Children Of The Revolution: CD, ‘Children Of The Revolution IV’ cat #:??, country: UK

Mike Peters’ all time favourite band, CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION have just
announced that they have signed to Mike’s
label, 21st Century. Their new album ‘IV’ (including the classic ‘All Around
the World It’s Christmas Time’ written by Mike
Peters) is available now, just in time for Christmas. Out now from MPO now
Tel: 01745 571571 [Price �14.99 + �1 p&p $25 + $5 p&p]

It was back in 1969 in a school playground in North London that the idea for
The Children of The Revolution first took shape. It was here that school
chums Alain Insane and Rufus Stone, noticing they looked pretty good
together, decided to form a band. A week later they met Vince St. Claire and
Heath Rowe at an inter-school North vs West London soccer tournament and a
legend was born.

Rehearsing in Vince’s parent’s garage everyday for three years the dynamic
quartet forged their unique and unsurpassed songwriting style. They were
signed after their first gig at a youth club in Chiswick by legendary A+R
man Tuff Ringwood. They were all 18.

The following three years spawned a barrage of hits but it was their third
album, 1974’s “Revved Up”, which catapulted them to international
mega-stardom selling over 20,000,000 copies in North America alone. The
accompanying tours resulted in scenes unparalleled since the height of
Beatlemania. In 1976 they headed for Thailand to exploit the lucrative
Far-Eastern market. Here the problems set in. The gruelling schedule meant
114 gigs on the trot without Match Of The day or Coronation Street and with
a mountain of radio, press and personal appearances on top band tensions
inevitably set in. Also the band’s incredible songwriting skills had
resulted in a multitude of bands covering their songs in the U.K. most
notably Slade, Sweet and Status Quo. However Marc Bolan had covered their
second most famous song “Geddit On” but with a slight lyric change had
claimed it as his own. The resulting famous litigation wore the band down
although they finally settled out of court for an undisclosed three figure
sum. Rufus had also become increasingly disillusioned with Alain and Vince’s
preoccupation with the new Punk Rock. It all came to a head on the final leg
of the tour at the second to last gig in Phuket. On January 6th 1977 the
band split. When asked about it afterwards Rufus cited the ubiquitous
musical differences. “I was musical and they were different” he told N.M.E.

Alain and Vince headed back to England. Heath went on a ten year round the
world spending spree and Rufus headed to Nepal where he spent two years in a
Buddist monastry contemplating the future.

Vince immediately joined punk band Chelsea, later joining Billy Idol in the
final incarnation of Generation X. Alain surfaced a couple of years later
with his own punk band The Alarm who had some hits of their own. Rufus,
having returned from Nepal, was incensed and realised to exorcise Punk he’d
have to invent a whole new rock genre. He spent two years in a damp cellar
in Hamburg before emerging with the antidote – The Sisters Of Mercy and
Gothic Rock. Punk was a thing of the past. Rufus became a seminal figure in
the “Goth” movement, later forming another influential goth band The
Mission.

But they all secretly pined for The Rev (as The Children of the Revolution
had affectionately become known) and Glam Rock. To this end Vince even
joined semi-glam goth band Gene Loves Jezebel for a number of years.

In 1993 Rufus was invited to join The Cult and when Vince was drafted in on
rhythm guitar a year later the old friends started talking about reforming
The Rev! When The Cult fell apart in Rio half way through the tour Rufus and
Vince contacted Alain upon their return to England. Alain confessed – he was
ready! Heath, who had got into Punk himself and was playing with Stiff
Little Fingers, heard the call up and arrived wearing his trademark pink
featherboa.

After rehearsing every day for three years in Vince’s parent’s garage The
Rev are back – and ready to rock your world like no other band can.