Dancing With The Rude Boy

Just discovered a great John Peel session from 1980 featuring Laurel Aitken with the Ruts as his backing band.  Aitken had put out dozens of singles and albums during the sixties and early seventies and made the most of the late seventies mod and ska revival by signing to Secret Affair’s I-Spy record label and releasing a couple of singles in 1980.  The peel session was recorded in April 1980 (just a month after the Ruts released Staring At The Rudeboys and 3 months before lead singer Malcolm Owen would tragically be found dead from a heroin overdose.

The tracks recorded were

Big Fat Man,

Rudi Got Married

Jesse James

Rock Me Baby/Caledonia

The full line up was Laurel Aitken (Organ, Vocals), Paul Fox (Guitar, Backing Vocals), Gary Barnacle (Saxophone, Organ), Segs (Bass), Dave Duffy (Drums, Backing Vocals) and Malcolm Owen (Backing Vocals).  Unfortunately Aitken passed away in 2005 but leaves a great ska legacy behind him

LAUREL AITKEN – RUDI GOT MARRIED

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf5_--wy660