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Various Artists- The Elephant Table Album: A Compilation of Difficult Music

Posted in 1980s, 1983, ambient, compilations, drone, experimental, industrial, uk on May 16, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Today’s the day where I’m supposed to be receiving treats, but all the same, I’ve got a whopper of an upload in store today, in compilation form. Today’s post features The Elephant Table Album: A Compilation of Difficult Music, a 2 vinyl collection comprising the best in budding experimental/industrial music. It was originally released on record in 1983, but lost a few tracks when it was re-released on disc in 1989. However, I’ve collected all the missing tracks and have included them in their proper placement. Most of these acts are UK-based, but here’s the breakdown with a brief blurb on each band and a website link (if one exists):

Disc 1:
1. Portion Control- Chew You To Bits
2. Chris And Cosey- Tears Of Blood
3. Metamorphosis- Muzak From Hawthorne Court
4. Coil- S Is For Sleep
5. Nurse With Wound- Nana Or A Thing Of Uncertain Nonsense
6. 400 Blows- Beat The Devil
7. Konstruktivits- Andropov ’84
8. Lustmørd- The Boning Of Men
9. Muslimgauze- Melena Jesenska
10. David Jackman- Edge Of Nothing

Disc 2:
1. SPK- Despair
2. MFH- Vox Humana
3. Nocturnal Emissions- Suffering Stinks
4. Attrition- Dream Sleep
5. Legendary Pink Dots- Suprise Suprise
6. Paul Kelday- Birth Of Planetesimals (Extract)
7. Bourbonese Qualk- Under The City
8. Sirius B- Build Your Children
9. New 7th Music- New Humanity Switchboard (Extract)
10. We Be Echo- Alleycat
11. Bushido- Modelwerk

~Portion Control: a British experimental outfit formed in 1979, active to this day. Name checked graciously by the likes of Skinny Puppy and Depeche Mode.
~Chris + Cosey: Throbbing Gristle offshoot of members Cosey Fanni Tutti and Chris Carter. A little more electro/palatable compared to their previous work.
~Metamorphosis: Short lived experimental group from the UK.
~Coil: Another post-Throbbing Gristle outlet featuring Peter Chrisopherson and John Balance. Ended in 2004 with John Balance’s accidental death.
~Nurse With Wound: Currently active and extremely prolific British experimental act, brainchild of Steven Stapleton.
~400 Blows: A more funk oriented industrial project formed in 1981.
~Konstruktivits: Kraut-rock inspired industrial, formed in 1982 and reactivated in 2006.
~Lustmord: Drone/dark ambient artist, got his start working with like minded-industrial outfit SPK. (see below). Recorded throughout the 1980s.
~Muslimgauze: Politically driven Manchester-based drone/noise artist. Still active + very prolific.
~David Jackman: Elusive visual artist and otherwise soundscape composer.

~SPK: Industrial project formed in Sydney, Australia in the late seventies. Experimented with both industrial soundscapes and synthpop. Member Graeme Revell is now involved in film scoring.
~MFH: Short-lived 2 piece industrial collective, changed name to Pump in the late eighties. Check out a post on Phoenix Hairpins to nab a Pump record.
~Nocturnal Emissions: Guerilla style sound/art project still active to this date.
~Attrition: English industrial/dance act, formed in the early 80s. Still active to this date under Projekt Records.
~Legendary Pink Dots: Influential experimental/psychedelic art project still sporadically active. Edward Ka-Spel is also involved in the Tear Garden with Skinny Puppy member cEvin Key.
~Paul Kelday: Brother of Phil Kelday, member of New 7th Music (see below).
~Bourbonese Qualk: Formed in 1979, split in 2002, this British industrial act was infamous for vandalism in their earlier days.
~Sirius B: Short-lived British outfit. Several bands share this name to this date, which makes tracking down proper information a bit tricky.
~New 7th Music: Spontaneous collective keen on improvisation. Most of its members weren’t musicians at all.
~We Be Echo: One man experimental project with only one release in 1983. Born out of equally short lived project Third Door From the Left.
~Bushido: Formed and folded in the mid-eighties. One man project. Took their name from a Japanese code of honor. Sole member Gary Levermore is head of the Nettwerk UK label to this day.

*get both discs here*

7 Comments »

Modern Eon- Fiction Tales PLUS CD

Posted in 1980s, 1981, modern eon, post-punk, uk on March 19, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

This one is a bit of a classic in its genre. Liverpool based post-punk act Modern Eon released but one underground record during their short tenure, and though it didn’t make the splash that their contemporaries (Echo & the Bunnymen, The Chameleons, Modern English) did, the record is held in high regard by those who’ve discovered it, and its lush production mirrors and even outdoes some of the best records of its kind. I also adore the cover, perhaps my all-time favorite of any cover from the era, designed by the always excellent Brothers Quay.

Modern Eon formed in 1979 and released a handful of singles before cutting their lone full length, 1981’s Fiction Tales. The band appeared on John Peel’s radio program, but misfortune soon fell upon them as their drummer, Cliff Hewitt, injured his wrist. The band did a quick tour with Cliff’s tracks pre-programmed on primitive drum machines, but the band failed to record their sophomore effort, a shame, especially as they were rumored to have demoed new material. After Modern Eon’s demise, sax/guitarist Tim Lever would join up with Dead Or Alive, who made the charts with their more new wave-styled sound.

Note that this particular CD contains all of their 7” releases and extra tracks. I do believe it’s a bootleg, but the quality is absolutely impeccable! Thanks to Jeff for the donation!

Modern Eon- Fiction Tales LP
1. Second Still
2. The Grass Still Grows
3. Playwrite
4. Watching The Dancers
5. Real Hymn
6. Waiting For The Cavalry
7. High Noon
8. Child’s Play
9. Choreography
10. Euthenics
11. In A Strange Way
12. Mechanic
13. Second Still (7″ Version)
14. Special Patrol
15. Choreography (7″ Version)
16. The Look A Smack
17. Euthenics (7″ Version)
18. Waiting For The Cavalry (7″ Version)
19. Cardinal Signs
20. Child’s Play (7″ Version)
21. Visionary
22. Mechanic (7″ Version)
23. Splash!

*download link removed* – check out the new 2-disc Cherry Red reissue of this excellent album!

For more info on Modern Eon, including a full bio, pictures, a gig-ography, and more, click below:

Modern Eon homepage

27 Comments »

Into a Circle- Assassins LP

Posted in 1980s, 1988, getting the fear, into a circle, post-punk, uk on March 10, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop


Pardon the ball-dropping, ladies and gents, as this weekend was best spent soaking in the after effects of a short Nick Cave and the Badseeds set. Couldn’t muster the effort for a post. That said, all systems go this week, and I’ll kick this Monday off with a relatively cult favorite post-punk band, England’s own Into a Circle.

Into a Circle (a.k.a. In Two a Circle and In2a0) formed in 1985 in the wake of similarly styled outfit Getting the Fear, who released but one single (both as a 7” and 12”- will upload by request) before imploding. Afterwards, members Bee (aka Paul Hampshire) and Barry Jepson formed Into a Circle as a collective creative unit without the limitations of a four-piece band. Their material was self-produced and self-released, and Into a Circle quickly grew a rather significant cult following with their initial DIY single.

The band eventually signed with Abstract Records, who allowed them to continue their more laissez-faire work. The pair began to experiment more with tape loops and analog samples, drafting Strawberry Switchblade’s Rose McDowall for backup vocal duties both live and in the studio.

Into a Circle eventually split in 1989 after a final grueling tour, having released four well-received 12” singles and one record, 1988’s Assassins, which I’ve uploaded for you today. Both Getting the Fear and Into a Circle circulated several live recordings at concerts, and there were rumors of further collaborations and recordings, none of which have seen the light of day. Since then, Bee has been involved in Futon, an electro-rock group also featuring the ex-drummer of Suede.

Here’s the details for today’s download:

Into a Circle- Assassins LP (1988)
1. Beneath Mikhail
2. Over + Over
3. The Swinging Tree
4. ‘Elim
5. Forever
6. Allah Akhbar
7. Tender Skin
8. Evergreen
9. Assassins
10. Seraphin Twin

download link removed— click HERE to purchase the band’s entire discography on Cherry Red!

For your viewing pleasure, here’s a promotional video for ‘Evergreen,’ knicked straight off youtube:

There also exists a live clip of the band performing ‘Beneath Mikhail,’ so run a quick search over there if you want to see more! Otherwise, happy Monday, ladies and gents…

5 Comments »

Camera Obscura- Horizons of Suburbia LP

Posted in 1980s, 2000s, 2005, camera obscura, minimal, synth, uk, wave on February 20, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Thanks for all the requests over the past few weeks, ladies and gents…I’ve been uploading them slowly but surely over the past few posts, and ideally, I shall attend to each one of them in the very near future. Today’s request was for Camera Obscura’s Horizons of Suburbia LP, a synth/wave gem from 1983. Well…not quite. These ten tracks were recorded fifteen years ago but remained unreleased until 2005. Previously, the only documented Camera Obscura releases were a 7” single and a lone compilation appearance.

For the record, there seem to be several bands bearing the same name, including a rather prominent indie pop group. This particular Camera Obscura, however, consisted of Nigel James and Peter Oldroyd and hailed from the UK. The band formed in 1982 and soldiered through record label hardships until 1987, when the band when on indefinite hiatus. In 2005, however, Nigel and Peter dusted off their old material and took to playing shows throughout Europe, meanwhile releasing this lost classic as well as a live record and re-recorded single material. All recent Camera Obscura material has been released by German label Anna Louge Records.

Details:

Camera Obscura- Horizons of Suburbia LP (2005)
1. Escape From The City
2. Horizons Of Suburbia
3. The Mandarin Man
4. Fever Pitch
5. Vincent Van Gogh
6. Destitution
7. Circular Waves
8. Scarlet Vixen
9. Mystery Box
10. Race In Athens

*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED BY REQUEST*

To purchase Camera Obscura’s material through Anna Logue Records, please click below! Also, see the following link for the band’s official homepage:

Anna Louge Records
Clan Camera dot com

5 Comments »

Zero Le Crêche- Falling 12/7” and Last Year’s Wife 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1984, 1985, batcave, deathrock, post-punk, uk, zero le creche on January 16, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop


Today’s band is Zero Le Creche, a UK-based post-punk/deathrock outfit whose sound bridged a gap between the catchy drawl of Psychedelic Furs and the atmosphere of Bauhaus. The band appeared during the legendary Batcave era in the Britian’s early 80s scene and released only two singles during their tenure, each with a different singer (the second does resemble the Furs’ Richard Butler a fair amount.) They disbanded lickety-split, and for ages these two singles became sparse and cherished classics. However, there’s recently been rumors of a potential reunion, and the band is releasing both these singles and various outtakes on CD in the very near future.

I’ve uploaded both 1984’s Last Year’s Wife 12” and 1985’s Falling 12” for your listening pleasure. There also exists a 7” version of Last Year’s Wife with a slightly different recording of the title track, so I’ve included that too, to complete their original discography.

Details:

Zero Le Crêche- Last Year’s Wife 12” (1984)
1. Last Year’s Wife (12” version)
2. Women Say
3. Fall to Dust

Zero Le Crêche- Falling 12” (1985)
1. Falling
2. Beyond Westworld
3. Terminal Tracks

*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED* While the band’s website seems to have gone belly up, CD copies of their material are available via Cd Universe. You know what to do.

You can nab a CD-R version of various tracks through the band’s website, though as mentioned above, a proper collection should appear shortly. Here’s the band’s home page, for curious parties:

Zero Le Crêche dot com

8 Comments »

7” grab bag

Posted in 1981, 1982, 1983, 7'', Belgian, france, grab bag, minimal, post-punk, synth, uk on January 14, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

A bit of an experiment to kick off the week, as I’ve uploaded four 7” records in one zip file. A few of these artists have next to nothing in their discography, so don’t necessarily justify they’re own unique post or have much information available, but these are excellent releases all the same. A brief blurb about each:

Après Demain- Arpakuutio 7”
1. Arpakuutio
2. Dans La Nuit

Finnish post-punk band, release from 1983. The band sounds like a female-fronted (Dirk Wears White Sox era) Adam & the Ants or a similar sounding Au Pairs, singing entirely in French. Funky, jerky, and abrasive.

Carol & Snowy Red- Breakdown 7”
1. Breakdown
2. So Low

Early Snowy Red release from 1981, collaborating with a mysterious singer named Carol. Smooth sounding minimal synth from Belgium. Though Snowy Red was a one-man project that ceased in 1989, it seems as if the project reactivated in 2004 as a duo for a few select shows in their home country.

Das Kabinette- The Cabinet 7”
1. The Cabinet
2. Fudge It

Synthpop of the classic variety- a three piece band from the UK whose only release was this Cabinet of Dr. Caligari inspired 7” in 1983, a classic slice of energetic wave music. The flip is a remix of the respective A-side.

Martin Dupont- Your Passion 7”
1. Your Passion
2. Lost And Late

First release by French electronic/coldwave act Martin Dupont, from 1982. The three piece band would release three full lengths and one rare cassette before disbanding towards the end of the eighties. The A-side is an atmospheric female/male fronted jam, whilst the flip is an energetic, bass driven electro-punk song, documenting the band’s split personality.

*download all four releases here*

12 Comments »

Silicon Teens- Music For Parties LP

Posted in 1980, 1980s, daniel miller, minimal, synth, the normal, uk on January 7, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Today’s artist is Silicon Teens, a fictional UK outfit spearheaded by the infamous Daniel Miller, head of independent wave label Mute Records. After two releases under The Normal (both the famous ‘Warm Leatherette’ 7” and an experimental live recording with Robert Rental), Miller took to his synths to record a series of updated (and somewhat campy) 50s/60s rock n’roll tunes (alongside two originals), adopting a false ‘teen’ band to handle any budding press. Fad Gadget’s Frank Tovey would act as lead vocalist during interviews as the remainder of the ‘band’ was portrayed by various actors, however, every note and vocal take was recorded by Miller himself.

Though one track from the Silicon Teens’ lone release appeared on the soundtrack for Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, the 1980 record had little impact or chart success, and rumour claims that Mute would sign Depeche Mode soon after blowing the lid off the project in attempts to successfully market a true teen wave act.

Details:

Silicon Teens- Music For Parties LP
1. Memphis, Tennessee
2. Yesterday Man
3. Doo-Wah-Diddy-Diddy
4. T.V. Playtime
5. You Really Got Me
6. Chip N’ Roll
7. Do You Love Me?
8. Let’s Dance
9. Oh Boy
10. Sweet Little Sixteen
11. State of Shock (Pt. 2)
12. Just Like Eddie
13. Red River Rock
14. Judy In Disguise
15. Let’s Dance
16. Sun Flight

*download it here*

…and for your viewing pleasure, here’s the promotional video for ‘Memphis, Tennessee,’ feat. Fad Gadget’s Frank Tovey as the leader of the band:

8 Comments »

Rema-Rema- Wheel In the Roses EP

Posted in 1980, 1980s, 4ad, adam and the ants, experimental, mass, post-punk, psychic tv, rema-rema, uk, wolfgang press on December 31, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop


Many pardons for the brief break. Many thanks to friends and readers for their support and encouragement this year! For the last post of 2007, I’ve uploaded an old favorite, a more experimental yet classic EP by UK outfit Rema-Rema.

Rema-Rema was a short lived 4AD outfit whose lone EP (4AD’s 5th release) served as a post-punk/experimental classic, and kicked off the careers of several other seminal acts. The band consisted of Marco Pirroni (ex-original Banshee), Gary Asquith, Mick Allen, Mark Cox, and Max. Wheel In the Roses appeared in 1980, a four track EP with one side’s worth of studio tracks and another consisting of live material.

Rema-Rema quickly disbanded, and most of the band’s members found success shortly. Marco Pirroni would join up with Adam & the Ants, Max would become a full time member of Psychic Tv under the name Dorothy, and Asquith, Allen, and Cox would form heavy-handed 4AD act Mass. Upon Mass’ demise, Cox and Allen would form the legendary Wolfgang Press, who became a signature post-punk act throughout the 80s and early 90s. Meanwhile, This Mortal Coil (4AD head Ivo-Watts Russel’s pet project) would recreate ‘Fond Affections’ for their debut record It’ll End in Tears, which featured several contributions by Rema-Rema’s original lineup. Big Black would also cover ‘Rema-Rema’, further cementing the band’s original impact.

Details:

Rema-Rema- Wheel in the Roses EP
1. Feedback Song
2. Rema-Rema
3. Instrumental
4. Fond Affections

DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED- Click here to purchase mp3/FLAC via the 4AD webstore.

7 Comments »

Naughtiest Girl Was a Monitor- Front 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, naughtiest girl was a monitor, synth, uk on December 12, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop

I’m unable to scrape up a ton of information about today’s band, Sheffield wave act Naughtiest Girl Was a Monitor, though this oddball synth single is a real gem. More on the bombastic side, Naughtiest Girl Was a Monitor released but three 7” recordings before calling it quits.

As a bit of trivia, the band would lend equipment to budding brit-pop act Pulp, enabling them to cut their first recordings.

I’ve uploaded the entirety of the band’s 1981 Front 7” for your listening pleasure, which features two full-length wave tunes and closes with an instrumental.

Naughtiest Girl Was a Monitor- Front 7”
1. Front
2. Sensation/No Sensation
3. Synthesizers (the Story So Far)

*download it here*

It seems as if the band’s output has been compiled on to one s/t disc, featuring a series of demo recordings alongside all three of their 7” singles. Seems as if it’s only available on vinyl, through Vinyl On Demand. Snap it up if you dig it!

5 Comments »

Spöön Fazer- Music For Life 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1982, avant-garde, Spöön Fazer, synth, uk, wave on December 5, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop

Today’s act is UK based avant-garde musician Spöön Fazer. Spöön Fazer was formed in 1978 as a solo venture for drummer Simon Patterson, who earned his nickname from his work in previous outfit The Whippets From Nowhere (a.k.a. 39 Steppes in later incarnations).

As Spöön Fazer, Simon would release a handful of singles, an EP, and a cassette-only recording, all exploring the avant-garde side of a budding wave scene. His calling card was a series of synth drums, drummed on heavily with sets of spoons. On record, two previous members of the Whippets joined Simon on bass, guitars, and backing vocals. As Simon’s career progressed, he developed a heavy interest in Japanese rhythms and instrumentation, which would manifest in Spoon Fazer’s last recordings.

Though Spöön Fazer’s discography is minute (and tough to pin down exactly what exists), Simon has since been involved in several working projects, as both a contributor and a remixer.

I’ve uploaded all three tracks from Spöön Fazer’s Music For Life 7”, also occasionally referred to as the ‘Do Different Dances’ single. I believe this release was combined with another 7” to form the more widely known Music 2 Live 2 = Music 4 Life single.

Details:

Spöön Fazer- Music For Life/Do Different Dances 7”
1. Do Different Dances
2. Beat Dance Drumming
3. Motorway Amber Time

*download it here*

Here’s a handful of useful links on Spöön Fazer. The first looks to be an official site (though I can’t seem to get it loaded fully- but it could just be me) and the second, an interview with Simon Patterson from a Spöön Fazer fansite.

Spoon Fazer homepage
An interview with Simon Patterson

2 Comments »

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