Cha Cha 2000 - Autobahn

Cha Cha 2000 - Autobahn

Happy Christmas to you all. And what better way to celebrate than by posting a Kraftwerk cover. This was a 10" single from 1996, looks to be a side project from Mick Derrick and Pat Marsden of Prolapse. The cover of Autobahn is faithful enough, but using a synth that's making think of Lord Rockingham's XI Hoots Mon. Which didn't even use a synth. You'll know what I mean when you hear it. Possibly.

Life Without Buildings - Love Trinity

Life Without Buildings - Love Trinity

Another request and another final single, one which was only released in Australia for some reason. Glasgow's Life Without Buildings had a brief life but their work has resonated far beyond their lifespan. I was never a big fan at the time but seem to have warmed somewhat to them over the years.

"Resonated?" Jesus. I feel dirty, like an NME journo with blood pouring from his nose due to a hilarious coke/Ajax switcharoo prank.

Werdwolfen - Christmas With Uncle Brian

Werdwolfen - Christmas With Uncle Brian

A short break from the requests, Life Without Buildings, Band of Holy Joy and whatever else I was supposed to be posting to come.

Anyway, more Christmas joy. If this doesn't sap the will to stuff turkeys to within an inch of their life then nothing will. Werdwolfen is a thingy I'm occasionally involved in, and this one was a basically just a roomful of people getting arseholed on cheap gin until sounds came out. Er, here are those sounds.

Prolapse - When Space Invaders Were Big

Prolapse - When Space Invaders Were Big

Er, yeah. Remember I said last time I didn't have any of the Prolapse requests. Turns out I did. Found a couple of other interesting related things that'll I'll get around to as well....

Anyway, I've gone on about Prolapse before so I won't ramble. This is from 1994 and was a ltd edition single of two tracks from their first Peel session. Both are fucking brilliant. Enjoy! Consume! Devour!

The Revillos - Midnight

The Revillos - Midnight

Had a couple of requests over the last couple of months so I thought I'd post them. Again, I do read comments and things sooner or later, I'm just rather bad at replying or noticing I've had them until weeks afterwards. Oops.

Anyway, first up we've got a late single by the Revillos from 1984, possibly their last. Bit of an odd one this, sounds a bit like Mari Wilson in a strange way. This is not a bad thing. You can find the Revillos first single (Where's The Boy For Me) on this very blog. And if you haven't heard it, you should, as it's one of the finest singles ever recorded.

Had a few people ask for various Prolapse singles and man, I would if I had them. Sorry!

Christmas - Songs To Save Your Sanity II

Christmas - Songs To Save Your Sanity II

It's Christmas again, as much as we love Jona Lewie it's gotten to the point where we don't want to stop the cavalry. We want them to rampage through the airwaves, putting the likes of Slade and Cliff Richard to the sword. Death! Death to them all! DEATH!

Or something.

Anyway, like last year, I'm doing another lesser played Xmas song collection. And here it be!
Tracklisting is....

1. Sad Lovers and Giants - Christmas on Easter Island
2. The Residents - Dumbo, the Clown (who loved Christmas)
3. Malcolm Middleton - We're All Going To Die (Radio Session)
4. Ren and Stimpy - I Hate Christmas
5. Coil - Christmas is Drawing Near
6. Werdwolfen - Christmas Pan Disaster
7. The Damned - There Aint No Sanity Clause
8. Flaming Lips - Christmas at the Zoo
9 . Pet Shop Boys - It Doesn't Often Snow at Christmas
10. The Fall - No Xmas for John Quays
11. Swinging Buildings - Praying for a Cheaper Christmas
12. Paul Haig - Scottish Christmas

Soooo, what do we have here? Highlights including the dense, slightly sinister electro pop of Swinging Buildings (who are possibly New Order and chums faffing around), the Fall bombing through John Quays on an early Peel Session. A rather beautiful instrumental from Paul Haig, even if it does sound a bit like it should be the backdrop to a sofa advert. Sprout based woes from Werdwolfen, Malcolm Middleton spreading Xmas cheer and lots more. Enjoy.

Stephen - Radar of Small Dogs

Stephen - Radar of Small Dogs

More shabazz from New Zealand. While David Kilgour had another one of his sabbaticals from The Clean, he recorded material with this outfit between 1987 and 1990 alongside the likes of Alf Danielson (Goblin Mix), Geoff Hoani, and later on Stephen Kilroy (whose "45 Degrees Below Frozen" always has a place in my heart). They dropped one EP for Flying Nun, the jangly and propulsive drive of 1988's Dumb, before they disbanded midway through recording their debut. This 1993 collection features that EP, then some 1990 demos that sound pretty well realized, and closes out with two live recordings from a tavern in Christchurch. Some of this really anticipates musical developments of the Nineties; aside from the hints of The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Wolfhounds, songs like "Tape Machine" hint at My Bloody Valentine's Loveless and some of their material sounds a bit like what Pixies were doing at the same time. "Little Audrey" would have fit well on The Adventures of Pete & Pete next to Chug's "Flowers." Speaking of Chug, Kiwi luminaries like Norma O'Malley of the aforementioned group and Peter and Graeme Jefferies (Nocturnal Projections, This Kind of Punishment) make appearances on some of these songs.