Friday 15 March 2024

Various Artists – "Tickled Pink" (Peeved Records – PV021) 1986



One of a few Cambridge compilations from Peeved Records, unfathomably based in Southampton?
It kicks off with some mannered Indie Pop by, according to Discogs, one of the 96 other bands called "Spike". If that was out of a hundred it would correlate with the fact that 96% of all bands in the UK sounded exactly like this in 1985 to '86. Marking the era when everyone had a Portastudio, nice equipment,and knew how to use it. As a result everyone sounded the same.
It was all 'well played' ,enhanced with cheaply available effects unit,and they all thought they were gonna 'make it'. The result is really rather dreadful, as they themselves would have found the DIY stuff from earlier in the decade, which these self-tutored pop stars in their own lunchtimes would have scoffed at, and binned off in favor of sounding like Aztec Camera....WRONG!
Its rather like a teenagers painting, when they try their upmost to be a sophisticate;leaving the real genius of their earlier years gathering dust in the garbage bin. Only a few get to make art decent enough to break through to win the poverty that awaits them.
Although missing the point entirely, the end result is actually rather quaint? Awwww, bless 'em.
The High Tech Pagodas win the silliest name prize,and also the best track award....what on earth were they doing?


Tracklist:

A1 Spike – I Feel You
A2 Spike – Any Choice
A3 The Force – Sweet Little Girl
A4 The Force – Crazy Affair
A5 Vanishing Point– From The Heart
A6 Vanishing Point– Face To Face
A7 The High Tech Pagodas– Free
B1 The Lovely– Aniel I Said
B2 The Lovely– Catherine
B3 Strange Brew – Don't Wanna Be Lonely
B4 Strange Brew – Normandy Sunset
B5 Worlds End Band– The Party
B6 Worlds End Band– The Party Of Light
B7 The Lonely – Nervous Hand
B8 The Lonely – Something Happened Today

2 comments:

  1. Short version: Steve Hartwell was born in Southampton and was involved with SIIYE mag and cassettes, who mostly released Hampshire based bands/artists tapes. Steve moved to Cambridge and decided to do for Cambridge what SIIYE did for Southampton. Hence the rather unfathomable connection.

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