The Professionals (band)
Encyclopedia
The Professionals were an English
punk rock
band
in the late 1970s and early 1980s formed by ex-Sex Pistols
guitarist
Steve Jones
and drummer
and Paul Cook
after that band's demise.
and drummer Paul Cook
, both formerly of the Sex Pistols
. In the previous year Johnny Rotten had left the Sex Pistols, and Jones had supplied lead vocals for late Sex Pistols recordings of the songs "Silly Thing
" and "Lonely Boy". For these recordings Lightning Raiders
bassist Andy Allen was employed as a session musician
. After the Sex Pistols officially split and broke ties with manager Malcolm McLaren
, this line up was resurrected as The Professionals, and signed to the Sex Pistols old label Virgin Records
.
In July 1980 The Professionals released their first single "Just Another Dream," followed by a second single "1-2-3" in October, which reached #43 in the UK Singles Charts. Shortly after the second singles release Allen left the band and was replaced by Subway Sect
bassist Paul Meyers. Ray McVeigh also joined the band as a second guitarist.
This same lineup recorded another single, "Join the Professionals", which was released in June 1981. Later that year, the song was featured in the movie Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains
along with three other Cook/Jones compositions, "Conned Again", "La La La", and "Don't Blow It All the Way".
Following his departure, Andy Allen sued Virgin Records claiming he had never been paid by them. In response to this, the new line-up of The Professionals would re-record previous material so that Allen would not be owed any further royalties. The band brought in producer Nigel Gray
to help record this material for their first full length album, the result was I Didn't See It Coming
released in November 1981.
The album was supported by U.K. and U.S. tour dates, and the release of a single for the song "The Magnificent". But the band's American tour was cut short when Cook, Meyers, and McVeigh were injured in a car accident.
After a hiatus for recovery, the band returned to America in the Spring of 1982. They were offered a spot opening on tour for The Clash
, but declined and broke up.
album
was eventually released in 2005, containing material from their one album, four singles, and the albums-worth of demo
s recorded with Andy Allen.
Their song "Black Leather
" was covered
by The Runaways
on their 1978 album, And Now... The Runaways
; and by Guns N' Roses
on their 1993 album, "The Spaghetti Incident?"
. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts also released a live version of "Black Leather" on their Fetish
album. Their song "Join The Professionals" was covered by the Epoxies.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
in the late 1970s and early 1980s formed by ex-Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Steve Jones
Steve Jones (musician)
Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and Paul Cook
Paul Cook
Paul Thomas Cook is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band Sex Pistols.-Early life and career:...
after that band's demise.
Career
The Professionals were formed in 1979 by guitarist Steve JonesSteve Jones (musician)
Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
and drummer Paul Cook
Paul Cook
Paul Thomas Cook is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band Sex Pistols.-Early life and career:...
, both formerly of the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
. In the previous year Johnny Rotten had left the Sex Pistols, and Jones had supplied lead vocals for late Sex Pistols recordings of the songs "Silly Thing
Silly Thing (song)
"Silly Thing" is a song by the Sex Pistols that was released in 1979. It was the 3rd single released in promotion of the film The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. It was written by drummer Paul Cook and guitarist Steve Jones, and recorded after the band's original lead singer, Johnny Rotten, left the...
" and "Lonely Boy". For these recordings Lightning Raiders
Lightning Raiders
-History:The Lightning Raiders formed in August 1977 with an original lineup featuring John Hodge on guitar, Andy Allan on guitar/vocals, ex-Pink Fairies Duncan Sanderson on bass/vocals, Jorge Panchito on drums and Michael Wilding on sax.In February 1978 ex-Pink Fairies drummer/singer Twink...
bassist Andy Allen was employed as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
. After the Sex Pistols officially split and broke ties with manager Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
, this line up was resurrected as The Professionals, and signed to the Sex Pistols old label Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
.
In July 1980 The Professionals released their first single "Just Another Dream," followed by a second single "1-2-3" in October, which reached #43 in the UK Singles Charts. Shortly after the second singles release Allen left the band and was replaced by Subway Sect
Subway Sect
Subway Sect were one of the original British punk bands. Their influence was limited by the very small amount of recorded material they released.-The early days:...
bassist Paul Meyers. Ray McVeigh also joined the band as a second guitarist.
This same lineup recorded another single, "Join the Professionals", which was released in June 1981. Later that year, the song was featured in the movie Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains is a 1981 film about three teenage girls, played by Diane Lane, Laura Dern and Marin Kanter, who start a punk band. Shot in British Columbia, Canada, the film also featured Ray Winstone, Christine Lahti, ex-Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook, along with...
along with three other Cook/Jones compositions, "Conned Again", "La La La", and "Don't Blow It All the Way".
Following his departure, Andy Allen sued Virgin Records claiming he had never been paid by them. In response to this, the new line-up of The Professionals would re-record previous material so that Allen would not be owed any further royalties. The band brought in producer Nigel Gray
Nigel Gray
Nigel Gray is a British record producer. His album credits include "Outlandos d'Amour" , "Reggatta de Blanc" and "Zenyatta Mondatta" for The Police; "Juju" and "Kaleidoscope" for Siouxsie & The Banshees, as well as five albums for Godley & Creme.-Surrey Sound Studio:In 1974 Gray converted a...
to help record this material for their first full length album, the result was I Didn't See It Coming
I Didn't See It Coming
I Didn't See It Coming was the only album by punk rock band The Professionals to be released in the band's lifetime. It was first released by Virgin Records in 1981...
released in November 1981.
The album was supported by U.K. and U.S. tour dates, and the release of a single for the song "The Magnificent". But the band's American tour was cut short when Cook, Meyers, and McVeigh were injured in a car accident.
After a hiatus for recovery, the band returned to America in the Spring of 1982. They were offered a spot opening on tour for The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, but declined and broke up.
Legacy
A best ofGreatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
was eventually released in 2005, containing material from their one album, four singles, and the albums-worth of demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
s recorded with Andy Allen.
Their song "Black Leather
Black Leather (song)
Black Leather is a hard rock/punk rock song about sadomasochism written by Steve Jones and Paul Cook for their post-Sex Pistols band The Professionals. The song was released as a single, and later included in a collection of Sex Pistols singles called the Pistols Pack.It was later covered by the...
" was covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by The Runaways
The Runaways
The Runaways were an American all-girl rock band that recorded and performed in the second half of the 1970s. The band released four studio albums and one live set during its run. Among its best known songs: "Cherry Bomb", "Queens of Noise", "Neon Angels On the Road to Ruin", "California Paradise"...
on their 1978 album, And Now... The Runaways
And Now... The Runaways
And Now... The Runaways is the fourth and final studio album by the The Runaways, released in 1979. The album was issued by Cherry Red in the UK...
; and by Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
on their 1993 album, "The Spaghetti Incident?"
"The Spaghetti Incident?"
"The Spaghetti Incident?" is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Guns N' Roses. The album is unique for the band, consisting entirely of cover versions, mostly of punk and glam rock songs of the late 1970s and early 1980s....
. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts also released a live version of "Black Leather" on their Fetish
Fetish (album)
Fetish is a compilation album by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, released on June 8, 1999.-Track listing:#"Fetish" – 3:23#"Handyman" – 3:23#"The French Song" – 3:35#"Baby Blue" – 4:06#"Star Star" – 3:59#"Love Is Pain" – 3:06#"Secret Love" – 4:03...
album. Their song "Join The Professionals" was covered by the Epoxies.
Singles
- "Just Another Dream" (B-sideA-side and B-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
"Action Man") (July 1980, Virgin RecordsVirgin RecordsVirgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
) - "1-2-3" (B-side "Baby, I Don't Care" and "White Light White HeatWhite Light/White Heat (song)"White Light/White Heat" is a song by American avant-garde rock band The Velvet Underground, the title track on their second album, released in 1968. It is a fast, relatively aggressive start to the album, similar to the punk rock genre it would ultimately influence.The song's vocals are performed...
") (October 1980, Virgin Records) - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#43 - "Join The Professionals" (B-side "Has Anybody Got An Alibi") (June 1981, Virgin Records)
- "The Magnificent" (B-side "Just Another Dream") (November 1982, Virgin Records).
Studio albums
- The Professionals (1980, unreleased)
- I Didn't See It ComingI Didn't See It ComingI Didn't See It Coming was the only album by punk rock band The Professionals to be released in the band's lifetime. It was first released by Virgin Records in 1981...
(1981, Virgin Records)
Personnel
- Steve JonesSteve Jones (musician)Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
− lead guitar and vocals - Ray McVeigh − rhythm guitar
- Andy Allen − bass (1979–1980)
- Paul Meyers − bass (1980–1982)
- Paul CookPaul CookPaul Thomas Cook is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band Sex Pistols.-Early life and career:...
− drums