This book from Johnnie Johnstone recounts the life of Edinburgh band Josef-K from their unnamed beginnings in the “leafy suburbs of 1978,” via their early incarnation TV-Art and later towards a name that defined both the character and sound of the band: Josef K.
Organised in a loose chronological manner which recounts early memories of life before the band – those leading up towards the realisation that being a musician was possible, this is an excellent source of personal information and also the band’s discography which I am sure will become an important document in recording the impact made by Josef K in the Scottish music scene.
In the opening chapters, the individual members of the band relate personal biographical stories they remember from before they joined the band. The story of two Paul’s (Haig and Mason) crashing a Mini into a field while trying to get to a Generation X gig.
The genesis of this band – beginning with no name, before choosing TV Art and eventually Josef K allows us a vision of the characters that made the stories appear real in the songs. We even discover the Glam bands whose concerts they attended.
The life of the band (1978-1981) is discussed as are the principles applied to song writing, both musically and vocally. Much use of cassette manipulation.
Photographs highlight the staunch grey of the Josef K uniform and – looking at them now, they look quite cool.
The dissolution of this band in 1981 seemed, to my mind, to be too early and the record sleeve for the unreleased debut album remains a personal favourite album sleeve.
As a record of a most important band in the history of Scottish popular music (and of course beyond), I am most grateful that this biography of a great band exists.
