Spizzenergi / Athletico Spizz 80 / The Spizzles
Line-up: August - November 1979.
- Spizz - vocals and guitar
- Mark Coalfield - keyboard and vocals
- Dave Scott - guitar
- Jim Solar - bass guitar (real name James Little)
- Hero Shima - drums
November 1979 - 1981
- C.P. Snare (real name Clive Parker-Sharp) - Drums
For the first time, Spizz had a dedicated backing band, with a distinctively new wave sound. As Spizzenergi they became the first number one band in the newly formed UK Indie Singles Chart in January 1980. The BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel described "Where's Captain Kirk?" as... "the best Star Trek associated song". Spizz did the artwork for the single cover himself using his own felt pens. This was undeniably the peak of Spizz's music career.
This line-up continued as Athletico Spizz 80, gaining a considerable following. They became the only band to sell out the Marquee Club for five consecutive nights (with a sixth alcohol-free, matinee show). The tune was featured in the 1981s archival Urgh! A Music War film. This material was shown occasionally on late-night American cable TV, and may have helped prolong Spizz's notoriety slightly. They released an album entitled Do a Runner on A&M Records, to mixed reviews.
When Lu Edmonds joined the line-up in 1981, they again changed their name—to The Spizzles. The group released a record called Spikey Dream Flowers, which cemented the group's sonic image as science-fiction weirdoes. Two final 1982 singles, this time as Spizzenergi 2, "Megacity 3" and "Jungle Fever", were the swan-song of Spizz in the 1980s. By 1982 new wave was over, and post-punk bands like The Smiths and Gang of Four were taking over the indie music scene.
Spizz was noted for an annual name change policy which ceased when the Guinness Book of Records failed to recognise Spizz's claim that he has recorded and released the greatest number of recordings under different names. "Too Specialised" was the response of the then deputy editor, Shelagh Thomas, who nevertheless confessed to owning "Where's Captain Kirk?". American stadium rockers R.E.M. (who started their band in the early 1980s) recorded a limited edition version of "Where's Captain Kirk?" in 1992, which they gave to fan club members.
Read more about this topic: Spizzenergi