as 2004, the single was described in retrospect as “mutated… beyond all recognition, with Max providing heavy duty electro beats, Nick Smash beating the shit out of his tom-toms and Dave screaming his lungs out (through) a convoluted series of sections before finally degenerating into full-on insanity, with Dave screeching a tirade of obscenities.” Howard made much of the initial friction between himself and Burnel (the latter a committed DHS fan) during the recording session ("It all got off to a tempestuous start. On the first day I was so uptight and made him uptight, so he threatened me with my life. I was thinking, God, this isn't how it should be working out. Then, after the air was cleared, it all worked out fine.") Smash left the band the day before the Rock On video was to be shot, having clashed with manager Peter Noble and claiming to be "getting pretty sick of that Ace Tone". He would later patch up his personal relationship with Howard, although he would not return to the band. The London years (1987-1992) Still using the “Dave Howard Singers” project name, Howard continued as a solo performer (accompanied by the ever-faithful Max). He released the “quasi-hip-hop” single Yon Yonson (based on an American nonsense rhyme) in 1987, immediately following it up with a disco remix called Yon Yonson Meets Dr R-R-Ruth (which spliced the original single with "crackpot sex therapy out-takes"). By May 1988, Howard had recruited singers Wendy and Sarah to provide live backing vocals for him. Bernadette Keeffe (of The Happy End) also sang with him for about a year. In November 1988, The Dave Howard Singers supported Spacemen 3. By this point, Howard’s onstage stunts including placing his Ace Tone organ on a wheelchair rather than a keyboard stand (while in Canada, he had often sat in a wheelchair to play the organ). The single What Do You Say To An Angel? (inspired by an unprovoked attack on Howard by a Hell's Angel) appeared in early 1989. By this time, the line-up of the Dave Howard Singers had changed again with the addition of “guitar alchemist” Simon Walker, who in turn had brought in T. Daniel Howard (drums). The band became a quartet with the addition of bass player Christian “Bic” Hayes (ex-Ring), whose additional unicycling and juggling skills had endeared him to Howard. Bic would eventually leave The Dave Howard