"Better Scream" is the debut 7" single released by the first band incarnation of Pete Wylie, Wah! Heat after being a member of the short-lived

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and the Mystery Girls. It was also Wylie's third serious project (the first being the heavily-funded but short-lived Liverpool super group English Opium Eaters with future

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leader

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, future

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dancer Paul Rutherford on lead vocals, and future

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drummer

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). When the English Opium Eaters collapsed due to musical differences, Wylie then joined local band Crash Course but left taking drummer Rob Jones with him. Wah! Heat was formed in late 1979. The original band consisted during this time of Pete Wylie on vocals and guitar, Rob Jones on drums and former Those Naughty Lumps' guitarist Pete Younger on bass. By the time the single was recorded, Mick Jones (no relative) had joined on keyboards. "Better Scream" was first released in late 1979, and in February 1980 was reviewed the same week as Wylie's former colleague

Julian Cope Julian David Cope (born 21 October 1957) is an English musician and author. He was the singer and songwriter in Liverpool post-punk band the Teardrop Explodes and has followed a solo career since 1983 in addition to working on musical side proj ...

released his third single "Treason" with

the Teardrop Explodes The Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single "Reward", the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s. T ...

. "Better Scream" received critical acclaim by the British press and magazines like ''Sounds'' and the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

''.

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

also noticed the band, and was so impressed by their 7" debut that he invited them to record their first Peel Session in late spring 1980.music...isms: Wah! Heat
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Track listing

# "Better Scream" (Wylie) - 3:25 # "Hey (Disco) Joe" (Jones, Wylie, Younger) - 5:00

References

1979 songs 1979 debut singles Wah! songs {{1970s-single-stub