Various – 4 In 1 [Cass] (1982, Grafika Airlines)

'4 In 1' is the first of a series of compilations initiated by Alain Neffe (Belgian multi-instrumentalist, responsible for the Insane Music label and member of Bene Gesserit, Cortex, Human Dance, Human Flesh, Japanese Genius, Kosmose, La Maison Du Jardinier, Ornament & Crime Arkhestra, Pol Silentblock, Pseudo Code, Sic, Subject and The Chopstick Sisters). 4 groups share one format. 

 

Released on a variety of Belgian labels, the first compilation was this cassette '4 In 1' (1982), followed by an LP 'Four In One Vol. 2' (1982). The series was continued in 2012 with the release of a CD '4 In 1 Volume 3', a cassette '4 In 1 Vol.4' and lately a LP and CD '4 In 1 Volume 5'. 

 

This first release was issued on Grafika Airlines, a Belgian experimental cassette label from the eighties. GRAFIKA is the production department of Direct Impact Association (DIA), a Belgian non-profit organization and it's divided in four parts: Grafika Airlines (cassettes & graphic products; stopped end of 1982), Grafika Discs (records; created in June 82), Grafikaset (cassettes; starting January 83) and INSANE/GRAFIKA (cassettes compilation).

 

This tape features four bands: Mecanique Vegetale, a group that is an enigma -unclear if it is one man or one band; Pseudo Code, that are self-defined as playing "potlatch music", motivated more towards emotional expression than anything else and formed by Alain Neffe, Guy-Marc Hinan (one of the two men who formed the label Sub Rosa) and Xavier S.; Etat Brut, a pioneer industrial / noise band from Brussels that operated from 1979 until 1983 releasing a dozen of cassettes, various flyers and xeroxed booklets; and Human Flesh, founded in 1981 and one of the many disguises of Alain Neffe.

 

Label: Grafika Airlines – GRA11 

Series: 4 In 1

Format: Cassette, Compilation, C60 

Country: Belgium 

Released: 1982 

Style: Minimal, Industrial, Noise, Experimental, Ambient, Minimal Synth

 

Tracklist:

A1 Mecanique Vegetale – Incantations Cycliques 6:24 

A2 Mecanique Vegetale – Lamentations 1:32 

A3 Mecanique Vegetale – Zona Periodica 3:21 

A4 Mecanique Vegetale – Sick Soldier 3:00 

A5 Pseudo Code – Le Gange 14:25 

B1 Etat Brut – Sollicitation Extérieure 8:32 

B2 Etat Brut – Psychosomatique 5:08 

B3 Human Flesh – Total Recall 5:07 

B4 Human Flesh – T.I.N.A. 74 3:22 

B5 Human Flesh – Matin Promenade 4:20 

B6 Human Flesh – Airport (Your Selfish Mind) 2:23 

 

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LaDonna Smith, Davey Williams, Theodore Bowen – Folk Music [LP] (1978, Trans Museq)

LaDonna Smith has performed improvised music internationally since the 1970s as violinist, violist and vocalist, while also teaching music in Birmingham, Alabama. With long-time collaborator, guitarist Davey Williams, Smith has toured North America and Europe, and Russia, appearing at every major improvisation festival, and many new music festivals. The classically trained musician has also performed with such major improvisers as Peter Brotzmann, Anne LeBaron, Derek Bailey and Eugene Chadbourne. In addition to her work as a musician, Smith is co-editor of The Improviser, an international journal of free improvisation, and works as a visual artist, exhibiting her drawings and ceramics in the U.S. 

 
Evolving and setting forth the hypotheses in 1976 that free improvisation was indeed a folk music based on community friendships and the playground of musical explorations, thus the title of the recorded pieces on trans second album, 'Folk Music'. As a trio, Davey, LaDonna and Ted played weekly, but gigged together only once or twice. Side One features one of those rare gigs, live at Leigh Gallery in Birmingham, Alabama on Sunday January 1978. Side Two features four recordings recorded at the Trans studio in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (1977-78). [SOURCE: LADONNA SMITH]

 

 

Label: Trans Museq – trans museq 2 

Format: Vinyl, LP 

Country: US 

Released: 1978 

Style: Free Improvisation 

 

Tracklist:

A1 Untitled 6:33 

A2 Untitled 9:30 

A3 Untitled 1:20 

B1 Untitled 5:45 

B2 Ditches And Cheesecake 5:50 

B3 To Tristan Tzara 5:30 

B4 Mishum 1:30 

 

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The Zippers – A Six Song Mini Album [12''] (1981, Rhino Records)

 

The Zippers were a Los Angeles-based punk/pop band from the late 1970s and early 1980s formed by Lou Cammarata (guitar, vocals, and member in the 60's and 70's of the soul bands Nicky C & The Chateaux and CRYSTAL), Danielle Faye (bass, vocals, also a member of Venus & The Razorblades), Bob Willingham (guitar, vocals) and Bill Willett (drums, vocals, also in The Imperial Dogs). They debuted in 1977 with the 7" single 'He's A Rebel / You're So Strange' on the Californian label Back Door Man Records. In 1981, Rhino released the 'A Six Song Mini Album' EP, produced by The Doors' Ray Manzarek.

 

 

Label: Rhino Records – RNEP 601 

Format: Vinyl, 12", Mini-Album 

Country: US 

Released: 1981 

Style: Pop Punk, New Wave, Power Pop

 

Tracklist:

A1 I'm In Love 1:50 

A2 It Hurts 2:48 

A3 Some Pay The Price (Some Never Will) 3:10 

B1 Falling Off The Edge 3:13 

B2 Someday 2:41 

B3 Lock On My Heart 3:18 

 

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Yard Trauma – Must've Been Something I Took Last Night [LP] (1985, Dionysus Records)

 

The opening self-titled track presents a different kind of Garage Rock Revival: epic, emotional and lyrical, with a fiery Latin touch. "You Don't Tell Me" though is decisively retro and fairly tame Garage Rock. "Cry A Little Longer" is more poignant, with scathing organ lines and lead guitar. The elliptical and menacing netting of organ lines steals the show in "I'm Invisible", while "You're My Style" abandons any theatrical pretense and unleashes a barrage of raw garage riffs. "Dreamt In Colour" though again offers a more mellow 60's sound. Fortunately, "Situations" steps on the gas and tosses another garage roar. The electrifying Freakbeat "I've Seen You Walking" is also first class. "Only Mistakes" keeps pounding, but "I've Got A Girl" again retreads to a harmless 60's imitation -though the guitar solo is adequately acidic. By the closing, gloom-laden, "Black And White" they finally show an awareness of the New Wave, namely the garage-ish Deathrock of 45 Grave et al. If you only ever grab one Yard Trauma record you should make it this one. It's something of an unheralded masterpiece of the second wave. Highly recommended! [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]

 

 

Label: Dionysus Records – ID8502 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country: US 

Released: 1985 

Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock 

 

Tracklist:

A1 Must've Been Something I Took Last Night 

A2 You Don't Tell Me 

A3 Cry A Little Longer 

A4 I'm Invisible 

A5 You're My Style 

A6 Dreamt In Colour 

B1 Situations 

B2 I've Seen You Walking 

B3 Tighten Up 

B4 Only Mistakes 

B5 I've Got A Girl 

B6 Black And White 

 

Notes: 

A3 originally performed by The Grodes and B5 by Dearly Beloved

Special guest Rich Coffee keyboards and guitars (Courtesy of Thee Fourgiven) 

 

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X•S•Energy – Use You [7''] (1979, Dead Good Records)

 

X.S. Energy was a fine band from Lincoln producing two singles on Dead Good Records. The first one, '18 / Jennys Alright / Horrorscope' (1978) and the second from 1979 'Use You / Imaginary'. This is the pick: midtempo punk riffery with catchy chorus. Pop punkish with sung, as opposed to shouted or sneered, vocals. Worth getting. Members: Freddie Voltage (Guitar/Vocals), Max Headroom (Lead Guitar/Vocals), Nicky Teen (Bass/Vocals), and Mark Up (Drums). [SOURCE: PUNK 77]

 

 

Label: Dead Good Records – DEAD 3, Dead Good Records – DEAD THREE 

Format: Vinyl, 7" 

Country: UK 

Released: 1979 

Style: Punk, New Wave, Punk Rock

 

Tracklist:

A Use You 

B Imaginary 

 

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Wow Federation – Yellow Telephone [7''] (1981, Rococco Records)

Post-punk band formed in Oxford in 1978. The line up in 1980 was: Nick Horton (drums), Mark 'Mozart' Hughes aka Millree Hughes (guitar), Vicky Richardson (sax), James Rogers (organ), Andy Sizer (bass), Brian Warner (guitar) and Ian Royce Warner (vocals). Members prior to this include: Andy Mason (drums), Bill Buchanan (drums) and Carl (synth). Bill and Carl went on to be involved in the group Dum Dum Dum. Ian, Brian and Nick all used to play with the Dag Dag Bombers.

 

 

Label: Rococco Records – ROC 001 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single 

Country: UK 

Released: 1981 

Style: Experimental, Art Rock, Dance-Punk, Zolo

 

Tracklist:

A Yellow Telephone 4:30 

B Tree Credibility 3:21 

 

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Vorgruppe – Erste Auslese [7''] (1980, Monogram)

 

Vorgruppe was a Neue Deutsche Welle band from Herne, Germany, with a sound ranging between the hypnotic motorik of Krautrock and the Teutonic synth atmospherics of Kraftwerk. Formed in spring 1979, they played their first proper live gig at Jugendkunstschule Wanne-Eickel (15 Feb 1980). They released three albums from 1981 to 1986. Members: Bernd Schäumer (synths, also in Disque Omo), Detlef Ritz (vocals), Matthias Brauckmann (bass), Volker Stigge (guitar), Waldemar Hayduk (drums) and Wolfgang Hemprich (bass). They changed their name to "The Vorgruppe" in 1986. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]

 

 

Label: Monogam – 004 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM 

Country: Germany 

Released: Apr 1980 

Style: New Wave, Synth-pop, Minimal, Neue Deutsche Welle, Minimal Wave

 

Tracklist:

A1 Menschenkinder 2:46 

A2 Liebe Oder Hass 3:37 

B Langer Abend 5:30 

 

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Urge Overkill – Strange, I... [12"] (1986, Ruthless Records)

 

When Urge Overkill broke through to the mainstream with 'Saturation' in 1993, fans who rushed out to buy up the band's back catalog may have been rather surprised by their first EP, 'Strange, I...' In contrast to the cravat-wearing, rock-god image and slick, polished pop/rock sound of their later years, 'Strange, I...' is loaded with shrieking guitars, pounding drums, and howling vocals. The influence of Steve Albini, who produced the EP, is evident in tracks such as "All Worked Out" and "My New Church." There are hints of the later Urge Overkill to follow, especially Eddie "King" Roeser's vocals on "Systems," which sound similar, albeit roughly, to Roeser's later, more radio-friendly style. Similarly, there are brief snippets where the band's later songwriting prowess appears. But for the most part, this is generic, standard-issue Chicago noise punk, with little original to distinguish it from Big Black or Naked Raygun. An EP strictly for the diehards; casual fans need not apply here. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

 

Label: Ruthless Records – RRU013 

Format: Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM 

Country: US 

Released: 1986 

Style: Punk, Indie Rock, Punk Rock, Alternative Rock

 

Tracklist:

Homo Side 

A1 All Worked Out 

A2 Art Of Man 

A3 My New Church 

Hetero Side 

B1 Snakemobile 

B2 Systems 

 

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