Big Flame (often rendered bIG fLAME) were a post punk/Indie rock three piece band, based in Manchester, England and active from 1983 to 1986. The members were Alan Brown (bass, vocals), Greg Keeffe (guitar) and Dil Green (drums). After a debut single (Sink) on their own Laughing Gun label, they joined the Ron Johnson roster for a series of mid-eighties singles as well as an appearance on the NME's C86 compilation. On the reverse of the "Two Kan Guru" compilation, it was jokingly stated that Green and Brown played in the original line-up of Wham! with George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley; incredibly, this was accepted as fact by many people. They also did a cover of Wham's Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, as part of Peel's session in 1986, under the title of Testament To The Slow Death Of Youth Culture (Wake Me Up When It's Over). After the band split, Brown joined Ron Johnson label-mates A Witness (with whom Big Flame had previously toured) as a drummer before forming The Great Leap Forward and O'Keeffe joined Meatmouth.
Links to Peel[]
In addition to releasing 5 singles and a compilation EP, Big Flame also recorded four sessions for the John Peel Show.
Two of their songs, All The Irish Must Go To Heaven (reached number 58 in the 1985 Festive Fifty) and Man Of Few Syllables (reached number 62 in the 1985 Festive Fifty) nearly made the 1985 Festive Fifty, comprising the top 50 tracks of the year voted by listeners and broadcast on Peel's show.
On his 29 October 1985 show, Peel described the band as 'one of the two or three very best bands of Planet Earth', and also on his 17 July 1987 (BFBS) show, he called them 'the best dance band since Glenn Miller & His Orchestra.'
Festive Fifty[]
Big Flame - All The Irish Must Go To Heaven
- No entries in the annual top 50 selected by Peel listeners.
- In the extended 1985 Festive Fifty, which covered the top 70 songs, the band placed #58 with “All The Irish (Must Go To Heaven)”, on Ron Johnson Records and #62 with "Man Of Few Syllables", on Laughing Gun.[1]
Sessions[]
BIG FLAME John Peel 10th July 1984
1. Recorded: 1984-07-10. Broadcast: 16 July 1984, 18 December 1986 (Andy Kershaw)
- Debra / Man Of Few Syllables / Sargasso
2. Recorded: 1985-02-17. Broadcast: 25 February 1985, repeated 13 March 1985.
- All The Irish Must Go To Heaven / The New Way / Chanel Samba / These Boots Are Made For Walking
- "All The Irish Must Go To Heaven" available on Various Artists: Manchester- So Much to Answer For CD, 1990 (Strange Fruit, SFRCD 202)
3. Recorded: 1985-11-17. Broadcast: 27 November 1985. Repeated: 01 January 1986, 18 February 1986
- Earsore / Let's Re-Write The American Constitution / Cat With Cholic / Every Conversation
4. Recorded: 1986-05-04. Broadcast: 12 May 1986. Repeated: 30 December 1986, 08 June 1987
- Sink (Get Out Of The Ghetto Blues, Part 1) / XPQWRTZ (Pronounced Tshh!) / Three On Baffled Island / Testament To The Slow Death Of Youth Culture (Wake Me Up When It's Over)
Other Shows Played[]
- 02 May 1984 (BFBS): Sink (7") Laughing Gun PLAQUE 001
- 08 May 1984: Sometimes (7" - Sink) Laughing Gun PLAQUE 001
- 16 May 1984 (BFBS): Illness (7" - Sink) Laughing Gun PLAQUE 001
- 17 May 1984: Illness (7" - Sink) Laughing Gun PLAQUE 001
- 1985
- 05 February 1985: Man Of Few Syllables (7" EP - Rigour) Ron Johnson ZRON3
- 11 February 1985 (BBC World Service): Man Of Few Syllables (7" EP - Rigour) Ron Johnson ZRON3
- 12 February 1985: Debra (7" EP - Rigour) Ron Johnson ZRON3
- 18 February 1985 (BBC World Service): Debra (7" EP - Rigour) Ron Johnson ZRON3
- 18 February 1985 (BFBS): Man Of Few Syllables (7" EP - Rigour) Ron Johnson ZRON3
- 18 February 1985 (BFBS): Debra (7" EP - Rigour) Ron Johnson ZRON3
- 19 February 1985: Man Of Few Syllables (7" EP - Rigour) Ron Johnson ZRON3
- 25 February 1985 (BBC World Service): Sargasso (7" EP - Rigour) Ron Johnson ZRON3
- 10 March 1985 (BFBS): Man Of Few Syllables (7" EP - Rigour) Ron Johnson ZRON3
- Peel 005 (BFBS): Debra (7" EP - Rigour) Ron Johnson ZRON3
- 25 June 1985: Debra (7" EP - Rigour) Ron Johnson ZRON3
- 07 October 1985 (BBC World Service): All The Irish (Must Go To Heaven) (7" - Tough!) Ron Johnson
- 12 October 1985 (BFBS): All The Irish (Must Go To Heaven) (7" - Tough!) Ron Johnson
- 15 October 1985: All The Irish (Must Go To Heaven) (7" - Tough!) Ron Johnson
- 16 October 1985: ¡Cuba! (7" - Tough!) Ron Johnson
- 19 October 1985 (BFBS): Cuba! (EP - Tough!) Ron Johnson
- 29 October 1985: All The Irish (Must Go To Heaven) (7" - Tough!) Ron Johnson
- 11 November 1985: All The Irish (Must Go To Heaven) (7" - Tough!) Ron Johnson
- 20 November 1985: Cuba! (EP - Tough!) Ron Johnson
- 15 April 1986: Why Popstars Can't Dance (7") Ron Johnson
- 15 April 1986: Breath Of A Nation (7" - Why Popstars Can't Dance) Ron Johnson
- 19 April 1986 (BFBS): 'Why Popstars Can't Dance (7")' (Ron Johnson)
- 21 April 1986 (BBC World Service): Why Popstars Can't Dance (7") Ron Johnson
- 22 April 1986: Why Popstars Can't Dance (7") Ron Johnson
- 23 April 1986: ¡Chanel Samba! (7" - Why Popstars Can't Dance) Ron Johnson
- 26 April 1986 (BFBS): Breath Of A Nation (7" - Why Popstars Can't Dance) Ron Johnson ZRON7
- 19 May 1986: 'Why Popstars Can't Dance (7")' (Ron Johnson)
- 24 May 1986 (BFBS): 'Why Popstars Can't Dance (7")' (Ron Johnson)
- 04 June 1986: Why Popstars Can't Dance (7") Ron Johnson
- 09 July 1986: Sink (10" - Two Kan Guru) Ron Johnson
- 14 July 1986: New Way (Quick Wash And Brush Up With Liberation Theology) (v/a cassette - C86) New Musical Express
- 16 September 1986: Sink (10" - Two Kan Guru) Ron Johnson
- 17 September 1986 (VPRO): Sink (10" - Two Kan Guru) Ron Johnson
- 01 October 1986: Man Of Few Syllables (7" - Rigour) Ron Johnson
- 07 October 1986: Saragasso (10" - Two Kan Guru) Ron Johnson
- 10 December 1986: Man Of Few Syllables (v/a LP - Ideal Guest House) Backs
- 08 January 1987 (Andy Kershaw): Baffled Island (The Hard Rock Movement) (7" - Cubist Pop Manifesto) Ron Johnson
- 12 January 1987: Baffled Island (The Hard Rock Movement) (7" - Cubist Pop Manifesto) Ron Johnson
- 13 January 1987: Let's Rewrite The American Constitution (12" - Cubist Pop Manifesto) Constrictor
- 14 January 1987: Cat With Cholic (7" - Cubist Pop Manifesto) Ron Johnson
- 19 January 1987: XPQWRTZ (12" - Cubist Pop Manifesto) Constrictor
- 23 January 1987 (BFBS): 'Baffled Island (The Hardrock Movement) (LP-Cubist Pop Manifesto)' (Constrictor / Ron Johnson)
- 27 January 1987: Baffled Island (The Hard Rock Movement) (7" - Cubist Pop Manifesto) Ron Johnson
- 30 January 1987 (BFBS): 'XPQWRTZ (LP-Cubist Pop Manifesto)' (Constrictor / Ron Johnson)
- 03 February 1987: Let's Rewrite The American Constitution (12" - Cubist Pop Manifesto) Constrictor
- 04 February 1987 (Radio Bremen): Ear Sore (12" - Cubist Pop Manifesto) Constrictor
- 06 February 1987 (BFBS): 'Let's Re-Write The American Constitution (LP-Cubist Pop Manifesto)' (Constrictor / Ron Johnson)
- 15 February 1987 (BFBS): 'Let's Re-Write The American Constitution (LP-Cubist Pop Manifesto)' (Constrictor / Ron Johnson)
- 17 July 1987 (BFBS): 'Sargasso (Compilation LP-10 Years After The Goldrush (The Constrictor-Compilation))' (Constrictor)
- 02 November 1987: Man Of Few Syllables
- 1989
- 03 April 1989: New Way
- 1990
- 20 October 1990: Why Popstars Can't Dance (7") Ron Johnson
- 09 November 1990 (BFBS): Why Popstars Can't Dance (7") Ron Johnson
- 23 November 1990 (BFBS): All The Irish (Must Go To Heaven) (7" - Tough!) Ron Johnson
- 1991
- 05 April 1991 (BFBS): Unknown
- 22 July 1991 (Radio Bremen): Why Popstars Can't Dance (7") Ron Johnson
- 29 September 1991: 'Why Popstars Can't Dance' (7") Ron Johnson
- 1995
- 14 July 1995: 'Debra (CD-Rigour 1983-1986)' (Drag City)
- 21 July 1995: 'Sargasso (CD-Rigour 1983-1986)' (Drag City)
- 07 August 1995 (BBC World Service): Sargasso (CD Album - Rigour 1983-1986) Drag City
- 14 January 1999: Debra (compilation album - Rigour 1983-1986) Drag City
- 03 February 1999: 'Why Popsters Can't Dance (CD-Rigour 1983-1986)' (Drag City)
- 11 February 1999 (Radio Eins): Why Popstars Can't Dance (album - Rigour 1983-1986) Drag City
- 18 March 1999 (Radio Eins): Let's Rewrite The American Constitution (album - Rigour 1983-1986) Drag City
- 24 March 1999: New Way (Quick Wash And Brush Up With Liberation Theology) (LP: Rigour 1983-1986) Drag City
- 08 April 1999 (Radio Eins): New Way (Quick Wash And Brush Up With Liberation Theology)
- 16 January 2000 (BFBS): 'Cat With Cholic (12"-Cubist Pop Manifesto)' (Ron Johnson)
- 23 January 2000 (BFBS): 'Cat With Cholic (12"-Cubist Pop Manifesto)' (Ron Johnson)
- 01 February 2000: 'Why Popstars Can't Dance (CD-Rigour 1983-1986)' (Drag City)
- 2003
- 10 April 2003: 'Why Popstars Can't Dance (7")' (Ron Johnson)
- 03 July 2003 (Radio Eins): 'Man Of Few Syllables (7"-Rigour)' (Ron Johnson)