Alternomen Unlimited ‎– "Facade EP" (Object Music ‎– OM 06) 1979

The two Stevens', Miro and Solamar, also did this DIY classic EP too.More in line with the popular style of the day, these are conventional post-new wave skewed pop songs;including a peon to the 'Russell Club',home of many a Factory Records night. I think this was also included on the complete Object Singles collection "Objectivity", what you can download by clicking HERE!

Tracklist:
A Facade
B1 For Ever And Ever
B2 Connections

DOWNLOADs unlimited HERE!

Indiscreet Music ‎– "Dubious Collaberations" (Object Music ‎– OBJ 002) 1979

Another,earlier, coll-(aberation)by The Noyes Brothers, aka The Two Stevens, Solamar and Miro."A collage of improvisations full frequency claustrophobic sound", they say.
Basically a bunch of noodlings, improvistaions, and half-formed tunes, all stitched together, 'Faust tapes' style; to form two sides of an LP. Solamar and Miro's pre-punk roots are fully exposed on this one.

Tracklisting:

Side A - Part One
Side B - Part Two

DOWNLOAD this dubious pleasure HERE!

41 Degrees ‎– "Open Heart" (41 Degrees ‎– 41/001) 1982

Along with the Noyes Brothers,another studio band, from the "Do The Maru" compilation, was '41 Degrees'; featuring ex-member of  'Slight Seconds', K.S.Eden, who were preserved for posterity as side one of the "Waiting Room" shared album.
Strangely I write this at a time when the outside temperature (here in southern France) has hit 41 degrees,and has been hovering around a similar level for months!Even worse I will be working outdoors in this punishing heat as this text is being published......no fun.
Back in 1982, Manchester would have been a lovely grey, rainy, place;instead of the parched dry desert it has been this summer......Its gonna get worse, not better!
Of course I refer to climate change, which should be a similar inspiration for creativity as the nuclear doom which hung over our heads in 1982.....so where is it? With the onset of the new popularism, even nuclear doom is back on the agenda. Com' on kids get it together ffs!
This hopelessly obscure album, features various Object Music backroomers to back up what is essentially a K.S.Eden solo album. (Steve Miro appears,as usual).
Its a self-released and forgotten Post-Punk/Post Prog classic,full of interesting experimental pop that sank before it ever had a chance to surface.

Tracklist:

A1 Paradise Lost
A2 Silent Towns
A3 Tonight
A4 Adaptation
A5 Forgotten Spirits
B1 White Flowers
B2 A Humming Sound
B3 Who Knows Tomorrow
B4 The Spirit Moves
B5 Face To Face (Over And Out)
B6 November

DOWNLOAD 41 degrees of something HERE! 

The Noyes Brothers ‎– "Sheep From Goats" (Object Music ‎– OBJ 009/010) 1980

The Two Stevens, or The Two Ronnies (any excuse to sdd a link to the Fork Handles sketch), of DIY-Garde in Manchester, were Steve Solamar, of The Spherical Objects, and Steve Miro, without his 'Eyes' this time(as in Steve Miro and the Eyes right?). Collectively they called themselves The Noyes Brothers.
As previously featured as side two of the "Do The Maru"compilation,The Noyes Brothers project extended to four sides of vinyl, called "Sheep From Goats".
'Experimental'is the genre this stuff is usually filed under in yer iTunes collection.....not quite experimental enough to earn the golden moniker of 'other' however.

Here's the Brothers, ticking both the 'Good Looking' and 'Youthful' Boxes.

Tracklist:

OBJ 009
A1 Impending Doom
A2 Away We Go
A3 Repercussion
A4 Bo Scat Um I.D.
A5 Marlene
A6 Night Sky Vision
A7 Byte To Beat
B1 Why Did It Fade
B2 I Am You
B3 On The outside
B4 Dream
B5 Archetypal Memory
B6 It Must Be Vibration
B7 Pointless
B8 The Mutant
B9 Ingmar The Dog
B10 Some Times

OBJ 010
C1 Outnuendo
C2 Decision Time
C3 Pnumonia Bridge
C4 Resurrection In Chaos Minor
C5 Do End New Out
D It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time

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Various Artists ‎– "Do The Maru" (Object Music ‎– OBJ 014) 1981

A bit more self-indulgence never hurt anyone right?
Punk Rock's main message was that it was possible for anyone to do what they wanted to do,like the Hippies before them; except joe public actually listened the second time around.Mainly because the musicians in the Hippy era were far too intimidatingly good at what they did, so no one had the confidence to do anything themselves.
The Prog Rock era firmly nailed down the lid on any lingering ambition to be a pop star.
Frustrated Proggers were the unlikely beneficiaries of the fall-out from The Sex Pistols debacle, as now they could play the music they loved without having to be a member of 'Yes'.
Doubtless Steve Solamar, founder of Object Music,witnessed The infamous Pistols gig at the Lesser FreeTrade Hall and was inspired to start his record label,and form The Spherical Objects.
This gave him and his chums the chance to be self-indulgent and make a few post-prog workouts,some of which surfaced on Object Music.Back in 78/79 punk punters were so desperate to buy any 'punk' product that virtually everything and anything would sell out.
This shared compilation found Solamar and long time friend and collaborator, Steve Miro,appearing as The Noyes Brothers,to make a side-long synth and beatbox krautrock/punk hybrid, 'Good Question'.
Some bloke called Roger Blackburn, gets to be Mike Oldfield for five minutes at the end of side one, and one of the chaps from 'Slight Seconds' gets to be Manuel Gottsching for ten minutes on track two; preceeded by Solamar himself doing a fine impression of Rick wakeman if he had only one finger.

Tracklist:

A1 –Steve Solamar - Forewarned
A2 –41 Degrees -  Just...My Crazy Mind
A3 –Roger Blackburn - In Memory
B –Noyes Bros - Good Question

DOWNLOAD this maru transplant HERE!

Various Artists - "Objectivity : the Object Singles Album (expanded version)" 1978-80

A handy,expanded,compilation of ,Manchester based,Object Musics first years singles.
Object Music was a Manchester based record label active 1978-81. It more or less grew directly out of the Manchester Musicians' Collective, which initially included Dick Witts [Passage], classical and electronic composers (respectively) Simon Holt and Trevor Wishart, and Tony Friel, whose band The Fall had their first gig at a Collective meeting.

Also added to this file are all the singles Object Music released before and after the original LP,(courtesy of Mutant Sounds who have saved me a lot of work,thanks lads we miss you).
It obviously includes the Spherical Objects, but also the great proto-indie pop of Grow Up and the slightly less great Steve Miro. A document of what 1978 sounded like, of musicians trying to escape the straight jacket of three chord thrash; many tried and failed.

Here are a few of my choice picks from this treasure trove of sonic delights:

Contact – "Future / Past EP" (Object Music OM11) 1979:

Tony Friel has appeared on three of the greatest e.p.’s of the Independant era, “Bingo Masters Breakout”, “New Love Songs”(see beelow), and the retro-futurism of this e.p. by Contact; which Friel formed, with Duncan Prestbury, after splitting with The Passage. It has the naivety and innocence  that disappeared from the records of The Fall and The Passage, notably after Friel left these groups. It suitably has an off kilter version of The Seeds classic “Nite Time”, another great Le Rock Naiveté exponent of yesteryear. It also has the honour of having a track featured on one of the Messthetics compilations(“Someone Like You”). A Great low tech re-enactment of a future that would never happen. Unfortunately the real future became the one we have now; where the only popular musical advance  is for women to get their tits and arses out, and boys expose their abdominal muscles. Intelligence has never been as marginalised and frowned upon. What was so great about music from 76 to 83 was basically how sexless it was. It was there but you had to make an effort to find it.

The Passage - "New Love Songs" + "About Time e.p." (Object Music OM02/OM08) 1978/1979

Love Song is my favourite Object Music tune, which was unfortunate enough not to have been the subject of a BBC ban. It could have been a hit in 1978, with its puerile references to certain sex acts; but its far more intelligent than that. Its cynical message is about the selfishness of a sexual relationship, which are largely based on a narcissistic need to be worshipped and to be in control.This is a Love Song 1978 style.
This early Passage release, when Fall founder member and the man responsible for naming Paedo-Peels' favourite band, Tony Friel, was still in the group; finds a band still finding its own identity. But its an identity than is far more attractive to the Passage of 1980 onwards, where Dick Witts' ego takes over, and they became an irritatingly over-clever version of the Pet Shop Boys.

 Tony Friels swansong with the band, produced by Flying Lizard David Cunningham. Good raw minimal DIY pop. If Tony leaves a band you know they're good,but he usually takes the good with him!

Spherical Objects ‎– "The Kill / The Knot" (Object Music OM01) 1978

As I now officially "like" The Spherical Objects,after recently playing their first LP after buying it 35 years ago,hating it,then filing it away until 2013; I searched out this early single from the same one day session that produced the first album. Predictably, its more of the same, second division Blue Orchids fronted by a nasally challenged Roland Rat(Steve Solomar,who incidentally is now a woman!), but still attractive in its sheer Non-rockness. No foot on monitor posturing for these chaps. Nice cover art too; note the ransom note lettering for the singles title to attract the punks, and the stencil lettering to attract Clash fans. Excellent marketing tools in '78 when the flood of releases were just beginning.All this and a lyric sheet to sing-a-long to, with words that suggest a fashionable message to boot! Art skool punk that borrowed a few tricks from that nice Mr Capitalism man.

Track Listing(not necessarily in the correct order,but it is chronological.):

OM-1 Spherical Objects - The Kill / The Knot (10/1978) recorded 10.7.78
OM-2 Passage - New Love Songs EP (12/1978)
tracks: Love Song / Competition // Slit Machine / New Kind Of Love
OM-3 Steve Miro & The Eyes - Up And About / Smiling In Reverse (1978)
recorded 4.11.78 Steve Miro backed by Spherical Objects
OM-4 Spherical Objects - Seventies Romance / Sweet Tooth (1979) recorded 4.11.78
OM-5 Grow Up - Stay Away EP (1979)
tracks: Stay Awake / 10 Minutes / Photo // Lake / River / So Long
OM-6 Alternomen Unlimited - Facade / Connections (1979) recorded 8.2.79
OM-7 Warriors - Martial Time / Martial Law (1979) recorded 22.4.79
OM-8 Passage - About Time EP (10/1979)
tracks: Taking My Time / Clock Paradox // Sixteen Hours / Time Delay
OM-9 I.Q.Zero - Insects // Electromotion / Quirky Pop Music (1979)
OM-10 Steve Miro & The Eyes - Dreams of Desire / Queens of the Sea (1979) recorded 4.7.79
OM-11 Contact - Future/Past EP (1979)
tracks: Fascinated By Time? / Constant Beat // Nite Time / Someone Like You
OM-12 Grow Up - Joanne EP(1980) Recorded and mixed at Revolutuon, Cheadle Hulme, 10.4.80
tracks: Joanne // Affirmation of Existance/Reaffirmation of Existance/Swept
Away / GGGDADGADADAD

DOWNLOAD with your new expanded objectivity HERE!