The Radiators (from Space)

• Steve Rapid - vocals
• Phil Chevron - guitar & vocals
• Pete Holidai - guitar & vocals
• Mark Megaray - bass
• Jimmy Crashe - drums
  
  
  The Radiators From Space in 1977: Crashe, Chevron, Holidai, Megaray, Rapid

Bio:

Outstanding punk (first) and powerpop (second) albums. The official website tells the bands story very well so I am not going to repeat too many details here.

The Radiators from Space 1977: Megaray, Crashe, Holidai, Rapid, Chevron.

The original band formed in September 1976 with Steve Rapid (vocals), Phil Chevron (guitar), Pete Holidai (guitar) Mark Megaray (bass) and Jimmy Crashe (drums). The lineup recorded the early singles and the first LP and lasted about a year.

The Radiators organised the Belfield Punk Festival (at UCD) in the summer of 1977 featuring themselves as headliners plus The Undertones (still to release "Teenage Kicks"), The Vipers, Revolver and The Gamblers. During the first bands set a fight broke out and one member of the audience was stabbed. He later died in hospital. This event generated a lot of bad press for punk in general and the Radiators in particular in Ireland, especially after the tabloid press sensationalised the story.

Steve Rapid left in September 1977 to start The Creative Dept in Dublin, providing artwork for many Irish bands most notably U2. He also fronted a number of bands including The Modernaires.

The Radiators from Space late 1978/early 1979 lineup with Billy Morley center.

The band continued as a four piece for the next couple of years. Billy Morley (AKA Billy Luger of Revolver) had a short stint as second guitarist between September 1978-March 1979, i.e. approx 6 months, but doesn't appear on any recordings. The band shortened their name to The Radiators during this period.

 
left: The Radiators trio in 1979. Right: Final lineup 1980-81.

Mark Megaray (AKA Mark Hogan) left in August 1979 for the Eric Bell Band, NWOBHM act Girl, and then Auto Da Fe and wasn't immediately replaced. The remaining trio recorded the last couple of singles. Neil Whiffen (bass) and Nick Hurt (keyboards) joined the band in October 1980 for the last few months of it's lifetime during which they undertook their last Irish tour. The Radiators split in March 1981.

The Radiators in 1979 (Chiswick Records promo photo)

The band reformed in 1987 for a one night only benefit concert in Dublin on 13 September for an AIDS charity, and again briefly in 1988 to record two new tracks to coincide with the first re-release of "Ghostown" on Chiswick. The live recording was issued on International AIDS Day in 1988.

The Radiators in 1979

In 2003, three original members Steve Rapid, Phil Chevron and Pete Holidai began playing low key gigs as The Radiators (Plan 9) with Cait Riordan (ex Pogues, bass) and Johnnie Bonnie (ex Those Handsome Devils, drums). This lineup U2 at their 2005 stadium shows in Dublin. The band has since resorted to their original name, Jesse Booth has taken over on bass, and a new album is scheduled for release later this year (2006).

 
On the cover of New Wave fanzine, 1977 .. and Hot Press.

Steve Rapid AKA Steve Averill left to form The Creative Dept. He also dabbled in fanzines, music journalism and fronted several bands, most notably The Modernaires. Phil Chevron recorded solo material and was later in The Pogues. Pete Holidai was involved with The Reasons and Light A Big Fire. Mark Megaray joined Auto Da Fe.

Notes:
"Television Screen" reached #17 in the Irish charts, making it the first top 20 punk single anywhere. It entered the official Irish charts on 30 June 1977 for a short, 2 week run. The Irish CBS edition is very hard to find with PS. Original Chiswick copies have catalogue number S10 instead of NS10; Chiswick were required to adopt a two letter prefix when they signed a distribution deal with Anchor Records in 1977, so later copies are "NS" instead of "S".

Notes:
Cancelled 2nd single. These non-LP versions were later released on the cassette edition of the Buying Gold in Heaven compilation album.

Notes:
The original Irish edition has a colour (instead of monochrome) cover and an alternative photo of the band on the front. it carries the text "licensed from Midnite Records".
The CD booklet of the 1990 Japanese edition includes lyrics which have clearly not been copied from the promo lyric booklet. See here for examples (link not working, sorry).

Notes:
In 2006, a white label bootleg repress of LUNS722 with new picture sleeve was issued in Japan. It included an insert with reproductions of the original LUNS722 A and B labels.

 

 

 

 

 



Original LP track listing:
Million Dollar Hero
Let's Talk About The Weather
Johnny Jukebox
Confidential
They're Looking in The Town
Who Are The Strangers
Kitty Ricketts
Song Of The Faithful Departed
Walking Home Along Again
Dead The Beast, Dead The Poison

1989 CD track listing:
Johnny Jukebox
Million Dollar Hero
They're Looting in the Town
Under Clery's Clock (recorded 1988)
Confidential
Faithful Departed
Let's Talk About the Weather
Who Are the Strangers?
Kitty Ricketts
Plura Belle (recorded 1988)
Walking Home Alone Again
Dead the Beast, Dead the Poison

Notes:
The original Chiswick pressing had custom labels. Later pressings used the generic Chiswick tone-arm label. Chiswick reissued in the album in 1988 with new cover artwork and two bonus tracks recorded in 1988 ("Under Clery's Clock" and "Plura Belle"). The corresponding CD edition was resequenced (was the LP?)

The first Mulligan edition was issued in a poster sleeve which was replaced by stickered Chiswick sleeves imported from the UK. This poster sleeve was a stopgap measure while waiting for the Chiswick sleeves to arrive. The delay in the release of the Mulligan version was exasperating for an eager Irish public, and demand was such that local shops in Dublin imported the Chiswick edition directly from the UK. Approx 1000 Chiswick copies had been sold before the Mulligan version finally became available. Mulligan later placed a full-page advert in Hot Press claiming only 455 copies had been sold, but this count related to the Mulligan issue only and excluded imported copies. So the album was not selling shamefully low! Thanks to Pete Holidai for explaining the story behind this legendary advert. Needless to say, this poster edition has become very hard to find.

side one:
Television Screen
Psychotic Reaction

side two:
Enemies
Teenager in Love

Notes:
The 1-sided version of CHIS126 was offered for sale on ebay. The label is stamped "edited version" but I don't know any more details.
Paddy 'Guitar' Paddy was recorded at Regents Park Recordings in 1977

Notes:
The B-side of the Irish edition was recorded live at the Roundhouse London in February 1978. It plays at 33rpm and contains three tracks "Electric Shares", "Sunday World" and "Enemies".

 

side one:
Walking Home Alone Again
Sunday World
Million Dollar Hero (original single version)
Stranger Than Fiction
Let's Talk About The Weather
Television Screen (original single version)
The Hucklebuck

side two:
The Dancing Years
Kitty Ricketts
They're Looting in the Town
Prison Bars
Enemies
Faithful Departed

K7 bonus tracks:
Not Too Late
Blitzin' At The Ritz

Notes:
"Under Clery's Clock" was recorded in 1988. "Take My Heart and Run" is a previously unreleased 1979 demo.

Notes:
Collects all of the Ghostown LP, most of the TV Tube Heart LP, plus various non-LP singles and B-sides. A good overview of the band.

Notes:
Thirteen tracks recorded live at the Roundhouse London in 1978, plus ten B-sides, demos and unreleased tracks

Notes:
This 9 track live bootleg CDR was being offered for sale on a well-known 1976-77 punk website. This same concert has since been officially released as Live At The Southend Kursaal 1977 (see below) so avoid giving money to bootleggers and get the real thing.

 

side one:
Television Screen
Psychotic Reaction

side two:
Mistreater (early version of Not Too Late)
The Hucklebuck

Notes:
Recorded 17 December 1977 on the last date of their tour supporting Thin Lizzy. Taken direct from sound deck, edited and mastered by Pete Holidai. 24 minutes. A CD edition is planned.

The Radiators Plan 9

• Steve Rapid - vocals
• Phil Chevron - guitar & vocals
• Pete Holidai - guitar & vocals
• a.o.

tracks:
Kitty Ricketts
Prison Bars
Enemies
Television Screen 2004 (live)

tracks:
Hinterland
The Girl With The Gun
Sunday World (re-recording)
Electric Shares (re-recording)

 

tracks:
Trouble Pilgrim
The Concierge
Second Avenue
Joe Strummer
Heaven
Words
The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs
Tell Me Why
Hinterland
She Says I'm A Loser
A Package From Home
Huguenot
Don't Walk Away
We Are So Beautiful

We need your help to correct and/or complete this entry. If you can provide more information about this band, have scans, photos or any other memorabilia we can use, or spare copies of any releases, then please get in touch.