Pink Military (originally Pink Military Stand Alone) were a post-punk band from Liverpool, put together in 1978 by former Big in Japan singer Jayne Casey, John Highway (guitar), Wayne Wadden (bass guitar), Paul Hornby (drums), and Nicky Cool (keyboards). The band mixed punk-influenced rock with elements of disco and reggae, but their first single 'Buddha Waking Disney Sleeping' actually showed little of what the band would become later in their career. The four-track single was recorded live at Eric's club in Liverpool, and was a challenging listen, although you could hear the promise of things to come. It was the only release from the original line-up, as in the months that followed Wadden, Hornby and Highway all left, with Peter Lloyd, Steve Torch, Tim Whitaker (ex-Deaf School), and Martin Dempsey (formerly of Yachts) making up the next settled line-up. The band were then picked up by the Eric's record label, and the 'Blood & Lipstick' EP was released in September 1979. This was a more polished set of songs, and John Peel was impressed enough to offer the band two sessions, in 1979 and 1980. Further line-up changes followed, with Whitaker and Torch replaced by Mothmen drummer Chris Joyce, Charlie Gruff, and Neil Innes (not THE Neil Innes), and the band's only album 'Do Animals Believe in God?' was released in June 1980 on Virgin Records. After one more single, a drastic reworking of the Peel session songs 'Did You See Her?' and 'Everyday', the band split up in 1981. Casey went on to form Pink Industry, while Dempsey joined It's Immaterial and later the Mel-o-Tones, and Joyce played with The Durutti Column and later Simply Red. Pink Military were something of an acquired taste, but their later material was much easier on the ear than their early stuff, and so they deserve a re-appraisal, if only for their significant contribution to the Liverpool music scene of the 70's and 80's.
Track listing
01 Degenerated Man (from the 'Buddha Waking Disney Sleeping' single 1979)02 Sanjo Kantara (from the 'Buddha Waking Disney Sleeping' single 1979)03 (Dead Lady Of) Clown Town (from the 'Buddha Waking Disney Sleeping' single 1979)04 Heaven Hell (from the 'Buddha Waking Disney Sleeping' single 1979)05 Spellbound (from the 'Blood & Lipstick' EP 1979)06 Blood & Lipstick (from the 'Blood & Lipstick' EP 1979)07 Clown Town (from the 'Blood & Lipstick' EP 1979)08 I Cry (from the 'Blood & Lipstick' EP 1979)09 Wild West (John Peel session 1979)10 Did You See Her? (John Peel session 1979)11 Stand Alone (John Peel session 1979)12 Everyday (John Peel session 1980)13 Pilgrim Forest (John Peel session 1980)14 Dance Of The Waning Moon (John Peel session 1980)15 Tomorrow (previously unreleased)16 Did You See Her? (single 1980)17 Every Day (b-side of 'Did You See Her?')
