Abecedarians- The Other Side of the Fence LP
This one was donated last year by a good chum, and collects the early works of US post-punk/coldwave act Abecedarians. The trio formed in Los Angeles in 1983 and recorded several early demos until their first official release, a 12” on Factory Records. The band then signed to Caroline Records to release two LPs and a compilation, splitting by the end of the eighties.
In 1995, members Chris Manecke and John Blake formed the First Men on the Sun project, which continued in a similar aesthetic as Abecedarians’ work and released one LP in 1995 (EDIT: you can find that on A Viable Commercial). As for the record uploaded below, it was originally released by Independent Project Records (For Against, Savage Republic) on 2×10” vinyl LPs (clear and black vinyl editions) in 1990, around the same time the band split. All members felt that these early versions (many of which were re-recorded for their Caroline LPs) had more spirit to them. I tend to agree.
Here are the details for the release:
Abecedarians- The Other Side of the Fence LP
1. Beneath The City Of The Hedonistic Bohemians
2. Ghosts
3. John’s Pop
4. Come Out
5. Classic
6. Spaghetti Western
7. Switch
8. Where’s Karen
9. Soil
10. The Other Side Of The Fence
11. Wildflower
12. They Said Tomorrow
*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED*
All 10 demos from The Other Side of the Fence have been reissued on Pylon’s reissue of Eureka. The CD version contains 4 of the tracks, while a double LP/bonus CD bundle contains a bonus disc with the remaining tracks. Support as you can!
May 28, 2008 at 12:42 am
I like their sound. I find myself wanting to compare them to many I have heard. But, no specifics am I able to bring to mind. This is a good band. Thanks for the listen.
January 20, 2010 at 10:40 am
Pretty sure they were the only American band to be signed to Factory, which is significant. They got the short end of the stick, ultimately, which was too bad.
April 22, 2010 at 4:44 am
Awesome! Thanks for putting this up here. Loved this band years back and I have the numbered vinyl of this record but no turntable. Now I can listen again. Wildflowers Grow From the Trash is one of the best songs of the 80's, 90's IMO. Someone should cover it.
September 22, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Many thanks for the upload. Does anyone know where to find their lyrics (Resin album, in particular)?
December 22, 2010 at 9:34 pm
You weren't kidding: Just in time for the holidays, here's a copy of Eureka for only three grand:
http://buy.id.ebay.com/buying/id/display/220277734053_ABECEDARIANS-eureka-LP-M-Southwest-Audio-1986-d-284
December 19, 2011 at 9:02 pm
Great stuff. Brings back memories too. Thanks for bringing back the past!
April 13, 2012 at 5:41 pm
[…] which they were unhappy with. You can nab the band’s posthumous early recordings collection here on these back pages, where you can read a bit more about the band as well. Without any further ado, here’s the […]