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Bio:
Named after a Dublin suburb, Stepaside were formed in 1976 from the ashes of
Deke O'Brien's pub rock band
Nightbus. The band's early sound was
not all that far removed from the later Bees Make Honey lineup, i.e. country rock,
as is borne out by a live broadcast on RTE that has survived on tape.
Deke O'Brien left in 1978 after the debut single, taking Paul Ashford and the Mulligan recording contract with him, which is probably why the second Stepaside single on Mulligan was cancelled. Stepaside contined with Mark Costigan on board, and Bob Bolton on bass (later in Beats Workin'), though Paul Ashford later returned to the fold.
Stepaside played energetic, R'n'B infused rock which more-or-less fit the new
wave bill but which owed as much to Bob Seger as it did to Elvis Costello. They
weren't considered authentic new wave in some quarters though they'd have fit
in on Chiswick or Stiff easily enough.
They self-released a decent LP which also came out on Gale Records in the UK
(anyone know anything about that label?). They made many TV appearances before
disbanding in late 1980 or early 1981.
Guitarist Brendan Bonass led a new lineup in 1981
with Mick O'Hagan (bass/vocals), Denis Woods (keyboards) and Niall Power (drums).
They were managed by boyband impresario/svengali Louis Walsh.
They did some very glam, heavy on the eyeliner publicity photos and recorded
a single for Spider Records which barely came out when the label crashed.
This single is now the hardest Stepaside release to find.
Singer/bassist Paul Ashford fronted The Sharks in 1981
and later released mediocre solo material. He currently fronts a cabaret band.
Some sources claim this was to be the second Stepaside single "Too Long On The Road" in which case it probably never existed as a Mulligan release as the band issued it themselves in April the following year; another theory put to me by someone close to the band is that it was a repress of the debut single given away with initial copies of the Nightbus LP, but as that came out in 1976 this seems very unlikely! See Deke O'Brien for more details.
Issued in a very fragile printed bag, like an LP inner sleeve, and very hard to find in good condition as a result.
Notes:
All CD reissues to date are on budget labels and sound it, so be warned! The
Break Music CD is reputedly awful - I haven't heard it, but if it sounds
anything as bad as the cassette edition, the people responsible need horse whipping. The
digitally remastered Chart Records issue doesn't sound right either in my opinion.
Whether its a remastering problem or a manufacturing defect I cannot say, but it
sounds tinny, thin and trebly, and gets worse with each track. It's particularly
noticeable on "Last Resort" which sounds diabolical IMO. It was re-mastered by
Robin Robbins of Bob Seeger's Silver Bullet Band in his studio and apparently
sounded terrific at the time, but it hasn't translated well to the finised CD
for some reason.
At time of writing (June 2008), there is no substitute for an original vinyl LP
pressing.
The blurb says: Two Great Irish Rock Albums In One Box. One disc is the Chart Records issue of Stepaside's Sit Down And Relapse album. The other disc is Brush Shiels "Fields Of Athenry" album.
New version of the A-side recorded at Windmill Lane by the 1981 lineup of Mick O'Hagan (vocals), Brendan Bonass, Dennis Woods (keyboards) and Niall Power (drums). 500 copies were pressed and were due for release when Spider Records went bust. The records were then dumped at the back of Warner Bros offices in Dublin, so it was never officially released. Copies are in circulation however, so it did go on sale. Even so it's a tough find these days.
We need your help to correct and/or complete this entry. If you can provide more information about this band, have scans, photos or any other memorabilia we can use, or spare copies of any releases, then please get in touch.