Formed: Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK
Band Bio / Lineups / Discography
Pretty good punk band, formed in 1978. Although nearby Evesham had recently spawned Satan's Rats, The Samples were the first punk band to hail directly from Worcester. In 1979 they picked up manager Chris Berry, a couple of years before he started No Future records. After their self-released debut 7", Vendetta, Berry gave them their big break by putting them on the A Country Fit For Heroes compilation, which was followed by a single, the excellent Dead Hero. The lowly chart placing for this single - it only reached no 40 in the UK indie chart - suggests either poor distribution (unlikely) or punks having cloth ears (likely). A third reason was probably that the group's melodic yet forceful approach was out of step with the Oi!/chaos bands proliferating at the time.
A third single, 'Nobody Cares', was mooted, but this fell by the wayside when No Future collapsed following the miserable commercial failure of the second Blitz LP (maybe punks didn't have cloth ears after all), and The Samples never recovered. Although they lasted until 1986, they never made another record, and split following a Famine Relief benefit gig at Worcester's Perdiswell Leisure Centre.
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Lineup 1 (1978-1980):
Sean "Badger" Taylor - vocals
Pascal "Pecker" Smith - bass
Dave Saunders - guitar
Tony Allen - drums
Lineup 2 (1980)
Sean "Badger" Taylor - vocals
Pascal "Pecker" Smith - bass
Dave Saunders - rhythm guitar
Dave Evans - lead guitar
Tony Allen - drums
Recorded: Vendetta 7".
Lineup 3 (1980)
Sean "Badger" Taylor - vocals
Pascal "Pecker" Smith - bass
Dave Evans - lead guitar
Tony Allen - drums
Lineup 4 (1980-1986)
Sean "Badger" Taylor - vocals
Pascal "Pecker" Smith - bass
Dave Evans - lead guitar
Rick "Vividhead" Mayhew (ex-The Tights) - drums
Recorded: Dead Hero 7".
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DISCOGRAPHY
Singles & Albums
Vendetta (7", 1980)
Dead Hero (7", 1982)
Extraneous Releases
The Oi! Collection (CD, split with Crux, 1997)
Demos & Singles 80/82 (LP, 2015)
Lavender Hill Demos EP (7"/CDS, 2020)
Bootlegs
The Last Act (CDR, 2019)
Various Artists
A Country Fit For Heroes UK 12" 1982 (No Future): Government Downfall
No Future Finland LP 1982 (Poko International): Government Downfall
Punk Revival New Zealand LP 1982 (Music World Ltd): Dead Hero
Angels With Dirty Faces UK LP 1984 (No Future): Dead Hero
There Is No Future (The History Of No Future) UK LP 1984 (No Future): Dead Hero
Party Pooping Punk Provocations! Volume 1 UK LP 1985 (Xcentric Noise): 1984 / Nobody Cares
Maggie, Maggie, Maggie; Out! Out! Out! UK LP 1987 (Anagram): Government Downfall
No Future: The Singles Collection UK CD 1993 (Anagram): Dead Hero
Punk Territory Vol. 2 - G.B. 1979-82 Italy CD 1994 (Anthology): Vendetta
A Country Fit For Heroes - Volumes 1 & 2 UK CD 1994 (Captain Oi!): Government Downfall
No Future: Punk Singles Collection Volume Two UK CD 1995 (Anagram): Fire Another Round
Oi! The Rarities Vol. 3 UK CD 1995 (Captain Oi!): Vendetta / Computer Future / Rabies
Punk And Disorderly US 2xCD 2003 (Cleopatra): Dead Hero
Burning Britain - A Story Of Independent UK Punk 1980-1983 UK 4xCD 2018 (Cherry Red): Dead Hero
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