26. Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding (Rough Trade)

Four weeks at number one from 16th October 1982

There’s a moment in Sue Townsend’s bestselling novel “The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole” where, upon learning that the Falklands War has broken out, Adrian’s father has a meltdown and tumbles out of bed, believing Britain to potentially be under attack. When the Moles are reassured that nothing of the sort is about to happen, and realise the Falklands are located off the coast of Argentina (hidden beneath a cake crumb in their atlas) normal family order resumes.

In the current age, where war seems to be a continual rumble in the background, it’s almost difficult to relate to this fictional overreaction. In 1982 though, the Falklands conflict was a shock. While the decades following World War II hadn’t been entirely peaceful, another country hadn’t actually invaded British territory in that time. As an innocent nine year old, I too sought reassurance from my parents that Argentinian soldiers weren’t likely to be parading down our street anytime soon. I had never heard of the Falklands and assumed they were either in the Channel Islands or off the coast of Scotland; this smelt to me like big trouble.

Once the national shock subsided, political blame began to be apportioned and sides began to be taken. Doubts were raised that the military or the British government had been taking the Argentinian threat seriously, leading to them being surprised by an attack which they had been repeatedly warned was imminent (this later led to conspiracy theories that Margaret Thatcher had actually allowed the war to occur for her own electoral benefit; I’m no fan of hers, but this seems unlikely). There were questions about whether an insignificant, sparsely populated island in South America was really worth risking human life over, and the inevitable counter-argument that the vast majority of Falklanders did not want to live under the rule of Argentina’s military dictatorship, and Britain had a duty to them.

It would be naive to assume there were clear left/right wing lines on these complex issues, though the general assumption was that left-wingers were supposed to be against the conflict while those on the right felt Britain had to protect its own citizens. To this day, I haven’t formed a clear opinion of my own on the situation, though by the time I was an adult and in a learned enough position to do so, the war seemed like a distant memory, so the pressure to have a proper opinion was off.

Meanwhile, out there in insignificant, gun-free indieland, it felt as if every group had a view. The anarcho-punks were against the war, obviously. Mark E Smith felt that the war had to happen, the first   contrary political position he had taken which apparently alienated him from some of his peers (it wouldn’t be for the last time). Some of the Oi groups were less subtle than that. And Elvis Costello and Clive Langer wrote this song.

Costello was vocally anti-Thatcher, and not necessarily subtly so. “Tramp The Dirt Down”, from his 1989 album “Spike”, is a fantasy about dancing on her grave when she finally passes away. While that song was visceral, “Shipbuilding” is subtle and unique among protest songs for not giving the listener an easy steer. Instead of laying down the law or satirically mocking the government, it takes the rare step of putting the singer in the shoes of an ordinary unemployed shipbuilder in a neglected industrial town – notably, the very towns Thatcher had virtually abandoned as non-Conservative voting lost causes in the eighties.

Robert Wyatt, who recorded the vocal in a couple of hours, is an inspired choice for the message. His voice has the correct levels of earthiness and vulnerability to carry the song, and he knows exactly where the difficulties and contradictions lie. “Shipbuilding” presents the war as an opportunity and a threat; a chance for a deprived town to be given serious work for awhile by helping to build the ships which may send their sons home, alive or dead. “Is it worth it?” Wyatt asks. “A new winter coat and shoes for the wife/ and a bicycle on the boy’s birthday”. The song opens with the mundane, the everyday, despite the enormity of the problem the record is addressing.

In common with the rest of the country, disagreements in the town spill over: “Somebody said that someone got filled in/ for saying that people get killed in/ the result of the shipbuilding” Wyatt sings breathlessly. This is probably the clumsiest lyric in the whole song, but his tight, rushed delivery ensures that it’s made to work; the one direct mention of the event every parent is dreading, skirted over quickly, almost in denial.

At various moments, you sense Wyatt protesting himself, justifying allowing himself to feel upbeat, the line “It’s all we’re skilled in!” saying everything in five short words. What else do we expect or want them to do? Sit out the chance to take their families out of poverty, albeit briefly?

Unlike most political records, “Shipbuilding” understands the micro-events that underpin society. As individuals living in capitalist societies, we are all to some degree complicit in wars, slavery, and cruelty we would not otherwise condone. We may have opinions, but our jobs and lives, and our ability to put food on tables, are inextricably bound up in situations we may only be dimly aware of. Even the melody understands this, the piano line following “It’s all we’re skilled in” allowing itself to sound almost triumphant, before falling back into a minor chord again.

In Costello’s imaginary but only too real town, the wolf is not howling at the door of the residents of a Second or Third world country – it’s on their steps, offering them money in return for their children’s lives. Under the circumstances, the residents do what everyone does the world over: celebrate cautiously, bicker and fight and open wounds and divisions, and ultimately keel, asking themselves what choice they really have. They have always fought for the right to work, and now it’s arrived with spikes on, do they have the right or reason to down tools and protest?

“Shipbuilding” is a stroke of genius which, because it dodges mentioning the Falklands Conflict directly, has proven to be timeless. Most notably, Suede covered it on the “Help” album to benefit the “War Child” charity in 1995, and Tasmin Archer had a Top 40 hit with it the previous year. Sadly, as we look out into a world that’s even more uncertain in the early 21st Century than it was in the 1980s, it doesn’t look as if the points it raises are going to evaporate soon. Human beings will remain complicit in conflict for quite some time to come yet, though I’d like to hope most of us will continue to look on in regret rather than resorting to mindless jingoism.

On its debut release, the single failed to enter the national Top 75, British radio stations perhaps being nervous about promoting a track which wasn’t unashamedly and openly for the conflict. On its re-release in 1983, however, it did better, climbing to number 35 and giving Rough Trade their first Top 40 hit.

It also marked Robert Wyatt’s first singles chart success since his version of “I’m A Believer” reached number 29 in 1974.

New Entries Elsewhere In The Charts

Week One


10. Toyah – “Be Loud Be Proud Be Heard” (Safari)

Proggish but shrill “Final Countdown” styled keyboards back Toyah on another defiant anthem of hers, which never sounds quite as powerful as it probably wants to. Toyah gives it her best and outperforms everyone else on the record, but the stodgy production ensures this one never takes off into orbit.

It peaked at number 4 on the indies and number 30 in the national charts.




19. Cocteau Twins – “Lullabies (EP)” (4AD)

And the indie chart begins its long love affair with the Cocteaus. While much would eventually be made of how revolutionary the group sounded, the Lullabies EP isn’t quite the neck-snapping turn you’d expect. It’s still possible to hear the group’s influences, the sluggish beats of Joy Division, the menace of Siouxsie and The Banshees, so any critic picking this up in 1982 might not have fully predicted what was ahead.

Nonetheless, there are elements which sound not dissimilar to work indie bands are pushing out even now, in 2024. The proto-My Bloody Valentine screech of the guitars, the unpredictable structures and restless nature of the track making it feel unique among its peers.

As opening salvos go, this is extraordinary even if it doesn’t quite push things to the extent the group eventually would. It would eventually peak at number 8.




22. Shriekback – “My Spine Is The Bassline” (Y Records)

Ex-XTC keyboardist Barry Andrews had already proven himself to more than the manic mad scientist stuck behind Andy Partridge; his debut solo single “Rossmore Road” was a piece of eerie, 3am psychogeography on 45 which was as worthy of acclaim as anything his previous group had put out.

“My Spine Is The Bassline” is equally superb, though – a post-punk floor filler which is immediately addictive and compelling while also having an undercurrent of threat, those hushed vocals seemingly pushing you into shapes you’re not sure you ever agreed to; a dancefloor groove that openly declares its manipulation after you’ve succumbed to it.

Astonishingly, it would climb no higher than its entry position.




28. Discharge – “State Violence” (Clay)


30. APB – “Rainy Day” (Oily)

Another post-punk track which slaps, as the kids say, but sticking it on straight after Shriekback underlines its flaws. “Rainy Day” has got the funk on its side, but the central hook isn’t compelling enough to sustain the track across the full four minutes, even if complaining about British weather over taut grooves is a unique approach.




Week Two

18. Conflict – “Live At Centro Iberico EP” (Xntrix)

A lot of live punk recordings from this era show the groups up to be only vaguely capable of even starting and finishing at the same time – Conflict here, however, are tight as buttons with their fury, garbling their frustrations out so hard you can barely make sense of what’s going on. It’s a total whirlwind and cemented the group’s reputation as one of the premier emerging punk acts and getting the a number 6 position in the indies.

23. The Damned – “Lively Arts” (Big Beat)

Another track from the wonderful “Black Album” which highlights The Damned at their ludicrously dramatic finest. “Lively Arts” barely feels like a single, almost having too many gothic flourishes for its own good, but proves the group’s ability to never take themselves too seriously took them to some more interesting creative places than the most earnest of punk rockers.




25. Brilliant – “That’s What Good Friends Are For” (Limelight)

Enter Jimmy Cauty, later of the KLF, and his first set of pals. Brilliant at this stage were a far cry from what they became, using funk basslines as an aggressive attack while their then-lead singer Marcus Myers snapped at the forefront of the affair. You can dance to this if you want, but it’s almost demanding that you stay seated.




27. 1919 – “Repulsion” (Red Rhino)

29. Colourbox – “Breakdown” (4AD)

Colourbox are probably most famed for being half of M/A/R/R/S who created “Pump Up The Volume”, but their earlier work is worthy of attention too. “Breakdown”, though, is probably a bit too fussy and jittery for its own good, an imperfect opening statement which only hints at what was to come.




30. Ritual – “Mind Disease” (Red Flame)


Week Three

13. Abrasive Wheels – “Burn ‘Em Down” (Riot City)

More old-school racketeering from the Wheels here whose drive feels close The Lurkers on some of the highest quality amphetamines. “Burn ‘Em Down” could just as easily have found a home on any early punk box set as a place in the 1982 charts, but it’s none the worse for that.




17. Weekend – “Drumbeat For Baby” (Rough Trade)

20. Theatre Of Hate – “Eastworld” (Burning Rome)

Kirk Brandon and co whip up a strange racket here, bit parts sixties Eastern beat exotica, bit parts atmospheric twang, and a dash of vocal agony – and that’s before we even get to the goose attack sax solo. The group had a flair for not sounding quite like anyone else, but there’s no question this crush of ideas will repel as many readers as it attracts.




25. Atilla The Stockbroker – “Cocktails” (Cherry Red)

Atilla is still performing on the spoken word circuit to this day, but “Cocktails” sees him put his ranting skills to a modest musical backing. As a rant against fashionable, pretentious pseudo-sophisticated music journalists, of whom 1982 boasted quite a few, it’s never been surpassed… except perhaps by Dexys Midnight Runners when they recorded “There There My Dear”.




26. Serious Drinking – “Love On The Terraces” (Upright)

1982 was a confusing time for groups – who did you want to be, an Oi urchin, post-punk or a cheeky retro-rascal? Why waste time thinking about it, when you could be all three like Serious Drinking. Sadly, the group never did maximise the youth audience they were seeking with this tack, and remained strictly a proposition for the John Peel show.




28. Disorder – “Perdition EP” (Disorder)

29. Virgin Prunes – “Baby Turns Blue” (Rough Trade)


Week Four

15. Sex Gang Children – “Into The Abyss” (Illuminated)

Batcave favoured early goth pioneers Sex Gang Children could never be accused of taking the obvious approach. “Into The Abyss” is a confusing mix of driving rhythms, pre-millenial howls, and screeching and fleeting hooks. Both unsettled and unsettling, it surprisingly managed to peak at number 4.




27. Peech Boys – “Don’t Make Me Wait” (TMT)

29. New York Dolls – “Personality Crisis” (Kamera)

The Fall’s 1982 label taking a punt on a New York Dolls reissue, which at the time probably felt fair enough – despite their status as the godfathers of punk rock, the Dolls material had slipped out of print and become harder to track down copies of. There was also the possibility that renewed attention could push them over the line.

Sadly, “Personality Crisis” remained as cult a concern in 1982 as it was nine years before, its ramshackle barroom sleaziness once again confined to the fringes.




30. Six Minute War – “Slightly Longer Songs” (Six Minute War)

For the full charts, please go to the UKMix Forums.

Number One In The Official Charts

Musical Youth: "Pass The Dutchie" (MCA)

Culture Club: "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" (Virgin)