I Start Counting - Letters To A Friend

I Start Counting - Letters To A Friend

First single from I Start Counting. Lovely Daniel Miller produced summery synth pop which has just soundtracked a nice walk around Alexandra Palace as I try and shake this horrible cold. Hadn't heard this for years before last night and now I can't stop listening to it.

I Start Counting eventually evolved into Fortran 5 (who did the rather awesome She Knows The Lot) who later still evolved into Komputer. Who I think still exist.


Next: Something else that will have no relation to what I'm about to say I'll post. Business as usual.

Krautrock-oompah hard house. Oh yes indeed.

Echo and the Bunnymen - Reverberation

Echo and the Bunnymen - Reverberation

Was talking about this at the weekend so I thought I'd share....

Two years after Ian McCulloch left the band, one year after Pete DeFreitas met an untimely end, the remaining Bunnymen decided to march on with this album from 1990. Recruiting Noel Burke on vocals the results were met with a solid thumbs down from Bunnymen fans. It's not a bad album as such (not a great album either), it's just not Echo and the Bunnymen. This line up soon fell apart and the band lay dormant until McCulloch returned to the fold in 1997.

The Chameleons - Radio 1 Evening Sessions

The Chameleons - Radio 1 Evening Sessions

I uploaded this ages ago but forgot to post it. Anyway, it's the non-Peel Radio 1 sessions of the Chameleons. First 4 tracks from '83, last five from '85. Great version of Nathan's Phase on here, interesting older version of On The Beach as well.

B.E.F. - Music of Quality and Distinction Volume 2

B.E.F. - Music of Quality and Distinction Volume 2

From 1991, ten years after the original, Marsh and Ware complied a new collection of covers. It's not quite as interesting as the first, in fact it's nowhere near as interesting as the first but it does have Billy Mackenzie covering Free, and Scritti fans might be interested in Green Gartside covering I Don't Know Why I Love You. Seems to be quite sought after, so here it is.

As a bonus here's A Baby Called Billy , which was on the vinyl release of Music For Stowaways (called Music for Listening To) that wasn't on the cassette release.

Either more Rushent or Italo tomorrow. Or something else. Or nothing. Tired now. Sleeeeeeep.

Vision - Tears Idle Tears

Vision - Tears Idle Tears

Vision were a Sheffield band who had a hit with Lucifer's Friend in Italy (I think) back in the early 80's. By the time this single came out they were in their dying days and had a new lead singer, normally the death knell for any band but then they also had Martin Rushnet producing them. Tears Idle Tears isn't too shabby but the b-side was a re-recording of Lucifer's Friend which in my not remotely humble opinion was quite an improvement on the original. Well worth a listen.

Hmm, apart from Genesis or Pink Floyd I can't really think of many bands that survive their lead singer leaving. And even Genesis didn't survive when it happened a second time. Why the fuck am I talking about Genesis? Why the fuck am I *thinking* about Genesis? Unclean.....unclean.....

Leisure Process - Love Cascade

Leisure Process - Love Cascade

Going to post some of Martin Rushnet's lesser known productions and we'll start with the tremendous Love Cascade by Leisure Process. Essentially Ross Middleton (of Positive Noise) and Gary Barnacle (who popped up playing sax in a few 80's synth pop bands) Leisure Process weren't around too long but didn't put much of foot wrong in their brief life. Love Cascade is by far the best of a run of four singles and I'm not sure Rushnet ever did better outside of Dare....

Oh. Two members of Level 42 played on one of the singles, but it wasn't this one. Phew.

Modern Trouble - Fly To Moscow

Modern Trouble - Fly To Moscow

Italo about 19 year old Mathias Rust landing a light aircraft in Red Square back in '87. Did it right on Border Guards day as well, Mother Russia was not best pleased but Mr Rust became a celebrity. Modern Trouble also had a song called "Save Our Seoul", which I've not heard but would imagine it's about Korean Flight 007 which was shot down by Su-15s in 1983.

Take a moment to ponder the utter batshit fantastic excellence of this, Italo and all who ride in her.

More of this sort of thing to come. If I end up posting Mike Mareen maxi-singles, kill me.

Guns For Hire - I'm Gonna Rough My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Up

Guns For Hire - I'm Gonna Rough My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Up

This is basically the first release from Department S under the name Guns For Hire, a ska fuelled romp about kicking the shit out your ex's new beau. The b-side, "I'm Famous Now" points roughly in the direction they would go. Department S had a taste of fame with Is Vic There? but Stiff Records dicked them around and their debut album was unreleased for years before it finally surfaced on LTM (and can and should be bought NOW)

Lead singer Vaughan Toulouse was always someone I expected to be around a lot more than he was after Department S split up, there was a solo single (which I'd love to get hold of if anyone has a rip) but not a lot else....alas he died in back in '91. I'm sure in some parallel universe somewhere he's the megastar he should have been in this one.

The Passage - About Time

The Passage - About Time

The second EP from the Passage, more polished than New Love Songs but less lovable and has nothing quite as memorable as Love Song. Four postpunk songs on the subject of time and the fact there was quite a delay between this and New Love Songs gives us the title. Tony Friel was still in the band and so it's more or less very different from what the Passage were soon to turn into....apart from 16 Hours, which was re-recorded without much change for the first album (by which time the Passage consisted of solely of Witts). Good stuff, but the Passage were about to get much more interesting.....

Probably going to be some changes round these parts sooner rather than later. The original idea behind this blog was to have two or three people post things, I keep meaning to sort that out so hopefully the weeks without posts will be a thing of the past. The place could do with a bit of aesthetic rearranging as well so yes, EMBRACE CHANGE.....in a bit. Ish.

I'm ill, I need soup or something. More later probably as I'm off work today with aforementioned ills and can't bring myself to do anything constructive.

Various - We Are Icerink

Various - We Are Icerink

Shampoo has came up in three separate conversations with three separate people within a week. It is a sign. A bad one. Anyway, Icerink records were ran by Pete and Bob from St Etienne and this is a collection of some of their releases. Shampoo were probably the best known act to come from the label, but they also put out Supermarket (by, er, Supermarket) which was Lawrence from Felt taking time out from Denim to go nylon in a Kraftwerk-lite affair that isn't too bad. Lots of other things here as well that are worth a quick rummage.

Pete 'n Bob would rinse/repeat a couple of years later with EMIDisc, again giving rise to a 'grrrrl band', in this case Kenickie, and more from Lawrence back in his Denim guise.

Microdisney - Hello Rascals

Microdisney - Hello Rascals

The first proper single from Microdisney, two miserable wretched songs with just the right amount of anger. I love the early Microdisney stuff, with it's drum machine beat and shit keyboards, the ramshackle synths coupling with Cathal's snarls....all the time O'Hagan picking a beautiful guitar melody over all the dirt. Helicopter of the Holy Ghost (the B-side) was the first song by MD I ever heard, on the John Peel show no less. Ah, for the days when you'd put on Radio 1 and hear something half decent eh?

Once upon a time I ran (well, in theory) a club night in London and was lucky enough to meet Sean O'Hagan briefly as he was guest DJing for us. Nice chap. Poor sod was DJing blind though, literally. There was no lights around the decks and he couldn't see a thing, there was no torch to be found and things got random. It was about this time I decided to get horribly drunk.

The Chameleons - Dali's Picture

The Chameleons - Dali's Picture

The original demo album the Chameleons sent out to try and get a deal. Early version of songs, some lyrics are different etc. Dreams in Celluloid is an older version of Second Skin, Dali's Picture (the song) never surfaced anywhere but here which is a bit of a pity. Also has the amazing Things I Wish I Said. Early Chameleons are quite a bit more ragged than they were by the time Script Of The Bridge came out. Anyway, it's the Chameleons, probably the best band ever, can't really go wrong here.

Comsat Angels - Red Planet

Comsat Angels - Red Planet EP

The first single from the Comsat Angels, the title track a glorious stomp about going up to Mars for shits and giggles, a bit different from their later stuff. The other tracks aren't too shabby and point more in the direction the Angels would later go.

The Comsat Angels are playing their first gig in about 14 years in Sheffield at the end of the month, playing stuff from the first three albums. Should be a good one.


I'm determined to get this bastard thing up to speed today, so expect more posts in a bit.

Jack - The Emperor Of New London

Jack - The Emperor Of New London

Jack's finest moment, and the finest moment of 2002. Novelist John Fante's son takes lead vocal, nightmarish gravelly ranting into the night. I've always found listening to this as I'm contemplating some rather dubious course of action leads me to adopting a scorched earth policy on the whole affair and causing much more trouble than I originally assumed. It's music to burn bridges to. Music to burn everything to.

B-sides included an instrumental version of Emperor of New London, and a track called Boyfriends and Girlfriends which is more in the usual Jack style with Reynolds back on lead vocal.

Polyrock - Romantic Me

Polyrock - Romantic Me

Polyrock were a New York band of the early 80's produced by Philip Glass (who also performed on the first and I think second album) and as such have some similarities to his work in terms of minimalism and repetition but is far more synth pop/new wave. Talking Heads seem to be mentioned when Polyrock come up, which isn't remotely accurate in my not remotely humble opinion. They're a strange band, but not in a obvious way, they unsettle rather than startle. One of my favorites from the whole early 80's NY thing.

OMD - Walking On The Milky Way

OMD - Walking On The Milky Way

Now, I know what you're thinking. "What the fuck is he posting late 90's OMD singles for?" and while I can see where you're coming from, do bear with me. I have REASON.

Right, Walking On The Milky Way? Tower of arse. Mathew Street? OMD trying to be Beatles. Not overtly offensive but still has faint whiff of arse. New Dark Age? A lost OMD classic. Recorded on the same Elgam organ used for Organisation it's could easily have been from that same album. Despite 90's OMD being a rather MOR prospect (to say the least) they did on occasion come up with a rather good b-side or two......well, sort of. But trust me, New Dark Age, lost classic. Honest guv.

More, less dubious stuff later.....been horribly busy recently and I've been neglecting this blog a bit. Shall endevour to catch up.