The band played various venues around England, then in August were spotted by Elton John’s Rocket Records label. A Rocket album -- named "499-2139" -- featured a dozen new and unknown bands and included the Lambrettas' first recording, Go Steady.
In November of 1979, Rocket released the Lambrettas track as a single. By the early part of 1980, Go Steady had sold modestly, but with enough interest to persuade Rocket to sign the band.
The next release was a cover of the 1950s Lieber/Stoller song, Poison Ivy, previously recorded most notably by The Coasters and The Rolling Stones. The Lambrettas version, with brass arrangements, had a decidedly upbeat "ska" feel to it. The record was a huge success, reaching #7 in the British charts, and earning the band a silver disc for sales in excess of 250,000.
The next single, Da-a-ance, was more typical of the band’s pop/rock sound, reaching #12 in the charts. Controversy occurred when they were about to release another cut from their debut album, Beat Boys In The Jet Age. At the last moment, the song Page 3, had to be re-titled for single release as Another Day (Another Girl), after a court injunction by the Sun newspaper. The record was moderately successful, reaching #49 in the charts.
Towards the end of 1980, with Beat Boys doing well (#28 in the British album charts), the band embarked on a European tour, opening for the highly acclaimed band, Madness. 1981 brought a lineup change to the Lambrettas. To record their second album, Ambience, former drummer for Toyah Wilcox, Steve Bray, replaced Paul Wincer. Also, two tracks featured the saxophone playing of Wesley Magoogan of The Beat. Despite the album’s fine production values, and a more solid sound, it was not a success. The Lambrettas had tried to move on from their Mod image to reach a larger audience, but failed to do so.
Throughout 1981, singles taken from the new album continued to be released, but the band were unable to capture the ear of the British public. Another lineup change occurred, this time Pat Freyne replacing Steve Bray on drums.
In early 1982, the Lambrettas decided to record another cover version, the Jefferson Airplane song from the 1960s, Somebody To Love. Despite much radio exposure, the song did not chart.
The band's last concert (their 123rd) was at The Venue, London, on April 14, 1982 . Shortly after this, they parted ways with Rocket Records, and also with each other.
The Lambrettas released two albums (Beat Boys and Ambience), and eight singles, from late 1979 to the middle of 1982. A compilation of the singles, called Kick Start, was released in 1985.
The complete recordings of the band are available on CD.
Singer Jez Bird passed away, age 50, in August of 2008, leaving a wife and 2 children.
Bassist Mark Ellis lives in Los Angeles.
As of August 2009, Guitarist Doug Sanders and drummer Paul Wincer are performing as "The Lambrettas", Sanders taking over as lead vocalist.
The Lambrettas website has photographs, discography, message board, memorabilia, sound file samples of songs, scans of album covers, scans of all the singles' picture sleeves (including various European versions), lyrics to most of the songs, 2 promotional Lambs videos from 1980, one Top of the Pops video peformance, and 3 live performance videos:
UPDATED WEBSITE ADDRESS: http://beatboysinthejetage.multiply.com/
Good Times
The Lambrettas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the world was looking in
Do you recall,
pre-school, turned out
to be pre-anything
And you learned to hide the things you feel
With all those other imbeciles
And it seems so many years ago
the time went by so fast
The good times are here at last
The good times are here at last
The good times are here at last
Yes the good times are here
Hang your head, you longed to grow
You clamoured to be older so
It's fist to fist
and back to back
And the future's bright
and the past is black
Then you watched yourself
and you watched your friends
As they grew to women and they grew to men
And it seems so many years ago
I have to say the time went by so fast
The good times are here at last
The good times are here at last
The good times are here at last
Don't you know the good times are here
Think back to the days when you were young
And the world was looking in
How things have changed
now you look out
And you watch new lives begin
And you learned to hide the things you are
And you talk about your job and your house and your car
And it seems so many years ago
I have to say
the time went by so fast
The good times are here at last
The good times are here at last
The good times are here at last
Yes the good times are here at last
The good times are here
The Lambrettas' song "Good Times" is a nostalgic reflection on the past and a celebration of the present. The opening lines encourage listeners to remember their youth, when the world was new and full of possibilities. The lyrics mention early childhood experiences, such as pre-school, and the feeling of wanting to be older. The mention of hiding one's feelings suggests that the singer felt like an outsider, perhaps because they didn't fit in with their peers.
The song then transitions to the present, where the singer reflects on how things have changed. The phrase "fist to fist and back to back" implies that as one grows older, there are more challenges and confrontations to face. However, the future is bright, and the past is behind them. The singer notes that they have watched their friends grow up and start families, and that they have learned to hide their true selves behind the trappings of adult life, such as their job, house, and car. Despite this, the good times have finally arrived, and the singer encourages the listener to embrace the present moment.
Overall, "Good Times" is a song about nostalgia, growth, and optimism. It acknowledges the challenges of growing older but ultimately celebrates the joys of life that can be found at any age.
Line by Line Meaning
Think back to the days when you were young
Remember the times of childhood when you had no worries, and the whole future lay ahead of you.
And the world was looking in
Everything was new, and you were eager to explore and discover.
Do you recall, pre-school, turned out to be pre-anything
You were just starting and had not even begun contemplating the future.
And you learned to hide the things you feel
You quickly realized that openly expressing your feelings could make you look weak or vulnerable.
With all those other imbeciles
You fell in with people who were trying to do the same and who often did not know better than you.
And it seems so many years ago
Looking back from adulthood, it is hard to believe how much has changed in so little time.
I have to say the time went by so fast
Time has flown in a blur of memories and experiences.
The good times are here at last
After years of hard work, struggles, and setbacks, you have finally reached a point of happiness and success.
Yes the good times are here
This is a reminder that life can get better and that everyone deserves to find happiness and fulfillment.
Hang your head, you longed to grow
As a kid, you could not wait to grow up, and now that you have, you may feel weighed down by responsibilities and regrets.
You clamoured to be older so
You wanted to do adult things and be treated like an adult.
It's fist to fist
The world can be a tough and unforgiving place.
and back to back
Sometimes, you have to stand up to the challenges with the people who support you.
And the future's bright
Despite the past that seems to hold us back, the future still has promising prospects
and the past is black
As you age, things that once admired, now come into focus, and they may appear dark and bleak.
Then you watched yourself and you watched your friends
As you grow up, you begin to observe and analyze the people and relationships that surround you.
As they grew to women and they grew to men
People you knew have grown and, in the process, matured into adults with their own unique histories.
And you learned to hide the things you are
People learn how to hide their vulnerabilities and differences in the quest of societal acceptance.
And you talk about your job and your house and your car
Career, homeownership, and the accumulation of their status symbols have become the focus of discussion whereas it was not when they were young.
And it seems so many years ago
Time appears to pass by so quickly to the point of being scarcely believable.
Don't you know the good times are here
This line serves as a reminder that the present past of life is good, enjoyable and filled with happiness.
And you watch new lives begin
In the invigorated atmosphere of the present day, new forms of life emerge with boundless potential for growth and development.
Contributed by Kayla M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lovely Stuff
Fantastic tune, their best IMO.
Dedamme Gianclaudio
good band, great memories... hanx!