Cathedral of Tears- Cathedral of Tears 12”
Moving right along, here we have a 12” by Cathedral of Tears, a US-based darkwave band with a danceable edge. This is the band’s only record, released in 1984 on Enigma Records, which was generally known for dark, sleazy punk (The Cramps, Dead Milkmen, TSOL etc.).
Though the record does flirt around with a more new wave sound, the project was primarily an outlet for Jack Grisham, of TSOL, which explains the ‘odd man out’ style of this record. Either way, expect some good darkwave grooves here.
Also, I believe there were several muscians involved with the project, including Mike Patton (Adolescents/Middle Class) on bass. I’ve stumbled upon some choice words about this 12” from Jack himself:
“This is one of those mistakes you make that you can’t take back. My dad died, I was going through a lot of shit…I stole the tapes. We had a record…we wrote a bunch of new songs, went in the studio & I stole the tapes. Our record company had said, ‘There’s no song here that will get radio play,’ & I was like ‘Bullshit, there is.’ So I stole the tapes from the record company, took it to the radio station, & they were playing our song (Black Emotion) while I was driving away. (laughs) & it turned out to be the number four requested song on the station that year. With no record out. & then Enigma finally put it out. They finally put it out, but it was too late. I had already done the damage by the time it came out.”
Neat, though I must disagree that this record is a mistake! Don’t take my word for it, though- here’s the info for 12”.
Cathedral of Tears- Cathedral of Tears 12”
1. Trap
2. A Situation Of…
3. Calm Storm
4. Black Emotion
5. Ballet
6. Whisper From The Deadland
October 6, 2010 at 9:56 pm
hey frankie,
a little request, here, after the Limp one (and Limp-related, actually…).
do you happen to have Pel Mel's second album "Persuasion"?
that would be really welcome!
thanks a lot!!
-iker / morning-
October 16, 2010 at 10:00 pm
I think that's the Mike Patton from Middle Class not FNM
November 1, 2010 at 6:05 am
CRAP! I remember this song … They used to play it on KROQ and I taped it over the radio when I was in 5th grade.. I have been looking for it FOREVER… Thanks…
December 31, 2010 at 6:47 pm
I had ripped this one years ago and was surprised this hadn't been posted sooner. This is a good 12" and faintly reminiscent of TSOL, primarily because of Jack's vocals. It's always made me wonder if this is how TSOL would have turned out if Jack and Todd would have stayed in the band. I wish they would have pursued this direction instead of (the horrible) Tender Fury. Now that, Jack, was a mistake.
January 27, 2011 at 11:09 pm
Future Black Crowes guitarist Marc Ford(listed as Mark Ford, I believe)plays guitar on this.
July 2, 2011 at 2:09 pm
If this album represents the musical direction Jack Grisham wanted to go in, I can see why the other members of TSOL didn't want him in the band any longer.
This is truly dreadful stuff, even by mid-80s standards. A Situation Of… and Whisper From the Deadland are OK, but no more than OK. The rest of the songs I can't even listen to all the way through.
As bad as TSOL's Hit & Run was, I would listen to it any day over this.
July 4, 2011 at 12:58 pm
"I wish they would have pursued this direction instead of (the horrible) Tender Fury. Now that, Jack, was a mistake."
I just downloaded and listened to Tender Fury's first (self-titled) album. While I'm glad I didn't waste my money on it back in the day, it's certainly no worse than the other hair metal bands that were popular at the time (e.g. Poison, Faster Pussycat, L.A. Guns, Motley Crue, the Cult).
It's interesting how all the "cool" kids shun Tender Fury while calling the Joykiller Jack Grisham's comeback, because a lot of the material on the Tender Fury album sounds like the Joykiller to me (a band which I never really liked, incidentally; I bought the first Joykiller album and liked one song, then I bought the second album when it came out, listened to it once, and it hasn't been on my turntable since; I didn't bother with the third album, and the post-2000 TSOL merely sounds like a continuation of the Joykiller to me).
March 5, 2017 at 8:10 pm
The best TENDER FURY album was the last one called IF ANGER WERE SOUL, I’D BE JAMES BROWN. It came out in 1991, on Triple X records in Southern California. Those were daze for me and that album hit the right chord. I won TENDER FURY’s last tape, GARDEN OF EVIL in a contest in a RIKK AGNEW show in my town the year before. That last record though is the best out of the three.
August 19, 2011 at 8:25 pm
These weren't the songs that were supposed to appear on the record.
Jack substituted this as a "F-U" to the record execs out of boredom and spite.
This whole project was a way to get chicks at his gigs.
March 5, 2017 at 7:55 pm
I liked TSOL a lot. The last record from them I bought was CHANGE TODAY in 1984. Just like CHANGE TODAY this record grew on me and it took 30 years. Listening to this CATHEDRAL OF TEARS record is so darn wonderful. I guess I reached the old age of appreciation and enjoyment of this kind of sound. I miss this kind of sound. Jack’s TSOL is back with a new record now in 2017, and it is a great rock record. TSOL’s BENEATH THE SHADOWS is a kinda testing of the synth waters as that band. That is another record I just didn’t understand in High School. I just wanted more songs that sounded like Code Blue. I love Jack’s creativity throughout his career, TSOL, TENDER FURY, THE JOYKILLER, AND NOW BACK TO TSOL. This record is NOT A MISTAKE! Just like BAD RELIGION’S Into The Unknown, it is just different from the other work. It stands the test of time in my opinion. The vocals and synth are just…chilling to hear and it takes me back to the heyday of KROQ and my High School daze and the girls, GOSH! I’ve never heard the term “Dark Wave” before, but it fits so nicely to the sounds of the late GREAT….CATHEDERAL OF TEARS. Thank you for the memories of the NEVER TO BE REPLICATED 1980’S!
February 9, 2020 at 5:18 pm
Great New Wave stuff similar to Duran Duran.