Album Review: APB – The Radio 1 Sessions

A postpunk band from rural Scotland near Aberdeen, APB never quite hit the big time. The band released but two albums during its time in the spotlight, though the group – with often-shifting lineups – endures to this day. But despite their comparatively slim official output, APB was one of those bands that found itself invited onto BBC Radio many times. Legendary tastemaking deejay John Peel had the group on his program(me) at leas twice (in 1982 and ‘83). David Jensen also brought APB on his show at least twice !982 and 1984), and there exists at least one other BBC set by the band for the Peter Powell Show in 1983.

As is often the case – especially with punk, postpunk and new wave acts – the BBC performances often have a verve and spark that “proper” studio recordings lack. There’s something about the immediacy of cutting live-in-the-studio (or close to that approach) that has yielded superb performances from groups like the Beatles on down.

In 2006, a small and relatively unknown label called Young American Recordings compiled and released The Radio 1 Sessions, a 19-track collection of the aforementioned sessions. Copies of that long out-of-print are not the easiest to source, so this new 2024 reissue by Liberation Hall is a welcome one.

This new release doesn’t make any substantial changes to the 2006 set: same tracks, same cover art. But ultimately it’s about the music, and APB is in fine form here. There are no song repeats in this collection; the group had plenty of material and would do a good job of showcasing it for the various Radio 1 programs.

APB’s lineup was stable in these days: bassist Iain Slater, guitarist Glenn Roberts, drummer George Cheyne and – depending on which session – either Mikey Craighead or Nick Jones on additional percussion. I’ve read that APB influenced Red Hot Chili Peppers, but you’d do well not to hold that against them; this music is vital, sinewy and strong. APB had a storng pop sensibility, wedded to a funk-flavored sound that suggests what The Police might have sounded like had they drawn inspiration from a different set of sources.

There’s a strong dance-oriented character to the tunes, and the band could play. At times APB sounds a bit like Big Audio Dynamite or a much (much, much) more commercial PiL. The Radio 1 Sessions is solid stuff from an era when Britain seemed absolutely overrun with great and original bands.