REWIND: Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - 'The Only Living Boy In New Cross'

This 'Rewind' entry is one that I didn't discover until about four years after it became a hit. Four years seemed like a long time in the 90s... Because I didn't get into indie music until the arrival of Britpop, I had no idea who Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine (frequently shortened to Carter USM) were until I found this classic 1992 hit on an amazing compilation CD called 'True Brit'. After buying the album as a cheaper way to get my hands on some of the best indie tunes of that period, I was intrigued to find lots of pre-Britpop tracks from the early 90s on the 2nd CD, including tunes from The Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets, Jesus Jones, Ride and this London-based outfit, formed in 1988 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter. Fusing samples, sequenced basses and drum machines with rock 'n' roll guitars and off-beat lyrics littered with wordplay to create a unique blend of power-pop, 'The Only Living Boy In New Cross' was taken from their third LP 'The Love Album', which hit number 1 in the album charts. The single reached number 7 in the singles chart. They split in 1998 after releasing seven albums, but reformed in 2007 to play a number of reunion tours. The group finally came to an end late last year in November 2014 after playing their final shows at Brixton Academy.