Here’s a rather solid 12” by German EBM act Velodrome. Though this is their only release, each member of the duo had been previously active in other similar bands. Previous to Velodrome, Jorge Guber played in both Lineas Aereas and Metropakt while vocalist Krishna Goineau was a member of the famous Liaisons Dangereuses, who resumed activity soon after this 12” release. [SOURCE: SYSTEMS OF ROMANCE]
Uzi was a ten-handed combo that burned briefly but brightly in the fertile post-Burma Boston music scene of the mid-1980's. Its founding members were drummer Danny Lee and guitarist/singer/lyricist Thalia Zedek. The basic stylistic conflict between Thalia's garage-based rock 'n' roll background and Danny's more high-tech, modernistic approach gave the group much of its unique edge and led, as well, to its early demise.
Lee and Zedek were joined in late 1983 by bassist Randy Barnwell, guitar-effects whiz Bob Young, and tape specialist Phil Milstein. Barnwell was replaced by Craig Federhen for a brief basement interlude, but returned before Uzi's first show and continued with them for the bulk of the band's duration. [SOURCE: DISCOGS]
Madrid band formed in 1983 by Lucio Zenón (voice and guitar), Ricardo Neila (guitar), Santi Botía (bass) and Julián Rodríguez (drums). They were an atypical case in Madrid's pop of the early 80's, since they were not a "pop" group, but rather practiced a solid and vigorous rock based on the forcefulness of their guitar sound. Television fans to the point of presenting themselves, in the compilation of MR '447 39 10', with a version of the legendary "Marquee Moon", V2 Berlin made a different and personal proposal, perhaps included in the dark-wave movement from which emerged bands like Décima Víctima or Paralisis Permanente. Their music was intense and vibrant, though perhaps too dense for the time. They had a fabulous sound of guitars that, despite everything, did not succeed in enhancing the weakness of most of their compositions. Their first album also became the last one, before the incomprehension of the public and the indifference of the critic. It was published by MR / Ariola in 1983 with homonymous title and was composed of ten songs of which "Algo Está Pasando" was the only single. V2 Berlin performed the album in Rock-Ola. Some of their members tried again under the name of La Noche Americana, but, although they recorded a MiniAlbum, nothing happened to them. [SOURCE: GRUPOS NACIONALES NUEVA OLA 80]
Tappi Tíkarrass was an Icelandic punk band which added elements of funk, rock and jazz to their music, marking a difference from other traditional bands at that time. The band is also considered the first serious music project of now renowned singer Björk Guðmundsdóttir. In 1979 Björk was singing in a band called Exodus with guitarists Ásgeir Sæmundsson and Þorvaldur Bjarni Þorvaldsson, bassist Skúli Sverrisson, and drummer Oddur F. Sigurbjörnsson. In 1980 she left the band with Oddur and joined bassist Jakob Smári Magnússon and guitarist Eyjólfur Jóhannsson to form a band called Jam-80 because they were meant to play for just one gig, although they continued playing for a while. They performed a mixture of pop and punk music and never
released any official record.
This band came to an end when decided to create a punk band with more serious music. That is how Tappi Tíkarrass came into being by September 1981 with vocalist Eyþór Arnalds, who was replaced a few months later by Björk and a year later, Oddur was replaced in drums by Guðmundur Þór Gunnarsson. The name Tappi Tíkarrass, which in Icelandic means “Cork the Bitch’s Ass” was given after Jakob’s father claimed that the band’s music “fitted like a cork in a bitch’s ass”. Tappi Tíkarrass combined elements of punk and pop music to create an exotic post punk with references to Siouxsie and the Banshees and the first stage of The Cure. They started to record in August 1982 and released an EP titled 'Bitið Fast í Vitið' which went out through label Spor. This 12” vinyl was formed of 5 tracks performed by Björk, who replaced the original vocals by Eyþór. The only song in English was “London”. They followed up in 1983 with their only full-length album, 'Miranda', released by Gramm. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
A tight 3 piece, originally influenced by The Jam, who mutated quickly into a furious (in more ways than one) post-punk-prog-metal outfit. Intricate bass and guitar lines, hooked together by terrific drumming, were played with intensity and volume and overlayed with surprising two part harmonies. If sometimes, possibly, too tricky for their own good, at least they were an antidote to the three chord thrash. They released 2 singles ('Endless Sleep' and 'At Home and Abroad'). [SOURCE: NO NIGHT SWEATS]
The Raybeats were an American instrumental neo-surf rock combo from New York City that arose from the No Wave musical scene. The original line-up consisted of Don Christensen (drums), Jody Harris (guitar), Pat Irwin (guitar, saxophone, Acetone organ), and George Scott III (bass). The Raybeats formed in 1979, brought together by George Scott. He had worked with Jody Harris and Don Christensen in James Chance and the Contortions, and he had worked with Pat Irwin in 8-Eyed Spy. When Scott died from a drug overdose in August 1980, he was replaced by Danny Amis. Amis left in the spring of 1982, after which The Raybeats used several bassists-for-hire, including David Hofstra, Bobby Albertson and Gene Holder. Amis later formed Los Straitjackets.
With Amis, The Raybeats recorded an EP called 'Roping Wild Bears', which was released in 1981. Later that year, they recorded and released a full-length album titled 'Guitar Beat' produced by Martin Rushent. It featured ten original tunes, plus a cover of Jan Berry's "B-Gas Rickshaw". After Amis's departure in 1982, The Raybeats recorded one more album, 'It's Only A Movie!', which was released on Shanachie Records in 1983. They disbanded in 1984. In 1990, Christensen, Harris and Irwin reunited one more time, playing a benefit concert for the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Jared Nickerson played bass. On August 21, 2010 Pat Irwin, Jody Harris, Don Christensen, with Gail Ann Dorsey on bass backed up Adele Bertei (Contortions / The Bloods) at Joe's Pub in Greenwich Village. They played another show on August 25, 2010 at Bowery Electric (327 Bowery at 2nd Street). Also on the bill was Command V which was a band consisting of Pat Irwin, Cynthia Sley (Bush Tetras) and filmmaker Rachel Dengiz. On June 29, 2011, The Raybeats headlined a benefit concert at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey, raising funds to cover medical expenses for former bassist Danny Amis. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Palais Schaumburg was a new wave band from Hamburg, Germany. The style was classified as Neue Deutsche Welle, and strongly characterized by their avant garde music and dadaistic attitude. The band was originally formed in 1980, featuring Timo Blunck, Holger Hiller, Thomas Fehlmann, and percussionist F.M. Einheit. The group's name stands for Das Palais Schaumburg in Bonn, the Cold War era residence of the German chancellor. Einheit left the group, eventually to join Einstürzende Neubauten and was replaced by Ralf Hertwig prior to Palais Schaumburg's first full-length album 'Palais Schaumburg' which was produced by David Cunningham and released in 1981. Shortly after it was released, Hiller left the band and started his solo career. He was replaced with Moritz von Oswald and vocalist Walther Thielsch. The group made several singles and albums throughout early 80's, where their avant garde sounds were heavily influenced by funk, especially in albums 'Lupa' and 'Parlez-Vous Schaumburg'. They eventually split up in 1984. All the members have been working on their solo careers. On Thursday November 21st, 2013, Palais Schaumburg appeared live beside Laibach in Bern, Switzerland. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
The Bomb Party were an English rock band from Leicester. They have been described as "The Godfathers of Grebo". The band formed in the early 1980s, initially as Farm Life by Andy "Jesus" Mosquera (guitar), Peter Swaine (vocals), Steve Gerrard (guitar), Laurence Wood (sax), James Hunt (bass) and Mark Thompson (drums), who met on a fine art course at Leicester Polytechnic. They underwent lineup changes and then released one single under this name in 1982, "Susie's Party" (later covered by Yeah Yeah Noh). A second single on Dan Treacy's Whaam! label was withdrawn. In 1984 Farm Life split up, and Andy "Jesus" Mosquera (vocals), Steve Gerrard (guitar), Mark Thompson (drums) formed The Bomb Party, with Sarah Corina (bass). They took their name from a Graham Greene novel, debuting in 1985 with the 'Ray Gun EP' on the Abstract label, the new sound described as "a Molotov cocktail of hardcore grebo gothability lying somewhere between The Cramps and Bauhaus". The bandmembers themselves rejected the "grebo (music)" tag, Mosquera stating "We're not grebos and we're not bikers or any of that shit. We're experimental. We are experimentalists but we don't have to say we're political and we credit our audience with enough intelligence to suss it out for themselves".
The debut album 'Drugs' appeared in 1986. Signing to the Workers Playtime label, they released a second album, 1987's 'Liberace Rising', now featuring Leszek Rataj on guitar, preceded by a compilation of their early Abstract singles, 'The Last Supper'. A year later they signed to Normal records, releasing their most commercial record, a cover of The Archies' "Sugar Sugar" (featuring Voice Of The Beehive on backing vocals) followed in 1989 by the album 'Fish'. A final album, 'Nativity #3', appeared on Artlos in 1990, the band split up immediately after it was recorded. The band played their final gig at The Powerhaus in London on 17 December 1989. Thompson subsequently joined members of Gaye Bykers on Acid and The Janitors in the band G.R.O.W.T.H., who released the album 'For Lack Of Horses They Saddle Dogs'. Mosquera reverted to a career in fine art.Corina joined The Mekons and, later, Striplight (with Alex Mitchell of Curve). She has also recorded with Bill Carter of Screaming Blue Messiahs. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Of Cabbages and Kings is an American noise rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Its name is a quote from Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass". The band's sound has been described as a "highly visceral attack" that is "founded on a vivid technical mastery owing little to the commonly revered tenets of speed and/or flash, instead conjuring a brutal, primal power and intensity virtually unmatched in modern music."
Formed from the ashes of the Bag Peoplein 1985, the band's original lineup consisted of Algis Kizys (bass, vocals), Carolyn Master (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Ted Parsons (drums, vocals). However, Kizys and Master were the core of the band, remaining the only consistent members throughout its existence. All three of their albums featured Diane Wlezien, who sang lead vocals on about half the songs with Kizys handling lead vocals on the remainder.
In 1988, Ted left to focus on his work with the band Prong and was replaced by Rich Hutchins (Live Skull, Ruin..., Lubricated Goat, etc). 'Basic Pain Basic Pleasure' was released in 1990 and is usually considered the highpoint of the band's discography, showcasing refined production and arrangements with increased musical variety. Swans drummer Vincent Signorelli joined the band to record their final album titled 'Hunter's Moon', which also featured guest appearances by Motherhead Bug vocalist David Ouimet, former drummer Ted Parsons and composer J. G. Thirlwell. Due to obligations with other bands, Of Cabbages and Kings rarely had time to tour and disbanded in the early nineties. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
The bassist of New Buildings (Gat) used to be seen in all the concerts that fell with eyedroppers by Barcelona. Impossible to imagine then that fate would keep them the possibility of commercial success, but a wise decision of the group would dismantle the illusion of less edifying business. A declaration of rebelliousness that would begin to take shape in the days of Basura, one of the first punk groups of Barcelona.
That uprooting lasted a couple of years, the time that goes to discover The Sex Pistols in a bucket of an Andorran store to get the Gong or Incredible String Band records. The connection of these bands of lysergic folk with the work of Pau Riba was decisive. In a record time they went from officializing the punk in Catalonia to recognize in the most restless acoustics a new toy to continue growing. La Truita Perfecta -which was its name- had an ephemeral life. The news that came about Devo, Talking Heads and Joy Division gave another bump in the style of the group. They adopted a new name: Ultratruita. It lasted two and a half years, until certain tensions with the leader of the group (Panotxa) took to Gat to cut short and to continue moving card. He took with him Jeanette, the singer. They chose the name of New Buildings in honor of Einstürzende Neubauten (translated "collapsing new buildings"), that Berlin band that in 1982 shattered the paradigms of rock from a brutal atonality and the use of materials of industrial waste like a solid alternative to the conventional. [SOURCE: MUNSTER RECORDS]
Mania D was a Berliner new wave-underground band at the end of the seventies, beginning of the eighties. They had been part of the "Geniale Dilettanten" (Ingenious Dilettantes) movement, a merger of the new wave and post-punk scene. Bandmembers were the predecessors of the all-girls band Malaria!, of Liaisons Dangereuses, Einstürzende Neubauten, Die Krupps. Their music unified elements of free jazz with those of new wave by a distinctive saxophone sound.
In May 1979 musicians Beate Bartel, Gudrun Gut, Eva Gossling, Bettina Köster and Karin Luner started an all- girls underground band, intending to develop a musical language not bound by tradition.
Karin Luner had studied in the class of Professor Hoedecke at the Berlin Academy of Arts along with Salome and Middendorf among others. In 1977 she left for a foreign course of study to New York, New York where she shot “Bored”, a super 8 movie which eventually was shown in the Berliner SO 36 by Martin Kippenberger. While in New York she took drumming lessons with Fred Maher, the drummer for Lou Reed. On a 1978 visit to her hometown, Duesseldorf, Germany, she met with Eva Gossling in Carmen Knoebels underground club, Ratinger Hof. It was here that she suggested establishing an all-girls band as soon as she returned to Berlin. Eva and Karen, who was studying in Berlin, met Beate Bartel, a bassist and sound engineer, at the Wittenbergplatz subway station. They were joined at their first meeting by tenor saxophonist Bettina Köster and Gudrun Gut, the owner of a mini Moog synthesizer. During the summer of 1979 Mania D rehearsed daily in their Martin Luther Street studio. Beate Bartel named the band, whereas Karin Luner had the idea to shoot a super 8 movie to be shown at all concerts. Karin Luner created the styling for the super-8 movie, "Fashion Interlection". The outfit for the video was designed by Eisengrau, Claudia Skoda and Karin Luner. Martin Kippenberger, Volker Anding and Oswald Wiener promoted the young band with organizing concerts, and diner for free at Exil, a restaurant owned by Oswald Wiener. Their first concert outside of Berlin was in Sappened in September of ´79 in the Wuppertal Nordstadt Kollektiv Galerie.
Their recognition led to an invitation to perform in New York. On October the 24th in 1979 Mania D played on Broome Street at Arleen Schloss performance loft, A´s. The New York audience responded enthusiastically. Mania D performed at the end of November at Tier 3, without Eva Gossling, who was then living with SAMO, alias Jean-Michel Basquiat at Arleene Schloss A´s. Both experimented with music, sound and tapes. Karin Luner stayed in New York. Eva Gossling was invited by Alexander von Borsig alias Alexander Hacke and Richard Hirsch to play in the Berlin band, Blasse. In December 1979 Mania D performed with a smaller crew. In 1981 they founded the band, Malaria!, which unified elements of free jazz with those of experimental music with a distinctive saxophone sound. Bettina Köster’s especially striking singing voice characterized the band and replicated the music of Berlin in the Twenties. Gudrun Gut and Bettina Köster along with Eisengrau developed an independent fashion label and a concept store. Under this name they created their unconventional stage outfits. The legendary fog-concert occurred on January 18, 1980 at the unheated SO36 club where it was so cold that patrons could see their breath. A never-before viewed video of the event was discovered in 2010 in the archives of the video artist and filmmaker, Werner Schmiedel. Mania D was not part of the commercial oriented new German wave, which started in early 1981 after the growing success of bands like D.A.F. and Fehlfarben. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Legal Weapon are a Southern California punk band, initially composed of singer Kat Arthur and guitarist Brian Hansen (both previously of The Silencers), bassist Patricia Morrison (formerly of Bags and later of The Gun Club, The Sisters of Mercy and The Damned), drummer Charlie Vartanian and guitarist Mike R. Livingston. The band's early full-length albums 'Death of Innocence' (on which their lineup included Steve Soto and Frank Agnew of the Adolescents) and 'Your Weapon' were well received. Later efforts moved away from punk to a more hard rock sound. With her powerful voice, Kat Arthur was often called "the Janis Joplin of punk". [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Kirlian Camera is an Italy-based group mainly playing electronic dark wave music. The project was founded in Parma in 1979 by Angelo Bergamini and was a pioneering act of the Italian synthpop scene. By 1980, Bergamini had recruited singer Simona Buja, keyboardist Fabrizio Chiari and bassist Mauro Montacchini to form Kirlian Camera. Their demo cassette 'Dawn' attracted the attention of Italian Records, a popular independent label. Christmas 1981 saw the release of their debut vinyl which despite being low-budget immediately sold-out prompting a re-issued, with it finally selling more than 6000 copies. Not long after the band had constant lineup changes, Simona left but rejoins straight away then the following year, Montacchini leaves being replaced by Giorgio Vecchi. Eventually they were the first Italian group to be signed to Virgin Records.
Between 1982 and 1984, Bergamini also took part in the Italian Italo disco group Hipnosis, which won a platinum award for sales in Germany, and had a top-10 hit in several European countries and South America with their single "Pulstar". Angelo unexpectedly decides to leave the pop-music to concentrate on Kirlian Camera. During the second half of the Eighties, the sound of Kirlian Camera became gradually darker, moving away from the synth pop sound that marked some of their early releases. In 1988, Buja leaves Kirlian Camera and the band have temporary singers Bianca Hoffmann-Santos and Suzanne Reddington-Gardner who are replaced for a while by Emilia Lo Jacono. Despite this the band release a 2 CD collection called 'The Ice Curtain' with new singer, Barbara Boffelli. In 1993, they signed to German label Discordia, which licensed the self-produced album 'Todesengel, The Fall of Life'. 1995 came to see them collaborate with label mates Dive on the 'Obsession' EP and :wumpscut:. During 2000 the lineup is stabilized when talented singer/composer/writer Elena Alice Fossi joins Kirlian Camera. She is also the leader of side-projects Alice Neve Fox, Spectra*Paris and Siderartica, and co-leader in the Stalingrad project with Bergamini himself. During 2013, Kirlian Camera release 'Black Summer Choirs'. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
In the early '80s, you couldn't do much better if you were a Scottish indie pop band than to be signed to Postcard Records. AlthoughOrange Juice and Josef K had already moved on, it was still the hippest label around and the Jazzateers must have felt lucky to be affiliated with the imprint in 1981. The quartet of vocalist Alison Gourlay, guitarist Ian Burgoyne, bassist Keith Band, and drummer Colin Auld played a style of pop lodged firmly between the jangle of Orange Juice and the sophisticated swing of bossa nova, and fit in well with the other new Postcard signing, Aztec Camera. The band played shows in cafes and other non-rock venues, recorded a series of demos (some with Edwyn Collins in the producer's chair), and recorded a version of Donna Summer's "Wasted" that was produced by the song's co-writer (with Giorgio Moroder), Pete Bellotte. Unfortunately, that last experience was a disaster and led to Gourlay's departure from the band.
The group carried on with new vocalists Deirdre and Louise Rutkowski, quickly recording an album titled 'Lee' for the newly launched Postcard International. It was never released, Postcard was soon dissolved, and the band changed lineups again. With new singer Grahame Skinner in the fold, the band signed to Rough Trade and, amazingly enough, released a single, 'Show Me the Door', then a self-titled album in early 1983. As the album began to get some acclaim, the group did its usual bit of attempted self-sabotage, shedding Skinner (who went on to front Hipsway), adding guitarist Mick Slaven, and changing its name to Bourgie Bourgie. This move somehow served to generate more interest in the band, and Bourgie Bourgie were soon signed to MCA, where they released two singles, then recorded an album. As was the norm for the band, it was never released.
The core of Burgoyne, Slaven, and Band gave it another shot as the Jazzateers in 1985, adding new drummer Stephen Lironi and releasing a single, 'Pressing On', on tiny Stampede Records. In another unsurprising development, they recorded an album that never saw the light of day. This ended the story of the Jazzateers until 2013 when the band re-formed around the re-release of its Rough Trade album by Creeping Bent (under the title 'Rough 46') and a show with fellow survivor Vic Godard at the Glasgow International Jazz Festival. The next year saw the release of a compilation of early demos and unreleased tracks from the Postcard era by Cherry Red titled 'Don't Let Your Son Grow Up to Be a Cowboy'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Like other 1970s European electronic rock artists from Heldon to Conrad Schnitzer, Ilitch owes more to the avant-garde experiments of Stockhausen and Xenakis than to the rock and roll of Chuck Berry or even The Beatles. Ilitch came out of France, was the work of mostly one person, Thierry Müller, using unconventional guitars as well as keyboards and other electronics to create strange textures and sounds. Müller was a photographer and graphic artist from Paris who started making recordings in the early 1970s using prepared guitars, harmonium, and even using the tape recorder as another instrument. Initially he worked completely solo but by late 1975 he was being helped by Ruth Ellyeri. In 1976 his brother Patrick Müller on EMS synthisizer and treated guitar joined Ilitch, for a live performance at the Café La Manille, in Paris, and the duo also played there the following two years as well. In October and November of that year, Ilitch recorded the material for the LP 'Periodikmindtrouble', but by the time the LP was released, in 1978, the original second side was scrapped for other more recent material. This album featured abstract music that was completely instrumental and with a heavy use of electronics. Though this is considered the first Ilitch LP, in fact a year earlier Müller released 'Portraits' in an extremely limited edition of one with hand painted cover. By 1980 Ellyeri, on guitars, vocals and electronics, became more integral to the Ilitch sound, and Müller occasionally added in synth player Philippe Doray and saxophonist Patrick Dubot into Ilitch as well. They released a second LP, '10 Suicides' that year, a more varied album that included some heavily processed vocals as well as a sixteen page booklet with many of Müller’s photo-collages. The same year under the Ilitch name was released the cassette 'PTM Works' (Patrick and Thierry Müller’s works) on Eurock label, as well as the one-sided EP 'Culture', which was credited to him and the graphic designer Edouard Nono. After this Müller took a break from music for a couple years, but in 1982 he began work on a new project. The project eventually became the group Ruth (though Ruth Ellyeri wasn’t a part of it), as Müller began collaborating with many more musicians for recordings done in 1984 and 1985. Ruth’s music was far more polished and accessible, adding a quirky new wave twist to Müller’s textured guitar and synth treatments. [SOURCE: ILICHTMUSIC.COM]
The Happy Family were an early-1980s post punk band from Scotland, featuring Momus and members of Josef K. The band was initially formed in 1981 by Nick Currie (vocals, guitar), who had dropped out of college to form the band, Malcolm Ross (guitar), Dave Weddell (bass) of Josef K and Paul Mason. After a debut EP on 4AD Records in March 1982, they expanded to a 5-piece with the recruitment of former Josef K and Boots For Dancing drummer Ronnie Torrance, keyboard player Neill Martin. The band's debut album, 'The Man On Your Street' was issued on 4AD in November 1982 (later reissued on CD in 1992 with the EP tracks added). The band split in 1983, Currie frustrated by the indifference of 4AD towards them (although he later cited poor sales as the reason), with Currie embarking on a solo career. Some demos the band had recorded were released on a cassette album entitled 'This Business Of Living' in 1984 on the Les Temps Modernes label (later known as LTM). [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Electronic group formed by Servando Carballar of Aviador Dro (bass, programming, voices), Juanjo Suárez, former of La Gran Curva (guitars, programming, vocals, 2nd bass), Rafa Notario, former member of Los Angeles Caídos (voice) and Marta Cervera, also from Aviador Dro (keyboards). Lunes de Hierro was one of the first musical projects that sought to bridge the gap between guitars and electronics from a punk attitude. Having the peculiarity of being a project parallel to the Aviador Dro, they opened some of their shows at that stage. Actually, the song "En Mi Hogar" would originally appear in "Triangulada", an unreleased Aviador Dro recording.
In 1985, they released their first single with DRO, 'En Mi Hogar / Lunes de Hierro', which would give way to their first and only LP with songs like "Tatuaje", "Noche Brillante", "Circe", "Talismán", "Lunes de Hierro", "Salomé, Otra Vez", "Ellos", "Sorpresa Roja" and "En Mi Hogar". In 2001 Ventura Musicreissued their old LP songs by introducing the bonus tracks: the T. Rex cover "Is This Love" and "Atentado Terrorista". [SOURCE: GRUPOS NACIONALES NUEVA OLA 80]
Twin brothers Jay and Michael Aston began playing music in 1980 when they formed Slav Arian with guitarist Ian Hudson and a drum machine. Though the Astons grew up in Porthcawl, South Wales, they moved to London in 1981 and renamed the goth-influenced group Gene Loves Jezebel. The trio played several live shows and were quickly signed by Situation 2. In May 1982, the label released Gene Loves Jezebel's demo single, 'Shavin' My Neck'. The band then added bassist Julianne Regan and drummer Dick Hawkins. Regan left soon after to form All About Eve, leaving Ian Hudson and Michael Aston to alternate on bass until Peter Rizzo joined in 1984. Hawkins also split for a time -replaced by John Murphy and later Steve Goulding- but returned in 1983.
Gene Loves Jezebel released two more singles in 1983 before their debut album, 'Promise', hit number one in the U.K.'s indie charts. In 1984, the group recorded a John Peel radio session for the BBC and toured America with John Cale. After returning to England, Gene Loves Jezebel released the singles 'Influenza (Relapse)' and 'Shame (Whole Heart Howl)', but then waited a full year before second album 'Immigrant' appeared in mid-1985. (It's not very surprising that the album was recorded with a lineup change, this time drummer Marcus Gilvear instead of Dick Hawkins.) 'Immigrant' also hit number one on the indie charts, but during a tortured American tour, founding member Hudson left, and was replaced by former Generation X guitarist James Stevenson.
The year 1986 brought a contract with Beggar's Banquet and, subsequently, chart success for the group. "Sweetest Thing" hit the Top 75 in England, and the resulting album, 'Discover' (which included a limited-edition live album called 'Glad to Be Alive'), reached the expected indie chart top spot and also did well with college radio in America. Chris Bell became the band's fifth drummer later that year, and Gene Loves Jezebel's fourth album, 'The House of Dolls', was released late in 1987, yielding a single, "The Motion of Love", that grazed the U.S. charts. The Astons turned their attention to dance with the single "Heartache", but Michael decided to leave the band by mid-1989.
In a small twist of fate, Gene Loves Jezebel gained their highest-charting American single the following year, when "Jealous", the major single from 'Kiss of Life', reached number 68 in August 1990. Two years later, Jay Aston and company released 'Heavenly Bodies', which did well in Europe and on American college radio; the group's American label folded one year later, though, and after a few sporadic live shows, Gene Loves Jezebel called it quits.
As early as 1992, Michael Aston had been working with a new band called The Immigrants. Two years later, he re-formed the band as Edith Grove and released a self-titled album. Michael and Jay began working together again that same year, and later recorded two songs with Stevenson, Bell, and Rizzo for a GLJbest-of compilation released in September 1995. While Jay performed occasional acoustic shows under his own name, Michael played with members of Scenic and released a solo album, 'Why Me Why This Why Now', in 1995. Gene Loves Jezebel re-formed in 1998 for 'VII', released in 1999 on Robinson Records. The reunion proved to be short-lived, and through much of the 2000s, Jay and Michael each recorded and toured with bands calling themselves Gene Loves Jezebel; Jay's was based in the U.K., while Michael's largely worked in the United States. Michael Aston's Gene Loves Jezebel was responsible for the albums 'Love Lies Bleeding' (1999), 'Giving Up the Ghost' (2001), 'Exploding Girl' (2003), and 'Dead Sexy' (2009), while Jay Aston's edition of the group issued the discs 'Accept No Substitutes' (2002), 'The Thornfield Sessions' (2003), and 'The Anthology, Vols. 1-2' (2006). In 2008, the Aston brothers ended up in a lawsuit over the legal rights to Gene Loves Jezebel before reaching a settlement that allowed both to use the name in different parts of the world. In 2017, Michael Aston's GLB issued the album 'Dance Underwater'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
The work of controversial performance artist Monte Cazazza has been sampled in numerous books, films, and recordings over the years. Hailing from Oakland, CA, Cazazza spent the early '70s experimenting with his art, often indulging in such gross-out acts as burning a partially decomposed, maggot-infested cat, which would often shock his audience to the point of physically illness. Cazazza caught a break when members of industrial rock groundbreakers Throbbing Gristle came across an issue of the appropriately titled Vile Magazine in 1974, a Valentine's Day edition which modeled Cazazza on the cover, holding up to the camera a bloody heart that was made to look as if it was torn out of his chest. The up-and-coming artist befriended industrial rockers Throbbing Gristle, as it was Cazazza who supposedly coined the band's now-trademark phrase, "Industrial Music for Industrial People." In 1977, Cazazza traveled to England, where he recorded several songs (which featured the sounds of roaring chainsaw, as well as hammers beating on the insides of a piano), including such titles as "Busted Kneecaps" "Hate" and "P.S. (Plastic Surgery)". Cazazza also starred in several obscure films around this time as well (including one in which he and a young boy are electrocuted), and contributed to such books as "Pranks", "Modern Primitives", and "The Industrial Culture Handbook", all of which explore his outlandish antics. In addition, Cazazza was an early member of the Throbbing Gristle off-shot group Psychic TV, and has issued several full-length solo albums over the years, including the 1996 compilation, 'The Worst of Monte Cazazza'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Organum is the project of elusive composer and visual artist David Jackman. An artist who began his career in the U.K. with experimental group Scratch Orchestra alongside Cornelius Cardew. This seminal improvisational group was also the breeding ground for AMM and the New Zealand percussion composer Phil Dadson.
Jackman's work as Organum was documented on limited-edition vinyl LPs in the '80s, and in the '90s he released numerous CDs. The albums 'Submission', released by Complacency in the U.S., and 'Veil of Tears', on Matchless, exhibit a strongly minimalist aligned music, with an attention to the sonic effects of massed string drones and metal percussion. Many Organum recordings were made as location specific happenings, taking advantage of unusual reverberant spaces to enhance the music performance, such as tunnels, caves, and a highway overpass, as well as many outdoor natural environments.
Highly regarded in avant-garde music circles, he has worked with members of Nurse With Wound, Jim O'Rourke, Robert Hampson of Main, and Christophe Heenmann of H.N.A.S. This dark ambient drone music that at times recalls the minimalist violin drones of Tony Conrad or the electronic soundscapes of Mophogenesis, although it is often called post-industrial, it is far from the futuristic imagery conjured by such a tag. In fact, this music has roots in Medieval and Eastern ritual music, hence Jackman has titled one of his works "Kammer", which references the early music genre of the same name.
On the collaboration CD 'Crux + Flayed' on Matchless, Jackman and percussionist Eddie Prevost used electronics to transform sounds of a drum and cymbal improvisation that results in a dense drone alive with overtones and harmonics. This approach differed from the heavily reverberated strings improvisations of prior works. Akin to the work of David Toop and Max Eastly, in that it is inspired by British minimalism, free improvisation, and sound sculpture, the music is Zen-like and can be simultaneously elating and dark. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Before Thalia Zedek was in Live Skull, Uzi, Come or performed as a solo artist, she co-led early-eighties new wave band Dangerous Birds. I will leave it to the vociferous Thalia Zedek following to tell you more about her later more "violent" music but I'm gonna quickly rave about "Smile on You Face". That song is Zedek's half of the sole Dangerous Birds release. The A-Side, "Alpha Romeo", is a pleasant pop tune in The Bangles vein (written by bandmate Lori Green) which later appeared on the 'D.I.Y. Boston compilation, Mass. Avenue'. However, Thalia's intricate, psychedelic but hook-laden B-side, which showed up on on 'Sub Pop 100' four years after the fact, is the real colossus here. [SOURCE: MUSIC RUINED MY LIFE]
Nigel James & Peter Oldroyd formed Camera Obscura in the winter of 1982. 'Destitution b/w Race in Athens' became the duo's first single on Small Wonder Records in the spring of 1983, followed by "Village of Stars" and "Insect" for the B-side, in London, at the Atmosphere studios on Wardour Street . These tracks were never released and sadly the masters have not survived. Camera Obscura played live extensively at this time and they soldiered on into 1985 with a 4-piece line up (Gary Scargill and Rob Gospel were added). Nigel left in '87 and was replaced by Steve Wright from Fiat Lux. Sadly the band ended there. However, Camera Obscura never actually split up. [SOURCE: DISCOGS]
The Batfish Boys (later simply called Batfish) were a gothic rock/garage rock/rockabilly band from York and Leeds, England, active between 1984 and 1990. The band was formed by former March Violets vocalist Simon Detroit (b. Simon Denbigh) and ex-Skeletal Family drummer Martin "Bomber" Pink, initially assisted on their first single, 1985's 'Swamp Liquor' (their first release on their own Batfish Incorporated label) by Denbigh's ex-bandmates in March Violets, bassist Loz Elliott and guitarist Tom Ashton. Their goth tendencies evolved into a more Stooges-influenced garage rock sound, and debut album 'The Gods Hate Kansas' prompted comparisons to the likes of The Cramps and The Gun Club. By that point, the band had added bassist Bob "Diablo" Priestley and guitarists Johnny Burman and Murray Fenton. In 1986, Zero Rek (Martin Herbert) replaced Fenton on guitar. The Batfish Boys' second album, 'Head', also appeared that year, laced with psychedelic blues overtones. With the band's sound getting progressively heavier, they were signed by Motörhead's label, GWR, in 1987, and shortened their name to Batfish. The first release on GWR was 1988's "Another One Bites The Dust" single, a mash-up cover of "Purple Haze" and Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". The third Batfish Boys album, 'Batfish Brew', was released in 1989, but the band split shortly afterwards. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Madrid group formed on 1982 by Pablo Calonge (voice), Alberto Cedrón (guitar), Antonio Cedrón (bass), Tania Copado (keyboard and voice) and Agustín (drums). They played a couple of times in Rockola in 1983 with quite success. They published a single with El Fantasma del Paraíso label titled 'Francotirador' with his last line up: Pablo Calonge, Alberto Cedrón, Antonio Cedrón and Tania Copado. By that time Agustín, the drummer, left the group and they handled a drum machine. In 1984, El Fantasma del Paraíso published a compilation with the bands of the label (Beirut La Noche, Daké, Piter Pank, Vº Congreso, Corazones Blindados, Kaka de Luxe, Extraño Equilibrio, Squash, Talycual, Darwin and Martínez) where Flácidos Lunes included "Francotirador". [SOURCE: GRUPOS NACIONALES NUEVA OLA 80]
Above Ground was a band from Christchurch, New Zealand formed in 1983. Above Ground developed out of the friendship of the four members: Bill Direen (Guitar/Vocals), Carol Woodward (Keyboards), Maryrose Wilkinson (Bass/Vocals) and Stuart Page (Drums). The group played locally and at the Punakaiki Music Festival (West Coast, New Zealand); and would have been forgotten like a lot of bands had Page not recorded nearly every practice and concert and organised the 'Gone AIWA' cassette (1983), re-released in 2011 on vinyl by Siltbreeze. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
18:e Oktober from Motala, Sweden was mainly a one man band playing experimental yet melodic electronic music between 1984 and 1988. The one man being Tor Sigvardson. During these years a handful of cassettes were released, some gigs took place and 18:e Oktober also contributed to a couple of compilation cassettes at the time. In 1988 the project went into sleep mode and Tor Sigvardson started up two new electronic acts. Short lived space nursery crazies Rymdkapsel Crash, and Lorelei de Lux a more long lasting electronic pop project with female vocals. Currently what was once 18:e Oktober is now one half of the instrumental electro-duo The Quiet Men focusing on improvised concerts in modern old skol style. In 1994 the cassette 'En Sammanfattning' (a summary) was released gathering new mixes of the most popular songs from the original cassettes. Released in an extremely small quantity it’s a hard to get item these days. [SOURCE: MINIMAL WAVE RECORDS]
The Zombies were a Spanish pop band from the early 80s. The group was founded by the precocious Bernardo Bonezzi (Madrid, 1964-2012), who before the age of fourteen had captained a musical project called Morbus Acre. He had briefly been part of the seminal group of the "movida madrileña" Kaka de Luxe. The Zombies combined influences of glam rock (Lou Reed, David Bowie, Brian Eno) and the new wave (Talking Heads, The B-52's). They recorded in RCA, relasing their first single, the catchy "Groenlandia", in 1980, a song that still remains among the best known of Spanish pop of the 80s. Encouraged by the success of the single, they recorded their first album, 'Extraños Juegos', one of the most successful pop records of those years. However, after the release of the second album, 'La Muralla China', Bonezzi decided to leave the group to devote to other projects. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
