In the mid-seventies Pete Burns was a local cult figure in the Liverpudlian post punk scene: he ran a series of boutiques in Liverpool and was quite popular for his eccentricities (dyed red hair and thoroughly shaved-off eyebrows, green foundation, bouffant wigs, black contact lenses, and pink latex costumes). In the fall of 1977, mainly due to his outrageous looks and blossoming cult status, Burns was recruited by Pete Wylie to form the Mystery Girl (with Wylie on guitars, Julian Cope on bass, Phil Hurst on drums), a band which lasted the time span of a gig, supporting Sham 69, and played mainly cover songs (I Can See for Miles, Wild Thing, Someone like Me, The Night Time Is the Right Time, etc.), with a couple of original songs thrown in, among which Julian Cope's "Bouncing Babies', later a hit for Teardrop Explodes.
It was through the experience of rehearsing with the group that Burns realized he did have a powerful, rough and throaty singing voice (not unlike Jim Morrison’s).
In 1979 he put together a new band, the post-punk and proto-Goth act Nightmares in Wax featuring Mick Reid on guitars, Martin Healy on keyboards, Pete Lloyd on bass, and former Mystery Girl Phil Hurst on drums. (Nightmares in Wax frequently played with their name, one of them being Rainbows over Nagasaki.)
Nightmares in Wax released one only recording, a three-track 7" EP titled Birth of a Nation in 1979/1980, featuring a gothic sound and blatantly homosexual lyrics.
dead or alive - evolution 1979-1984
01 - Black Leather (NIGHTMARES IN WAX 'Birth Of A Nation' EP, February 1979)
02 - Girl's Song (NIGHTMARES IN WAX 'Birth Of A Nation' EP, February 1979)
03 - Shangri-La (NIGHTMARES IN WAX 'Birth Of A Nation' EP, February 1979)
04 - I'm Falling (DEAD OR ALIVE 'I'm Falling' UK 7inch Single A-Side, May 1980)
05 - Flowers (DEAD OR ALIVE 'I'm Falling' UK 7inch Single B-Side, May 1980)
06 - Number Eleven (DEAD OR ALIVE 'Number Eleven' UK 7inch Single A-Side, February 1981)
07 - Namegame (DEAD OR ALIVE 'Number Eleven' UK 7inch Single B-Side, February 1981)
08 - It's Been Hours Now (DEAD OR ALIVE 'It's Been Hours Now' UK EP A-Side, February 1982)
09 - Whirlpool (DEAD OR ALIVE 'It's Been Hours Now' UK EP A-Side, February 1982)
10 - Nowhere To Nowhere (DEAD OR ALIVE 'It's Been Hours Now' UK EP B-Side, February 1982)
11 - It's Been Hours Now 2 (DEAD OR ALIVE 'It's Been Hours Now' UK EP B-Side, February 1982)
12 - The Stranger (DEAD OR ALIVE 'The Stranger' UK 7inch Single A-Side, May 1982)
13 - Some Of That (DEAD OR ALIVE 'The Stranger' UK 7inch Single A-Side, May 1982)
14 - Misty Circles (Dub Mix) (DEAD OR ALIVE 'Misty Circles' UK 12inch, May 1983)
15 - Selfish Side (DEAD OR ALIVE 'Misty Circles' UK 12inch B-Side, May 1983)
16 - What I Want (Dance Mix) (DEAD OR ALIVE 'What I Want' UK 12inch Single A-Side, August 1983)
17 - I'd Do Anything (Megamix) (DEAD OR ALIVE 'I'd Do Anything' UK 12inch Single A-Side, January 1984)
18 - Give It To Me (DEAD OR ALIVE 'I'd Do Anything' UK 12inch Single B-Side, January 1984)
part 1
part 2
Bonus Disc
01 - Flowers (DEAD OR ALIVE John Peel Session, BBC, February 4, 1981)
02 - Running Wild (DEAD OR ALIVE John Peel Session, BBC, February 4, 1981)
03 - Number Eleven (DEAD OR ALIVE John Peel Session, BBC, February 4, 1981)
04 - Nowhere To Nowhere (DEAD OR ALIVE John Peel Session, BBC, February 4, 1981)
05 - Number Twelve (DEAD OR ALIVE John Peel Session, BBC, March 1, 1982)
06 - Misty Circles Part 1 (DEAD OR ALIVE John Peel Session, BBC, March 1, 1982)
07 - Untitled (DEAD OR ALIVE John Peel Session, BBC, March 1, 1982)
08 - Misty Circles Part 2 (DEAD OR ALIVE John Peel Session, BBC, March 1, 1982)
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