Quick request this weekend for Incandescent Luminaire’s lone 7” from 1982. Excellent minimal synth from the UK, featuring Mark White (formerly of ABC and Vice Versa). Nice duality on both sides- the a-side is a nice slice of minimal electronic pop, while the second is a more experimental affair, complete with rickety synth lines aggressive guitar textures. Perfect for fans of Testcard F, The Actor, and bands of that ilk.
Incandescent Luminaire- Famous Names 7”
1. Famous Names
2. The Warning
Here’s a request for Getting the Fear’s lone single, 1984’s Last Salute. Many folks may already be familiar with these guys via Southern Death Cult, as the majority of members formed this band after Ian Astbury disbanded SDC in favor of Death Cult with Billy Duffy. This was the band’s lone release, and soon after, Bee (Paul Hampshire) and Barry Jepson formed Into a Circle, who should need no introduction. The title track of Into a Circle’s debut 12” was also written by Getting the Fear and appears on a collection of practice demos and rehearsal tapes, previously uploaded here and here. Otherwise, here’s the entirety of Getting the Fear’s official discography, including both the 12” and 7” mix of the title track, a true synth/post-punk smash…
Getting the Fear- Last Salute 12”
1. Last Salute (Extended Mix)
2. Last Salute (Instrumental)
3. We Struggle
Getting the Fear- Last Salute 7”
1. Last Salute
2. We Struggle*
*same as the 12” version, so spared the duplicate mp3.
Here’s a contribution from Craig, who sent over these three singles from Angels in Aspic, a five piece post-punk band from the UK. They released three singles into the late 80s, the last dropping at the turn of the decade. There’s little information to be found through the usual channels, but it seems the band all went by nicknames, which makes tracking them down a little more difficult. A little info on Paul Marks (AKA Cuff) can be found here.
Also worthy to note that the band had a knack for wordy song titles. Purple prose!
Three singles here, zipped up in one file. Seems as if the band were aiming for a more commercial edge, judging from the glossier production and post-punk hooks. They sound to me like a much better and darker version of Love and Rockets, if that gives you any indication of what to expect here. My favorite track of the lot is “My Life Is Like Riding on a Ghost Train,” the b-side of the first single. Here’s the breakdown:
Angels In Aspic- Just Some Kind Of Groovy Mayhem (1988)
1. Just Some Kind Of Groovy Mayhem
2. My Life Is Like Riding On A Ghost Train
Angels In Aspic- Drive Me To The Centre Of Maximum Pleasure (1989)
1. Drive Me To The Centre Of Maximum Pleasure
2. Blood That Destroyed The World
Angels In Aspic- When Calm Is Overcome By Chaos (1990)
1. When Calm Is Overcome By Chaos
2. In A State Of Hypnosis
Many thanks to Jeffo for ripping these early singles from The Wild Flowers. If you aren’t already familiar with this UK based post-punk band (most famous, perhaps, thanks to Mighty Lemon Drops guitarist Dave Newton’s involvement), grab their first LP over at Phoenix Hairpins. I listen to that LP at least once a week, and I’m not one to get too repetitious with my listening habits, so that’s saying something…
The version of “Melt Like Ice” was released in 1983, and is rather different than the version we’ve all come to know and love. I can’t rank one over the other, but folks seem to prefer the 7” version. The second A-side is the same as the LP version, so you won’t find it zipped up here. However, both B-sides, two excellent slices of post-punk bliss, are contained within. Dig it:
The Wild Flowers- Melt Like Ice 7” (1983)
1. Melt Like Ice
2. The Chosen Proof
The Wild Flowers- Things Have Changed (Which Should Have Stayed The Same) 7” (1984)
1. Things Have Changed (Which Should Have Stayed The Same)
2. Second Thought
A donation from Jason, much appreciated!
Here we have a highly coveted single from Thirteen At Midnight, known for their work on Survival Records. Many readers should already be familiar with the disco rave up recording of this track (originally released as the b-side to Climb Down), with female vocals and pounding electronic percussion, but few know of this version, which has a more post-punk style to it. Reminds me a lot of early, minimal synth tinged Simple Minds, if you’re one for touchstones. Almost unrecognizable outside of the sweeping synths, but equally awesome. Check out the locked groove on side B!
No year listed on this one, but it likely predates the b-side recording from 1982, released on the same Pure label. If I had to guess, I’d say 1981, but almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades…
Thirteen At Midnight- Other Passengers 7”
1. Other Passengers
2. Other Passengers (2)
*download it here* (RE-RIPPED/uploaded on 3.8.12)
Here’s a fresh high quality rip of a top shelf post-punk LP from 1982 that you may or may not already be familiar with. Hailing from the UK, there’s some excellent guitar and synth work here, highly energetic and vital. Reminds me a lot of The Sound atimes, really emotive and passionate vocals (with a sly sense of humor) mixed with buzzing synths, sax, and the incisive guitars we all know and love. Released on the same label as Naughtiest Girl Was a Monitor, Kan Kan, and Normil Hawaiians, to name a few.
This is one of three releases from the band, my favorite being the Livin For Now 12” (an alternate version of the title track appears on this LP as well). Standouts here include the hard-hitting “Ideals” and “On the Inside,” a proper post-punk rave-up. Through and through, a great album that really takes a few listens to click, but well worth the effort!
New Age- All The Monkeys Aren’t In The Zoo, Maryloo LP
1 Sense
2 Acception
3. On The Inside
4. At The End Of The Day
5. Ideals
6. Progression
7. Moving The Mountains
8. Living For Now
9. Talking Heads
Here’s an extremely rare and rather unknown 7” from the UK. Judging from the cover, you’d expect some dark post-punk, aggro hardcore sort of thing, but instead we’re treated to two emotive minimal synth gems. I had to triple check the record to make sure it wasn’t some mixup!
I know very little about this one. The band hails from the UK and this is their only release, despite some misinformation over at their discogs page (the split listed with Invisible Hands is a newer release from the US, band with the same name, apparently). As for this release, it’s private press and doesn’t have a year listed on it anywhere, though I did come across 2 reduced price coupons for a hometown gig the band played back in the day, included in my copy. No year listed on those either. Perhaps someone out there knows the real story about this one- don’t be shy.
Otherwise, as I mentioned, there are two great minimal synth/new wave tracks here, the standout being the B-side, at least to my ears. A little acoustic guitar tossed in there, with some comparisons to Psychedelic Furs at times but with a ton of catchy electronics. Check it out:
The Alphabet- This Strange Love 7”
1. This Strange Love
2. The Handsome Beast
EDIT: I have some reason to believe that these guys are connected to the second lineup of Zero Le Creche, judging from their discogs entry. Seems like both Richard Thorne and vocalist Jamie Lord were involved with both projects, which sounds likely given the vocal similarities between the two. With that in mind, that probably puts this around 1983-4, from my humble guessing.
Here’s some goodies from the Remote Viewing files. Here we have two CD-Rs from Kevin O’Neill, one of the more prolific artists from the compilation. Kevin was also the man behind Network 23, the label who released both volumes of Remote Viewing. I’ll let John Costello’s own words tell a bit of Kevin’s story:
“Kevin founded N23 and as well as creating his own music he worked hard to promote independent electronic music in the UK. He played live at the UK Electronica in London in 1988 and organised this successful concert in his home city on March 18th the following year. The full billing was Kevin, Steve & Linda Hillman, myself and Greg Truckell. I’ll always be grateful to Kevin for liking my music enough to include it, as it’s a bit different from most synthambient and sequencer/progressive N23 artists.”
Fans of the Remote Viewing cassette, Costello, and various synth-heavy ambient acts (Deca, Tangerine Dream, Carl Matthews, Black Tape For a Blue Girl, Klaus Schulze, Coil etc.) will certainly find lots and lots to love on these two CD-Rs, which were graciously donated by Kevin. Omega 8 is a collection of tracks from the 1988 Omega cassette, with the final two tracks missing. A bonus track, “Islands Suite” appears in its stead. “Islands Suite” originally appeared on the Islands K7, while an edited version appears on Remote Viewing Volume 1, released in 1986. The second CD-R collects all tracks from 1993’s A Hostage of Fortune K7, though the title track appears in edited form from its cassette counterpart.
All in all, there’s roughly an hour and a half’s worth of incredible ambient music contained within! Here’s the info:
Kevin O’Neill- Omega 8 CD-R
1. Another Morning
2. Eye Of The Storm
3. Guernica
4. Blodwen (The White Rose)
5. Speaker
6. Prometheus
7. Islands Suite
Kevin O’Neill- A Hostage to Fortune CD-R
1. Indefinite Divisibility
2. P-M H
3. Piano No. 4
4. Flutecho
5. Tetapi Itu Kesenian (For Leif & Rukmini)
6. Reminiscence (For Michael Neil)
7. Ghosts
8. The Massing Of The Shades (For Norman Jope)
9. A Hostage To Fortune Pts 3-6
Many thanks to Kevin for his blessing in posting these! I’ll leave you with some amazing video footage of Kevin’s performance of “Island Sweet,” sourced from the infamous Network 23 concert in Cardiff, 1989. Enjoy!
Here’s one that’s been posted elsewhere in the past, but I’ve given my own copy a once over. High quality, click removal, the whole works.
This 1984 single hails from the UK and is pure synthpop bliss. The main track appears twice here, in both extended and single form, and both versions are just ripe for the dance floor. There’s also a Spanish promo issue of this single from 1985, but I believe it’s nearly identical to this one, with the radio version appearing on side A. Also, there’s a rumour out there that one of the members of this project was also in Sex Gang Children (Illuminated Records also featured several Sex Gang related releases, as well as Portion Control & Poison Girls), but I can neither confirm nor deny this for sure. However, what I *CAN* say is you’re all gonna love this one.
Pink and Black- Sometimes I Feel… 12”
1. Sometimes I Wish (Dramadance USA Mix)
2. Sometimes I Wish (Radio)
3. Miss Fortune
The Lucy Show are one of my all-time favorite bands of the 80s. Hands down amazing melodies, great vocals, production, the whole package. It comes as some surprise that this particular 7” (their second, released in 1984) hasn’t been posted to my knowledge. Crazy!
For those unfamiliar, The Lucy Show was formed by two Canadian-turned London musicians, who earned a bit of buzz for their first single, Leonardo Da Vinci (perfectly summed up and shared here). Peel picked up on the band, this 7” followed, and the rest, as you could say, was History. A tour with R.E.M. brought the band to prominence, and their debut LP Undone dropped in 1985 and shot straight to the top of the college charts. Mania followed in 1986, and the band soon called it quits.
Really perfect pop, here. The A-side recalls early Cure and INXS to mind, while the B-side is a dark and gloomy affair, reminiscent of 4AD’s earliest releases. Don’t miss it!
The Lucy Show- Electric Dreams 7”
1. Electric Dreams
2. History Part 1
*download it here* (RE-RIPPED 6.16.12)