"Will inspiration come my way?"

• Above: Diminished Responsibility UK LP release, 1981, front and back covers.
  Click to enlarge.

Cat. No: GEMLP 112 (PL 43507)
Label: GEM
Recorded: September 1980
Released: February 1981

Side One:

You Don't Belong (Harper, Garratt)
So What (Harper, Garratt)
Confrontation (Harper, Garratt, Roberts)
Fatal (Harper, Garratt)
Time And Matter (Harper, Garratt, Gibbs)
Violent City (Harper, Garratt)
Too Tired (Harper, Garratt, Roberts)

Run-out groove: GEM LP 112 - A - 1  w  BILBO LUVS IT...  A3A

Side Two:

Party In Paris (Harper)
Gangster (Harper, Gibbs)
Face The Machine (Harper, Gibbs)
New Order (Harper, Garratt, Gibbs, Wesson)
Just Another Jungle (Harper, Garratt, Slack)
Collision Cult (Harper, Garratt)

Run-out groove: GEM LP 112 - B - 1  w  AND THE SUBS!  TA1PE

Line Up

Rhythm Guitar/Vocals: Charlie Harper
Lead Guitar: Nicky Garratt
Bass: Alvin Gibbs
Drums: Steve Roberts
Synthesiser: Mal Wesson
Keyboards: Captain Sensible

Fourth and last album for GEM, they would go bust within the year after putting all their money into a Eurovision Song Contest entry that failed, but the first with the new rhythm section of Gibbs and Roberts.

Released on red then black vinyl, the LP featured abstract drawings of the band by Caroline Kalberer which continued on the inner sleeve which also carried, for the first time, the lyrics to the whole album.

It was decided to bring in big time producer Mike Leander, who had previously worked with Gary Glitter.
According to Nicky Garratt's account of the time, Leander didn't show up half the time but managed to make a mess of the basic recordings which Garratt tried to rescue in remixing, a 'party' to listen to the different mixes and choose which ones to use resulted in most of Nicky's mixes ending up on the album.

The album only spawned one single, Party in Paris, despite the strength of the rest of the material, possibly due to the production issues.

Also the last album to make it into the UK charts going in on the 21st of February, hanging around for five weeks, peaking at number 18. (Source: Guinness Book of British Hits Albums, sixth edition)

According to Mark Brennan's notes, on the DOJO CD release, Diminished Responsibilty was recorded at Jacobs Studios. It was actually recorded at Alvic, Endangered Species would be recorded at Jacobs along with one of the A.W.O.L. sessions.

Click on images to enlarge

Red Vinyl Side 1   Red Vinyl Side 2
Black Vinyl Side 1 Black Vinyl Side 2
Test Pressing 1   Test Pressing 2

Test pressing images courtesy of Geoff Cooper.

• Above: Diminished Responsibility Press Ad, Sounds, 14th February 1981, page 7.

• Above: Album advert, unknown origin (glossy magazine).

• Above: Nicky and Charlie "getting vibes from the board" at Alvic in 1981 demoing Diminshed Responsibility. Background left to right; Chutch, Alvin Gibbs, Tinny (Half fan/half roadie) and The Duke of Montenegro (The sound engineer and actual Duke!)
  A big thank you to Nicky Garratt for letting us use this picture.

• Below: Diminished Responsibility review, NME, 21st February 1981, page 34.
  Note wrong line-up picture. D'oh!

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