Allan from the NoMen talks about Zip Nolan:
The Cult Figures brought out their first single on the Swell Maps 'Rather Records' label in 1978. It was the fourth release on the label after two by Swell Maps and one by Steve Treatment - and it was a classic! The Swell Maps were the uncredited backing band and the song starts with a blast of Epic Soundtrack drumming followed by the dumbest guitar riff since the early Ramones. At the time when a lot of Post Punk music was taking itself very seriously, and getting a little pretentious, here was a band having unashamed FUN.
The song lyrics were simple and to the point - "Zip Nolan, Highway Patrolman!" that was more or less it!!! What more do you need! After a few choruses, a mock American voice comes in to give a bit of background info on Zip Nolan, then its back to the song...
But what's this!!! - in one of the most innovative pieces of songwriting ever, the music stops leaving the singer telling a joke in his thick Brummie accent, and just before the punchline the band wallops back in for a chaotic ending of police siren impersonations and strangled yelps! Unbelievable.
The B side 'Playing With Toys' was good too and there was also the kazoo and piano "Dub" version of Zip Nolan stuck on at the end.
Then there was the sleeve! It wasn't just the picture of Zip Nolan's head on Elvis' body or the 1950s illustrations inside that made it so good... it was one of the best 7" sleeves ever! A massive fold out pink and blue gatefold masterpiece that, like the record, blew away any pretentiousness and boldly proclaimed "Being in a band is Fun!!!"

Zip Nolan (MP3 sample)

Twenty odd years after falling in love with this record I looked it out for George to hear and, like me, he loved it. It sounded as fresh and vital today as it did in'79, so much so in fact that, when we formed the NoMen, it was the first song we recorded as part of our DIY punk tribute. Whether our version does it justice is not for me to say but I can assure you that we had great fun recording it and recreating our own version of the sleeve!

There may have been more important records coming from those early punk days but Zip Nolan will always have a special place in my record collection.