Unsafe Building is a song recorded by The Alarm, first appearing on the double sided 7″ single Unsafe Building / Up For Murder which was officially released at the Upstairs at Ronnie’s gig In London, England on 9th December 1981. The single was self-made by the band as a way to promote themselves with 2000, copies pressed. The sleeve is “tri-fold” which the band and road crew put together these together at their base in South London – 13 Emu Road, Battersea, London. The sleeve design was by Simon Shaw -“Mike Peters gave me some lyrics to go on and said I should take a look at Picasso’s Guernica”
It was re-recorded in 1990 as Unsafe Building (1990) to appear as a single release and the Standards album release
This song was probably the beginning of all things Alarm. I remember writing this, I had a little clothes shop in Rhyl called Riot Clothes. “We pose till we close” was the catchphrase. Not many people came in to buy the clothes, I can tell you that. They were a bit weird. I used to sit there all day waiting for someone to come in and usually, the only people who came in were the guys out of The Alarm and they bought their stuff off me out of sympathy. Probably explains why we looked so bad. We had this song going round, me and Eddie, and it started like that (plays starting riff of Unsafe Building), that was the riff, and that just started it. I wrote the lyrics for that one afternoon and it was good. I went off to London for a couple of days and Dave came home. Dave was living in Rhyl at the time and he went round to my mum’s house and nicked my acoustic guitar off my mum. My mum gave Dave the guitar, being the kind lady that she is and when I got home to Rhyl after I’d been to London for a couple of days, it was all mangled. It had been stripped, put all these electric pick-ups in it and he played me his new riff and it was Across The Border and it sounded pretty good. I just knew then we had The Alarm sound going and I said “I’ve got this other new song ” and I played him Unsafe Building and that was it. That was the rocky road to ruin right there
Unsafe Building and Up For Murder, as you know, are the first ever records we put out under the name The Alarm, and we actually recorded them in a place called Pluto Studios, which is in Manchester. We chose that studio because it was a) close to where we lived and b) because The Clash had recorded Bankrobber in there. One of the things we were very influenced by was The Clash and we all used to love the book “Before and after by The Clash”, which was a collection of photographs by Penny Smith and it was kind of like our image bible. We used to scour it and we copied things like motorbike boots out of there and all sorts of things, cowboys boots etc
When we got to the studio (4th September 1981) we actually took a load of pictures in exactly the same poses that the Clash had done in there. We spent most of our time doing that rather than recording records. It was a great day out for us, we really had a great time in there. One of the things on Unsafe Building is it has the whole “I (I)” thing. To get that effect we had to run a whole tape delay, none of this digital stuff then. This is Nige who reminded us of this story. We had to splice all this tape together and run it down this corridor. We had this one tape machine at one end and one right down there and this tape was just going round and round and round so we could get an echo. And we had to move the tape decks closer to each other until we got this delay . It worked anyway – Mike Peters – Alarm Day 2000
You mentioned “Unsafe Building” at the start of the interview and I think that’s a good place to return to for the conclusion. Tell me about the relationship between that song, you, and the band. Did you know at the time that it was going to play such a meaningful role for you?
It meant a lot to me as soon as I wrote the lyric. I was working in a little clothes shop I put together called Riot Clothing. I used to get clothes from shops and punk them up, write lyrics on them and such. Then I’d sell them to everybody in the town going out that night. I wrote the lyrics sitting in there one afternoon. As soon as I finished the lyrics I thought, “There’s something about this; this is the door, this is the key. This is going to take us all out of here.” Gareth Jones was our roadie at the time. He was with us on the Sigma tour last year when we talked to a lot of fans before the shows about the early days. Gareth said, “Mike came in one day with this lyric for ‘Unsafe Building’ and he had this list with it. He said we’re going to make this as a single. We’re going to go to London. We’re going to get an agent. Going to get a manager. Going to go on tour. We’re going to release a record. We’re going to go on ‘Tops of the Pops.’ And we’re going to go to America. The only thing he got wrong was they went to America before they went on Tops of the Pops.
“Unsafe Building” was like a eureka moment. When I wrote that lyric I thought there’s no going back from this. We can only go forward from here. – Mike Peters interview – 23rd June 2020 on www.newjerseystage.com
Unsafe Building 7″ Single 1981 recording details
Running length 4:25
Written by Macdonald / Peters
Musicians & Credits
Mike Peters – Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar
Dave Sharp – Acoustic Guitar
Eddie Macdonald – Electric Guitar
Nigel Twist – Drums
Recorded 4th September 1981 at Pluto Studios, Manchester, England
Produced by The Alarm and Scratch
Engineered by Phil Bush
Alternative studio recordings ~ Re-recorded ~ Acoustic ~ Remastered ~ Re-imagined
1990 – The Alarm – Unsafe Building Year 1990 re-recording
Running length 4:07
Musicians & Credits
Mike Peters – Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Dave Sharp – Electric Guitar, Backing vocals
Eddie Macdonald – Bass Guitar, Backing vocals
Twist – Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals
Recorded at Amazon Studios, Liverpool, England
Produced by The Alarm.
Engineered by Mark Phythanian
1995 – Acoustic recording details
Running length 2:43
Musicians & Credits
Mike Peters – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Recorded at Fort Apache, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Produced by Michael Peters.
Recorded by Dan McLoughlin.
2000 – The Alarm – The Alarm 2000 Collection Box Set : Eponymous [1981-1983] [Remastered]
Running length 4:25
Musicians & Credits
Mike Peters – Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar
Dave Sharp – Acoustic Guitar
Eddie Macdonald – Electric Guitar
Nigel Twist – Drums
Remastered from the 1981 original recording by Mike Peters
Remastering Engineered by Gary Butler @ RTS Liverpool in 2000
2000 – The Alarm – The Alarm 2000 Collection Box Set : Raw [1990-1981] [Remastered]
Running length 4:51
Musicians & Credits
Mike Peters – Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Dave Sharp – Electric Guitar, Backing vocals
Eddie Macdonald – Bass Guitar, Backing vocals
Twist – Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals
Remastered from the 1990 original recording by Mike Peters
Remastering Engineered by Gary Butler @ RTS Liverpool in 2000
2014 – Peace Train – Acoustic recording details
Running length 5:05
Musicians & Credits
Mike Peters – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Recorded at Bethel Chapel Studios, Dyserth, Wales.
Produced by Michael Peters.
Recorded and mixed by Mark Warden
2018 – The Alarm – Eponymous [1981-1983] remastered
Running length 4:25
Musicians & Credits
Mike Peters – Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar
Dave Sharp – Acoustic Guitar
Eddie Macdonald – Electric Guitar
Nigel Twist – Drums
Remastered from the 1981 original recording by Pete Maher
Remastering supervised by Mike Peters
Album appearances and discography for studio versions
All the following are Worldwide releases except where stated
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1995 – Mike Peters – Second Generation Volume 1 Rare Songs of the Alarm revisited
Released on CD by The Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C002.
1995 Elevator Studios, Liverpool recording
2000 : The Alarm – Eponymous [1981-1983]
Released on CD by The Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C010
Appearing as part of The Alarm 2000 collection box set and then later as an individual disc
1981 recorded version remastered
2000 : The Alarm – Raw [1990-1991]
Released on CD by The Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C016
Appearing as part of The Alarm 2000 collection box set and then later as an individual disc
1990 recorded version remastered
2007 – Dead Men Walking – Graveyard Smashes Volume 1
Released on CD by Resistance, catalogue number RES 005.
2006 Foel Studios, Wales recording
2014 : The Alarm – The Peace Train
Released on CD by The Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C066.
2014 Bethel Chapel Studios recording
16th March 2018 : The Alarm – Eponymous (1981-1983) remastered
Release on Vinyl and CD by The Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue numbers double vinyl LP 21C093 and double CD 21C093
1981 recorded version remastered
All the following are Worldwide releases except where stated
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12th November 1990 : The Alarm – Standards.
Released by IRS records on Vinyl, CD and Cassette in the UK and Europe. CD and Cassette USA and Canada, Vinyl and CD Australia. Vinyl and Cassette Italy. Vinyl South Korea. CD Japan. Various catalogue numbers
1990 new recording
28th October 1997 : Mike Peters – Acoustic Works 1981-1986
Released on CD by The Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C004
1995 Fort Apache Recording
2000 : The Alarm – Eponymous [1981-1983]
Released on CD by The Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C010
Appearing as part of The Alarm 2000 collection box set and then later as an individual disc
1981 recorded version remastered
2000 : The Alarm – Raw [1990-1991]
Released on CD by The Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C016
Appearing as part of The Alarm 2000 collection box set and then later as an individual disc
1990 recorded version remastered
2000 : The Alarm – The Alarm 2000 collection sampler
Released on CD by The Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C018
Edit of 1981 recording running length 3:16
2002 : The Alarm – Close
Released on CD by The Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21CS002
Two versions of the son feature on the album an edit of 1981 recording running length 3:16 and an edit of 1990 recording running length 3:53 
2002 : Mike Peters – Acoustic Alarm Standards
Released on CD in the USA by Conspiracy Music, catalogue number CM0014
1995 Fort Apache Recording
2014 : The Alarm – The Peace Train
Released on CD by The Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C066.
2014 Bethel Chapel Studios recording
16th March 2018 : The Alarm – Eponymous (1981-1983) remastered
Release on Vinyl and CD by The Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue numbers double vinyl LP 21C093 and double CD 21C093
1981 recorded version remastered
Single appearances and discography
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UK Releases
9th December 1981 : The Alarm – 7″ vinyl single – Unsafe Building
Track listing : Unsafe Building (Electric side) / Up For Murder (Acoustic side)
Released on White Cross Records (no catalogue number)
Original 1981 version
15th October 1990 : The Alarm – 7″ vinyl single – Unsafe Building Year 1990
Track listing : Unsafe Building Year 1990 (Electric side) / Up For Murder Year 1990 (Acoustic side)
Released by IRS Records, catalogue number ALARM2
1990 re-recorded version
15th October 1990 : The Alarm – 7″ vinyl single collectors pack – Unsafe Building Year 1990
Track listing : Unsafe Building Year 1990 (Electric side) / Up For Murder Year 1990 (Acoustic side)
Released by IRS Records, catalogue number ALARM E2
1990 re-recorded version
15th October 1990 : The Alarm – 12″ vinyl single with free poster – Unsafe Building Year 1990
Track listing : Unsafe Building Year 1990 (Electric side) / Up For Murder Year 1990 / Up For Murder 1981 (Acoustic side)
Released by IRS Records, catalogue number ALARM T2
1990 re-recorded version and 1981 version remastered
22nd October 1990 : The Alarm – CD single – Unsafe Building Year 1990
Track listing : Unsafe Building Year 1990 / Up For Murder Year 1990 / Unsafe Building 1981
Released by IRS Records, catalogue number ALARMCD2
1990 re-recorded version and 1981 version remastered
22nd October 1990 : The Alarm – Cassette single – Unsafe Building Year 1990
Track listing : Unsafe Building Year 1990 / Up For Murder Year 1990 / Unsafe Building 1981 / Up For Murder 1981
Released by IRS Records, catalogue number ALARM C2
1990 re-recorded version and 1981 version remastered
Europe Releases
October 1990 : The Alarm – 7″ vinyl single – Unsafe Building Year 1990
Track listing : Unsafe Building Year 1990 (Electric side) / Up For Murder Year 1990 (Acoustic side)
Released by IRS Records, catalogue number 1C 006 2 04128 7
1990 re-recorded version.
October 1990 : The Alarm – 12 vinyl single – Unsafe Building Year 1990
Track listing : Unsafe Building Year 1990 (Electric side) / Up For Murder Year 1990 (Acoustic side)
Released by IRS Records, catalogue number 1C 060 2 04128 6
1990 re-recorded version and 1981 version remastered
October 1990 : The Alarm – CD single – Unsafe Building Year 1990
Track listing : Unsafe Building Year 1990 / Up For Murder Year 1990 / Unsafe Building 1981
Released by IRS Records, catalogue number 20 4128.
1990 re-recorded version and 1981 version remastered
Germany Release
October 1990 : The Alarm – 7″ vinyl single promo – Unsafe Building Year 1990
Track listing : Unsafe Building Year 1990 (Electric side) / Up For Murder Year 1990 (Acoustic side)
Released by EMI Electrola, catalogue number 2041287
1990 re-recorded version
USA Release
1990 : The Alarm/The Water Walk – 7″ vinyl promotional single – I.R.S. Finyl Vinyl
Track Listing : Unsafe Building Year 1990 / b/w The Water Walk – Rain (Non Alarm track)
Released by IRS Records, Finyl Vinyl, catalogue number IRS 7PRO-6704:
1990 re-recorded version
Officially Released Live Recordings ~ Audio
All the following are Worldwide releases by The Twenty First Century Recording Company
(Except where stated)
27th September 1983. Recorded live at Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, Dave Sharp, Eddie Macdonald, Nigel Twist
Running length 3:45
Released on CD in 1999 as The Alarm Live on the King Biscuit Flower Hour – on King Biscuit records in the UK – catalogue number KBFHCD028, USA – catalogue number 70710-88049-2, Spain – catalogue number CELCD 027
Released on CD in 2002 as The Alarm Blaze of Glory – on Disky in Europe – catalogue number SI 794172
Released on DVD-Audio in 2003 as The Alarm From The Front Row ….. Live! – on Silverline in the USA – catalogue number 288157-9
13th February 1984. Recorded live at Top Rank, Brighton, England
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, Dave Sharp, Eddie Macdonald, Nigel Twist
Running length 3:45
Mastering by Dennis Blackham at Skye Mastering
Released on CD in 2003 by Shakedown records,as The Alarm The Sound & The Fury Live 1981 to 1991, catalogue number SHAKEBX112Z (UK, Export)
Released on CD in 2014 by Secret Records as The Alarm When The Storm Broke, catalogue number SECDD098 (UK)
14th February 1984. Recorded live at Hammersmith Palais, London W6, England.
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, Dave Sharp, Eddie Macdonald, Nigel Twist
Running length 4:17
Released on CD in 2002 as The Alarm Record Collectors Club Vol II – Hammersmith 1984
15th January 2000. Recorded at The Gathering 8, The North Wales Conference Centre, Llandudno, Wales.
Performed by Mike Peters and New Electric Band. : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve Grantley
Running Length 3:17
4th December 2000. Recorded at The Garage, Glasgow, Scotland.
5th December 2000. Recorded at University, Newcastle, England.
Running Length 3:35
7th December 2000. Recorded at The Cockpit, Leeds, England.
Running Length 3:45
8th December 2000. Recorded at Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton, England.
9th December 2000. Recorded at The Lomax, Liverpool, England
Running Length 3:31
10th December 2000. Recorded at The Leadmill, Sheffield, England.
13th December 2000. Recorded at Rock City, Nottingham, England.
15th December 2000. Recorded at Shepherds Bush Empire, London W12, England.
16th December 2000. Recorded at University, Cardiff, Wales
Running Length 3:35
17th December 2000. Recorded at University, Manchester, England
Running Length 3:35
December tour dates performed by The Alarm MM : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Richard Llewellyn, Steve Grantley
The UK December dates were part of the tour to promote The Alarm 2000 collection
13th January 2001. Recorded at The Gathering 7, The North Wales Conference Centre, Llandudno, Wales
Performed by The Alarm MMI: Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Richard Llewellyn and Steve Grantley.
Running Length 3:47
Released in USA on Beyond and Japan on Imperial Records in 2001, reissued in UK, Europe Australia & New Zealand on Select Records and USA on Beyond in 2005 as The Alarm – Greatest Hits Live
Released in Europe in 2006 on double CD The Best of The Alarm on Capitol Records, catalogue number 09463-57607-2-9
6th February 2001. Recorded at Logo, Hamburg, Germany
10th February 2001. Recorded at Colos-Saal, Aschaffenburg, Germany
Running Length 3:30
9th April 2001. Recorded at Elbo Room, Chicago, Illinois, USA
12th April 2001. Recorded at T.T. The Bear’s Place, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
13th April 2001. Recorded at The Vanderbilt, Plainview, New York, USA
13th April 2001. Recorded at Cotton Club, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Performed by The Alarm MMI : (Band Line up : tbc for the Feb and April dates)
1st February 2003. Recorded at The Garage, Glasgow, Scotland
Running Length 3:37
6th February 2003. Recorded at Masque Theatre, Liverpool, England
7th February 2003. Recorded at The Mean Fiddler, Harlesden, London NW10, England
Running Length 3:42
Performed by The Alarm MMIII : (Band Line up : tbc)
23rd August 2003. Recorded at William Aston Hall, NEWI, Wrexham, Wales
Performed by Mike Peters solo
Running Length 5:27
Released in 2003 on Alarmstock Volume 3 – Walking With The Demons And The Devils
3rd November 2003. Recorded at The Knitting Factory, New York, USA
5th November 2003. Recorded at The Middle East, Boston, USA
10th November 2003. Recorded at The Knitting Factory (East), New York, USA
Running Length 3:28
12th November 2003. Recorded at The Middle East, Boston, USA
17th November 2003. Recorded at The Knitting Factory (East), New York, USA
Running Length 3:38
19th November 2003. Recorded at The Middle East, Boston, USA
20th November 2003. Recorded at Elbo Room, Chicago, USA Running Length 3:36
21st November 2003. Recorded at The Knitting Factory (West), Los Angeles, USA
Running Length 3:31
Performed by The Alarm MMIII : (Band Line up : tbc)
7th February 2004. Recorded at Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton, England
8th February 2004. Recorded at Academy, Liverpool, England
26th February 2004. Recorded at Municipal Arts Centre, Pontypridd, Wales
Running Length 3:18
1st March 2004. Recorded at Scala, Kings Cross, London N1, England
Released in 2005 on CD/DVD Live In The Poppy Fields, on Snapper Records, catalogue number SMASDVD026
7th March 2004. Recorded at The Garage, Glasgow, Scotland Running Length 3:17
Performed by The Alarm MMIIV: Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve Grantley
29th August 2004. Recorded at William Aston Hall, NEWI, Wrexham, Wales
Performed by Mike Peters solo
Running Length 6:10
Released on CD in 2004 as Alarmstock 2 Volume 8 – The Peace Train
6th August 2005. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London NW8, England
Running Length 4:38
Performed by Mike Peters solo
Released on CD in 2005 as Alarmstock III London Set 3 – A Fuse Has Been Lit In The House
20th August 2005. Recorded at Capitol Records Studio A, Los Angeles, California, USA
Running Length 3:05
Performed by Mike Peters solo
Released on CD in 2005 as Alarmstock III Los Angeles Set 1 – The Sound Of Generations Collide
23rd September 2005. Recorded at CBGB’s, New York, USA Running Length 3:06
Performed by Dead Men Walking : Mike Peters, Kirk Brandon, Captain Sensible, Slim Jim Phantom
Released on CD in 2005 by on Resistance as Dead Men Walking Live at CBGB’s New York catalogue number Resistance 004
31st January 2009. Recorded at The Gathering 17, Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve Grantley
Running length 3:19
Released on CD in 2010 as The Alarm – Loaded, Live At The Gathering 2009 (audio highlights disc), catalogue number 21CDVD013
28th February 2009. Recorded at Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, Wales
Performed by Mike Peters solo
Running Length 2:44
Released on CD in 2009 as Mike Peters of The Alarm Live Acoustic, catalogue number 21C049
29th January 2011. Recorded at The Gathering 19, Pontins Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park, Prestatyn, Wales
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve Grantley
Running length : 3:38
Released ON CD?DVD in 2011 as The Alarm – Live At The Gathering 2011 (audio disc), catalogue number 21CDVD015
27th January 2012. Recorded at The Gathering 20, Pontins Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park, Prestatyn, Wales
Running length : 2.32
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Mark Taylor, Steve Norman
Released in 2012 – The Alarm – The Music Must And Shall Be Preserved (audio disc), catalogue number 21CDVD016
26th January 2013. Recorded at The Gathering 21, Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales
Running length : 3:32
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Mark Taylor
Released on CD in 2013 as The Alarm – Abide With Us – Live at The Gathering 2013, catalogue number 21C063
18th April 2014. Recorded at McCabe’s, Santa Monica, California, USA.
Performed by Mike Peters solo
Running Length 2:41
Released on CD in 2014 as Mike Peters In Concert at McCabe’s, catalogue number 21C069
10th October 2015. Recorded at Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff Wales
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, The Welsh Pops Orchestra and Acquire Choir
Released on DVD/CDin 2016 as Mike Peters & The Alarm – Poppies Falling From the Sky, catalogue number 21CDVD021
Officially Released Recordings ~ Video / DVD
All are Worldwide Releases on Twenty First Century Recording Company
(Except where stated)
1990. The Alarm – Official Promotional Video for Unsafe Building 1990
Running length 4:07
Released in 1990 in UK VHS PAL Video – I.R.S. records IVP1. USA VHS NTSC Video – EYE.R.S 5VD-13056
17th December 1993. Recorded at The Gathering 2, The Town Hall, Rhyl, Wales
Performed by Mike Peters solo
Released on VHS Video in 1995 – Mike Peters – The Gathering 2
Released on DVD in 2005 – The Alarm – The Gathering History, catalogue number 21CDVD003
15th December 2000. Recorded at Shepherds Bush Empire, London W12, England.
Performed by The Alarm MM : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Richard Llewellyn, Steve Grantley
Released on DVD in 2002 as The Alarm MM – Greatest Hits Live, catalogue number 21CDVD001
13th January 2001. Recorded at The Gathering 9, The North Wales Conference Centre, Llandudno, Wales.
Performed by The Alarm MMI : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Richard Llewellyn and Steve Grantley
Released on DVD in 2005 asThe Alarm – The Gathering History, catalogue number 21CDVD003
9th June 2001. Recorded at The Town Hall, Rhyl, Wales.
Performed by Mike Peters solo
Released in 2001 on DVD as The Story Of The Alarm (20th Anniversary), catalogue number 21CDVD002)
12th January 2002. Recorded at The Gathering 10, The North Wales Conference Centre, Llandudno, Wales.
Performed by The Alarm MMII : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Richard Llewellyn, Steve Grantley
Released on DVD in 2005 as The Alarm – The Gathering History, catalogue number 21CDVD003
25th January 2003. Recorded at The Gathering 11, The North Wales Conference Centre, Llandudno, Wales
Performed by The Alarm MMIII : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve Grantley, Mark Taylor
Released on DVD in 2005 as The Alarm – The Gathering History, catalogue number 21CDVD003
24th January 2004. Recorded at The Gathering 12, The North Wales Conference Centre, Llandudno, Wales
Performed by The Alarm MMIIV : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve Grantley, Mark Taylor
Released on DVD in 2005 as The Alarm – The Gathering History, catalogue number 21CDVD003
1st March 2004. Recorded at Scala, Kings Cross, London N1, England
Performed by The Alarm MMIIV : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Richard Llewellyn, Steve Grantley.
Released in 2005 on CD/DVD Live In The Poppy Fields, on Snapper Records, catalogue number SMASDVD026
29th January 2006. Recorded at The Gathering 14, The North Wales Conference Centre, Llandudno, Wales
Performed by The Alarm MMVI : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve Grantley
Released on DVD in 2006 as The Alarm – Live At The Gathering 2006, catalogue number 21CDVD008
27th January 2007. Recorded at The Gathering 15, The North Wales Conference Centre, Llandudno, Wales
Performed by The Alarm MMVII : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve Grantley
Released on DVD in 2007 as The Alarm – Live At The Gathering 2007 Premium Rock & Roll, catalogue number 21CDVD010
31st January 2009. Recorded at The Gathering 17, Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve Grantley
Running length 3:19
Released on DVD in 2010 as The Alarm – Loaded, Live At The Gathering 2009, catalogue number 21CDVD013
29th January 2011. Recorded at The Gathering 19, Pontins Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park, Prestatyn, Wales
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve Grantley
Running length 3:38
Released in 2011 on DVD – The Alarm – Live At The Gathering 2011, catalogue number 21CDVD015
27th January 2012. Recorded at The Gathering 20, Pontins Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park, Prestatyn, Wales
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Mark Taylor, Steve Norman
Running length 2.32
Released in 2012 on DVD – The Alarm – The Music Must And Shall Be Preserved, catalogue number 21CDVD016
26th January 2013. Recorded at The Gathering 21, Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Mark Taylor
Running length 3:32
Released in 2013 on DVD- The Alarm – Abide With Us – Live at The Gathering 2013, catalogue number 21C063
5th April 2014. Recorded at The Deaf Institute, Manchester, England
Performed by Mike Peters solo
Running length 2.32
Released in 2014 on DVD – Declaration – Live From The Deaf Institute, catalogue number 21CDVD017
10th October 2015. Recorded at Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff Wales
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, The Welsh Pops Orchestra and Acquire Choir
Released in 2016 on DVD/CD – Mike Peters & The Alarm – Poppies Falling From the Sky, catalogue number 21CDVD021
Radio Sessions, TV Appearances, Podcasts and online Multi-media
13th February 1983 : Kid Jensen Session – Recorded for BBC Radio One
First transmitted on 23rd February 1983
Running length 3:24
Performed by The Alarm : Mike Peters, Dave Sharp, Eddie Macdonald, Nigel Twist
Released on CD in 2008 as The Alarm – Radio Sessions 1983-1991 BBC on Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C045
21st March 2020. First broadcast for Season 1 Episode 1 of the Big Night In live stream broadcast from The Peters House, Dyserth, Wales
Performed by Mike Peters solo
Running Length 1:19
Released on CD in 2020 as The Alarm Music Will Keep Us Strong – Disc 1 – Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C118
The Big Night In Season 1 Episode 1 can be viewed in full on the video section of Alarm Central
Lyrics ~ 1981 Original Single
Declare yourself an unsafe building suffer the indignation of your world
To climb the ladders you’ve gotta suss out the snakes
Remember your height Remember to never look down
For now you’ve made your choice
You’ve gotta take your chance
Find a way out now
I have declared myself unsafe
Unsound, Unknown, Unwanted, Unnecessary
I’ve been condemned
I’m unsafe
Come out of the cupboard and into the real world
Open the window and let some light into your life
It’s dark in the tunnel but keep on coming through
Straight down the line and sure enough you’ll see the lights that shine
For now you’re young
You’ve got to run
You’ve got to take the chance
Find a way out now
I have declared myself unsafe
Unsound, Unknown, Unwanted, Unnecessary
I’ve been condemned
I’m unsafe
Behind the wardrobe there lies a better life
Burn all your old clothes start again make yourself something new
And the bed you’ve made, you need not sleep in it
Throw back the covers and make all of your dreams come true
Rebuild your life, rebuild your home, rethink your values
Rethink yourself right through
I have declared myself unsafe
Unsafe, unsound, unknown, unwanted, unnecessary
I’ve been condemned
I’m unsafe
Declare yourself an unsafe building
Alternative Lyrics ~ 1990 Re-recording
Declare yourself an unsafe building
Suffer the indignation of your world,
To climb the ladders you’ve gotta suss out the snakes
Remember your height Remember to never look down.
For now you’ve made your choice
You’ve gotta take your chance
Find a way out now
For I
I have declared myself unsafe
I have declared myself unsafe
Come out of the cupboard and into the real world
Open the window and let some light into your life
It’s dark in the tunnel but keep on coming through
Straight down the line and sure enough you’ll see the lights that shine
For now you’re young
You’ve got to run
You’ve got to take the chance
Find a way out now
Oh now now I
I have declared myself unsafe
I have declared myself unsafe
Behind the wardrobe there lies a better life
Burn all your old clothes
Start again make yourself something new
Rebuild your life
Rebuild your home
Rethink your values
Rethink yourself right through
Oh now now I
I have declared myself unsafe
I have declared myself
Unsafe, unsound, unknown, unwanted, unnecessary
I’ve been condemned
Oh I’m unsafe
Yes I am
Oh I
I have declared myself unsafe
I have declared myself
Oh I
I have declared myself unsafe
I have declared myself
Oh I
I have declared myself unsafe
I have declared myself
Alternative Lyrics ~ 1995 Acoustic Works recording
Declare yourself an unsafe building
Suffer the indignation’s of your world,
To climb the ladders you’ve gotta suss out the snakes
Remember your height
Remember to never look down.
For now you’ve made your choice
You’ve gotta take a chance
Find a way out now
And now that I
I have declared myself unsafe
I have declared myself unsafe, unsound, unknown, unwanted, unnecessary
I’ve been condemned
Oh I’m unsafe
I’m unsafe
Behind the wardrobe there lies a better life
Burn all your old clothes
Start again make yourself something new
Because the bed you’ve made
You need not sleep in it
Throw back the covers
And make all of your dreams come true
Rebuild your life
Rebuild your home
Rethink your values
Rethink yourself right through
And now that I
I have declared myself unsafe
I have declared myself unsafe, unsound, unknown, unwanted, unnecessary
I’ve been condemned
Oh I’m unsafe
Audio & Visuals Sources Video x 8
Video Link – The original 1981 single did not have a video produced for it but a version using footage from the 1981-1984 era was created in 2018, using the original remastered song recording
Video Link – 1990 Official Promotional Video for Unsafe Building 1990
Video Link – 1990 Official Alternative version for Unsafe Building 1990
Video Link – The Alarm The Sound & Fury Tour 2011 Venue unknown – Audience recording
Video Link – Mike Peters Red Poppy Tour 7th November 2012 at O2 Academy, Birmingham, England – Audience recording
Video Link – The Alarm at Scout Bar Houston, Texas, USA – Audience recording
Video Link – Mike Peters recorded Live at Aberdeen, Scotland 2017 – Audience recording
Video Link – Mike Peters – 21019 Sigma Tour Pre-Gig Audience performance 16th August 2019 Milwaukee – Audience recording
(Page updated 10/05/2022)