Eddie and the Hot Rods on Garagerocktopia

Here in the United States, we’re in an election year. Many important issues, ones which have great ramifications not just within our country but throughout the world will be discussed and debated. The resolution of those issues may impact mankind for the next 10 years or maybe even the next 100.

We at Garagrocktopia are certain that the questions we ponder will absolutely not have that kind of impact, or anything close to. Heck, we’re not even sure they’ll impact the blog very much. But we’re equally certain that our issues are a lot more fun to talk about. One of those questions Donald Trump, or Hillary Clinton, Or Bernie Sanders or Ted Cruz  or any of these candidates will never address is this: who was the first punk band?

You’d think Trump or Sanders, native New Yorkers, would represent for the Ramones or the Talking Heads or Blondie. Clinton, from Chicagoland originally, might argue for nearby Michigan’s own Stooges or MC5. Or Cruz the Texan might claim a band like the 13th Floor Elevators.

In the United Kingdom, however, the question may not be so difficult to answer, and it might not be the Sex Pistols.

Eddie and the Hot Rods were one of the most popular bands in the subgenre known as pub rock, one which we have previously profiled on this blog. But for many, Eddie and the Hot Rods were the chrysalis through which pub became punk, a point with which singer Barrie Masters has no dispute at all.

“I think that’s about right,” agrees Masters, who talked to Garagerocktopia via e-mail. “ Joe Strummer of the Clash  was quoted as saying that the first time he saw the word ‘punk’ was reading about an Eddie and the Hot Rods show reviewed in the press.”

Thanks to the miracle of YouTube, you can take a look and see why. Masters, time in and time out, gave a legendarily sweaty performance in front of a hard-rockin’ band. Of course, image is everything in rock and roll, and the slightly electro-shock look of Masters’ hair and his penchant for singing in an open shirt or none at all gave the band an ever-so-slightly edgy look for the time.

The music was powerful, and a little raggedy in the good sense of the word, a sharp contrast to the perceived hackery of artists like Rod Stewart, so popular at the time. This is a frequent cycle in rock and roll. The music – the mainstream of it at least – gets soft and paunchy around the middle, gets predictable, gets very boring and becomes completely uninspiring.

Pub rock, like punk, was an extended finger at mainstream rock, the breath of fresh air that blows out the staleness. But the similarities between punk and pub fade right about there. Most of the pub rock bands, such as Dr. Feelgood, saw themselves as R&B bands, as did Eddie and the Hot Rods, at least early on.

But the Hot Rods were always seen as more oriented to the early rock of Chuck Berry and Little Richard (as were many of the first punk bands) than most of the other pub rockers. Even the punks, whether they would admit so publicly or not, liked Eddie and the Hot Rods. 

 

 

“I think we were liked by the punks but it wasn't cool to say so,” Masters remarked. “We didn't follow the trend of fashion, though, and the spitting thing just didn't go down well with me. We kind of got shunned by those kids after a while.”

When Eddie and the Hot Rods played Windsor, Ontario – just across the river from Detroit – the show was billed as Windsor’s first punk show. Masters doesn’t dispute that there was a lot of overlap, that the difference between the Hot Rods and punk was one more of style than substance, and really perhaps one of showmanship.

 

“We could whip those bands arses musically,” Masters proclaimed. “But we just wanted to play music. I remember our first few shows in the USA, when we were supporting the Ramones. The Ramones were worried about going on after us. Their manager asked us if we could hold back a little bit. We fit the American punk fashion far more than UK.”

We should probably talk a little bit about “Eddie.” He was, in fact, a 6’6” mannequin the band used to

bring onstage with them as a device for humor. The joke had already worn thin by the time anyone knew who the band was. Rumor has it that Eddie is currently in charge of rock music programming for Clear Channel’s FM commercial radio division.

But there was nothing funny about the Hot Rods ability to make rock and roll that could be liked by just about anybody.

The band’s biggest hit was “Do Anything You Wanna Do,” a bit of joyous rebellion that put the Hot Rods on the top 10 in the UK. Much has been written about how “God Save the Queen” rode the chaos of British society in 1976 to hit the top of the charts. “Do Anything ..” did so as well, albeit in much less angry fashion.

“We came up with the music and Ed Hollis our manager wrote the lyrics,” Masters recalled. “The lyrics just said what everybody has at some point wanted to do, which is  break out of their city and quit their boring day job.”

The appeal was not just amongst British music fans, but universal. While the song didn’t enjoy the same success on this side of the Atlantic, it’s still seen by many as a great song with its own timelessness.

“I'm amazed how many people still come up to me.” said Masters, “and say ‘that song you recorded really changed my life and it helped me decide to do what I really wanted to do.’ I think its still pretty relevant today.”

Pub rock as a style faded out as punk elbowed its way to the fore. Certain perfomers, such as Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, and the man some have called the most unlikely pop star ever, Ian Dury, came out of pub rock. They had tremendous commercial success and, particularly in Costello’s case, may be well on their way to musical iconhood.

But unlike those artists, Eddie and the Hot Rods soldiered on as a band until calling it quits in 1981. But, as it often is with the bands we write about here at Garagerocktopia,  that was far from the end of the story.

The funny thing is that good hooks, meaningful lyrics and a good rock and roll attitude only fade temporarily, until some new wave makes those qualities in rock and roll current again. The Hot Rods are the poster boys for this. They’ve reformed several times over the years and continue to draw audiences. Yet even Masters himself can’t completely explain why Eddie and the Hot Rods are still going strong.

“That’s a question I ask myself quite often,” Masters confesses. “If you had told me in 1976 that in 40 years’ time we would still be pulling in the crowds around the world,  I would probably have slapped you, but here we are. I think our live shows are still very energetic and exciting which probably keeps the people coming back.”

Sometimes it is simple nostalgia, but Masters said for those not in London in the mid-‘70’s, fans recognize the living history that is Eddie and the Hot Rods.

“In the UK it's very much the older audience reliving their youth and memories,” admitted Masters. “But in Europe and USA we attract a far younger audience who want to see the band that started it all (with punk). Either way, it's cool.”

Far from slowing down, Masters has put more music on his plate. The band has recently started its own label, RedHot Records. Masters also now serves duty as a member of  Class of ’76, a supergroup of first-wave British punk, pub rock and new wave veterans.

 

“Class of 76 was actually our drummer and Headline Maniac drummer Simon Bowley's idea,” explained Masters. “His uncle is Eddie and the Hot Rods original drummer Steve Nicol, (who now drums for Class of ’76). Simon asked if I wanted to do something outside the Rods.”

“Our good friend Nigel Bennett from The Members was also looking for a new venture and we knew our old bassist Russ Strutter was free so that was that and we had a band.  It's going great. We play all our favorite tracks from the punk/ new wave era and are getting a lot of interest.”

Unbelievable though it may seem, punk is now over 40 years old.  The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde once remarked to the BBC that punk, by its very nature was ephemeral. But this is not so. It’s still here and ain’t goin’ nowhere. Nobody is more surprised by this than Masters, whom, as Arthur Conan Doyle might say, sees nothing new under the sun.

“I never thought punk would be so popular 40 years on,” Masters confesses. “I knew bands like the Pistols and Clash would still be talked about. I do listen to some new music but there is nothing I hear that breaks new ground. It’s all been done before.”

Technically, this is our second post about Eddie and the Hot Rods. Headline Maniac, along with Richard Holgarth, are all current members of the Hot Rods. But how great is it that currently, you can still catch Eddie and the Hot Rods, Headline Maniac and Class of ’76?