Crisis

Crisis are a British punk rock band formed in 1977 in Guildford in Surrey with the lineup of Phrazer (vocals), Lester Jones (lead guitar), Douglas Pearce (guitar), Tony Wakeford (bass) and Insect Robin the Cleaner (drums). They performed at rallies for Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League, and at Right to Work marches. 

Their debut single, 'No Town Hall', was released in 1978 on Action Group Records. On 11 January 1978, Crisis recorded four tracks at a Peel Session for BBC Radio 1, with two of the tracks released as the 'UK 79' 7" single in 1979 on the Ardkor label. The remaining two Peel Session songs were posthumously issued by Ardkor in 1981 as 'Alienation'.

In early 1979, the band underwent a major change in personnel when Phrazer and Insect Robin the Cleaner were replaced by Dexter (a longtime fan and roadie) and Luke Rendle. After performing their last show, supporting Magazine and Bauhaus in their hometown of Guildford on 10 May 1980, the band broke up. A recording of the final show was released in 2008 as the 'Ends!' CD. 

Pearce and Wakeford went on to form Death in June in 1981. Wakeford later joined The Runners from 84, Above the Ruins and Sol Invictus. Rendle joined The Straps, then The Pack / Theatre of Hate. Jones formed Carcrash International. In 1985, Jones also performed as a touring member of Andi Sex Gang & the Quick Gas Gang. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA] 

The Creeps

An uninhibited, unpretentious garage rock band, The Creeps were formed in Sweden in 1985. Taking as their principal starting point the work of The Animals, Robert Jelinek (vocals, guitar), Hans Ingemansson (Hammond organ), Anders Olsson (bass) and Patrick Olson (drums) have become something of a Scandinavian Hamsters via their hard-gigging schedule. Their second album, 'Now Dig This', was released in 1988. Their most popular song, "Ooh I Like It", became a major Swedish hit two years later, and was eventually voted Best Song Of The Year by MTV viewers in 1990. The parent album, 'Blue Tomato', proved another major success, though The Creeps’ fixation with live performance has never been properly converted to the studio. Such was the scale and intensity of their touring that they were forced to take a career break in the early 90s with various members on the verge of nervous breakdowns. Refreshed, they returned in 1993 with the typically upbeat 'Seriouslessness', a superbly rendered collection of bar-room R&B songs. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

New Age Steppers

Rallying around the considerable talents of British producer / modern dub mastermind Adrian Sherwood, the New Age Steppers were not so much a band as they were a loosely knit aggregation of musicians from some of Britain's best avant-garde post-punk / funk bands. There was Ari Upp from The Slits, Mark Stewart from The Pop Group, and John Waddington and Bruce Smith from Rip, Rig & Panic. Along with the usual gang of suspects employed by Sherwood's dynamically creative On-U Sound (George Oban, Style Scott, Eskimo Fox) studio, the sound of the New Age Steppers was that of cut-and-paste dub mixing, psychedelic swirls of found sounds, dissonant aural collages, sinewy reggae riddims, and odd, semi-tuneful vocals. Not for the faint of heart, the music created by Sherwood and his Steppers was among the most exhilarating and consistently challenging to come out of Britain during the early post-punk era. It wasn't always accessible, but it has few peers in terms of ingenuity and daring. Highly recommended to those whose musical tastes occasionally reside on pop's radical, experimental fringes. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

The Dead C

Forerunners of post-rock and the modern-day revival of space rock, The Dead C are an improvisational, hugely prolific noise rock trio indebted to Sonic Youth (whose Thurston Moore is an avowed fan), as well as Krautrock and psychedelia. Challenging and mostly instrumental, they have been a definite anomaly on the New Zealand scene, which was still known primarily for the jangly collegiate pop associated with the Flying Nun label when the band first emerged in the late '80s. Perhaps in part for that reason, The Dead C didn't attract much of a fan base in their home country; their audience was mostly international, developed initially through fanzine culture and word of mouth. 

They did, however, help spark a more experimental music scene around their native Dunedin, which was centered around bassist Bruce Russell's Xpressway label and boosted the careers of musicians like Alistair Galbraith and Peter Jefferies. They have also influenced a broad range of bands, from the ambient post-rock of Flying Saucer Attack and Labradford to the neo-psychedelia of Bardo Pond to lo-fi indie rockers like Pavement and Sebadoh. The Dead C's own music holds elements of all those styles, and has remained essentially the same for most of the band's life: murky, hazy, loosely structured drone rock, enveloped in a thick crust of avowedly low-fidelity guitar noise, and often warped with tape manipulations or studio treatments. Consistent almost to a fault, their catalog is generally very much of a piece, with minor variations here and there; this, combined with size and scarcity of their oeuvre, could make finding entry difficult, but experimental rock enthusiasts have often found the rewards worth pursuing. 

The Dead C were formed in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1986, with a lineup of guitarist/occasional vocalist Michael Morley (a onetime member of the evocatively named Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos), bassist and Xpressway label head Bruce Russell, and drummer Robbie Yeats (formerly of the well-liked Kiwi pop band The Verlaines). In keeping with the early format of Xpressway and Morley's own Precious Metal imprint, their earliest releases were only available on limited-run cassettes, but they also hooked up with Flying Nun in 1988 to issue their first LP, 'DR503' (which was retitled 'DR503b' and 'DR503c' for later reissues). A second Flying Nun LP, 'Eusa Kills', appeared in 1989 and featured a bizarre cover of T. Rex's "Children of the Revolution." 

The Dead C next forged a relationship with Philadelphia-based indie Siltbreeze, which would issue the majority of their output during the '90s. The first was 1990's 'Helen Said This', which was later reissued on CD as part of a two-fer with the formerly cassette-only 'Trapdoor Fucking Exit' (the latter's title was used for the CD). Released in 1992, the double-LP set 'Harsh ‘70s Reality' is regarded by most as a high point -perhaps the high point- of the band's career, ranging from relatively concise songs to the side-long jam "Driver U.F.O." In its wake, Morley and Russell both launched side projects -Gate and A Handful of Dust, respectively- that allowed them to pursue even more esoteric avenues. A flood of Dead C material followed between 1993-1994 as well: the improvisational 'The Operation of the Sonne', the outtakes / archival collection 'World Peace Hope Et Al' (on the British label Shock), the live album 'Clyma Est Mort', and an EP titled 'The Dead C Vs Sebadoh' (which is not a collaboration with the American indie rock band fronted by Lou Barlow). 

The Dead C hit another creative high point with 1995's 'The White House', a fan favorite that brought a touch more structure to the group's usually free-form compositions. The live album 'Repent' followed in 1996, while the next year's 'Tusk' -titled ironically after the Fleetwood Mac album- proved to be their last effort for Siltbreeze. It also marked the end of their most prolific period, as the band subsequently spent an astonishing (for them) three years off record. They weren't inactive, though; when they finally returned in 2000, it was with an eponymously titled double-CD release of sessions conducted from 1995-1999. The Dead C was released on the group's new Language Recordings label, which allowed the bandmembers greater financial control. Their second Language album, 2002's 'New Electric Music', was the most electronically oriented item in their by then large discography to date. Issued in 2003, 'The Damned' found a more widespread American release via the Starlight Furniture label. 

Following a 2005 12" with African percussion ensemble Konono No. 1, released as the 18th volume of FatCat Records' Split Series, The Dead C began a long-running relationship with American label Ba Da Bing, which released 'Relax Fallujah - Hell Has Come' (a 7" of early recordings) and the double-CD compilation 'Vain, Erudite and Stupid', which spanned their entire career up to that point. A split LP with Hi God People on the Nervous Jerk label also appeared in 2006. The Dead C's first albums for Ba Da Bing were 'Future Artists' in 2007 and 'Secret Earth' in 2008. These were followed in 2010 by the new album 'Patience' and reissues 'Clyma Est Mort / Tentative Power' and 'Perform M Harris'. 'Armed Courage', consisting of two side-long tracks, appeared in 2013, as did a split LP with Rangda. The four-LP live box set 'The Twelfth Spectacle' was issued by Grapefruit Records in 2014. A limited 7" single titled 'Palisades' was released by I Dischi Del Barone in 2015. The double album 'Trouble' appeared on Ba Da Bing in 2016. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

Charanjit Singh

Charanjit Singh (1940 – 5 July 2015) was an Indian musician from Mumbai, who performed as a session musician, often as a guitarist or synthesizer player, in numerous Bollywood soundtrack orchestras from the 1960s to 1980s, working with filmi composers such as Shankar-Jaikishan, R.D. Burman (Rahul Dev Burman), S.D. Burman, and Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Singh led a wedding band and recorded and released a number of albums covering popular film songs. These were a form of instrumental elevator music, some of which have since been re-released by Sublime Frequencies, such as his steel guitar renditions of "Manje Re" from "Bandhe Haath" in 1973 and "Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne" from "Yaadon Ki Baaraat" in 1975. In 1981, he produced synthesizer-based electronic renditions of the "Silsila" soundtrack in his record 'Charanjit Singh: Plays Hit Tunes on Synthesizer of Silsila'.

In the 21st century, Charanjit Singh gained attention for his 1982 release 'Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat', an album originally intended as a fusion of electronic disco music with Indian classical ragas. Singh's use of both the TR-808 drum machine and TB-303 bass synthesizer has led some music journalists to suggest that it is perhaps the earliest example of acid house music; predating Phuture's seminal Chicago acid house record "Acid Tracks" (1987) by five years. Comparisons have also been made with the work of other electronic dance musicians who were inspired by acid house such as Ceephax, Phuture 303, and Aphex Twin. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA] 

The Blush

Early 1980s post-punk with icy string synths, detached vocals, heavy driving bass, and razor sharp guitars like Factory / 4AD vibes. 'A Look From Outside' is the lone release by UK band The Blush, who self-released this 7” in 1982. The lineup on the back of the sleeve lists five members -two guitars, bass, drums, and of course, synths. There may be some Associates connections, though it’s hard to tell if the original lineup changed or adopted pseudonyms before this single was recorded. Even without confirmation, this single should definitely please fans of early Associates material, as well as bands like The Names, Acute Logic, etc. [SOURCE: SYSTEMS OF ROMANCE] 

Ann Steel

Ann Steel, lead singer from Boston, had arrived in Italy in 1979 with a master at the University of Michigan in Medieval and Renaissance music and some experience in American experimental theatre with the Living Theater by Julien Beck, as well as classical, playing: King Lear, Old Times by Harold Pinter and many other theatrical pieces. 

She was chosen by Roberto Cacciapaglia after a long search. Ann Steel possessed pop music features but also the wanted sonority. She was modelling, and her voice was well cared for and straightforward with little vibrato, she had sung for a long time sacred music in churches and cathedrals in America. 

The songs are crafted with acoustic instruments masked by electronica. For example, all the bass lines are performed by playing the piano with prepared rubber between the strings, the rhythmic harmonics are performed with light chains that touch the strings of the piano and give a metallic and percussive sound, but harmonious, many guitar parts are executed at low speed or taped and then turned backwards. In some passages Roberto Cacciapaglia used filtering of the harpsichord and the portative organ. The drums and percussion were performed separately in order to be manipulated independently: it may sound electronic, but the truth is that all was played acoustic, with great skill and precision by Peppe Sciuto. 

Lyrics by Giada Manca di Villahermosa are a fundamental part of the project, bizarrely suggesting an artificial world, that in many respects has proved to be prophetic. 

The first release of 'The Ann Steel Album', was distributed in 1979, in Italy by Durium, France by Barclay and in Germany by Metronome, it has received international acknowledgement including the Olimpia di Parigi. 

'The Ann Steel Album' CD was released in 2003, dedicated to the memory and work of Guglielmo Marconi, it includes all songs from the original LP and the single 'Media / Sweet Life'. The CD booklet also contains a number of unpublished pictures that portray the beautiful model-singer. 

The idea of re-issuing 'The Ann Steel Album' was born by the interest that trendy Parisian label Colette had shown about the song “My Time”, which they included in one of the Colette’s compilations: Colette N°4. The increasing attention on this song brought the Recording Arts (which publishes Roberto Cacciapaglia’s work) to re-issue the whole album that is still today modern and timeless. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]

The Zeros

Often referred to as "the Mexican Ramones," The Zeros (guitarist and singer Javier Escovedo, second guitarist Robert Lopez, bassist Hector Peñalosa, and drummer Baba Chenelle) were just one of many contributors to the L.A. punk explosion in the late '70s. Although they never received the acclaim of such L.A. peers as Black Flag, The Circle Jerks, or X, The Zeros made admirers out of such renowned artists as Tom Waits, Patti Smith, and The Damned, played numerous West Coast shows with the likes of Dils, Avengers, X, Plugz, Nerves, and Wipers, and even gave the Germs their very first live gig -opening for them in 1977. The group was first formed in 1976, and were initially known as "The Main Street Brats" -but by the time of their first show, they had settled on the name The Zeros. Although the quartet broke up in 1981, The Zeros have re-formed sporadically for live shows (such as a 1991 benefit show for ailing punk rocker / writer Craig Lee, and a few years later, Bomp Records' 25th anniversary party), and a full album -1999's 'Right Now!' In addition, several of The Zeros' compositions have been covered by other bands around the world, including Spain's La Secta ("Wild Weekend"), Australia's Hoodoo Gurus, Sweden's The Nomads ("Wimp"), and Hollywood's The Muffs ("Beat Your Heart Out"). [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

The Weeds

Dunedin supergroup The Weeds were Michael Morley (bass, vocals), Shayne Carter (guitar, vocals), Robert Scott (guitar, bass, vocals) and on drums, Jeff Harford, Chris Healey or John Collie.

Sometimes they played in their underwear and in 1985 they released the raucous folk-blues ‘Wheatfields’ as a one-off single, flipped with a live take on Elvis Presley’s "Trouble" on Flying Nun Records. 

'Pay It All Back', a 13-song tape, was released in 1985 on Scott’s Every Secret Thing tape imprint, followed in 1986 by songs on three subsequent EST compilation tapes. An EP was recorded with Ivan Purvis at Chippendale House in Dunedin in November 1985 but remains unreleased in that form. 

Hometown shows in Dunedin’s Chippendale House in August 1985 were followed by a trip north to Christchurch’s DB Gladstone in October 1985. [SOURCE: AUDIOCULTURE] 

Vox Pop

There's little documented about this L.A. band. Vox Pop were active in the timeframe of 1978-1980 and preceded and perhaps overlapped a little with 45 Grave to which three of the members eventually ended up. They are most famous as a footnote to The Germs story in that this band is often cited as the reason Darby Crash kicked Don Bolles (Germs drummer) out of the band.

They released two singles, at least one on the same label that released some Angry Samoans (Bad Trip Records) an other on Mystic Records. The front cover photo of this record has Dinah Cancer holding what looks to be a 7" record (that's Paul B. Cutler providing the full frontal nudity and Jeff Dahl standing in shock to left). [SOURCE. VINYL MINE]