Archive for the 1981 Category

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Pop Stress- So Good To Be In Love 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, canadian, montreal, pop stress, post-punk on November 19, 2015 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s an excellent two track 7” from Montreal’s Pop Stress, a generous gift from Megon at Only Death Is Fatal. This single, the only release by Pop Stress, was released in 1981 on Micatube Records. At first glance, the band seems heavily inspired by Magazine’s first two pioneering records. The A-side is a nervous pop song with bouncy organ synths and rock ‘n’ roll rhythms. It’s perfectly enjoyable in its own right, but the real gem here is the flip; a dark, tom-heavy, claustrophobic number that really gets under my skin. The song was allegedly inspired by Janov’s Primal Scream.

Pop Stress- So Good To Be In Love 7”.
1. So Good To Be In Love
2. Neurotic

*download it here*

It seems like I’m not the only one who prefers the b-side for this one, as a video for “Neurotic” was shot prior to the single’s release and premiered on a Canadian music program, with a short interview with the band’s vocalist at the end. Check it here:

2 Comments »

Moral- Dance of the Dolls K7

Posted in 1980s, 1981, denmark, minimal, minimal synth, moral on November 26, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a Danish treasure in cassette form. This is the first release from Moral, a female fronted, minimal synth three piece featuring primarily 606 & DR55 driven drum tracks, angular guitar, and sparse melodic synth alongside melodic female vocals. Their second cassette, the excellent Whispering Sons, can be found on the No Longer Forgotten Music blog. The band has also reissued their debut LP And Life Is, on CD with a handful of bonus tracks. They also made an appearance on the amazing Somewhere Outside compilation (and speaking of which, you can expect a post from Næste Uges TV to come in the very near future).

However, I’ve yet to see this tape posted in full, so this should be the final piece of the Moral puzzle. It was released in 1981 on Kubus Kassettes, an industrial and experimental cassette label run by Rob Smit. Moral, despite walking a fine line between hauntingly beautiful synth/guitar-based songs and ambient sound structures, were likely one of the “catchier” bands on the label. Fans of bands like The Vyllies, Vita Noctis, and even early Chris and Cosey should find lots to love here…

R-1383626-1214932622

Moral- Dance of the Dolls K7
1. Alone
2. I – My Enemy
3. Involuntary PositionI
4. A Break In The
5. Encyst Yourself
6. Dance Of The Dolls

*download it here*

5 Comments »

The Limp- Marked Man 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, australia, australian, m squared, minimal, pel mel, post-punk, scattered order, the limp on August 4, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s an excellent and incredibly rare post-punk 7” from 1981.  The Limp were from Australia and have ties to Scattered Order and Pel Mel, sharing many of the same members including guitarist Craig Robertson and drummer Dave Weston.  Vocalist/saxophonist Judy McGee was also in Pel Mel, splitting vocal duties with Graeme Dunne.  There’s some personnel differences between both Pel Mel and The Limp, but both bands sound very similar, the result of McGee’s moody vocals and otherwise post-punk aesthetics, though The Limp appear to be a little darker and moodier in contrast to Pel Mel’s angular and energetic take.  Both bands have played a handful of shows in 2012 as the Pel Mel Organisation, performing songs by both bands.

This is the Limp’s second 7”, the first being even more difficult to track down, self-released in a run of 100 copies with no picture sleeve.  “Marked Man” appeared on Primate Records, which also released the first Pel Mel 7” in the same year.  Otherwise, a handful of Limp tracks appeared on various compilations, including the One Stop Shopping K7 and the infamous M Squared studio/label compilation A Selection.  “Pony Club” was re-compiled on the excellent Can’t Stop It! compilation, which spans Australia’s fertile post-punk scene from 1979-1982.  The title track (my favorite on this 7”) also appears on the 5th CD-R tribute to Some Bizarre, which as with the Tribute to Flexi-pop bootlegs, is an excellent gateway to many obscure relics.

The Limp- Marked Man 7”
1. Marked Man
2. Ghost Train
3. Humans Beware

*download it here*

6 Comments »

Indifferent Dance Centre- Flight & Pursuit 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, indifferent dance centre, uk on July 11, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

This is another 7” that I’ve seen posted in the past, but I’ve cleaned up a donated rip here for maximum listening pleasure.  Very lo-fi female-fronted post-punk here, two tracks that are as interesting as they are classic.   Very minimal arrangements, steady drum machine rhythms, mellotron, and well-anchored bass make up the center of both tracks.  Fans of the indie side of Factory (The Wake, Durutti Column) as well as bands like Marine Girls and Dolly Mixture should love this otherwise obscure single from 1981.

We know that the band hailed from the small cathedral town of Chichester, UK, but otherwise there isn’t much of a back story to this one.  The sleeve itself is as minimal and DIY as the band’s sound, complete with what appears to be a hand-printed cover.  There is reportedly an insert which reads “We’ve no Scotland, Martin Hannett, Paul Morley, Postcard or Factory to lend credibility to this record,” but you can tell their heart was in the right place with this one.  Here’s the rundown:

Indifferent Dance Centre- Flight & Pursuit 7”
1. Flight & Pursuit
2. Release

*download it here*

9 Comments »

The Sensational Creed- Nocturnal Operations 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, 1985, 39 lyon street, 7'', billy mackenzie, christine beveridge, jih, minimal, minimal synth, orbidöig, steve reid, synth, synthpop, the associates, the sensational creed on February 26, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

I spent the majority of last year re-ripping a lot of my 7” collection and delicately cleaning up the sound (you can find more evidence of this here), so to tide you over until I finish putting the finishing touches on a new VA compilation, I figured I’d post a few of these here and there.  I’ll have that VA comp up in the next week or two, so stay tuned!

This has always been one of my favorite semi-obscure 7”s, clocking tons of plays and spins over the years.  This single was originally released on Situation Two in 1981 under the name Orbidöig, and this particular version was released in 1985 on Beggars Banquet with an identical track listing (though Down Periscopes has become Down Pericomoscopes for whatever reason. though likely a misprint).  I’m not sure why the band changed their name in general, but Sensational Creed is certainly a little easier to type…  There’s a third Orbidöig/Sensational Creed song on the 12” version of this reissue, a killer instrumental track that clocks in at 10 minutes, but I don’t own a physical copy of the 12”, so I won’t include it here for the time being.

Otherwise, this single has strong Associates connections, with Billy Mackenzie often calling Orbidöig his favorite band, despite their relative obscurity at the time.  The a-side features heavenly vocals from Christine Beveridge, who sang backup on several tracks (and Big Country’s breakthrough!) and also wiggled another “side project” out of the affair under the name 39 Lyon Street, created by Mackensie and Alan Rankine to release a single outside of their contract, with Ms. Beveridge on lead vocals and a properly credited Associates cut on the flip.  Steve Reid was also the second guitarist of the Associates, playing on 1985’s Perhaps after Rankine and Michael Dempsey’s departure three years prior.  It was likely this lineup change that dug this single out of obscurity and prompted a re-release.  Reid also played synths in Nu Shooz and bass on two tracks for Jih.  As if that wasn’t enough, Mackenzie also played tubular bells on the a-side here (though he is incorrectly credited as doing so on the b-side on the sleeve), while he and Mike Hedges (The Cure/Fiction Records) manned the mixing board with Reid.   The result is a killer single that while very Associates-esque in execution, stands on its own as a classic.

There’s another Orbidöig single, released in 1982 under the name Mackenzie sings Orbidöig, which features Billy on vocals and Reid on instruments.   I believe this one is considered an Associates release, taking the lineup changes and timing into consideration, and the track appears on a recent Associates singles collection.

Sensational Creed- Nocturnal Operations 7”
1. Nocturnal Operations
2. Down Pericomoscopes

*download it here*

7 Comments »

Karen Marks- Cold Café 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, ash wednesday, australia, australian, karen marks, karen marx, minimal, minimal synth, modern jazz, new wave, the metronomes, thealonian music on February 10, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

Winter is continuing to beat me down here in New York, so here’s something as frigid as the weather has been lately. We’ll just ignore the fact that this cold, minimal gem comes from down under, where the temperatures are as warm as the reefs are deadly. I’m also drinking a cup of cold coffee as I drink this, so seems like an apt time to post. Thanks especially to Bruce for ripping his copy of this incredibly scarce single, which I’m told recently sold for over 500 Australian dollars! That’s one expensive cup of coffee…

This particular Australian gem was released in 1981.  The central character here, with a beautifully sad voice is Karen Marks, with The Metronomes/Modern Jazz/Thealonian Music’s Ash Wednesday appearing as a musical partner. He is credited as producer, but also co-wrote the b-side. As for Karen, there’s no information to be found about her, though she did sing backup on Ash’s equally scarce and equally cold but slightly more aggressive Love By Numbers 7” (occasionally credited as Karen Marx). Despite keeping a low profile, she still appears to be in league with Ash, appearing live in 2012 to perform “Love By Numbers” at the Crystal Bowlroom in St. Kilda. Check that out after the download link.

While “Won’t Wear It Too Long” features a more full arrangement and feels like more of an a-side, I go especially nuts for the title track, a melancholy love letter ripe with restrained desperation. That said, both song seem to tell a similar tale of lost love by the television, with a cup of coffee being the central metaphor. No matter which side you prefer, both tracks have that certain je ne sais quoi that makes these kind of singles so cherished, despite how off-the-grid they are.

As far as I understand, this single was issued without a picture sleeve, so all we have is a nondescript center label…

Karen Marks- Cold Café 7”
1. Cold Café
2. Won’t Wear It For Long

*download it here*

As promised, here’s a live performance of Ash Wednesday’s “Love By Numbers” from 2012, with Karen performing her trademark backing vocals:

11 Comments »

Sits. Vacant- Alone In the Dark 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, perfect circle, post-punk, sits. vacant, the tier garden, uk on September 9, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

I’ve been curious about this single for some time now, first hearing the title track from Stéphane’s excellent Coldwave.fr website, and now, thanks to the always excellent Bx-59cppw, here we have the full 7” from UK post-punk band Sits. Vacant. We have four excellent guitar driven post-punk tracks from 1981, with both a mix of gloom and bite to keep fans of both sides of the spectrum happy. If you enjoyed Sinking Ships, Language From Memory, Headleaders, Normil Hawaiians, etc. (basically, the DIY post-punk sound from the early 1980s), then this one is for you! As a nice bonus, the Bowie nut in me loves the Heroes-era photo as the 7” cover, a nice and welcome nod to the man who helped usher in the new dark wave.

While this is Sits. Vacant’s only release, the band changed their name soon after, becoming The Tier Garden (not to be confused with Edward Ka-Spel and cEvin Key’s Tear Garden, who formed in 1985, a year AFTER this band’s first release). The Tier Garden released three singles, all of which are available for free download via Last.fm. Some other members also collaborated on a 7” under the name Perfect Circle (this time predating the alt-rock supergroup by 15 years, my guess is they got the name from the R.E.M. classic).

Wait a second- is the name of the Perfect Circle track ‘Only When It Rains’? Very, very interesting. Anyway, you can hear both tracks on youtube (the b-side, ‘On Returning’ is an excellent melancholy dirge on first glance, while the a-side is akin to early Mighty Lemon Drops with a more new wave flavor), but leave a note here if you happen to have a copy or a nice rip of this 7”.

OK, enough babble, here’s the info for this excellent 7”. Thanks again to BX-59cppw for the donation!

Sits. Vacant- Alone In the Dark 7”
1. Alone In the Dark
2. Nowhere to Run
3. Vacancies
4. It’s Too Late

*download it here*

1 Comment »

Language From Memory- Fortune 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, language from memory, minimal synth, nick head, post-punk, uk on May 3, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

England was ripe with excellent DIY post-punk and minimal synth gems, bands inspired by Factory Records, early Cure singles, etc.  Some of my favorite 7”s (Obscure By Degrees, Persons Unknown etc.) were birthed from this era with the same aesthetic.  So with that in mind, here’s another obscure gem from Towerbell Records, released in 1981.  This is the one and only single from Language From Memory, who disappeared into the ether soon after recording this 7”.  It’s a shame, as the a-side here truly kicks ass, one of the best undiscovered gems I’ve stumbled upon in recent times.  Incisive guitars, Sad Lovers and Giants-esque string synths, and catchy, fist-pumping hooks abound.  Power pop lovers will also enjoy the flip.

The band were from northern London, and played out quite often in the early 80s.  As for their disappearance, I believe they changed names and continued on together.  A fan who knew the band back then states that Nick Head played rhythm guitar on this single.  The name may be familiar to some, as he also acted as producer/engineer for KMFDM and Exit 13.

This single is also proof that not all obscurities are out of budget, as there are tons of copies out there to be had for relatively cheap, even by discogs standards.   Towerbell seemed to have some backing behind it, and a decently stacked roster, which was formed out of the disco era and included Shirley Bassey and Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) as well as a series of popular TV series compilations.  I haven’t heard of much else from the label, so perhaps this single is an anomaly, but either way, aspiring collectors should have no problem finding a copy for themselves…

Language From Memory- Fortune 7”
1. Fortune
2. The Coat

*download it here*

3 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 »

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 »

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