10 Forgotten 1970s Punk Albums You Need To Hear
5. London – Animal Games (1978)
One of the best flash-in-the-pans of the early British punk scene, London formed in 1976 and quickly got themselves signed to a major label (MCA). They toured extensively with The Stranglers, but only released two singles, an E.P., and this one great album before they were done and dusted and had split up by the end of December 1977.
On this album, released the year after they split, London deliberately tapped into the speedy rush of punk’s golden year of 1977 with a selection of punchy, glam-influenced punk songs that sum up the youthful zeitgeist of the early scene and brought a very British sensibility to their sound. There is even a song with a chorus that references perennial British favourite Golden Wonder crisps, doubtless a cultural touchpoint lost on most.
Drummer John Moss went on the play for The Damned and then joined Culture Club who he remained with throughout their early 80s heyday, while bassist Steve Voice (born Colin Wright) is now Professor of International Relations at Sydney University in Australia. The band reformed with two of the four original members in 2008.