The Alarm - Spirit of '76

[rhian2004]

Saw these guys in cardiff in 87with the silensers pretenders and u2 great show by all

[prestwoodwolf]

@rhian2004 Yep July 25th . Absolutely superb show. Remember the people towers!!

[lurch321]

These guys should've been a LOT bigger................is it just me, or does the lead singer sound kind of like Bono?

[sweetsdad]

OMG!! WTF!!! I'M 41. I remember growing up in Hbg. PA, and in 1986 going to see Pat Benatar in concert and the Alarm opening for her in Hershey PA. Damn, what a great show!!! Music than was music, not this BS on the radio. Even satellite blows... most of the time. I guess I'm turning into my Dad. LOL

[ShastaOrange]

@sweetsdad If you're still in the area, check out 99.7 harrisburg (or 88.7 middletown), WXPN broadcast on repeater from Philly. Non-commercial station associated with UPenn. That's where the good music is hiding these days.

[sweetsdad]

@ShastaOrange Hey, Thanks for the info. Sometimes I wish I was still in the area. I'm living in Myrtle Beach. Maybe I could stream it somehow?

[ShastaOrange]

@sweetsdad Must be nice - it's cold as hell up here! But yeah, you can stream it on xpn dot org. They also have a schedule on there so you can see when shows highlighting different types of music are going to be on.

[chris3oct]

I am there!! In the front row ... and I had hair then!!!!

[merseybeast76]

This is based around the days of the greatest club ever: Erics in Matthew St Liverpool. He was a regular there although he lived in North Wales. "if there was more sense in this world, and work wasn't so hard to find . . . " the lyrics are amazing and only matched by the music

[gibbley]

bloody fantastic

[MrTinlizzy]

this is magic



[annienzjetz]

AWESOME...

[mildomcduff]

Still an outstanding track that resonates down through the decades. Such a positive message kids!! Listen up.

[songsilikejk]

I saw The Alarm in Portland Oregon in "83 and have loved them ever since. After the show there were some *ssholes mouthing off and calling the band out to fight as they were leaving. The whole band turned around to get these guys. Mike had a thick chain around his waist that he took off and wraped around his fist. You never saw a bunch of *ssholes back down so fast. The Alarm are no wimps!

[vinylman1970]

One of the most under appreciated bands ever. Great guitar work..great harmonies..great lyrics, melodies, teeth gritting live performances, the whole package>period

[kink66]

A TOP R'N'R ANTHEM!

[eightiessongs]

I agree. The Alarm were much better and should have been the bigger band because they are better in every way. This is a brilliant song fizzing with energy 23 years on. It's a great down to earth reflection on the ups and downs of life and how luck or lack of it influences all our lives. I love the shots of Liverpool in the eighties, which capture a bygone era. The album Strength is great, containing similar songs about the working man and woman, and the struggles of life.

[dvanlangen]

i used to listen to this song before going out for a run...such a great uplifting song

[stevelondon888]

F***ing excellent. I grew up on the Alarm. Saw them six times, including their warm-up for U2 in Cardiff in 1987. Outstanding! Nice guys too. Met them one freezing afternoon outside one of their venues. Me and four friends had bunked off school to try to get into one of their sound-checks.

Also saw them at Cardiff Ice Rink on the night a mass brawl broke out in the crowd. Not so pretty.

[mortlach23]

god the alarm were the best live band of the 80s, by a fucking mile, i broke my ankle at the kilburn national after only 3 songs, refused to get in the ambulance until the concert ended, wot a fucking night, if u didnt see the alarm live u never went to a real concert, was anyone else at the lyceum in 83, FUCKING BEST CONCERT EVER, when i got ome my bruv said is it raining, pmsl i was so soaked in sweat

[LBjim]

I love the Alarm. see them may of times. They don't have bads like this anymore, shame....

[ROYBOY117]

its a shame they dont support u2 on there dates in england

[wuthering72]

Well, it's actually more of a shame that U2 isn't supporting them. Am I alone in thinking they should have been bigger than U2? Mike & the boys are still touring. If you can, go. Live affirming.

[mick149]

England.

[radioactivemanphilc]

Wales ain't it?

[armpitoftheworld]

yup, Wales

[vikes65]

As an Englishman, I can certainly say the Alarm are Welsh

Oh and one of the best bands I have ever seen live.

"Now all I do is hide behind my tears"

[madriver67]

where are these guys from again? I can`t remember

[MrWelshAcoustic]

Think you'll find they are Welsh my friend. From North Wales. Still going strong too - Mike Peters still heads up a new line-up Alarm as well as doing loads of solo acoustic stuff too...he''s playing in Cardiff at the end of Feb 09 and I'm going!

[madriver67]

Thanx, mrwelsh! Hopefully they will come to the states so i can go and rock out!! They were awesome, when i saw them back in the 80`s!!!

[KCVROCKS2008]

by far my fave song of theirs. i do like the new version of the alarm, 'guerilla tactics' is a great cd.

[sosnik3]

Truly a great band

[crispaddiction]

What a great reminder of great times. Its only now I can hear how they are half way between U2 and the Clash dont you think?

[sausagekiller]

A punk Gene Loves Jezebel

[madriver67]

I`ve always loved u2 and always will!! The only band that comes close to the boys from Dublin is the Alarm! They were awesome live like u2, and no band can or will come close to either!!!!! 85!!!

[james007magic]

unforgettable. Love the references to the regoins biggest city - Liverpool

[wkneumann]

The best! Mike Peters still rocks. You gotta get back to New York or Philly. Remember this album like it was yesterday.

[revbox]

Hey Jack The Meat, The 80's was our day. Some day your kids will find your old 50 cent CD's and laugh at you!

[GHBNTYPPQRR]

who cares about the hair, it was the generation, great band, why can't doomers see past the looks.

[Jackthemeat]

hello??? does any one notice the Mullet?

Its a Mullet People!!! I can not forgive him.

btw..just added tons of new hot Japanese schoolgirls to my page. great for Masturbation

[lfccogs]

thanks fore the reply on mark taylor mmbrittingham pee 83 and on

[mmbrittingham]

Thanks on the Mark Taylor identification.

[lfccogs]

altwar /yes the keyboard player was mark taylor on the strength tour ,tried to get he's autograph at manchester he run down the street and got in a taxi,all the girls wer'e running after him i was at liverpool the day they filmend the spirit of 76 and got declaration signed by the band'seen the alarm all over the place in england'83 and on pee

[cazzioc]

The greatest song of all time

[seesaw65]

Great song

[james007magic]

One of the most memorable, meaningful songs from the 80's. The Alarm forever..

[kink66]

it came only to no. 21 at the uk chart-it should be higher!

[90s4eva]

oooh so much nostalgia i love it :) its up there with U2- a sort of homecoming

[ATLWAR]

Is there anyone who can post a video of either "the stand" or "marching on"?. it would be greatly appreciated.

[delbertboy]

in fact missed out the feckin best bit ya bass still feckin good tho

[delbertboy]

brilliant but not the whole song feckin shame

[lozhardy]

This is one of the best live bands of the 80s. They rock.

[Wobgoblin]

One of their best songs. Takes me back to the '80s and my best bud while we were growing up.

Ahhh. Nostalgia.

[zc751c]

Still not Bono...

[decochick]

what a song!!

[ckeil35]

Thanks for the goosebumps as I tripped down memory lane. Saw these guys at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago back in '85 or '86 during my junnior year in college. Great then, great now

[mmbrittingham]

anyone know who the keyboardist is in this video (in background)?

[OrientFan]

Rupert Black, also played with The Pretenders

[lfccogs]

the keyboard player was mark taylor'he playd on the strength tour pee 83 and on

[80sdiscogirl]

wow - the orginal Alarm chaps - Special too me...I remember coming home from work in Harrow and who jogged past me ........MIKE PETERS...I WAS AMAZED - later found out that he was dating a local lady called Mary-ann (I think) I could not believe it, and bless him mike waved back as I said see you tomorrow - was off going to a gig of the alarms in london.

Thanks Pete - and please get well soon xxx

[GazzerBear]

Thats a blast from the past - forgotten how brilliant this was!

Speakers on this computer don't go loud enough to do it justice...

[digmacdiggydoo]

I saw The Alarm back in support of Eye of the huricane, and Mikde Peters on a solo tour. Great! I wish the old band had stayed together. Memories baby, memories.

[antman5000]

I saw nthem in Baltimore 2005 or so. It was great when they played 68guns...WOW..still have it!!!

They still write songs and a group of young chaps go out and perform them they are called the poppy feilds. I dont think people know that they are really the ALARM!!!!

[flipchigly]

Vimrich, Can't belive you were lucky enough to see the Alarm in Boston MA. I had a cassette copy of the whole gig, it was coppied by everyone at my school lol. Not sure if it was a bootleg or not or if the actual recording exists. Any ideas anyone?

[cra66anmore]

I got the LP :-D. "spirit of '76", one side studio, other live in Boston MA.

"In the city of Boston MA, can i hear the crowd roar - 68 guns!"

That album was released years before Raw, so it doubt it was the same gig though. I hold the Alarm as one of the best bands ever. Does Mike Peters sing with Poppyfields?

[vimrich]

Saw them in Boston, MA, in a small club in the early 90's, around the time Raw came out. Bought the CD just because of how great the show was. They never topped those first albums, but they really connected with everyone in the room, even those years later. I won't forget it.

[Holicheese]

I went to that same show at the Paradise I think.

I also saw them at the Wang center and the Orpheum.

When I was young I saw them U2 and Big Country. The Alarm blew them all away. I think they were the best live show I have ever seen.

[xjaidlyn]

Alarm were awesome.. i saw them several times and i think the comparison could have been made to U2 in the sense they had the connection with their audience, depth soul and substance. Bands nowadays are lacking alot of what back in the 80s bands like Alarm and U2 had. Anyone remember U2 use to bring 1 or 2 ppl from way in the crowd on their stage ( not anymore of course) .. just a thought

[souness8]

my fav song so so under rated

[dharamprakash2003]

the alarm rocks,,,nd they will,,,,forever

they'll always be amongst greatest bands with this amazing video,saurav

[aginghipster]

The Alarm were a great band. They seemed to be on the level with U2 and Springsteen. Then they came out with, "I like to see the rain in the summertime" in 1987. I never cared for that song and they went downhill from there. But their first couple of albums were top notch!

[wstrat2]

Wish they lasted longer. A GREAT band that people tried to compare to THE CLASH (my fav. band). The Alarm was a little more polished, a little more commercial..and rock and rollers hate when their band becomes popular. If they existed now they would blow everybody away. C'mon...what's out there now?...John Mayer? It's time for a shake up. Hope we don't have to go thru dico again first. P.S. where are the Buzzcocks when we need 'em?

[altroval]

I agree. The band moved in a different direction after "Eye of the Hurricane". Maybe it had something to do with touring for Neil Young.

Still, judging by some of the Youtube videos of their recent gigs, Mike Peters is still a terrific singer and the band (sans Eddie, Dave, and Nigel, sadly...) is capable of great stuff when they perform the older stuff.

[kingbod]

went to see the alarm at leeds was 15 in 80.. THE CLASH were BUSKING yeahBUSKING outside ..people hanging from trees on cars etc never forget that

[ShastaOrange]

Yup, the album version has slow parts at both the beginning, and the bridge part that you're referring to. To me, they really make the song. However, they also stretch it out to over 7 minutes in length, which is probably why they weren't included in the video. Shame, but it's still a great song.

[nightjammer]

There's actually a version (probably the album version) of this song that goes on a little longer; It breaks down into a part that's kinda slow and reflective, then it starts rockin' again. Either way,thanks so much for ANY version of this great song.