Post by Lucky on May 23, 2007 20:40:51 GMT 1
I did this a couple of years ago now and that is why its slightly out of date.
The Rejects have been back in earnest for 4 or 5 years now, are you happy with the way things are going? And are you still enjoying yourselves?
Yeah, the pressure aint on these days and we can pretty much pick and choose what we do and where we play, not being dictated to by a big Record Label. There’s no drugs around these days which sort of means we’re seeing it for real for the first time and enjoying it much more as a result.
When you were young and your debut 7” got its first airing on the John Peel Show did you, as zitty faced Herberts ever imagine how big the COCKNEY REJECTS were destined to become?
Well the funny thing is Yes! That was the beauty of Punk: Kids with nothing for the first time had a real shot at getting somewhere without having money backing or an Art School background, plus we knew we had the songs……
2 Great Studio Albums, a great Live Album and your 3rd Studio Lp was OK and although I personally liked “The Wild Ones” it was to much of a departure for a lot of your ‘fans’ to take, come on, you can tell us now, why the sudden change of direction?
Nothing ‘sudden’ about it! Myself, Jeff and Vince had been listening to QUEEN, ZEP, AEROSMITH, SABBATH etc long before the Punk explosion began. The first Album I bought was “Led Zep 2” so as much as we loved well structured Punk, as our understanding of our instruments grew we wanted to take it in that direction rather than rehashing the old stuff. Now that really would have been a rip off!
And then you split. Did that come as a direct result of your failure to build a HM fan base or were there other reasons. I believe you had some legal wrangling with your management and EMI didn’t you?
Oh yeah, the legal s*it was looming, but basically we just got bored with the music business bulls*it and went back to our day jobs!!!
Then you re-emerged as ‘The Rejects’ and released the ‘progressive Rock’ “Quiet Storm” LP and the “Back to the Start” 7” on FM-REVOLVER, another change in direction and once again largely ignored by your Hardcore fans (to this day I swear I’m the only person who actually admits to liking that one). What were you actually aiming for with “Quiet Storm”?
“Quiet Storm” was, first and foremost, for us. If anybody liked it, Great. If they didn’t, we didn’t care. At least ‘Kerrang’ voted it 5th best Album of the year, and you liked it, so not bad Eh?
!n 1990 you decided to get ‘Punkier’ again with the “Lethal” Album, which was generally well received and rumours of a COCKNEY REJECTS reformation abound, were you genuinely considering a return to the fold or were you just ‘testing the water’?
Nah, we just fancied recording an Album. There wasn’t really any thought of a come-back.
Peoples reaction to “Lethal” must have been very encouraging, why did it take you almost 10 years before Gigging again?
As I said, gigging didn’t even occur to us at the time, but after the reaction to “Greatest Hits Vol IV” it just kinda seemed the time was right to do it all again. Its up to you guys to decide if the decision was right!
Once you did return you played gigs in Germany, Italy, Spain, and Holland I think before you got round to playing the UK, what on Earth was all that about?
Strangely enough the offers from abroad came in long before any British Promoters woke up to the fact that we were back. There seemed more enthusiasm from across the water, and once that filtered back over here we knew the time was right.
That said, the crowd at your first 'major' UK Gig (Morecambe 2001) was pretty amazing, I know COCK SPARRER were on the same bill and played immediadely after you, but were you surprised at the amount of people who were there to see you?
Yeah, that was really humbling. We were all dead chuffed with that one.
Your current line-up includes members of RED ALERT, with both Bands actively gigging and recording isn't there always a danger of a conflict of interest?
Well Les Cobb doesn't play for RED ALERT any longer, and Tony Van and the rest of the boys are cool with things. RED ALERT play more frequently than the Rejects, but we all sit down and plan stuff so as nothing clashes and everybody stays happy.
Is it right that when this line-up first got together you toyed with the idea of renaming the band 'Cockney Reds' or 'Red Rejects', that cant be right can it?
No! Cockney Reds ?!!? COCKNEY REDS
No! No! No!
The Rejects have been back in earnest for 4 or 5 years now, are you happy with the way things are going? And are you still enjoying yourselves?
Yeah, the pressure aint on these days and we can pretty much pick and choose what we do and where we play, not being dictated to by a big Record Label. There’s no drugs around these days which sort of means we’re seeing it for real for the first time and enjoying it much more as a result.
When you were young and your debut 7” got its first airing on the John Peel Show did you, as zitty faced Herberts ever imagine how big the COCKNEY REJECTS were destined to become?
Well the funny thing is Yes! That was the beauty of Punk: Kids with nothing for the first time had a real shot at getting somewhere without having money backing or an Art School background, plus we knew we had the songs……
2 Great Studio Albums, a great Live Album and your 3rd Studio Lp was OK and although I personally liked “The Wild Ones” it was to much of a departure for a lot of your ‘fans’ to take, come on, you can tell us now, why the sudden change of direction?
Nothing ‘sudden’ about it! Myself, Jeff and Vince had been listening to QUEEN, ZEP, AEROSMITH, SABBATH etc long before the Punk explosion began. The first Album I bought was “Led Zep 2” so as much as we loved well structured Punk, as our understanding of our instruments grew we wanted to take it in that direction rather than rehashing the old stuff. Now that really would have been a rip off!
And then you split. Did that come as a direct result of your failure to build a HM fan base or were there other reasons. I believe you had some legal wrangling with your management and EMI didn’t you?
Oh yeah, the legal s*it was looming, but basically we just got bored with the music business bulls*it and went back to our day jobs!!!
Then you re-emerged as ‘The Rejects’ and released the ‘progressive Rock’ “Quiet Storm” LP and the “Back to the Start” 7” on FM-REVOLVER, another change in direction and once again largely ignored by your Hardcore fans (to this day I swear I’m the only person who actually admits to liking that one). What were you actually aiming for with “Quiet Storm”?
“Quiet Storm” was, first and foremost, for us. If anybody liked it, Great. If they didn’t, we didn’t care. At least ‘Kerrang’ voted it 5th best Album of the year, and you liked it, so not bad Eh?
!n 1990 you decided to get ‘Punkier’ again with the “Lethal” Album, which was generally well received and rumours of a COCKNEY REJECTS reformation abound, were you genuinely considering a return to the fold or were you just ‘testing the water’?
Nah, we just fancied recording an Album. There wasn’t really any thought of a come-back.
Peoples reaction to “Lethal” must have been very encouraging, why did it take you almost 10 years before Gigging again?
As I said, gigging didn’t even occur to us at the time, but after the reaction to “Greatest Hits Vol IV” it just kinda seemed the time was right to do it all again. Its up to you guys to decide if the decision was right!
Once you did return you played gigs in Germany, Italy, Spain, and Holland I think before you got round to playing the UK, what on Earth was all that about?
Strangely enough the offers from abroad came in long before any British Promoters woke up to the fact that we were back. There seemed more enthusiasm from across the water, and once that filtered back over here we knew the time was right.
That said, the crowd at your first 'major' UK Gig (Morecambe 2001) was pretty amazing, I know COCK SPARRER were on the same bill and played immediadely after you, but were you surprised at the amount of people who were there to see you?
Yeah, that was really humbling. We were all dead chuffed with that one.
Your current line-up includes members of RED ALERT, with both Bands actively gigging and recording isn't there always a danger of a conflict of interest?
Well Les Cobb doesn't play for RED ALERT any longer, and Tony Van and the rest of the boys are cool with things. RED ALERT play more frequently than the Rejects, but we all sit down and plan stuff so as nothing clashes and everybody stays happy.
Is it right that when this line-up first got together you toyed with the idea of renaming the band 'Cockney Reds' or 'Red Rejects', that cant be right can it?
No! Cockney Reds ?!!? COCKNEY REDS
No! No! No!
