Geisterfahrer – Topal [LP] (1983, Konkurrenz Schallplatten)

Geisterfahrer is a dark wave band from Hamburg that was founded in 1979 by Michael Ruff (vocals), Matthias Schuster (guitar, synthesizer, vocals), Hans Keller (violin, synthesizer, bass) and Holger Hiller (synthesizer). Supported by a drum machine, the group had one of their first appearances at the Hamburg "Into the Future" festival, where they provoked the hardcore punks there with improvised electrical noise so much that they were switched off during the gig. Holger Hiller left shortly afterwards to form Palais Schaumburg. Jürgen Weiss (drums, bass) joined the band as a replacement.

 
Geisterfahrer was the first band to release a single for Alfred Hilsberg's record label ZickZack Records. However, the EP 'Geisterfahrer' was inferior due to the lack of studio technology, so that the group was the first German new wave band to sign a contract with a major label. The debut LP 'Schatten Voraus' was released in 1980. With lyrics by singer Michael Ruff about scarlet fever and plague crosses, as well as a musical mixture of cold wave, gothic rock and medieval moments, Geisterfahrer steered into the dark wave environment and stylistically anticipated the Neue Deutsche Todeskunst. In 1980 they were pretty lonely with this kind of music.

 
A short later, Hans Keller left to work as a music journalist in New York. Shrinking into a trio, the follow-up LP 'Fest Der Vielen Sinne' turned out to be much more rock. The group now focused more on the dark wave sound a la Joy Division and Bauhaus. With "Himmel Auf Erden" there was even a smaller hit that found its way onto various NDW samplers. After various live concerts, the next LP 'Topal' was released in 1983, which was again produced independently of the industry in its own GF studio, but did not match the success of the previous records. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]

 

 

Label: Konkurrenz Schallplatten – KON 15, 0647 160 

Format: Vinyl, LP 

Country: Germany 

Released: 1983 

Style: New Wave, Post-Punk, Neue Deutsche Welle

 

Tracklist:

A1 Siebzehn Jahre 4:09 

A2 Macht Euch Bereit 3:43 

A3 Wiegenlied 3:55 

A4 Jetzt Oder Nie! 4:15 

A5 Drei Wilde Winter 3:40 

B1 Der Totmacher 4:42 

B2 Neue Liebe 3:50 

B3 Annas Mutter 3:08 

B4 Topal 6:32 

 

Notes:

Track A4 recorded live in Stockholm in 1982. 

 

DOWNLOAD HERE

Fat Tulips – Early Years EP [7''] (1992, Sunday Records)

 

Peterboro, England-based indie pop combo the Fat Tulips was formed in 1987 by guitarist/songwriter Mark D. and singer Sarah C., the latter exiting upon the release of the duo's debut flexi-disc "You Opened Up My Eyes." Undaunted, Mark D. assembled guitarist Sheggi Clarkson, singer Katie Keen, bassist Paulie and drummer Matt Johnson to form a new Fat Tulips lineup which debuted in 1989 with the single "Where's Clare Grogan Now?," issued on their own Heaven Records imprint. Keen left the group immediately after, with Clarkson assuming vocal duties; the 'Four Songs for Simon EP' followed later that year, and in 1990 the band resurfaced with the four-song 'Ferensway'. A series of EPs including 1991's covers collection 'The Tulip Explodes', 1992's 'Nostalgia' and 1993's acoustic 'Albie' preceded the release of the Fat Tulips' long-awaited first full-length album, 'Starfish', with the group promptly disbanding soon after. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

 

Label: Sunday Records – Sunday 011 

Format: Vinyl, 7", EP 

Country: US 

Released: 1992 

Style: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Twee Pop

 

Tracklist:

A Rainbow Sky 

B1 You Opened Up My Eyes 

B2 On Virgin Isles 

 

Notes:

Tracks were recorded at the Music Room, 29th June 1987 

 

DOWNLOAD HERE

Ex Post Facto – Ex Post Facto [7''] (1981, YinYang)

 

The group formed in early 1980 and featured Chris Clarke (a.k.a. Chrissie Clarke) on vocals, Frank Sparks on keyboards, joined by Paul Reason on guitar (also Keep It Dark), Bernie Carroll on bass (later of Young Lions), and Mark Coleridge on drums (The Stiffs, Glass Torpedoes). The band developed a synth-goth style that, if not totally original, was well representative of that period, combining keyboards with Siouxsie-like vocals. Between the year 1980 and 1983 the group released three singles. A testimony of the hectic live activity of the band is their only LP ('She’ll Rape the World’ recorded live at Pickwick’s (Liverpool) on April 25th, 1984. Earlier the same year Ex Post Facto also released a Peel Session. During live appearances guest musicians were Judith Laity (cello, also Royal Family & The Poor), Andy Warren (guitar and backing vocals, I-Lands), Karen Halewood (on keyboards, also Royal Family & The Poor), and Pete Chegwin (also on keyboards, Danse Macabre). [SOURCE: LAST.FM]

 

Label: YinYang – Y/Y 001 

Format: Vinyl, 7" 

Country: UK 

Released: 1981 

Style: New Wave, Minimal, Minimal Wave, Post-Punk

 

Tracklist:

A Ex Post Facto 

B Money 

 

DOWNLOAD HERE

Doggerel Bank – Mister Skillicorn Dances [LP] (1975, Charisma)

 

Without a doubt, one of the most unknown and unique of the wonderful Charisma artists would have to be Doggerel Bank, a group featuring an eccentric poet with equally eccentric musical backing. The center of the group was William Bealby-Wright, a poet from the Isle of Man (i.e. a Manx) and former leader of The Barrow Poets, a music and poetry aggregation who made records from roughly the mid-60’s to the early 70’s, with albums on Fontana and Argo as well as privately pressed records.

 

Doggeral Bank set the words of William Bealby-Wright to an art-rock melange of harmonium, violin, viola, harp, mandolin, piano, organ, concertina, mini moog, electric guitar, drums and percussion composed by former British poet lauriat Jim Betjeman. Although they released two groundbreaking albums, 'Silver Face' and 'Mister Skillicorn Dances', neither was released outside of England and the group disbanded.  

 

Susan Baker, who played harmonium, mandolin and violin for Doggeral Bank from 1973 until 1975, went on to perform on the soundtrack of The Who's 'Tommy'.  Jim Parker, who is largely responsible for the music on the Doggerel Bank LPs, also did the musical backing on Betjeman’s four Charisma LPs. Producer Hugh Murphy, best known for his work with Gerry Rafferty, also produced a number of Charisma singles by a wide range of artists, and had earlier helmed some wonderful progressive rock with Gracious! for Vertigo. [SOURCE: LAST.FM] 

 

 

Label: Charisma – CAS 1102 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country: UK 

Released: Apr 1975 

Style: Prog Rock, Poetry, Art Pop

 

Tracklist:

A1 Where The Sun Always Shines 4:13 

A2 The Man With The Ginger Lily 2:21 

A3 Hyde Park Monster 4:51 

A4 Crazy Lips 2:29 

A5 Lady Jane 1:49 

A6 Oblique Song 3:36 

B1 The Lighthouse Keeper's Bicycle 5:08 

B2 North Circular Blues 2:38 

B3 Cow Pie 2:18 

B4 Sarcophagus Blues 2:52 

B5 Mister Skillicorn Dances 2:47 

B6 Shopping Around 4:53 

B7 Valediction (Rondeau Redouble) 3:11 

 

DOWNLOAD HERE

Colenso Parade – Fontana Eyes [12''] (1986, Fire Records)

 

Colenso Parade was formed in October 1984 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The band played the Futurama festival in Ireland and then moved to London where they released two singles, ‘Standing Up’ and ‘Down By The Border’, on their own Goliath label. Stiff Records put them in contact with promoter and manager Dave Bedford. Soon afterwards, they moved to London where Bedford had built up Fire Records. From the original line-up, Oscar (vocals), Linda Clenndining (keyboards) and Neil Lawson (bass) remained the nucleus of the band. Terry Bickers (later of House Of Love and Levitation) replaced the original guitarist Jackie Forgie after the first single, and was in turn dropped in favour of John Watt (although Bickers was in place for the album sessions, by the time 'Glentoran' appeared he had moved on). Owen Howell (ex-Big Self) would also replace Robert Wakeman as drummer. Following ‘Hallelujah Chorus’, they secured heavy airplay with "Fontana Eyes" in 1986, a classic 12-bar blues workout founded on captivating lyrical epigrams: ‘I’m holding my breath, cos there’s no-one to hold’. A split came soon after their only album when a contract with a major label fell through. Further demos were recorded but nothing surfaced, although Oscar was asked to join Echo And The Bunnymen as singer following the departure of Ian McCulloch. He declined the invitation, and is now working in video. Lawson is currently an aircraft photographer, while Linda Clandinning has trained as a hairdresser. Only Robert Wakeman has continued in the music industry, with indie hopefuls Salad. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

 

 

Label: Fire Records – BLAZE 11T 

Format: Vinyl, 12", Single 

Country: UK 

Released: 1986 

Style: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock 

 

Tracklist:

A1 Fontana Eyes 

B1 Here Comes The Night 

B2 Anything 

B3 Our Man In Havanna 

 

DOWNLOAD HERE

The Bridge – Industrial Love Dance [12''] (1984, Second Vision)

Before founding UK alternarock band Zerra One, Paul Bell released an electro single called "Love Dance" as The Bridge on the Second Vision label in 1984. It is about as close a copy of New Order's "The Beach" as you can get without being sued. This is another 12'' version that adds a 7" mix and is titled "Industrial Love Dance" as UK release. All that aside, this really is a great dance record, and if you like "The Beach" but don't necessarily want to hear it again, "Love Dance" should do quite nicely. [SOURCE: FANTOD UNDER GLASS]

 

 

Label: Second Vision – SV 12003 

Format: Vinyl, 12" 

Country: UK 

Released: 1984 

Style: Electro, Synth-pop 

 

Tracklist:

A1 Industrial Love Dance (Love Mix) 

B1 Industrial Love Dance (Industrial Mix) 

B2 Industrial Love Dance (7" Love Mix) 

 

DOWNLOAD HERE

Anorexia – Untitled [7''] (1982, Slim Records)

Anorexia were a punk band from Watford, Hertfordshire, England formed in 1978. The band’s self-financed debut single in 1980/81 ‘Rapist in the Park’ became an underground hit and all three tracks off their single were frequently requested on John Peel’s Radio 1 show. The second 7” single in 1982 was an untitled 4 track EP. Lisa Sinclair joined the group on alto sax and clarinet, sounding more New Wave-y with these horns going on that makes one think they've been listening to Here & Now or other like-minded hippie band types. Julie Hadwin who later went on to guest with The Style Council, sung on the this EP, replacing Kim Glenister, who fell out with the founding members Nick Page and the Leigh brothers. The group disbanded in 1982/3 with the Leigh brothers continuing on as Johnny 7 until the mid- to late-1980s. Highlight gigs were at the Rock Garden, pubs in Hampstead and north London area, Brighton Poly, Bath Academy of Art, Rickmansworth (supporting Wilco Johnson and the Solid Senders) and Cassiobury College, Watford in 1978 where the 3-piece The Executives opened for Anorexia. Two members of The Executives went on to form Wham!.

 

 

Label: Slim Records – BRS011 

Format: Vinyl, 7", EP 

Country: UK 

Released: 1982 

Style: New Wave, Goth Rock, Post-Punk

 

Tracklist:

A1 Steven 

A2 Marching Songs 

B1 Softly Quietly Or Shout 

B2 Inanimate Objects 

 

DOWNLOAD HERE

Bass Probe – Another Sleepless Night [12''] (1992, Warrior Records)

Bass Probe (a.k.a. Vinyl Vandals) was an acid techno project formed by Andrew E Beer and Robert Taylor. Andrew Edward Beer is the label owner of Warrior Records and founder of Concrete Productions. He previously had played during the 80's in 400 Blows and Concrete. Robert Taylor started in the early '80s as a member of several punk and industrial bands (400 Blows, Concrete, Fallout, Six Minute War), then produced some UK techno/breakbeat/hardcore in the early '90s. A few years later he met the originators of the Fifth Era doomcore project. He founded the eponymous label and eventually became the main composer and live performer behind that project. "Another Sleepless Night" is a smooth and nice synth-driven 1992 fusion of breakbeat U.K. house and techno music, with agreeable synth phrases, “string pads”, sub bassline, old skool keyboard riffs, vocals, and “amen break” percussion. Contains samples of The Sample Kings's "Chucks Beats " (1989) and break from The Winstons' "Amen, Brother".

 

 

Label: Warrior Records – WRR12 025 

Format: Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM 

Country: UK 

Released: 1992 

Style: Breakbeat Hardcore, House, Techno 

 

Tracklist:

A1 Another Sleepless Night (Vocal Mix) 4:15 

A2 Another Sleepless Night (Instrumental) 4:12 

B1 Another Sleepless Night (NRG Mix) 4:32 

B2 Another Sleepless Night (Sleepless Mix) 4:06 

 

DOWNLOAD HERE

Various – A Drop In The Ocean [12''] (1982, Lightbeat Records)

 

In 1982, Blackpool's Lightbeat Records released the 'A Drop in The Ocean' EP in response to the 'Blackpool Rox' EP featuring, amongst others, Section 25 and The Membranes. The EP featured two Blackpool bands highly regarded at the time: Zoo Boutique (wrongly named as "The Zoo Bootique" on the record) and The Velvasheens plus four other bands (The Elite, The Frets, Divert Off Centre and Pure Pink Paraffin) since at a time when Blackpool was a hotbed of talent such as Tunnelvision, The Tins, Sensible Shoes and One Way System. 

 

The Frets were a punk group from Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire who formed in 1978 with Bob Bright (vocals), Neil Perryman (drums), Lez Smith (lead guitar), Brian Perryman (rhythm guitar) and Jimmy Dean (bass). By the mid-1980s they were renamed Clampdown, a trio of Bob (guitar, vocals), Solly (bass) and Neil (drums). 

 

In 1979, Duncan Jowitt joined Section 25 as guitarist before forming Final Solution with David Foster on bass and Tony Ashworth on drums. Ashworth was replaced by Steve Grice and the band became Another Dimension. In 1982, with the addition of John "Sid" Hayward on synthesizers and Bill Fogel on guitar, the band changed name again to Zoo Boutique. Debut release (misspelt as The Zoo Bootique) was "Love Like A Clown" on this compilation. Became increasingly electronic rock when Fogel was replaced by Phil Denton on keyboards and released single 'Forgive and Forget / Happy Families', which, despite UK national Radio 1 prime-time airplay, failed to chart. After further personnel changes, the band split in 1985. 

 

Divert Off Centre was a post-punk band from Lancashire attempted to do something different, probably influenced by the New Avant sounds coming from Bristol rather than the straight ahead punk sounds of 1976. Formed in 1979, members were Tim White, Simon P. Jones (guitar), Phil Clare, Jak Knowles (bass), Jenny Lobell, Mark Wilkinson and Luke Smith. They later evolved as The October Group. Divert Off Centre only released the single 'The Oh So Diverse Plastic New Art', engineered by Robin Dalton and Chris Riley in 1982, actually a flexi in a fold out sleeve with the usual mystical sounding mumbo jumbo on the back.

 

Label: Lightbeat Records – LIGHT 002 

Format: Vinyl, 12", Compilation 

Country: UK 

Released: 1982 

Style: New Wave, Garage Rock, Art Rock, Post-Punk

 

Tracklist:

A1 The Elite – Trapped 

A2 The Frets – Hold Me Back 

A3 The Zoo Bootique – Love Like A Clown 

B1 The Velvasheens – I Walk Like I Talk 

B2 Divert Off Centre – Love In Ephemeral... I Confess 

B3 Pure Pink Paraffin – Titian Head 

 

DOWNLOAD HERE

Richard Beswick, Simon Mayo, Philipp Wachsmann, Tony Wren – Chamberpot [LP] (1976, Bead Records)

 

This quartet is a proponent of a type of improvisational move between free-jazz influences and chamber instruments, formed in London by violinist Philipp Wachsmann (who had made his debut in the excellent, choral, 1973 'Balance'), holder of the newly formed Bead label, here along with Richard Beswick on oboe and alto oboe (English horn), Simon Mayo on clarinet and Tony Wren double bass. The restless and dizzying musical trajectories that emanate from this vinyl are indicative of the Bead catalog (a label of limited means, stopped at the vinyl era), as much as ever harbinger of theorems, impulses and hypotheses of form, open and synthetic, for the improvisation of those overflowing years, the flow of which incessantly and propertly flows to the present day.

 

'Chamberpot' uses woodwinds and chordophones, constituting of posed or schizoid dialogues, fragile effective tensions. Of simulated twirls, reactions and agonies between instrumentalists, breaking up, for example, a shrill and capricious violin soliloquy to blossom into a heated dialogue of clarinet, or within an erratic background of double bass or even into dense draperies of oboe. Or spilling together in convulsive rhythm, saturating the performance space. Different and contradictory accents, they mimic nimble, grave, full or in sing-songs, world spaces and times, light and shadow, in limpid ascents or in swirling climbs, observing each other as if in ecstasy or hurling themselves in sudden scuffles, according to structure or in improvisation. Whether it is a single track (the 20 minutes of A side), whose complex habitat is generated and percolated in multiple hypotheses, as a magnetic uninterrupted flow, or whether it is broken forms of more contracted breath, of unequivocal terminology but of avuncular and presumed scope, nervously felt ("Huge", "New", "Scare", "Hits", City", B side). [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]

 

Label: Bead Records – BEAD 2 

Format: Vinyl, LP 

Country: UK 

Released: 1976 

Style: Free Improvisation 

 

Tracklist:

A Sleek And Healthy, A Hippo Strolls Along The River Bank 20:08 

B1 Huge 4:18 

B2 New 5:29 

B3 Scare 4:32 

B4 Hits 9:38 

B5 City 1:53 

 

DOWNLOAD HERE