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B-Movie- Forever Running LP

Posted in 1980s, 1985, b-movie, paul statham, post-punk, some bizzare, uk on July 25, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

And now, for a lighter affair of sorts…This band’s been a recent obsession of mine for some time now; a little catchy wave/post-punk outfit from the UK called B-Movie, who combined catchy and punchy post-punk with a synth edge. You can find them on the Some Bizzare Album I posted a few weeks back…

The band originally formed in 1978, fresh from the ashes of The Aborted, a local punk band. Though the band’s first release dates back to 1980, it took five years and several singles for the band to cut a proper record, 1985’s Forever Running. As a result of this, several versions of the same songs exist over the years, up until the band’s demise soon after Forever Running appeared. Since then, these early singles have been often compiled, resulting in The Dead Good Tapes and Volume 1- Remembrance Days respectively. A BBC sessions disc also appeared in 2001. This might very well be my favorite release of theirs, as the BBC versions feel less polished than the album below.

With all of this interest in the band’s back catalog, the band decided to reunite for a handful of shows in 2007. In the meanwhile, the ex-members of B-Movie have kept busy. Paul Statham has been the most prolific member of the band. Over the years, Paul has been involved with Peter Murphy’s early solo career (performing on and co-writing tunes on Love Hysteria, Deep, Holy Smoke, and Cascade). He also formed Peach, who signed to Mute Records in the mid-nineties, and has also been responsible for co-writing and producing material on Dido’s No Angel and Kylie Minogue’s Fever.

Well, I’ve just dropped a slew of information… Time for the release details:

B-Movie- Forever Running LP
1. Forever Running
2. Heart Of Gold
3. My Ship Of Dreams
4. Just An Echo
5. Remembrance Day
6. Switch On-Switch Off
7. Blind Allegiance
8. Arctic Summer
9. Nowhere Girl

*Download link removed*

It’s been ages since I’ve been able to post an official video, but here’s a TOTP-style clip for the 12” version of ‘Nowhere Girl.’ Click below to enjoy:

There exists a rather comprehensive B-Movie website, complete with (one half of) a bio, a full discography, several bits of information and fun Q&As, and other interested information. There are also a few links to pick up reissued B-Movie material and several post-B-Movie records. Dig it:

B-Movie official site

12 Comments »

Schleimer K- Fugitive Kind 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, 1982, experimental, minimal, minimal synth, schleimer k, uk on July 25, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Sorry for the delay folks, haven’t had much time to catch my breath. To make up for the lack of posts this week, I’m tossing up two separate entries throughout the course of today. The first is another request from down under, and it’s for both the s/t Schleimer K record and their very first 12” release.

Schleimer K were a four piece UK based experimental synth band who existed from 1981-1983. During their two year tenure, the more studio oriented band put out three releases and one split 7” with Die Partei. You can nab 1983’s Wounded Wood, their final LP, up on Phoenix Hairpins. Otherwise, here’s the info for their first two releases:

Schleimer K- Schleimer K LP (1981)
1. Cold Sounds
2. Crime
3. Come To Me
4. Short Cuts
5. On The Road Again
6. Wolf
7. The Message
8. Bed Of Roses
9. Women
10. Hang-Ups
11. Nevermore

Schleimer K- Fugitive Kind 12” (1982)
1. Fugitive Kind
2. Third Rate Man
3. She’s Gone
4. Broken Vein

*download it here*

I’ve just reuploaded the 12”, as the S/T (and Wounded Wood) are now available via iTunes. You know what to do, folks!

4 Comments »

Shoc Corridor- Train of Events LP

Posted in 1980s, 1985, british, darkwave, minimal, shoc corridor, synth, uk on July 21, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

While scouring the local record bins this past week, I came across the final Shoc Corridor LP tucked away in the ‘new arrivals’ section. Naturally, I clutched it tight and brought it to the register, and am pleased to be able to share it with you after giving it the digital transfer treatment.

See last week’s post for the band’s first LP. This one is a different creature…The same template is retained, yet the sound is infinitely brighter and less gloom-ridden, a rather incredible progression in just two years time. I do like this record less than their debut, but there are some gems hidden on this one, especially during the latter half of the record.

Without any further ado…

Shoc Corridor- Train of Events LP
1. Garden Of Eden
2. The Legendary Gertie
3. My Secret In The East
4. Nightshift Moves
5. Holding Treasure
6. Green Silence
7. Almost In Walking Distance
8. Fever

*download it here* (Re-ripped 8.13.17)

12 Comments »

Inca Babies- Evil Hour

Posted in 1980s, 1987, blues, deathrock, inca babies, manchester, post-punk, uk on June 4, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s something a little more explosive and guitar oriented than the usual fare. Today’s post features UK post-punk act Inca Babies, who formed between 1982-83 in the industrialized neighborhoods of Manchester. The band took several cues from the likes of the Birthday Party, the Cramps, and the Gun Club, influences which the Inca Babies proudly wear on their sleeve.

As the UK music scene shifted away from the initial wave of post-punkers into a more synth based dance direction (especially in Manchester with the rise of New Order and the Happy Mondays), the Inca Babies soldiered on for four years total, releasing four records and several 12” singles and EPs. The band split in 1987, and in 2006, a collection of favorites hand picked by the band was released on Cherry Red Records.

Uploaded below is their final LP Evil Hour, released in January of 1987, a few months before the band split. The details:

Inca Babies- Evil Hour
1. Evil Hour
2. Long Uphill Trek
3. Partisans River
4. A Madmans Demise
5. Bad Hombre
6. Artillery Switchback
7. Two Rails To Nowhere
8. Volts
9. Burning Town
10. Young Blood

*download it here*

For more info on Inca Babies, including an official discography and an image gallery, click below. Also linked below is a link to purchase the band’s retrospective, Plutonium via Cherry Red Records.

Inca Babies homepage
Cherry Red

4 Comments »

Various Artists- The Elephant Table Album: A Compilation of Difficult Music

Posted in 1980s, 1983, ambient, compilations, drone, experimental, industrial, uk on May 16, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Today’s the day where I’m supposed to be receiving treats, but all the same, I’ve got a whopper of an upload in store today, in compilation form. Today’s post features The Elephant Table Album: A Compilation of Difficult Music, a 2 vinyl collection comprising the best in budding experimental/industrial music. It was originally released on record in 1983, but lost a few tracks when it was re-released on disc in 1989. However, I’ve collected all the missing tracks and have included them in their proper placement. Most of these acts are UK-based, but here’s the breakdown with a brief blurb on each band and a website link (if one exists):

Disc 1:
1. Portion Control- Chew You To Bits
2. Chris And Cosey- Tears Of Blood
3. Metamorphosis- Muzak From Hawthorne Court
4. Coil- S Is For Sleep
5. Nurse With Wound- Nana Or A Thing Of Uncertain Nonsense
6. 400 Blows- Beat The Devil
7. Konstruktivits- Andropov ’84
8. Lustmørd- The Boning Of Men
9. Muslimgauze- Melena Jesenska
10. David Jackman- Edge Of Nothing

Disc 2:
1. SPK- Despair
2. MFH- Vox Humana
3. Nocturnal Emissions- Suffering Stinks
4. Attrition- Dream Sleep
5. Legendary Pink Dots- Suprise Suprise
6. Paul Kelday- Birth Of Planetesimals (Extract)
7. Bourbonese Qualk- Under The City
8. Sirius B- Build Your Children
9. New 7th Music- New Humanity Switchboard (Extract)
10. We Be Echo- Alleycat
11. Bushido- Modelwerk

~Portion Control: a British experimental outfit formed in 1979, active to this day. Name checked graciously by the likes of Skinny Puppy and Depeche Mode.
~Chris + Cosey: Throbbing Gristle offshoot of members Cosey Fanni Tutti and Chris Carter. A little more electro/palatable compared to their previous work.
~Metamorphosis: Short lived experimental group from the UK.
~Coil: Another post-Throbbing Gristle outlet featuring Peter Chrisopherson and John Balance. Ended in 2004 with John Balance’s accidental death.
~Nurse With Wound: Currently active and extremely prolific British experimental act, brainchild of Steven Stapleton.
~400 Blows: A more funk oriented industrial project formed in 1981.
~Konstruktivits: Kraut-rock inspired industrial, formed in 1982 and reactivated in 2006.
~Lustmord: Drone/dark ambient artist, got his start working with like minded-industrial outfit SPK. (see below). Recorded throughout the 1980s.
~Muslimgauze: Politically driven Manchester-based drone/noise artist. Still active + very prolific.
~David Jackman: Elusive visual artist and otherwise soundscape composer.

~SPK: Industrial project formed in Sydney, Australia in the late seventies. Experimented with both industrial soundscapes and synthpop. Member Graeme Revell is now involved in film scoring.
~MFH: Short-lived 2 piece industrial collective, changed name to Pump in the late eighties. Check out a post on Phoenix Hairpins to nab a Pump record.
~Nocturnal Emissions: Guerilla style sound/art project still active to this date.
~Attrition: English industrial/dance act, formed in the early 80s. Still active to this date under Projekt Records.
~Legendary Pink Dots: Influential experimental/psychedelic art project still sporadically active. Edward Ka-Spel is also involved in the Tear Garden with Skinny Puppy member cEvin Key.
~Paul Kelday: Brother of Phil Kelday, member of New 7th Music (see below).
~Bourbonese Qualk: Formed in 1979, split in 2002, this British industrial act was infamous for vandalism in their earlier days.
~Sirius B: Short-lived British outfit. Several bands share this name to this date, which makes tracking down proper information a bit tricky.
~New 7th Music: Spontaneous collective keen on improvisation. Most of its members weren’t musicians at all.
~We Be Echo: One man experimental project with only one release in 1983. Born out of equally short lived project Third Door From the Left.
~Bushido: Formed and folded in the mid-eighties. One man project. Took their name from a Japanese code of honor. Sole member Gary Levermore is head of the Nettwerk UK label to this day.

*get both discs here*

7 Comments »

Modern Eon- Fiction Tales PLUS CD

Posted in 1980s, 1981, modern eon, post-punk, uk on March 19, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

This one is a bit of a classic in its genre. Liverpool based post-punk act Modern Eon released but one underground record during their short tenure, and though it didn’t make the splash that their contemporaries (Echo & the Bunnymen, The Chameleons, Modern English) did, the record is held in high regard by those who’ve discovered it, and its lush production mirrors and even outdoes some of the best records of its kind. I also adore the cover, perhaps my all-time favorite of any cover from the era, designed by the always excellent Brothers Quay.

Modern Eon formed in 1979 and released a handful of singles before cutting their lone full length, 1981’s Fiction Tales. The band appeared on John Peel’s radio program, but misfortune soon fell upon them as their drummer, Cliff Hewitt, injured his wrist. The band did a quick tour with Cliff’s tracks pre-programmed on primitive drum machines, but the band failed to record their sophomore effort, a shame, especially as they were rumored to have demoed new material. After Modern Eon’s demise, sax/guitarist Tim Lever would join up with Dead Or Alive, who made the charts with their more new wave-styled sound.

Note that this particular CD contains all of their 7” releases and extra tracks. I do believe it’s a bootleg, but the quality is absolutely impeccable! Thanks to Jeff for the donation!

Modern Eon- Fiction Tales LP
1. Second Still
2. The Grass Still Grows
3. Playwrite
4. Watching The Dancers
5. Real Hymn
6. Waiting For The Cavalry
7. High Noon
8. Child’s Play
9. Choreography
10. Euthenics
11. In A Strange Way
12. Mechanic
13. Second Still (7″ Version)
14. Special Patrol
15. Choreography (7″ Version)
16. The Look A Smack
17. Euthenics (7″ Version)
18. Waiting For The Cavalry (7″ Version)
19. Cardinal Signs
20. Child’s Play (7″ Version)
21. Visionary
22. Mechanic (7″ Version)
23. Splash!

*download link removed* – check out the new 2-disc Cherry Red reissue of this excellent album!

For more info on Modern Eon, including a full bio, pictures, a gig-ography, and more, click below:

Modern Eon homepage

27 Comments »

Into a Circle- Assassins LP

Posted in 1980s, 1988, getting the fear, into a circle, post-punk, uk on March 10, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop


Pardon the ball-dropping, ladies and gents, as this weekend was best spent soaking in the after effects of a short Nick Cave and the Badseeds set. Couldn’t muster the effort for a post. That said, all systems go this week, and I’ll kick this Monday off with a relatively cult favorite post-punk band, England’s own Into a Circle.

Into a Circle (a.k.a. In Two a Circle and In2a0) formed in 1985 in the wake of similarly styled outfit Getting the Fear, who released but one single (both as a 7” and 12”- will upload by request) before imploding. Afterwards, members Bee (aka Paul Hampshire) and Barry Jepson formed Into a Circle as a collective creative unit without the limitations of a four-piece band. Their material was self-produced and self-released, and Into a Circle quickly grew a rather significant cult following with their initial DIY single.

The band eventually signed with Abstract Records, who allowed them to continue their more laissez-faire work. The pair began to experiment more with tape loops and analog samples, drafting Strawberry Switchblade’s Rose McDowall for backup vocal duties both live and in the studio.

Into a Circle eventually split in 1989 after a final grueling tour, having released four well-received 12” singles and one record, 1988’s Assassins, which I’ve uploaded for you today. Both Getting the Fear and Into a Circle circulated several live recordings at concerts, and there were rumors of further collaborations and recordings, none of which have seen the light of day. Since then, Bee has been involved in Futon, an electro-rock group also featuring the ex-drummer of Suede.

Here’s the details for today’s download:

Into a Circle- Assassins LP (1988)
1. Beneath Mikhail
2. Over + Over
3. The Swinging Tree
4. ‘Elim
5. Forever
6. Allah Akhbar
7. Tender Skin
8. Evergreen
9. Assassins
10. Seraphin Twin

download link removed— click HERE to purchase the band’s entire discography on Cherry Red!

For your viewing pleasure, here’s a promotional video for ‘Evergreen,’ knicked straight off youtube:

There also exists a live clip of the band performing ‘Beneath Mikhail,’ so run a quick search over there if you want to see more! Otherwise, happy Monday, ladies and gents…

5 Comments »

Camera Obscura- Horizons of Suburbia LP

Posted in 1980s, 2000s, 2005, camera obscura, minimal, synth, uk, wave on February 20, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Thanks for all the requests over the past few weeks, ladies and gents…I’ve been uploading them slowly but surely over the past few posts, and ideally, I shall attend to each one of them in the very near future. Today’s request was for Camera Obscura’s Horizons of Suburbia LP, a synth/wave gem from 1983. Well…not quite. These ten tracks were recorded fifteen years ago but remained unreleased until 2005. Previously, the only documented Camera Obscura releases were a 7” single and a lone compilation appearance.

For the record, there seem to be several bands bearing the same name, including a rather prominent indie pop group. This particular Camera Obscura, however, consisted of Nigel James and Peter Oldroyd and hailed from the UK. The band formed in 1982 and soldiered through record label hardships until 1987, when the band when on indefinite hiatus. In 2005, however, Nigel and Peter dusted off their old material and took to playing shows throughout Europe, meanwhile releasing this lost classic as well as a live record and re-recorded single material. All recent Camera Obscura material has been released by German label Anna Louge Records.

Details:

Camera Obscura- Horizons of Suburbia LP (2005)
1. Escape From The City
2. Horizons Of Suburbia
3. The Mandarin Man
4. Fever Pitch
5. Vincent Van Gogh
6. Destitution
7. Circular Waves
8. Scarlet Vixen
9. Mystery Box
10. Race In Athens

*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED BY REQUEST*

To purchase Camera Obscura’s material through Anna Logue Records, please click below! Also, see the following link for the band’s official homepage:

Anna Louge Records
Clan Camera dot com

5 Comments »

Zero Le Crêche- Falling 12/7” and Last Year’s Wife 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1984, 1985, batcave, deathrock, post-punk, uk, zero le creche on January 16, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop


Today’s band is Zero Le Creche, a UK-based post-punk/deathrock outfit whose sound bridged a gap between the catchy drawl of Psychedelic Furs and the atmosphere of Bauhaus. The band appeared during the legendary Batcave era in the Britian’s early 80s scene and released only two singles during their tenure, each with a different singer (the second does resemble the Furs’ Richard Butler a fair amount.) They disbanded lickety-split, and for ages these two singles became sparse and cherished classics. However, there’s recently been rumors of a potential reunion, and the band is releasing both these singles and various outtakes on CD in the very near future.

I’ve uploaded both 1984’s Last Year’s Wife 12” and 1985’s Falling 12” for your listening pleasure. There also exists a 7” version of Last Year’s Wife with a slightly different recording of the title track, so I’ve included that too, to complete their original discography.

Details:

Zero Le Crêche- Last Year’s Wife 12” (1984)
1. Last Year’s Wife (12” version)
2. Women Say
3. Fall to Dust

Zero Le Crêche- Falling 12” (1985)
1. Falling
2. Beyond Westworld
3. Terminal Tracks

*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED* While the band’s website seems to have gone belly up, CD copies of their material are available via Cd Universe. You know what to do.

You can nab a CD-R version of various tracks through the band’s website, though as mentioned above, a proper collection should appear shortly. Here’s the band’s home page, for curious parties:

Zero Le Crêche dot com

8 Comments »

7” grab bag

Posted in 1981, 1982, 1983, 7'', Belgian, france, grab bag, minimal, post-punk, synth, uk on January 14, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

A bit of an experiment to kick off the week, as I’ve uploaded four 7” records in one zip file. A few of these artists have next to nothing in their discography, so don’t necessarily justify they’re own unique post or have much information available, but these are excellent releases all the same. A brief blurb about each:

Après Demain- Arpakuutio 7”
1. Arpakuutio
2. Dans La Nuit

Finnish post-punk band, release from 1983. The band sounds like a female-fronted (Dirk Wears White Sox era) Adam & the Ants or a similar sounding Au Pairs, singing entirely in French. Funky, jerky, and abrasive.

Carol & Snowy Red- Breakdown 7”
1. Breakdown
2. So Low

Early Snowy Red release from 1981, collaborating with a mysterious singer named Carol. Smooth sounding minimal synth from Belgium. Though Snowy Red was a one-man project that ceased in 1989, it seems as if the project reactivated in 2004 as a duo for a few select shows in their home country.

Das Kabinette- The Cabinet 7”
1. The Cabinet
2. Fudge It

Synthpop of the classic variety- a three piece band from the UK whose only release was this Cabinet of Dr. Caligari inspired 7” in 1983, a classic slice of energetic wave music. The flip is a remix of the respective A-side.

Martin Dupont- Your Passion 7”
1. Your Passion
2. Lost And Late

First release by French electronic/coldwave act Martin Dupont, from 1982. The three piece band would release three full lengths and one rare cassette before disbanding towards the end of the eighties. The A-side is an atmospheric female/male fronted jam, whilst the flip is an energetic, bass driven electro-punk song, documenting the band’s split personality.

*download all four releases here*

12 Comments »

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