Philip Johnson - "Completed Album" (Slackhurst Broadcasting SLX 02) (2019)

Ay up, its that girl with the wellies again!
Its also Philip Johnsons long awaited,or otherwise, follow up to "Year Of The Black Fridge".
It's supposed to be released on Vinyl but the forces that be have conspired for it to be shelved,probably permanently after the disaster that is the Covid 19 debacle!...unless someone out there has any money left that they don't mind losing that is?
I'll recommend "Bored,Depressed" for Wolgang (who described the previous album as 'Boring') but he must listen to it all the way through to the end or face the poisonous wrath of Zchivago,....please!?
This should split opinion in a small room,but please keep more than a meter apart and yawn into your elbow,or, alternatively sport a satisfied smile behind your surgical mask.
Its genuinely weird and can clear every sized room before any disease is transmitted,so its a great anti-covid 19 weapon.The next best thing I can find to a vaccine.Someone should inform the authorities.

Tracklist:

SIDE ONE

Intro 0:36
Soldier 3:14
Cpperc 0:34
Coat 3:17
Walah 3:04
Who Did Not 4:26
Mymst 0:24
Oh What 3:01

SIDE TWO

Iamg 0:47
Bored, Depressed 17:15

DOWNLOAD if you're bored or depressed or both HERE!

Philip Johnson ‎– "Year Of The Black Fridge" (Slackhurst Broadcasting ‎– SLA 01) 2017

Wellies NOT Jackboots!

Jackboots NOT Wellies!

Described as 'Almost Mythical', by the  record bores episodic bible, "Rec-bored Collector" magazine ;the 'almost',which implies 'Not', 'Mythical', Philip Johnson's first vinyl album since "Youth In Mourning" in 1982,is the jolly bizarre"Year Of The Black Fridge". Some of the 220 limited edition copies have the 'controversial' album sleeve art, of two female Nazi camp gaurds,caught in a candid action pose,pesumably from a hidden camera?One of them dedecked in sexy jack boots showing a bit of leg below her regulation SS knee length skirt. The female Nazi is a popular turn at your averge S&M swingers party......so I'm told. The harsh reality was, i'm sorry to disappoint you all, but the ladies in the  SS were by in large, a bunch of angry Munters who hated the world because they were ugly fuckers. Severely beating an attractive Jewess to death was a surefire way of making them feel good about themselves,and still be able to look in a mirror,a feat most women would do anything to achieve.Psychopaths are also narcassists,now matter how hideous they are on the inside or outside,or what sex they are.
Naturally there will be a legion of loners with boners tugging themselves off at the mere prospect of being whipped by a female Deathcamp guard,but to be historically correct, their uniforms were made from a very coarse cheap fabric,and NOT Pvc. Hardly a myth shattering truth for most, but there's always someone, somewhere believing something absurd.
The other rear cover depicts the less 'controversial' image of a young lady with a short skirt and a pair of wellington boot;presumably this is a reference to the heroine of his fetish filled novel "Jeanette" (by his pen name, Joe Simpson Walker),the lead character of who liked to wear wellies, rather than Jackboots, when indulging her dark sexual side of an evening.
This theme does crop up from time to time in Philips work,and "Year Of The Black Fridge" is no exception.

Tracklist:

A1 Junelike (soundtrack) 18:01
B1 The Gackerillo 1:01
B2 Congratulations 4:42
B3 Moap 6b 1:12
B4 I Was Horrified 3:00
B5 Voice Of Liz 2 7:08

DOWNLOAD and defrost HERE!

Philip Johnson ‎– "Youth In Mourning" (Namedrop Records ‎– NR3) 1982

The third of the essential Industrial 'Philip's',this one being Johnson by name but certainly not a Johnson,of the Boris kind. 
You could be forgiven in thinking that this album is called "1982" looking at the cover of this seminal(music press cliché word warning!) Industrial audio-collage from one of the leading lights in the dawn of DIY cassette culture.Having self-released over 25 cassettes,this would be PJ's only vinyl outing for 35 years.
And he was in Doof as well?

Tracklist:

A1 Heart Trouble
A2 It Meant Something Once
A3 C81
A4 We Can't Get What We Want
B1 Capermix
B2 New Age Sewage
B3 The Karate Kicking Girl Of New Invention
B4 Youth In Mourning
B5 The Same Side

DOWNLOAD a youth in liverpool HERE!

Various ‎Artists – "The Disparate Cogscienti" (Cog Sinister ‎– COG 2) 1988

A compilation of Mark E. Smiths mates on his label Cog Sinister,including three John The Postman tracks that are surprisingly, rather good!? John had just returned from living in San Francisco by this time, so it must have had an inspiring effect on him.
Marks old DIY 'legend' mates ,The Hamsters, have a couple of tunez too, but you can get their entire unreleased back catalogue on Bandcamp HERE!
Industrial cassette making enigma, Phillip Johnson also crops up, with a musique concrete version of the Fall's infamous B-side manifesto, "Repetition".
The rest is a mixture of standard Indie (Beatrice),Felt-a-alikes (The Lowthers),a no-budget Gun Club (Obi Men),and tongue in cheek working mens club muzak (Mr A. Valler).
Wasn't 'God' that industrial metal group with Justin Broadwick and Kevin Martin of Godflesh fame within the ranks?...if so, they were once really good, or really God?
MES himself makes a brief, uncredited appearance, between sides, doing a reading over a bit of "Tempo House".

Tracklisting:

A1 –The Obi Men - Her Address
A2 –The Hamsters - Ole Spain
A3 –The Hamsters - Stupid Songs
A4 –The Lowthers - Sylvia
A5 –John The Postman's Peurile - Kowalski
A6 –John The Postman & The Legendary Lost - Come To The Sabbat

Interlude - The Fall

B1 –Beatrice - A Girl Like Me
B2 –God - Sounds Like Thunder
B3 –Mr. A. Valler - Mr. A. Valler
B4 –Andrew Berry - Unsatisfied
B5 –The Next Step - Pseudo Drama Time
B6 –Philip Johnson - One Forthy Three
B7 –John The Postman & The Legendary Lost - Work

DOWNLOAD a mark edward smith sanctioned compilation HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "Fire On Boat" (Terse Tapes ‎– TRS006c) 1980

A C90 compilations from Terse Tapes (ran by Tom Ellard of Severed Heads) featuring UK DIY bands/Artists from the midlands compiled with Mark from....poor lad....Coventry.

This is why we find bands from Northampton,Nuneaton, Coventry and beyond on an Australian cassette label.

There are brief, but very worthwhile forays into the north via Liverpool with the Legendary Phillip Johnson,and Edinburgh with Josef K frontman Paul Haig,doing a very raw version of Josef K tune 'Pictures'.Not forgetting south Humbersiders,and DIY foundation stone layers, Instant Automatons, and chums, Alien Brains!

Not to mention some pre-fame Eyeless In Gaza stuff.

We also have something from DIY legend Gary Ramon in his WeR7 incarnation, and fellow Color Tapes stablemates 'Lives Of Angels',appearing here as the Body Electric.

Its ALL enrobed in that classic DIY small room ambiance,lashings of  fuzz and hiss; played on the cheapest equipment possible.

A classic compilation on a classic DIY Label.


Tracklisting:

A1 –Rota Rhythms - The Age Of The Fun Cassette
A2 –PR5 - Private Armies
A3 –Dave Carson - Crashing And Gasping
A4 –Paul Haig - Pictures
A5 –Philip Johnson - Nothing
A6 –Philip Johnson - Holiday Train
A7 –Paul Reekie - Drugs At School
A8 –A.D.H. - Ruins/Drive
A9 –Ron Crowcroft Lock/Unlock
A10 –WeR7 - Disquiet Music 2
A11 –The Ordinary - Fight The Good Fight 

B1 –Religious Overdose - 25 Minutes
B2 –Body Electric - Red Suit
B3 –Martyn Bates - Engine Failing
B4 –Douglas Barrie & Stuart Wright - March
B5 –Kevin Harrison - The Boy Was Dead (Ambulance Song)
B6 –Alien Brains - 2 Minutes Of Alien Brains
B7 –The Instant Automatons - Brains Under Glass
B8 –Eyeless In Gaza - By Proxy
B9 –Disintegrators - Disintegration (Excerpt)
B10 –Tony Clough - Isolation 1
B11 –Excitement Pathetix - Fun Cassette

DOWNLOAD the fire off boat HERE!

PHILIP JOHNSON - "Ellis is Poofyman" (Year Zero Records YEAR035) 2015

As Twelve Cubic feet and Exhibit A main man Paul Platypus was in Doof with the legendary Philip Johnson;it is about time I plugged the last release on Year Zero records;- the excellent "Ellis Is Poofyman", EP? Mini album?....i dunno, but its rather good.
All together now...."I've Been farting On The Moon!"
I dunno how he does it? Another sing-a-long classic from a world reflected in a fairground mirror in an underwater House of Fun. More synthetic voice phrases assembled and rearranged to reveal the true meaning of language. Backed up with all the aural abstract expressionism of a DIY Willem de Kooning;.... before he developed Alzheimers!
You should know by now NOT to be disappointed by any Philip Johnson recording,and this definitely is no exception.
Made,originally, in the much maligned 3" CD format to further limit his audience.

DOWNLOAD ellis here you poofyman!

Twelve Cubic Feet - "Demo Tape" (1983)

And now we bring you the fabled Twelve Cubic Feet "Demo Tape",featuring most of Doof,and Exhibit A,designed to win them some kind of record contract (Shock,horror!); instead it signaled the end of a promising career in the fledgling 'Indie' scene. They could have been contenders,but they had something less important to do.
Die or DIY favourite, Philip Johnson provides 'tapes' on 'Tiptoes' I notice.

DOWNLOAD the mp-cubed files HERE!

Philip Johnson - "0714" (Year Zero Records YEAR 029) 2015

A new year, a new Year Zero release, and ,more importantly,a new collection from Philip Johnson.("...a lost figure in the dark waters of early industrial music." - Superior viaduct.com")
This seems to carry on where Minumarine left off , with it's off-kilter loops, wobbly avant-garde composition,and fried electronic glitchs. Swimming on top of the damaged space,are various deconstructed/reconstructed dialogue samples,which add a touch of black humour and disconnected dystfunctional humanity to the already abstract proceedings.
Just "I am Wearing" (mp3) was the single from the Minumarine album, here we have "Just Like it Should" as the potential alternative universe numero uno.Click here for the mp3 of this track,and then download the whole album below......you know you want to,in fact I know you'll want to.
One day soon PJ will gain the recognition he so definitely deserves.
(ps...check out the Superior Viaduct reissue of 1982's classic "Youth in Asia" album.On sale NOW!)

DOWNLOAD 0714 HERE!

Philip Johnson - "Minumarine" (Year Zero Records YEAR 026) 2014

The first new album from Legendary cassette underground original, Philip Johnson, for nigh on twenty years!!?
The latest release on the resurgent Year Zero records, and Its like he's never been away! Full of highly original noisescapes,avant classical composition, sampladelia, sound collage, minimal electronica, single drum abuse, with the odd drone and scraping noise.
Track Three, "I am Wearing", is a reference to what he's been doing for the past twenty years. "I'm wearing Wellington Boots and I'm going to tie you up and gag you", says a female in the style of a 'Watch with Mother' narrator. You can almost imagine a banned episode of Andy Pandy, when Looby lou got Teddy alone in a dark corner of Bill and Ben's Garden.(if you're not from the UK and you watch these clips,then you'll understand why Brits are so weird and fucked up).
This refers to the novel "Jeanette" where Wellies plays a major role, written by Philip's alter-ego Joe Simpson walker.

But ,now, unlike a reformed pop group,he has returned, and he's as good as he used to be.....dare I say better?

DOWNLOAD it in 320k HERE!

Philip Johnson - "HEARTACHE’S WORST ASSISTANTS VERSUS THE GENIUS WITH THE SECRET OF MAKING GOLD INTO DYNAMITE!" (Year zero Records YEAR017) 1986/2012

From the vast archives of DIY cassette legend, Philip Johnson, we bring you the previously unreleased, "HEARTACHE’S WORST ASSISTANTS VERSUS THE GENIUS WITH THE SECRET OF MAKING GOLD INTO DYNAMITE".Now released at last on everyones favourite Net label, Year Zero Records.
(note: after being erased from the net by the authorities, Year Zero is now back,although be warned it is a site under reconstruction, and not everything is working;but most is,so feel free to download anything for free!)

Dating from 1986, this spoken word and sound collage involves material from between 1981 and 1986. Philip explains:"There are bits of various other tapes and records, unreleased bits, and bits recorded for the occasion to fill gaps, for instance “Black Rubber Towel” which begins the second side. It got reviewed by Dave Henderson in Underground, and an A&R man at EMI wrote and asked me for a copy. I sent him one, though now I think I really should have ignored him."

A Classic Philip Johnson melange of spoken narrative, found sound, noise, tape manipulation, and unhinged songs.I even detected a tv interview with Mark and Brix smith,from the Tube i think; where Brix Cringingly answers 'Smash Hits' style questions about her boyfriend, like 'what kind of music does he like?'

Print out the original artwork and make your own cassette!

Track Listing:

Side A (20:49)
Side B (26:02)

DOWNLOAD the secret of reverse alchemy HERE!

Philip Johnson - "Radio City" (self-released cassette) 1983

An unjustly forgotten figure of the early UK DIY cassette scene was one Philip Johnson.Who released and unreleased many of his fantastically spooky collages of sound on an unimpressed public; which is always a grand recommendation for anything.
One of the earliest participants in the British independent cassette scene he released his first cassette (54 Minutes of P. Johnson) in 1979.
Between 1979 and 1981 he released about 20 cassettes, until 1981 when Johnson became a partner in Namedrop, a short-lived independent record label (which also released Johnson full-fledge Lp ‘1982 – Youth the Morning’). When Namedrop collapsed Johnson went back to releasing cassettes and providing tracks for compilations such as 'Three Minute Symphony",and the 'We couldn't agree on a title' comp on ICR . In 1981 Johnson released material also under various pseudonyms such as Ancient Regime, the Barringtons, Flower Perverts.
He also contributed to the magnificent Doof ep, 'Exist'; for which he has kindly provided a new re-mastered version!!!!....Click Here to hear this classic in crystal clarity! What the anti- legendary Philip has also provided this blog with, is a couple of unreleased cassettes from 1983 and 1986(see next post)!

"Radio City" (1983)

A fantastic cut up of various current affairs radio broadcasts, with the classic AM radio sound quality, made good by that cosily depressing ferric oxide degradation technique.A hopelessly obscure classic that deserves to be discovered after nearly thirty years in the Johnson archives!
The man himself explains further:
"I never did any artwork for the 1983 Radio City – I recorded it and then left it aside. I’m afraid the tape isn’t a very interesting object either, because for a long time I never put any track-lists or sometimes even any identifying marks on tapes I made for myself. I could remember what was on a tape from just looking at it. However I’ve taken some pictures, and included a couple of my other tapes to liven it up a bit. You’ll see that I digitised it from a cassette copy, the original master reel is still there so I could do an improved remaster some time."
(And to check out what our Philip is doing now, click here! )

Radio City Track Listing:

1 Radio City
2 My Friends
3 American Intelligence
4 Parliament 1
5 At The Old Bailey
6 Parliament 2
7 Parliament 3
8 Parliament 4
9 Habit
10 Nothing
11 Holiday Train
12 Thats all for now
13 Debate
14 Afternoon
15 Game
16 Warning

DOWNLOAD Radio City HERE!

Various ‎– "Three Minute Symphony" (X Tract ‎– XX002) 1984

Classic compilation that skirts in and around the edge of the Industrial scene of 1984,the underground equivalent of 'Pillows and Prayers' but for weirdo's instead of foppish fringe wearing students.
Being a Sounds reader since the halcyon days of Punk Rock, Sounds contributor and compiler of this album, Dave Henderson, was writing increasingly about the burgeoning underground of there new music of 1984. Nowhere else could you read about such acts as Konstuktivists or Nurse with Wound; and of course, in these pre-internet days,obtaining these records was a stiff task, especially if you lived outside of London. This made these disc's and tapes even more desirable, and the moment one actually obtained one became an almost religious exercise. Slipping the artefact out of its sleeve and playing the messages contained within, which invariably would lead to friends, parents, and neighbours believing that you were either mad or insane, or a potential threat to their community as a whole.
Anything that is a threat to normality is naturally attractive to anyone with their eyes firmly open to this sham we call Civilisation; so that fact put these artists on the front line of consciousness change.
The works within this double album's grooves, span a virtual Who's Who of the underground in 1984, even the granddaddy of Industrial , Conrad Schnitzler himself, who contributes the title track, appears.
It also has probably my favourite German group, Die Tödliche Doris, amongst many other international favourites.
UK Diy is represented well, with Philip Johnson, Colin Potter (with an actual picture on the cover of the man himself!) and David Jackman, can't go wrong there?
The only groan factor was the inclusion of The Legendary Pink Dots, who, as many of you may know, are not one of my favourite groups; but!.....even their track is pretty good,despite that Edward K bloke failing to resist contributing some of his god awful warblings half way through it!
Apart from that sole criticism, this is pretty perfect! (mmm(thinks), doesn't that mean its NOT perfect?......but isn't perfection in itself, imperfection? Without imperfection we wouldn't recognise perfection, therefore by definition, perfection is imperfection is perfection.9999999 recurring?).

Tracklist:

A1	– Kill Ugly Pop	Let's Get Real Gone	3:45
A2	– Ptose	Waiting For My Soul	3:30
A3	– Trax	Trax Co Mix 1	3:12
A4	– Die Todliche Doris	Maria	2:45
A5	– Van Kaye And Ignit	A Slice Of The Action	3:30
A6	– Bene Gesserit	White Men	3:10
B1	– Colin Potter	The State	2:57
B2	– Human Flesh	L'Ultima Storia	3:20
B3	– DDAA	Your Mother With A Cake	3:10
B4	– Point Of Collapse	When Worlds Collide	3:10
B5	– David Jackman	Wolf (Part 2)	3:05
B6	– Sema	Untitled	3:20
C1	– Hunting Lodge	Tribal Warning Shot	2:58
C2	– Roll Kommando	Die Romantik Ist Tot	3:00
C3	– Stratis	I Fotia	2:58
C4	– Merzbow	Xa-Bungle	3:10
C5	– Philip Johnson	Always Behind You	1:58
C6	– Conrad Schnitzler	Three Minute Symphony No 1	3:00
D1	– Nagamatzu	Bird, Spider, Fly	3:05
D2	– Hurt	Money Matters	3:20
D3	– Nurse With Wound	Antacid Cocamotive 93	3:50
D4	– Legendary Pink Dots	No Bell, No Prize	3:52
D5	– Asmus Tietchens	Dahinter Industriegelande	3:10
D6	– Smegma	The Breathing Method	3:00

DOWNLOAD these 24 Three Minute Symphonies HERE!

Various Artists‎– "Sudden Departure" (Recloose Organisation ‎– LOOSE 001) 1982

Classic 'Industrial' compilation on Bourbonese Qualk's own Recloose Organisation label.Featuring such classic artists as Colin Potter, Bryn Jones(E.G.Oblique Graph),and Phillip Johnson.Even Lol Coxhill makes an appearance!Rather marvellous.
The first release from Bourbonese Qualk's RecLoose Organisation label was a compilation release intended to be followed up by albums by each of the artists. the album included works by lol coxhill, eg oblique graph (muslimgauze), new 7th music, la fondation, colin potter and Bourbonese Qualk with two early pieces; " i've heard some talk" and "the women and the sun" recorded in 1981.
"One of my favorite early '80s compilation albums was "Sudden Departure" on the RecLoose label. Bladder Flask (one Richard Rupenus a.k.a. Funeral Danceparty) was featured on a few of the very best tracks, as were Bourbonese Qualk and EG Oblique Graph, who would later change names to Muslimgauze. I already love this album to pieces!" [Jeff Gibson]

Tracklist

A1	La Fondation –	"Cat Sisters"
A2	La Fondation –	Petit Meurtre
A3	Bladder Flask –	Did Debussy Wear An Anorak?
A4	New 7th Music –	Forever
A5	Bourbonese Qualk –	I've Heard Some Talk (No You Don't!)
A6	Mental Aardvarks –	Radio Caroline North
A7	Colin Potter –	Soul Train
A8	Paul Kelday –	Somewhere Over The Rainbow
A9	Peter Northz (At Home), The –	Can't See The Trees For The Pope
B1	E.g Oblique Graph –	Affirm/Deny
B2	Bourbonese Qualk –	The Woman And The Sun
B3	Lol Coxhill –	Bim 80
B4	La Fondation –	Holidays En Espana
B5	Bladder Flask –	You Can Slap Me Or Sleep With Me But Don't Call Me A Crust (I Insist)
B6	La Fondation –	Lettre Au Procureur
B7	E.g Oblique Graph –	Human Rights
B8	Bourbonese Qualk –	Apart From That Mrs. Lincoln, Did You Enjoy The Play?
B9	Philip Johnson –	Entertainment

DOWNLOAD suddenly HERE!