Album: The Age of Plastic
Artist: The Buggles
1979 Island
CD: 422-842 849-2

Band members:
Geoff Downes: keys
Trevor Horn: vocals, bass

Produced by The Buggles


Tracks:
1. "Living in the Plastic Age" [Horn/Downes] (5:12)
2. "Video Killed the Radio Star" [Horn/Downes/Woolley] (4:08)
3. "Kid Dynamo" [Horn/Downes] (3:27)
4. "I Love You (Miss Robot)" [Horn/Downes] (4:55)
5. "Clean, Clean" [Horn/Downes/Woolley] (3:53)
6. "Elstree" [Horn/Downes] (4:27)
7. "Astroboy (and the Proles on Parade)" [Horn/Downes] (4:48)
8. "Johnny on the Monorail" [Horn/Downes] (5:26]


Notes: (*****) Bruce Woolley and Trevor Horn were working together, playing clubs and sessions, in the late '70s. They were reading JG Ballard, including his short story "The Sound Sweep", which was the inspiration for "Video Killed the Radio Star", the album's huge hit. The tune was Wolley's, the lyrics Horn's. Horn, Woolley and Downes were the backing band for Tina Charles. Horn, Downes and Woolley formed a group, but Woolley soon split. Horn and Woolley were still friends and writing together, and they wrote "Video Killed the Radio Star". Charles financed a demo of "Video Killed the Radio Star" and a couple of other songs with her, Horn, Woolley and Downes performing. Charles came up with the "oh-a oh". Woolley described this in a Apr 2020 podcast, The Hustle, saying he was, thus, never actually in The Buggles, but saying that his then girlfriend (subsequently wife) was the one who came up with the name.

Woolley formed the Camera Club, who performed "Video Killed the Radio Star" at gigs and went on to record their version. Woolley says he came up with the "Put the blame on VTR" lyric, which Horn heard at a Camera Club show and used, while the Camera Club heard Downes' new keyboard parts for the song and started incorporating them, a friendly rivalry existing between the two bands. Horn and Downes went off and got a deal for The Buggles based on the demo, leading to this album. (updated: HP, 7 Jun 2020)

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