The Hawks: Obviously 5 Believers – UK – CD [2021]
- All The Sad Young Men
- Aztec Moon
- Big Store
- What Can I Give?
- A Sense Of Ending
- Bullfighter
- Jazz Club
- Serenade
- Something Soon
- What It Is!
Great Googly Moogly! It was some years ago when I managed to source the rare UK 7″ by The Hawks, Stephen Duffy’s band that occupied his time between singing lead vocals in the hatchling Duran Duran in 1979, and his solo turn in 1982 as Tin Tin. The single was “Words Of Hope” on the Five Believers label and apart from a rare airing of “Big Store” under their original name of The Subterranean Hawks on a 1984 Birmingham compilation, that was all she wrote.
Until this year, when word came from on high at the Stephen Duffy website that there would be a release of The Hawks recordings forty years after the fact. The band was a Birmingham four piece with Simon Colley, Dave Twist and the late Dave Kusworth joining Duffy on the tapes. Mr. Kusworth sadly died last September, but the reclamation of the Hawks archives had begun in advance of that event. First the cassettes had to be restored and baked, then John Paterno mastered the results for vinyl and [be still my beating heart] the grandad-friendly silver disc.
The ten tracks [the two from the original 7″ single were also here] were collected and what else could they name it but “Obviously Five Believers” in honor of their indie label that self-released the tunes back in 1980.
Today [August 27th, 2021] was intended to be the day of release but the …complexity…of putting music onto PVC in these, the end times, means that the best laid plans of Hawks and men must take a back seat to the grim realities of pressing LPs in the 2021 vinyl bubble. The CDs are ready for sale, but the whole shebang has been delayed until September 17th according to the latest.
As I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Duffy collector, it goes without saying that this album will be shortlisted for the Infinite Want List. There are limited numbers of the LP being made and that will set you back $31.99 from Rough Trade USA with the CD ready, willing, and available at $15.99. UK pricing is £11.99 CD/£22.00 LP at Easy Action. I can hardly wait to hear this one, so Stateside readers may join me in hitting the button below. Thanks to Rough Trade USA for selling this domestically! Their US shipping costs make it all go down very easy!
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Post-Punk Monk 
Golly.
I am assuming that “Big Store” is the same song as on The Devils album-one of my favourite records of all time.
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Gavin – You are absolutely correct, Sir! This will be the less synth-y version. I’m interested in hearing the tension in The Hawks full album since Duffy, as we know, is the Fey King Of Pop® while Dave Kusworth went on to rawk with Dogs D’Amour.
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Wilikers, Mudhead! I didn’t even know Duffy had done anything in between – I always assumed he bailed on Duran with the immediate purpose of going solo. This will be a happy addition (there alongside to Dr Calculus) to the “esoteric Steven Duffy” front bands collection.
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the RAHB! – “Stephen Duffy Esoterica!” That’s a whole week on PPM right there! The main body or work is obviously Stephen Duffy/Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy/Tin Tin and The Lilac Time. But yes, there’s The Hawks, Dr. Calculus, The Devils, MeMeMe, and The Vanity Project. To say nothing of his writing for Robbie Williams and Barenaked Ladies [so I won’t].
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Big fan of Stephen Duffy from his Tin Tin and Lilac Time years. Weirdly, I was not aware of the Hawks until yesterday, but educated myself quickly and was intrigued enough to take a flyer and order a copy on vinyl (currently on sale at Merchbar for $26.39). Can’t wait to hear this unearthed nugget!
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Do you have the Stephen Duffy documentary (Memory & Desire)? Is it any good? Asking for a friend who would really like to see it.
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Tim – I was under the impression that no one has ever seen that.
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On a personal note, I am thrilled to see commenters beginning their comments with phrases like “golly” and “wilikers!” More, please!
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