Blue Midnight / The Hamburger All-Stars ‎– "One Million Hamburgers EP" (Fuck Off Records ‎– FEP 003) 1982

Well...This is a catchy tune!
Round about 1982 the dreaded 'Musician' started to creep out from his priest hole and started to re-impose himself on the public who had begun to tire of doing it themselves and wanted to be entertained again.
This deadly affliction even infected Fuck Off Records, presaging the New Pop anathema which justified itself by corrupting from the inside.....but never did once the spondoolicks started rolling in.
There were some artists who, of course, emplyed this tactic correctly, like ATV, The Fire Engines,and, best of all,The Associates,
The title track of this EP is another fine example of making listenable Pop music with morals.
This Street Level super group, including Mark Perry and Grant Showbiz among others, have forged a real toe tapping slice of mellow, dubby and funky post punk .
Blue Midnight make their third appearance on a Fuck Off record, but the excellent Funky Blue Midnight from 'Love Not Devotion' are regrettably absent;replaced by some blues jamming post pub muso's.....a definite B-Side. 

Tracklist:

A –The All-Stars - One Million Hamburgers

B1 –Blue Midnight - Dream
B2 –Blue Midnight - Tribute (To Don Drummond)

DOWNLOAD and pay no more than zero pence HERE!

Various Artists ‎– Love Not Devotion" (Deleted Records ‎– DELP 001/Fuck Off Records ‎– FLP 002) 1982

This is a re-post of a re-ripped Fuck Off/Deleted Records shared album from 1982(at 320k,for those who care); featuring The Instant Automatons, Britpunkfunk combo Blue Midnight, and Street Level super groop The Hambirger All-Stars, featuring various members of Here and Now and Alternative TV, among others.
Blue Midnight are particularly fine, with their brand of punky brass led DIY funk.Like a cross between Pig Bag and early Dexy's sans the awful Kevin Rowland.
The Hambirger All-Stars are also, very fashionably for 1982, Dubbed up, Funky and Punky. A sooper groop of sorts, with 'Here and Now' street hippies Steffy and Grant Showbiz;
Anno, Mark and Dennis from Alternative TV;alomg with someone called Justin Adams from Impossible Dreamers.
Then we have, the late great, Protag and Mark automaton with 6 tracks of Instant Automatons' skewed DIY pop songs on behalf of Deleted Records.Including the classic "Short Haired Man (In a Long Haired Town)".
How can you argue against a line up like that?
Wot a great,and very lost, record!?

Tracklist:

A1 –Blue Midnight -Quarter To Blue 2:23
A2 –Blue Midnight -Fireplace 2:37
A3 –Blue Midnight -Joy! 2:21
A4 –Blue Midnight -Crazy 3:51
A5 –Blue Midnight -Hot And Cold 2:26
A6 –Hamburger All-Stars -I Woke Up 2:52
A7 –Hamburger All-Stars -Swinging London, Pt. 1 2:00
A8 –Hamburger All-Stars -Studded Leather Jacket 2:58
B1 –Hamburger All-Stars -My Life Is A Mess 1:37
B2 –Hamburger All-Stars -Swinging London, Pt. 2 5:15
B3 –The Instant Automatons -Worcester Avenue 2:38
B4 –The Instant Automatons -Catacomb 1:57
B5 –The Instant Automatons -Too Big! 1:59
B6 –The Instant Automatons -Violence 2:42
B7 –The Instant Automatons -Drunk In Woolwich 3:01
B8 –The Instant Automatons -Short Haired Man 2:31

DOWNLOAD with devotion and love HERE!

The 012 ‎– "Let's Get Professional" (Flicknife Records ‎– SHARP 020) 1984

Whatever happened to the 012 ? Not to be confused with Birmingham incompetents the 021, from the wonderful 'Mell Square Music' ep.

This combination of the first three numbers in the arabic numerical system were basically a Fuck Off Records 'super-group', containing ex-Here and Now drummer boy, Kif Kif le Batteur (on guitar and vocals!); and even features top producer Grant Showbiz on Bass for tracks 2 and 3.

This belatedly released vinyl outing from 1984 is a sort of free-form UK DIY version of 1983 Sonic Youth with Dead C no-fi recording A-quality. Featuring thee most untuned guitar this side of AMM's Kieth Rowe, backed up with down tuned white-dub Basslines(played by one of the best stage names ever,the one and only, Dog End),and jazz tinged cardboard boxy drums.

The title of this LP is obviously 'Ironic', but one does detect an overly deliberate atmosphere of amateurishness that can irritate if you are aware of it ; so I apologise for ruining it for you......just don't read this,or if you have already read it, unread it.

I smell good musicians trying to be bad musicians.......and why not ? 'Tis a noble quest to rediscover ones musical innocence is it not ?

These fellows went on to be World Domination Enterprises, who made one of the greatest singles ever ; 'Asbestos Lead Asbestos'.

You ,ay have noticed that an early version of the aforementioned classic is included on this album ?

You are correct,but one must say, that it is just a tad inferior to the future Indie hit version from '86.

They also redid a version of 'Funkytown' on their LP,which was inferior to the version by the 012, so they didn't improve in all departments.

Summing up, great band name, great album, great sound ; now available again for y'all in totally inappropriate 320kbps MP3 quality from Die or DIY ?

the 012 on this record are kif kif le batter - guitar and vocal, Jose Gross - drums and 
laughing, crazy alan Dogend - bass, Granto showbiz - bass on *, Richard ans Adrians rankin 
horns on three little birds. Recorded at Street Level 1981* and on the Street Level mobile 
83/84 cut by Jacko at tape one. 

Tracklist:

A1	Let's Get Professional	4:19
A2	I Feel Cool	3:27
A3	Three Little Birds	4:26
A4	Funkytown People	4:12
A5	Asbestos Lead Asbestos	5:29
B1	San Andreas Fault	1:45
B2	She Doesn't Come	1:11
B3	Rio Tinto Zinc International	3:08
B4	Live Fast Die Young	3:37
B5	Meltdown Situation	3:28
B6	Three Days Then 4	1:53

DOWNLOAD professionally HERE!......0,1,2,GO!

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!!!!!!!!!

Various Artists - "The Street Level EP" - (Fuck Off Records FEP 002) 1980

The Street Level EP released on Fuck Off Records in 1980. What we have here is the usual mixture of Here and Now/Street Level supergroups, and Bands that existed purely to get on a vinyl record then disappear. Such a noble lack of ambition that many in this world could learn from and adopt it as a sustainable way of extending the life of this planet. Especially impressed by "The Entire Cosmos", with 'Gary from Newcastle' on Guitar, which shows off the 'prog' roots of the Street Level scene. The Voltones unleash an early indie pop classic in "Poisoned", with a jaunty punk pop number From Vince Pie and the Crumbs to complete this DIY quartet of Street Level classics.  

Track Listing:

Pontin Stomp VINCE PIE AND THE CRUMBS
Blues Exterminator BLUE MIDNIGHT
Poisoned THE VOLTONES
Looking For You THE ENTIRE COSMOS

DOWNLOAD the street level ep HERE!

The Petticoats - "The Petticoats" (Bla Bla Bla Records 01`) 1980

A DIY classic recorded at the mecca of 'weird noise', Street Level. Its doesn't say if Grant Showbiz or Kif Kif were at the controls, but its sounds like they were for these three B-sides of sublime year zero pop. German bird,Stef Petticoat plays all the instruments, Mike Oldfield style, and manages to sound uncannily like a proudly untutored group of strangers. The ease in which she totally de-prog's the Who's rock opera classic, 'I'm Free', is beyond admiration; in which you can actually believe that she is Free, as in free from the manacles of rock cliché. ( I never really believed Daltrey when he screeched the same words in Tommy). Also looking at the photo's, she seems to be a bit of a Nutjob, which I like, if genuine.So often they turn out to be University Lecturers or something even more Terrible.( Did you know Genesis P.Orridge was some kind of University Lecturer in History, before TG!...shocking huh?)

DOWNLOAD and be Free HERE!

Mark Perry - "Snappy Turns" (Deptford Fun City 1980)

The fabled 'solo' lp from Mark Perry.Recorded at Street level in the summer of 1980 has several of the known Perry associates helping out with the recording. Dennis Burns, Nag, Tyrone Thomas, Anno and Grant Showbiz. The tracks are great, although ‘The Object Is Love’, ‘You Know’ and ‘At War’ are the stand out tracks.
But its another brave example of Perry's anti-rock stance of the time. He must have endured a tumult of slagging for these records, which makes them sound even better for it.
A Superb ramshackle glorification of amateurism,topped off with perrys brand of faux-naive poetry which is both at once endearing and challenging. Another classic!

Tracklist: 

A1	Snappy Turns
A2	The Object Is To Love
A3	You Know
A4	Inside
A5	At War
B1	Death Looks Down
B2	The Game Is Over
B3	Quagga's Last Stand

DOWNLOAD some snappy turns HERE!

Mark Perry and Dennis Burns - "You Cry Your Tears" (NB Records NB7) 1980

Just have a butchers at that photo of Mark .P on the sleeve of this single. The mirror-image of a 'Popstar'. Slightly chubby, dirty old school jumper,looking miserable,diy haircut,hands in pockets.....its enough to give an A&R man an anxiety attack. The A&R man continues: "They can't sing,can't play their instruments,its not a proper recording,and the songs aren't happy enough.".....wrong on all counts mr. Fictional A&R man,you're gonna lose your job soon anyway when your poxy record company goes bankrupt. And when they do i'll play this single to celebrate; fucking cultural fascists that they are. This single is from an honest place, its folk music, its real,and Bendle and Anno play...Weebles???...on it? Are these the egg shaped toys that wobble but they don't fall down?......if John Cage incorporated Weebles in one of his conceptual pieces with prepared piano,we'd all be praising his undoubted genius; but because its Mark "school of the streets" Perry, this innovation is forgotten.
But, its no longer forgotten,as its a work of great power and charm, which exists in its own bubble in space, deserving, but not asking, to be loved......so love it!......and then check out the Mark Perry solo album.

Track Listing:

A		You Cry Your Tears
B		Music Death?

Recorded at Street Level Studio March / April 1980.

Download and Cry Your Tears of joy for a lot less than 70p HERE!

The Reflections - " Slugs and Toads " (Cherry Red BRED 22) 1981

Anyone remember Blind Faith? Well this is the DIY equivalent, the nearest DIY land ever got to a super group.Dennis Burns and Mark Perry from ATV or The Good Missionaries,Karl Blake from The Lemon Kittens,and The legend that is Nag,from The Door and the Window. If that wasn't enough,the sleeve was designed by Danielle Dax!
The music ,bizarrely enough sounds like that of all the aforementioned bands,but....erm ...different. There's a hint of the pop song about it,and in this case its a good thing, 'cus it works.A great album indeed,even the cover version of Rocky Erickson's "Interpreter" is great, aided greatly by the dulcet tones of Mark Perry.An overlooked classic of the genre methinks.(click on the mp3 sample of tightrope walker for a taster)

A1		Tightrope Walker
A2		Zigzagging
A3		Keep It Easy
A4		Toy Dog Ripped By Cat
A5		Demon Of My Desires
A6		The Human Touch
B1		The Interpreter
B2		Oh Baby, Look Out ( It`s The New Dance)
B3		I Had Love In My Hands
B4		Clamming Up
B5		Nag Takes A Ride
B6		The Parting

Mark Perry, Nag, Dennis Burns, Karl Blake, Grant Showbiz,
Justin, Michele Bonett, Vicki Bonett, Steve Tannet
Recorded at Street Level and Denmark Street Sudios May/June/July 1981

Download Slugs and Toads HERE!

Androids Of Mu - "Fuck Off Demo Tape" (Fuck Off Records DROIDS1) 1979

And The Androids of Mu début tape for Fuck Off Records.This is better than the album by a country mile.
Recorded at Street Level, Bristol Gardens 19th August 1979.
Bess- bass, vocals Clare - piano, vocals Corina - guitar, vocals Cosmic - synth, bass
tambourine, vocals Sooz - vocals Steffy - drums, sound Zana - flute, vocals
Niki - sax, voice of god

Side 1:
1. fast cars
2. everytime I feel
3. pretty nun
4. android reggae jam

Side 2:
1. reggae
2. space for fly freaks

DOWNLOAD this Fuck Off Demo Tape HERE!
or
Mediafire it HERE!

Various Artists - "The Weird Sampler" (Weird Noise Tapes W 000) 1980

One of the classic DIY compilations of the original DIY Cassette Culture era, from Fuck Off Records spin off label, Weird Noise Tapes. No less than 10 Danny and the Dressmakers tracks on here! The 012, The Sell Outs, Good Missionaries, and ATV! A classic DIY Rant Poem from 'The Undertaker', Hippie Punk from Blank Space and The Androids of Mu, an Ironic DIY punk classic from the Horrible Nurds, DIY prog excerpts from Anthrax for the people with their concept album "The Grand Union Canal Mystery", the list of greatness goes on; all this and an unknown girl and an unknown band too!
You may recognise a few tracks from that seminal vinyl ep, "The Weird Noise Ep", but this is where they appeared first, with superbly inferior third generation copy cassette hiss.
The insert lists an Instant Automatons excerpt, but I'm damned if I can identify it!
What we do have instead is three tracks from Anthrax for the People, and the Hearing aids, and The magnificent Door and the Window.
(Yes, the ATV track listed as "the Force is Blind" is in fact "Release  the Natives"; but that's all part of the charm innit?)

Track Listing:

a1 Opium for the people - An Unknown Girl
a2 Fish from Tahiti - The 012
a3 Dynamite - Danny and the Dressmakers
a4 Lennon's supermarket Tango - Danny and the Dressmakers
a5 The living Dead no 5 - The Understander
a6 Lets all sign to Virgin records - The Horrible Nurds
a7 - a9 Excerpts from the Grand Canal Mystery - Anthrax for the People.
a10 Little Green Pills - Blank Space
a11 Release The Natives - Alternative TV
a12 Mystery Reggae - Unknown Band
b1  Mystery reggae part 2 - Unknown Band
b2 The Good Missionary goes for a Piss - the Good Missionaries
b3 Kif Kif's Magic Hat - Danny and the Dressmakers
b4 Welcome to tape 3 (part one) - Danny and the Dressmakers
b5 Welcome to tape Three (part two) - Danny and the Dressmakers
b6 Money - The Sell Outs
b7 Random 5 Minute excerpt(from all I can hear is people talking) - The Hearing Aids
b8 The Wurst Band - The Door and the Window
b9 God puts a stop to the silver paper eating monster - Danny and the Dressmakers
b10 Hey Ho Hey Ho ,my Cholesterol Levels are Low
b11 The Truth about Unemployment - Danny and the Dressmakers
b12 Fast car - the Androids of Mu

DOWNLOAD this weird sampler HERE!
or
Weirdly, you can also download it HERE!

The Androids Of Mu - " Blood Robots" (Fuck Off Records FLP 001) 1980

(repost from October 2009 on the original suppressed Die or DIY? Blog)

The first Vinyl LP release from Kif Kif's Fuck Off disorganisation. The all Female Androids Of Mu, and their lp "Blood Robots" from 1980.
Apparently Crass wanted to sign them up to their label,but, wanted to record them with a "proper" drummer. Of course they told the over politicised smelly hippies to... "FUCK OFF".
Involved Suze Da Blooze (sadly RIP 2007)from Here and Now, who formed all girl band The Androids of Mu with Corrina, Cozzie and Birsen. Although a collaborative project, Suzy shared lead vocals with Corrina and wrote much of their material.

The Androids were well received by all, including the music press of the day. They were an integral part of the post punk scene and released one album “Blood Robots”, with one music paper headline proclaiming it as “Android Genius”.

produced by Kif Kif and Grant Showbiz from said group at the semi-myhical Street Level Studios.
Excellently weak and amateur rock,with an Outsider Punk Flavour; and we all like Outsider Punk don't we???
Read a review from back in the day here.

Side One:

1. Atomic X
2. Who Cares
3. Fast Car
4. She Is A Boy
5. Pretty Nun
Side Two:

1. Confusion
2. Bored Housewifes
3. Lost In Space
4. Subtitles
5. Jeen Dreams

DOWNLOAD a vital blood robot transfusion HERE!

Danny and the Dressmakers - "The complete collection" 1979-80

By far the best band that ever picked up a violin was not The Electric Light Orchestra!!!!!.......it was obviously the immortal Danny and the Dressmakers!
So, as the twats at Mediafuckingfire have tried to supress this information by deleting allllll of my files; this gives one a superb opportunity to re-up and re-post the entire DATD's back catalogue in one fat megapost.
This stuff was far more important to the 15 year old 'moi' than the Pistols ever were.
The Dressmakers really showed us youths weened on progressive rock that we could really do it too, and have a laugh doing it!
But, the main contribution that they gave to DIY music was the performance aspect that was soooo lacking in most of the bedroom bound DIYers.
What would you rather be?.....in Danny and the Dressmakers or be the Mauthausen Orchestra? Thats a complete no-brainer.
Anyone sorry loner with a tape deck could make an 'industrial' tape, and thousands did; but where was the performance? The Dannymakers gave us this essentila of showbiz, and art. They were the Mothers of Invention for the DIY generation, and near sub-genius's to boot.
(200 cancellations was obviously an anti-matter version of Zappa's 200 Motels, was it not?)
So, Download the bands epic four and a half hour long anti-rock opera, "200 Cancellations" below. Released on three C-90 cassettes on Fuck Off records in 1979. Its fucking brilliant!

DOWNLOAD 200 cancellations part 1,2, and 3 HERE!

The Dressmakers "Go Mental", which includes such classics as 'Miss Ellie's Mastectomy' and 'Where's me Fucking Giro?', can be downloaded in 320kbps  below:


Track Listing:

Side Uno
He Slaps Goats
Lets Go Down The Golden Nugget
EBB + Flo In A Concrete Jungle
Lucille Ballshow
Gerry Anderson
The Rustle Of Spring (inst)
Listen You Dumbfuck
The Life Divine
A Chocolate Supreme
I Crashed Out Man
The Dutch Drink Bowls of Spit
1092 Meals A Year

Duexieme Side
Young Musician Of The Year
Charles Bronson
Ballet Rambert
Be Cool Be Calm
I Want My Baby Back
Another Baby
Henry Spencer
Whers Me Fuckin GIRO?
Miss Ellie's - Mastectomy
Finale

DOWNLOAD and go mental HERE!

 Lets not forget DATD's greatest hits album "39 Golden Grates", probably their best, and most accessable work.......;cum on baby, lite my shite!

01 - eggs on legs
02 - space oddity
03 - he's washing the posts
04 - danny and the dressmakers going down the road
05 - dynamite
06 - lennons supermarket tango
07 - song chocolate
08 - jesus christ you're so anaemic
09 - ernie bishops dead body
10 - whats your blood group and how does a dog digest its food
11 - rubber plants
12 - night fever
13 - alfie winbush
14 - what the world needs now
15 - whats a girl like you doing in a...
16 - drying out my rained on rizlas
17 - buddha the crab
18 - we're crossing the pelican crossing
19 - you're gonna get a rollockin'
20 - don't put your bernard pokery on stage mrs eric clapton
21 dont make another bass guitar mt rickenbacker
22 - rolf harris stylophones
23 - tree
24 - rubber plants and i left my gall bladder in moss side
25 - fuckin' bleedin' einstein
26 - edward exposes her mammary glands
27 - tv boredom on the dole
28 - drop dead
29 - iron lung funk
30 - 69
31 - lapsang do da tea
32 - test card girls 
33 - going down the sperm bank four quid a wank
34 - donna summer
35 - you're no doctor
36 - god puts a stop to the silver paper eating three legged monster
37 - how hot is a match
38 - hey ho hey ho my cholesterol level is low
39 - cathy and claire
40 - talking clock
41 - legalise vimto
42 - can't you make your mind up
43 - 2001 c'est un odesy de space
44 - come on baby lite my shite
45 - if the kids are united they'd throw bricks at jimmy pursey
46 - los endos

DOWNLOAD and lite your own shite HERE! 

Sample an example of classic Dressmakers Live, recorded mostly at the Deeply Dale Festival in 1979, and Manchester Polytechnic.The whole of the back to sing again for free cassette, on Fuck Off Records, can be downloaded below, along with a couple of superflous tracks from elsewhere, eg the Eggs on Legs version from that messthetics cd-r thingy.ENJOY!

DOWNLOAD some extraeneous dressmakers HERE!