Namesakes #104: The Firm

I'm not sure The Firm is a great name for your band. Still, I guess it's better than The Limp. And plenty of bands appear to have chosen it. Here are this week's contenders...

THE FIRM #1

We'll start today in 1980 with an obscure British punk band. This was the second b-side to their single Angry Young Men. I can't find any other tracks from them on the web, so count yourself lucky I found this one.

The Firm - Mainstream

THE FIRM #2

80s rock "supergroup" made up of Paul Rodgers, Jimmy Page, the drummer from Manfred Mann's Earth Band and fretless bass player Tony Franklin. They made two albums in '85 and '86, then called it a day. Hopefully they made enough money to buy Paul Rodgers some new buttons for his shirt...

The Firm - Tear Down The Walls 

THE FIRM #3

Boldly going forward, 'cos they can't find reverse. Grahame Lister, John O'Connor and Tony Thorpe were The Firm between 1982 and 1988, releasing the chart-topping (I bought it, for which I can only apologise) Star Trekkin' in '87. I'll spare you that. Instead, here's their far less ear-grating tribute to George Cole from a few years earlier...

The Firm - Arthur Daley (E's Alright)

THE FIRM #4

Some utter nonsense from the early 90s... Elvis would be turning in his grave (if he was actually dead).

The Firm - Jailhouse Rave

THE FIRM #5

90s rap "supergroup" led by Dr. Dre (he's not a real doctor), featuring Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ and Cormega. In 1997, they released an album of mafioso-themed rap which wasn't particularly well received, so they all went back to their day jobs.

The Firm - Phone Tap

THE FIRM #6

French hardcore techno from 2005. At least the song title is honest, though they lose marks for spelling.

The Firm - Harmfull Potential

THE FIRM #7

And finally, a Dutch Oi! band from 2011...

The Firm - Generation Broken Family

So... which is your Firm Favourite?

(Yes, this whole edition was designed just to allow me to write that line.)