December 2006

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Ευοί Ευάν (Evi Evan)

Ευοί Ευάν - Το τέλος 8ά'ναι πάλι αρχή(2000)
Evi Evan - To Telos Tha'nai Pali Arhi(2000)

tracks:
01 - Σ'αυτόν τον κόσμο(In This World)
02 - Φωτιά στην καρδιά(Fire In The Heart)
03 - Τρικυμία(Storm)
04 - Ένας(One)
05 - Χτυπάς φέυγεις πετάς(You Hit You Leave You Fly)
06 - Χορέυω(I'm Dancing)
07 - Το δώρο(The Present)
08 - Προσφορές(Offerings)
09 - Busytone
10 - Και πάλι απ'την αρχή(Again From The Start)

the band
Fotis Siotas:vocals,violin,electric violin.synthesizers
Vaggelis Tsotridis:electric guitar,acoustic guitar,midi guitar,programming
Nektarios Karantzis:electric bass,contrabass,piano
Alekos Papadopoulos:drums,percussion

enjoy!
http://rapidshare.com/files/9555800/euoi_euan1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/9561153/euoi_euan2.rar

Minimal Compact - 1984 - Deadly Weapons

1. Next One Is Real
2. Losing Track (Of Time)
3. Well
4. There's Always Now
5. Nada
6. Not Knowing
7. Deadly Weapons
8. Burnt-Out Hotel
9. Howling Hole
10. Next One Is Real
11. Not Knowing Remix
12. Babylonian Tower (Remix)
13. Hole Version Accidental (Remix)
14. Next One Is Real (Extended Remix)
15. Introspection

Between its foundation in 1981 and its dissolution seven years later, Minimal Compact played a crucial role in the European rock scene. Malka Spigel (bass, vocals), Samy Birnbach (vocals, texts) and Berry Sakharof (guitars, keyboards, vocals) left their native Tel-Aviv in 1981 for Amsterdam in search of an escape from the provincial attitudes of their own city. Of the trio, only Berry was a "real" musician. Malka was "learning to play the bass", while Samy was better known as a DJ and a music fan who dabbled in poetry . They recorded a 2-song demo at home, and consequently become one of the very first artists signed to the Belgian Crammed label.
During the recording for a speculative 7" in a little studio in the Belgian countryside, it became quickly evident that the trio had hit upon something worthy of development and a their first, self-titled, mini album was the fruit of this. Their burgeoning style was a heavily Middle-Eastern coloured brand of post New Wave, based on driving rhythms, scratchy guitars and their own very un- "Anglo-American" style of vocalisation. In this way they both prefigured "indie-dance" and later fascinations with so called "world music".


One by One, the second album, was recorded in London in 1982, and like it's predecessor co-produced by Dick Polak (from Dutch band Mecano) and Crammed supremo Marc Hollander. It includes tracks such as "Babylonian Tower", "Disguise" (another live staple) , "It Takes a Lifetime". With this release Minimal Compact had become a "real band" with the adddition of the native Amsterdammer Max Franken on drums. Now Minimal could play live, this was to prove a strong element in their career. As Minimal began to tour more extensively they went from strength to strength as a live band and could certainly rock any house!!

Deadly Weapons , produced by Gilles Martin and Peter Principle dates from 1984 and is considered by some their most experimental album. Nonetheless it threw up a "club classic" of the time in the shape of "Next One Is Real" (famously remixed by Dick O'Dell, one time boss of the Guerilla label). The sleeve was by Neville Brody.

On this album the "classic" 5-person line up became complete with the addition of guitarist/vocalist Rami Fortis a long time Minimal cohort from Tel-Aviv who arguably was Israel's most imnovative post-punk musician with his solo debut Plonter. Fortis had previously collaborated with Malka on their 7 codes tape (a low-fi home tape effort which had done nicely in the indie shops in Amsterdam).

Touring by this point took them further and further afield, everywhere from Palermo to Kyoto fell to their conquest although typically for the time British success was limited to an NME single of the week and a John Peel session.

Raging Souls was released in 1985. Produced by Colin Newman , with artwork by Eno/Sylvian collaborator Russell Mills, it has proved their most popular album, with tracks like "My Will", "When I Go", "The Traitor", "Autumn Leaves" all of which became live favorites. By this time Minimal had become established in Brussels and were at the hub of the local "International Indie Scene" which featured at various times, Tuxedo Moon (both individually and collectively), Bel Canto, Colin Newman, Sonoko, Gilles Martin, Benjamin Lew...

As a follow up Minimal Compact recorded a 12" Immigrants Songs (featuring a Led Zeppelin cover) with Israeli Uri Barak. Like "Next One Is Real" before it the 12" received extensive US college/dance attention and figures amongst their most enduring work.

The Figure One Cuts was their last studio album, recorded in 1987 with producer John Fryer (Cocteau Twins, Depeche Mode, M/A/R/R/S). Tracks include "Nil-Nil"," Inner Station", "New Clear Twist", "Piece of Green". The Lowlands Flight instrumental album was released at the same time in Crammed's "Made To Measure" series. The touring continued but their goal of following up their record success in the USA was never acheived as several planned tours were cancelled because the US immigration authorities refused to grant them visas.

Minimal Compact Live was recorded in 1987 in Rennes, France, this last album came out after the band split in '88.

Minimal today

Berry Sakharof and Rami Fortis have both returned to Tel Aviv where they have enjoyed huge popularity both together and seperately. Malka is a partner with Colin Newman in the swim label based in London. She has released several solo albums as well as partnering Newman in Immersion, on his solo albums and on their recent live collaboration. Samy Birnbach, still resident in Brussels, has worked with Benjamin Lew, with Newman and Spigel in Oracle and as part of The Gruesome Twosome. He also performs as an ambient DJ under the name Morpheus, and is also an associate A&R for SSR/freezone. According to legend, Max Franken (who never left Amsterdam) still plays drums and football!!

source : http://www.swimhq.com/artists/Minimal_Biog.html


Get It Here :
RapidShare or SendSpace

Deep Freeze Mice - 1983 - Saw A Ranch House Burning Last Night

Deep Freeze Mice - 1983 - Saw A Ranch House Burning Last Night

01 Under The Cafe Table
02 Down To A Proton
03 The New Emotional Twist
04 Kiwis Come In Close
05 You Took The Blue One
06 You Think I'm A Car
07 Eat Molten Death
08 Hitler's Knees
09 Funny Monsters
10 Matter Over Mind
11 The Damage
12 Ammonia Suction
13 Everlasting Lollipop
14 Sagittarians
15 Saw A Ranch House Burning Last Night
16 Phylis #2
17 I Met A Man Who Spoke Like An UCCA Form
18 Peter Smith Is A Banana
19 My Geraniums Are Bulletproof
20 The Gates Of Lunch
21 A Ten Legged Beast (or An Eight Legged Beast With Feelers)
22 Teenage Head In My Refrigerator
23 God
24 Ammonia Suction
25 The New Emotional Twist


Alan Jenkins: singing, guitar, clarinet
Sherree Lawrence: keyboards, singing
Michael Bunnage: bass
&
Graham Summers: bass
John Grayland: trumpet
Dawn Leeder: pecussion
Geof Griffith: singing

The Deep Freeze Mice were an English New Wave band that were active between 1979 and 1989. They were based in Leicester, and consisted of the core members Alan Jenkins (guitars and singing), Sherree Lawrence (organ and other keyboards), and Mick Bunnage (bass guitar). The band had two different drummers over the years: Graham Summers and Pete Gregory. The band released 10 albums during their existence on their own Cordelia Records label. Their music was odd, often consisting of absurd and surreal lyrics delivered in Alan's deadpan voice accompanied by bouncy pop/progressive rock music. Favoured lyrical concerns included animal rights, conformity, and science fiction. Alan Jenkins was also a member of The Chrysanthemums in the late 1980's, and joined up with members of Po! and The Ammonites in Jody & The Creams (later as "Alan Jenkins & The Creams") and Ruth's Refrigerator. He has played guitar with The Thurston Lava Tube since 2001.

Friday, December 29, 2006

The Gun Club - 1982 - Miami

MIAMI 1982 ANIMAL RECORDS

01 Carry Home
02 Like Calling Up Thunder
03 Brother and Sister
04 Run Through the Jungle
05 Devil in the Woods
06 Texas Serenade
07 Watermelon Man
08 Bad Indian
09 John Hardy
10 Fire of Love
11 Sleeping in Blood City
12 Mother of Earth

The sophomore record by the Gun Club bore the curse of having to follow a monolith of their own making. Fire of Love sold extremely well for an independent; it was a favorite of virtually every critic who heard it in 1981. Miami showcased a different lineup as well. Ward Dotson replaced Congo Powers (temporarily, at least) on guitar, and there were a ton of guest performances, including Debbie Harry and Chris Stein. Stein produced the album. Off the bat the disc suffers from a thin mix. Going for a rougher sound, Stein left the instruments at one level and boosted Pierce's vocal. There is plenty of guitar here, screaming and moping like a drunken orphan from the Texas flatlands, but next to its predecessor it sounds drier and reedier. Ultimately it hardly matters. Going for a higher, more desolate sound, frontman and slide player Jeffrey Lee Pierce and his band were literally on fire. The songs here, from "Carry Me," "Like Calling Up Thunder," "Devil in the Woods," "Watermelon Man," "Bad Indian," and "Texas Serenade," among others, centered themselves on a mutant form of country music that met the post-punk ethos in the desert, fought and bloodied each other, and decided to stay together. This is hardcore snake-charming music (as in water moccasins not cobras), evil, smoky, brash, and libidinally uttered. Their spooky version of an already creepy tune by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Run Through the Jungle" runs the gamut from sexual nightmare to voodoo ritual gone awry. Finally, Pierce and company pull out all the roots and reveal them for what they are: "John Hardy," is a squalling punk-blues, with the heart of the country in cardiac arrest. Dotson proved to be a fine replacement for Congo Powers, in that his style was pure Telecaster country (à la James Burton) revved by the Rolling Stones and Johnny Thunders. Miami was given a rough go when it was issued for its production. But in the bird's-eye view of history its songs stack up, track for track, with Fire of Love and continue to echo well into this long good night.

source:AMG

DownloadLink:

http://rapidshare.com/files/9282980/gun_club.rar

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Savage Republic - 1988 - Jamahiriya

Savage Republic - 1988 - Jamahiriya (Democratique Et Populaire De Sauvage)

Savage Republic, the L.A. based drone-rockers and post-rock forefathers, have announced that they are reforming for a series of reunion shows this November, thirteen years after they split. From what I remember, I was first introduced to their sound through an NME review of their Trudge E.P. by Chris Bohn- this review spoke of a band that combined Eastern music with rock like a soundtrack to a desert landscape. There is a very cinematic sounding quality throughout the work of the band and Bruce Licher's later band Scenic that seems ripe for plucking as soundtrack stuff. This is a musical direction that group leader Bruce Licher has claimed was intentional and that has been made use of before. Also consider that the track "Real Men," from their first LP Tragic Figures, soundtracks the scene at the climax of The Silence Of the Lambs. This visual/cinematic quality may come from the fact that the bandleader was an art Student when he formed the band in UCLA in '81. As the leader of Scenic, he still runs his own letterpress, making CD sleeves etc in a recognizable style that's graced a lot of other people's work too.

January 2002 saw the re-release of Savage Republic's back catalogue through the Mobilization (give link to http://www.mobilization.com/artists/savage.html#) label run by Ethan Port, a central member of the later line up. There was a slight delay from the projected September 2001 reissue partially caused by the World Trade Center attack, which nearly cost Ethan his life. He was in the Marriott Hotel across the square when the planes hit, he cathartically explained what happened to him in a message he sent to the Procession chatlist where the story remains in the archives as it does on the Mobilization website

http://rapidshare.com/Savage_Republic_-_Jamahiriya.rar

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Deep Freeze Mice - 1981 - Teenage Head In My Refrigerator

Deep Freeze Mice - 1981 - Teenage Head In My Refrigerator

01 I Like Digestive Biscuits In My Coffee (3.52)
02 Dr. Z (3.39)
03 The Letter Song (Scrib) (3.18)
04 My Geraniums Are Bbulletproof (4.13)
05 Peter Smith Is A Banana (2.05)
06 Hegel's Brain (0.55)
07 Esther (3.29)
08 Vera (5.51)
09 God (3.28)
10 Path To You (6.02)
11 Dictatorship Of The Proletariat (2.13)
12 Teenage Head In My refrigerator (3.38)
13 You Took The Blue One (2.32)
14 Esther (3.22)
15 Red Light For The Greens (4.23)
16 Minstrel Radio Yoghurt (2.30)

Graham Summers: drums
Michael Bunnage: bass
Sherree Lawrence: organ
Alan Jenkins: guitar

Biography:
Do-it-yourself post-punk band the Deep Freeze Mice released ten records in their decade-long existence, beginning as amateurs with no formal knowledge of what they were embarking on. The original lineup -- guitarist/vocalist Alan Jenkins, bassist Mick Bunnage (of the Statics), keyboardist Sherree Lawrence, and drummer Graham Summers (also of the Statics) -- stayed intact until the release of the band's third record, The Gates of Lunch. After the departure of Summers and the acquisition of replacement Pete Gregory, the lineup remained until their breakup in 1989. Leader Jenkins (who was also involved with the Chrysanthemums and Ruth's Refrigerator during the existence of his primary band) continued afterwards in the Creams and the Thurston Lava Tube. All of Deep Freeze Mice's records were released in small quantities through the band's labels, Mole Embalming and Cordelia.
AMG~by Andy Kellman

More info Here

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Tav Falco's Panther Burns - 1991 - Life Sentence

Tav Falco's Panther Burns - 1991 - Life Sentence

01-My Mind Was Messed Up At The Time
02-Torture

03-Vampire From Havana
04-Make Me know You're Mine

05-Go On Home
06-Auto Sapiens

07-Guarda Che Luna
08-Oh, Girls, Girls

09-(I'm Gonna) Dig Myself A Hole
10-Sent Up

11-What's Wrong
12-Why Was i born

13-Only The lonely

Tav Falco's Panther Burns, sometimes shortened to "(The) Panther Burns", is an errant musical troupe performing stripped-down, often primitive rock and roll and other styles, originally from Memphis led by Tav Falco. They are best known for having been part of a set of bands emerging in the late 1970s and early 1980s who helped nationally popularize the blending of blues, country, and other American traditional music styles with rock music among groups playing in alternative music and punk music venues of the time. The earliest and most renowned of these groups to imbue these styles with expressionist theatricality and primitive spontaneity were The Cramps, largely influenced by rockabilly music. Forming just after them in 1979, Panther Burns drew on obscure country blues music, Antonin Artaud's works like The Theater and Its Double, beat poetry, and Marshall McLuhan's media theories for their early inspiration. Alongside groups like The Cramps and The Gun Club, Panther Burns ranked among the contributing influences and progenitors of the Southern Gothic-tinged roots music revival scene that arose during the last two decades of the 20th Century and continued into the early 2000s.

According to the band, Panther Burns is "a Southern Gothic, psychedelic country band influenced by Memphis music styles". The original band lineup featured two guitars, synthesizer, and drums, later usually omitting keyboards or synthesizers at live shows. The group's somewhat experimental recordings have embraced and deconstructed a number of influences and genres.
With his signature Höfner fuzz-tone guitar and a stage presence characterized by his Argentine-styled pompadour, pencil moustache, smoking jacket, and urbane manner, Falco infused his shows with theatrical antics and a reverence for the originators of country blues and rockabilly. The band's assorted song subjects and album photography themes have included Memphis scenery, Carroll Cloar's Panther Bourne painting, the occasional reference to historical figures like American rampage murderer Charles Starkweather, motorcycle imagery, denizens of Memphis neighborhoods, tango imagery, and blithe introspection, among other themes
Falco's treatment of the blues classic "Bourgeois Blues" adds a line from Ginsberg's famous beat poem "Howl". In a 1984 interview discussing his anti-environment concept and music, he said that many outstanding, but lesser known blues and rockabilly artists were "treated like the idiot wind". Similarly, he continued, "the beat writers and theorists like Antonin Artaud were treated like they were crazy. It wasn't until he died that everyone realized he was a genius". Two of his originals, "Agitator Blues" and "Panther Phobia Manifesto", evinced playful humor and a left-leaning, Utopian anarchist political stance. In "Panther Phobia Manifesto", Falco referenced lines from influences as disparate as William S. Burroughs, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Howlin' Wolf, Rod Serling, French psychedelic band The Dum Dum Boys, and Dadaist poet Louis Aragon, in wishing a "huge firedamp explosion" to closed-minded members of society who blindly follow the dictates of the establishment. Proclaiming that everywhere the Panther Burns go, they are greeted with derision, he riffed from Aragon, "Laugh your fill, the Panther Burns are the ones who always hold out a hand to the enemy".
The group's wide-ranging styles have included Argentine tango music, country music, rockabilly, r&b, soul music, novelty tunes, early rock and roll, country blues, and pop standards of the 1950s and 1960s like Frank Sinatra's "The World We Knew", among others. Set lists have included mutated covers of songs originally performed by such diverse artists as J. Blackfoot, Doc Pomus, Bobby Lee Trammell, Gene Pitney, Reverend Horton Heat, Jessie Mae Hemphill, R. L. Burnside, Mack Rice, and Allen Page (of the small 1950s Moon Records label helmed by early rock-and-roll producer/songwriter Cordell Jackson), among others.
Terms the band says have been inaccurately "foisted upon" the group by media include "rockabilly, wreckabilly, psychobilly, punk, post punk, post-modern, garage, bluesabilly, roots, and permanent wave". The earliest description the band gave itself on a concert poster read simply: "Rock'n'Roll". Media confusion in categorizing led the band to eventually invent its own self-descriptive terms, such as "panther music" and "backwoods ballroom", also at times calling its tumultuous performance style "art damage".

[info: wikipedia]

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Cosmic Rough Riders - 2000 - Enjoy The Melodic Sunshine

Track List

01. Brothers Gather Round (1:12)
02. Gun Isn't Loaded (2:51)
03. Glastonbury Revisited (2:47)
04. Baby, You're So Free (3:45)
05. Value of Life (2:38)
06. Revolution (In the Summertime?) (3:21)
07. Have You Heard the News Today? (2:51)
08. Sometime (3:31)
09. Melanie (3:23)
10. Rain Inside (3:23)
11. Charm (2:04)
12. Loser (2:25)
13. You've Got Me (3:10)
14. Emily Darling (2:48)
15. Morning Sun (:57)

The Band

Daniel Wylie :Vocals, Engineer, Producer, Handclapping, Mixing

Stephen Fleming :Guitar, Vocals (Background), Mixing, Engineer, Producer

Gary Cuthbert :Guitar, Handclapping, Vocals (Background)
Mark Brown : Drums, Vocals (Background), Handclapping
James Clifford : Bass, Handclapping, Vocals (Background)

This album is pop/folk/rock heaven. Not a dull moment throughout the entire album.This is the best album I have heard in 2000. Every song on the album could have been a single, they area all so catchy. I bought it after hearing the single "Baby You're so free" but didn't expect the whole album to be up to that calibre. Daniel Wylie's lush vocal harmony arrangements are perfect. If bands like The Byrds, Crosby Stills and Nash tickle your fancy , then you will adore this record. "Revolution in the summertime" is a really a masterpiece!!!!!


Third album for the Scottish folk-rock act combines tracks from their first two albums, 'Deliverance' (1999) and 'Panorama' (2000) though some have been vastly improved upon, although the original versions earned them a place in Virgin's Greatest Albums. Includes three all new tracks, 'Sometime', the first single 'Melanie' and 'Morning Sun'.

In the current musical climate, it's hard to imagine anything more unfashionable than an album of 60's-style Byrds/Beach Boys-influenced guitar pop that is so traditional it makes Teenage Fanclub sound like Aphex Twin, but put your cynicism on hold for "Enjoy..." is one of the most enjoyable, grin-inducing debuts of recent years. Hailing from Glasgow, and firmly in the TFC/BMX Bandits tradition of that city, it's no surprise that Cosmic Rough Riders are signed to former Creation boss Alan McGee's new Poptones label, for this album positively reeks of McGee's former stable. Chiming guitars, heavenly harmonies, joyously dumb cod-psychedelic lyrics...all the elements are here, and they work wonderfully together. Don't be put off by the album's opening gambits - "Harvesting the Land" and "Glastonbury Revisited" are mawkish 60s folk, and "This Gun Isn't Loaded" is a fairly unsuccessful stab at sitar-drenched psychedelia which ends up sounding too much like Spinal Tap's "Listen To The Flower People" for comfort. It's when CRRs lose the patchouli oil and let loose the pure pop vibes that "Enjoy..." really takes off. "Revolution In The Summertime" is perfect sunny-day listening, "Sometime" is the best song Teenage Fanclub have never written, and "The Loser" is catchier than a cactus. These guys have clearly got hooks coming out of their ears and most of the verses here are more memorable than most bands' choruses. They simply are that good. It's unlikely that "Enjoy..." will sell millions of copies and make CRRs the household names they clearly deserve to be, but if you like joyful, life-affirming, summery guitar pop, and have ever found yourself grinning inanely at the sound of Big Star's "September Gu rls", TFC's "Sharky's Dream" or the Stone Roses "Waterfall", then this CD will end up welded to your CD player for weeks on end. Enjoy indeed.

Download Link

Monday, December 11, 2006

Swans - 1994 - The Great Annihilator

Tracks
01. In
02. I Am The Sun
03. She Lives!
04. Celebrity Lifestyle
05. Mother Father
06. Blood Promise
07. Mind/Body/Light/Sound
08. My Buried Child
09. Warm
10. Alcohol The Seed
11. Killing For Company
12. Mother's Milk
13. Where Does A Body End?
14. Telepathy
15. The Great Annihilator
16. Out

After a three-year break occasioned in part by wrangles with the Sky label, Swans returned in 1995 with a vengeance, as always pursuing their unique muse of dramatic, ever-more textured music. Gira and Jarboe work with a fantastic core band this time out, including returning veteran Westberg, who trades off guitar duties with Steele, at points playing together with him, a magnificent combination. Other returning musicians include Kizys and Parsons, while newer players like drummer Bill Rieflin from the Chicago Wax Trax! circle join as well. As is par for the course by now, Swans seem incapable of producing a bad album, Annihilator being crammed full of astonishing songs to prove it. Everything's a little more stripped-down here, possibly due to having a central band, but it's still all very lushly arranged and created, perfectly balancing force and restraint. Leadoff single "Celebrity Lifestyle" is one of the catchiest things the band has ever done, but it's still uniquely Swans -- a minimal, throbbing song matched with a sharp lyric on starlust and what it might mean. "I Am the Sun" pounds as hard as any early Swans track, but the use of careful space between blasts, Gira's heavily echoed, out-of-nowhere vocal (accentuated by equally vivid background vocals from Jarboe), and tempo shifts clearly demonstrates the constantly evolving nature of Swans music; the band is never content to simply repeat the past. Jarboe's own standout tracks include "Mother/Father," a brawling number showcasing both her and the band at their full-on best, and "My Buried Child," with her softly husked take on a terrifying Gira lyric, which is carried by a roiling rhythm. This is followed immediately by the sweeping, cinematic "Warm," where she contributes wordless vocals. Once again, Swans have created an epic, incredible work of art.

review from AllMusicGuide

One of the few remaining pieces of the digipacked and remastered re-issue puzzle, 1994's "The Great Annihilator" is reclaimed from Invisible Records for Michael Gira's own Young God Records. This was a transitive period for Gira and Jarboe's SWANS, a natural progression from the previous "bunny" artwork themed albums ("White Light From the Mouth of Infinity" and "Love Of Life") and a premonition of what was to come with the conclusive trilogy ("Die Tür Ist Zu", "Soundtracks For The Blind" and "SWANS Are DEAD"). Many of "TGA"'s songs delve into a darker and grittier sound but also maintain melody, mixed moods and brevity. "Celebrity Lifestyle" and "Mother/Father" flirt dangerously with mainstream rock & roll conventions while "Mind/Body/Light/Sound", "My Buried Child" and "Alcohol The Seed" throb with tantric mantras. Tenderness is a distinctive trait of "Blood Promise", "Warm", "Killing For Company" and "Mother's Milk", the last of which features an especially bittersweet vocal by Jarboe. Lyrical themes follow Gira's ever-present obsessions with the eternally entangled dualities of life and death, love and hate, mind and body, man and "God", etc. The title track embraces Stephen Hawking's theory of an omnivorous, universe destroying black hole - science's embodiment of God, perhaps. Near the end Gira invitingly sings "come on in and come inside" in harmony with the title and Jarboe's backing over a spiraling mass of percussion laden rock, perfectly evoking the very nature of said sucker. To my ears the remastering improves overall clarity but is far from drastic and the bonus track, a bootleg quality live rendition of "I Am The Sun", pales in comparison to the version on "SWANS Are DEAD". No matter. "The Great Annihilator" is what nearly all SWANS albums were and remain to be: powerful, evocative and, ultimately for me, indispensable ...

review from www.brainwashed.com

Enjoy!
http://rapidshare.com/Swans_-_The_Great_Annihilator.rar

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Afrika Korps - 1977 - Music To Kill By

Afrika Korps - 1977 - Music To Kill By

Back in 1973, teenage fanzine writer Ken Highland first traveled from his small-town home in upstate New York to Brooklyn, New York, to jam with pen-pal Solomon Gruberger and his younger brother Jay in their living-room rock band O. Rex. Three years later, in early '76, Ken recorded the first infamous Gizmos EP in Bloomington, Indiana--and then joined the United States Marine Corps! Finding himself stationed in Maryland, near Washington, D.C., he quickly found his way into the burgeoning D.C. punk scene. He became friends with the Slickee Boys, and began writing songs on guard duty. Some of these became later Gizmos tunes, but the main project was a new band with the O. Rex brothers called The Afrika Korps. With help from Slickee Boys Kim Kane and Martha Hull, and the addition of multi-talented drummer Ken Kaiser, they recorded the music on this LP in the first few months of 1977. The recordings became free-for-all punk-rock "super sessions"--with various other Slickee Boys members, D.C. scenesters, rock writers, etc. joining in on the fun. The resulting LP still stands as one of the most spontaneous and least trendy things to come out of the early Amerikan punk scene. This CD includes the classick LP plus eight studio outtakes and four live tracks, and comes with a 16-page booklet featuring mostly unpublished photos and a detailed history of the Afrika Korps.

This merger of The Slickee Boys, The Gizmos, The Look, The Teenage Boys, O. Rex, and The Kaiser's Kittens has thrown up (how punky!) the best album of the year. Twenty-two (yes! 22!) songs about all the things that bother you--your complexion . . . your boys . . . your mental health . . . and your girls. Every gem is short and sweet . . . each one a nursery rhyme that's been sneaking looks at teen magazines . . . pure, unsullied, untouched by recording contract rock and roll. Every verse is a reprise, every song a chrous with a harmonious soundmix nothing like the usual Heavy Metal row most 'punks' employ. Despite their threats about slapping your pretty face and ripping your pretty lace, they're sweet kids. Real innocence always tries to be tough." --Julie Burchill, New Musical Express, 3 December 1977.

You can also check their mLP 'God Its Them Again' here.

Friday, December 8, 2006

Mecano - 1983 - Autoportrait

The story of Mecano starts with a painting, made in 1977 by founder Dirk Polak after finding an old booklet belonging to a Meccano construction box, as fabricated and sold in the thirties.While scanning the booklet, Dirk was struck by a vision of a world built out of Meccano, in painting, sculpture and even lyrics and music.

In the years before Lego existed, Meccano was very popular amongst parents, as they believed that Meccano was not just a toy, but an educative tool for schoolboys with technical abilities. An average box consisted of iron strips, wheels and plates with holes in it, based upon half an inch distance in between. It was designed “for the engineer of tomorrow” and patented in 1901 by Frank Hornby, who advertised it in the swollen tone that colored the first decades of the century and promised membership of “the Meccano Guild” and “unlimited possibilities as the system itself”.

The examples in the instruction booklet set Dirk to paint his Meccano figures, surrounded by surrealistic landscapes and interiors. In those days punk was booming and Dirk thought it was time to start a band and together with Pieter Kooyman and a few hired guns he recorded Face Cover Face, b/w Fools as Mecano Ltd. for the “No Fun” label. But Dirk wanted a real band and so he asked Ton Lebbink to be the drummer. Ton, who was a bouncer at Paradiso in Amsterdam and thus knowing everbody on the scene, immediately introduced the brothers Tejo and Cor Bolten, who also worked at Paradiso, Tejo as floor-manager and Cor, who was a bouncer too and were standing right next to him as he spoke and the band was formed in the blink of an eye. Before that, Dirk was close with Pieter, who was in the short lived “God's heart attack” and also “The Helmettes” and had a single out that was produced by Dirk and so Mecano showed up with 2 guitarists.

Another advantage of Ton and the Bolten brothers, beside their musical abilities, was that they had unlimited acces to Paradiso, the best rehearsing place a band could think of and they started experimenting and putting the music together, mainly based on the ideas of Dirk and the Bolten brothers

Emerging from the punk-era, Mecano is best described as new wave, leaving raw punk behind, adding poetry and remarkable arrangements, colored with unusual guitar harmonies, combining Allen Ravenstine-like squeeks with time experiments, sonicly floating as one, with brashness and provocation, converting into an ashtonishing electric blend.
Dirks' lyrics, influenced by such artists as Andre Breton, Paul Eluard and above all Russian poet Maiakovski, are overall cryptic and along the way Dirk added his own grammar like “lack of joie de vivre” or “globeold”.

In the summer of '79 Mecano made their stage debut and began touring the alternative circuit. Later they toured France and their '81 Paris concert had an enthousiastic press in the France Soir, their high intensity performance in Reims left a huge impression on the audience.

Early 1980 newly founded Torso Records had released the mini-lp Untitled and in that same year Subtitled, both nowadays reaching high prices amongst collectors. The next year Torso released two singles, Escape the Human Myth b/w History Landmark and Robespierre's Remarks b/w Room for Two, heading for hunters to collect. After that the band split up, to be reunited in 1982 without Ton Lebbink and Pieter Kooyman and a smaller size Mecano started recording Autoportrait, which came out early ‘83 and on which Pieter Kooyman is present on Suggestive Sleep and To Life's Reunion .

At last the Mecano files have been opened and the recordings were professionally remasterd by Cor and Tejo Bolten, resulting in exellent sound quality. This double cd has all of Mecano's studio-recordings. Also including live recordings who are never been issued before.


A true history landmark.
Leo Schelvis Resources : mecano.ws/

Thanks Mystery Poster and Friends

Download Link :
http://rapidshare.com/Mecano_-_Autoportrait.rar

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Afrika Korps - 1987 - God, It's Them Again EP

Afrika Korps - 1987 - God, It's Them Again EP



Line-up
Solomon Gruberger: vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar / Jay Gruberger: bass, lead guitar (3,6) / Kenne Gizmo Highland: vocals, lead guitar (1,2,4,7) / Marthat Hull: vocals (1,2,7) / Kenny Kaiser: drums, percussion (1,7) / Kim Kane (Slickee Boys): rhythm guitar, vocals (1,7) / Tommy Carr: drums (2)
recorded on august 14, 1982 - producers: S.Gruberger, J.Gruberger, K.Kane

Track listing
1.I'm lost in the sea of your love (part 1)
2.Nothings gonna change my life
3.Tonight
4.Reno Mania
5.Don't spoil the cake
6.Cute little she devil
7.I'm lost in the sea of your love (part 2)

The Afrika Korps was formed in 1976 by three pioneers of the American DIY garage-punk movement Solomon Gruberger (O.Rex), Kim Kane (Slickee Boys) and Kenne Highland (Gizmos). All three had already released their own indie records at this point, and with the addition of Ken Kaiser on drums and 16 year old Jay Gruberger on bass, the Afrika Korps was a casually constituted underground supergroup whose fifteen-person lineup included fanzine writers, and other assorted Washington DC-area garagepunks. Their first LP 'Music to Kill By' boasts 22 songs (including the Slickee Boys' "Jailbait Janet," covers of the Kinks and Yardbirds, and such culturally profound outpourings as "Iggy," "Death to Disko!" and "N.Y. Punk.").
Reuniting on a smaller scale five years later, the Korps roared back into action with a punchy second album. Solomon Gruberger (who does a pretty good Joey Ramone imitation on "Tonight") shares lead vocal duties on the half-dozen songs with ex-Slickee Boys singer Martha Hull and SB guitarist Kim Kane. These recordings released as an 12"EP by the French label New Rose, in 1987. The best review for this comes from Dimitri T.Shepilov, Editor in Chief of Pravda, in the 50s: "All this nervous and insane Boogie Woogie are the wild orgies of cavemen...devoid of all elements of beauty and melody...representing an uncontrolled release of base passions, a burst of the lowest feeling and sexual urges."

Sunday, December 3, 2006

The Sound - From The Lion's Mouth

Tracks :
01 Winning
02 Sense Of Purpose
03 Contact The Fact
04 Skeletons
05 Judgement
06 Fatal Flaw
07 Possession
08 The Fire
09 Silent Air
10 New Dark Age

There is a kind of double irony to the lyrics of the opening track of The Sound's second album. Listening to the excellent new wave classic 'Winning' the lyrics convey becoming triumphant in the face of adversity: "I was going to drown then I started swimming. I was going down then I started winning". Yet these optimistic words are set to a doomy rhythm section that suggests anything but. All of this naturally leads to thinking of frontman Adrian Borland's recent suicide. Rather reflect on that though, it is best to concentrate on an excellent album from the early 80's which ranks alongside The Comsat Angels' early work for being an overlooked classic. 'From The Lion's Mouth' possesses that same air of controlled miserablism and that tangible sense of loneliness that sounds just as poignant now as it did 22 years ago. Unfortunately the group lost their way on subsequent albums in an effort to cross over to a more lucrative market. Remember them instead for exemplars of edgy rock such as the rattling intensity of 'The Fire' and 'Skeletons' or the awesome 'Fatal Flaw' and 'New Dark Age' with its threatening military drum introduction.

resources : http://www.leonardslair.co.uk/lions.htm

EXCELLENT album guys ! 9/10


Download Link :
http://rapidshare.com/Sound_-_Lions_Mouth.rar

November 2006

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus

Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - 1994 - The Gift Of Tears_Mirror

This is a double CD collection of the LPs "The Gift Of Tears" (1987) and "Mirror" (1991). The last two tracks on the second disc are grouped together as "La Liturgie Pour La Fin Du Temps".

Tracklisting:
The Gift Of Tears
1-01 Come Holy Spirit (9:28)
1-02 Tales From Europe (4:07)
1-03 The Miller (4:09)
1-04 De Profundis (3:37)
1-05 The Singing Ringing Tree (2:06)
1-06 Beauty After The Fall (9:17)
1-07 Dreams (Awakening Of A Child's Mind) (4:46)
1-08 Lament (Ashes In The Water) (3:11)
1-09 Transfiguration (5:31)
1-10 Communion (3:11)
Mirror
2-01 Shadowlands (4:24)
2-02 Immaculado (8:19)
2-03 Joy Of The Cross (1:44)
2-04 Hymn To Dionysus (2:53)
2-05 Nostalgia (6:07)
2-06 Theme De "L'Homme Qui Ne Croyait Pas En Lui-Meme" (3:53)
2-07 Psalm (4:32)
2-08 Nativity (5:17)
2-09 Man Of Sorrows (6:03)
2-10 Theme Reprise (2:05)
La Liturgie Pour La Fin Du Temps
2-11 Le Monde Du Silence (5:04)
2-12 Dies Irae (8:13)

This record is easily one of my favorite albums of all time. It's proof of an unjust world that this album has scarcely been available over the past ten years. Except those rare copies offered at prices of an arm and a leg.

Eschewing economics, the beautiful music of RAIJ has bucketloads of passion, mystery, innocence, and is rife with an adventurous spirit of experimentation. You can literally hear the joy in their musical discoveries, from track to track. In it, you'll hear a valid attempt invoking the spirit of Europe: From otherworldly Gregorian-style chants to madrigal acoustic guitars/flutes to echo-chamber percussion and floating electronic soundscapes, even excerpts from Cocteau's movie ORPHEE. That is, a musical journey from medieval times to our electronic era. And it's breathtaking to hear such imaginal leaps through their sound.

It wouldn't be too off the mark to consider their music in the "apocalyptic folk" tradition of, say, Current 93, Death In June, etc. And like this style, it takes acoustic instruments and collides them with electronic manipulations. But this collison is done in a way that is totally singular and without peer.

Only an anarcho-Christian collective like them could have brought all of these elements together: Acoustic-electronic, innocence-wisdom, lucidity-confusion, Christian-pagan.
Reviewer:Michael Thomas Jones (Huntington, WV)

The RAIJ Double CD Collection
part I
part II

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - The RAIJ Double CD Collection / Paradis
(2CD / CD, Apocalyptic Vision, 1994 / 1995)

C.S. Lewis once wrote "Holy places are dark places." If his sentiment could be expressed physically, it would undoubtedly find embodiment in the music of the Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus. These English musicians appear well-versed in the western liturgical music tradition which seems to be the basis of their beautifully reverent and dark compositions. In addition to simple chant-like vocals sometimes haunted with an ethereal, childlike female voice, RAIJ incorporates such an array of musical elements it's impossible to name them all. They combine folk, celtic, world beat, tribal percussion, Eastern European, and some Middle Eastern influences into a truly original sound. RAIJ's first album, The Gift of Tears, explores some of these components in notable pieces such as "Come Holy Spirit" and "Beauty after the Fall". The first one begins with a lone classical guitar, soon accompanied by bass and tribal percussion while a simple, chant-like melody and a floating female vocal carry the piece. "Beauty" is just that--a harmony of classical guitar, woodwind melody, and spoken word. The Gift of Tears is very much organic and acoustic, but there is also quite a bit of experimentation in all of RAIJ's music. You'll hear the clanging of cathedral bells, echoing percussion, and spoken word in foreign languages, including samples from the films of Andrei Tarkovsky and Jean Cocteau. "De Profundis" is full of reverberating metallic clanks, layers of feedback, and a swirl of wind instruments. Overall, the second album, "Mirror," is more experimental than the first. Although there is less use of acoustic instruments, the earthy element is still present but is saturated with processed sounds and samples. "Nostalgia" is a beautifully somber and captivating piece composed of a dark orchestral arrangement and a piano interlude while a man's voice drones in the background. Another composition meshing samples and noise with instruments is "Psalm". Unidentifiable whooshes and echoes soar across the clear solemnity of a child-like voice singing the words of Psalm 51. In the new EP Paradis, RAIJ continues to blend organic instruments and experimental sounds into lush masterpieces. "The Parable (of the Singing Ringing Tree)" is an 8-minute rendering of the original found on Gift of Tears, this time made fuller with an accordion-like instrument and guitar. "Mouvement" is a simple but well-crafted piece consisting only of congas. The focus of "Paradis" is the ethereal female voice which swoops and echoes with a semi-operatic quality. Perhaps the highlight of the EP is "She Moved Through the Fair", an atmospheric piece slowly building in percussive speed and intensity reminiscent of the final movement of Ravel's "Bolero".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - 1995 - Paradis


Tracklisting:
01 Paradis (10:45)
02 The Parable (Of The Singing Ringing Tree) (7:34)
03 She Moved Through The Fair (6:03)
04 Mouvement (3:02)

Paradis
part I

Skeletal Family - 1985 - Futile Combat

Track Listing :
1. Hands On The Clock
2. Move
3. This Time
4. Don't Be Denied
5. Far & Near
6. No Chance
7. Streetlight
8. She Cries Alone
9. What Happened?
10. Promised Land

The Skeletal Family history ::

Formed from the ashes of The Elements (Keighley, West Yorkshire, England). The Skeletal Family began life in December 1982.

The initial line-up consisted of: -
Anne-Marie Hurst (Vocals)
Stan Greenwood (Guitars)
Roger "Trotwood" Nowell (Bass)
Steve Crane (Drums)
Ian "Karl Heinz" Taylor (Keyboards)

Taking their name from a David Bowie track off the Diamond Dogs album, the band quickly gained a sizeable local following, encouraged by this produced a self funded single "Trees"/"Just A Friend" released through the Leeds based Luggage label.

The single quickly gained the attention ofRadio One's John Peel which through regular airings on his late show, saw the single breach the lower regions of the National independent charts.

Due to this radio airplay the band by-passed the usual route of playing the small pub circuit and made their London debut at the Fulham Greyhound to an enthusiastic audience, no doubt bolstered due to the current radio airplay. The gig also received an encouraging reaction from the now defunct national music paper "Sounds", which secured the band other prestigious support slots with Sex Gang Children and Play Dead.

By now with a Radio One session booked for March, the band recorded a second single "The Night"/"Waiting Here". For this release drummer Steve Crane was replaced by Manchester based Howard Daniels. Karl Heinz also departed (occasionally resurfacing on various future projects). Due to disappointing sales the single the single fails to make the impression expected, and the band set about recording their third single "She Cries Alone". Enlisting the services of the recently defunct Southern Death Cult guitarist Ian "Buzz" Burrows as co-producer and roadie, now turned drummer Martin Henderson replacing the increasingly unreliable Howard, "She Cries Alone" gave the band their first major mark in the independent charts, and armed with this success recorded the debut album "Burning Oil".

Around this period the band came close to extinction, whilst returning from a Belgium appearance, the tour van rolled over, and after crawling from the van it was discovered to be teetering on the edge of a 10 ft fall over the canal. Miraculously no one was hurt apart from one passenger who lost half his lower ear!!! Whilst recording the album the band learnt that Sisters Of Mercy front man Andrew Eldridge had specifically asked the band to support the Sisters on their Autumn Black October tour.

Now playing to much larger receptive audiences, the reaction ensured that when released "Burning Oil" reached the top of the UK indie charts, beating The Smiths & New Order in the process. With a now much larger profile and two more Radio One sessions the band played numerous dates around Britain and Europe and proved popular enough to sell out London's then prestigious Marquee club.

Despite previously enduring limited recording budgets, the bands success now enabled them to enlist the services of Cult/Gene Loves Jezebel producer John Brand, relocating to Highland studios Inverness and recording the bands second album "Futile Combat". Aided by Waterboys saxophonist Anthony Thistlewaite and Graham Pleeth on synths, the band achieved a more polished sound, a marked improvement on the previous offering.

Live favourite "Promised Land" was chosen as the first single off the album and on release reached the top three of the National Indie charts. The band topped the year with special guest appearances with Siouxsie & The Banshees at Brixton Academy plus Spear of Destiny London's Lyceum.

By this time tensions within the band were high which culminated in both Anne-Marie and Martin (who joined March Violets vocalist Simon to form The Batfish Boys) leaving.

With a nationwide tour still booked, Anne-Marie rejoined and the band enlisted ex Gene Loves Jezebel drummer Dik on drums. Relationships in the band were still strained and although then tour was a success, Anne-Marie once again departed to form Ghost Dance with Sisters Of Mercy founder Gary Marx, forcing the band to cancel what would have been the band's seventh Radio One session for John Peel.

At this point the band, who were at the height of their success decided to carry on. Additional musicians were drafted in, Kevin Hunter from Hull based band Cold Dance and local Keighley guitarist John Clarke joined the ranks while Trotwood and Stan sifted through numerous replies from a Melody Maker advert, intent on finding a replacement vocalist.

An initial rehearsal with Look Back In Anger vocalist Mitch Ebbling didn't work out, So the band plumped for ex Colourfield, Manchester vocalist Katrina Phillips.

Katrina, who had sang and appeared with Terry Hall (ex Specials lead singer) on The Colourfield single "Thinking Of You" had a different voice and character to Anne-Marie, but had the added advantage of writing her own tunes and lyrics.

A new manager was found in the form of Tony Perrin and the band set about recording the next single "Restless" at Bradford's newly formed Flexible Response studios. The single was originally intended for release on the Red Rhino label, but after shooting a video with Pulp's Jarvis Cocker and Russell Senior directing decided, with the aid of the band's publishing company DJM to try for a major label release.

After offers from various companies the band decided to sign with Chrysalis Records, as they seemed to be the most enthusiastic regarding promoting the band. "Restless" was remixed and partially rerecorded in Island Studios London with Smiths producer Steven Street, who whilst giving a more professional mix, deviated it so much from the original master tapes that it was almost unrecognisable as the Skeletal Family sound.

Nonetheless the single was released in 7" & 12" format gaining plenty of airplay on Radio One's Janice Long's Evening show which resulted in a further two sessions for the station plus a double page feature in Melody Maker.

The second single for Chrysalis "Just a Minute" recaptured the classic Skeletal Family sound and gave the band their highest success in the National charts at the time.

The band completed a highly successful German tour before retuning to Britain to record demo's for their forthcoming album with seventies glam rock Sweet' guitarist Andy Scott at the helm. Again disruptions occurred within the ranks causing the band to split the day before the bands first pre recorded TV performance was aired.

Following a successful gig at the Cockpit Leeds on 5.12.02 the Skels have reformed . And have played several more sucsessful UK gigs with new dates steadily appearing

The Skeletal Family Story continues..................

By association::

John Brand who produced Futile Combat now manages The STEREOPHONICS. The engineer on that session was Brendan Lynch of Paul Weller and OCS fame.

Tony Perrin who managed the band briefly went on to success with The MISSION, and then RIGHT SAID FRED.

Spike who did the early Ghost Dance singles now produces for OASIS.

Shaun from MANIC STREET PREACHERS fame's first single was Promised Land.

Resources :
skeletalfamily.com

Highly Recommended for all dark wave fans and not only...

Watch "Promised Land"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nof2w1ysUI4

Download Link :
http://rapidshare.com/Skeletal_Family.rar

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Romeo Void - Instincts

Track Listing

1 Out on My Own
2 Just Too Easy
3 Billy's Birthday
4 Going to Neon
5 Six Days and One
6 Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)
7 Say No
8 Your Life Is a Lie
9 Instincts

Romeo Void was a New Wave band in San Francisco, California from 1979 to 1985.
They are best known for the songs "Never Say Never" (1982) and "A Girl in Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing)" (1984), which were minor hits, with the latter becoming a Top 40 pop single. Their popularity was primarily in alternative and college radio, and as a dynamic performing act. They recorded for 415/Columbia Records.

The original band members met at the San Francisco Art Institute. Most of the band members were also visual artists and did their own album art. Perhaps in reaction against the more commercial sound of Benefactor, Romeo Void returned to producer David Kahne and the sound of their first album, It's a Condition, on their third, Instincts. Nevertheless, it proved to be their bestselling album. The group's instrumental attack continued to be spearheaded by saxophonist Benjamin Bossi, whose floating lines contrasted with the drive of the rhythm section and guitarist Peter Woods' Morse code leads. And Iyall continued to pour out disappointed reflections on the romantic condition in songs with titles like "Your Life Is a Lie" and "Say No." One of them, "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)," managed to be both provocative and vague enough to inch into the Top 40, such that the album gained greater exposure and sales. But instead of marking a breakthrough for Romeo Void, Instincts marked their breakup, with Iyall going solo.

After the demise of Romeo Void, Debora Iyall, the lead singer and lyricist, put together and sang in the groups Knife in Water and Lower East Venus. John Haines played drums for Pearl Harbour and the Explosions.
The band was reunited briefly in 2003 for a one-off concert by VH-1's Bands Reunited, although Benjamin Bossi was unable to perform due to hearing loss. The band wrote and recorded four demo tracks in October 1993 (If I Was Your Cat, Stormy Eyes, Two Rivers, and Safe Place), which were sent to Sony Music but never released.

Personnel

Debora Iyall: vocals
Benjamin Bossi: saxophone
Peter Woods: guitar
Frank Zincavage: bass
John Haines: drums (It's a Condition)
Larry Carter: drums (Never Say Never (EP) and Benefactor)
Aaron Smith: drums (Instincts)

Watch "Say No" :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeYQA1k_7Kw&mode=related&search=

Download Link :
http://rapidshare.com/files/4839854/romeo.rar

Tripod Jimmie - 1982 - Long Walk Off A Short Pier

Tripod Jimmie - 1982 - Long Walk Off A Short Pier

01 Autumn Leaves
02 Thank You Very Much Next Week
03 Mirror On The Wall
04 Empty Seed
05 Bowl Of Cherries
06 Nu Spartans
07 Joe Granville
08 Jimmie Sings
09 Women In Uniform
10 Spike The Dike
11 Franco-America

Tripod Jimmie "Long Walk Off a Short Pier" Do Speak do3, 1982.
*** Terrific debut from the band led by ex- Pere Ubu guitarist, Tom Hermann. Great post-punk/funk stuff: agile drumming, meaty basslines, Hermann's lacerating guitar and his Byrne-like voice. Not dissimilar in places to early Talking Heads, but not as mannered. Excellent live-in-studio recording made "on the shore of Lake Erie." I became aware of this fantastic lp when avid fan, Steve Albini played it on a local radio show. References: Come On, The Fall, Styrenes, Electric Eels, Mirrors, Couch Flambeau. ***


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tom Herman is a guitarist and composer.

He was a founding member of Pere Ubu, performing and recording with them from 1975 to 1979. He quit the group, then rejoined in 1995. One of his main reasons for leaving Pere Ubu (one among many) was that the band wasn't as interested in spending time on the road as he was. He left and, ironically, never got back on the road with a band until rejoining Pere Ubu in the nineties.

After leaving Ubu, Tom spent some time working on an oil rig in the south as well as playing bass in a hotel band. Eventually he started working as a mechanical technician, repairing equipment in hospitals and occasionally restaurants.

In 1980 or 1981 he moved to Erie, PA, where he started Tripod Jimmie with bassist Lenny Bove and drummer Roger Prehoda. The band was named after photographer friend Mick Mellen's three-legged dog and/or the tape deck mounted on a tripod that functioned as the fourth member of the band. The tape deck was used to play tape loops which the band would then play "with" rhythmically or "against" (where the loop served more as a textural element) depending upon the demands of a particular song.

While notably different from Pere Ubu, the two bands do have similarities. The band's music bore a relation to R&B, but in a unique sense. "... one of the things I was thinking about at the time was what it would be like if some alien was exposed to all relevant information about R&B except actually hearing it," as Tom put it. This thoughtful and conscious approach to the band as a project shows a similar sensibility to Ubu's.

Some time after recording the album Long Walk Off a Short Pier (which was in fact recorded on a pier), Tripod Jimmie moved from Erie, PA to Oakland, CA in the mid-eighties, swapping Roger Prehoda for Glenn Reynolds on drums. This lineup released the album A Warning to All Strangers. The band broke up in 1988 and Tom dropped out of actively playing music for a few years.

In 2003, Tom recorded an album called "Wait For It", which was issued by Return-to-Sender Records in 2004. Highlights include a cover of Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Jesus" and "Red Haired Girl".

In early 2005, Tom left Pere Ubu again. In August of 2006 he played on stage with Oakland rock band Ovipositor.

One critic has praised Herman's playing, describing it as "postmodern Chuck Berry riffing."

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy - Waiting For The Love Bus

The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy - Waiting For The Love Bus
Creation Records

Tracks

Rosemary Davis' World Of Sound
Bakersfield
Kids In The Mall/Kaliningrad
Whaddya?
Sweetwater
Ghosts
Baltic
Killed Out
Ben
Penguins
President Chang
Angel Station
Rosemary Davis' World Of Sound
Everybody's Talking

Do You Wanna Dance

the band

Pat Fish (Fender Telecaster, Fender Jaguar, Yamaha sf-800, 6 & 12 String Acoustic Guitars, Keyboards, Percussion, Programming, Vocals)
Richard Formby (Fender Jaguar, Gibson Firebird, Burns Electric
X11 String, Programming, Tapes)
Dooj Wilkinson (Wal Bass Guitar, Voice)
Nick Burson (Drums)
Peter Crouch (Fender Stratocaster, Fender Jaguar, Yamaha sf-800)

The Jazz Butcher was the vehicle of prolific singer/songwriter Pat Fish, an archetypal British eccentric whose sharp observational wit and melodic gifts navigated the group through over a decade of constant line-up shifts, stylistic mutations and even a series of name changes which found the band performing variously -- and apparently randomly -- under such titles as the Jazz Butcher Conspiracy and the Jazz Butcher & His Sikkorskis From Hell. Fish was born Patrick Huntrods in London in 1957, and raised primarily in Northampton. He first began performing while studying philosophy at Oxford in the late 1970s, fronting the short-lived Nightshift; a subsequent band dubbed the Institution later joined forces with their rivals the Sonic Tonix, establishing the nucleus of players who later formed the core of the Jazz Butcher sphere.

Fish first concocted his Butcher persona in 1982, quickly enlisting his Oxford mates to join him in a band of the same name; even from the outset, the group's roster changed seemingly on a daily basis, although Fish found an early mainstay in guitarist Max Eider. The Jazz Butcher's eclectic 1982 debut A Bath in Bacon -- including early skewed pop gems such as "Love Zombie" and "Sex Engine Thing" -- was essentially a Fish solo record, but by 1984's folky A Scandal in Bohemia the roster had stabilized to include ex-Bauhaus bassist David J. Following The Gift of Music, a 1984 compilation of single sides, the Jazz Butcher resurfaced the following year with Sex and Travel, a marvelously odd set ranging in sound from punk ("Red Pets") to cabaret ("Holiday").

After David J left the band to join Love and Rockets, the remaining quartet -- Fish, Eider, bassist Felix Ray and drummer Mr. O.P. Jones -- rechristened themselves the Jazz Butcher and His Sikkorskis from Hell and recorded the 1985 live set Hamburg, followed the next year by an EP, Hard. Leaving the rhythm section behind, Fish and Eider then recorded 1986's Conspiracy EP, credited to the "Jazz Butcher vs. Max Eider" and foreshadowing the subsequent shift to the Jazz Butcher Conspiracy aegis for Distressed Gentlefolk. Eider soon exited to mount a solo career, leaving Fish to team with guitarist Kizzy O'Callaghan for 1988's Fishcoteque, their first release for the Creation label.

By the time of 1989's Big Planet Scarey Planet, the line-up also included the superb bassist Laurence O'Keefe, saxophonist Alex Green and drummer Paul Mulreany; 1990's Cult of the Basement was recorded with the same roster, but the usual disruptions soon left Fish essentially to his own devices for 1991's Condition Blue and 1993's Waiting for the Love Bus. Upon reuniting with David J, who produced 1995's low-key Illuminate, Fish decided to lay the Jazz Butcher name to rest, and performed a farewell performance in London at the end of the year. He subsequently signed on to play drums with the Stranger Tractors, but in 1999 reunited with Eider for a Jazz Butcher Conspiracy tour of the U.S. The live Glorious and Idiotic appeared the following year and Rotten Soul was issued in fall 2000.
by Jason Ankeny, all music guide.

your download links:
http://rapidshare.com/Jazz_Butcher_Conspiracy.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/Jazz_Butcher_Conspiracy.part2.rar

Enjoy!

Prolapse - The Italian Flag

Track List

01 Slash/Oblique 4:56
02 Deanshanger 3:51
03 Cacophony No. A 5:06
04 Killing The Bland 2:29
05 I Hate the Clicking Man 5:15
06 Autocade 3:34
07 Tunguska 4:04
08 Flat Velocity Curve 7:17
09 Return of Shoes 5:42
10 A Day at Death Seaside 3:34
11 Bruxelles 5:54
12 Visa for Violet and Van 5:56
13 Three Wooden Heads 10:36

Prolapse were formed fifteen years ago in the summer of 1991 under a table at Leicester Polytechnic's friday night disco with the aim of being the most depressing band ever. The first recording as a four-piece of Mick Derrick (vocals), Mick Harrison (bass), Tim Pattison (drums) and Pat Marsden (guitar) -still on a cassette somewhere - was an improvised session with a strong Joy Division feel-Ian Curtis sitting next to Scottish Mick doing backing vocals. Vocalist Linda Steelyard and David Jeffreys on guitar soon joined the line-up and early live shows featured flying televisions and puppets being mutilated. The band released singles, including the Crate E.P., and their first album Pointless Walks to Dismal Places on Cherry Red Records in 1994. U.K., European and U.S. touring soon followed aswell as Peel and various other radio sessions. backsaturday was the next album in 1995 - this consists of mostly improvised songs written in Northwich, Cheshire over a weekend. It features a long version of the Krautrock inspired 'Flex'-a song to crop up near the end of many a live set.

The Italian Flag (1997) was produced by former Julian Cope guitarist Donald Ross Skinner, who was now also involved as a keyboard player. This contained more 'finished songs' than backsaturday, including those that had been part of the live set for a while. Singles Killing the Bland, Deanshanger and Autocade were released around the time. Prolapse were receiving favourable reviews in the music press for their live shows and releases and were attracting a cult following. People came to gigs with potatoes for them to sign saying they wanted to be reincarnated as a patch of lichen. In Norwich, Oxford and London gigs would be packed, although in Hanover, Stevenage and Wolverhampton only a couple of ferrets and Elvis impersonators would turn up. Still there were appearances for Slash/Oblique and Autocade in John Peel's Festive 31 (not 50 that year!). The last album Ghosts of Dead Aeroplanes (1999) was based around lots of improvised stuff at Foel Studio in Wales. This has more of a sparse feel than much of the band's earlier music. Metal Box era Public Image Limited was one influence at the time.

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Monday, November 13, 2006

Louis Tillett - 1987 - Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell

TRACK LIST

1.Trip To Kalu-Ki-Bar
2.Duet In Blue Minor
3.Swimming In The Mirror
4.Dream Well
5.Voluntary Slavery
6.On Your Way Down
7.Persephone's Dance
8.Dead End Street In The Lu

By IAN McFARLANE(Author of ‘The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop’)

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s LOUIS TILLETT provided a commanding and distinctive presence on the Australian alternative music scene. He was a softly spoken individual, yet it was his rich baritone singing voice (once described as “burning like a deep wound… like it’s oozing from the cracks of a tomb”), characteristic keyboard technique and exceptional song writing skills that earned him a reputation as an artist of considerable imagination, authority and conviction, and as a sideman of redoubtable stature. In addition to leading groups like the Wet Taxis, Paris Green and the Aspersion Caste, his work as a backing musician with Catfish, Ed Kuepper, the New Christs and Tex Perkins kept him firmly in the public eye.Louis’s first band, the Wet Taxis, commenced life as an experimental outfit in the manner of fellow Sydneysiders Severed Heads and Scattered Order before taking on a tougher 1960s-influenced direction. Their classic debut single on the Hot label, ‘C’mon’ (1984), boasted an authentic garage/R&B sound heavily influenced by such American garage/punk bands as the Moving Sidewalks, We the People and the Chocolate Watchband plus legendary Australian group the Atlantics (who originally issued the song as ‘Come On’ in 1967). Alongside the likes of Died Pretty, the Celibate Rifles, the Lime Spiders, the New Christs, the Hoodoo Gurus and the Eastern Dark, the Wet Taxis came to epitomise the Australian garage rock sound and aesthetic of the 1980s. The band’s only album was the appropriately named From the Archives (Hot, 1984). The 1960s garage rock sound served the Wet Taxis well, yet Louis was constantly in search of new musical terrain to explore. This led him to the acoustic-based No Dance side project with Died Pretty’s Brett Myers and Celibate Rifles’ Damien Lovelock (one EP, ‘Carnival of Souls’ in 1984) and the improvisational jazz/blues-influenced Paris Green ensemble which covered material ranging from Mose Allison and John Coltrane to Ray Charles. Following the release of the Wet Taxis single ‘Sailor’s Dream’ on the Citadel label (1987), Louis folded the band and immediately recorded his debut solo album Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell with support from a stellar array of local musicians including guitarist Charlie Owen and drummer Louis Burdett. The album relied upon a brooding intensity for its emotional effect, yet there was always a lighter more positive side as displayed on tracks like ‘Trip to Kalu-Ki-Bar’.His next band the Aspersion Caste included Owen, Burdett, ex-Wet Taxis guitarist Penny Ikinger and a powerful horn section and was heard on A Cast of Aspersions (1990) and its astonishing single ‘Condemned to Live’. A Cast of Aspersions was an eclectic and potent exploration of mood and emotions driven by Louis’s booming baritone voice and smouldering organ, jagged guitar lines and the swinging brass arrangements. Louis kept the Aspersion Caste on the road (including performances in Europe and New York) until 1992 when he recorded his next solo album Letters to a Dream. In 1995, he collaborated with Owen on the album Midnight Rain before they joined Ken Gormly and Jim Elliot (from the Cruel Sea) as backing musicians for Tex Perkins, on tour to promote his 1996 solo album Far be it From Me. Louis released his last album, Cry against the Faith, in 1999. As well as travelling overseas and succumbing to bouts of ill-health due to his well-publicised battle with alcoholism, he continued to put in occasional live performances around Sydney (often with help from Gormly and Elliot). An ABC-TV documentary produced a few years ago on the man, A Night at Sea, provided rare insight into his role as a performer and his struggles with personal demons. He has now emerged in 2005 with renewed vigour. All of which brings us to his new album, The Hanged Man, an exemplary return to form and a solo release in the truest sense. Louis recorded The Hanged Man in Bangkok, Thailand in July 2004 with a local engineer called O, and it focuses squarely on his skills as a song writer, producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist par excellence – a remarkable achievement from a remarkable musician. The deep connection to the blues/jazz/swamp rock feel essential to his sound has remained, yet there is so much more. One only has to listen to the nine brilliant tracks to hear the emotional outpouring on offer here. Louis has opened his heart and soul, faced down his demons and overcome his fears in the most cathartic way – song writing and recording as personal therapy. With lyric lines throughout the album as compelling and insightful as the following: “… shows me the journey I must make” (‘Ocean Bound’)“… I now have some hope, this will keep me afloat” (‘Four Walls’)“… the main thing I want is these voices to stop” (‘Through the Dream’)“… I pray for redemption and hope for a sign” (‘Prayer Before Dawn’)“… it all seems to go away with the start of a brand new day” (‘Around You’)“… I’m looking high I’m looking low, now it’s clear what I must do” (‘It’s Alright Now’)and “… a dream fulfilled, a love rebuilt… I’ve returned to a perfect friend, the journey’s end” (‘Teary Eyes’)…this is Louis embracing the very joyousness of a bright future. The Hanged Man features music as vital, beautiful, emotional and uncompromising as any in the history of Australian rock. Take the time to accept this incredible musician and his art.

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Saturday, November 11, 2006

Dream City Film Club - 1997 - Dream City Film Club

Dream City Film Club - 1997 - Dream City Film Club
@ 320 part 1, part 2

Tracks :

01. Night of Nights
02. Shit Tinted Shades

03. Pissboy
04. Because You Wanted It

05. Filth Dealer
06. Mama

07. Porno Paradiso
08. Situation Desperate

09. Perfect Piece of Trash
10. Vague

11. If I Die I Die
12. 'Til The End of The World

13. Teenage Wife (hidden track)

Michael J. Sheehy: Vocals, guitars, keyboards
Andrew Park: Bass guitar, keyboards, guitars
Laurence Ash: Drums, percussion
Alex Vald, guitar (until 1997)


Info for the band:
Dream City Film Club was one of England's most under-rated bands of the 1990s. Propelled by the bombastic assault of bassist Andrew Park and drummer Laurence Ash, and the sonic intensity of guitarist Alex Vald, guitarist/vocalist Michael John Sheehy, radiated darkness with songs about murder, sex, drugs and violence.A veteran of the singer-songwriter circuit in Northern England, Sheehy formed Dream City Film Club with Vald and Ash, two musicians who supplemented their income by producing shows at Kentish Town nightspot, the Bull & Gate. When Ash's group disbanded, a few months later, Sheehy, Ash and Vald began playing together informally. The group soon became a quartet with the addition of bassist, Andrew Park.Making their debut, at the Bull & Gate, in July 1995, Dream City Film Club continued to perform throughout northern London. Although a recording of several tunes was financed by Epic, in late 1995, the label refused to release it. The group had to settle for sharing a single with Dublin-born and London-based vocalist, Suzanne Rhatigan, on a label affiliated with Sean Worrell's fanzine, The Organ. They later released an EP on Organ.Signing with the slightly larger, Beggars Banquet, label, Dream City Film Club released a single, Perfect Piece Of Trash". Although they began work on their debut album in October 1996, Vald became ill during recording sessions and the project was delayed. With the release of their self-titled debut album, in 1997, Dream City Film Club reached out to a wider audience. Following a recording session for BBC disc jockey/producer, John Peel, in December 1996, they embarked on two years of performances in France, Belgium and nearly every corner of England. They recorded subsequent sessions for Peel in April 1998 and February 1999.Vald's departure, during the pre-production stage of their second album, In The Cold Light Of Morning, resulted in Dream City Film Club recording the album as a trio. Although they went on to release another, EP, Stranger Blues, in early-2000, the group disbanded. Sheehy released a solo album, As If And Also, shortly afterwards.

Info for this particular album:
The band's first album, the one major release featuring the original four-piece lineup, works in the same effective, compelling vein as the later In the Cold Light of Morning. If anything, the presence of Alex Vald here doesn't seem to show any difference in performance or general atmosphere — things for the band, and especially Michael John Sheehy, again inhabit the later, familiar vein of haunted country and blues-tinged music mixing with glam/goth styles. Certainly anyone who prefers life as black as possible will find something to love in the piercing guitar abuse and chilling slow crunch of "Fifth Dealer," which makes as good a claim to be the band's highlight track as anything else. "Perfect Piece of Trash" is another on-the-edge winner, much quicker but no less screwed up, lyrics detailing an already questionable relationship going even worse wedded to a rave-up explosion. A number of efforts suggest a more strung-out but still nervous Gallon Drunk, like the creepy lounge touches on "Shit Tinged Shades," Sheehy's distorted voice sounding as out there as the deep-in-the-background feedback whine. Sheehy himself sticks to a fairly well-worn lyrical vein that won't totally surprise listeners who knows their Birthday Party and related bands, but he doesn't try to specifically sound like any of that crew so much as a side-of-the-mouth talking poet of filth with occasional tendencies to stay perfectly calm. "Porno Paradiso," in particular, lets him demonstrate both his not-bad falsetto and a generally softer approach. The musical balance between noise and dark, twangy restraint holds true pretty much for the whole release, and in the latter mode the foursome is often at its best. Consider the soft chimes and buried semi-Morricone feedback on "Because You Wanted It" or the accordion and minimal keyboard melody on "Mama," a little slice of cabaret in hell.

[Note: Dream City Film Club dispersed in 1999.

'til the end of the world ...]

[info:allmusic.com]

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Wire - 1979 - 154

Completing the transformation from abstract punks to art-rockers, 154 is Wire's most impressive album. The virulance still remains, but with more depth and style than elsewhere. Ever-changing writing partnerships create a new level of tension, pulling the release in often-disparate directions. On the surface this creates a rather disjointed album, but the sheer quality of writing and performance soon banishes such thoughts for good.

Experimentation is still evident—most notably in the harrowing The Other Window that tells the story of a man travelling on a foreign train. From his window, he notices a dying horse fataly trapped in a barbed wire fence. The stressed instrumentation of the backing and out-of-time metronome drumbeat enhance the atmosphere building to the simple finale: 'He turned away/What could he do/The other window had a nicer view'.

Wire's keen sense of observation also appears within the amusing On Returning, emphasising the way British people sometimes travel overseas with a level of nonchalance and arrogance: 'You'll be sorry when the sun has roasted you to lobster red'; 'On arriving with the third language tucked into your briefcase next to your toothbrush'.

The musical high-point arrives halfway through the album in the shape of A Mutual Friend. The arrangement is rather less contemporary than any of the other tracks, combining various guitars with cor anglais passage and evolving drum beats that range from delicate cymbal play to rampaging tom rolls.

The reissue also adds a four track EP with one piece from each member of Wire, and the cutting B-side Go Ahead, which probably says more about the situation with the band's record label at the time than any other piece of prose. If you like Wire then you'll adore 154 and although this is sometimes one of the most painfully disjointed albums you're ever likely to hear it's also one of the best.

Craig Grannell (1998)

uploaded by Mystery Poster and Friends

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Sunday, November 5, 2006

The Bolshoi - Friends

Extracts from press releases Autumn 1984 - singer / guitarist Trevor Tanner and drummer Jan Kalicki emerged from deepest Wiltshire to form the Bolshoi. Having hitch-hiked to the darkest wastelands of Woolwich to seek their fame and fortune, the boys recruited bassist Nick Chown and within 3 months had guested live with The Cult, Lords Of The New Church, Wall Of Voodoo, The Redskins, March Violets, culminating with a headline show at Londons famous Marquee club in January 1985, selling it out on word-of-mouth alone.Their first single,’Sob Story’, was released that spring, followed by a mini-album ‘Giants’ which included the irresistably anthemic ‘Happy Boy’. “I don’t think we sound like anyone else” concedes the charismatic Trevor. “That’s not a conscious thing - we simply do what we do. We’re like a ‘real’ band... we’re real people who actually enjoy what we’re doing, work well together and are unaffected by what’s going on musically outside. I’m not saying we’re different, but people have diverse impressions of us. I don’t know what we sound like, and I don’t think anybody else knows what we sound like either!”.Growing to a four piece with the addition of Paul Clark on keyboards, the band continued to build on their live following and finally released a full length album ‘Friends’, in September 1986 which included singles ‘AWay’ (“an understated mini-epic which easily overruns the chronically abbreviated runway of charts ‘80’s style” - Sounds) and ‘Books On The Bonfire’. Sounds again applauded “the musical artistry of this album... this flowing stream of vinyl perfection... if you’ve seen this group you’re already hopelessly addicted”.“So who are these four young men and what makes them so special? Firstly, let us introduce Trevor Tanner, the groups self appointed visionary and lyricist. Outwardly extrovert and with a mesmerising stage presence, The Bolshoi’s lead singer and guitarist belies a dark and pensive nature. He is acutely observant of society’s shortcomings and is not scared to draw attention to them in his songs. Next, Jan Kalicki, the polish connection, on drums - a sensitive and artistic soul. Nick Chown is the affable bass player and last, but not least, is Paul Clark who is a northerner with an appalling sense of humour - something which the whole band share.”“Adventurously entertaining at the best of times, with live performances that dramatically demand attention and equally powerful vinyl workings, The Bolshoi’s subtly humerous melodies, effective dance beat rhythms and memorable choruses easily entice the listener. Sagaciously confident performers, The Bolshoi produce clear, charismatic pop that’s effervescent, bold and ultimately longlasting. They are a very special band”.In January 1987 The Bolshoi released a remix of their finest single so far, AWay, entitled AWay II, which also featured in the soundtrack of Jonathan Demme’s ‘Something Wild’. A hectic touring schedule took them to the USA, across Europe from Norway to Italy, the UK supporting Peter Murphy and Spear Of Destiny as well as headline London dates (in fact the band became very well travelled, with a South American tour and even shows behind the iron curtain in Poland, East Germany Hungary and Russia.)Apart from touring, 1987 saw the band recording new singles, ‘Please’ and ‘T.V. Man’ and their second full length album, ‘Lindy’s Party’ which was released that September. Despite favourable reviews and further international touring it was all over and the band drifted apart. The final postscript is left to Trevor Tanner in his sleeve notes for The Bolshoi’s long overdue ‘Best of’...“Furtive, backward glances from a speeding car, intense apathy followed by spontaneous combustion. Long international flights with visits to the cockpit to discuss philosophy with the Brazilian pilots. Sad, introspective binges in various ‘old mens’ pubs in South London. Ridiculous outbursts, followed by reconstructive surgery. These are some of my immediate recollections of life with The Bolshoi, never the easiest band to be in. From the humble beginnings of a broken face (making too much noise) in the darkest regions of the west country, to the dizzy heights of malaria shot madness, on a ‘chart topping’ tour of South America. It was never, ever dull. I suppose the main thing that kept us together was our friendship, we were all great mates, honest. When we weren’t ‘working’, we spent a lot of time in those aforementioned pub, arguing about anything we could disagree about. I honestly do not know another band who spent as much time together. We were best friends with our management too, like a big, dysfunctional family, always, well nearly always, fun. The question I am most often asked is, “what went wrong?” Well nothing really, it just wasn’t fun anymore. We didn’t want to go into a stuka like spiral of decline (like so many others) so we just ..stopped.

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And Also The Trees - the evening of the 24th

From a rural village in Worcestershire, England, brothers Simon (vocals) and Justin Jones (guitar) formed And Also the Trees in 1979 with bassist Steven Burrows and drummer Nick Havas. In response to an ad by the Cure looking for support bands on their English tour, the Jones brothers sent a tape and ended up doing several dates and later an entire tour with Robert Smith and co. in 1981. And Also the Trees still hadn't released any material at that point, so the Cure's Lol Tolhurst produced a single ("Shantell") and the band's eponymous debut album, released in February of 1984. Tolhurst's work made the Cure an easy pointer for And Also the Trees' sound, though the fragile beauty of Joy Division and the Chameleons also lend comparisons. The band contributed a session to John Peel's BBC radio show, and Continental critics lavished praise on subsequent albums Virus Meadow (1986), The Millpond Years (1988) and the live LP The Evening of the 24th (released 1987). The notoriously fickle U.K. music press, however, deserted the waning Goth fad and the group was left drifting. Farewell to the Shade, released in 1989, was And Also the Trees' final British release, as well as the only album available in America (on Troy Records). The group moved to the German label Normal for 1992's Green Is the Sea and The Klaxon, released the following year. The Evening Of The 24th Recorded at a Swiss gig for the Virus Meadow tour, Evening captures the Trees in their early prime, with their theatrical/Romantic with a capital R art goth style running at full blast. Simon Jones sings at points like his breath is being ripped from his body, as the band demonstrates solid abilities at being able to create lush musical tapestries as much as full-bodied but elegant thrashers. Justin Jones' ability to flesh out the live sound on his guitar proves especially compelling, using what must have been a fair amount of effects pedals to reproduce the Trees' trademark sonic touches, often sounding like a mandolin producing amped-up folk for a electric post-punk world. Opener "A Room Lives in Lucy" sets the initial tone perfectly, with an especially impassioned vocal from Simon Jones, and the band never lets up throughout, to the cheers of an understandably enthralled crowd. Songs like "Wallpaper Dying" and an especially intense take on "Slow Pulse Boy" sound just fantastic, practically miniature Grand Guignol dramas; early tunes like the debut single "Shantell" have an even more concentrated power live than the sometimes murky studio production allowed. Wrapping up with frazzled, live-wire versions of "So This is Silence" and an thoroughly ominous take on "The Renegade," Evening is that rare live album worth its salt !

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