"Sixty Eight Guns" (or written as "68 Guns") is a song by Welsh rock band
the Alarm
The Alarm are a Welsh rock band that formed in Rhyl, Wales in 1981. Initially formed as a punk band, the Toilets, in 1977 under lead vocalist Mike Peters, the group soon embraced arena rock and included marked influences from Welsh language ...
that was released as a single in August 1983 and later appeared on the group's debut album ''
Declaration'' in February 1984. It was written by Alarm members
Mike Peters and Eddie MacDonald.
The song reached No. 17 on the
UK Singles Chart, becoming the Alarm's first top 40 appearance and their highest-ever position on that chart.
The song also reached No. 39 on the
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock is a music chart published by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States. It is an administrative category that combines the " active rock" and " heritage rock" ...
chart in the United States, the Alarm's first-ever chart position in that country. Soon after, it "bubbled under" the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart at No. 106, becoming the band's first charting single on the American pop chart.
The song was recorded at
Good Earth Studios and mixed at
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...
.
Background and writing
The lyrics to "Sixty Eight Guns" were inspired by a book that Peters had read about the 1960s street gangs of
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
.
Title
The song's title is written as "Sixty Eight Guns" and "68 Guns" interchangeably on the various
I.R.S. releases. The back cover of ''Declaration'' and the front cover of the 7" single show the title as "Sixty Eight Guns" while the labels on the discs themselves show the title as "68 Guns".
Track listings
All songs written by Mike Peters and Eddie MacDonald.
UK 7" single
#"68 Guns" - 3:15
#"68 Guns Part II" - 3:25
UK 12" single
#"68 Guns (Full Version)" - 5:45
#"Thoughts of a Young Man" - 2:50
Credits
* Vocals - Mike Peters
* Guitars - Dave Sharp, Mike Peters
* Bass - Eddie MacDonald
* Drums - Nigel Twist
* Keyboards - Ian Kewley
* Piano - Alan Shacklock
* Trumpet - Arthur Fairlie
* Single cover - Harry Murlowski
Charts
Other releases
The song appeared on several other Alarm releases:
* As a live track on the maxi-version of the single "Spirit of '76".
* As a live studio version on the "
45 RPM" hoax single released by the Alarm under the name of the
Poppy Fields.
* As a live track on Peters' solo ''Live (From a Broadcast)'' album. It includes an additional verse that was dropped during the early stages of writing.
References
External links
The Alarm official website
{{The Alarm
1983 songs
1983 singles
I.R.S. Records singles
The Alarm songs