Clock DVA- Advantage LP

Today’s rain-soaked upload features seminal industrial/electronic act Clock DVA’s most solid record, 1983’s Advantage.

The band originated in England in the late 70s, taking inspiration for their name from Anthony Burgess’ dystopian nightmare novel A Clockwork Orange. Clock DVA originally consisted of two members, Adi Newton and Steven Turner, who worked with both Cabaret Voltaire and early members of the Human League before forming the band. Their first recordings were released on Throbbing Gristle’s own Industrial Music label, and quickly, Clock DVA grew to prominence in the budding industrial scene with their experimental tape loop and synthesizer treatments. However, by the time the band recorded their follow up records, they had lost and gained members and shifted to a more structurally sound lineup, blending their experimental electronic techniques with some more conventional rock instruments.

Over the course of the 80s, the band split several times over, Adi Newton remaining the only consistent member with each reformation. The band shifted styles with each lineup change, eventually settling on a more EBM sound. Though the band never “officially” split, the last Clock DVA album was released in 1993…Meanwhile, the most current members have persued solo projects.

The 1983 LP uploaded below is the perfect hybrid of Clock DVA’s experimental and more conventional sound. I’ve attached a few bonus tracks from a CD reissue, but have left off the extended and alternate remixes that grace the end. Without any further ado, the details:

Clock DVA- Advantage LP
1. Tortured Heroine
2. Beautiful Losers
3. Resistance
4. Eternity In Paris
5. The Secret Life Of The Big Black Suit
6. Breakdown
7. Dark Encounter
8. Poem
9. Noises In Limbo
10. Black Angels Death Song

*REMOVED PER ARTIST REQUEST*

Lastly, here’s what seems to be an official myspace page, with photos, discography, and more. Click click!

Clock DVA on myspace

21 Responses to “Clock DVA- Advantage LP”

  1. Anonymous Says:

    Eternity In Paris was a decade ahead of its time and one of my favorite songs. I misplaced my copy of this CD and when I tried to replace it the cost was around $150. Buried Dreams is another solid release by ClockDVA, especially Sound Mirror with it’s samples from Something Wicked This Way Comes.

  2. Anonymous Says:

    Here’s a link to another ClockDVA website: http://www.aracnet.com/~jester/clockdva/

  3. Precursor to Kid DV A

    I like it a lot.

  4. Anonymous Says:

    As one of the people who created this work – thanks for the compliment. Although not so sure about the “mild” career ….
    BUT if you are music lover do you think you should encourage illegal downloading. Downloading will kill independent music eventually.

  5. frankie teardrop Says:

    to the above: thanks for chiming in! sorry about the word choice above, it’s been remedied, and I’m looking forward to checking out solo outings!

    otherwise, though i see where you’re coming from (and if you’re upset, i’d be happy to remove the record and steer folks in the direction to purchase a copy), i disagree that blogs like this are killing independent music, and are instead, supporting it. it seems like music is becoming very mainstreamed, and the only artists that are thriving without the music industry are ones who established themselves previously and can afford to take a risk (radiohead, nine inch nails, etc). meanwhile, artists like yourselves are sadly passed over and remain obscure, especially as original pressings are out of print and cost an arm and a leg on ebay.

    i encourage folks to purchase whenever possible, and to keep their eyes peeled in their local record bins, as i too have found several treats there unexpectedly. otherwise, i think blogs are a great way to encourage a new crop of listeners to pick up something from the past and enjoy it.

    i posted these sentiments in a new post on the main page, i’d be interested to hear back from you!

  6. Anonymous Says:

    As someone who was one of the fortunate few to actually see the ‘Advantage’ tour and have followed the band since their inception, I thoroughly agree with the band member above and respect his wishes thoroughly. Being an independent musician myself for as long as ClockDVA has, I can whole-heartedly say that blogs like this are not doing anything for us but ripping us off.

    And the people who are stealing from us are thieves, plain and simple. You can’t justify what you are doing by saying you are exposing us for a ‘new generation of listeners’ since those new listeners can very easily spend some of their money LIKE WE DID AND STILL DO on supporting others in their art. But no, you have to cop the easy way out.

    This new culture of stealing music that has occurred since Napster reared it’s ugly head is utterly ridiculous, unethical, selfish, childish, corrupt, illegal and absolutely immoral and no way will you ever rightly justify your actions to hard working musicians like me. You simply can’t since you are simply wrong. Do you actually believe we make as much money as Madonna so we won’t miss the revenue anyway or so was the original argument years ago for all of this crap.

    By promoting this nonsense as surely as you are doing opens you up to criticism from people like me. SO BE IT.

  7. frankie teardrop Says:

    I grow weary of this sort of conversation. I am a musician as well, and I wholeheartedly disagree, and would be honored to find my work available for free, so long as the band is dead and gone. In fact, I have offered a past band’s output previously, and would do so again in a heartbeat. In fact, I believe the Funeral Crashers site has our record up for free on the main page, and we’re just recently deceased. I may have a problem offering it for free if we were still together, but now that it’s in the past, I am a-ok with it being out there.

    That said, if you can supply any and all of us with this material, then so be it, as I have purchased just about everything I can get my hands on within these genres. The sad truth: 99% of it is out of print. Since when does the musician receive any cut of a $100 ebay sale of their old, dusty record? Never. All records that have been re-released have been taken down, and I’ve been hesitant to honor requests for records that can be found in print. Let us not forget that most of these bands split before any new generation could hear about them. You tell me what 16 year old kid has heard of Clock DVA, Sleep Chamber, Shock Corridor, any of that? Until you can provide some stats that these now (unfortunately) defunct acts are still winning fans to this day, what with an out-of-print back catalog and little-to-no information about their past work, then I’ll eat my words. Until then, I’d like to think that this sort of attention is more beneficial than harmful.

    It’s ok though, anonymous. If it came between posting your work so people could hear it and celebrate your efforts, or shelving it so no one will ever find it or hear about it, I’ll be sure to leave it to be forgotten.

  8. Anonymous Says:

    I agree with you frankie. I played in a band way back when and I would be honored to see someone still listening to our small cd. And, better yet, telling other people about it and sharing it with the world still even if I’d never see a penny from it. We’ve been defunct for probably 5 years now. We were never “big” and definitely weren’t making huge $$$ off the music. Our cd is very sparse to find and I don’t even know if it’s available anywhere for proper purchase (let alone ebay or used stores where I wouldn’t see a penny from it anyway). Would I rather the music remain dead and unheard? Hell no. I’d be thrilled to see it still getting play and still thriving in some form or another.

    And, honestly, if I were a small new band? I would love the exposure. Anyone who listened to a sample of tunes and liked them would be more likely to buy the cd and come see my act live if we were touring. How does a small band gain exposure otherwise?

    Otherwise, music sharing is nothing new. Electronic forms have made it more trackable, it’s in the media a lot, and it is generally “easier” to share, of course. But, who wasn’t making tapes and mixes for their friends back in the day? I love introducing my friends to new music and, if they dig it, they are more likely to go out and purchase it then if they had never heard it at all. I don’t know many people who will run out to buy the latest cd by some band they never heard of otherwise.

    So thank you Frankie for introducing me to some new music. The stuff I’ve dug, I’ve definitely made all efforts to find for purchase if it’s available.

  9. frankie teardrop Says:

    I guess I got a little pissy there above, but the sentiment still remains. Glad to hear some folks understand the mission of a blog like this. I think in such a destroyed industry, every little bit of exposure counts, new and old bands alike. I just need to reiterate that I put purchasing links up as often as they are available, and I pray some people are making use of them. I know I am.

    And as always- artists who are featured on this page: if you feel your work is being misrepresented, just ask and it shall be removed without any hemming or hawing.

  10. Change of subject.

    I recently purchased a Clock DVA LP called _The Cool Trane is Here_, an old bootleg which purports to be of a November show in 1983 (the Advantage tour, I assume.) I’m a little confused, however, because Adi Newton doesn’t sing on the record; in fact, there’s no credit for Newton at all. Does anyone have any information about this LP and where it comes from?

    thanks

    -AM

  11. To AM

    “The Cool Trane Is Here” is an unofficial bootleg.

    During the tour to promote “Advantage” Adi Newton had a disagreement with the other members of Clock DVA (at that time John Valentine Carruthers, Nick Sanderson (r.i.p.), Paul Browse and Dean Dennis). As a result Adi Newton left the band. The other members decided to continue the tour without him. Katie Kassoon, the backing vocalist from the “Advantage”-era line-up, took over as the main vocalist – replacing Adi Newton for the remainder of the tour. “The Cool Trane Is Here” is a recording of one of these shows.

    After this tour this line-up of Clock DVA broke up – Nick Sanderson and Dean Dennis started working with Jeffrey Lee Pierce and John Valentine Carruthers joined Siouxsie And The Banshees.

    Adi Newton started work on his other main project T.A.G.C. aka The Anti Group with a revolving list of collaborators including Robert Baker, A. Benett, Barry R. Harden, D. Nicholson, Darrell Fitzgerald D’Silva, David A. Heppenstall, Justin Bennett, M. Banks, Mark Holmes, P.H. Barke and Robert Gordon. This revolving line-up produced the albums “The Delivery” and “Digitaria”.

    In 1987 Adi Newton decided to reform Clock DVA along with Paul Browse and Dean Dennis. This line-up produced the album “Buried Dreams”.

    Paul Browse left the band and relocated to Berlin to work on other projects such as System 01, Effective Force and later Visions Of Excess. Robert Baker then ‘officially’ joined Clock DVA. Adi Newton, Dean Dennis and Robert Baker produced the Clock DVA album “Man Amplified” and the live album “Transitional Voices”. They also released an instrumental album called “Digital Soundtracks” which contained some material that Paul Browse had also contributed to before he left Clock DVA. This line-up also produced the T.A.G.C. singles “Big Sex” and “Broadcast Test”.

    Dean Dennis left to work on his own projects Sector and later Nohno and Kibuka. Adi Newton and Robert Baker produced the Clock DVA album “Sign”.

    Adi Newton then moved to Florence in Italy and produced the T.A.G.C. album “Iso Erotic Calibrations” by himself. Robert Baker stayed in Sheffield and later formed the band Shadowranglers.

    Clock DVA then went into hibernation although Adi Newton worked with digital editor Maurizio Fasolo to re-release older T.A.G.C. material on a compilation called “Audiophile” and a collection of Clock DVA’s Baker/Browse/Dennis/Newton-era singles called “Collective”.

    In 2008 Adi Newton reformed Clock DVA (as a duo of himself and his wife) and has announced some upcoming releases of both new and old material but nothing has been released yet.

    Adi Newton also had a project with Andrew McKenzie called Psychophysicist which released one self-titled album and contributed some tracks to compilations. Andrew McKenzie had assisted Clock DVA during some of their tours, and Adi Newton had assisted Andrew McKenzie with some of his Hafler Trio releases. Adi Newton also worked with Lustmord on the album “The Monstrous Soul”.

  12. Anonymous Says:

    Thanks Frankie
    for this in depth information.
    Really that bootleg should state that Adi is not featured. Most people would assume he would be.
    I'd feel cheated if I bought it.

    I feel a bit guilty to return to the debate about sharing music/ illegal downloads. I have lots of friends who proudly say they never buy music. They obtain it from P2P sharing & illegal download sites.
    I have had some quite heated arguments about the subject. I never download illegally.

    The arguments about music always being shared – tapes, copies of CD's – as an excuse for downloading being OK is a poor one. There is a difference between making a few copies for your friends and putting an album on piratebay for an infinite number of downloads.

    It probably does not matter to major labels if they lose a few 1000 sales but really it is damaging for the underground scene. Most small independent labels are run on a shoe string and may sell a 500 to 1000 CD's if they are lucky. To them every single sale counts.
    If they lose sales though P2P etc. then this will have serious consequences on the budget available for the next production. If the artist ends up receiving nothing why would they continue to produce music professionally?

    Without underground labels & artists we'll be left with whatever the majors want to throw at us. Or a number of free download sites that are the musical equivalent of youtube.

    If underground projects decide to give downloads away for free & allow sharing for promotion or love then this is their decision. Other people should not think they have the right to give music away for free.

    Regarding older projects If a catalogue is no longer available and 2nd hand CD's are only available at unaffordable prices it may be "fair to share"

    But I did hear that the Clock DVA back catalogue would be available soon.

  13. Anonymous Says:

    Do you want to know how I got into Clock Dva – Chicago public library
    who said sharing is a bad idea 🙂

  14. Adi Newton Says:

    YOU DARE TO STEAL MY WORK?
    REMOVE IT IMMEDIATELY.

  15. Hi Adi,

    Good to see you here, mate!

    Hopefully one day you’ll see fit to let somebody officially rerelease the first 3 DVA albums.

    I’ve got a copy of the 1982 Strawberry studio demos of this album which are totally amazing and go way beyond the over production of the studio LP.

    Want them?

  16. reindeer man Says:

    This may be an old thread, but I'll go ahead and add to it: Someone gave me "Eternity in Paris" on a mix tape back in 1983, and I subsequently went out and bought every DVA record I could find in every bizarre closet of a record store I could find in San Francisco and the East Bay… of course that was all vinyl, most long gone to the attrition of time and roommates… so if I want to find on blogs like this one a copy of a record I at one time owned legitimately I am a thief and scoundrel? Is home taping killing music? Home taping led me to buy I'm sure hundreds of dollars of Adi's stuff. If that needs to be squelched, so be it; let's cut off our own nose to spite our face.

    Anyway, still, all these years later love Advantage, as well as Thirst.

  17. It's an "information war" Adi, remember? Your music has been out of print for so long you should be flattered that people remember it, let alone still want to hear it.

    And, yes, those 1982 demos are VERY good…

  18. Don't think Adi understands the concept of "information war".

    He's managing to make himself look like a complete idiot and paranoiac at every opportunity.

  19. Anonymous Says:

    I managed to get Advantage, the reissue CD for some pretty normal $25 a few years ago (thanks, Amazon), but little else, and I am especially interested in the stuff with Dean Dennis – even on Advantage, it's mostly his playing that moves me. Adi's singing sounds retarded, like a 4-year old trying to sound adult & dangerous; the lyrics are iffy at best and from anything I ever read, he seems to be a total pompous asshole anyway. So… if you know of any links to Dean's contributions to C2, legal or illegal, I'd be thankful – particularly for the illegal ones, to piss Adi off some more.

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