The Jags - Back of m hand

[wrongchordsrecords]

my free album has a jags cover on it . search for HOT ROD LINKUN GIMME YOUR AUTOGRAPH for a link

[thekenzosh]

i saw the Jags about 30 years ago at Asbury Park....FUN

[TheMisskittylala]

I just love this band. Massively underrated.

[BCK]

Does the drummer look like Joe Jackson, or is it just me?

[Obelisk2290]

junior high when i loved a girl

[jayescott]

I saw The Jags at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in Hollywood in about 1980 and they sang this...what a great night!

[MrJasonStardust]

Yep, I love this, what I call 'Post Punk'. The Knack, Elvis Costello, Boom Town Rats, Joe Jackson, J Geils Band, dare I say, The Police? Any more peeps??

[walesfan1]

When pop songs were good.

[Modder]

@walesfan1 So true

[bohsgerry]

have the single.like the vapors had one hit then went.whattever happened to em??

[MACHAWK123]

One of my favourite songs of the late 70's.

[evets530]

Left handed guitarist and drummer in the same band. Cool.

[Stax63]

Great 80's tune on the same level as Nick Lowe's "And So It Goes", Joe Jackson's "I'm the Man" and the Knack's "Good Girls Don't". Just great power pop!

[DavidJHarrisonEssex]

Great song!!! Only made number 17 in the U.K on the 8th-Sept-79, they did have a minor follow up hit called Woman's World (#75, 2nd-Feb-80).

"I've got your number written on the length of my cock!".

[MACHAWK123]

@DavidJHarrisonEssex One of my favourite songs of the late 70's. Is that 'Pennsylvania 6500' or an internal '44007' - and what font and size?

[MissEgasMoniz]

Aaaaahhhh......great stuff......great memories of being 12 yrs old and dancing around the room like a right nob.

[TheMamaElliott]

Thank you so much whoever posted this. I have the vinyl 7" but needed to listen to it now, having been reminded of it by Bulletproof Heart from the new My Chemical Romance CD - Danger Days

[TheMamaElliott]

Thank you so much whoever posted this. I have the vinyl 7" but needed to listen to it now, having been reminded of it by Bulletprood Heart from the new My Chemical Romace CD - Danger Days

[TruthIrish]

Fantastico! Go to your nearest Mod club/Scooter Rally and this tune always gets an airing, great dancefloor filler too!

[ViajanteB4]

Buenísimo!!!! GooD Good!!

[BrokenWindCo]

Very Costello'ish. I liked this

[OhNoItsSluggo]

Not mods.

[imixandmaster]

@OhNoItsSluggo Nobody claims that they were mods? All that is said is that they had a sound that was similar the the mod revival/new wave sound of the time. And they certainly do. And a lot of Mods did like them, and still do. One of my favourite eras in music. It's obvious from how they dressed though that they didn't want to be involved in that revival scene. But I can hear the influence of early Who as much as Elvis Costello in some of their music.

[alansmart7]

Love this, guitar riff fab

[BoulevardTrash99]

sounds like awesome power-pop too me

[moneymoreman]

you can really hear the lynott/ costello influence here

[currypot1965]

I had the original pink bubble vinyl.

[blowoutlow]

thanks very much modder & magicalex2007

[blowoutlow]

does anyone have the b side to this???called billy.or know where i can download it?very rare tryed the usual suspects!

[magicalex2007]

@blowoutlow The B side is called "Double Vision" and can only be found on either the vinyl 7" or the vinyl ep (12") which was released before the 7''. I suppose eBay is the best bet these days. Good luck.

[pernicketty]

Thanks for posting this alternate version. Good to see the singer playing guitar!

[Forestamtul]

@pernicketty he looks like Nick Hancock and has the same first name too.

[currypot1965]

great tune,geeks tho.

[TheBelly58]

Aww, great track, and it was in the charts 30 years ago this week! I was 21 then. Where did it all go? lol

[volvicwater22]

your 51 and you use the word 'lol'?

[Forestamtul]

@volvicwater22 good for you stay young forever.

[TogaPartyUnionist]

I think The Jags were managed by a guy called Danny Goodwin, anyone know much about him and where he is today?

[forestgumpaed]

they were sighned up by island and produced two hits,this been there biggy if youlike.they come from scarborough.

[yelldagain]

Fantsatic song bought it as soon as I heard it...the albums great as well

[Alienmad462]

which 1 is base hes my dad bands pretty crap tbh rofl

[samnoname2011]

wt is he in the look?

[Alienmad462]

what do you mean 'the look' sorry?

[samnoname2011]

do you mean the bass player is in your dads band the look?

[Alienmad462]

not really my parent at all tbh i'll pm u technically he is i guess

[bryans42]

great!

[tobiaswilkins]

love it

[tom69mod]

Secret Affair pIay the AssembIy, Ieamington Spa, JuIy 18th - Iuv this song!

[Izops]

Excellent !

[currypot1965]

great song,gimps tho

[curat8]

I had this on a 12 inch 4 track ep.Made the mistake of lending it out- never saw it again. Can't remember all 4 tracks now but one was called "what can I do" - would love to hear it again. Thanks for posting this.

[seny31]

love it

[Krakenlive]

I am one into the 5 spaniards that bought the "evening standars" LP. I have heard it one thousand times, and "back of my hand is, to me one of the best songs of that time, very similar to Elvis Costello's "oliver's army"

[gongora911]

Yo soy otro de los "5 españoles" que compró el disco. Ja, ja, , a ver si aparecen los otros 3....

[bownessplace]

EXCELLENT!

[ClancyMod]

Luv this, reminds me of Elvis Costello.

Anyone going to Secret Affair, Camden Centre, Kings X, May 30th?

[Schmoedipus]

Great song. Crappy video.

[timbook]

It's out of sync alright, obviously cos it was converted with the program mentioned in the top left corner. Maybe thats what you mean? Otherwise, it's not the promo video for the song. It's an appearance on legendary Ebglish music show top of the pops

[gazoontight]

Great song from a great time!

[grahamthedj]

Classic tune, from the best ever year for music. Ropey video though.

[Dannybhoy1969]

many thanks for posting, great song.

[KoinoPinchHitter]

Always brilliant tune of me.

Thank you very much for upload.

I'm sorry in poor English.

[poxpopuli]

Who among us can say credibly state own a sealed copy of "No Tie Like a Present". Me, that's who.

[muddybrookrambler]

haha...you're god-like...!

[Grayt42]

Brilliant song. I hadn't heard it for years then a company I worked for used it in a promotional video.

[buidseach]

I always thought this was by elvis castello

[gtrhero666]

covered this song, the Tourist and Evening Standards- 1983 - band called The Klick

[Sarahfreckle]

I like their version of 'Here Comes My Baby'.

[Ssimmee41260]

Does anyone know what the members of the Jags are up to these days?

Back Of My Hand one of my all time favourites.

[magicalex2007]

Yes I do.

Glad you like Back Of My Hand

[exproggo]

Um...I think they wanted to know...lol

[2k8shaun]

best song alive NO SONG BETTER :)

[ModAchilles]

Songs aren't living =)

[2k8shaun]

u r gay

[novapup2001]

There were also an endless list of unsung Jam-aqrchetype neo-mod and power pop bands ripping up the local underground during this period with smaller followings. May I suggest checking bands like The Killermeters, The Lambrettas, Purple Hearts, The Crooks, The Circles...stuff still to be "re-discovered"!

[Modder]

The Jags formed in London in 1978, and comprised of Nick Watkinson (vocals), John Alder (guitar/backing vocals), Steve Prudence (bass) and Alex Baird (drums). Don't think any of them became more famous than this band?

[minnigaffman01]

what is the singers name and did any of the band members become famous i remember this song but was never sober enough to take much notice.

[mikecm1281]

The Best

[rachelharri82]

I LOVE this song its a real feel good tune I think its awesome! Thanks for bringing me here dad! x

[bolanrocks]

18 at the time absolutely love this track. Dont think they had any fiurther hits did they? tanx

[ccoleeeds]

17 yr old i am n i absolutely luv this amazing band

[novapup2001]

Other than the 60s, the 77-82 period was also explosively creative. Danceable power pop bands like The Jags, The Romantics, Paul Collins' Beat and Blondie were successfully competing with the prevailing sluggish radio bands of the day like Foreigner and ELO. They offerred the frat rock rock energy without the mosh pits of punk.

[rhousley]

I was 19 or so when this song came out. Still think it a great tune. I can listen to it over and over (ask my college roommate).

Can't let the ELO thing pass, "sluggish radio band" -- "most underrated band of all time" is my take. Jeff Lynne is a creative genius. If anything, they got much too little radio play.

[novapup2001]

Yeah, baby. I LOVE ELO! Agree on underrated. Longterm, ELO may even be considered the "missing Beatles" of the 70s. My "sluggish" comment really refers to danceable power pop of the day. People jumped out of their seats for Joe Jackson's "I'm The Man" and this Jags stuff, but ELO, maybe not so often.

[mattaddick]

God I love this song. This came out Sep/Oct 1979, I was 13 and we'd just merged with our local girl's school so there were some serious hormones in the air as we were all trying to win favour with the girls who seemed to spend the first three terms avoiding us. This song reminds me of that time. Years later I was in a power pop covers band and we used to play this one and it would go down a storm.

[garymaher]

Skinny ties!!!!!!!!!!

[incongra]

Does any know whether messrs Nick Lowe/Dave Edmonds or Billy Bremner had a hand in any of this..?

[magicalex2007]

Yes, I do and no, they didn't! The band, and in particular the writers, were fans of Nick Lowe so that could be the reason for any similarities in style.

[incongra]

Thanks, I did wonder that's all. The guitar that's dubbed in at 01:56 has a real "rockpile" sound to it. It's an astonishing single, one of my favourites ever. Fair play to them all.

[magicalex2007]

I don't think it was intentional. That's just the way he (John Alder) played guitar. Glad you like it and many thanks for the nice comments.

[MalquiLans]

All I can tell you is that Billy Bremner played for Leeds United FC in the 1970's. He's now dead. Nick Lowe & Dave Edmunds are still alive, as is 1970's Leeds centre half Jack Charlton :o)

[incongra]

This was a brilliant single... and I often wonder how much it influenced the Rembrandt's "I'll be there for you" ( Friends theme) the two arrangements seem very similar....

[londongirl65]

This song is one of the best!!

[ebbe1kenobi]

bloody hell this was the 1st song i ever bought i think its from 1979! you can find anything on youtube!

[WeCaVa]

I saw these guys at a bar called FOUR ACRES in Marcy, NY. I am guessing it was around 1980 or '81. Loved "It's A Woman's World". Can't find that video here.

[fun2flynwa]

Smashing.wish it would have had more air/play time ...I guess we knew better...great song

[exproggo]

Great song...wish I could suss all the words out though

[Elviskarate]

You only call me if you're feelin blue.

You tell me I don't pay attention to you

but if you only knew just what I'm goin through

you would phone those guys who mess around with

you girl.

[Elviskarate]

When I call you I get stock replies

you work them out before you dry your eyes

I'm not a fruit machine a 1960's dream

I dreamed about you but you didn't see girl

Your not unreadable your not unbeatable

I know just what you are don't push your luck too far your not untouchable, not just another girl I get in touch with you I only wish you knew that

[Elviskarate]

I had a dream last night I met another girl

but in the morning she was just a kick inside.

I hope I'm gettin through the interference to

my moneys running out I don't know what to say now. The operators saying cut the line. You want to cut it for the very last time.

Your only young at heart but theres a time to

start just realizing what I got down here girl

Say don't you realize is there nothing left

inside. Hey did I get you wrong say were has your number gone.

[Elviskarate]

Great Band! Great Song! One of my top 10 all time albums. I have 2 vinyl copies. And 2 Copies of No Tie.... I also have a couple of old mags with articles on the band. John Alder is probably my second favorite guitar player of all time. He certainly influenced my playing more than any other. My band currently covers "Back of my Hand" and sometimes "DID". Thanks for Posting this, I really enjoyed it.

[shamsky01]

Go to Amazon and buy the greatest hits CD.

[exproggo]

Thanks for all the words...I was floundering on the second verse...nice one.

[traceymod]

Excellent!I just found my original vinyl copy of this the other day-happy memories of this song.

[spedo2002]

the best song!

[mgmads]

Just bought the single a month ago!

[magicalex2007]

Eh? That's twenty eight years after it was released. Must have been a very long queue at the shop!

[mgmads]

I bought it second hand ;)

[clozloz69]

if ever in NYC go to Bleeker Bob's you'll find almost anything singles etc. One of there 1st performance was on a UHF show called the uncle floyd show out of west orange NJ

[mgmads]

When I was in New York in august i was actually there, I got the first Devo album there. Academy records and Pass Out records in Brooklyn are also pretty good if you ask me.

[shamsky01]

BTW, I still have both albums on vinyl.

[shamsky01]

The Jags' music helped me get through college... I still listen to them, as do my high school age kids!

[aaronjamesgriffin]

music is timeless especially from this era!!

[jolivia]

I saw them perform this on the "Uncle Floyd Show"!

[omehoehthelje]

I still have the single!!!

[miiawh]

Good tune ,but never a mod band !

[Modder]

In fairness, they certainly don't look like a mod band, but they did have a mod revivial/new wave sound, and mods liked them

[trapadoored]

@Modder

I classify them as a pop punk/power pop band.

[Modder]

@trapadoored Yeah, that description works just fine. I'd have said post punk powerpop or post punk new wave myself if I was pushed for a description. But they were well liked by many of the scenes back then and judging by the amount of comments here, they're well liked still.

[aeonfloss]

There is an original video clip for this song. Has the band playing outdoors somewhere. Can't find it online anywhere.  Your mission, if you chose to accept it...

(5,4,3,3,2....)

[jalder]

I'd love to see that myself.

I reckon it was when we did the Dutch program Top Pop (great name) and they made us play in a field. The cameraman kept getting electric shocks from his camera through his ear. The things you remember.

I'm the one fighting my guitar BTW.

Thanks for all the comments and compliments.

[aeonfloss]

I'm pretty sure I've seen that clip here in Australia on "Rage". Now I think about it, in this clip, when the words go "written on the back of my hand" band members were taking turns showing phone numbers on the back of their hands. First time I saw that clip was in Holland though (so that checks out). One of my friends' band used to cover this song.

[Obelisk2290]

seems like he is fighting the guitar during the solo

[porlockdojo]

Used to see these guy at the Half moon Herne Hill a lot we used to take a load of speed and have a great time jumping - good times

[sul1961]

cool guitar solo

[clattybrown]

doesn't sound too mod to me well maybe a little

[StormyTgurl]

Elvis Costelloesk

[popGoesAnthony]

i cant type i know well cause , if ya read my last 3 blogs were in sunny amsterdam from march 14th thru april 24th ..at my spouses brothers townhome we rent yearly so ..im a lil dixxy from walkin round these cold north coubtry like coblle-STONED streets

LuV

beatleBum500))NYC'USA!

[popGoesAnthony]

this 45 was bought by me at the nyc undergound record import shop Bleeker bobns..in greenwhich village my lover is best pals with the owner Bleeker bob and back in 79 i got the very last copy on da shelf no less

seen thier usa nyc debut and they rocked and new waved my city that infamous pop ..powerpop nyc heady night..

anth aka beatlebum500NYC'USA!

[magicalex2007]

That must have been at "Hurrah". Glad you liked us Jags. I liked your New York too.

[jabborn01]

Always thought this sounded like Elvis, perhaps he should record it.

[taper1974]

He IS DEAD

[jalder]

Who is dead?

[taper1974]

ELVIS OF COURSE

[jabborn01]

Elvis isn't dead, he's just grown old and calls himself Declan

[estupidafregona]

stupid song- stupids guys

[Modder]

2 albums and a few singles and then gone I think. Supposedly a groupof session musicians who got together and wrote some songs in the style of that time.New Wave powerpop. I'm not 100% sure though? Great band.

[neesayer]

Thanks a lot for this! Very hard to find this song anywhere anymore. This is a real treat.

[madsod]

good catchy song. whatever happened to the Jags?

[mozkraftwerk]

Always liked this song, got the single at the time - good to see this vid-at least I know what they looked like now !!

[novapup2001]

I still have the vinyl album and these guys really enjoyed the skinny tie and band button movement (anyone remember?), playing with color and style even before Duran Duran co-opted it all.