The Nivens were an Indie pop band from Cramlington, Northumberland that existed between 1987 to 1990. Recording for the excellent Woosh label, their debut 'Yesterday' hit the indie top ten in January 1989. Members were Peter Martin (vocals), Stephen Bell (guitar, vocals), David Timlin (bass), Steven Wall (drums) and Gary Wilkinson (guitar). Not to be confused with The Nivens from Norwich, UK who recorded at the same time for the French Danceteria label. [SOURCE: C86 SHOW - INDIE POP]
The Bachelor Pad were a five piece
Scottish psych influenced indie pop / rock group
consisting of Tommy Cherry (vocals/ guitar), Martin Cotter (guitar/vocals), Dave Harris (keyboards), Willie Bain (bass) and Graham Adam (drums).
Their first recording came in early 1987 via one side of a free flexidisc given away with a fanzine before three singles in a twelve month period for Warhola Records. It would be a further two years before the release of a debut LP on Imaginary Records and then finally three singles on Egg Records before they called it a day in 1991.
One critic has described them as fusing quickfire retro-punk, retro-Pysche and retro-Swinging Sixties, all of which make it difficult to accurately describe what they sound like, and been described as a cross between Syd Barrett and Buzzcocks. [SOURCE: THE (NEW) VYNIL VILLAIN]
The Great Leap Forward is a band formed by former Big Flame member Alan Brown, when his previous band split up in 1987. After several releases the project was put on hold in 1990, but revived in 2008 with subsequent album releases.
The Great Leap Forward is essentially a solo project, although various musicians were added for live performances. The sound is more melodic and accessible than Brown's earlier band, but still with overtly political lyrics. After two EPs and a 12-inch single on Ron Johnson Records, that label's collapse led to a move to Communications Unique for debut album 'Don't Be Afraid Of Change'. A 12-inch single, 'Heart and Soul', was followed by the LP compilation 'Season 87-88' which largely comprised tracks from the three Ron Johnson singles, and the CD compilation 'Great Leap Forward', before Brown put the project on hold in early 1990. A mini-LP, 'Tolerance & Respect' had been planned for a Spring 1990 release but was shelved.
The Great Leap Forward recorded two sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show, in May 1987 and January 1988. James Dean Bradfield included the debut Great Leap Forward EP in his top 10 favourites from the C86 era. In October 2008, Brown revived The Great Leap Forward and released a CD of new material, 'Finished Unfinished Business', followed in 2012 by a further album 'This Is Our Decade of Living Cheaply and Getting By'. In Spring 2021, Brown is releasing another album 'Revolt Against an Age of Plenty' on A Turntable Friend Records.
Brown has since played bass in Sarandon, and guitar in a reformed A Witness, although both these bands have since ceased to perform. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
The enduring L.A. punk band Social Distortion has overcome numerous personnel shifts, the demise of the Los Angeles hardcore scene that spawned them, and the heroin addiction of singer/guitarist/bandleader Mike Ness to achieve a measure mainstream acceptance for their rootsy, hard-hitting punk without compromise. Inspired by the fertile L.A. punk scene, Ness formed the group in 1978 with drummer Casey Royer and brothers Frank (bass) and Rikk Agnew (guitar). When the brothers left to join the Adolescents, Ness' schoolmate Dennis Danell joined on bass; the next few years saw a revolving-door membership. When the group finally recorded its debut album, 'Mommy's Little Monster' in 1983, the band consisted of Ness, Danell (now on guitar), bassist Brent Liles, and drummer Derek O'Brien. Their music was often described as a punk version of The Rolling Stones, and "Another State of Mind" was one of the few punk videos to air on MTV in 1984. However, the band took four years to record a follow-up, as Ness descended into heroin addiction and self-consciously rebellious behavior. Liles and O'Brien left, and Ness, after straightening himself out, finally regrouped in 1988 with John Maurer on bass and Chris Reece on drums. This lineup recorded 'Prison Bound', a mature album broadening Social Distortion's roots rock influences with a country feel. Their self-titled 1990 effort included a cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and returned the group to MTV via "Ball and Chain." 'Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell' became their most popular album to date, producing a minor radio hit in "Bad Luck" and keeping with their now-established blend of punk, blues, country, and rockabilly.
Social Distortion took an extended hiatus following the release of 'Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell', returning in 1996 with 'White Light, White Heat, White Trash', which proved to be a moderate hit on MTV and modern-rock radio; former Black Flag and D.O.A. drummer Chuck Biscuits made his debut on the album, following the departure of Reece. 'Live at the Roxy' followed in 1998, and a year later Ness issued a pair of solo albums, 'Cheating at Solitaire' and the covers collection 'Under the Influences'. Danell died February 29, 2000 of an apparent brain aneurysm; the guitarist was just 38-years-old. In the fall of 2000, Jonny Wickersham signed on as the group's new guitarist, and Charlie Quintana took over on drums from the often busy Biscuits. After extensive touring, the band went back into the studio in 2004 to record 'Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll'. Another six years passed before Social D returned to recording. Produced by Mike Ness himself, 2011's glossy-but-muscular 'Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes' featured a new lineup, with bassist Brent Harding and the son of Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo, drummer David Hidalgo Jr. joining Wickersham and Ness. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
The Boy Hairdressers were the indie band that Norman Blake formed after he left The Pretty Flowers, but before he joined BMX Bandits or formed Teenage Fanclub with fellow Boy Hairdressers member Raymond McGinley. Other members of The Boy Hairdressers included Jim Lambie (now a successful visual artist) and Paul Quinn (later the singer for Bourgie Bourgie). [SOURCE: LAST.FM]
Associated with the Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS) since the mid-'70s, avant-rock collective Smegma have been a long-standing influence on several generations of noise and experimental artists. With the musicians hidden behind ridiculous pseudonyms, Smegma offer a strange psychedelic improvisational music, throwing in all sorts of odd instruments as well as tapes and turntables. Perhaps most significantly, they've always maintained a Dadaist sense of humor, and have steadfastly avoided the self-seriousness of most avant-garde musicians. Over 100 individuals have performed as part of Smegma since the group's inception, and the collective has collaborated with Wild Man Fischer (1998's as 'Sing Popular Songs'), Merzbow ('Smegma Plays Merzbow/Merzbow Plays Smegma', 1996), Wolf Eyes ('The Beast', 2003), and countless other noise, experimental, and outsider artists.
The group began in Pasadena, California in 1973 as a reaction to the bloated fusion rock of the day. They were unaware that other nearby groups also performed similar free-form experimental music. They became part of a gang of similar noise artists who gathered almost nightly in the backroom of the Poo-Bah record store in Pasadena, which in 1975 merged with the LAFMS. Smegma have always been a loosely run collective, and early members included Amazon Bambi, Chucko D.K. Fatts, Ju Suk Reet Meate, Dennis Duck, Cheezit Ritz, Cheezbro, Dr. Id, Dr. Odd, and Reed Burns. Ace Ford Farren, who joined the group in early 1974, introduced Smegma to crazed street performer and Zappa protégé Wild Man Fischer, and in two sessions, one on New Years Day of 1975 and one a few months later, they recorded some tracks with Fischer on vocals.
Smegma moved to Portland, Oregon at the end of 1975 but remained in touch with the rest of the LAFMS crowd. After appearing on various LAFMS compilations, their first LP, 'Glamour Girl 1941', was recorded and produced in their own studio in July 1978 and released by LAFMS the following year. They also released several 7" singles that same year on their own Pigface label. The next year found them sharing a 7" with industrial pioneer NON (Boyd Rice), released by Mute.
Throughout the '80s, Smegma kept a low profile and continued to put out LPs, singles, and cassettes on their own label, and occasionally played live. With their worldwide reputation firmly cemented, their LP 'Nattering Naybobs of Negativity' was released by the U.K. label Dead Mans Curve in 1987 and the LP 'Smell the Remains' by the German label Dom in 1989. More albums came out in the mid-'90s on the Portland label Tim/Kerr, including the LP 'Smegma Plays Merzbow/Merzbow Plays Smegma' with Japanese noise artist Merzbow. In the late '90s, rock & roll author Richard Meltzer became their vocalist, adding his verbal ramblings and sardonic wit to their improvised sound. This lineup of Smegma contributed to 'The Completed Soundtrack for the Tropic of Nipples', a 2002 release which also included material by a Robert Pollard project called Antler.
Meltzer left Smegma in 2003, the same year the group collaborated with Wolf Eyes on an album titled 'The Beast'. Stooges saxophonist Steve Mackay played with the group later in the year, and their collaborative CD 'Thirtyyearsofservice...' appeared in 2004. 'Live at No Fun Fest', with clarinetist Perry Robinson, was released by Italian label Qbico in 2006, and Smegma's collaborative LP with Carlos Giffoni and Metalux also appeared that year, as a split release between LAFMS and Giffoni's No Fun Productions. 'Endless Coast', a 2007 collaboration with Jazkamer, was also released by No Fun, and 'Smegma's 33 1/3' appeared on Important Records the same year. Various tracks previously released on 7" singles during the '90s were compiled on 'The Smell Remains the Same', an LP issued by Anarchymoon Recordings. 'Live! 2004', which featured Mackay as well as Jello Biafra and was released by Resipiscent in 2008.
In 2009 and 2010, Smegma shared a few split releases with Kommissar Hjuler und Frau. They also released another album on Important ('Mirage') as well as a self-titled LP on La Station Radar. 'I Am Not Artist', a six-LP/DVD box set of material from the '70s and '80s, was released by Vinyl-on-Demand. Around this time, John Wiese, of Sissy Spacek and Bastard Noise, began performing with Smegma. 'Suite the Hen's Teeth', a collaboration with lutist Jozef van Wissem, appeared on Incunabulum in 2011. Smegma's LP 'Wild Blue Yonders' was released by Sweden's iDEAL Recordings in 2012, and 'Ever and Anon' appeared on Ultramarine later in the year. Egyptian label Nashazphone released 'Guff Vout Mulch', Smegma's collaboration with Blood Stereo, in 2013.
Wiese's Helicopter label released 'Mutant Stomps', an LP containing archival material from the group's early days, in 2014. 'Sonic Transgressions' (with Winters in Osaka) appeared in 2015, and 'Live at the X-Ray Cafe', containing two performances from the '90s, was released by Voodoo Doughnut in 2016. A collaboration with harsh noise group Black Leather Jesus was released by Axis Mundi in 2017. Also appearing that year was 'Look'n for Ya', an LP of early, Pasadena-era Smegma recordings, issued by Italian label Alga Marghen. This was followed by 'Abacus Incognito', another release of archival material, in 2018. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
All-star N.Y.C. blues-punk combo Boss Hog was helmed by the husband-and-wife team of singer Cristina Martinez and singer/guitarist Jon Spencer, who'd previously teamed up in the legendary cult band Pussy Galore. The duo formed Boss Hog to fill a last-minute cancellation at the famed CBGB, earning instant notoriety when Martinez performed their debut show au naturel; guitarists Jerry Teel and Kurt Wolf, bassist Pete Shore, and drummer Charlie Ondras completed the lineup for 1989's EP 'Drinkin', Lechin' & Lyin'. In the wake of 1990's 'Cold Hands', Spencer formed The Blues Explosion, forcing Boss Hog onto the back burner; by the time the group returned in 1993 with 'Girl +', only Martinez and Spencer remained from the original lineup, with ex-SwansJens Jürgensen assuming bass duties and Hollis Queens joining on drums. The record's success in indie circles resulted in a deal with major-label Geffen that yielded a self-titled 1995 LP; little was heard from Boss Hog throughout the remainder of the decade (although Spencer and Martinez had a baby), but in early 2000 the group finally resurfaced with 'Whiteout', featuring ex-Goats keyboardist Mark Boyce.
Following the release of 'Girl Positive Plus' in 2001, Boss Hog was quiet on the recording front (despite playing occasional live shows), but Martinez appeared as a guest artist on several albums by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and Martinez and Spencer collaborated on a 2010 album with Solex, 'Amsterdam Throwdown King Street Showdown!'. While Boss Hog played a handful of shows in 2008, the band spent the better part of 16 years on hiatus as Martinez looked after her son and worked in the magazine publishing industry. That changed in 2016, when Martinez and Spencer announced that the group had two new recordings ready for release. Boss Hog -whose lineup now featured Martinez, Spencer, Queens, Jürgensen, and Mickey Finn- released an EP, 'Brood Star', in July 2016 via In the Red Records, with a short West Coast tour booked in support. A full-length album, 'Brood X', appeared in March 2017, and Boss Hog set out on a nationwide tour. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
The Clouds were a Glasgow-based indie pop band from the 1980s, fronted by brothers John and Bill Charnley. 'Tranquil', The Clouds' only single (on the Subway Organisation label), had a hit on the UK Indie Chart in 1988, reaching number 13. The two songs on the records B side were "Get Out of my Dream" and "Village Green", both written by the Charnley brothers. The released track included John on guitar and vocals, Bill on keyboard and vocals, Gino Ionta on drums, Andy Brady on bass guitar and Norman Blake (BMX Bandits, Teenage Fanclub) on lead guitar and backing vocals. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
This Poison! was a UK indie rock group formed in Perth (UK) in 1986 and disbanded in 1988. Members were Scott "Saigz" Taylor (vocals, guitar), Derek Moir (guitar, vocals), Alistair "Lites" Donald (bass) and Steve Gray (drums). They only released the 'Poised Over The Pause Button' EP and the 'Engine Failure' 7", both in 1987 on the Reception label, The Wedding Present's own label, which went down the pan with a distribution company in the '80s. Both records were included in the compilation 'Magazine', released by Egg Records in 2004. Egg Records is an independent record label based in Glasgow, Scotland founded by Jim Kavanagh. The label initially released 8 records between 1988 and 1991. After a long hiatus these long deleted vinyl discs were restored to CD, starting in 2003 with the "introduction to" compilation and now with compilations of the bands with various bonus 'basement tape' numbers. The restoration programme is now extended to other bands from the era.
ZK was a German punk band from Düsseldorf, which is considered the precursor band of the group Die Toten Hosen. Initially, they called themselves Zentralkomitee Stadtmitte, but in the scene primarily established the abbreviation ZK, subsequently, the name was officially adopted.
ZK was founded in November 1978 by Campino, Ralf Isbert and Claus Fabian. The first gig was in March 1979 at the Ratinger Hof. It was not until the end of 1980 that guitarist Andreas von Holst became a permanent member.
In the beginning, the group played punk rock, but then steadily developed their style and integrated Schlager and Rockabilly elements into their music. The group's humorous lyrics were striking, revolving, for example, around cleaning lady phobias, cowboys sitting in bathtubs, or Santas with unwanted presents.
A single was released in 1979 and other one in 1980, followed by the album 'Eddie's Salon' in 1981. On November 21, 1981, ZK gave their last concert at the Okie-Dokie in Neuss. The band members went different ways afterwards. After the band broke up, another live album was released in 1982.
Campino, Von Holst and roadie Andreas Meurer subsequently formed the band Die Toten Hosen. Fabian founded Die Mimmi's and has been running the Bremen punk label Weser Label since 1982. Isbert founded the rockabilly formation Panhandle Alks.
In 2000, a joint concert of Die Toten Hosen and Die Ärzte resulted in a one-time reunion of the band, performing the song "So Wie Konrad". Several songs of the band, for example "Dosenbier" and "Hahnenkampf", are played live by Die Mimmi's.
In 2005 the band met in final line-up in the rehearsal room of Die Toten Hosen. The session was released on the DVD 'Friss Oder Stirb'.
In the context of the Christmas concerts of Die Toten Hosen, which were accompanied by Die Mimmi's on December 26, 2009, ZK played some songs as a surprise opening act.
With the re-release of the album 'Eddie's Salon' for the 40th anniversary, the band managed to enter the German album charts in December 2021. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Wolfgang Riechmann started his musical career in 1966. After playing in a school band with Michael Rother and Wolfgang Flür (who would later join Neu! and Kraftwerk, respectively) he then became a member of Streetmark, another Düsseldorf-based band.
Toward the end of 1977, Riechmann began working on a solo project. The result was the LP 'Wunderbar', which was issued on Sky Records. Unfortunately he did not survive to see the album's release. In August 1978 he was fatally stabbed in a random act of violence.
The tragic end of Wolfgang Riechmann's life before his solo debut was released inevitably colors how to listen to 'Wunderbar', but taken on its own merits, the album is an enjoyable if not necessarily classic effort in experimental '70s German music, a blending of rock and synth instrumentation at once playful and slightly spooky. The opening lope of the title track sets the tone, sounding like it should soundtrack some odd sci-fi series of the time, with a lead melody alternately played on flanged guitar and serene keyboards as a steady beat chugs. From there, the musician explores a variety of familiar-from-the-time styles as he goes -rhythmic synthesizer pulse and drones on "Weltweit," stately keyboard melodic ambience on "Abendlicht," and the strong march of "Himmelblau," one of two songs featuring Riechmann's wordless chanting. Perhaps the strongest song is "Silberland," at once a chilly, alien-sounding arrangement and a stirring melody suggestive of a lost national anthem. It's odd to think, though, that in the end Riechmann might best be remembered for 'Wunderbar's striking cover photo, with the musician covered in blue and white makeup that Gary Numan would later completely reuse for his 'Berserker' album. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Japanese new wave band P-Model started up in 1979, formed by central member Hirasawa Susumu out of the remains of his previous band, the progressive rock group Mandrake. Often credited, together with their contemporaries the Plastics and Hikashu, as co-founders of Japanese techno-pop, P-Model's influence has been felt over several generations of Japanese music. P-Model's 1979 debut album, 'In a Model Room', was produced by Sakuma Masahide of the Plastics, cementing the early connection between the two groups. Like the Plastics', the sound is heavily influenced by new wave and techno-pop, although P-Model's approach is more influenced by the edgy post-punk sound of British groups like XTC than the more conceptual style of Sakuma's own band. 1980's 'Landsale' continued in a similar vein, but 1981's 'Potpourri' was a far darker album, with multi-layered synthesizers and a greater use of distortion and guitar effects. The songs are more experimental in nature, with elements of dub and industrial music. This more experimental style continued with 1982's 'Perspective', which resembles efforts by groups like Magazine, with its heavy, echoing synth rock sound. P-Model continued their intensive schedule of releases until 1986's 'One Pattern', by which time Hirasawa was the only original member left. After this, Hirasawa worked on solo material and the band's releases dried up for a while; P-Model re-emerged in 1992 with a new lineup and a self-titled album that made greater use of sequencers and dance beats. This album and its follow-up, 1993's 'Big Body', introduced the style that would define Hirasawa's music, drawing on techno music as well as sounds and melodies influenced by his time spent in Thailand. The 1990s also saw Hirasawa working in closer collaboration with new bandmate Konishi Kenji, whose influence was strongly felt on 1995's 'Fune'. In the late 1990s, a number of bands in Tokyo and nearby Chiba appeared, championing the influence of the '80s new wave generation, and P-Model found themselves at the center of a new wave of popularity, with the band Polysics in particular emulating large parts of the early P-Model sound and even going as far as wearing the same identical "P" badges on their chests while performing. Despite this, the group disbanded at the end of 1999 with Hirasawa concentrating on his solo projects and working on several soundtracks to animated films. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Orior was an obscure British duo formed by Jeff Sharp a.k.a. Clip on synthesizer, harmonies, mixing, treatments and guitar, and Tom Barwood, active between 1979 and 1983. They only released the 'Elevation' 7" in 1979 on the London-based Crystal Groove label, before sinking into oblivion. They opted for a hazy and thick Ambient / Space Music synth sound. [SOURCE: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC]
Neo Zelanda was the first group formed in Spain, exclusively by a woman working in the field of experimental music. Neo Zelanda was founded by a girl called Ani Zinc (María José González), who previously worked with other groups. She released in February 1982 a cassette called 'Radio Sabotage'. This cassette is a study on the possibilities of conjunction between the use of the voice and the sounds coming from the radio. The cassette 'Radio Sabotage' includes songs like "Aborto", "Radio Sabotage 1, 2,3", versions of standard songs like "En Carne Viva", or "Ritmo Tropical", and the popular on the Radio-3 lists "Paso Hambre", song for which she is best known and which was voted with 400 points in the contest of the song of the summer of the radio show "Esto No Es Hawaii" of Radio-3, being placed in the position number 16. [SOURCE: ARTISTAS SONOROS ESPAÑOLES]
Middle Class were an American punk rock/hardcore punk band established in 1976 in Santa Ana, California. The band consisted of Jeff Atta on vocals, Mike Atta on lead guitar, Mike Patton on bass, and Bruce Atta on drums. The band achieved only local success, but has achieved slightly more success in recent years, enough to be included in the hardcore punk documentary "American Hardcore" in 2006. The band’s most popular release was the 'Out of Vogue' EP, released in 1978, particularly known for the titular song “Out of Vogue”. The band pioneered a shouted, fast version of punk rock which would shape the hardcore sound that would soon emerge. The band achieved success in the hardcore punk scene of Southern California. Their first shows were in 1978 in various Los Angeles clubs and ballrooms. Their only LP, 'Homeland', is completely different, a skittering and complicated wonder that compares to the records of The Pop Group. The song "Listen" became a staple on US college radio in the mid-80s. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
