Voice Farm – Double Garage / Elevate [7''] (1981, Optional Music]

 

Basically a duo consisting of vocalists/keyboard players Myke Reilly and Charly Brown, the San Francisco-based Voice Farm debuted in 1982 with 'The World We Live In', an album consisting of their half-instrumental, half-poetic songs put to synthesizer shadings and light percussion. Five years later, Voice Farm returned for a self-titled album on Ralph Records; Reilly and Brown, though still just a duo, added a guitarist and several backing vocalists for a dance-oriented sound that still made heavy use of the keyboards. After another long gap between recordings, 'Bigger Cooler Weirder' was released in 1991. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

 

Label: Optional Music – 5 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM 

Country: US 

Released: 1981 

Style: Synth-pop, Minimal, Darkwave, New Wave, Minimal Wave

 

Tracklist:

A Double Garage 2:37 

B Elevate 3:48 

 

Notes: 

Re-released in the UK in 1982 by Alternative Tentacles licensed from Systematic Records.

 

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The Urge – Revolving Boy [7''] (1980, Cönsumer Disk)

The Urge were a Post-punk experimental band from Coventry, formed in 1978. Members were Dave Wankling (vocals), Kevin Harrison (guitar, synthesizer), Lynda "Wulf" Harrison (vocals), John Westacott (bass, 1978-80), Nigel Mulvey (bass, 1980-?), Billy Little (drums), Rich Medlock (drums), Dennis Burns (keyboards), John Shipley (guitar) and Pete Jordan (saxophone). They released a coumple of singles on the Cönsumer Disk imprint, 'Bobby', and this 'Revolving Boy', both in 1980.

 

 

Label: Cönsumer Disk – 0861 

Format: Vinyl, 7" 

Country: UK 

Released: 1980 

Style: New Wave, Punk, Post-Punk

 

Tracklist:

A Revolving Boy 

B Revolve 

 

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Two – Dreaming Spires [LP] (1983, Future Records)

 

'Dreaming Spires' is the only full-length released by synth duo Two, formed in London in 1981 by Gill Benn and Iain Sanders. It has some experimental tracks as well, like "It Won't Work", a 15 minutes track that occupies the whole B Side with its minimal, murky electronic pulses and atmospheres. Don't let the cheesy sleeve fool you. Interesting but quite hard-to-find album on Future Records. [SOURCE: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC]

 

 

Label: Future Records – FL 3 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo 

Country: UK 

Released: 1983 

Style: Synth-pop, Minimal, Minimal Synth, Experimental

 

Tracklist:

A1 Picture Frame 

A2 Waiting 

A3 Regime 

A4 Architecture 

A5 Pale Yellow 

A6 End 

B It Won´t Work 

 

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The Snails – Shitting Bricks [Cass] (1982, New Crimes Tapes)

There were a whole host of anarcho-punk bands out there in the early 80s, but it seems they're all forgotten apart from Crass and Conflict. You think more people would be interested -the likes of APF Brigade, The Apostles and The Snails were the true OGs of anarchist rock rebellion yet here this sorry little demo sits with one measly rating. It's very, very lo-fi indeed, and most of the time all you can hear are the drums and vocals, and our vocalist is no Steve Ignorant with his second-rate Johnny Rotten sneers. The most obvious criticism of anarcho-punk is that many of the bands put message before music, and that's the case here as many of the tracks on here are more on-record rants than songs. Yet anarcho-punk lyrics never fail to be interesting, indeed "From Foxhunts to Oblivion" is a very thought-provoking affair that starts with fox hunting and ends with an image of nuclear apocalypse. It's that typical Crass thing where you begin with one topic that you present as a microcosm of a bigger issue before hitting you over the head with said bigger issue. The sparseness of this tape is intriguing, and though it never really 'rocks', you certainly feel it. Not perfect, but recommended. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]

 

 

Label: New Crimes Tapes – N.C. 7 

Format: Cassette, Single Sided 

Country: UK 

Released: 1982 

Style: Punk, Anarcho-Punk

 

Tracklist:

A1 Think Tank 

A2 Factory 

A3 Comment 

A4 From Foxhunts To Oblivion 

A5 Thatchers Victims 

A6 Cocktail Version 

A7 Army Manoeuvres 

A8 Church 

 

Notes: 

Track A9 "Clockwork People" is missing in the upload

 

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Reacta – Stop The World / SUS [7''] (1978, Battery Operated Records)

 

Reacta was a Punk Rock band from West London, formed in April 1978 by brothers Gerard Bennett (bass, vocals) and John Bennett (drums), together with Mark Denn (guitar) and Adrian Owalaka (guitar). They only released the 7" single 'Stop The World / SUS' in 1978 on Battery Operated Records, label founded by Daniel Treacy, core member of the Television Personalities. Gerry and John Bennett were also members of 'O' Level, Teen '78 and Television Personalities.

 

 

Label: Battery Operated Records – WAC 1 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, White Label 

Country: UK 

Released: 1978 

Style: Punk, Punk Rock

 

Tracklist:

A Stop The World 

B SUS 

 

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Quick Culture – Quick Culture [12''] (1982, 46 Records, Paradoxx Records)

 

Really nice obscure new wave from Germany. Funky, relaxed minimal synth with minimalistic, dadaistic female and male vocals (mixing German, English and French lyrics) and some avantgardistic elements -edgy and weird, but still retaining a nice pop feel, just like it should be. It's even quite danceable -"Quick Culture 1" sounds quite like proto-house. And the caribbean and dubby elements on "Bahama-Kosaken" are also nice. But all in all, every song is very listenable, original and entertaining. Original, sympathetic, and recommended to anyone who likes music between experimental and pop. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]

 

 

Label: 46 Records – PA 5000, Paradoxx Records – PA 5000 

Format: Vinyl, 12", Mini-Album, 45 RPM 

Country: Germany 

Released: 1982 

Style: New Wave, Experimental, Neue Deutsche Welle, Zolo, Synth Funk 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Ich Will Nicht Totgehn Heute Nacht 2:25 

A2 Quick Culture 1 5:05 

A3 Hühnchens 2:23 

B1 Bahama-Kosaken 3:58 

B2 Quick Culture 2 3:12 

B3 Sister 3:50 

 

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Piano Piano – The Vorpal Blade [LP] (1980, Unforgettable Music)

 

Back in 1979 Ron Rude knew that he didn't stand a chance of landing a record deal, so he turned his Belgrave home into a budget recording studio, lined the walls with egg cartons from the poultry farm next door, and recorded an album, 'The Borders of Disgrace', which he put out on his own label Unforgettable Music. He made news by being the first artist to finance a commercial release using a $1000 cash advance courtesy of his guitar player, Stephen Clarke's credit card.

 
In 1980 Rude, this time with his own credit card and band Piano Piano made another album at home, 'The Vorpal Blade'. To promote it he went on a hunger strike in the window of Missing Link, an alternative record shop run at the time by Au Go GO records founder Keith Glass, and making news again, he demanded that local radio station 3XY play his records, threatening to drown himself in a bucket of water if they did not. His slogan, "3XY or I Die" was intended to show that the major mainstream rock station of the day would be unlikely to give a small-time independent artist a go. TV Channel 10 covered the story, and Rude had the momentum that he wanted. His next move was to make good a threat to drown himself on Hans Christian and Barry Bissel's morning 3XY program. The DJ's relented, and played excerpts of the album as Rude bubbled away with his head in a bucket of water. [SOURCE: PUNK A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY. THE HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE PUNK SCENE]

 
 

 

Label: Unforgettable Music – RUD 002 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country: Australia 

Released: 1980 

Style: New Wave, Punk 

 

Tracklist:

A1 Chance Meeting (Alternate Name In Brackets) 3:10 

A2 New Life 2:14 

A3 Alone From The Heart 2:04 

A4 Valour And Passion 2:15 

A5 Photos Of Hands 2:39 

A6 I Love You, You 3:12 

B1 Romance In Error 2:02 

B2 The Chessmen's Excursion 2:22 

B3 Our Hearts 1:58 

B4 I'll Kill Them 3:01 

B5 Afterthoughts 1:42 

B6 Starlight Starbright 2:39 

 

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Out Of Nowhere – Remember, Remember [7''] (1982, Prince Melon Records)

 

Out of Nowhere formed in Australia by Peter Milton Walsh (guitar, vocals), Gary Warner (saxophone, piano), Joe Borkowski (bass), Tony Forde (clarinet) and Jeffrey Wegener (drums).

 

Peter Milton Walsh formed The Apartments in 1979 before joining Laughing Clowns. After that, he reformed The Apartments several times. He also played in The Colors. Joe Borkowski was also in The Poles, while Jeffrey Wegener (drums), played with Ed Kuepper And The Kowalski Collective, Laughing Clowns and the legendary Young Charlatans, a briefly existing Australian punk rock band comprising Janine Hall on bass guitar, Jeffrey Wegener on drums, Ollie Olsen on vocals and guitar and Rowland S. Howard on guitar. They formed in 1977 and disbanded in the following year.

 

Prince Melon is an Australian label established in 1980 by Ed Kuepper, then of Laughing Clowns. Besides the Laughing Clowns' early output, Prince Melon released singles by Hugo Klang and this 'Remember, Remember' by Out Of Nowhere in the early 80's. 

 

Label: Prince Melon Records – PM 015 

Format: Vinyl, 7" 

Country: Australia 

Released: 1982 

Style: Post-Punk 

 

Tracklist:

A Remember, Remember 8:49 

B No Resistance 5:10 

 

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Noise Promotion Company – Catalog [LP] (1988, Ano Kato Records)

 

In 1984 a new band appeared in Thessaloniki. The name of the band was Noise Promotion Company and for the next few years will be established as one of the best live acts of the town. Their line up was Alex Apostolakis (drums), George “Banduk” Apostolakis (vocals and guitar -he played xylophone later) and Thodoros Kondouris (bass). Playing mainly a mixture of post punk and art rock with some funk elements, they were always experimenting on stage trying to explore new styles and sounds. Their first album, 'Silence' was released in 1986. It was followed by their next album 'Catalog' in 1988. Like most of the Greek bands, they remained a hidden treasure for years. The band split after these two albums and later, George “Banduk” toured and recorded with the blues band Blues Wire. [SOURCE: TRIBE4MIAN'S WEBLOG]

 

 

Label: Ano Kato Records – ANO KATO 014 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country: Greece 

Released: 1988 

Style: Post-Punk, Alternative Rock

 

Tracklist:

A1 Four Hundred Flags 3:06 

A2 Fanny Mays 4:56 

A3 Friends 4:18 

A4 Marnie 5:07 

B1 I Wanna Be Nothing 4:46 

B2 Walking Bomb 5:28 

B3 Something Wrong 4:10 

B4 Melt In The Crowd 3:35 

 

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Mofungo – End Of The World [Cass] (1981, Mofungo Music)

Part no wave, part post-punk, Mofungo was an off-kilter noise band that worked in atonalities, squalling sax, and unsettling vocals. Mofungo "evolved" (rather than just formed) from a group called Blinding Headache, which was essentially a running jam session that took place in a New York University dormitory. Blinding Headache morphed into Mofungo when Rick Brown left to join Information. Their first release, the 'Elementary Particles' EP, saw release in 1980 after the band had paid some dues by backing Nico. In 1981, the band released their first full-length album, 'End of the World'. Partially mixed by The dB's' Chris Stamey, the album caught the attention of critic Robert Christgau, who managed to talk them up enough to get them a single release in the U.K. on Rough Trade. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

 

Label: Mofungo Music – none 

Format: Cassette, Album 

Country: US 

Released: 1981 

Style: Avantgarde, Jazz-Rock, Art Rock, No Wave, Art Punk, Minimal Wave

 

Tracklist:

A1 End Of The World 

A2 Scratch House 

A3 El Salvador 

A4 Just The Way 

A5 War Song 

A6 Little Giant 

A7 Mo He Ganga 

B1 Why Do You Spy? 

B2 Boss Alligator 

B3 Lately Human 

B4 Jelloback Jack 

B5 River Of Blood 

B6 10-4, 10-4 

B7 Monster Mascot 

 

Notes:

A1-A4 First recording session - 4 track recording by Carol Parkinson in our practice space, March 1981.

A5-A7 Third recording session - 4 track recording by Carol Parkinson in our practice space, July 1981.

B1-B3 Second recording session at Dick Connette's studio by Carol Parkinson and Chris Nelson, June 1981. 

B4-B5 Cassette recording, August 11, 1981. 

B6 Noise Festival - 4 track recording by Ann DeMarinas at White Columns Gallery, June 1981. 

B7 Cassette recording July, 1980. 

 

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