Cockney Rejects

All Music Guide:

Inspired by the critically reviled working-class punk of Sham 69, the Cockney Rejects helped give voice to the punk subgenre tagged Oi!, partly thanks to the group's 1980 song "Oi! Oi! Oi!" The Rejects' sound was loud, brash, and crudely performed, with an irreverent sense of humor and an inclination toward mindless anarchy that made them appealing to frustrated lower-class youth and, unfortunately, the more extreme right-wing racist faction among the growing skinhead movement, an association the group did not encourage but for which it was soundly berated. Vocalist Jefferson Turner, guitarist Mick Geggus, bassist Vince Riordan, and drummer Keith Warrington were discovered in London's East End by Sham 69 singer Jimmy Pursey, who helped the group get a record deal. The Rejects' initial output was voluminous; their first two albums were both released in 1980 and jokingly titled Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Greatest Hits, Vol. 3: Live & Loud!, featuring "live" versions of their best-known songs (actually recorded in a studio with an audience), and The Power and the Glory followed in 1981. The latter album found the group trying to broaden its approach, employing acoustic guitars and a more melodic orientation. Released in 1982, The Wild Ones marked a shift toward heavy metal; unsure of their direction, the Rejects eventually disbanded in 1985, with several compilations of live and unreleased material appearing (1985's Unheard Rejects, 1987's Live and Loud!! The Bridgehouse Tapes). The Cockney Rejects reunited in 1990 for the album Lethal, which failed to make much of an impression. Ten years later saw the release of Back on the Street, followed by Out of the Gutter in 2003 and Unforgiven in 2007.

Wikipedia:

Cockney Rejects are an English punk rock band that formed in the East End of London in 1978. Their 1980 song "Oi, Oi, Oi" was the inspiration for the name of the Oi! music genre. The band members are loyal supporters of West Ham United, and pay tribute to the club with their hit cover version of "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles", a song traditionally sung by West Ham supporters.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).

Career[edit]

Cockney Rejects were formed in 1978 by brothers Jeff and Micky Geggus, with their brother-in-law Chris Murrell on bass and Paul Harvey on drums. Their first demo, "Flares n' Slippers", caught the attention of Small Wonder Records owner Pete Stennett, who introduced the band to Bob Sergeant. With Sergeant, they recorded their single "I Wanna Be A Star", which sold out its first pressing. Murrell and Harvey were then replaced by Vince Riordan on bass and Andy Scott on drums, from fellow East End London band, The Tickets. This became known as Cockney Rejects' classic lineup, and its debut at the Bridge House in Canning Town in June 1979 is considered a turning point for the band. In September of that same year, the band signed with EMI and released their album Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 in February 1980.

Their biggest hit single in the United Kingdom, 1980's "The Greatest Cockney Rip-Off", was a parody of Sham 69's song "Hersham Boys". Other Cockney Rejects songs were less commercial, partly because they tended to be about hard-edged topics such as street fighting or football hooliganism. Other singles to appear in the UK were "Bad Man," "We Can Do Anything," and "We Are the Firm" — all from 1980.

The violence depicted in their lyrics was often mirrored at their concerts, and the band members often fought to defend themselves (often from supporters of opposing football teams) or to split up conflicts between audience members. Jeff and Mick Geggus (who are brothers) had both been amateur youth boxers, and had fought at the national level. Bass player Vince Riordan's uncle was Jack "The Hat" McVitie, a Cockney gangster who was murdered by Reggie Kray.

Cockney Rejects expressed contempt for all politicians in their lyrics, and they rejected media claims that they had a British Movement following, or that the band members supported the views of that far right group. In their first Sounds interview, they mockingly referred to the British Movement as the "German Movement" and stated that many of their heroes were black boxers. Jeff Turner's autobiography Cockney Reject describes an incident in which the band members and their supporters had a massive fight against British Movement members at one of Cockney Rejects' early concerts.

EMI records are releasing a definitive Rejects retrospective on August 29. Called Join the Rejects, the Zonophone years '79-'81, it's a 3-disc collection of all their EMI recordings including all the Peel sessions and rare demos from the day. Also included is a colour booklet with a blow-by-blow account of the stories behind the music by Micky Geggus.

The Rejects movie East End Babylon and an album of the same name were released in 2013.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).

Contents

Members[edit]

1978-1979[edit]

1979[edit]

1980[edit]

1980-1983[edit]

1984-1985[edit]

1987-1991[edit]

(See 1980-1983 line-up)

1999[edit]

2000-2006[edit]

2007-present[edit]

(See 1999 line-up)

Other members[edit]