Wednesday 9 July 2014

Various Artists - " The WEIRD NOISE E.P." (Fuck Off Records FEP 001) 1980

This is the record that really sucked.....(not 'sucked'!)..... me into the vortex of the glamorous and frightening world of the U.K. d.i.y. scene, which began roughly with a "Spiral Stratch" (Buzzcocks) and then got philosophised by some Desperate Bicycles in 1977; "It was easy,It was Cheap,Go and do it!".
(It was only 60p, so i went and bought it.Best 60p i ever spent).
This slogan was taken on board by a vast legion of bedroom dwellers across the land ,frustrated by their lack of ability to play or afford the mega expensive Gibsons and fenders played by so-called "punks" like Strummer and Steve Jones. The Sex Pistols had become another untouchable Rock Groop which the average kid had no chance of emanating.
The answer? Simple, buy that cheep organ from the junk shop instead of an American guitar. Plastic bins,cardboard boxes and tin cans replace the drum kit. That crap mono cassette recorder can be your recording studio, and then you can start your own record label and advertise in Sounds or the NME's D.I.Y. corner.
This was/is the REAL punk.
The EMI of the genre was of course Kif KIf le Batteur's profoundly titled FUCK OFF RECORDS, and his Street Level recording studio was the Abbey Road of ,what they regularly referred to as the "Weird Noise " scene. Hence the title of Fuck Off records first vinyl release from 1980, The "Weird Noise E.P". This collected a few of cassette culture's leading lights together in one 33rpm 7 inch diameter work of art, worthy of display in place of the mona lisa in the louvre of D.I.Y.
It contains my personal favourite tune from the genre by the untouchable Danny and the Dressmakers, the fantastic "(Don't make another Bass Guitar) Mr. Rickenbacker". That closes Side Awful, side Bad, I assume is the B-side? Although conventions like side A and B rarely existed in this basement world.
Danny and the Dressmakers included Graham Massey ,of 808 state fame, and Alan Hempsall of Crispy Ambulance, amongst their other more dubious side projects( some dodgy prog included).
We also have those blues masters of the Humber delta themselves, The Instant Automatons, who headed the prolific cassette label Deleted Records. Fuck Off Records chief rivals, but we were all friends in the world of DIY, had morals etc.
Also featured are Kif Kif's (Keith Dobson) 012, which featured members of Hippy improv combo Here and Now.

SIDE A
1 The Door And The Window - The Number One Entertainer (3:39)
2 Danny And The Dressmakers - Legalize Vimto (3:33)
3 Danny And The Dressmakers - Hey Ho Hey Ho My Cholestrol Level Is Low {0:25)
4 Instant Automatons - Electronic Music (3:10)
5 Danny And The Dressmakers - Don't Make Another Bassguitar Mr Rickenbaker (2:05)

SIDE B
1 The 012 - Fish From Tahiti (4:02)
2 Danny And The Dressmakers - Cathy And Claire (1:42)
3 The Sell-Outs - The Ballad Of Fuck Off Records (3:17)
4 Danny And The Dressmakers - The Truth About Unemployment (0:07)


Sleeve notes: "The Sell-Outs, The 012, The Door + The Window, and The Instant Automatons recorded at home on 4 track and 2 track tape machines. Danny + the Dressmakers get that unique "Dressmakers white noise" effect with 3rd generation cassette recordings. Whole thing got together by Kif Kif, Nag, Bendle and Protag and dedicated to the Street Level organisation. 60p maximum price."

Download this black slab of hissy ineptitudinal majesty HERE!!!!!!!!!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

"This was/is the REAL punk."
Amen.

Stu said...

Electronic music makes you weak and flabby!

Jonny Zchivago said...

It is the opium of the weak and flabby peoples of the downtrodden masses.
It is also the real punk rock of the Flabby and the weak.
A-Men.

Anonymous said...

That song "People Laugh At Me..." is pretty much my personal anthem.

Nathan.G

Jonny Zchivago said...

Haha,yeah, mine too. I previously mentioned this in an instant automatons post i think;that and "part-time punks".

DoomedAndKnackered said...

Been looking for this for centuries. Cheers!