Part of an irregular series of bite-sized posts about 7″ singles I own – shameless nostalgia from the days of vinyl. (Search ‘Backtracking’ to collect the set!)
LONDON – Everyone’s A Winner b/w Handcuffed (MCA Records, 1977)
This single was a one-miss wonder that I bought after seeing them supporting The Stranglers. They were , as I remember, pretty dreadful live although they had plenty of enthusiasm.
The original line-up was Riff Regan (Vocals), Steve Voice (Bass), Jon Moss (Drums) and Dave Wight (Guitar). Jon Moss went on to become Boy George’s lover and a member of Culture Club.
Theirs is the sound of a bandwagon being jumped upon and the lyrics of the A side are the product of growing up watching crap TV and too much publicity (some things never change). It is not to be confused with the Hot Chocolate hit with the same title.
“Everyone’s a winner – everyone’s a golden wonder” sings Regan with not so subtle irony, managing in one line to combine a game show slogan with a brand of crisps (that’s chips to you American readers!). The B-side, Handcuffed, is a familiar tale of being stuck in a rut and having no vision of how to escape.
This was a sympathy purchase really but I’m glad I bought it as it reminds me how Punk came in all shapes and sizes.
Amazingly Regan and band are still playing gigs after having reformed following a 30 year hiatus. Old punks never say die.Here’s them performing the song in 2009:
