Archive for the 1980s Category

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Incee Wincee Spider- Don’t Know Anythin’ 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1988, goth, incee wincee spider, post-punk, punk, uk on November 1, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a razor sharp 7” from the UK, released in 1988.  Was turned on to this one by Michael of Return to the East/The Anxiety of Love. Highly recommended for fans of Lack of Knowledge, Razor Penguins, Play Dead, and other bands who employ the anthemic, yet razor-sharp post-punk/goth sound.  One of my favorite 7” sleeves, for the record.

I know very little about this band, as this is their only release.  There are four names attached to it, but no traces of activity in other bands/projects.  If anyone has any info about these lads, feel free to chime in.

Incee Wincee Spider- Don’t Know Anythin’ 7”
1. Don’t Know Anythin’
2. See My Love Shine

*download it here*

11 Comments »

East Wall- Demo K7

Posted in 1980s, 1984, darkwave, demo, East Wall, italian, italo, italo disco, Kirlian Camera, minimal, minimal synth on October 22, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

I’ve had this demo kicking around on my hard drive for a long time, but have yet to see it shared.  For those unfamilair, East Wall were an offshoot project of Kirlian Camera’s original keyboard player Fabrizio Chiari, who recorded the band’s debut 12” (for my money, “News” is still the band’s best track followed closely by the soaring “Blue Room”).  Teaming up with vocalist Wilma Notari, East Wall produced one LP and the excellent Eyes of Glass 12” (produced and aided by KC mainstay Angelo Bergamini), both which can be found here.  There’s also a CD from 1993 out there, but I have no idea how that stacks up against their previous material.

I know very little about this demo tape, except that it was released in 1984, a year before their debut 12”.  Most of the track titles are unknown, but the first track is clearly an early version of “Blue,” which was re-recorded for their 1991 LP Silence.  The rest of the tracks sound hauntingly familiar (perhaps they were reworked entirely for Silence), but outside of some vague similarity, they seem to be exclusive to this tape.   There’s some obvious cassette murkiness here, but it’s to be expected and the tape is still worth hearing for die hard fans of this excellent Italian duo as well as the primitive minimal synth of Tranquil Eyes & A Blaze Colour.

No artwork for the tape, sorry!

East Wall- Demo K7
1. Track 01 (Blue)
2. Track 02
3. Track 03
4. Track 04
5. Track 05

*download it here*

4 Comments »

The Laughing Apple- The Ha Ha Hee Hee! E.P.

Posted in 1980s, 1981, alan mcgee, creation records, new wave, post-punk, primal scream, synth on October 16, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Excellent minimal post-punk 7” from 1981, as donated by the great bx-59cppw.  Most notably, The Laughing Apples were the springboard for Creation Records’ Alan McGee.  After a handful of private releases, McGee and bandmate Andrew Innes would form both Biff Bang Pow! and Revolving Paint Dream, two early Creation staples.  The label would grow to prominence with bands such as Slowdive, Adorable, and My Bloody Valentine.  Innes is also a member of Primal Scream, one of the label’s most lucrative bands.

This 7” should appeal to fans of They Must Be Russians, Marquis De Sade, and Product of Reason, not to mention McGee’s garage rock fascination.  Be sure to listen carefully, or it’ll be over before you know it!

The Laughing Apple- The Ha Ha Hee Hee! E.P.
1. Sometimes I Wish
2. Chips For Tea
3. Upstairs Downstairs
4. I’m Okay

*download it here*

2 Comments »

Masoch- Demo K7

Posted in 1980s, coldwave, france, french, masoch on October 3, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

I promised more rare French coldwave demo cassettes, so here’s another fantastic donation from Stéphane B. of Coldwave.fr. If you haven’t visited his site before, be sure to check in for some rare tracks never before heard, as well as a country-by-country sampling of some of the world’s best obscure guitar tracks!

This cassette was released before their 1984 12”, which you can find over at the always excellent Phoenix Hairpins (check the comments section for more info about this mysterious band).  There’s a bit of overlap between the 12” and this cassette, though the versions on the demo were eventually re-recorded, appearing here in primitive form.

Masoch- Demo K7
1. Petit Valet
2. Strip-Tease
3. Semaine
4. Quand Musclée
5. Des Poils Sur Moi
6. Your Way

*download it here*

2 Comments »

Breathless- Nailing Colours To The Wheel 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1986, post-punk, uk on September 14, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

In general, I’ve always found Breathless to be one of the most underrated bands in the post-punk/dreampop spectrum.  While many are familiar with Dominic Appleton’s voice via This Mortal Coil’s sophomore release Filigree and Shadow (and one track on Blood), few I talk to seem familiar with his own band, which existed beforehand and still exists today (new album in the works).  It’s a shame, as the majority of their material is among the best I’ve ever heard.  Predating My Bloody Valentine’s stylistic shift by a few years, there are sounds at play that would soon become shoegaze staples.  Tremendous layered guitars.  Dream-like atmosphere and epic swells.  Rhythmic bass.  Appleton’s singular vocals.  Throw in John Fryer’s always amazing production (especially on the killer drumming) and you have something truly special.

While a good majority of the band’s material has been reissued or compiled, it seems like this 12” has fallen by the wayside, outside of two tracks which appear elsewhere on full length records.  I haven’t seen it blogged before (though I could be wrong), and most rips I’ve come across are lacking in bitrate or depth.  So, with that in mind, here’s a crystal-clear rip of this fantastic 12” from 1986.  Every track here is perfection, and the opening song “Bad Blood” (an exclusive to this 12”) may just be a contender for my favorite song of all time.

You can easily find this 12” for sale for rather cheap, proof that sometimes the best records are often very affordable.  No post-punk collection should be without this record.

Breathless- Nailing Colours To the Wheel 12”
1. Bad Blood
2. Waiting On the Wire
3. Count On Angels
4. The Warmest Kiss

*download it here*

8 Comments »

Résistance- Résistance K7

Posted in 1980s, 1985, coldwave, post-punk, resistance on September 7, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Coldwave fans rejoice!  Here we have an incredibly rare and generous donation of the first Résistance release, an extremely limited K7 from 1985- only 200 copies which are known to exist.

The tape predates Between Two Lights by a year and features an exclusive set of recordings. A few of the songs would go on to appear elsewhere- “On Your Body/Clinch” was re-recorded for the excellent Passage Du Trou Marin K7, and both “Out of the Body” and “Chain” appear as part of a live set on the Between Two Lights reissue on Infrastiton.  The CD reissue of 8 also features the Passage tracks as well as “Decline”- recorded as an appendage to both but  which appears here separately.   It seems like they enjoyed revisiting these songs a few times over the years, fleshing them out from their earlier counterparts with heavier percussive sounds and bells.   There’s a fair share of exclusive tracks here too, so hope you enjoy!

Résistance- Résistance K7
1. Between 2 Lights
2. Chain
3. Mainland
4. Studio Du Meix
5. Out Of The Body
6. Clinch T
7. Decline
8. M L

*download it here*

3 Comments »

Neon- A Day In the Land of Lost Horizons 12” + Demo K7

Posted in 12'', 1980s, 1981, coldwave, Dutch, netherlands, post-punk on August 21, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

According to discogs, there are FORTY THREE bands that use the name Neon.  While there are several excellent entries (most notably the Italian darkwave project responsible for “Lobotomy,” “Dark Age,” and “My Blues Is You”), today’s post focuses on the Dutch variant, who released one 12”/mini-LP/whatever you want to call it in 1981.

For those who are unfamiliar with this one, you can expect excellent cold post-punk sounds reminiscent of Flue, Mecano, etc.  The touchstones make absolute sense, as this record was released by Sublabel, a division of Torso, which featured both those bands.  Sublabel also boasts the most excellent Phantom Limb 12”, another underrated genre classic.  I just found a copy kicking around in NYC and cleaned/re-ripped it, so for those familiar with this 12” already, you can expect some nice fidelity here, and for those who haven’t heard this one before, you’re in for a real treat.  As a bonus, I’ve uploaded a demo recording that features four exclusive tracks and another pass on “Standing On the Other Side.”  Enjoy!

Neon- A Day In the Land of Lost Horizons LP
1. A Day In The Land Of Lost Horizons
2. Standing On The Other Side
3. Liquid Gold
4. Icemen
5. Duet

Neon- Demo
1. Muscle Called Heart
2. Over My Head
3. Standing On the Other Side
4. Promised Land
5. Faces

*download both here*

EDIT 8.21.12: there was a slight hum on the 12” rip, which has since been fixed.  Feel free to download again.

6 Comments »

Weeping Messerschmitts- Nothing Yet 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1986, post-punk, uk on August 1, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

This one’s been shared before, but deserves another pass.  A Wierd party*, guitar-heavy favorite, this 12” was released in 1986 and features a darker jangle-pop sound, akin to the likes of The Smiths, For Against, The Wild Flowers/Lemon Drops, etc.   This sort of thing has been heavy on my summer playlist, so what better timing?

This is the only record they ever released, disappearing soon after without much of a trace.  Last.fm lists five band members, some names which appear in the logs, but can’t trace anything for certain without a few wild guesses.  Vocalist Dave Webb has also posted two unreleased tracks on Youtube, which you can check out here and here!

As always, any additional information is welcome.

Weeping Messerschmitts- Nothing Yet 12”
1. Nothing Yet
2. Say Goodbye
3. Panthera Parvos

*Download it here*

*Speaking of which, if anyone wants to see what we’re up to, I’ll be posting weekly playlists from the Wierd party here!

4 Comments »

Necropolis Of Love- In Search Of… 12” / The Graffiti 1.31.1985

Posted in 1980s, 1983, san francisco, US on July 23, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Uploading this as I just came across a copy and haven’t seen it posted out there before.  This is the final piece of the Necropolis of Love puzzle, which began with a minimal synth-tinged 7” in 1982 and ended with 1984’s The Hope, which is a seminal piece of post-punk from the West Coast scene (the guitar version of “Talk” remains a constant staple in my DJ sets).

However, this record walks a fine line between both sounds, catching the band in a transitional phase.  “Dance,” despite the surface-level title is an excellent wave track with club aspirations, the best moments being the ascending synth lines.  A different version of track also appears on The Hope 12”.  “Debutante” is a rhythm-based track that reminds me of a more dance-oriented Störung, with blaring saxophones to break up the repetitive rhythms.  “Cafetown” is the weakest song here, a jerky number with lyrics that seem to criticize California coffee-shop types.

This 12” was released in a generic sleeve- likely in small numbers, and it seems the scarcest of all the Necropolis of Love releases.  The copy I have didn’t sound that wonderful, but between the record cleaner and a little even-handed click removal, it should be a serviceable listen until a better copy presents itself .  I’ve only heard one other rip of this 12” before (overblown and tinny sounding) but it seems to have similar issues, so this is perhaps a common pressing problem.  If anyone else has a better sounding copy out there, feel free to get in touch!

As a bonus, I’ve uploaded a radio session the band performed on KSUF in 1985, featuring several unreleased tracks as well as a few familiar favorites.  This has been floating out there for some time but I don’t think it’s been blogged before either, so I’ll include it for anyone who missed it the first time around.  It seems the band has shed some more light on their time together, and there was to be an album deal with Sire records but it ultimately fell through.   Curious if some of these tracks were  being considered for the LP…

Necropolis of Love- In Search Of… 12”
1. Dance (Dance Mix)
2. Debutante
3. Cafe Town

Necropolis of Love- The Graffiti- Jan 31st 1985 (Live on KSUF)
1. KSUF Announcer Intro
2. Night Out
3. Cafe Town
4. The Tunnel
5. Alyssa
6. Heart of the Beast

*download both here*

13 Comments »

New Age- Livin For Now 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1982, new age, post-punk, synth, uk on July 20, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s another New Age release, perfectly re-ripped/tagged and cleaned up by the almighty bx-59cppw. You can read more about these guys and grab their full length LP here. Both releases hail from 1982, while their debut 7” came out the year before.

The clear standout here is the closing track, dripping with synths and nervous energy, very akin to the likes of Magazine’s “The Light Pours Out of Me.” My kind of post-punk!

New Age- Livin For Now 12”
1. Livin For Now
2. Amazed
3. All I Want
4. First To Live First To Die

*download it here*

2 Comments »

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