"Don't let them shoot you down"
- Above: Keep on Running (Til you burn), 1981, UK release, front & back cover.
Click on images to enlarge.
Cat. No: GEMS 45
Label: GEM Records
Recorded: 1981
Released: 3 April 1981
A-Side: Keep On Running (Til You Burn) (Gibbs, Harper) 2.33
Run-out groove: BILBO TA1PE GEMS - 45 - A2
B-Side: Perfect Girl (Harper, Garratt) 1.59
Run-out groove: GEMS 45 B1
Line Up
Vocals: Charlie Harper
Guitar: Nicky Garratt
Bass: Alvin Gibbs
Drums: Steve Roberts
The seventh and final single release for Gem saw the band apparently flirting with a New Romantic style, with Gem paying for the clothes in an attempt to change the bands image! Produced by Peter Collins the a-side featured a Police style riff in the chorus written by Nicky Garratt but credited to Alvin Gibbs who took the rap for it. This release also saw a change of distribution from RCA to CBS (with the design of the labels changing too). RCA's withdrawal of finance was one of several nails in GEM's coffin, with the label folding on the 1st of June 1981.
The single entered the UK charts on the 18th of April 1981 reaching number 41 and hanging around for five weeks Source: (Guinness British Hit Singles 11th edition). Gem sneaked out a hastily thrown together EP version in an attempt to boost sales which promptly flopped. Keep On Running did enough to warrant one last Top Of The Pops appearance with the band in their new clothes, and it also spawned a video shot in the style of the film Scanners with a cameo appearance from Sindy (Joanne Slack).
On the cover shot Alvin Gibbs is holding something out of the picture - which you can see the end of in the bottom left-hand corner.
Click on images to enlarge
A-Side 
B-Side
- Above: The original master tapes sold on ebay for £199.99 on 7th of April 2013.
- Above: Sounds music paper advert, page 15, 11 April 1981
Click to enlarge
This is supposed to be the only ad that GEM ran for the single.
- Above: Lazy journalism at its' best, source unknown.
- Above: Another less than flattering review.
Record Mirror, 11th April 1981.
- Below: Top of the Pops performance footage
"Put yourself in overdrive"
- Keep on Running (Til you burn) EP, 1981, UK release front & back cover.
Click on images to enlarge.
Cat. No: GEMEP 45
Label: GEM Records
Recorded: 1981
Released: 1981
A-Side: Keep On Running (Til You Burn) (Gibbs, Harper)
Ice Age (Harper, Garratt)
Run-out groove: BILBO TA1PE GEMS - 45 - EP - A1
B-Side: Perfect Girl (Harper, Garratt)
Party In Paris (French Version) (Harper)
Run-out groove: JA TAPE ONE GEMS 45 EP B2
Line Up
Vocals: Charlie Harper
Guitar: Nicky Garrat
Bass: Alvin Gibbs
Drums: Steve Roberts
A hastily thrown together EP version of Keep On Running, sneaked out by GEM in an attempt to boost sales, which failed as the label fold one month later. As well as the two original songs, it features the French version of Party In Paris that had previously only been available to fan club members, plus a demo version of Ice Age, a song which would subsequently feature on the next album Endangered Species.
The cover is exactly the same as the original release, but with the addition of the GEMEP 45 catalogue number under the original on the back, and also the cynically worded "EP version with 2 FREE tracks", on the front.
Click on images to enlarge
A-Side 
B-Side
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Above: Less than flattering review in Record Mirror, 2nd May 1981.
-
Above: Press cutting announcing the new single, Sounds, 21st March 1981.
Click image to enlarge
Keep On Running (til you burn)
GEMS 45 TEST PRESSING
- Pictured below is the test pressing for this single, on black vinyl.
CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE
Above: the A-side
Run out groove: GEMS 45 A1 tim tom - cbs <
Above: the B-side
Run out groove: GEMS 45 ty - cbs <
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