The Jasmine Minks
Encyclopedia
The Jasmine Minks are a British indie band, whose early singles were amongst the first releases by Creation Records
.
in 1983, the band were initially a quartet of Jim Shepherd (guitar/vocals), Adam Sanderson (vocals/guitar), Martin Keena(bass guitar), and Tom Reid (drums/vocals). After sending a demo tape to Melody Maker
, the band were recruited by Alan McGee
to record for the fledgling Creation
label.
Their first single, "Think!" was recorded for £50 at Alaska Studios, Waterloo. The 4 piece line up was augmented by keyboards from Dave Musker, and the single produced by Joe Foster. The small brown plastic electronic organ was the same one that had previously been used on "Blue Boy" by Orange Juice
. Prior to recording, Sanderson had been listening to the Buzzcocks
' Spiral Scratch EP
, and repeated the two note refrain from "Boredom" at the end of "Think!". Later, Edwyn Collins
of Orange Juice was to reference "Boredom" and repeat the same two note refrain on Orange Juice's hit single "Rip It Up". "Think!"/"Work For Nothing" was released in March 1984, and reached single of the week status, jointly with The Pastels
single that Alan McGee released at the same time.
The band recorded and released their second single, "Where the Traffic Goes"/"Mr Magic", once again at Alaska for a similar budget, with Foster producing again. McGee had the idea to promote "Where The Traffic Goes" by doing a one day busking tour, an idea which he may have “borrowed” from the Violent Femmes
, an American band the Jasmine Minks had supported. They played eight gigs in one day, all on acoustic instruments, were moved on by the police, were invited into pubs, and then went to McGees's club, the Living Room to perform that night’s gig. By then bored with the acoustics, the band played an all electric set, amps cranked up to the max, with a 1-2-3-4 between each song, Ramones
style. The press were there, and the energy surprised them. They received outstanding reviews, and were chosen by the NME
as one of the eighteen most hopeful bands in Britain and were invited to play at the NME showcase along with Lloyd Cole
, The Triffids
, The Go-Betweens
, The Pogues
and others. Jasmine Minks records were played on national radio, and the band began to attract a good reputation as a live act. McGee gave them over £400 to record a six track mini-album, One Two Three Four Five Six Seven, All Good Preachers Go To Heaven (1984, Creation) and some major labels showed an interest in the band, to the extent of booking them sessions in very expensive studios.
Unfortunately, the NME showcase happened during the National Union of Journalists
strike, the music press was heavily involved, and the NME was not printed; In short, there was no publicity for the music event of the year, and the band played to a very sparse audience. The expected boost in the band's popularity didn't happen.
At the end of 1984 the band toured mainland Europe as part of a Creation package including McGee's band Biff Bang Pow!
and new Creation signings The Jesus and Mary Chain
. The JAMC single "Upside Down" was released while the tour was in progress. When the tour was over, McGee found himself increasingly preoccupied with the rising success of the Jesus and Mary Chain. During this period, the Jasmine Minks recorded a four track EP, inspired by listening to the Buzzcocks "Time's Up" bootleg over and over. It sat on a shelf while McGee was forced to pursue other interests, eventually surfacing as a seven-inch single of "What’s Happening"/"Black & Blue", which was largely ignored by the music press.
Their self-titled debut album was recorded in Ellon, Aberdeenshire
, on a budget of £600 and released in 1986. The idea had been to record a low budget, high quality song based album, but McGee did not like the finished result and dropped some tracks. Some earlier recordings were used for the album, including the track "Cold Heart", which had originally been recorded during the One Two Three Four Five Six Seven, All Good Preachers Go To Heaven sessions. An 1986 the band recorded their only Peel session. Cold Heart was released as a single in 7" and 12" formats and was NME’s single of the week. It was the Jasmine Minks' biggest selling single. At this point Sanderson left the band.
Shepherd became the lead vocalist and was joined by keyboardist Paul Cooper. Dave Arnold from Kent band The Claim
filled in the guitar spot for the Another Age album (1988) and subseqent gigs, with Ed De Vlam performing guitar duties on Scratch the Surface (1989). A permanent guitarist was later found in Walter Duncan from the band's hometown of Aberdeen.
Despite the albums Another Age and Scratch the Surface drawing critical acclaim the band ceased activity for a few years. They reunited in 2000, releasing the album Veritas, before the band signed to McGee's Poptones
label for the release of Popartglory (2001). The Popartglory album track Daddy Dog, featuring Scottish Socialist politician Tommy Sheridan
as vocalist, was released as the only Jasmine Minks single on the Poptones label.
In 2010 a 4 track EP, "Poppy White", was released on the Oatcake Records label.
The band played a show in London's Borderline venue on 23rd July 2011 - their first live gig in London for ten years - and a second at the Lexington on 25th July 2011, both featuring the early lineup of Shepherd, Sanderson, Keena, Reid and Musker, together with David Arnold.
Compilations:
Creation Records
Creation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
.
History
Formed in AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
in 1983, the band were initially a quartet of Jim Shepherd (guitar/vocals), Adam Sanderson (vocals/guitar), Martin Keena(bass guitar), and Tom Reid (drums/vocals). After sending a demo tape to Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
, the band were recruited by Alan McGee
Alan McGee
Alan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.McGee is best-known for co-forming and running the independent Creation Records label from 1983–1999, and then Poptones from 1999-2007...
to record for the fledgling Creation
Creation Records
Creation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
label.
Their first single, "Think!" was recorded for £50 at Alaska Studios, Waterloo. The 4 piece line up was augmented by keyboards from Dave Musker, and the single produced by Joe Foster. The small brown plastic electronic organ was the same one that had previously been used on "Blue Boy" by Orange Juice
Orange Juice
Orange Juice was a Scottish post-punk band founded in the middle class Glasgow suburb of Bearsden as the Nu-Sonics in 1976. Edwyn Collins formed the Nu-Sonics with his school-mate Alan Duncan and was subsequently joined by James Kirk and Steven Daly, who left a band called The Machetes. The band...
. Prior to recording, Sanderson had been listening to the Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
' Spiral Scratch EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, and repeated the two note refrain from "Boredom" at the end of "Think!". Later, Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Stephen Collins is an Ivor Novello Award winning Scottish musician, playing mostly electric guitar-driven pop. Collins formed the musical group Nu-Sonics in 1976, which later became Orange Juice...
of Orange Juice was to reference "Boredom" and repeat the same two note refrain on Orange Juice's hit single "Rip It Up". "Think!"/"Work For Nothing" was released in March 1984, and reached single of the week status, jointly with The Pastels
The Pastels
The Pastels are a group from Glasgow, Scotland, UK.Their early records for labels like Whaam!, Creation, Rough Trade, and Glass Records, had a raw and immediate sound, melodic and amateur, which seemed at odds with the time...
single that Alan McGee released at the same time.
The band recorded and released their second single, "Where the Traffic Goes"/"Mr Magic", once again at Alaska for a similar budget, with Foster producing again. McGee had the idea to promote "Where The Traffic Goes" by doing a one day busking tour, an idea which he may have “borrowed” from the Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes were an American alternative rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, initially active between 1980 and 1987 and again from 1988 to 2009...
, an American band the Jasmine Minks had supported. They played eight gigs in one day, all on acoustic instruments, were moved on by the police, were invited into pubs, and then went to McGees's club, the Living Room to perform that night’s gig. By then bored with the acoustics, the band played an all electric set, amps cranked up to the max, with a 1-2-3-4 between each song, Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
style. The press were there, and the energy surprised them. They received outstanding reviews, and were chosen by the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
as one of the eighteen most hopeful bands in Britain and were invited to play at the NME showcase along with Lloyd Cole
Lloyd Cole
Lloyd Cole is an English singer and songwriter, known for his role as lead singer of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989, and for his subsequent solo work.-Early life:...
, The Triffids
The Triffids
The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K...
, The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
, The Pogues
The Pogues
The Pogues are a Celtic punk band, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before...
and others. Jasmine Minks records were played on national radio, and the band began to attract a good reputation as a live act. McGee gave them over £400 to record a six track mini-album, One Two Three Four Five Six Seven, All Good Preachers Go To Heaven (1984, Creation) and some major labels showed an interest in the band, to the extent of booking them sessions in very expensive studios.
Unfortunately, the NME showcase happened during the National Union of Journalists
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists .-Structure:...
strike, the music press was heavily involved, and the NME was not printed; In short, there was no publicity for the music event of the year, and the band played to a very sparse audience. The expected boost in the band's popularity didn't happen.
At the end of 1984 the band toured mainland Europe as part of a Creation package including McGee's band Biff Bang Pow!
Biff Bang Pow!
Biff Bang Pow! were an indie pop band from London, England, active between 1983 and 1991, centering around Creation Records boss Alan McGee.-History:...
and new Creation signings The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride, Glasgow in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid...
. The JAMC single "Upside Down" was released while the tour was in progress. When the tour was over, McGee found himself increasingly preoccupied with the rising success of the Jesus and Mary Chain. During this period, the Jasmine Minks recorded a four track EP, inspired by listening to the Buzzcocks "Time's Up" bootleg over and over. It sat on a shelf while McGee was forced to pursue other interests, eventually surfacing as a seven-inch single of "What’s Happening"/"Black & Blue", which was largely ignored by the music press.
Their self-titled debut album was recorded in Ellon, Aberdeenshire
Ellon, Aberdeenshire
Ellon is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north of Aberdeen, lying on the River Ythan which has one of the few undeveloped river estuaries on the Eastern coast of Scotland. It is in the ancient region of Formartine...
, on a budget of £600 and released in 1986. The idea had been to record a low budget, high quality song based album, but McGee did not like the finished result and dropped some tracks. Some earlier recordings were used for the album, including the track "Cold Heart", which had originally been recorded during the One Two Three Four Five Six Seven, All Good Preachers Go To Heaven sessions. An 1986 the band recorded their only Peel session. Cold Heart was released as a single in 7" and 12" formats and was NME’s single of the week. It was the Jasmine Minks' biggest selling single. At this point Sanderson left the band.
Shepherd became the lead vocalist and was joined by keyboardist Paul Cooper. Dave Arnold from Kent band The Claim
The Claim (band)
The Claim were a British band from Cliffe, Kent, England.-Biography:They formed around 1980, as part of an independent scene around the nearby Medway Valley towns of Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham and influenced by classic acts such as The Kinks, The Jam, The Clash and The Smiths...
filled in the guitar spot for the Another Age album (1988) and subseqent gigs, with Ed De Vlam performing guitar duties on Scratch the Surface (1989). A permanent guitarist was later found in Walter Duncan from the band's hometown of Aberdeen.
Despite the albums Another Age and Scratch the Surface drawing critical acclaim the band ceased activity for a few years. They reunited in 2000, releasing the album Veritas, before the band signed to McGee's Poptones
Poptones
Poptones is a record label launched by Alan McGee after the demise of Creation Records in 1999. Named after a Public Image Limited song, it is seen as something of a return to the staunchly independent roots of Creation...
label for the release of Popartglory (2001). The Popartglory album track Daddy Dog, featuring Scottish Socialist politician Tommy Sheridan
Tommy Sheridan
Tommy Sheridan is a Scottish socialist politician. He has had various prominent roles within the socialist movement in Scotland and is currently one of two co-convenors of the left-wing Scottish political party Solidarity....
as vocalist, was released as the only Jasmine Minks single on the Poptones label.
In 2010 a 4 track EP, "Poppy White", was released on the Oatcake Records label.
The band played a show in London's Borderline venue on 23rd July 2011 - their first live gig in London for ten years - and a second at the Lexington on 25th July 2011, both featuring the early lineup of Shepherd, Sanderson, Keena, Reid and Musker, together with David Arnold.
Singles
- "Think!" (1984), CreationCreation RecordsCreation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
- "Where The Traffic Goes" (1984), Creation
- "What's Happening" (1985), Creation - UK Indie #27
- "Cold Heart" (1986), Creation - UK Indie #17
- Pure EP (1987), Esurient Communications
- "Daddy Dog" (2001), Poptones - Jasmine Minks featuring Tommy Sheridan
- "I Heard 'I Wish It Would Rain'" (2003), Bus StopBus stopA bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. These are normally positioned on the highway and are distinct from off-highway facilities such as bus stations. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage...
- Poppy White" EP (2010) Oatcake
Albums
- One Two Three Four Five Six Seven, All Good Preachers Go To Heaven (1984), Creation
- The Jasmine Minks (1986), Creation
- Another Age (1988), Creation
- Scratch the Surface (1989), Creation
- Veritas (2000), Genius Move
- Popartglory (2001), PoptonesPoptonesPoptones is a record label launched by Alan McGee after the demise of Creation Records in 1999. Named after a Public Image Limited song, it is seen as something of a return to the staunchly independent roots of Creation...
Compilations:
- Sunset (1986), Creation
- Soul Station (1991), Creation
- The Revenge of Jasmine Minks: Best of the Creation Years (2004), Rev-Ola