GEM Records (1979-81)

GEMS 23: UK Subs - Warhead

"We're looking at the world through the barrel of a gun"

Warhead Front Cover (UK) Warhead Back Cover (UK)

  • Above: Warhead UK release, 1980, front & back cover (see more pictures below).
    Click to enlarge

Cat. No: GEMS 23 (PB9512)
Label: GEM Records
Recorded: 1980
Released: February 1980

A-Side: Warhead (Slack, Harper) 3.02
Run-out groove: BILBO  BYE BYE PLANET  GEMS 23 - A - 2  A1 F  'w'

B-Side: The Harper (Garratt) 1.08
I'm Waiting For The Man (L.Reed) 2.24
Run-out groove: TA1PE  GEMS 23 - B - 2  'w'  A1J

Line Up

Vocals/Harmonica: Charlie Harper
Guitar: Nicky Garratt
Bass: Paul Slack
Drums: Pete Davis (sic)

The band's fourth single release for Gem was recorded at Underhill Studio and produced by Nicky & Charlie. The a-side was a remix of the Brand New Age version with two non-LP tracks on the b-side; Nicky Garratt's instumental tribute to Charlie (The Harper) and their second cover, a pumped up version of Lou Reed's Waiting For The Man.

A fifth appearance on Top Of The Pops came along with this release as the single entered the UK charts on the 8th of March 1980, staying for 4 weeks and peaking at number 30 (Source: Guinness British Hit Singles 11th edition).

Pressed on brown vinyl with a push-out centre then on black vinyl, promotional copies were pressed on black vinyl. Most copies came with the picture sleeve with a very small number in a GEM company sleeve.
A misprint on the sleeve has Pete Davis instead of Davies on drums.

Kev Barksby has kindly sent in scans of a white label copy on brown vinyl (see below), as it has slightly different writing in the run-out grrove it is fair to assume that this is a test pressing.

Click on images to enlarge

Black Vinyl Demo A-Side Black Vinyl Demo A-side Black Vinyl Demo B-Side Black Vinyl Demo B-Side
Brown Vinyl A-Side Brown Vinyl A-Side          Brown Vinyl B-Side Brown Vinyl B-Side
Black Vinyl A-Side Black Vinyl A-Side           Black Vinyl B-Side Black Vinyl B-Side
White label, brown vinyl A-side White Label A-Side          White label, brown vinyl B-side White Label B-Side

White label scans courtesy of Kev Barksby. Thanks Kev!

White label run-out grooves:

A-Side: GEMS 23 - A - 2  A1J W BILBO BYEBYE PLANET

B-Side:  GEMS 23 - B - 2 W A1J TA1PE

Charlie Harper Nicky Garratt Paul Slack Pete Davies

  • Above: Previously unseen originals of the line-up shots used for the back cover. These are the untreated and uncropped Paul Slattery pictures, probably taken at the end of 1979.
    A big thank you to Nicky Garratt for letting us have copies of these.

Warhead full page press ad

  • Above: Warhead full page press ad, Sounds, 8th March 1980. Click to enlarge.

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