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Breathless- Nailing Colours To The Wheel 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1986, post-punk, uk on September 14, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

In general, I’ve always found Breathless to be one of the most underrated bands in the post-punk/dreampop spectrum.  While many are familiar with Dominic Appleton’s voice via This Mortal Coil’s sophomore release Filigree and Shadow (and one track on Blood), few I talk to seem familiar with his own band, which existed beforehand and still exists today (new album in the works).  It’s a shame, as the majority of their material is among the best I’ve ever heard.  Predating My Bloody Valentine’s stylistic shift by a few years, there are sounds at play that would soon become shoegaze staples.  Tremendous layered guitars.  Dream-like atmosphere and epic swells.  Rhythmic bass.  Appleton’s singular vocals.  Throw in John Fryer’s always amazing production (especially on the killer drumming) and you have something truly special.

While a good majority of the band’s material has been reissued or compiled, it seems like this 12” has fallen by the wayside, outside of two tracks which appear elsewhere on full length records.  I haven’t seen it blogged before (though I could be wrong), and most rips I’ve come across are lacking in bitrate or depth.  So, with that in mind, here’s a crystal-clear rip of this fantastic 12” from 1986.  Every track here is perfection, and the opening song “Bad Blood” (an exclusive to this 12”) may just be a contender for my favorite song of all time.

You can easily find this 12” for sale for rather cheap, proof that sometimes the best records are often very affordable.  No post-punk collection should be without this record.

Breathless- Nailing Colours To the Wheel 12”
1. Bad Blood
2. Waiting On the Wire
3. Count On Angels
4. The Warmest Kiss

*download it here*

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Weeping Messerschmitts- Nothing Yet 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1986, post-punk, uk on August 1, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

This one’s been shared before, but deserves another pass.  A Wierd party*, guitar-heavy favorite, this 12” was released in 1986 and features a darker jangle-pop sound, akin to the likes of The Smiths, For Against, The Wild Flowers/Lemon Drops, etc.   This sort of thing has been heavy on my summer playlist, so what better timing?

This is the only record they ever released, disappearing soon after without much of a trace.  Last.fm lists five band members, some names which appear in the logs, but can’t trace anything for certain without a few wild guesses.  Vocalist Dave Webb has also posted two unreleased tracks on Youtube, which you can check out here and here!

As always, any additional information is welcome.

Weeping Messerschmitts- Nothing Yet 12”
1. Nothing Yet
2. Say Goodbye
3. Panthera Parvos

*Download it here*

*Speaking of which, if anyone wants to see what we’re up to, I’ll be posting weekly playlists from the Wierd party here!

4 Comments »

New Age- Livin For Now 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1982, new age, post-punk, synth, uk on July 20, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s another New Age release, perfectly re-ripped/tagged and cleaned up by the almighty bx-59cppw. You can read more about these guys and grab their full length LP here. Both releases hail from 1982, while their debut 7” came out the year before.

The clear standout here is the closing track, dripping with synths and nervous energy, very akin to the likes of Magazine’s “The Light Pours Out of Me.” My kind of post-punk!

New Age- Livin For Now 12”
1. Livin For Now
2. Amazed
3. All I Want
4. First To Live First To Die

*download it here*

2 Comments »

Days of 29- Destination D-Day 12”

Posted in 12'', 1980s, new wave, scottish, synth, synthpop, uk with tags on July 10, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s another one you may have seen before on a few blogs, but freshly ripped from my own mint copy, so feel free to make your own comparisons.  Days of 29 were a UK/Scotland based quartet with an interesting press sheet and a penchant for New Order-tinged synthpop.  Feel those Peter Hook bass lines on “Destination D-Day,” a track that not only invokes the likes of “Blue Monday” and “Everything’s Gone Green,” but also bears a kinship to Secession’s classic “Touch,” Ministry’s “Effigy (I’m Not A),” & Hohokam’s “Harlequin Tears” by way of a Marc Almond sound-alike on vox.  A pretty irrefutable set of touchstones, highly recommended for fans of that big club sound.  There are two other tracks on this 12”, though while nice, don’t hold a candle to the 7-minute main attraction, a must for all self-respecting dance floors everywhere.  Hint: those of you who have hit the Wierd party in the past few years have likely heard this one blasting regularly through the fog…

Days of 29- Destination D-Day 12”
1. Destination D-Day
2. Guitars for Guns
3. Beat Squad

*download it here

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Acute Logic- Moroccan Nights 7”

Posted in 1980, 1981, post-punk, synth, uk with tags on June 13, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

As promised, here’s the lone 7” from the UK’s Acute Logic, previously featured on the last Systems of Romance comp. Very rare single from 1981 on Illogical Records, with very little info out there on the web. The band’s lineup was:

Pete Collins – Vocals & Guitar
Curt B – Keyboards
Brett Giddings – Bass
David S – Drums

This single took me a dog’s age to track down, and mine came without a picture sleeve and a little crackle.  Hey, I’ll take what I can get.  What YOU get however, is three incredible tracks that walk a fine line between Seventeen Seconds-era Cure and The Names. Pretty amazing touchstones… Don’t pass this one up!

Acute Logic- Moroccan Nights 7”
1. Moroccan Nights
2. The Obsession
3. Balcony

*download it here*  (RE-RIPPED 7.15.12- passed through a record cleaner with amazing results)

7 Comments »

Screaming Trees- Release & Beaten By the Ugly Stick 12”s

Posted in 1980s, 1986, goth, goth-rock, post-punk, uk, Uncategorized with tags , on April 24, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Here we have the first two 12”s by Screaming Trees out of the UK. Not to be confused with the grunge band of the same name, Screaming Trees had several 12” releases and a full length throughout the mid-late 1980s, mixing both bludgeoning electronics and industrial textures with club friendly beats. While not primarily EBM, these later releases walked a fine line between the Belgian scene and the 12” mix mentality, with scattered results.

However, the first 12”, released in 1986, is somewhat of an anomaly among the lot, as it has more in common with the UK goth scene at the time with slightly more tribal influences and aggressive guitar work. Think bands like Play Dead, Rebel Christening, and early Clair Obscur. “Incinerator” is my favorite of the lot, but all three tracks are great guitar driven goth tracks. Many thanks to Michael for ripping it and passing it over! Been dying to hear the first piece of the puzzle for quite some time now. I’ve also uploaded the band’s second 12” from the same year, which sounds more in this vein as well.

The band’s label Native Records was also responsible for releases by They Must Be Russians, Darling Buds, UV Pop, and more. The two members of the band, Sean Maloney and Mark Swancott were rather prolific for the time, also releasing music as Count Zero, Success, and Tocsin. Both continued into the 1990s, releasing electronic/techno records.

Here’s the info:

Screaming Trees- Release 12” (Re-Ripped 12/9/22)
1. Release
2. Incinerator
3. Razors In My Mouth

Screaming Trees- Beaten By the Ugly Stick 12”
1. Build On Ice
2. Build On Dust
3. Damage Report

*download it here*

5 Comments »

Incandescent Luminaire- Famous Names 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1982, minimal, minimal synth, synth, uk with tags , , , on April 21, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Quick request this weekend for Incandescent Luminaire’s lone 7” from 1982. Excellent minimal synth from the UK, featuring Mark White (formerly of ABC and Vice Versa). Nice duality on both sides- the a-side is a nice slice of minimal electronic pop, while the second is a more experimental affair, complete with rickety synth lines aggressive guitar textures. Perfect for fans of Testcard F, The Actor, and bands of that ilk.

Incandescent Luminaire- Famous Names 7”
1. Famous Names
2. The Warning

*download it here*

4 Comments »

Getting the Fear- Last Salute 12”/7”

Posted in 1980s, 1984, post-punk, synthpop, uk with tags , , on April 16, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a request for Getting the Fear’s lone single, 1984’s Last Salute. Many folks may already be familiar with these guys via Southern Death Cult, as the majority of members formed this band after Ian Astbury disbanded SDC in favor of Death Cult with Billy Duffy. This was the band’s lone release, and soon after, Bee (Paul Hampshire) and Barry Jepson formed Into a Circle, who should need no introduction. The title track of Into a Circle’s debut 12” was also written by Getting the Fear and appears on a collection of practice demos and rehearsal tapes, previously uploaded here and here. Otherwise, here’s the entirety of Getting the Fear’s official discography, including both the 12” and 7” mix of the title track, a true synth/post-punk smash…

Getting the Fear- Last Salute 12”
1. Last Salute (Extended Mix)
2. Last Salute (Instrumental)
3. We Struggle

Getting the Fear- Last Salute 7”
1. Last Salute
2. We Struggle*

*download it here*

*same as the 12” version, so spared the duplicate mp3.

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Angels In Aspic- 12” Discography

Posted in 1980s, 1988, 1989, 1990, angels in aspic, post-punk, uk on March 12, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a contribution from Craig, who sent over these three singles from Angels in Aspic, a five piece post-punk band from the UK. They released three singles into the late 80s, the last dropping at the turn of the decade. There’s little information to be found through the usual channels, but it seems the band all went by nicknames, which makes tracking them down a little more difficult. A little info on Paul Marks (AKA Cuff) can be found here.

Also worthy to note that the band had a knack for wordy song titles. Purple prose!

Three singles here, zipped up in one file. Seems as if the band were aiming for a more commercial edge, judging from the glossier production and post-punk hooks. They sound to me like a much better and darker version of Love and Rockets, if that gives you any indication of what to expect here. My favorite track of the lot is “My Life Is Like Riding on a Ghost Train,” the b-side of the first single. Here’s the breakdown:

Angels In Aspic- Just Some Kind Of Groovy Mayhem (1988)
1. Just Some Kind Of Groovy Mayhem
2. My Life Is Like Riding On A Ghost Train

Angels In Aspic- Drive Me To The Centre Of Maximum Pleasure (1989)
1. Drive Me To The Centre Of Maximum Pleasure
2. Blood That Destroyed The World

Angels In Aspic- When Calm Is Overcome By Chaos (1990)
1. When Calm Is Overcome By Chaos
2. In A State Of Hypnosis

*download it here*

4 Comments »

The Wild Flowers- Melt Like Ice & Things Have Changed 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1983, 1984, indie, mighty lemon drops, post-punk, the wild flowers, uk on February 13, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Many thanks to Jeffo for ripping these early singles from The Wild Flowers. If you aren’t already familiar with this UK based post-punk band (most famous, perhaps, thanks to Mighty Lemon Drops guitarist Dave Newton’s involvement), grab their first LP over at Phoenix Hairpins. I listen to that LP at least once a week, and I’m not one to get too repetitious with my listening habits, so that’s saying something…

The version of “Melt Like Ice” was released in 1983, and is rather different than the version we’ve all come to know and love. I can’t rank one over the other, but folks seem to prefer the 7” version. The second A-side is the same as the LP version, so you won’t find it zipped up here. However, both B-sides, two excellent slices of post-punk bliss, are contained within. Dig it:

The Wild Flowers- Melt Like Ice 7” (1983)
1. Melt Like Ice
2. The Chosen Proof

The Wild Flowers- Things Have Changed (Which Should Have Stayed The Same) 7” (1984)
1. Things Have Changed (Which Should Have Stayed The Same)
2. Second Thought

*download both here*

4 Comments »

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