The first Hanoi Rocks website Online since 1995

History - Part 2 - 1982

When Hanoi Rocks toured in Finland in 1982, many venues weren't even nearly sold out. Despite that fact the band still tried to perform every gig with full speed. It made things easier that by then in many places in Finland bands didn't have to play anymore those traditional 2x45 minute Ballroom sets. Therefore they could compress the set to more powerful one-time set and it had an impact like an erupting volcano. The really hilarious thing was that in those days in many venues it was strictly forbidden to move along with the music because it was seen as dancing. That's why the audience was just clapping hands and sang with the band. Swedish company EMA-Telstar was in charge for promoting and selling gigs. The band had their faithful roadie Spede touring with them and the fans eagerly helped him to put up the P.A. gear. The band wasn't participating to that activity anymore but were waiting in the bus or at the backroom sophistically reading books etc.


Typical setlist in 1982 (taken from an authentic setlist):
1) Intro (Michael joins the drumbeat with his harmonica and after a while it melts into the second song of the set)
2) Oriental Beat
3) (Unknown song)
4) Motorvatin'
5) Lost In The City
6) Devil Woman
7) Don't Follow Me
8) Don't You Ever Leave Me
9) I Want You
10) Tragedy
11) MC Baby
12) Nothing New
13) Kill City Kills
14) Encore 1 (Unknown song)
15) Encore 2 (Unknown song)
16) Encore 3 (Looking At You)


In the interviews during the newcoming of Hanoi Rocks, Andy and Michael have constantly underlined their part in the band. In reality Hanoi Rocks included six colourful personas and a very professional manager, Seppo Vesterinen. Next comment from 1982 shows that their attitudes towards own contributions haven't changed much since those days. Andy: "Yeah, on the stage we are a band of five different people but otherwise Hanoi Rocks is just me and Michael. We are a group inside of a group. Me and Mike could play every instrument in the songs but it wouldn't be fair towards others.”


Stories that are connected with Hanoi Rocks mostly romanticize drug-usage as a necessity to make rock-dream to work. In this story we try to go through that part as shortly as possible. The truth is that in 1982 also rumours of bad habits started to reach Finland along with good news about their success.


Michael in the nineties: ”Hanoi Rocks has possibly closed more doors behind than opened new ones in front. Every record company in the world knows about the drug issue. Talks about selling arse or using drugs is our stigma. Not everybody had the sense of humour seeing it was just talk-talk.” So all the talks about using drugs were just a joke? ”No comment,” Mike said. Then he coughed and looked a bit embarrassed. ”Probably it was Andy who boasted about his drugscenes. Just boasting, real junkies don't talk about their lives.”


Andy in the nineties: ”Everybody in Hanoi was hooked on schmack. Nobody can deny that. Of course, I was the baddie, that black sheep who suggested to try this and try that. Tooting Bec Wreck's a song that describes that time and state of mind. We all lived in one flat in Tooting Bec which is a suburban area in London. We were probably the only whiteys in there. All the others were Pakistani's and the house where we lived was fucking cold. Yeah, I tried once some nose powder and some mushrooms with Makkonen and then I wrote that song. There used to be rats in the kitchen 'cause nobody gave a shit about cleaning. We were just jolting China white and observed what's gonna happen. Listen to the lyrics of the song. We were livin' fast there but we came back.”


Andy in 1982: ”I don't want to rat anyone but one of my bandmate's condition's gone worse. He's no longer the same kind of a musician or singer what he used to be and he's really strung out nowadays. Not everybody knows what the word 'enough' means.”


Esa Koivio interviewed Nasty in 1982 to Soundi-magazine and that might help us interpretate Andy's statement: ”Then ya (Rene Berg) started to hang with us at Tooting Bec. I heard few years ago that Andy almost sacked me from Hanoi and hire ya as the second guitarist.”


Rene Berg: ”Andy wanted me to play the piano. He was so stoned that he thought I was a good pianist.”


January 1982 - Finland
Hanoi Rocks were at Lepakko –rock club taping a promovideo for Japanese market. Video consisted songs Tragedy, Motorvatin' and Oriental Beat.


January 1982 - Oriental Beat - Finland
Originally this album, which was recorded in London in November 1981, was called Second Attempt For A Suicide but it was changed to Oriental Beat. Peter Wooliscroft produced the album and all the songs are credited to Andy except Lightnin' Bar Blues which is credited to H. Axton and Motorvatin' and Teenangels Outsiders which Andy composed with Michael. In the back cover of the album are Anna's, Andy's girlfriend, painted breasts. Raimo Kankkunen of OK-magazine wrote that Oriental Beat included well known songs but also songs like Waterfree and Boats Waiting. It is probable that that mistake was caused during the process of lettering.


FIN: Released in January 1982 by Johanna Records, JHN2063.
JAP: Nippon Phonogram, 25PP-77 (1982)
UK: Lick, LICLP3 (August 1983)
Re-issues:
Uzi Suicide, GHS 24263 (October 1989, red vinyl)
Castle, ESM CD 274 (1995)


Andy: “Album's really snotty, real rock'n'roll. That's why I like it. Perhaps it's got too English kinda drums in it but all in all I'm very satisfied. Peter's very good mate. He's young too and he likes us. We had thrice the amount of songs compared to what we really needed but we still chose songs that we recorded in the studio without overdubbings.”


January-February 1982 – “Mike Monroe Sensational Winter Circus” tour dates – Finland.
8 Jan: Jalasjärvi, 9 Jan: Evijärvi, 10 Jan: Forssa, 11 Jan: Salo, 12 Jan: Perniö, 13 Jan: Tampere, 14 Jan: Helsinki, 15 Jan: Lieto, 16 Jan: Parkano, 18 Jan: Lahti, 19 Jan: Mikkeli, 20 Jan: Savonlinna, 21 Jan: Ilomantsi, 22 Jan: Suolahti, 23 Jan: Jämsä, 24 Jan: Järvenpää, 25 Jan: Lohja, 26 Jan: Turku, 27 Jan: Pori, 28 Jan: Virrat, 29 Jan: Kaustinen, 30 Jan: Lapua, 31 Jan: Vaasa, 2 Feb: Kemi, 3 Feb: Rovaniemi, 4 Feb: Oulu, 5 Feb: Raahe, 6 Feb: Suonenjoki, 7 Feb: Kuopio, 8 Feb: Joensuu, 9 Feb: Nurmes, 10 Feb: Iisalmi, 11 Feb: Pieksämäki, 12 Feb: Korpilahti, 13 Feb: Juva, 14 Feb: Imatra (Mansikkala school), 15 Feb: Kouvola, 16 Feb: Kotka, 19 Feb: Kalanti, 20 Feb: Helsinki (Lepakko Rock Club), 21 Feb: Pöytyä.


February-March 1982 – Sweden
22 Feb – 7 Mar: Concerts in Sweden.
April 1982
Tragedy –single was released in Japan. After the release the leading Japanese rock magazine Music Life started to write about the band regularly. Song was also included in the Japanese version of Jukebox Jury TV programme and it reached seventh position.


April 1982
In April band was rehearsing and just spending time in Stockholm.


May 1982 - Love's An Injection / Taxi Driver - Finland

Love's An Injection was recorded in Wessex Studios in London by Mark Freegard. In the label of the single they thanked Neville Staples (Courtesy of Chrystalis Records). In his book “Sheriffi McCoy Andy” Andy said: “In another studio we played Taxi Driver and Beer And A Cigarette.” Because it is very likely that the latter song was recorded at Farmyard studios outside London in May 1982, it is expected that also Taxi Driver was recorded at the same place. Single has Johanna's black-red cardboard covers. In October 1982 it reached number one in Finnish charts.


FIN: Released in May 1982 by Johanna Records, JHNS 244.


In the recording sessions mentioned above they also recorded songs Problem Child, In The Year '79, It's Too Late, Whispers In The Dark, Beer And A Cigarette and Self Destruction Blues. All the songs are credited to Andy McCoy. Ian Morais was then the engineer and Andy and Michael acted as producers. Some of the songs weren't supposed to release ever because they were recorded after a rehearsing sessions with one take.


May 1982 - Love's An Injection / Malibu Nightmare / Taxi Driver / Problem Child / In The Year '79 (Venue EP) - Finland
Previous single was added to this EP. They recorded Malibu Nightmare (plus also versions Malibu Beach Calypso and Malibu Beach Nightmare) as a joke at Finnvox Studios in Finland after a 53 day Finnish tour in the previous year. Risto Hemmi was the engineer to these songs. Later the song was transformed to its updated form which can be heard at Back To Mystery City album. Nasty Suicide played bass in this version because Sami came too late to the studios. In the back of the EP was an advertisement of their gig in Venue Club in London in June 22.
In the gig poster was also mentioned Hanoi Rocks' new album Oriental Breaks that could be bought from e.g. Stage One record store. That record must be either very rare or it was just misspelled because the album is infact called Oriental Beat. This EP is quite rare nowadays and you have to pay loads of Euro's to get it nevertheless songs itself aren't rare. EP is also known as The Venue EP.


FIN: Released in May 1982 by Johanna Records, JHNX 244.


June 1982 – England
5 Jun: London (ZigZag Club. Hanoi Rocks as a warm-up band for Lords Of The New Church)
22 Jun: London (The Venue. Concert kicked off at 9.30pm. Venue Box Office and Virgin Megastore handled the advanced bookings. Ticket price was £2.00. The address of The Venue was 160-162 Victoria Street, London and the telephone number 01-828-9441).


In the summer of 1982 Hanoi Rocks moved permanently to London. Nevertheless they didn't have to spend their nights on the streets anymore still the tasty jetset life was light years away and the income of one group member was about £5 a day.


Michael met Hanoi's future drummer Razzle (Nicholas Dingley) first time in June 1982. This happened at Johnny Thunders gig, where Michael was mistaken to think Razzle as the main performer Thunders. Later Razzle realised that Michael was the same bloke he had seen on the cover of Sounds-magazine. He liked the band's image. Razzle saw band's three concerts and after that marched into the backroom to meet the band and announced from the door: “Who's the drummer? I'll take his place nevertheless that means I have to break his legs.” It didn't take long for Andy and Michael to send an invitation to Razzle to meet them in their hotel. There Andy asked Razzle to be their new drummer. Seppo Vesterinen rented a place from Shepherd's Bush for rehearsals and there Razzle started jamming with the band.


June 1982 – Finland Tour Gig at Punkaharju (Huviniemi). Before a soundcheck some local drunkard noticed Andy sitting on a stage monitor and tried to burn a hole to the back of his green jacket. Band's roadie saw this and immediately attacked the bloke and took him down to the ground while shouting: “Never come back, you fucker.”


It is extremely important to say that the father of these pages, Jukka Halonen, opened one of the doors of that concert venue to two of the band's roadies during that same gig. 14 years later he opened the doors of the Internet to the whole band.


Later that night at the hotel in Punkaharju, the aroma of band's oriental cigarettes raised some eyebrows amongst the staff...


25 Jun: Ahvenlampi Rock Festivals
25 Jun: Valkeala
? Jun: Alavus (Sundance Summer Festivals). During this gig Gyp and Andy had a row with the security. Andy sacked Gyp who still stayed with the band until the end of the tour. Andy was accused of trying to mug members of the security staff and later he had to go to court for that.
26 Jun: Kitee (Ponurock Festivals)


Gyp Casino: “That thing wasn't working anymore, we didn't get along. Especially me and... well. It happened during some festival in Finland. I don't know what really happened. Andy did something that pissed me off and Andy then blew up after seeing my reaction. I left the band in the middle of a festival. We were the main performers, last band of the day. I don't believe we could have straightened things up and continue together anymore.” Afterwards Jeppe was having more tender thoughts about the band: “Fuck yeah, it was fun. The band gave me a lot and I'm not regretting anything. We're still mates and I think those blokes are just marvelous.”


Miscellaneous concert dates:
2 Jul: Fulham, England (Greyhound)
25 Jul: Karlshamn Festival, Sweden
27 Jul: Helsinki (Tavastia Rock Club)


July 1982 – Stockholm
After Jeppe had resigned from Hanoi Rocks, he went back to Stockholm to step into military service he had postponed because of the band. After the army service he, Calle (guitar) and Pelle Almgren (vocals) thought about forming a band. It was still obscure to them who the other players would be. Jeppe joked that the band should be called Gary Holton – Casino Steel Band Number Two. Gyp Casino (laughing): “Our band starts playing country and western. We'll get the real country outfit. Yeah, real clattercountry music... Casinocountry music.” More about Jeppe in his personal biography.


July 1982 – London-Helsinki
In the summer of 1982 Andy and Anna were staying in London in the flat of Richard Bishop who was in America at that time. After he came back Razzle invited Andy and Anna to his home at Islington where they stayed for three weeks. After this Andy, Anna and Razzle travelled to Holland by train and after that to Copenhagen and to Stockholm where they stayed for few days. Then they finally travelled to Helsinki where Hanoi started rehearsing. A place to rehearse located at Lepakko Rock Club and the rehearsals took place at night-time. During this time Andy, Anna and Razzle stayed at Seppo Vesterinen's home at Kasarminkatu in Helsinki.


August 1982 -Self Destruction Blues - England
This record was first released in Britain and two months after that in Finland. Love's An Injection was originally released as a single and I Want You was originally the first ever single by the band with the B-side Kill City Kills. Cafe Avenue was the B-side to single Tragedy and it was originally released in 1981 though the version heard on SDB isn't the same. Nothing New was originally released as the B-side of Dead By X-Mas. “Taxi Driver” was released as B-side of “Love's An Injection” and “Problem Child” was the EP version. Songs “Whispers In The Dark”, “Beer And A Cigarette” and Self Destruction Blues were originally from the same studio sessions like Taxi Driver and Problem Child. Desperados was originally released as a single in 1981. All in all, Self Destruction Blues was recorded in Decibel Studios in Stockholm, Farmyard Studios in London, Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Park Studios in Stockholm, Photosonic Studios in Helsinki and Wessex Studios in London. Kari Riipinen was in charge for the front cover pictures and cover art. Razzle was already in the front cover picture although Gyp Casino was playing in all of the songs.


UK: Released in August 1982 by Lick Records, LICLP4.
FIN: Released in October 1982 by Johanna Records, JHN 3023.
JAP: Nippon Phonogram 25PP-84 in 1982.
Re-issues:
Lick Records, LICLP PD4 in 1985
Uzi Suicide, GHS 24264 in October 1989, blue vinyl.


October 1982 - Finland
Self Destruction Blues was released in Finland and Love's An Injection reached number one in the Finnish charts. Kerrang-magazine published their first article about Hanoi Rocks. Record deal with Japanese Nippon Phonogram was signed.


3 Oct: Helsinki (Lepakko Rock Club). Razzle's first gig in Helsinki. Razzle: “I've been trying to form a band like this for years. All my life I've played heavy and fast rock, copying Damned and Alice Cooper, and finally I'm in a band that play their own songs and have their own unique style. I've seen pictures of the band in the English magazines and that band looked just like the band I'd like to join in.”


October-December 1982 – England Tour dates
14 Oct: London (Fulham Greyhound)
25 Oct: London (Marquee Club)
31 Oct: London (Lyceum)
5 Nov: Nottingham (Porterhouse)
12 Nov: London (Marquee Club)
15 Nov: London (Fulham Greyhound)
25 Nov: London (Marquee Club)
1 Dec: London (Marquee Club)
9 Dec: London (Marquee Club)


December 1982 – Finland Tour dates:
25 Dec: Joensuu
26 Dec: Himanka
31 Dec: Nivala


Andy: “When we first jammed with Razzle in Finland, we were in Nivala and the crowd looked phlegmatic, heads hanging downwards. Razzle was confused, he asked did everybody in Finland use schmack. I told him that they're just pissed. It took him half an hour before he believed me.”

“

I've been trying to form a band like this for years. All my life I've played heavy and fast rock, copying Damned and Alice Cooper, and finally I'm in a band that play their own songs and have their own unique style. I've seen pictures of the band in the English magazines and that band looked just like the band I'd like to join in.

Razzle