I first heard Let's All Make A Bomb on my brother's copy of Heaven 17's debut album, Penthouse And Pavement.
I think it was one of a bunch of cassettes of albums that our uncle had borrowed from his local library and taped on his fancy hi-fi so we didn't have the artwork though I remember it well from ads in Smash Hits at the time.
I loved this song but I only discovered a few days ago that an official video had been made. Unsurprisingly, it's predominantly black and white, with the band walking through an abandoned, rubbish-strewn London. You can probably guess the reason for the short segment in colour at the end... Of it's time but a brilliant if on-the-nose visual accompaniment to the song.
The first time the song was in my collection was not through my own purchase of Penthouse And Pavement but when a 'new version' popped up as the B-side of Come Live With Me in 1983. Although the A-side turned out to be their second UK Top 5 hit (after Temptation, which did it again in 1992), personally this was one of those examples of the B-side being a better song that the A-side.
In 1998, Heaven 17 released the Retox/Detox album, a double CD comprising 23 reworks of (mostly) songs from their first three albums. Let's All Make A Bomb got two 'retoxes', both quite different.
Geek aka Neale Johnson delivers a stripped back 'synthapella' version, which highlights just how good Glenn Gregory's voice is. I don't know anything else about Geek and they don't appear to have released more than a couple of singles and remixes around the same period, but this is a winner in my book.
Not an obvious choice perhaps, the other retox has ON-U Sound maestro Adrian Sherwood at the controls. As you might expect, it's a bass-booming dub behemoth, although heavier on the vocals than you might usually expect. Not to everyone's taste and perhaps won't be considered up there with Sherwood's best even by his fans. I like it a lot, of course.
I've also found and listened to three live versions of Let's All Make A Bomb, which I've enjoyed. The first is from 2010's Penthouse And Pavement tour, though no info on the location or date. It looks and sounds great.
The second is from 20th September 2022, with the band doing an impromptu version of Let's All Make A Bomb during a soundcheck VIP Meet And Greet at The Magic Bag in Ferndale, which is self-described as "Detroit's Premier Nightlife, Comedy & Concert Venue". The song was apparently prompted by a 17 year-old fan who said it was their favourite Heaven 17 song. Looking at the shuffling, mobiles-aloft audience in the video, I'd suggest that the 17 year-old was (a) in the minority and (b) possibly the grandchild of another VIP ticket holder. A good performance though and Glenn made good on his promise that the song would not be performed again in that evening's headline set.
Bang up to date with the final live version of Let's All Make A Bomb, performed seven weeks ago at the Kubix Festival in Sutherland. I'd never heard of this festival but interested to see that Glenn and Martyn were sharing the bill with the likes of Marc Almond, The Boo Radleys, Derek Forbes, The House Of Love, EMF, Squeeze, Terrorvision, Inspiral Carpets and - not a name I expected to see again - The Armoury Show.
These days Martyn Ware seems to be living his best life, wardrobe-wise, suggesting that he had a sideways glance at what Vince Clarke was wearing on-stage in the mid-to-late 1980s and wishing he could have some of that. And now he can. Martyn and Glenn respectively celebrated their 67th and 65th birthdays in May and all I can say is, more power to them.
I've never seen Heaven 17 live in concert and (I think) there are tickets left for an upcoming gig in Bristol in November, which is also a Friday night. The only downside is that it's the O2 Academy, a venue that I'm not a particular fan of. Mrs. K likes the music but also dislikes the venue. Decisions, decisions...
No surprise that the news of two desperate male despots meeting and talking potential arms deals called this song to mind and growing up at a time when mutually assured destruction was a bandied around with resigned abandon. There's a good interview with Martyn Ware from 2021 on 909 Originals which mainly focuses on (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang but also touches on Let's All Make A Bomb and other songs from the period. Well worth a few minute sof your time.
And as the low aggress the highAll you can do is sit and cryYou've only got yourself to blameDon't try to stop me it's too lateMy mind's made up, this job won't waitThere's nothing left for me to say
Hey! There's no need to debateIt's time to designate your fateTake the M out of M.A.D.Let's all make a bomb
Take one hundred scientists or morePlace in a room and lock the doorLet them confer for half their livesUnlock the door, go in and seeWhat they have made for you and meA brand new toy to idolize
Hey! There's no need to debateIt's time to designate your fateTake the M out of M.A.D.Let's all make a bomb
Although the war has just begunIgnore the sirens, let's have funPut on your best, go out in styleAlthough our future's looking blackWe'll go down town and join the packLet's celebrate and vaporise
Paul and I are going to watch H17 at O2 Bristol so feel free to join us!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mike, it’s a - dare I say it? - temptation!
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