PUNKNET 77 - Slaughter & the Dogs

The text is taken from the booklet of Cranked up Really High CD and is written by Mark Brennan.

Slaughter & the Dogs were originally formed in early ‘76 in Wythenshawe, Nr.Manchester, by school friends Mick Rossi (guitar) and Wayne Barratt (vocals), the name stemming from two of their biggest influences - Mick Ronson’s Slaughter on 10th Avenue and Bowie’s Diamond Dogs. With bassist Howard ‘Zip’ Bates and drummer Brian ‘Mad Muffet’ Grantham they gigged in and around their local area before getting their first break - a support slot to The Sex Pistols at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall on July 20th 1976. Their first London gig came courtesy of support slots to both The Sex Pistols and The Damned in late ‘76 whilst gigs at the legendary Roxy Club were recorded for a compilation LP Live at the Roxy.
Prior to the release of Live at the Roxy Slaughter signed to the Manchester based Rabid Records and, on May 16th 1977, release their debut 45 Cracked up Really High / The Bitch, the music press dubbing them "Manchester’s master of talcum powder punk" due to Barratt’s liberal use of talc at every gig! Decca Records then stepped in to sign the band and their first release for the label was September 16th '77’s Where Have All the Boot Boys Gone / You’re a Bore for which the band also made a promo video. November 30th '78 saw the release of the Dame to Blame / Johnny T single which was followed on 27th February 1978 by the Quick Joey Small / Come on Back single which featured a guest appearance by Rossi’s hero, Mick Ronson.
The bands debut LP Do It Dog Style was finally released in May ‘78 though poor sales (by Decca’s expectations!) resulted in the label dropping the band leading to them splitting shortly after it’s release, vocalist Barratt relocating to France in the name of love! Rabid issued the Live Slaughter Rabid Dogs LP, recorded at Manchester’s Belle Vue on 9th July 1977, whilst TJM issued the four track Slaughter & The Dogs 12" around the same times as Rossi, Bates, Muffet and new guitarist Billy Duffy (ex- The Nosebleeds, later of The Cult) teamed up with a new vocalist Steven Morrisey (later of The Smiths) to play a couple of gigs under the Slaughter & the Dogs banner.
By May ‘79 Rossi, bates, Duffy and drummer Phil Rowland (ex- Eater) had re-emerged as The Studio Sweethearts, releasing the single I Believe / It Isn’t Me for DJM Records (DJS-10915) though with few promoters willing to book the band (they all wanted Slaughter) The Seethears folded just two months later. Re-uniting with Barratt and Muffet and relaunching as Slaughter & The Dogs the band issued the 45 You’re Ready Now / Runaway on November 8th 1979 though following it’s release Barratt again quit the band for France and he was replaced by Ed ‘Banger’ Garrity (ex- The Nosebleeds). He debuted on the East Side of Town / One by One single, released in February 1980, and also appeared on the Bite Back LP - the band actually making a full length video, recorded at London’s Dingwalls, for the whole album which to this day has never seen outside the record company’s vaults - and the I’m the One / Whats Wrong Boy (live) / Hell in New York single before, disillusioned by their lack of commercial success, Slaughter & The Dogs finally called it a day in early ‘81.

Discography:

Cracked up Really High / The Bitch (Rabid Records TOSH-101) 05/77
Where Have All the Boot Boys Gone / You’re a Bore (Decca Records F-13723; also as 12") 09/77
Dame to Blame / Johnny T (Decca Records F-13743) 11/77
Quick Joey Small / Come on Back (Decca Records F-13758) 02/78
** LP ** Do It Dog Style (Decca SKL-5292) 05/78
** LP ** Live Slaughter Rabid Dogs (Rabid Records HAT-23) -78
Slaughter & The Dogs (4 track 12"; TJM TJM-33) -78
You’re Ready Now / Runaway (DJM Records DJS-10927) 11/79
East Side of Town / One by One (DJM Records DJS-10936) 02/80
** LP ** Bite Back (DJM Records DJF-20566) -80
I’m the One / Whats Wrong Boy (live) / Hell in New York (DJM Records DJS-10945) -80
** LP ** Live at the Factory (Thrush) -81
** LP ** Way We Were (compilation?) (Thrush P1) -83
** LP ** Slaughterhouse Tapes (Link) -89
** CD ** Shocking (Receiver)
** CD ** Cranked up Really High (Captain Oi! AHOY-CD-50) -95

Most important tracks on compilations:

Live at the Roxy: Runaway and Boston Babies (Harvest SHSP-4069) -77
Oi! the Album: Where Have All the Boot Boys Gone (EMI ZIT-1) -80
Holidays In The Sun - Volume 1: Slaughter & The Dogs (Visionary HITS-01) -97

Slaughter & the Dogs links:

Slaughter & the Dogs - Trouser Press
Slaughter & Dogs - All-Music Guide

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