I, Ludicrous is an English pop music trio, formed in 1985 by John Procter (born 1957) and David Rippingale ("Will Hung") (b. 1956). Their debut flexi release ("Preposterous Tales") reached Number 11 in John Peel's Festive Fifty in 1987.
I, Ludicrous are still producing music today, and play occasional live dates, primarily in London. In January 2008 Martin Brett from Voice of the Beehive joined the band on bass guitar. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
The acerbic post-punk outfit Half Man Half Biscuit was formed in Birkenhead, England in 1984 by singer / guitarist Nigel Blackwell, his guitarist brother Si, bassist Neil Crossley, and drummer Paul Wright. While still languishing in relative obscurity, they entered the studio in 1985 to record their debut LP, 'Back in the D.H.S.S.'. Upon its release, the five-piece swiftly became known for their razor-sharp, biting, lyrical content, and earned the endorsement of venerable DJ John Peel. The album quickly grabbed the top spot on the U.K. indie charts, and eventually ranked as the best-selling independent record of 1986. It was a work that showcased their ability to sing about social problems, like unemployment, under a veil of barbed humor. A 1986 EP, 'Trumpton Riots', followed 'Back in the D.H.S.S.' to number one, but Half Man Half Biscuit shunned the spotlight; they refused several offers to perform on TV, and while enjoying a major hit with the single "Dickie Davies' Eyes," announced their breakup in the autumn of 1986. A collection of B-sides and unreleased material, 'Back Again in the D.H.S.S.', followed a year later; finally, in 1990, the Blackwell brothers and Crossley re-formed the band, issuing the LP 'McIntyre, Treadmore & Davitt' in 1991. However, the next album, 'This Leaden Pall', saw the departure of Wright and Lloyd; Blackwell's brother Simon left the following year. Carl Alty joined the band on drums, along with Ian S. Jackson. Both eventually left in 1996 to be replaced by Carl Henry on drums and Ken Hancock on guitar. Following the lineup changes, the ensuing period proved to be stable and productive for the band. After their brief breakup and re-formation, they continued to produce new records every couple of years or so. They put out their 13th record, 'Urge for Offal', in 2014 and 2016 saw the release of a collection called 'And Some Fell on Stony Ground', which was composed of non-album tracks, B-sides, and EP releases. Much like previous Half Man Half Biscuit recordings, it mixed humor and bleakness in equal measure. They returned in 2018 with their 14th LP, 'No-one Cares About Your Creative Hub So Get Your Fuckin Hedge Cut'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Label:
Probe Plus – PROBE 8
Format:
Vinyl, LP, Album
Country:
UK
Released:
1987
Style:
Indie Rock, C86, Post-Punk
Tracklist:
A1 The Best Things In Life
A2 D' Ye Ken Ted Moult?
A3 Reasons To Be Miserable (Part Ten)
A4 Rod Hull Is Alive - Why ?
A5 Dickie Davies Eyes
B1 The Bastard Son Of Dean Friedman
B2 I Was A Teenage Armchair Honved Fan
B3 Arthurs Farm
B4 All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit
B5 Trumpton Riots (7" Remix)
Notes
Tracks A1, A4, A5, B1 and B2 recorded at The Cottage, August '86.
Tracks A2, B3 and B4 recorded at Maida Vale for the 'John Peel Show', November '85.
Track A3 recorded at Maida Vale for the 'John Peel Show', February '86.
Galen Herod was a dead funny chap who laced his charmingly lean but bright machine animations with wickedly off-the-cuff observations about life in mid-west America in a droll way that should resonate with and raise a chuckle from anyone who’s experienced life beyond the big cultural centres. It’s a music that defies frustration and boredom with silly wisdom and instinct, and still sounds uncannily fresh today because of it. [SOURCE: BOOMKAT]
Farenheit 451 was a spanish pop band from the first 80s (1979 - 1982), first called ETC. They were: Jorge Grundman (keyboards, vocals), Juan Carlos Oliden (guitar), Carlos Ibáñez (bass) and Oscar Bergón (drums). Jorge Grundman and Oscar Bergón later formed Tropico De Cancer. [SOURCE: DISCOGS]
This UK group was formed in 1978 by former Damned member Jon Moss and guitarist Lu Edmonds. They were joined by bassist Glyn Havard and pianist Gavin Povey. Although they gigged extensively and undertook studio work, backing Kirsty MacColl en the single "They Don’t Know" and touring as Jane and The Belvederes, their own work was largely ignored. They issued three singles ("Macho Man", "Downhill" and "Watching You") during the late 70’s, and issued the album "Square 1" in 1980 before disbanding. Moss went to join Culture Club, while Edmunds teamed up with Athletico Spizz 80 and later The Mekons. The remaining members returned to session work. [SOURCE: THE COMMERCIAL ZONE]
A New York based early 80's No Wave band that spun off from The Model Citizens after one EP produced by John Cale while other old band-mates formed Polyrock. Material's Fred Maher joined them on drums for some recordings. The band was fronted by Eugenie Diserio, known for her sexy homemade fashion designs and her sultry voice that often played off suggestive lyrics. The Dance also backed and produced a critically acclaimed EP fronted by 12 year old Chandra, a daughter of Eugenie Diserio's art professor Dennis Oppenheim. [SOURCE: DISCOGS]
Label:
Go Go Records – GO GO R003, On Records – ON 01
After leaving Medium Medium, John Rees Lewis formed C Cat Trance with original Medium Medium drummer Nigel Kingston Stone. While similar in some respects to Medium Medium, they incorporated World music elements, releasing a self-titled debut mini-LP in 1983 on the Red Flame label. Subsequent releases were on the Red Flame sub-label Ink, starting with the 'Dreams of Leaving' 12-inch single. They released one album a year between 1985 and 1987 and another in 1992 before splitting up. John Rees Lewis later returned to a reformed Medium Medium. Cherry Red released a collection of the band's best material in 2005. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Glasgow-based Baby Lemonade formed in 1985, rehearsing in front rooms before progessing to making demos, one of which impressed early fan John Peel. Heavenly female vocals and buzzsaw, often feedback-laced guitars lay at the centre of the band’s extraordinary sound. A Sha La La flexi disc, “Jiffy Netwear Creation” was Sounds magazine’s Single-of-the-Week. It was followed by their one and only proper single (“Secret Goldfish”), produced by Douglas Hart (bassist withJesus & Mary Chain), which reached No.9 in the indie charts. Various line-up changes ensued before the band’s only album, "One Thousand Secrets", appeared in 1988. [SOURCE: THE (NEW) VINYL VILLAIN]
A Blaze Colour was the project of Ludo Camberlin [vocals & synths] and Bam (aka Karel Saelemaekers) [synths & visuals]. The group formed in Belgium in 1981, disbanded in 1983, and had a style which was minimal, stripped-down and occasionally experimental. Their only releases were a self-released cassette in 1981, plus a 7" vinyl single and a 12" vinyl EP in 1982. The cover artwork for the cassette and 7" single were designed by Bam. All three of these releases were titled "Against The Dark Trees Beyond", which was originally part of the band's name. The band name was inspired by a phrase Camberlin read in a book by the Irish-American author J P Donleavy. It was shortened to A Blaze Colour because fans were apparently having a difficult time remembering the full name A Blaze Colour Against The Dark Trees Beyond.
Three further tracks were released on different Various Artists compilations -the original version of "Fisk" on "No Big Business" in 1981, "Cold As Ever" on "Hours" in 1982, and "The Ultimate Fight" on "No Big Business 2" in 1983. A remix of "Cold As Ever" was later included on the collection "The Dark Side Mixes - Volume 14" in 2011. There also exists a bootleg tape of a live performance recorded in the Netherlands on the 19th of February 1983, featuring six songs -two of which do not appear on any of their other releases. None of the official releases are known to have charted in any country.
Ludo Camberlin has now completely retired from the music business, and no longer has any interest in it. This includes re-releasing the original A Blaze Colour recordings as a collection -he owns the masters and has been asked, but to date has said "no". [SOURCE: DISCOGS]
Style:
Minimal, New Wave, Minimal Synth, Coldwave
Year: 1982
Country:
Belgium
Label:
Ablaco Records
Tracklist:
1. Dark Trees Beyond (2:50)
2. An Addict Of Time (3:15)
Credits
Keyboards – BAM
Lyrics By – Bart Azijn
Producer – A.B.C., Roland Beelen
Vocals, Keyboards – Ludo Camberlin
Notes
Includes insert with additional info written in Dutch - the English translation is as follows:
A Blaze Colour Against The Dark Trees Beyond is Ludo Camberlin on Roland sh2 jup IV, several rhythm machines and vocals, and Bam on Korg delta, Korg ms20, Casio and also rhythm machines.
In the "thank you very much" sector, among others are: Luc Van Acker, Roland Beelen, Arno, Bart Azijn, Frank Schreurs, Bernard 'bodo'.
There is a cassette by A Blaze Colour that you probably won't find in the record stores, but you can get it if you send 140 francs to ABC, Blijde Inkomststraat 100 at 3000 Leuven, and that way even the shipping costs are covered.
Early compatriots of Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle on Britain's experimental / industrial scene, 23 Skidoo pursued an improvisational fusion of ethnic drumming and post-punk dance on their few recordings of the early '80s. Named after a slang phrase from the 1920s that had originally appeared in the work of Aleister Crowley, the group formed in London around brothers (and martial-arts experts) Alex and Johnny Turnbull and Fritz Catlin (aka Fritz Haamann). Influenced by Fela Kuti and the emerging New York hip-hop scene, 23 Skidoo released their first single "Ethics" in 1980. For their second, the band recorded at Cabaret Voltaire's Western Works with Genesis P-Orridge of Throbbing Gristle helping out on production.
In 1982, 23 Skidoo released the mini-LP "Seven Songs" and the "Tearing Up the Plans" EP for the Fetish label (also home to recordings by Throbbing Gristle and Clock DVA). After replacing their nominal rhythm section with bassist Sketch (who shared the trio's aesthetic), the band continued with 1983's "The Culling Is Coming" and 1984's "Urban Gamelan". Their varied influences and occasionally sublime sound confused many critics and listeners, who expected all industrial groups to be as loud and chaotic as the emerging Test Dept. or Einsturzende Neubaten. Even after disbanding in 1984 however, 23 Skidoo continued recording together sporadically during the rest of the decade, and the quartet -the Turnbulls plus Catlin and Sketch- formed their own Ronin label in 1989. Though no material from the band appeared in the '90s, they did several remixes and recorded for advertisers including Nike, Wrangler, and Smirnoff. Finally, in 2000, 23 Skidoo released a new, self-titled album for Virgin. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Style:
Experimental, Electro, Dance-Punk, Alternative Dance, EBM
This LP was made with three different cover designs, the first commonly referred to as the "monster" cover in an edition of about 250; the second commonly referred to as the "burned" or "immolated mannequin" cover, in an edition of about 1000; and the third being hand-painted by Steven Stapleton (Nurse With Wound), in an edition of about 20. There was also a test pressing between the first and second cover editions, without a cover, but with copies of various reviews & press clipping attached. [SOURCE: FOETUS.ORG]
