The Jags were a British rock band formed in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, in 1978, composed of Nick Watkinson (vocals), John Alder (guitar/backing vocals), Steve Prudence (bass), firstly Neil Whittaker and then Alex Baird (drums), Michael Cotton (bass/backing vocals) and Patrick O'Toole (piano/keyboard).[3]

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The Jags
Background information
Origin	Scarborough, England
Genres	Power pop,[1] new wave[2]
Years active	1978–1982
Labels	Island
Past members	Nick Watkinson John Alder Steve Prudence Alex Baird Michael Cotton Patrick O'Toole Neil Whittaker Richard Mazda Barry Graham

A Scarborough-Guildford-Glasgow combo, The Jags marked their signing to Island Records in 1979 with a four-track debut 12” EP ("Back of My Hand" / "Double Visions" / "Single Visions" / "What Can I Do?").[3] "Back of My Hand" was described as "simply one of the best records Elvis Costello didn't write".[4] The song was included on the band's debut album Evening Standards, which was released the following year.[3]

Starting out in 1978 playing London pubs and college gigs, by 1979 The Jags' sound had moved to jangly power-pop.[3]

Career

They signed to Island Records in July 1978 and initially released a four-track EP.[3]

On 8 September 1979, the power pop single "Back of My Hand", written by Watkinson and guitarist Alder, entered the UK Singles Chart.[3] It had a chart life of 10 weeks and peaked at number 17.[5] "Back of My Hand" was included on their debut album Evening Standards, which was released the following year.[3] Their follow-up single "Woman's World" entered the UK chart on 2 February 1980 at number 75 - dropping out the next week.[5]

1981 saw the release of their second, and what proved to be, final album, No Tie Like a Present.[3] The Jags disbanded in 1982.

Discography

Albums

• Evening Standards (1980) (US No. 205)
• No Tie Like a Present (1981)[3]

Singles

• "Back of My Hand" (1979) – UK No. 17, US No.  84
• "Woman's World" (1980) – UK No. 75
• "Party Games" (1980)
• "I Never Was a Beachboy" (1980)[5]
• "Here Comes My Baby" (1981)
• "The Sound of G-O-O-D-B-Y-E" (1981)

Only "Back of My Hand" and "Here Comes My Baby" were released in the US.

References

External links

• The Jags Sounds Powered By Glasgow Mods Website Multimedia portal of Mod Life In Scotland
• "The Jags: Power Goes Pop". Magnet Magazine. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2020.