A request for today, ladies and gentlemen. This post contains London based minimal synth/new wave band A Popular History of Signs and their 1987 singles collection, Taste.
The three-piece outfit (centering around Andrew Jarman on bass/vocals, Peter Scammell on keyboards, and Paul Clarke on percussion) released their first 7” record in 1980, and ended with this compilation and their final LP, 1988’s England in the Rain (which featured a slightly expanded lineup and a more pop-oriented approach).
Though the band never earned a huge following, they remained a cult favorite, attracting the attention of Ministry’s Al Jourgenson, who remixed both ‘Ladder Jack’ and ‘House,’ both versions which appear below. The rest of the compilation tracks appeared originally as 7” and 12” releases over the course of the 1980s.
Andrew Jarman is now flying solo under the Southern Arts Society moniker, recording and playing to date.
A Popular History of Signs- Taste LP
1. Crowds
2. Justice Not Vengeance
3. Dancing With Ideas
4. Stigma
5. Art Of Persuasion
6. If She Was A Car
7. Ladder Jack
8. Trapped
9. Body And Soul
10. House
11. Rock & Roll (Velvet Underground cover)
12. Run Through The Jungle (John Fogerty cover)
*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED* – reissued on all your favorite digital media outlets!