Monday 14 September 2015

Various Artists - "Camouflage Nebula (Music From Preston)" (Camouflage Nebula Fanzine) 1981



As previously we've had a couple of compilation cassette's included with LAFMS's Lightbulb magazine; I figured we can keep that theme going with few UK equivalents, which in typical low budget UK style, are roughly XEROXED, sub-fi versions of our esteemed American cousins efforts.
Music from Preston it says; a cassette included with Camouflage Nebula Fanzine, and its brimming with classic lo-fidelity UK DIY.
Starts with the Distorted; an exercise in unrelenting tuneless repetition that would be called avant-garde  if it wasn't made in Preston, and the worst kind of lowest common denominator third wave Punk Rock.Its for these reasons that "Anti-Yank"(check out the lyrics on the insert!) is a classic slice of Moronic council estate punk with a capital 'M'.
In complete contrast, Distorted are followed,if they could possibly be followed(?), by the minimal electronica of High Bias;the master of the WASP Deluxe.That's the WASP synth with the actual keyboard and knobs,a step up from the touch sensitive version so beloved of Whitehouse.Producing some superbly sparse minimal synth that is screaming to be taken up by that uber-trendy Minimal Wave label; or that arsey prat who runs Vinyl-on-demand.
Furniture Music represents those third wave punk groups who had the intelligence,but not the ability to try and move on from the Ramones template.Their political statement was "Better Dead than Red!".....fitting in well with the new era of Thatcherism.A brave stance in such troubled times.
Restless Day seems to have by-passed punk rock altogether.Probably one,there only seems to be one of them,of those lads still with long hair in 1980,but wasn't into NWOBHM. Three tracks that delve deeply into that northern English Krautrock tradition,centered mainly in Restless Day's bedroom in his Mum and Dad's council house. Styles ranging from a 15 minute Tangerine Dream workout, to a Manuel Gottsching tape echo guitar solo.
I dunno if Pete Dean,who provides the last four tracks, is ,in fact, Restless Day? But, he sounds exactly like them/him. More bedroom Ash Ra Temple out-takes which have a charming intensity.

Track Listing:(kindly typed out for me by anonymous,see comments)

Distorted - Anti Yank
Distorted - 5 Minutes More
Distorted - Mail Order Fashion
High Bias - Into Battle
High Bias - Killing Of The Cats
High Bias - Life Goes On
Furniture Music - Insanity Complex
Furniture Music - I Don't Like
Furniture Music - Reapers Call
Restless Day - If The Waves Stopped
Restless Day - In Crazy Balance
Restless Day - Forest Of Thoughts
Pete Dean - Excerpts From 'Ripping Jaws'
Pete Dean - Undanceable
Pete Dean - Calling Song
Pete Dean - Band-Aids For Bishops


DOWNLOAD some camouflaged music from preston HERE!

4 comments:

Alan Burns said...

Absolutely first-class stuff Jonny, thanks for this one.

Would make sense if the 'Northern English krautrock tradition' was centred around Preston; my first visit to Preston Bus Station circa 18 years ago is burned into my mind, think I was listening to Cluster 71 and it sounded just perfect. I gather the bus station's been modernised in the last few years, which will be rubbish.

Jonny Zchivago said...

yes, i've been to Preston bus station....well.....looked at it through a bus window.It did have something of the much missed DDR about it. Cluster 71?...i'll dig deep in my memory and play it again,thinking of Preston bus station.

Anonymous said...

Les tracklist
*************
Distorted - Anti Yank
Distorted - 5 Minutes More
Distorted - Mail Order Fashion
High Bias - Into Battle
High Bias - Killing Of The Cats
High Bias - Life Goes On
Furniture Music - Insanity Complex
Furniture Music - I Don't Like
Furniture Music - Reapers Call
Restless Day - If The Waves Stopped
Restless Day - In Crazy Balance
Restless Day - Forest Of Thoughts
Pete Dean - Excerpts From 'Ripping Jaws'
Pete Dean - Undanceable
Pete Dean - Calling Song
Pete Dean - Band-Aids For Bishops

Anonymous said...

Oum,
thanks for the list, and thanks for the comments about bus stations leading to where you know...
For me are Restless & Dean.
Zeb