulda been huuuuuuge. Formed in 1982 by singer and guitarist Nick Marsh, drummer James Mitchell, bassist Glen Bishop and that trio were eventually topped off with former Wasted Youth guitarist Rocco Barker. They recorded a well received John Peel session, were signed to Polydor and released 3 fabulous singles in “Roman Candle”, “Subterraneans” and “Restless”. Sometime between those 3 singles, and the release of this, their eponymous debut album, Glen Bishop left the band (he’s credited on all three single releases, two of which are on this album, so I suspect he may have played on other tracks here) and was replaced by former Specimen bassist Kevin Mills, who is pictured on the album cover.
I must have heard “Roman Candle” on the Peel show, it’s where all the great new music was to be found. It had big booming drums, Duane Eddy twanging geetaaws and was a fabulous slice of Goth ‘n’ Roll, purpose built for the early 80’s club dancefloor. I was sold as soon as I heard it.
Flesh For Lulu’s style was Post-Punk with a helping of the emerging Goth style and more than a hint of the GlamRawk’n’Roll of Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and The New York Dolls. They had big hair, even bigger dark glasses, tighter than necessary leather trousers, an inch of white panstick on their faces and eyeliner, lots of eyeliner, Heroin chic some might call it (Rocco knew all about that). They had played at The Batcave club night alongside The Specimen and Sexbeat, the founding home of Goth, and I’m pretty sure the Batcave tour hitting Birmingham was the first time I came across them.
This is not, however, a Goth album. It kicks off in glorious Glam ’n’ Roll style with what was their 3rd single, “Restless”. Imagine that scene in The Clash’s “London Calling” video, the intro is done and Joe, Mick and Paul all step forward simultaneously to sing the first line…that’s what the start of “Restless” feels like. Leather clad, beautiful boys thrusting guitars at you while they reach for their slice of the Rock ’n’ Roll dream. The blissed out “Coming Down” is a pretty obvious nod at someone’s drug problem with the story of a toxic relationship thrown in as a metaphor, great song tho’. Side 1 ends on a fantastic cover of the Rolling Stones “Jigsaw Puzzle” (from “Beggars Banquet”). In fact, because I didn’t hear the Stones version until years after Flesh For Lulu’s cover, I always associate the song with FFL, it’s better than the original anyway.
Side 2 kicks off with “Subterraneans”, a too cool nighttime, underground scene song (“Night falls on the creature looking like a refugee, Yeah I'm set free once again in the city of dreams”). It’s about as Goth as the album gets (lyrically) but the song itself is possibly a little too lively to tempt the Goffs out of their dank corners on to the dancefloor. Vocals are handed over to Rocco on the Stooges-ish “So Strong” and sadly Rocco’s voice ain’t. Everything comes to a close on the barroom country-blues of “Heavy Angel”, any song with lyrics like "You are my angel of death, Fell down from up above, So pretty and so young, Tell me, where did you go so fucking wrong?" set to a maudlin Country backing is good with me.
On Friday, 30 thMarch 1984 my band at the time were lucky enough to support Flesh For Lulu at Birmingham's Tin Can Club, a weekend club night set in the Fantasy strip club on Bradford Street, a very industrial area of the city centre. The Fantasy still had What The Butler saw machines around the room. We were holed up in a shared dressing room with Flesh for Lulu. Rocco wanted to swap his Gretsch White Falcon for our guitarists beaten up old Guild Starfire, it was THAT White Falcon (if you don't know what THAT means the very same guitar has been owned by Rocco, Billy Duffy of the Cult, Marco Pirroni from Adam & The Ants, Bow Wow Wow's Matthew Ashman) and they have all signed it behind the leather patch on the back of the guitar. Our guitarist declined the offer ! Oh, and Flesh For Lulu were great that night.
This is one of those albums that just clicked with me in 1984. It may not be to everyone’s taste and most people won’t think that Flesh For Lulu were as great as I think they were but I’d been musically foundering ever since The Jam split up 18 months earlier and needed something to catch on to. For a very short time Flesh For Lulu might have been it and this album (and the 2 that followed it) is one I turn to often these days.
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