Life On Mars – The Ultra-Rare Spinoff Singles (And Album)

Regular readers of these pages will have already seen the following amazing charity shop find – the 1973 Life On Mars spinoff album Simm Something Simple by The John Simm Band.

Side 1 – Life On Mars; Solving A Rape In The Past; I’m Hands Christian Anderson; Motown Medley; Handbags And Gladrags; I Disown My Country

Side 2 – The ALF Song (With A Little Love For The World); What Do You Get A Wookie For Christmas?; Ronan Atkinson Presents Canned Laughter (A Single); [VETOED]; Track 3 Off Peter Wyngarde’s Album; The Sorry Song

Bonus Tracks On CD Version: Theme From “Meerkat Manor”, I’m ‘Avin’ ‘Oops (by Gene & The Hunters)

Well, never mind that Chris Skelton’s Own Personal ‘Being A Policeman’ Handbook that goes for a million pounds a time on eBay – if you’re after the real Life On Mars rarities, have a look at the following long-forgotten popular beat waxings that have recently been uncovered by dedicated researchers:

Gene & The Hunters – I’m ‘Avin ‘Oops

Not that difficult to find if you look hard enough. If you’re interested, you can actually hear a bit of it here.

Keith West – Sam (Tyler)

However, this little-known second instalment in the legendary unfinished ‘Teenage Oopera’ is much harder to track down, especially in this rare picture sleeve that was withdrawn after John Simm complained that it made him look ‘a bit like Pob’.

 

DC(I) Gleniston Featuring MC Philip Glenister – We Got An ‘Oop Thang (Remix ‘89)

The original 1977 ‘rare groove’ version of this disco classic is virtually unheard of, so instead here’s the inferior House remix from 1989, 12″ vinyl copies of which now fetch upwards of thirty quid. And if anyone out there has a scan of the cover of Liz White’s (She’s Our Dear Old) Test Card Girl, please get in touch…