David Read - guitar, vocals
Dave Arnold - guitar
Martin Bishop - drums
Stuart Ellis - bass (1987-1991)
Adrian Hatcher - bass (1985-87)
John Cleary - bass (1991-92)
Влияние
The Who, The Kinks, The Jasmine Minks, The Smiths, The Stranglers, The Jam, The Dentists, Hellfire Sermons.
Perhaps The Claim were born in the wrong time? It might explain how a band who possessed such consummate talent in the age-old craft of songwriting could have failed to make more of an impact. After all, they attracted praise from a coterie of music journalists and then hopeful indie bands – not least the Manic Street Preachers, who supported the band for their first ever London show in 1989.
To look back through the old press cuttings from NME, Sounds and Melody Maker, the overwhelming sense is that this was the prototype Britpop band. When the press was full of grunge, shoe gazing and a thousand Velvet Underground wannabes in the late 80s/early 90s, The Claim were picking up reviews saying they were a pop band in the noblest of British traditions, and that it was tough on them that Englishness was so unfashionable. And remember, this is before Suede. Songs like ‘Sunday’, ‘Sporting Life’, ‘Dear’ and ‘Mike The Bike’ wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Blur’s Modern Life Is Rubbish, issued in 1993 just after The Claim had split up.
The Claim’s musical legacy – two albums and a string of promising 45s issued between 1985 and 1992 – is now coveted by collectors in-the-know, with dizzying prices attracted on the likes of eBay. So what did we miss? Well, The Claim shared a knack for witty, gritty, poignant indie nuggets in common with fellow Medway band The Dentists and some of the better acts from Creation Records’ stable, namely The Jasmine Minks - one eye on the classic 60s guitar pop (Who, Kinks, Beatles) and the other on the songbooks of The Jam and The Smiths.
In September 2009 Rev-Ola release Black Path, a retrospective consisting of singles, hand-picked band favourites and several previously unreleased tracks, which amply demonstrate that they were far from creatively exhausted when the called it a day. It will be The Claim's first ever appearance on CD.
