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 ‎– "Miniatures (A Sequence Of Fifty-One Tiny Masterpieces Edited By Morgan-Fisher)" (Pipe ‎– PIPE 2) 1980

"From the sleevenotes:
In 1979: Morgan-Fisher heard "The Goofing Off Suite"(by Pete Seeger), and got an idea...
In 1980: Invitations were sent out to a highly personal selection of creative artists, asking them to contribute
pieces of not more than one minute's duration, to what has turned out to be this extraordinarily eclectic album. "

This is sort of an 'Avant garde' kind of a compilation. Its full of strange bedfellows, like Kevin Coyne and Steve Miller;Half Japanese, and Michael Nyman;Pete Seeger and Ron Geesin? All squeezed together in several small boxes until they all become One. A conceptualised microcosm of the modern globalised world on one LP; except that 'Minatures' works and globalisation is killing the very thing that it is supposed to be 'helping'; eradicating culture, and creating an homogeneous cash grasping bland out, to benefit the Hyper-Rich uber class that will eventually wipe 'us' out and claim this rock for themselves.....if there's anything left of it?

The concept is that a diaspora of various muso's,from the full rainbow of musiciandom, and beyond. Through the visible spectrum,the infra red and Ultraviolet,into the microwave background. Provide a short tune, or composition, of around a minute in length. Then the compiler edits them together in chunks of approximately five minutes.Making a maxiture from the miniture.Then after the expansion from the minuscule, we get the contraction, after a short spell of silence, of the whole universe into a one minute summary of the whole record.

Any record that starts with a track called “Bum Love” simply has to be great? That ,and appearences from many luminaries of the DIY culture of 1980; David Cuningham,MarkPerry, Metabolist,Half Japanese. Rubbing Shoulders with serious muso's like Gavin Bryers, Nyman, Lol Coxhill,and Fred Frith.George Melly does a Dada sound poem(he was always a pretentious old cunt!),its got the great Andy Partridge on it, and isn't that Martin Chambers,the drummer from The Vacants? All this plus TheResidents,never ones to turn down a healthy concept, playing the best cover version of a Ramones tune ever!This was, after all, a less disciplined version of The Resident's “Commercial Album”,where every song finished at exactly 1.00 minutes on the dot.

Tracklist: 

		Band-1
A1	–Ollie Halsall & John Halsey	Bum Love
A2	–the Residents	We're A Happy Family / Bali Ha'i
A3	–Roger McGough	The Wreck Of The Hesperus
A4	–Morgan-Fisher	Green And Pleasant
A5	–John Otway	Mine Tonight
		Band-2
A6	–Pete Challis & Phil Diplock	My Way
A7	–Robert Wyatt	Rangers In The Night
A8	–Stinky Winkles	Opus
A9	–Mary Longford	Body Language
A10	–Andy Newman	Andy The Dentist
A11	–David Bedford	Wagner's Ring In One Minute
		Band-3
A12	–Fred Frith	The Entire Works Of Henry Cow
A13	–Maggie Nicols	Look Beneath The Surface
A14	–Joseph Racaille	Week-End
A15	–The Work	With Wings Pressed Back
A16	–Neil Innes & Son	Cum On Feel The Noize
		Band-4
A17	–Herbert Distel	Toscany In Blue (Last Minute)
A18	–Lol Coxhill	An End To The Matter
A19	–Ken Ellis	One Minute In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich
A20	–Steve Miller	Alice
		Band-5
A21	–Norman Lovett	John Peel Sings The Blues Badly
A22	–Patrick Portella	Serrons Nous Les Coudes
A23	–George Melly	Sounds That Saved My Life (Homage To K.S.)
A24	–Robert Fripp	Miniature
A25	–Andy Partridge	The History Of Rock 'N' Roll
A26	–Phantom Captain	Breather
		-
		Band-1
B1	–Ron Geesin	Enterbrain Exit
B2	–Alejandro Viñao	An Imaginary Orchestrina
B3	–Quentin Crisp	Stop The Music For A Minute
B4	–Simon Desorgher	Tetrad
B5	–Ralph Steadman	Sweetest Love (Lament After A Broken Sashcord On A Theme Of John Donne)
B6	–R.D. Laing & Son	Tipperary
		Band-2
B7	–Trevor Wishart	Beach Double
B8	–John White	Scene De Ballet
B9	–Ivor Cutler	Brooch Boat
B10	–Hector Zazou	Do Tell Us
B11	–Michael Bass & Ellen Tenenbaum	A Miniaturisation Of Bartok's Sonata For 2 Pianos & Percussion (3rd Movement)
		Band-3
B12	–Martin Chambers	A Swift One
B13	–Bob Cobbing & Henri Chopin	Refreshment Break
B14	–Dave Vanian	Night Touch
B15	–Metabolist	Raging Poodles
		Band-4
B16	–Gavin Bryars	After Mendelssohn (137 Years)
B17	–1/2 Japanese	Paint It Black
B18	–Simon Jeffes	Arthur's Treat
B19	–Mark Perry	Talking World War III Blues
B20	–Michael Nyman	89-90-91-92
		Band-5
B21	–David Cunningham	Index Of Ends
B22	–Kevin Coyne	James, Mark & Me (In The Manner Of Tom Waits)
B23	–Etron Fou Leloublan	Hep!
B24	–Neil Oram & Ken Campbell  & Science Fiction Theatre Of Liverpool	The Minute Warp
B25	–Pete Seeger	Chorale From Beethoven's 9th Symphony

DOWNLOAD a maximum number of miniatures HERE!

Alternative TV/ The Good Missionaries ‎– "Scars On Sunday" (Fuck Off Records WEIRD 1) 1979

Heres ATV's Fuck off tape that catalogues the
transition from ATV to The Good Missionaries.
There's even a nasty sounding riot at the end
of the ATV side.The public could turn violent
if they don't get what they want you know.In
this case they wanted hard hitting punk rock.
Instead they got band members playing each
others instruments, songs with no chorus, or
structure, and no hits!

The elongated silences at the end of each track

make the stunned silence at the end of 

Belsen was a Gas, from the pistols last gig,

seem like a nano second.

This is confrontational art at its very best,

and also probably ATV's best album?

Scars On Sunday     W001    Spring 79/May 79

SIDE ONE 1. Nasty Little Lonely 2. Release the Natives 3. Radio Story/Lost In Room 4. Fellow Sufferer 5. The Force Is Blind 6. Good Missionary/Total Disregard For The Greenwich Theatre SIDE TWO 1. Bottom Of The World 2. The Good Missionary Goes For a Walk 3. The Morning They Took Me Away

Side one is the penultimate Alternative TV gig at the Greewich Theatre in Spring 1979. It features the very shaky drums of Dave George and vocals from Anno Wombat. Line-up

Mark Perry   : vocals/guitar/keyboards/wind instruments/percussion
Dave George  : drums/percussion/special effects
Dennis Burns : bass guitar
Anno Wombat  : vocals/wind instruments/percussion

Side two is the very first Good Missionary concert in "Bottom Of The World" a jam recorded at the "Gig of the century" in the Lyceum ballroom May 1979. The other two numbers are also largely improvised and were recorded on the "Pop Group" tour summer 1979.

Mark Perry     : vocals/guitar/wind instruments
Dave George    : guitar/vocals/chime bars/effects
Dennis Burns   : bass guitar
Gillian Hanna  : vocals/wind instruments/percussion
Suze Da Blooz  : vocals/wind instruments/percussion
Anno Wombat    : vocals/wind instruments/percussion
Henry Badowski : drums/saxophone

CAUTION!
This is the first in Fuck Off records "Weird Experiments In Noise" collection and is a serious attempt to blow your mind with sound. As you may have noticed the long drawn out 'hypnotic' pieces (otherwise known as the boring bits) are necessary to bring out the sheer power of the noisy bits inherent in this type of music. While every attempt is made to ensure perfect audio reproduction, we must admit we quite enjoy that 'fucked up' sound. The Good Missionaries is a natural progression from Alternative TV. ATV in the beginning were a pretty hard hitting if not intriguing sort of punk group. However as time has passed, various members have joined and left the band until the final line up (recorded on side one) decided that the music had changed so much and lots of people were still coming to the gigs expecting the older line ups, that changing the name would be a good idea. About the time of this penultimate gig the music had got so weird that hardcore heavy punks had taken to throwing bottles at the band, on one occasion Mark was knocked unconscious by one, and during side one the tension in the air is easy to spot, as is the final destruction of the equipment by band and audience alike, after the PA is switched off mid-set. Side two starts with a jam recorded on the first Good Missionaries gig, a tentative affair where the group performed in masks, it was all meant as a bit of a laugh really but the band enjoyed the relief from not having a name to live up to, subsequently the content is less strained. The rest of side two feature two performances on the most recent Pop Group tour featuring the newest line-up. These additions and changes aid Mark in his former capacity as lead instrumentalist by stopping up a lot of gaps he used to have to run around the stage to fill all by himself. And generally I think it will be agreed that these later recordings show the band at their most relaxed and productive to date.
Sleeve note

DOWNLOAD some scars for sunday HERE!

Various Artists - "Folk In Hell : Alternative Rubbish from West London" (Fuck Off Records FO 008) 1980

This is a re-post, but Folk in Hell! This re-edited,remastered,320kbps version is rather good.

There's not much bad musicianship on offer here,but there are plenty of varied but competent compositions for all, in clear sounding lo-fi.splendour.

Beginning with the flawless Mark P's robotic peon to the easy life,”Make it easy” yeah! Followed by two or three ,fashionable in 1980 ,white reggae/ska hybrid things,even including one by The Astronauts!? Tuneful Anarcho-punk from the excellent Mob, DIY anti-popcraft from The Instant Automatons, Electronica by Steve lake,nu folk-punk by the Celebrated Workmen, hippie kraut prog crossover from Here and Now, and even ten minutes of full-on Jazz Fusion improv by Grosse Catastrophe (any Gong members in this one par chance?).

Probably the most consistent Fuck Off Records compilation,just lacking a Danny and the Dressmakers, or an 012 to make it perfect.

Track Listing: 

Side One:
MARK PERRY - Take It Easy / A PENCIL - The Advertiser / THE MOB - No Doves Fly Here / THE ASTRONAUTS - Behave Yourself / IMPOSSIBLE DREAMERS - After Dark / TASMIN - Sailor / VINCE PIE AND THE CRUMBS - My Gal
 
Side Two:
NO COMMENT - Did You Really Think / CELEBRATED WORKMEN - Blackleg Mine / ANDROIDS OF MU - Jungle Beast / STEVE LAKE - Dancing / INSTANT AUTOMATIONS - Gillian Is Normal / MURPHY FEDERATION - Lynch Party / HERE AND NOW - Nudge Up Double Delux / GROSSE CATASTROPE - Dinosaur Sandwich / SIR ALIAS - A Is For Artist

DOWNLOAD this west london folk music to your personnel hell HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "What Happens When We Sing A Song?" (Music For Midgets/ LMU ‎– M.F.M.14 / Free 001) 1980

The Glitteratti ,or, the Shiteratti, of the London Musicians union take us through the paces of their roughly hewn semi-improv styles, for free,on this free cassette of live recordings of free music.

The london Musicians Union, was the UK capital's equivalent of the Manchester Musicians Collective, and The los Angeles Free Music Society.

And what an array of UK DIY prime movers we have captured on tape; The Door and the Window, David Toop, Bendle, nag,Giblet,Mark Perry, Dennis Burns,and much more; definitely not available in shops.

Worth the zero pence price of admission alone, are the two exclusive tracks from ATV's Mark Perry, which were probably improvised specially for this performance.

A sense of humour is always present with any UK DIY release, a proud national trait, and its most evident with Nag's ,unrecognisable,solo covers of “Oh Bondage! Up Yours” and “Why Don't We Do It In The Road?”. Mischievously slaying two sacred cows with one performance, The Sixties and the New Wave. Rip it up and start again, in practice.

As it says on the cover:

"This Tape may be copied,swapped,or sold(at cost price) by anyone."

Now in 320kbps lo-fi hi-fidelity!

Tracklist:

A1	–Door And The Window	Pokerville
A2	–Nag	Why Don't We Do It In The Road?
A3	–Nag	On Bondage Up Yours
A4	–Casual Labourers	Eanna's Returning
A5	–Casual Labourers	Out Of Control
A6	–Casual Labourers	Something From Nothing
B1	–Mark Perry	Death Looks Down
B2	–Mark Perry	Sound Of Music
B3	–Mark Perry	Sorrow Cried Blood
B4	–Door And The Window	Lust
B5	–Door And The Window	Swinga

Find out what happens when we download a song HERE!

Henry Badowski ‎– "Life Is A Grand" (A&M Records ‎– AMLH 68527) 1981

From the Good Missionaries to major label solo album?How did this happen?
Ten simple minimalist pop tunes, moving from the Twee to the amusing, won Henry a contract with A&M,and Miles Copeland's IRS in the USA?!
These evil capitalists made sure that this album was well buried.Envious of the units the independents were shifting,they tried to sign anything they saw as having sales potential with the aim of starving the alternative charts of bulging sales figures. It worked of course,Henry, for example, never worked again.
This LP however is a fine example of Alternative Pop, with a hint of tongue in cheek. Another in the early eighties trend of infiltrating the business from the inside, like ATV's "Strange Kicks" amongst other noble failures. The Human League is a fine example of what could go wrong with this tactic by the UK underground.
A noble cause and idea, but it never achieved these objectives.
Now we have the internet to bring down the record companies, and reintroduce lost albums like this.

(Check his earlier singles HERE!)

Tracklist: 

A1  My Face
A2  Henry's In Love
A3  Swimming With The Fish In The Sea
A4  The Inside Out
A5  Life Is A Grand
B1 Silver Trees
B2  This Was Meant To Be
B3  Anywhere Else
B4  Baby, Sign Here With Me
B5  Rampant

DOWNLOAD a grand life HERE!

Henry Badowski - "Making Love with my Wife" (Deptford Fun City DFC11) 1979

Henry Badowski, jobbing musician of the south London underworld, and what a C.V. he boasted!
Johnny Moped,Chelsea,Wreckless Eric, The Damned, The Doomed (he replaced Lemmy!), Captain Sensible's King, The Good Missionaries/ATV, and then signed as a solo artist to (gulp!)...A&M!
Having earned his DIY credentials in the collective deity that was the Good Missionaries,and tasted the big time with the reformed Damned (Doomed), he released this charming single backed up by old chums from Johnny Moped and Chelsea.
Its obvious hit potential was recognised by Miles Copeland, and a contract was secured with a major label,and stardom beckoned. But as normal, anything really good was ignored by the general populous,his album sold bugger all copies,and the lovely A&M sacked him,condemning him to total obscurity.
This Mark Perry produced single, is a do it yerself pop classic,both sides of it.
But "Baby,Sign here with me" was first heard performed by King (no,not that hideous band that had hits in the 80's,but captain Sensible's short-lived post-Damned band from 1978), who did a Peel Session on this show(see download link below) on 25th August 1978, which included sessions by all the post-damned bands(White Cats,King, and Tanz der Youth).....and a great listen it is too.In King's session,you can hear parts of 'Machine Gun Etiquette' before the Damned reformed; Like 'Anti-Pope', and the keyboard bit from 'I Just Can't Be Happy Today', and Henry Badowski's song.

Click Here to Download The John Peel Show for 25/08/1978!

Track Listing:

A - Making Love With My Wife
B - baby Sign Here With Me

To Download Henry's Single Click HERE!