The Barracudas


The Barracudas are an English surf rock band formed in late 1978. The band's original line-up consisted of Jeremy Gluck, Robin Wills, Starkie Phillips and Adam Phillips. Before the band recorded its first single, Starkie and Adam Phillips left the band.
The band is notable for their 1980 hit single "Summer Fun", which started with an excerpt from a 1960s spoof advertisement for the Plymouth Barracuda campaign. The song included dialogue where announcers had difficulty pronouncing the word barracuda. The single reached number 37 on the UK Singles Chart.
The band officially lasted until 1981 with a final performance in Madrid. There have been few occasional performances since.

Early history

The beginnings of the band can be traced back to the year of 1978 when Canadian-born Gluck met Wills at a Dead Fingers Talk concert. Here the pair bonded over a shared passion for "60's garage and psychedelic music ". They started off calling themselves the "R.A.F.", but eventually settled on the name of The Barracudas. The name was inspired by a song they both liked by The Standells.

Recent activity

Initially perceived as a novelty surf act due to their first album, subsequent recordings showed them to be a fierce garage rock and roll band in the mould of the 13th Floor Elevators and The Seeds. The band split in 1984, but reformed in 1989 to record "Wait For Everything," and then again in 2003. In 2005 they recorded the self-titled album on NDN. Throughout their career, their live performances have been energetic and frenetic.
After the first attempt at their second album, the group lost drummer Nick Turner to the group Lords of the New Church. Afterwards, Jeremy Gluck and guitarist Robin Wills assembled a new The Barracudas group, that went on to record their second album Mean Time.
The Barracudas disbanded in 1984, after making their third and final album Endeavour to Persevere. However, in 2005, there became a growing interest regarding the reissue of their back catalogue. This resulted in Gluck and Wills reconnecting, and the two of them began composing again.
In 2014, the band reissued their Meantime album as a limited edition picture disc, under the reborn "Closer French" label.

Discography

7" Singles

  • "I Want My Woody Back" / "Subway Surfin" Cells CELLOUT 1
  • "Summer Fun" / "Chevy Baby" Zonophone Z5
  • "His Last Summer" / "Barracuda Waver" / "Surfers Are Back" Zonophone Z8
  • " 1965 Again" / "Rendezvous" Zonophone Z11
  • "I Can't Pretend" / "K.G.B. " Zonophone Z17
  • "Inside Mind" / "Hour Of Degradation" Flicknife FLS027
  • "I Can't Pretend EP" Voxx/Bomp EP3303
  • "The Way We've Changed" / "Laughin At You" Closer CL0006
  • "Stolen Heart" / "See Her Eyes Again" Closer CL7-15
  • "Live EP" Record Runner RRR-002
  • "Very Last Day" / "There's A World Out There" Bucketfull of Brains #7 Free with magazine
  • "Hear Me" / "She Knows" Dog Meat Records Dog022
  • "Next Time Around" / "Takes What He Wants" Sympathy for The Record Industry SFTRI49
  • "I Thought You Sounded That Way Yesterday" Shake SAL202
  • "Don't Ever Say It Can't Be So" / "Not That Kind" Munster 7183
  • "What You Want is What You Get" / "Somebody '05" NDN NDN040
  • "Two Headed Dog" / "Teenage Head" Pop The Balloon Bang26
  • "God Bless The 45" / "Festival Pop" / "East European Girls" Purepop PP 1965

12" singles and EPs

  • "House Of Kicks" Flicknife FLEP103
  • "Live In Madrid" El Piso K9EP13
  • "Stolen Heart" Closer CL12-15
  • "Grammar Of Misery" Shakin' Street YEAHUP015

Albums

Drop Out with The Barracudas LP Zonophone ZONO103 / Voxx 200.009 Drop Out with The Barracudas CD EMI Gold 8757582 remaster with bonus tracks/ Voxx VCD2009 different bonus tracksMean Time LP Closer CL001 French/CD Mau Mau inc bonus tracks/CD Airmail remaster with more bonus tracksLive '83 LP Coyote COR021 Endeavour To Persevere LP Closer CL009 /CD Mau Mau inc bonus tracks/CD Airmail remaster with more bonus tracksThe Big Gap LP Coyote COR022 Los Angeles and Vicinity Vol 1 LP 66 Records MP1002 Bootleg 1965 Again LP GMG 75003 The World's A Burn LP Trust Minitrust1 Live In Madrid LP Impossible A4-25 Surf and Destroy LP/CD GMG 270 The Garbage Dump Tapes LP/CD Shakin' Street YEAH HUP 006 The Complete EMI Recordings CD EMI C2-95 185 Wait For Everything LP/CD Shake 203 Two Sides of a Coin 1979-84 CD Flicknife/Anagram CDM M GRAM 62 Through The Mysts Of Time: Rarities 1979-81 CD Voxx VCD2072 This Ain't My Time: Anthology '79-'90 CD Castle The Barracudas LP/CD NDN NDN41
  • "Nothing Ever Happens In The Suburbs, Baby!" 10" Mini-LP NDN45 Mean Time LP Closer CL001 Limited Edition PIC-DISC