Angelic Upstarts - 2,000,000 Voices

Original Release Date

1981

Release Information

UK LP 1981 (EMI Zonophone - ZONO 104)
UK CD 2001 (Captain Oi! - AHOY CD 158)

1 Two Million Voices 2:24
2 Ghost Town 2:47
3 You're Nicked 2:39
4 England 3:23
5 Heath's Lament 1:04
6 Guns For The Afghan Rebels 2:40
7 I Understand 2:53
8 Mensi's Marauders 2:29
9 Mr. Politician 3:47
10 Kids On The Streets 2:21
11 Jimmy 2:47
12 We're Gonna Take The World 2:58
13 Last Night Another Soldier 2:45
14 I Wish 2:28
CD Bonus Tracks
15 The Man Who Came In From The Beano 2:35
16 Stick's Diary 4:22
17 The Sun Never Shines 2:21
18 Never Come Back 2:49
19 I Understand (Single Version) 2:51

Chart Placings

UK Chart Hit: 32, 3wks
New Zealand Chart Hit: 36, 2 wks

Credits

LP:

Mensi - vocals, trumpet, cello
Mond - Electric, Acoustic guitars, backing vocals, percussion
Decca Wade -drums, percussion, backing vocals
Glyn Warren - bass, washboard
Also playing:
John Van Derrick -Violin
Simon Wilson - saxophone
Mickey Smailes - piano on 'I Wish'
Paul Thompson - drums on tracks 4, 5, 10, 11

Special Thanks to: Jimmy "Bodhran" Riley, Jake Burns, Terry Sharpe, Spud, Paul Thompson, Dinker Toff Lloyd, Beer Breath Birsky, Honey Bane, Roger's drums, Dave P.A. King, Nigel Marton, Henrit's Drum Store, Wardour St. W1.

1-3, 5, 7-9, 12-14 Produced by Angelic Upstarts and Ashley Goodhall with Engineer Pat Stapley
Rest Produced by Peter Wilson, Except "Guns For The Afghan Rebels" - Mensi & Mond

4, 5, 10, 11, Recorded at Trident, September 1980, Engineer Chris Stone
Other tracks recorded at EMI studios Abbey Road, March 1981

Additional Credits

CD Bonus Tracks:

15: B-Side of Last Night Another Soldier 7", released July 1980
16: B-Side of England 7", released November 1980
17: B-Side of Kids On The Street 7", released January 1981
18-19: I Understand 7", released May 1981

Reviews & Opinions

PUNKY GIBBON: Their third LP shows much growth and diversity, with excursions into reggae and balladry, making it "their" London Calling or SLF's 'Go For It'. 'I Wish' is a pretty duet with Honey Bane featuring piano and cello, 'You’re Nicked' makes use of a saxophone to good effect, 'England' is a sing-a-long with acoustic guitar that, despite being patriotic, somehow manages to get the colours of our flag wrong! D’Oh! Elsewhere, rockers like 'Last Night Another Soldier' and the positively blood-curdling 'Ghost Town' demonstrate that they haven’t mellowed. A classic top-of-the-second-division punk LP.

MARK ELLEN, SMASH HITS, 23RD JULY, 1981: Or 14 variations on a theme. The age-old Mensi text still stands: dole queues snaking down rain-swept back alleys, running riot and getting nicked, wit the blame landing squarely on the doorstep of No. 10, Downing Street. And the variations? Spoof patriotic hymns, military reels, rough-shot punk, grubby street anthems and soapy odes intoned by piano, violin and Honey Bane. Any offers? Mine's (5 out of 10).

SOUNDS, 1981: ...it represents the band's most cohesive album achievement to date and further proof if any's needed that the Upstarts stand for the most conscious, most humanist wing of the Street Punk.

MELODY MAKER, 1981: For those of you who've always ignored the Upstarts like the plague, considering them little more than a bunch of sub-Sham flash in the pan three chord louts, 'Two Million Voices' should serve as the proverbial short sharp shock.

NME, 1981: Musically they've moved away from the iron spikes and black spaces of Punk and back to cultural roots, which are English, specifically Geordie. If they weren't rockers, using studios and recording for a record label, they'd be singing Folk Songs...it should enlarge their following from politically minded Punks to politically minded English youth in general.

RAY LUJAN, MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL, OCTOBER 1996: A re-ish of the best LP the UPSTARTS ever put out. Classic singalong punk from the UK. An early '80s release re-released with a bonus 7". The single contains four B-sides from the singles for this LP. Nothing too mandatory but one of the tunes is decent. But the LP is great political punk with a few twists thrown in. If you liked either
of the first two CLASH LP's or SLF's "Nobody's Heroes" find this LP or CD. LP number three was surprisingly great from ol' Mensi |
and company. [review of the LP/CD reissue on Dojo]

Additional Notes

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Images

UK LP 1981 (EMI Zonophone - ZONO 104). Click here for more

UK CD 2001 (Captain Oi! - AHOY CD 158). Click here for more