of enthusiasm with the ultra-pop spirit of everything from Spector and the Shangri Las to the Seeds and Standells to T Rex and The Sweet. And if you will excuse me coming over all Nick Hornby-ish it has one of the top 10 intros ever (with the Mekons' 'Where Were You?' still up there at the top!) and one of the top 10 guitar breaks ever (with the Buzzcocks' 'Boredom' still out in front). And there was something about those Northern Ireland punk blasts of garageland noise before the bubble burst. I dunno, perhaps it was a certain innocence due to being so far removed from the industry machine, but the rawness still works. Forget the tired 'Teenage Kicks', you need to check out the Outcasts' 'Self Conscious Over You' and Protex's 'Don't Ring Me Up'. Wasn't there a film made of that scene called Shellshock Rock ? Has anyone got a video of it they could copy for me? Anyway in time honoured Rudi did their best to be in the wrong place at the wrong time to avoid making the big time. I suppose it is only fair to mention that they did go on to record a few more classic pop moments. One being the I-Spy EP for Good Vibrations, which is four glorious explosions of melodic magic. The second being the Paul Weller/Pete Wilson produced 'When I Was Dead', which again suggests (see also the Nips' lost 'Happy Song' & the recently rediscovered Purple Heats recordings)