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'New Age' was and still is my favorite Blitz 7″ single, and as I like all of the records that Blitz released that means a fair bit.

'New Age' was the first release on Future Records, a ‘progressive’ sister label to the better known (and less positive named) No Future Records and was the last release from the classic Blitz line up that produced the ‘All Out Attack’, ‘Never Surrender’ and ‘Warriors’ 7″ singles.

Blitz appeared on The Tube, a popular prime time Friday night alternative music showcase programme with 'New Age', and the record was played on the radio one shows after the eight o clock watershed by Kid Jenkins and John Peel a fair bit.

The 'New Age' record sold well, as far as I can remember.

A great and glorious bowing out for this original line up of the band.

Carl, the vocalist, and Tim the drummer continued in the new version of Blitz and kept the band name for the ‘Telecommunication’ 7″ single and all the following releases, the ‘Solar’ 7″ single and the ‘Second Empire Justice’ album.

Some would argue that the name Blitz should have been discarded at this time. And that is a fair point.

The sound of the new Blitz was surprising, but in my opinion, musically the band seemed to have been rotating in the same vague orbit as Joy Division, Teardrop Explodes, Savage Republic, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry or Death In June, the sound was pretty good.

Chris Nagle, who produced Blitz was also Joy Division's and New Order's engineer under Martin Hannett.

I liked the single in any case, so have added it to this YouTube post. Nowadays the sound would be described as dark wave or industrial post punk.

Nidge and Mackie, the guitarist and bassist of Blitz went onto form Rose Of Victory and recorded a version of Bowie's, 'Suffragette City' 7" single for No Future Records. The band and the record sank to depths far too deep for me to get to.

The next Blitz single on Future Records, ‘Telecomunication’ (sandwiched inbetween 'New Age' and the Violators 'Life On The Red Line') and the album, 'Second Empire Justice' lost credibility in the eyes of most punks and skinhead followers, and the band definitely lost the support of Bushell. I remember a letter sent into Sounds music weekly written by a very upset skinhead to complain that he had a Blitz tattoo inked into his face (around the time of ‘Warriors’) and that the last single (‘Telecommunication’) had made him feel ashamed to go outside with his bonehead mates! A shame. Hope he got over that one!

Both these records were played a fair bit all those years ago, and over thirty years later they still both sound great.

Future Records released records by And Also The Trees, who were very successful, I saw them supporting The Cure.

Christian Death, The Violators and the Wild Flowers were also supported by Future Records.

Why the album title 'Second Empire Justice'?

I'm not sure, but.

The Second Empire was a continental and overseas empire ruled by Prussia. The First Empire was the Holy Roman Empire, which ended in 1806. The Second Empire replaced the German Confederation and the short-lived North German Confederation (1866–70). It was created by Bismarck following the Franco-Prussian War, by the union of twenty five German states under the Hohenzollern King of Prussia, now Emperor William I.

There was also a French Second Empire under Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870.

There certainly is a feeling of European pride to the albums title choice.