Asphixiation ‎– "What Is This Thing Called 'Disco'?" (Innocent ‎– ONO-001) 1981

This is basically an conceptual satire of the Disco cult by → ↑ →  and Essendon Airport, as a fictional group called 'Asphixiation'.
The LP was made as a backing track for the group members to mime to during a few performances at the George Paton Gallery in july 1980, where they pranced and mimed, badly, to an openly displayed reel-to-reel tape machine.
As it says on the official promo blurb from Innocent Records: 
"Ten arse-kicking tracks that encompass the wide dissemination of the most recent and prolific enigma yet to seduce the mass-market and tickle the art-cult: DISCO." 

It was quite popular around 1980 to do a tongue in cheek version of Disco by the more serious minded among the experimental pop community, of which there are many examples; notably The Residents disco version of their critically acclaimed album 'Eskimo', as 'Diskomo'.

This satirical experiment predates a lot of the 'Mutant Disco' stuff from downtown Manhatten in the early 80's, but this usurps all that by being a strictly one-off joke on both the Disco and Art worlds.

The provocative cover of an under-endowed male augmented with lit cigarette only serves to emphasise the subversivness of penetrating the ordinary home with subjects real Disco kept hidden behind the scenes.The music had the ability to lure children away from their parents like a piped piper to a taboo world of decadence and sexual discovery.Ohhhh La Laaa!!?

A similar swindle was attempted by Throbbing Gristle with their "20 Jazz Funk Greats" album. The idea being that any unsuspecting member of the public, when leafing through the record racks in Woolworths would happen upon this fake Jazz-Funk compilation,take it home and play it, but instead of the smooth danceable sounds of Level 42, they had Genesis P-Orridge groaning about 'Persuasion' and other dodgy sadistic topics. However on that album there did appear a couple of psuedo-disco tracks that did indeed presage House music by almost a decade......shame on you TG!!!!

Asphixiation, also touched on these same taboo's(I mean look at the cover and the groups S&M moniker?),but with far more humour involved than the largely humourless Throbbing Gristle.

Well....I could almost dance to this and think it was proper Disco.....dunno about you?

Tracklist:

Long Player Album:
A1 The Beat Aesthetic
A2 Feelings
A3 Asphixiation
A4 Blurred Movement
A5 Hunger-Food-Nausea
B1 Innocent Rhythms
B2 Aural Risk
B3 Traditional Europe
B4 Self Denial (Is A Beautiful Thing)
B5 African Disco Queen 

Twelve Inch Single (for A.M. Radio)
A L'Acrostique D'Amour

Twelve Inch Single (for Discotheques)
B The Crush

DOWNLOAD this thing HERE!

→ ↑ → ‎– "Spaces(1981)" + "3 EP's (1979-80) (Innocent ‎Records) 1979-81

Yes another 'request', but an admirable one, as I like any group that is unclassifiable alphabetically. This is why '→ ↑ →'(Philip Brophy & Essendon Airport basically) are often referred to as 'Tsk Tsk Tsk'. So the anal record store worker could file their output under 'T'.....ahhhhh the relief.
Another important bi-product of being unclassifiable in any filing system is 'No Sales!'.The casual browser would not find it easy to stumble upon a '→ ↑ →' record in any record store,which is how I managed to find most of my favourite LP's back in the day, just by looking at the cover art, and reading the track titles on the back (yes I can read...but I can't write!?!).
The music on this mini-lp and subsequent EP's (all on Brophy's Innocent records), is a kind of sterile art gallery bound variety of passionless brass enhanced electronica.Very 'Downtown', for people who boast of degrees and of reading books.Bereft of the accidental.....an important factor in human music.

Spaces Tracklist:

A1 Video Space
A2 Color Space
A3 Synthetic Space
B1 Total Space
B2 Flat Space
B3 Expressive Space

Venitian Rendezvous EP (1979)

Tracklist

A1 Lampadina
A2 Pallini
B1 Sportelio
B2 Canzona Di Una Notta

Nice Noise EP (1979)

Tracklist

A1 Nice Noise Theme
A2 Rock Song
B1 Doing Very Little
B2 One Note Song

"Caprice EP" (1980)

Tracklist

Born Again (Christian Revival Medley)
Caprice
AC/DC Current
Lunar Medley
Midnight Serenade
Moon River

DOWNLOAD all this from cyber space HERE!

Primitive Calculators ‎– "Primitive Calculators" + "I Can't Stop It " (Self-Released) 1979/1982

Down in the classier part of Australia, we find the Synth Punk stylings of the Primitive Calculators of Melbourne. Home of The Birthday Party, formerly The Boys Next Door, whom The Calculators supported the night this live LP was recorded in 1979.
Of course The Boys Next Door contained one gothic crooning bore, Nicholas Cave, and we will hold that against them.
As the years have slipped by, we now know that The Primitive Calculators were,and are, vastly superior to any of Cave's future combo's.One reason why being decended from convicts is not as bad as its made out to be,as long as one leaves that curse of the inferiority complex behind with the other rubbish.
No studio LP was preserved for use in evidence,so we are left with a single and this live magnum opus to argue the case that they were the worlds largest islands equivalent of The Screamers......who needs recording studios anyway?
Like memories are the best photographs,sometimes things should be just left in the moment to burn brightly and then die.....which, ironically, the Calculators weren't allowed to do, as they resurrected themselve in the late eighties,and recently released a new LP??? for fucks sake!......yeah lets fuck up our legend like every fucker else is doing these days.
A lot's to be said for early deaths in the pop world. Jimi Hendrix was just beginning to suck real bad when he choked on vomit, and a lot lesser lights would have been thought of far more fondly if the reaper called just before that difficult second album.......Bono excepted of course;that particular gnome was beyond redemption as soon as he sported his mullet and placed a pixie boot on the monitors for the first time.A fine advert for abortion.

Tracklist:

A1 I Can Tell
A2 Do The Icepick
A3 Signals
A4 Stains
A5 Mud In My Eye
A6 Beat Goes On

B1 Lullaby
B2 Do That Dance
B3 I Can't Stop It
B4 Bake In The Sun
B5 Shout

"I Can't Stop It" 7" (1979)

A - "I can't Stop It"

B - "Do That Dance"

DOWNLOAD the lp and something you can't stop HERE!

Negative Reaction ‎– "Negative Reaction" (Terse Tapes ‎– trs012) 1980

Australia did a good line in Dark Industrial, and Negative reaction are a fine example of the lesser known part of the thriving early 80's Aussie Industrial sub-culture.
What have Australians got to moan about one may ask? Sunshine,large open spaces,high standard of living....er....sunshine.
Well, for one, its a country full of loudmouthed 'Jocks',whose overcompetitiveness tends to annoy somewhat. So no wonder the pale young boys of Australia seeked solace in the dark pleasures of Industrial culture. Eternal sunshine can be a real downer also,not to mention the heat of the long antipodean summers.Overexposure to such a climatic strait-jacket can lead to a longing for the grey skies of the mother country, The UK, and the cleansing properties of rainfall.

Tracklist:

Jubilee 3:25
Frustrate Flats 1:13
The Desert 8:04
Mass Culture 5:03
Street Paranoia 3:29
Dead 2:44
Theme 1 6:10
Vietnam 10:58

Live at I.C.E

DOWNLOAD positively HERE!

Slugfuckers ‎– "Transformational Salt" (Dogfood Production System ‎– Dogmat#2) 1981

With a name like 'Slugfuckers' you certainly ain't lookin' fer chart action, and with an LP like this, you definitely ain't!
There aren't too many looser combo's than this from the land down under. Falling apart abstract punk funk played by pale white boys from the Sydney suburbs who'd heard The Pop Group.
Thankfully, unlike The Pop Group, Slugfuckers don't resort to pounding the listeners skull with endless political soapboxing.
The lyrics, delivered in a half-assed quasi-conversational style, are suitably vague and abstract enough as to compliment the collapsing syncopation of the music. This is the kind of stuff I like to relax to of an evening, protected by a ring of salt.

Tracklist:

A1 Wail
A2 Mr. Insanity
A3 Tricked You
A4 Poem
A5 Obbligato Necroplasm
A6 Skizo Disko
B1 Corkscream
B2 Dolphins Aren't Fish
B3 Tell Me Who You Are
B4 Movie
B5 Artificial Slits
B6 Germange

DOWNLOAD some slug love HERE!

Jandek ‎– "Dublin Friday" (Corwood Industries ‎– CORWOOD 0820) 2016

Its Jandek Monday, and this is "Dublin Friday", for the simple reason that someone asked for this because they were 'there'!
This is my equivalent of 'playing for the kids'. That brown nosed gesture a lot of performers do to please the crowd by playing their greatest hits or, as in this case, requests.
 As i write, Jandek in Dublin is playing, and he just exhaled the line, 'The Cacophony Of Gesture', which i think places brackets rather cosily around my sycophancy.
Something Jandek never does, but of late he does ,unintentionally ,occassionaly, gives them what they want.
Live at The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin,  June 13, 2008, the representative gives the 'kids' classic old school Jandek; without any hanger-on avant garde musicians to ruin the beauty. Meandering detuned ascoutic guitar, and stream of consciousness vocals under the working title of "He Said Nothing";of which there are eight long parts.

'He's just making this up as he goes along', they say....well......yes, thats usually how the creative process occurs. For me, as well as our esteemed Corwood representative.

There's some polite applause, art gallery style, from the audience in between each part. One can only imagine the modest crowd sitting in silence for each 8 minute part, staring passively at the spectacle in front of them;some feigning an intellectual connection with the ginger one (Check out the keen applauder who clapped the longest after part eight!...Lol!). Mostly waiting patiently for,an end, thee end,any end. Trying not to check their wrist-watches,or be seen to leave early........a bit like life?......very Jandekian.

Tracklist:

He Said Nothing
1 Part One 8:47
2 Part Two 7:18
3 Part Three 8:36
4 Part Four 8:17
5 Part Five 8:10
6 Part Six 7:18
7 Part Seven 5:42
8 Part Eight 8:24

DOWNLOAD jandek in dub (lin) HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "A Selection" ( M Squared ‎– M2010) 1981

A broad local band compilation from Sydney Australia  in 1981.
Featuring future Industrial legends as SPK and Severed Heads.
There's also plenty of local Sydney underground heroes like Slugfuckers (can't see them getting very far with a name like that....top marks), and Negative Reaction.
Terrible artwork, but full of gems.

Tracklist:

A1 –Wild West - Pelican
A2 –The Dead Travel Fast - Urchin
A3 –Negative Reaction - Land Of Surrender
A4 –The Limp - Pony Club
A5 –Severed Heads - Eat Roland
A6 –Slugfuckers - Reggae
B1 –Tame O'Mearas - Curl Curl
B2 –Splendid Mess - Nasa Secret Anzac
B3 –Pel Mel - Click Click
B4 –Systematics - Die For My House
B5 –Scattered Order - I'm Not Whole
B6 –Solipsik (SPK) - Zombod
B7 –Aural Indifference - Baby Love

DOWNLOAD a file HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "Growing Pains" (M Squared ‎– M2003) 1980

A strange Australian compilation of local Sydney post-punk bands from 1980......er...thats it!?


Tracklist:

A1 –Pleasant Peasants - Pussman Polka
A2 –The Barons - Paint It Black
A3 –The Systematics - Midnight On Balancing Day
A4 –EST - Yvonne Is Out Again
B1 –Height/Dismay - Girl From Ipanema
B2 –Scattered Order - Bent Up
B3 –The Dead Travel Fast - Untitled

DOWNLOAD painlessly HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "A Terse Sample" (Terse Tapes ‎– TRS002) 1980

I suppose this was the Austrailian 'Weird Noise ep"? An actual vinyl release from Oz's Fuck Off Records Equivalent, Terse Tapes.A thing of great beauty.
The only place outside of the UK to achieve this kind of DIY sound was, for some reason Australia? It had it all, muffled under a duvet acoustics, cheapo instruments, a noticable lack of ambition or commercial instinct,musical ability optional,and an inate desire to be experimental or stop doing it.
Every tracks a winner from these obscure antipodeans.
Maybe it was because no band or group in Oz had the slightest chance of making it in the commercial pop arena, so they might as well do whatever the fuck they wanted, rather than move to London like AC/DC and The Saints did!.A bit like Germany in 1971, which spawned 'Krautrock'. The Uk's excuse was the opposite to that. There was so much commercial pop and Rock that your poxy pop group got drowned by the shear quantity of it all....so, if no one else was gonna do it for you, you had to do it yourself, for yourself and yer mates. Of course, like in everything else, redneck America was ten years behind everyone else, and 'invented' cassette culture just as the rest of the world were stopping.Bless 'em.

Tracklist:

A1 –The Wet Taxis - Donny And Marie | Polio Baby | Riso Riso | Max And Peter Marmite Jar
A2 –Mindless Delta Children - Go Go Dancer P.V.C. Apron
B1 –Agent Orange - The Uncle Song
B2 –Rhoborhythmaticons - Knife And Fork

DOWNLOAD from down under underground HERE!

Alien Brains ‎– "It's All History Now 1979-1985" (VOD 2014)

It's always handy to whip out an extra brain or two when needed,so,here's that Alien Brains box set on VOD.
Alien Brains were a sort of Avant-DIY supergroup based around Nigel Jacklin, for those who don't know or care, in which case what are you reading this for?
Its got the usual unattainable stuff thats been chopped up and edited and shuffled about with; all in a lovely presentation pack with a hefty price tag. DIY music is no longer the cheap option it seems? "Menial disorders" cost me a blank C-90 and two way postage from Deleted Records in 1980, and now you have to pay £100 quid plus for Alien Brains product.Thats Market forces I suppose?
Its got a cleaned up version of the Menial Disorders tape, but edited, and some stuff chopped out altogether.
Of course the unedited versions of "Menial Disorders" and "Alien Brains IV" are available on this blog in 320k Mp3.Quality.

Tracklist:

Menial Disorders
There Is Going To Be A Riot Soon 0:30
Menial Disorder A1 3:51
Menial Disorder A4 10:48
Menial Disorder A8 1:17
Menial Disorder A10 4:10
Menial Disorder B3 6:24
Menial Disorder B4 1:57
Menial Disorder B5 4:58
Menial Disorder B6 1:54
Menial Disorder B7 5:34
Menial Disorder B9 2:10
Menial Disorder B11 5:23
Menial Disorder B12 1:07
Menial Disorder B13 1:09
Menial Disorder B2 3:32

Der Blaunk Teps / Aberdeen Arts Centre
Der Blaunk Teps A1 3:41
Der Blaunk Teps A3 2:54
Der Blaunk Teps A4 4:27
Der Blaunk Teps A5 10:24
Der Blaunk Teps B2 3:09
Der Blaunk Teps B4 3:05
Der Blaunk Teps A6 3:05
Der Blaunk Teps B1 4:25
Der Blaunk Teps B3 5:01
Aberdeen Arts Centre 14:00
Live Last Chance Centre / WI Hut
Live Last Chance Centre 18.11.1983 London 11:55
WI HUT- Recording (Broomhill) 13:22
USE (Unusual Social Embraces) - So Quiet 4:00

Blatantly Nihilist / British Interiors / Alien Brains IV / Ultras
Blatantly Nihilist A1 3:32
Blatantly Nihilist B1 5:07
British Interiors A1 2:00
British Interiors A2 0:51
British Interiors B4 1:10
Alien Brains IV B2 7:14
Alien Brains IV B4 2:01
Nigel Jacklin - Solo Recording Live At Ultras 4:41

School Art Room / Water Tower
School Art Room A2 7:00
School Art Room B1 4:06
School Art Room A2 9:04
School Art Room A3 3:36
Tower (Morwick) B1 4:07

Verdenskang
Verdenskang A1 8:03
Verdenskang A2 4:17
Verdenskang A3 9:09
Verdenskang B1 2:17
Verdenskang B2 4:34
Verdenskang B3 1:37

Compilation Contributions
Extracts 3:21
Boule 3:47 (This is missing from part 6, so click here for the mp3)
Untitled 1:55
Untitled Live 4:40

DOWNLOAD Brain 1 HERE!

DOWNLOAD Brain 2 HERE!

DOWNLOAD Brain 3 HERE!

DOWNLOAD Brain 4 HERE!

DOWNLOAD Brain 5 HERE!

DOWNLOAD Brain 6 HERE!

Alien Brains ‎– "Live At The Basement 14/02/82" (Aeon ‎ Tapes) 1982

Nigel Jacklin is joined by Richard and Phillip Rupenus, of New Blockaders (anti-)fame, in the basement, Newcastle on Valentines day in 1982, to make a very New Blockaders version of Alien Brains.
The 'make do and mend' amateurishness of Alien Brains earlier tapes, has been replaced with competant avant-industrial professionalism.
Its a quite impressive dark ambient rumble, but the Brains have lost their charm in the process.....it happens to us all eventually....even me!?

Tracklist:

A Untitled 47:15
B Untitled 38:20

DOWNLOAD this valentines gift HERE!

Alien Brains ‎– "Menial Disorders" (Deleted Records ‎– DEC 005) 1980

The Alien Brains were on the recently featured "Fire On Boat" compilation, so here's a C-90 of theirs that I haven't posted yet, on legendary UK cassette label Deleted records.
Its a confused lo-fi mash-up of noisy messing about with crap electronics,tapes, and whatever items Nigel Jacklin and chums could find lying around their living room.
To add further confusion,the tape opens with a segment by L. Voag, aka Jim Whelton of The Homosexuals.Followed by a live performance by an unknown group called 'The Activity Toys',butchering a sixties classic in front of a rather hostile audience.....i'm sure I heard a section of the crowd calling out for Sham 69 near the start,then the unknown singer observes;"there's gonna be a Riot soon!"?......brave boys.
The rest is by Alien Brains, a collective based around Nigel Jacklin,which included most of the luminaries of the early UK DIY cassette scene, eg Bendle, The New Blockaders, Storm Bugs etc.
Then Mark Automatons '391' project donates a tape recording of some bloke asking what makes people behave violently?...what exactly differentiates a '391' track from an Alien Brains track I dunno?
Be prepared for a classically messy and fuzzy lo-fi experience from the depths of early DIY history.

DOWNLOAD in an orderly fashion HERE!

Jandek ‎– "The Rocks Crumble" (Corwood Industries ‎– Corwood 0746) 1983

Its fucking Monday again, and time to fuck off back to classic electric period Jandek, with one of my top fab five Jandek albums; the self-describing "The Rocks Crumble" LP from back in '83.
It is pretty much a portrayal of not only the rocks of existence crumbling, but, Rock and Roll crumbling before our very ears!
Deconstructed Rock at its most unpretentious.
we are treated to three more consecutive versions of "European Jewel"!? The number 613 is appended to the title of track three.......does this mean there are over 600 recorded versions of this 'tune'? Maybe a posthumous box set will spring into our reality one of this crazy ol' years?...The complete  European Jewel.....like those Miles Davis complete 'On The Corner Session' box sets?
Betcha never thought Miles davis and Jandek would be mentioned in the same confused grammar-free sentence did ya?

Tracklist:

A1 Faceless 2:47
A2 Birthday 2:45
A3 European Jewel 613 5:00
A4 European Jewel II 3:36
A5 European Jewel 501 5:02
B1 Message To The Clerk (Part 1) 2:59
B2 Message To The Clerk (Part 2) 4:37
B3 Branded On A Telephone 3:32
B4 Breathtaker 4:27
B5 Lonesome Company 2:53
B6 Same Road 2:53

DOWNLOAD some crumble and custard HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "Mysterious Kitchens" ( Terse Tapes ‎– TRS004) 1980

Another Terse Tapes cassette compilation, this time featuring a load of impossibly obscure Australian DIY bands; the better known of which would be The Wet Taxis.
It's a mixture of classic bedroom DIY, minimal synth, and aussie Industrial.
as normal with Terse tapes, its all good.

Tracklist:
A1 –In Church - Saving Souls
A2 –Pissy Relay Switches - Diskettes
A3 –Pissy Relay Switches - The Snack Chip
A4 –Pissy Relay Switches - Good Times
A5 –Pissy Relay Switches - Good Times Too
A6 –Holiday Funn - Each Tick
A7 –Holiday Funn - Sounds Familiar
A8 –Holiday Funn - Schplatt!
A9 –Headless Corpses - Axe Murderers
A10 –Lamington Lady - Untitled
A11 –The Nobodies - Introducing
A12 –The Nobodies - Play It Again
A13 –The Nobodies - Carry My Books
A14 –The Nobodies - Nothing Like It
A15 –The Nobodies - I Don't Care
A16 –The Nobodies - Lassie Come Home
A17 –2 Man Submarine - Machines That Walk
A18 –2 Man Submarine - Being Boiled 

B1 –Mr And Mrs No Smoking Sign - Come Home And Have Your Tea
B2 –Wet Taxis - Feel The Carat
B3 –Wet Taxis - Inflate Your Baby
B4 –Wet Taxis - Harmonix One
B5 –Wet Taxis - Joy Of Life
B6 –Wet Taxis - Dare You?
B7 –Wet Taxis - Make Cake
B8 –Rhino Rhino RH+ - Mr. Hat
B9 –Rhino Rhino RH+ - RFMOD
B10 –Rhino Rhino RH+ - In The Soup
B11 –Rhino Rhino RH+ - My Mother The Car
B12 –Rhino Rhino RH+ - Utensil
B13 –Japanese Gene Kelly - How I Lost My Drumstick But Went To The Shops And Bought Some Soap And It Was Real Exciting
B14 –Burt Blanka - Ya Ya Twist Electronics
B15 –Mindless Delta Children - All Clones Look The Same To Me

DOWNLOAD some mystery to your kitchen 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!

Various Artists ‎– "Rumponia-An Answer Within" (Rumpo Records ‎– RUMP LP 01) 1982

Yep, another compilation featuring the same  bands from The Northampton Musicians Collective.
Its got the excellent 'Workshop' on here, along with lots of terrible singers, and plenty proto-indie types.
Its a bit scratchy, but there are no cassette versions or CD versions, so we're stuck with it.....but who cares? Its a window with an interesting view into the dark world of the local post-punk world of 1982....in Northampton?!

DOWNLOAD and reveal the answer within HERE!

Where's Lisse? ‎– "Talk Takes Too Long" & "Tutorial EP" (Glass Records GLASS 08+014) 1981/82

Tracklist:

A Talk Takes Too Long
B You Stole My Gun

Tracklist:

A1 Tutorial
A2 Red Light
B1 I'll Think Of Something
B2 Call It That!

More Northamptonshire born Cold Wave, again like a poor mans' Modern English, which ain't no bad thing. Not much else to add apart from that I like it!

DOWNLOAD a cold breeze from northampton HERE!

Religious Overdose ‎– "Glass Hymnbook (1980-1982)" (Glass Records) 2017

Religious Overdose released three singles on Glass Records between 1980 and 1982, which have been kindly compiled and remastered by Richard Formby, for your ingestion, on this posthumous cd on a reborn Glass label.
Cold Wave is a dish best served ....er....cold; and this is suitably so. It ain't Joy Division, but it is nearly as good as first album Modern English,but with rougher edges.

Tracklist:

1 Hazaal 2:46
2 Control Addicts 4:04
3 25 Minutes 5:16
4 Concentrate 2:08
5 I Said Go 2:10
6 Alien To You 4:28
7 Talk Talk 4:55
8 In This Century 7:16
9 The Girl With The Disappearing Head 7:22
10 Blow The Back Off It 1:49
11 In This Century (Demo) 10:01

DOWNLOAD an overdose of religion HERE!

Religious Overdose ‎– "Live" (Adventures In Reality Recordings ‎– ARR004) 1983

Northampton based Post Punk combo who sounded like most other decent bands of that ilk....everywhere had a cult musician called 'kevin' and everywhere had their own 'Rema-Rema's'......which can only be good.I've listened to 'Wheel In the Roses" far too many times, so here's a chance to hear some material they might have recorded before they changed their name to 'Mass'....a bit like the garage -psych bands on those 'nuggets' compilations; but instead of giving the generations of the future diferent versions of the Stones and The kinks, we are now discovering bands who give us different versions of the post Punk bands of our youth eg) rema-rema, Modern English, and their like.......we've had the 'Rubble' series for UK Psych, and Nuggets for US Psych, so how about "Grey Clouds" or "Raincoats" for a UK Post Punk compilation series?
Recorded live at The Black Lion, Northampton, England May 1982.

Tracklist:

A1 In This Century
A2 Push The Key
A3 I Said Go
A4 Control Addicts
B1 The Tower
B2 The Girl With The Disappearing Head
B3 Wild Cat

DOWNLOAD daniel in the black lions den HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "The Nite The Pub Caught Fire" (Northampton Musicians Collective ‎– NMC 2) 1982

The Northampton Musicians Collective, as captured Live on numerous evenings at the belly button of Northampton's vibrant alternative music scene in 1982, the Black Lion public house.
We've got a variety of musical genres to wade through, from the Faux-Siouxsie goth of 'Antibodies', to the bog-standard 'Punk' of 'Social Disease.
'Workshop' appear to be rather excellent,with some improvised free-jazz freakout influenced type of UK DIY.
As are 'White Furry rabbits' with a DIY type of proto-Indie sound.
In all, a very high quality showcase from the town that gave the world goth poseurs,'Bauhaus'....nobody's perfect?

Tracklist:

A1 –White Furry Rabbits - Attack
A2 –Antibodies - Blind
A3 –Directorix- Psycho Operaters
A4 –Bullets For Silver- Is He On Drugs
A5 –The Syndromes - Ward 23
A6 –Workshop - Elephant Man Blues
A7 –Where's Lisse? - Talk Takes To Long
A8 –Social Disease - Communication Breakdown
B1 –White Furry Rabbits - Life Through The Glass
B2 –Antibodies - Instrumental
B3 –Directorix- Silence
B4 –Bullets For Silver - The One After The Last One
B5 –The Syndromes - All This Waiting
B6 –Workshop - And From Heaven They Came
B7 –Where's Lisse? - Aluminium
B8 –Social Disease - Lost

DOWNLOAD and set your computer on fire tonight HERE!

Jandek ‎– "Helsinki Saturday" (Corwood Industries ‎– CORWOOD 0796) 2009

All hands on Jandek, its monday, so......
let's listen to our hero improvising on piano with unamed harpist (Iro Haarla), while the crowd chatter constantly throughout the whole hour.
Yet another unexpected turn in the Jandek discography.I don't think there's been any recording artist in history who has managed to dumfound everyone during the whole of a forty year career.If anything he's getting more unpredictable.
Again, this is one for your pretentious friends to chin-stoke to, or to impress the pseudo-intellectual in your life.
As outsider-garde goes,its a pretty good one to play in the bathroom with scented candles chucking out lavender enfused gas to lull you into a deep sleep as you sink below the surface of your dirty bathwater. Like most Jandek records, he's never too far away from making soundtracks for loners with suicidal tendancies, and this one is no exception;just slightly more stealthy in its effect. The fact that it has an audience, kinda makes this a type of 'reality music', like they're peripheral spectators of a suicide as entertainment.
What better place to perform such a show than one of the world capitals for suicide, Finland?

Recorded Live: Gloria Kulttuuriareena Helsinki Finland November 19, 2005.

Tracklist:

1 Sleeping In The Dawn 1:03:32

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Various Artists ‎– "Northampton Under Glass" (Glass Records ‎– Glass 011) 1981

Lets go south from Solihull along the M6/M1 to the sleepy east midlands town of Northampton.
A place whose major contribution to worldwide youth culture was the Dr Marten Boot.
Northampton's other dubious claims to fame are Gothic granddaddies 'Bauhaus',and to a (much)lesser extent 'The Northampton Musicians Union',who were behind this local compilation in conjunction with Glass Records....hence the title.
The music is a mixture of various Post-punk stylings, from the Siouxsie copyists , Antibodies, to the proto-indie of The Russians.
(theres a couple of bonus tracks also from the CD-r version....just like xmas eh?)

Tracklist:
A1 –Antibodies - Mindwalking
A2 –White Rabbit - Childhood Heroes
A3 –Social Disease- Lost
A4 –The Russians - Shoplifter
B1 –Where's Lisse? Call It That
B2 –Directorix- Funk In B#
B3 –Religious Overdose - 25 Minutes
B4 –The Syndromes - Temporary Feeling

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021 ‎– "All Was Nothing!" (Paisley Archive ‎– PA038) 2015

Its got Pop Art cover art, and the tunes are a diiferent kind of pop art, as in the art of pop music. Not the melodic kind, but the rudimentary kind of barely competant two chord thrash that manifested itself everywhere after 1977. Apparently, as Solihulls 021 wore Fred Perrys and Harringtons, they are now thought of as a 'Mod'group.
They also boasted the rarity of having a black singer in a very white world. Luckily, he seemed to have very little soul, or, sense of rhythm which is both, a slightly racist generalisation but also, another rarity.
This album pieces together their non-"Mell Square Music"  recorded legacy into one handy package.

Tracklist:

1 Images
2 Whatever Happened To You
3 Heaven & Hell
4 Coming Of Age
5 Hitting Town Tonight
6 Twist N Shout (Live)
7 A Girl Like You
8 Beast Of Burden
9 Simple Minds
10 Must Be Love
11 Class Of 78
12 The Pop Song
13 Aversion
14 New Age Of Pop (Live)
15 Girls Go Out (Live)

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Various Artists ‎– "Mell Square Musick: The Album (Unreleased Recordings 1979-82)" (Only Fit For The Bin Records ‎– OFFTB007) 2010

In a way the original "Mell square Musick" ep, was thee perfect DIY record......so imagine if it was a double album full of the same raw incompetence?
Well now it is,but shockingly, on some of the tracks The Accused seem to have employed a proper drummer?! Like when Budgie replaced Palmolive in the Slits....not good!
That aside, there's plenty of rough as old arseholes DIY punk rock.

Paul Panic, the singer of The Accused, has even written a rather excellent book about it all....you can buy it here:

Tracklist:

1-1 –John Peel Radio Show (12-09-'79)
1-2 –The Accused - Solihull Revisted
1-3 –The Accused - Police State (Live Star Club '79)
1-4 –The Accused  - Photo-Copy Views
1-5 –The Accused - Bride Just Died
1-6 –The Accused - She'd Gone Punk/Hellhole
1-7 –The Accused - W.M.P.T.E.
1-8 –The Accused - Don't Wanna Be In 021
1-9 –The Accused - London
1-10 –The Accused - We're Crap
1-11 –Cracked Actors - Disco
1-12 –Cracked Actors - Statues
1-13 –Cracked Actors - Calling For Time
1-14 –Cracked Actors - Rock'n'Roll Fantasy
1-15 –Cracked Actors - Subway
1-16 –Cracked Actors - On The Line
2-1 –021 - The Pop Song
2-2 –021 - Aversion (Demo)
2-3 –021 - Class Of '78
2-4 –021 - Secret Love
2-5 –021 - Hitting Town Tonite
2-6 –021 - Words To The Wise
2-7 –The Undertakers - I Just Wanna... (Make Love To You!)
2-8 –The Undertakers - Monotony
2-9 –The Undertakers - Sadistic Lady
2-10 –The Undertakers - Overload
2-11 –The Undertakers - English Nation
2-12 –The Undertakers - Three Coffins In My Head

DOWNLOAD this expanded incompétence HERE!

Various Artists ‎– Mell Square Musick (No Rip Off ‎– YAW-1) 1980

The word 'Classic' is used as often as 'Genius', but I think at least one of those adjectives apply here.
This is classic UK DIY at its very worst/best; touching on a certain genius that lies within everyone if they had enough insight to find it.
This is music made by real people, for real people.It goes against all the accepted norms of Rock music.This just doesn't get taught at those Rock'n'Pop schools that are springing up everywhere. This would score zero's marks in the end of term exams at the despicable 'BRIT' school.
As you may have noticed, we have now moved geographically and socially back into the rougher parts of Solihull area on the outskirts of Birmingham, away from the smarter parts where Swell Maps came from.
As previously mentioned in the Swell Maps posts, the Maps were obviously middle class, to put it politely.
The Accussed ,however, were equally obviously NOT middle class,but they were indeed also from Solihull!They even made their dislike of Solihull in the charming ditty "Solihull"......"I thought Solihull was for Snobs but these punks think different" says the intro.....then its swiftly downhill from there!
The Accused, have the distinction of being probably thee most incompetant combo of the so-called 'punk rock' era....and that's saying something! They appear to have no sense of melody, timing,or expertise on their instruments.
There was a famous quote to describe the music of Jandek which applies almost perfectly for The Accused....I've just replaced the word jandek with said brummie Punk combo.
"How to describe the music of The Accused (Jandek)? Like most amateur rock critics, start by comparing (them) to the Beatles. Then strip away melody, catchy hooks, rhythm, and harmony. Next toss out vocal and instrumental ability, along with any trace of human feeling . Aside from these deficiencies, (they're) exactly like the Fab Four."......a bit harsh on the Human feeling bit, but on the whole, accurate.

The Fab Four of DIY.....a new kind of anti-genius.

The rest of the groups aren't much better, but thank any one of those fictional religious entities that they scraped together the three and a half hundred quid to make this e.p.

The Cracked Actors were obviously school age Teens, like a Brummie version of the Prats.

The Undertakers don't sound much older however.

The 021,named after the Birmingham dialing code, make an excellent de-rocked version of this Punk Rock music fad. They could have been the Clash if the singers dad had been a diplomat. In fact they sound not unlike some of The Clash's early tunes,like that one about not understanding flys?!I heard a Clash bootleg from a 1976 gig at Birmingham Barbarella's, and they sounded exactly like The 021...but then they sold out....unlike The 021...(not to be confused with Kif Kif's equally excellent group The 012)

Tracklist:

A1 –The Accused - Generation Gap
A2 –The Accused - Solihull
A3 –Cracked Actors - Disco?
B1 –021-(Don't Wanna Be) A Robot
B2 –The Accused - Arrested
B3 –The Undertakers - Illusions

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Jandek ‎– "Where Do You Go From Here?" (Corwood Industries ‎– Corwood 0805) 2011

This Monday Jandek goes Outsider-Garde?!
If this was the first and only Jandek record that you had heard, you would think that Jandek was some kind of avant-garde improvised music genius.Its bordering on the very good.Pop this on the stereo when someone you want to impress comes round for canapés and cognac, you little intellectual you.A soundtrack for discussing the merits of Satre,Nietzche, and Kant...you bunch of pretentious Kants you.
The illusion will only break down if one of the Poets, Architects, and performance artists, that you invited, asks what the music was?......er....Jandek?...you reply, uncomfortably.Luckily, these types will not be aware of our favourite Texan nutjob, and will think its some Avant-Garde composer that had by-passed their enthusiastic/desperate revision the night before.They had heard that you were one of thee foremost experts on the Avant Garde in Dalston. Desperate not to be outed as the fraud they undoubtedly are.
This is definitely NOT "Ready For The House" part 2.
I could easily imagine this at the South Bank in London, being absorbed by joyless chin-stroking pseudo intellectuals from the London art set.....otherwise know as 'Twats'.
This is the musical equivalent of that exhibition of paintings made by a chimp which garnered good reviews in those fanciful art rags that lie festooned on pretentious coffee tables all over the world.
I suggest this is majorly the work of the two mainstays of Jandek's live act;stalwarts of the Uk avant garde scene, pseudo muso's,Alex Neilson, and Richard Youngs.
Me being a Pseudo intellectual twat, with his feet firmmly under the ground, I can proudly announce I think this record is fucking brilliant!......but don't expect your normal Jandek with detuned guitar and a load of whining about all things negative here....this is a very positive and musical experience.....commence chin-stroking .......NOW!

Tracklist:

1 Part 1 3:09
2 Part 2 3:45
3 Part 3 5:23
4 Part 4 4:39
5 Part 5 2:50
6 Part 6 1:42
7 Part 7 4:34
8 Part 8 3:49
9 Part 9 4:35
10 Part 10 2:30
11 Part 11 1:28
12 Part 12 14:19

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The Shapes ‎– "Songs For Sensible People" (Overground Records ‎– OVER 81CD)

The Shapes never got to make a proper LP, but there was the obligatory CD compilation churned out in the nineties.
There's alt versions, demo's, outtakes, studio chit-chat, but nothing 'Live'.
Apart from two versions of Sexist classics, "Wots For Tea Mum?" and "College Girls,there's a quaint tune that makes light hearted ,and very seventies, fun of paedophilia.Also included is the Punk  standard,as in the tune that slags off ones home town...in this case the posh Warwickshire town of Royal Leamington Spa.

Tracklist:

1 Interview 0:26
2 Kid's Stuff 2:40
3 Wot's For Lunch Mum? (Not Beans Again!) 1:49
4 Leamington 2:35
5 College Girls 2:42
6 Wot's For Lunch Mum? (Not Beans Again!) 1:31
7 College Girls 2:31
8 (I Saw) Batman (In The Launderette) 2:38
9 Chatterbox 2:08
10 Bedtime Stories 1:48
11 Alien Love 2:01
12 Airline Disaster 2:51
13 Business Calls 2:48
14 Leamington 2:27
15 Let's Go To Planet Skaro 2:31
16 My House Is A Satellite 2:31
17 Jennifer The Conifer 2:47
18 Blast Off! 4:20
19 Interview 1:48

Notes
Tracks 2 to 5 - 1978, 1, 6 to 14, 18, 19 - 1979, 15 to 17 -1980.

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The Shapes ‎– "Blast Off!" (Sofa Records ‎– SEAT 002) 1980

On a break from their political science studies among the dreaming spires of Oxford, The Shapes went into WRMS studio's in the mean streets of Royal Leamington Spa(lifes hard there!?), to record their farewell single.Good as it is ,it doesn't quite reach the novelty record heights of their first ep.
After these two jaunty energetic power pop numbers that get every Nerds foot tapping.... they disappeared into the civil service to make feasibility studies on how Brexit won't work.....hopefully.....they should have stuck at pop music, for at least one album anyway?

Tracklist:

That A : Airline Disaster
This A : Blast Off

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The Shapes ‎– "Wot's For Lunch Mum? EP" (Sofa Records ‎– SEAT 1) 1979

It wasn't only Swell Maps and The Cult Figures who utilised the facilities of  WMRS studios in, rather posh, Royal Leamington Spa in the nicest bit of the west midlands countryside. To continue the stream of middle class power pop classics, we had the obscure Swell Map-a-likes, The Shapes. Churning out some innocently sexist two minute new wave classics.
Their contact phone number on the sleeve was actually a Leamington Spa number, so they were a local band.Therefore I doubt they had beans for lunch, or a Mum to cook it for them. Probably had a nanny, who served up smoked salmon and quails eggs at one O'Clock (Coq au vin is mentioned!); but that wouldn't fit snugly into the jolly prose proferred forth in the very fine opening track.
Pity there wasn't an LP? Probably had no time once they all started their Art History and Political Science courses at Oxford.
Bitter?....Moi?

Tracklist:

A1 Wot's For Lunch Mum? (Not Beans Again!)
A2 College Girls
B1 (I Saw) Batman (In The Launderette)
B2 Chatterboks

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Cult Figures ‎– "Live At The Cedar Club 1980" plus Singles" (1979-80)

Cult Figures were,fashionably ,for 1979,and without family names: Martin - bass, Jon - gtr & vocs, Jock - drms & vocs, Gary - vocs & gtr.
Although sometimes assumed to be Swell Maps under a different name, in fact Cult Figures were a separate entity. The fact that they sounded a bit like the Maps, had various Maps playing on their records, were on the same label as the Maps and often played on the same bills as the Maps (where you could actually see that they were not Swell Maps!?), probably led to the confusion - but they obviously weren't the Swell Maps!......but then again?.....Nah!

Here's their complete discography up to 1980, so make up your own mind.

Tracklist:

"Live At The Cedar Club 1980":

1 Silent Majority
2 Clambake
3 Painting By Numbers
4 24 Hour TV
5 Reactions Nil
6 Submerged Cutlery
7 War On Fun
8 Battleship Grey
9 I Remember
10 Martin's Holiday
11 The Religion
12 Zip Nolan

"Zip Nolan 7"" (Rather Records ‎– gear four, Rough Trade ‎– RT 020) 1979:

Tracklist:

A Zip Nolan
B1 P.W.T.
B2 Zip Dub

"In Love" (7")  (Rather Records ‎– gear eight) 1980:

Tracklist:

I Remember 2:52
Laura Kate 2:12
Almost A Love Song 1:40

DOWNLOAD all this cult material HERE!