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999 One of the longest-lived groups of the punk era, 999 formed in London in December 1976. Led by vocalist/guitarist Nick Cash, a onetime student at the Canterbury
College of Art under the tutelage of Ian Dury and a former member of the pub rock
units Kilburn
and the
High Roads, the band also included guitarist Guy Days,
bassist Jon
Watson, and drummer Pablo LaBrittain. After dispensing with a series
of names — including 48 Hours, the Fanatics, and the Dials —
999 quickly established themselves as a popular fixture on the
London punk circuit, issuing their incendiary debut single,
"I'm Alive," on their own LaBrittain Records in late
1977. The single won the quartet a deal with United
Artists, who issued both "Nasty Nasty" and "Emergency"
in 1978; an eponymously titled LP debut, produced by Andy Arthurs,
followed later in the year. For their sophomore effort, 1978's
Separates,
999 enlisted producer Martin Rushent, resulting in a more polished,
mainstream veneer for material like the near-hit "Homicide"
and "High Energy Plan." After LaBrittain suffered injuries in a vehicular accident,
drummer Ed Case was brought in to pick up the slack for
a major U.S. tour preceding the release of 1980's The Biggest
Prize in Sport; issued a short time later, The Biggest
Tour in Sport EP collected material recorded live during the group's American
dates. A healthy LaBrittain
rejoined 999 full-time for 1981's Concrete, an album buffered by covers of
"Li'l Red Riding Hood" and "Fortune Teller"
— an indication that the group's wellspring of creativity was running
dry. 1983's 13th Floor
Madness was universally panned for its disco-like
grooves, although 1985's self-released Face to Face was acclaimed as a melodic return
to form. At the end of the year, Watson exited the group's ranks and was replaced
by bassist Danny Palmer in time to record 1987's Lust,
Power, and Money, a live set cut in London. Palmer left the band in 1991, replaced by former
Lurkers
member Arturo
Bassick (aka Peter Arthur Billingsly), who has remained with
the band since. In 1993, 999 returned with their first studio album
in eight years, You Us It! Though the material didn't quite reach the
heights of their |
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