Received a copy of "Aylesbury Goes Flaccid" today - the compilation album released in 1978. My contribution was "Do You Remember L-L-Longwick?" by The Haircuts. At the time, The Haircuts were looked upon as snotty upstarts - we could hardly play our instruments and only just out of school-yet we represented the true spirit of punk. The majority of the groups on the album were crusty pub rockers who had been churning out Lyrnrd Skynrd covers since the mid 70's. The album is being promoted as a snapshot of the Aylesbury punk scene - but in reality only The Haircuts were a bona fida punk group. The other groups on the record had only just thrown away their cheese cloth shirts and burnt their loon pants - some hadn't even got round to that yet. Most had been going for years and simply changed their names to fly under the punk flag of convenience. I think The Haircuts track stands out as fresh and honest - it doesn't sound too bad at all considering it's nearly 30 years old. The sleevenotes are good too. However, the heavy smell of patchouli oil, the thud of cowboy boots and the rustle of denim from most of the groups does give the album a real pub rock feel. If you're looking for the sound of Aylesbury punk,play The Haircuts and the Vice Creems, who just about get away with it ,then give the rest a miss. It's really a case of buyer beware.
