SHAM 69 – HERSHAM BOYS 7″ – Nr MINT UK 1979 PIC SLEEVE PUNK

Sham 69 – Hersham Boys
(Polydor Records  1979  POSP64)
UK Pressing

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition

Sleeve in Nr MINT/Excellent+ condition
– some slight wear along top opening edge

Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They changed their musical direction after seeing the Sex Pistols play live in early 1976. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including “If the Kids Are United” and “Hurry Up Harry”. The group’s popularity saw them perform on the BBC’s Top of the Pops, and they appeared in the rockumentary film, D.O.A.. The original unit broke up in 1979, with frontman Jimmy Pursey moving on to pursue a solo career.

In 1987, Pursey and guitarist David Parsons reformed the band, joined by new personnel. Although subsequently going through a number of line-up changes, Sham 69 remained active and were still playing gigs as of 2022.^[

“Hersham Boys” is a single released by English punk rock band Sham 69 in 1979 from their third studio album The Adventures of the Hersham Boys. It was the band’s biggest and most well-known hit, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart and at nine on the Irish Singles Chart. “Hersham Boys” was not a favourite at Smash Hits, with music journalist David Hepworth describing the song as “A tired, hollow effort struggling between weary attempts at rabble-rousing and blush-making pseudo-Springsteen ‘street’ songs that reek of desperation and contract fulfilling. As empty self-satisfied a record as anything they supposedly set out to replace”. The song is included on live and compilation albums. Two live tracks, “I Don’t Wanna (live)” and “Tell Us The Truth (live)” appear as b-sides on this single, recorded in 1978. In the music video the sign that Pursey, the rest of Sham 69 and a young boy are sitting next to is the sign for Hersham Road.

Track listing

Side one

1. “Hersham Boys” – 3:25

Side two

1. “I Don’t Wanna (live)” – 2:06
2. “Tell Us The Truth (live)” – 2:06