Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes

Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes were a Scottish band formed from around, and within, the Edinburgh indie pop scene of the mid-1980s. The band had a distinctive guitar-jangle sound with male and female vocals.[1] The band took their name from Elvis Presley's stillborn twin brother, Jesse Garon Presley.[2]

Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes
OriginEdinburgh, Scotland
GenresIndie pop
Years active1985–1990
LabelsNarodnik, Velocity, Avalanche
Past membersAndrew Tully
Angus McPake
Fran Schoppler
Margarita Vasquez-Ponte
Kevin McMahon
Stuart Clarke
Bruce Hopkins
John Robb
Michael Kerr
Dave Evans

History

The original members of the band were Andrew Tully (guitars/vocals), Eric Webster and Angus McPake (bass guitar), Fran Schoppler (vocals), Margarita Vasquez-Ponte (drums), Kevin McMahon (guitars), and Stuart Clarke (guitar). Tully and Vasquez-Ponte were also members of Rote Kapelle, a band that was active from 1985–1988.[1]

This initial line-up recorded the first two singles, "Splashing Along" and "The Rain Fell Down" (described by one reviewer as a "pop gem that's not to be missed")[3] on Narodnik Records. With the departure of McMahon and Clarke, Bruce Hopkins and John Robb (not the Manchester writer) were drafted in for third single, the Billy the Whizz EP; these being replaced on a more permanent basis by Michael Kerr (of Meat Whiplash).[1] Next release was a flexi-disc featuring the track "Hank Williams Is Dead" along with a track by The Fizzbombs, a side-project of Margarita and Angus, along with Ann Donald of The Shop Assistants. Moving to Velocity Records, the band released two more well-received singles, "The Adam Faith Experience" and "You'll Never Be That Young Again", followed by first album, A Cabinet of Curiosities, which collected the tracks released to date.[1]

In 1989, Robb left to join The Darling Buds, and the band returned in 1990 with single "Grand Hotel", a reference to the IRA bombing of Brighton's Grand Hotel, the venue for the Conservative Party conference. Tully described this as a "fuck Thatcher and fuck the IRA for not killing her when they had the chance" song.[4] The album Nixon followed, and in October 1990, they released their final single, the Hold Me Now EP.

Schoppler released a solo album, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 in 2000, recorded with Mick Cooke of Belle & Sebastian and Roy Hunter.[5]

Discography

Albums
  • A Cabinet of Curiosities (Jan 1989, Velocity, SPEEDLP111 [LP]) - UK Indie #20[2]
  • Nixon (Mar 1990, Avalanche, ONLYLP001/ONLYMC001/ONLYCD001)

Singles and EPs
  • "Splashing Along" (Oct 1986, Narodnik, NRK001 [7"])
  • "The Rain Fell Down" (Mar 1987, Narodnik, NRK002 [7"]) - UK Indie #21[2]
  • Billy the Whizz EP (May 1987, Narodnik, NRK005T [12"]) - UK Indie #16[2]
  • "Hank Williams Is Dead" (1987, Wild Rumpus, ? [7" flexi])
  • "The Adam Faith Experience" (Jan 1988, Velocity, SPEED001 [7"]/SPEEDT001 [12"]) video - UK Indie #9[2]
  • "You'll Never Be That Young Again" (Jan 1989, Velocity, SPEED002 [7"]) - UK Indie #15[2]
  • "Grand Hotel" (Jan 1990, Avalanche, AGAP002 [7"]) video
  • Hold Me Now EP (Oct 1990, Avalanche, AGAP001 [12"])

References
  1. Strong, Martin C.:"The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", 1999, Canongate, ISBN 0-86241-913-1
  2. Lazell, Barry (1998) Indie Hits 1980-1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4, p. 97
  3. Smith, Jerry (1987) "Jesse Garon and the Deperadoes 'The Rain Fell Down'", Underground, April 1987, p. 19
  4. Press release for A Cabinet of Curiosities
  5. Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 383
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