After 'Framed' I started hanging out with Rick again. He was doing well with the Bootleg Beatles and playing stadium gigs all around the world (they were the first of the now many tribute bands). Rick told me he'd be playing a gig at, let's say, the Buddakahn in Japan, to thousands of screaming girls, whilst thinking about what shopping he needed when he got home! It was more like theatre than being in a band, and that's when he asked me about forming a new band that he could work with whilst still playing the Bootlegs gigs.

Rick came up with the name and paid for all the rehearsals (we were all skint). 'We' being singer Kevin Ledbetter, and an old friend Andy Prince on Bass and Chapman stick. Andy had played with Toya, The Jimmy Edwards Band, Ricki And The Last Days On Earth, and on some early demo's I did for Polydor immediately after Sham split. The INC could have been a good band, we had some good numbers and were starting to play live, but it became frustrating trying to always fit around what the Bootlegs were doing. For a short while before I left we had Boomtown Rats Bass player Pete Broquet in the band (see shot above).

M Beal

Around this time (1986 approx) Jimmy and I started hanging out together again and decided the time was right to re-form Sham. I bought Andy with me from the INC and Ian from Framed who at this point was playing with guitarist Bernie Torme. We were also joined by Linda Pagganelli on Saxophone and Tony Bick on Keyboards.

After INC I was living in Brixton and Jimmy had just moved back to Hersham. We were being managed by Paul Smith (not the designer) who had previously managed several big bands but was now running a farm in Hersham, strangely enough the same farm the Jimmy and I played on as kids.
We signed to Legacy records who were operating out of Maison Rouge studios in Fulham where we recorded one Album

Our next album saw a change of management and record company (though we still remain close friends with Paul Smith to this day), at this point Tony Bick left the band to be replaced by Patricia Bastian. We originally went to a studio in Portsmouth to write and knock up some demo's, followed by a version of the album containing many unreleased tracks recorded at my 16 track studio in Brixton ( a version of this may be released on this site at some point in the future ). With more songs written we ended up at Kenny Jones studio in Cranleigh for some pre production work and then on to Jimmy Pages studio to finally finish off what would become "INFORMATION LIBRE".

In 1995 we signed to Brian Adam's (not the singer) label at Hatch Farm Studios in Surrey. Jimmy and I knew Brian from the early Punk days when he ran the Vortex club, he also ran a studio in the Sheperton film studios complex where we finished off the "The Game" album which we'd begun in the South of France at the Super Bear studios. At this point the band returned to a four piece with both Linda and Patricia leaving.
The first album we recorded here was "SOAPY WATER AND MR MARMALADE" along side my first solo album "RECONCILE" (available here soon). Ian and Andy played the drums and bass.
In 1997 Andy left and was replaced by Mat Sargent who had just left Chelsea (the group not the place), we recorded two albums "THE A FILES" and "DIRECT ACTION" and a number of singles.

A special reference should be given to my good friend Jimmy Edwards, whom I met right at the start of Sham, He was appx. 10 years older than me and offered Sham a lot of help and guidance. Jimmy started off in 1966 playing the Marquee club with a band called The Neat Change. In 1969 he starred in a film called ‘Groupie Girl’, and was involved in various group and solo projects. He met Sham in 1976, had various solo deals including his band ‘Masterswitch’ which included on bass, Andy Prince. One of his solo singles Nora’s Diary was recorded with Sham whilst at the Chatteu in France. Produced many artists including Flintlock, worked with Godley and Creeme and the Pretenders. He also formed ‘Time UK’ with Rick Buckler and Danny Kustov. Time UK product is available through Rick’s site (see links page). Jimmy and I wrote many songs together through the years, some of which we recorded a few years ago at my home studio, due to interest I may make these recordings available soon.