Army Life

Walter Buchan was from Edinburgh. He had served in the British Army before returning to the city and starting a punk band. He called himself Wattie. Edinburgh had its own scene by 1979. Not London’s version. The same anger feeding on different streets and different resentments. The lineup for the debut single included Hayboy on guitar, Mark on bass, and Dru Stix on drums. They did not wait for a label. They built one.

“Army Life” was the A-side of a three-song EP. The Exploited released it on their own imprint, The Exploited Record Company, catalog number EXP 1001. The producer was Dave Leaper. Red Rhino Distribution handled the physical side. The B-sides were “Fuck the Mods” and “Crashed Out.” Backing vocals came from a group credited as The Fuckits. The title song drew on what Wattie had seen in the Army. It was not written from the outside looking in.

The single found an audience on the UK independent circuit. Later in 1980 the band released a second EP called “Exploited Barmy Army.” The following year “Dead Cities” reached the main UK singles chart. Over the decades that followed Wattie remained the one constant as the lineup shifted around him. Released July 15, 1980. The first record on a label they built themselves. EXP 1001.