Jus Dorange
was a Minimal Wave duo formed in Belgium by Dries Decocker (Durango & The Wall, The Misz, Absent Music) and Frank Decru. They only released this 7'' single on their own Trouble Records imprint.
Good comedic punk hardcore by Ism, from Bayside, Queens, N.Y.C. Band was originally a concept by manager and producer Bob Sallese and fronted by the enigmatic and classically trained pianist Jism. Ism's 1983 full-length debut 'A Diet For The Worms', originally available in a limited release by S.I.N. Records, dominated college radio and the CMJ radio charts while the group popularized their new brand of hardcore punk at venues like CBGB, City Gardens and A7 alongside the likes of The Ramones and Black Flag.
Before leading the cranky / sweet Magnapop through an ambitious release schedule in the '90 and '00, Linda Hopper partnered with Lynn Blakely in a Washington DC outfit dubbed Holiday. 'Hello', a lovely 1987 EP, blurs the lines between perky and melancholy in a way that recalls Let's Active debut. By the way, Hopper was in an earlier band called Oh-OK, based out of Athens which inlcuded not only Matthew Sweet but also Linda Stipe, who was the sister of Michael Stipe.
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
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
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]
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]
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]
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]
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!.
