The Beach Bullies

The Beach Bullies

The Beach Bullies are an indie and jangle pop project led by James A. Smith, also known as The Great One, who plays guitar and sings. Smith is a friend and occasional collaborator of Robyn Hitchcock. The group records one LP under the Beach Bullies name, We Rule The Universe, which appears on Musclebound Records in 1980.

Recording and personnel

Jill Fricker joins Smith on vocals and guitar. She also plays guitar on the Velvet Underground song “Femme Fatale”. The album is recorded at the same time and in the same place as The Soft Boys’ Underwater Moonlight. The Beach Bullies are close friends of The Soft Boys and often tour with them.

Notable song connections

We Rule The Universe includes the original version of “Zip Zip”, which becomes a live cover favourite for The Soft Boys and also appears on the B-side of the 7-inch included with the vinyl reissue of Underwater Moonlight. “Zip Zip” is first recorded by Smith’s late-1970s Cambridge band The Containers, which includes Stella Baker, later of The Bodysnatchers and The Belle Stars.