"Well I can smell the French perfume while I sit here in despair"

Party in Paris front cover (UK) Party in Paris back cover (UK)

  • Above: Party in Paris UK release, 1980, front & back cover.
    Click to enlarge.

Cat. No: GEMS 42 (PB 9611)
Label: GEM Records
Recorded: September 1980
Released: 24th October 1980

A-Side: Party In Paris (Harper) 2.53
Run-out groove:
TA1PE - MB  'w' GEMS 42 - A - 2  A1
                              (Some black vinyl copies have A2C instead of A1)

B-Side: Fall Of The Empire (Harper, Garratt, Nixon) 2.14
Run-out groove:
GEMS 42 - B - 1  A1  'w'
                             (Black vinyl has A2B instead of A1)

Line Up

Vocals: Charlie Harper
Guitar:
Nicky Garratt
Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals:
Alvin Gibbs
Drums:
Steve Roberts

Additional Musicians On Party In Paris

Keyboards: Captain Sensible
Piano Accordion: Steve Norbbit

Sixth single release for Gem and the first with the new rhythm section of Gibbs and Roberts. Recorded at Alvic Studios and produced by Mike Leander (Gary Glitter's producer). The album version of Party In Paris was backed with the non-album track 'Fall of the Empire' which was co-written by Kevin Nixon.
Nixon auditioned for the band around 1980, with the song being based on a riff written by Nixon. The song was originally demo'd under a different title - Isn't It A Pity.

The band recorded for Top Of The Pops again but the audience invaded the stage part way through, resulting in the footage being scrapped. Party In Paris entered the charts on the 25th of October 1980 for 4 weeks reaching a high of number 37 (Source: Guinness British Hit Singles 11th edition). A video was shot to promote the single featuring the band in stripped t-shirts and also featuring several page 3 can-can girls.

The first pressing of the single was on orange vinyl with a solid centre and no teeth around the label edge, later copies were on black vinyl and came with a GEM company sleeve.

This would also be the last single distributed by RCA who stopped financing the label in early 1981.

Click on images to enlarge
Orange vinyl A-side
 Orange Vinyl Solid Centre A-Side    Orange vinyl B-side Orange Vinyl Solid Centre B-Side
Black vinyl A-side Black Vinyl Push-out Centre A-Side Black vinyl B-side Black Vinyl Push-out Centre B-Side

 

Mysterious One-Off Pressing?

In 2013, the e-Bay seller '09dave196655' listed an ultra rare copy of 'Party In Paris' multiple times at £699-00 plus £4-50 postage and packaging!
Listed as: "
UK SUBS party in paris 7" rarest one off this must be the rarest uk subs record", with a description as follows:

"UK SUBS party in paris/fall of the empire 7"

the colour is 4 bits of orange and 4 bits black this is the only copy i have found that is like this so this has got to be one of the rarest UK SUBS records ever, the bad thing is the record has a very small crack right at the beginning but as this is a one off this should not real bother the buyer the sleeve is vg any questions please feel free to ask yes its an original from 1980."
Click the below image to enlarge

Click to enlarge

 

Party in Paris press ad

  • Above: Party in Paris press ad, Sounds, 18th October 1980. Click to enlarge

From the Rob Cook U.K. Subs collection

  •  Above: Party in Paris lyrics, unknown origin/date. Click to enlarge

 

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T&M