From the start the new material was exciting and different. Hallam was born in South Africa and his chiming, fluid, African-influenced style mixed strangely with the studied political lyrics of Jerry Kidd. The rest of the band drew on different musical influences from the Velvet's to Punk and Blues but what Red Guitars all understood was the 3 minute pop song. So in 1982 they set about recording their first single Good Technology (5 minutes and 8 seconds).
Fiercely independent and suspicious of record companies the band decided to go it alone and created their own label Self Drive distributed by Red Rhino, part of the Cartel of independent record distributors. As with hundreds of bands over the years The John Peel show proved to be a major breakthrough, with Peel's "I do think that's an excellent record, I must say" typical of the hysterical over-the-top reaction to the single. Peel continued to air the record regularly and within the year the band had recorded 3 Radio 1 sessions, appeared on the Tube and The Whistle Test and were to be found at the top of the Indie Charts with subsequent singles Fact and Steeltown.
Both dramatic and bleak, Fact, about the global arms trade and Steeltown, an elegy to the death of the steel industry ensured that the band were fêted by the music press for their articulate, political stance. But Red Guitars also had a real infectious dance side and for the fourth single the band decided on a change of direction. Marimba Jive, a live favorite, had an out and out African groove studded with layers of tumbling guitars and a soaring fretless bassline. Single of the week in both NME and Melody Maker the band went back to the studio to start recording their first album.
Constant touring abroad and supporting the Smiths on British tours while running Self Drive put increasing demands on the band members particularly those with young families and while the first album Slow to Fade was well received, the cracks were beginning to show. Jerry Kidd left the band in 1984 and while they continued for another 2 years with a different lineup the dreaming was over.
After their final demise in 1986 there was a resurrection into The Planet Wilson, with Hallam and Lou joined by Grant Ardis on drums. They were a strong favourite at the Adelphi Club and elsewhere before being signed by Virgin for their first album, In the Best of All Possible Worlds (1988). They parted company with Virgin soon after and released an indie label second album, Not Drowning But Waving (Records of Achievement, 1989), more representative of their live work, but finally went their separate ways not long after.
Be With Me
Red Guitars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't take it so hard
But I say, well I just say nothing
I just say nothing
Anywhere I go, I take all my life with me
All my favourite songs that I always sing
Anywhere I go, my home's with me
The best times, they will go by, leaving no signs
The worst times, well, I just don't notice, I just don't notice
Anywhere I go, I take all my life with me
All my favourite songs that I always sing
The questions and the answers, everything I need
Anywhere I go, my home's with me
In Red Guitars' "Be With Me," the singer reflects on the struggles of life and how they carry everything with them wherever they go. The song starts off with the common advice of not taking things to heart and not taking things too hard. However, the singer responds by saying nothing at all. This can be interpreted as the singer not wanting to acknowledge this advice because they feel they need to take things personally in order to understand and cope with the difficulties of life.
The chorus of the song reinforces the idea that the singer carries everything with them wherever they go. This includes all of their favorite songs that they sing, as well as the questions and answers that they need to survive. The singer's home is not a physical place, but rather a feeling of comfort and familiarity that they carry inside of them.
The bridge of the song juxtaposes the best and worst times of life. The best times fly by without leaving any evidence of their passing, while the worst times go unnoticed. This can be interpreted as the singer recognizing that the difficult times in life can be more meaningful and significant than the happy times, and that it's important to pay attention to these moments in order to grow and learn.
Overall, "Be With Me" is a song about carrying the weight of your life on your shoulders and finding comfort in the familiar elements that make up who you are. The singer acknowledges the challenges that life presents, but finds solace in the idea that they always have everything they need with them.
Line by Line Meaning
They say don't take it to heart
People advise me not to take things personally
Don't take it so hard
People advise me not to get upset or angry about something
But I say, well I just say nothing
Despite the advice, I choose to remain silent
Anywhere I go, I take all my life with me
I carry my personal experiences and history with me wherever I go
All my favourite songs that I always sing
I bring with me the music and memories that bring me joy
The questions and the answers, everything I need
I bring with me all the knowledge, experiences, and tools that I need to face any situation
The best times, they will go by, leaving no signs
The best moments in life will pass by quickly without any signs, so it's important to cherish them
The worst times, well, I just don't notice, I just don't notice
I am able to ignore or overlook the difficult times in life and focus on the positive instead
Anywhere I go, my home's with me
Regardless of where I am physically, I feel at home because I bring my personal experiences and memories with me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Anton Martynyuk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
david knapp
My gf gave me this album on a cassette tape in the late 80s and we drove around the Scottish Highlands playing it endlessly - it was brilliant then and sounds wonderful still - thanks Gillian ....
Blahblahblah
Fantastic - I feel like I have just travelled back in a time machine. What a firn band they were.
A-Beton ABBAS
booked them in 1986... polder rock, an everlasting memory
nocturnalme67
Think I prefer the single version, but still one of my top ten singles of all time :-)
Opher Opher
Fabulous!!
Kenneth Kirk
Saw these guys in Edinburgh support The Smiths pre-Holmes and they blew me away. That said, this album remains one of the best 80's albums ever that no-one's heard of. In my opinion, a bit like Rodriguez's 'Cold Fact' or Nick Drake's albums, both of who also didn't enjoy commercial success at the time despite their brilliance. I had this on vinyl and then cassette, which then someone stole from my local pub and I went without it for years. I joined a Red Guitars fan club in the 90's and unbeknown to me one of the original band members, Lewis or Howard, sent me a copy of the original. True story.
Paraffinalia
I feel the same way Kenneth. I saw Red Guitars v 2.0 in Paris - 1985, I think, or '86 - and they blew me away. Like Robert Holmes' solo album from 1989, 'Age of Swing', as with 'Be With Me' - some of the best music from the '80s, in my opinion. Holmes also has a great channel on YouTube with about 40 songs on it - you may be interested - 'Robert Holmes Channel Two'. Time will indeed tell, eventually, on this great music.
Kenneth Kirk
@Paraffinalia 'Age of Swing' is another masterpiece, albeit I prefer the Guitars version to Holmes' version from his solo album, and I'll certainly check out the Channel Two thing you mention, so thanks for that. I have to say though, it's great to have stumbled across someone who's obviously just as much of a fan of the Guitars as myself, and there can't be many of us. More to do with bad luck, perhaps lack of ambition or belief coupled with not having the best PR department, than anything to do with the quality of their music. According to NME at one point, v 1.0, they were all set up to storm America. Slàinte!
Paraffinalia
@Kenneth Kirk Cheers to you too, Kenneth. I didn't know there was an earlier version of 'Age of Swing' - where do I find it?
Kenneth Kirk
You'll find it on the Guitars' album, 'Seven Types of Ambiguity - BBC Sessions 1983-1985'. Whether this album has also now been 'deleted' I don't know, but it's certainly another Rad Guitars classic, imo ;-) The solo version of course is good, but I still prefer this one.