"Please don't bother trying to find her"

• Above: She's Not There UK release, 1979, front & back cover.
  Click to enlarge.

Cat. No: GEMS 14 (PB9467)
Label: GEM Records
Recorded: 1979
Released: 23 November 1979

A-Side: She's Not There (R. Argent)
             Kicks (Harper, Garratt) 3.28 (Combined time)
Run-out groove: BILBO GEMS 14-A-1 w A1C
(Solid centre has: Manufactured in Germany RCA GEMS 14-A-1)

B-Side: Victim (Garratt, Harper)
             The Same Thing (Harper, Slack) 2.18 (Combined time)
Run-out groove: TA1PE GEMS GEMS 14-B-1 w A1C
(Solid centre has: Manufactured in Germany RCA GEMS 14-B-1)

Line Up

Vocals: Charlie Harper/ Paul Slack (She's Not There)
Guitar: Nicky Garratt
Bass: Paul Slack
Drums: Pete Davies

Third single release for Gem and the band's first cover version (She's Not There was recorded by the Zombies in 1964), recorded at Alvic & Kingsway studios. It was Nicky Garratt's first attempt at production, apart from Victim which was again produced by John McCoy.

Victim is a reworking of an early song, No Rules, which appears on the complete Roxy recording Live Kicks.
Kicks was also re-recorded for the next album, Brand New Age.

Pressed on green vinyl with a push-out centre, then on black vinyl with a push-out centre.
Later black vinyl copies had a solid centre and were pressed in Germany, with these copies being issued in a GEM company sleeve.

Kev Barksby has kindly sent in scans of a white label copy on black vinyl (see below), as it has slightly different writing in the run-out groove it is fair to assume that this is a test pressing.

The band made their fourth Top Of The Pops appearance with Paul Slack singing (trying not to crack up as his Sister and girlfriend are in the audience trying to make him laugh), and Charlie on second guitar. The record entered the UK top 40 chart on 1st December 1979, staying in the charts for 7 weeks and peaking at number 36 (Source: Guinness British Hit Singles 11th edition).

After the previous two Gem singles, also released in 1979, had been issued in other countries apart from the UK, it is curious that She's Not There wasn't given similar treatment abroad. Especially as the next single, Warhead, was. This may have been down to the lead track being a cover version and/or it being sung by Paul Slack and not Charlie, as the other three foreign Gem/RCA releases were. It was also a rush release between albums.

Click on images to enlarge
 Green Vinyl Demo A-Side                  Green Vinyl Demo B-Side
 Green Vinyl A-Side                               Green Vinyl B-Side
 Black Vinyl Push-out Centre A-Side  Black Vinyl Push-out Centre B-Side
 Black Vinyl Solid Centre A-Side         Black Vinyl Solid Centre B-Side
 White Label, Black Vinyl A-Side       White Label, Black Vinyl B-Side

White label copy scans courtesy of Kev Barksby. Thanks Kev!

Click on images to enlarge

• Above: She's Not There press ad, Sounds, 1st December 1979.

• Above: Half page music press advert - N.M.E. - 1 December 1979 page 54

• Above: Photograph from Top Of The Pops appearance

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