The Meteors
The Meteors were the first UK group to combine punk's energy with raw '50s rockabilly and invent a new musical form — psychobilly. In the USA, the Cramps had discovered a similar formula, but theirs was less violent and more dramatic. Together, they influenced a whole movement and an accompanying youth culture during the '80s, that enabled the Meteors to record some 15 albums over 10 years. In the late '70s, P. Paul Fenech (singer/guitarist) and Nigel Lewis (double bass/vocals) were churning out rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll standards in acts such as the Southern Boys and, as a duo, Rock Therapy. Around 1980, drummer Mark Robertson was recruited, coinciding with a name change to Raw Deal, and soon appeared on Alligator Records’ HOME GROWN ROCKABILLY compilation. After a name change to the Meteors, the band issued a debut EP, METEOR MADNESS: raw rockabilly, with lyrics from graveyards to vampires, all performed in a crazed fashion. Radioactive Kid, followed suit, and IN HEAVENwas issued on their own Lost Souls label. Around the same time, the Meteors recorded an EP featuring a cover of the Electric Prunes’ Get Me To The World On Time under the guise of the Clapham South Escalators. Robertson left soon afterwards and was replaced by Woody, but after releasing some demos, Lewis also departed to form the Tall Boys. Fenech was left to soldier on, bringing in electric bassist Mick White and Russell Jones for August 1982's Mutant Rock. 
Another personnel change (Steve Ginger Meadham joining on drums) preceded the Meteors second album, WRECKIN’ CREW, early in 1983, featuring the previous single, a wild cover of John Leyton's Johnny Remember Me. That same year saw another departure, with White forming his own psychobilly act, the Guana Batz. His position was filled by Rick Ross for a national tour, captured on LIVE. Unfortunately, Ross left for the USA and in his place came Ian Spider Cubitt, to record STAMPEDE, I'm Just A Dog and Fire, Fire. 
MONKEY'S BREATH featuring new bassist Neville Hunt surfaced in September 1985, alongside a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Bad Moon Rising. After two more unofficial offerings ( LIVE II and the LIVE AND LOUD), the Meteors covered Jan And Dean's Surf City and completed SEWERTIME BLUES. DON'T TOUCH THE BANG BANG FRUIT featured a version of the Stranglers’ Go Buddy Go. By this time, Spider's place had been filled by Toby Jug Griffin and Austin H. Stones briefly deputized on bass. Lee Brown (ex-Pharaohs) took on a more permanent role on bass, in time for another punk cover in the Ramones’ Somebody Put Something In My Drink. Hot on its heels came ONLY THE METEORS ARE PURE PSYCHOBILLY, featuring new recordings of old ‘classics’. Newer material was included on MUTANT MONKEY AND THE SURFERS FROM ZORCH later that year, although Rawhide proved to be another popular cover. Even more powerful was UNDEAD, UNFRIENDLY AND UNSTOPPABLE, which benefitted from new drummer Mark Howe. The release of Please Don't Touch proved that, despite waves of imitators, the Meteors were still the most vibrant psychobilly band around.