Nightmares In Wax and Dead Or Alive

Nightmares In Wax - Birth Of A Nation 7'' EP

"Birth Of A Nation" is the definitive 1980 debut 7" EP by Liverpool post-punk band Nightmares In Wax, featuring "Black Leather" and two other tracks, which launched the career of Pete Burns before the band rebranded as Dead Or Alive. Released on Inevitable Records, this rare, paper-sleeved record is a highly sought-after collector's item for fans of 1980s synth-pop. Explore the history of this early Pete Burns project and its cultural significance.

"Birth Of A Nation" is a thrillingly raw snapshot of the late-70s Liverpool post-punk scene, bursting with the gothic camp and fierce attitude that would later define Pete Burns' career. The standout track, "Black Leather," is a brilliant piece of dark wave history that pairs a sleazy, Iggy Pop-inspired bassline with jagged guitar riffs. What elevates the track from a standard post-punk dirge into something truly special is its mid-song transition into a gritty cover of KC & The Sunshine Band’s "That's The Way (I Like It)." Even in this primitive, low-budget package, Burns' theatrical, commanding vocal delivery hints at the massive pop-star charisma that would soon conquer global charts with Dead Or Alive.

The EP's B-side, featuring "Girls Song" and "Shangri-La," dives even deeper into experimental, icy minimalism. Driven by stark drum machines and eerie synth flourishes, these tracks trade the aggressive swagger of the A-side for a gloomy, atmospheric danceability. While the production is undeniably unpolished and primitive, the record's charm lies in this exact lack of commercial restraint. It stands as a vital missing link between the jagged art-punk of the era and the polished synth-pop of the mid-1980s, making it an essential listen for any serious collector of alternative music.

Dead Or Alive - I'm Falling 7''

Released in May 1980 on Liverpool's independent Inevitable Records, "I'm Falling" is the official debut 7" single by English synth-pop band Dead Or Alive. Featuring the track "Flowers" on the B-side, this rare, early release showcases a raw, guitar-driven post-punk and gothic rock aesthetic, distinct from the polished Hi-NRG dance-pop that later defined their commercial peak. Distributed in a limited-run, wrap-around picture sleeve, the single never appeared on a standard studio album, making the original physical pressing a highly prized and expensive collector's item on the secondary vinyl market.

Dead Or Alive’s 1980 debut single "I'm Falling" provides a fascinating, dark glimpse into the band’s origins, long before they transitioned into a chart-topping dance-pop juggernaut. Produced by Ian Broudie, the track is heavily indebted to the post-punk and gothic rock sounds pioneered by contemporaries like Joy Division and Bauhaus. Pete Burns’ signature vocal delivery is already on full display, but instead of anchoring a high-energy electronic beat, his booming baritone wraps around jagged, swirling guitars and moody, atmospheric synthesisers. The track builds a brilliant sense of tension, managing to feel both cinematic and subversively raw—a testament to the vibrant alternative scene thriving in Liverpool at the dawn of the decade.

The single is perfectly balanced by its B-side, "Flowers," which subdues the aggressive edge of the A-side in favour of a more ethereal, slow-burning romanticism. Together, the two tracks showcase a remarkably self-assured and artsy identity for a debut release, even if the band ultimately abandoned this direction for the neon lights of Hi-NRG pop. While casual fans of "You Spin Me Round" might find the lack of a relentless dance beat jarring, "I'm Falling" stands on its own merits as a stellar piece of early-80s new wave history. It is a mandatory listen for anyone looking to understand the full musical trajectory and versatility of Pete Burns.

Dead Or Alive - Number Eleven 7''

Released on March 1, 1981, through Inevitable Records, Dead Or Alive's 7-inch single "Number Eleven" is a highly collectible post-punk track featuring a distinct graphic sleeve. This early, pre-fame release showcases the band's original, darker, and goth-rock aesthetic, featuring "Number Eleven" on the A-side and "Namegame" live on the B-side. To explore this release further, search for the Dead Or Alive "Number Eleven" 7-inch vinyl listing on Discogs.

"Number Eleven" serves as a striking sonic time capsule, capturing Dead or Alive long before they transitioned into high-energy dance-pop icons. Released in 1981, the track leans heavily into a brooding, atmospheric post-punk and goth-rock landscape that rivals the early work of contemporaries like Bauhaus or Siouxsie and the Banshees. Driven by a prominent, moody bassline and jagged guitar riffs, the instrumentation creates a dark, tension-filled backdrop. Pete Burns’ vocals are already commanding and distinct, delivered with a dramatic, deep baritone sneer that injects the track with a raw, theatrical edge. It is a fascinating glimpse into an era where the band prioritized moody, underground art-rock over commercial radio accessibility.

The single's B-side, a live recording of "Namegame," further emphasizes the band's early identity by trading studio polish for chaotic, driving energy. While "Number Eleven" might surprise casual fans who only know the band's mainstream hits, it stands on its own merits as a stellar example of early-1980s alternative British rock. The production is minimal but effective, highlighting a raw chemistry and an edgy songwriting style that the group would eventually trade for synthesizers. For collectors and music historians, this 7" single is more than just a rare piece of memorabilia; it is a compelling, high-quality slice of post-punk history that proves Dead or Alive’s musical roots were remarkably deep and dark.

Dead Or Alive - Misty Circles

Pete Burns was famous before he was famous: a waspish Wirral weirdo who gave five times as good as he got to hapless hecklers on the streets of Liverpool and a sharp-tongued shop assistant at Probe record shop, legendary for viciously vetting the choices of customers. Stories abound of Burns refusing to sell people Secret Affair singles “because they’re shit”, or contemptuously hurling OMD records at customers across the counter. Underneath it was a battleship-strength belief that he could do better. Sophisticated Boom Boom, the debut Dead Or Alive album, is the sort of record one typically finds in second hand bargain bins and charity shops, on vinyl for a quid. And rarely will a quid be better spent, because it stands up fantastically well. Having signed to Epic, the band hooked up with rising German producer Zeus B Held, who had made his name with Gina X Performance and worked with British synth artists such as Fàshiön and John Foxx. Held gave DOA’s sound the crisp snap and thwack it needed. The album’s lead single Misty Circles was a disco-noir cracker, still popular with clubbers decades later. Despite the major label behind it, Misty Circles only made it to No 100, though it would later find its way into millions of homes on the B-side of the band’s biggest hit. It did, however, take Burns on to national television via ITV’s Razzmatazz, startling pre-teen viewers with his Vivienne Westwood get-up, heavy make-up, oversized top hat and ribboned dreads, looking for the entire world like Boy George’s evil stepsister. Which, in so many ways, he was.

Dead Or Alive - It’s Been Hours Now

For a time in the mid-80s, Pete Burns’ Dead Or Alive were the toast of the post-new wave/hi-nrg scene, a scene that unveiled several major hits, including the Stock-Aitken-Waterman produced UK chart-topper, `You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’, a resounding global phenomenon. Focal point Burns was able to plough his field of pop dreams: doors left ajar by Visage, Soft Cell, Culture Club and Merseyside rivals Frankie Goes To Hollywood. From the 90s onwards, Dead Or Alive were a spent force (in Britain at least), though their chameleonic cross-dressing frontman seemed always to hog the limelight; Celebrity Big Brother 4 (featuring his costly reconstructed lips), Celebrity Wife Swap and as a TV presenter, himself.

It was all so simple back in post-punk Liverpool where provocateur Pete Burns (born Peter Jozzeppi Burns, 5 August 1959, Bebington, Wirral) worked at Geoff Davies’ Probe Records Shop. From there, he formed short-lived late-’77-era punk outfit, the Mystery Girls, a quartet that numbered Pete Wylie, Julian Cope and drummer Phil Hurst, before all affiliates found their own niche. Both Burns and Hurst (the latter a replacement for Pink Military-bound Paul Hornby) would duly re-surface in 1979 as front-and-back of Nightmares In Wax, a goth-dance act that also comprised keyboardist/co-scribe Martin Healy, guitarist Mick Reid (ex-Crash Course, ex-Glass Torpedoes) and bassist Pete Loyd; Loyd superseded Ambrose (ex-Big In Japan) who’d deputised for Walter Ogden on their only disc: the EP `Birth Of A Nation’, which featured three cuts led by `Black Leather’ (a song that interpolated K.C. & The Sunshine Band’s `That’s The Way (I Like It)’).

The group name was switched to Dead Or Alive prior to offering up tracks for a John Peel radio session in May 1980 and, after subsequent re-shuffling of personnel, Burns and Healy were joined by guitarist Adrian “Mitch” Mitchley, bassist Sue James and drummer Joe Musker (of Faction); the scarily androgynous Burns was to marry Lynne Corlett, around this time.

A debut Dead Or Alive single, `I’m Falling’ (issued on local Liverpool Indie Inevitable Records), varied little from the keyboard-heavy, sub-goth wailing of Nightmares In Wax; drawing comparisons with The Doors, if only for the Manzarek-like keys and Burns’ theatrical vocals. Yet while his singing suggested an imposing prince of darkness type figure, the frontman’s stage persona was more akin to a kind of sexually ambiguous, gothic dandy. By the band’s sophomore single, `Number Eleven’, the indie-goth quintet had attracted a cult following in Merseyside and beyond.

With the departure of Mitch and the arrival of Bristol-born guitarist Wayne Hussey (from Pauline Murray & The Invisible Girls), and Mike Percy taking over from Sue on bass, a percussive, organic tone was apparent on their self-financed 1982 single, `It’s Been Hours Now’ 12”, undoubtedly their best tune so far; or indeed, ever!

Released the same month as Culture Club’s chart-scaling “…Hurt Me” smash hit, the not-so-spectacular `The Stranger’ (complete with Pete’s dreadlock’d hair-bob on the pic sleeve!) found some airplay from Peely and, despite, or courtesy of, Boy George’s unintentional upstaging, Epic Records won the battle to sign Dead Or Alive.