The Armoury Show

The Armoury Show remained largely unheard in their heyday in the mid-1980s, despite featuring several eminent new wave musicians. At the start of that decade, the Dunfermline-born punk band the Skids were coming to natural end, and, after guitarist Stuart Adamson left to form Big Country, singer Richard Jobson and bassist Russell Webb also eventually went in a new direction. Around this time the Manchester-based group Magazine, which had included drummer John Doyle and guitarist John McGeoch, were also dissolving. The latter had also had a stint playing with Siouxsie and the Banshees, and even replaced Adamson briefly in the Skids for a ‘Peel Session’ shortly before they split up in 1981. Richard Jobson, Russell Webb, John McGeogh and John Doyle formed the Armoury Show together later in 1981, taking their name from a famous 1913 modern art exhibition in New York. Unfortunately they only had a brief existence, but they left us with one outstanding album and a brace of 12” singles. There was a real array of talent here and it has that distinctive 80's sound to it. It is packed with various other influences from around that era, but has also a brave unique sound slightly ahead of that time. There are echoes ironically of Adamson's Big Country, but the Armoury Show, while mixing together various other 80’s influences, also had their own sound. If you have just discovered the Armoury Show through the re-release of Waiting For The Floods, you will not be disappointed with these 12” singles as they are the sound of new wave of the 80s with its many characteristics all rolled into one. Marvellous!

All of the five singles presented here have been collated from various sources (so don’t blame me if there are discrepancies) to one mega MP3 @ 320kbps folder

 

The Armoury Show; Castles In Spain 12”

A.     Castles In Spain (Wubb Dubb Mix)

B1.  Innocents Abroad

B2.  Is It A Wonder

C1    Castles In Spain (Single DJ Edit)#

D1   Castles In Spain (LP Version)#

The Armoury Show; We Can Be Brave Again (Extended Version) 12”

A.     We Can Be Brave Again (Extended Version)

B1.  A Feeling

B2.  Catherine

The Armoury Show; Glory Of Love (Universal Mix) 12”

 

A.     Glory Of Love (Universal Mix)

B1.  Glory Of Love

B2.  Higher Than The Instrumental

The Armoury Show; New York City 12”

A.     New York City (Remixed by John Robie)

B1.  New York City (N Y Agogo)

B2.  Whirlwind

The Armoury Show; New York City (The John Robie Dance Mix) 12”

A.     New York City (The John Robie Dance Mix)

B1.  New York City (N.Y. Agogo)

B2.  Whirlwind

The Armoury Show; Love In Anger 12”

A.     Love In Anger

B1.  Uptown, Downtown

B2.  Tender Is The Night