Mercury Rev

It would be easy to say they went downhill after David Baker left, but of course its not true- they made some classic records before Grasshopper mutated totally into Mickey Mouse and they disappeared up their own behind with the double impro lp.


The first I heard of them was in a Melody Maker live review, they played at the Mean fiddler before anyone knew who they were and the write up talked about this band who were playing this new kind of music that no rock band had played before. Then there was an interview where Davd Baker spoke of trying to make his vocals sound like Richard Harris in the Camelot musical. Of course you cant trust what you read in the musc press but I bought the ( blue vinyl ) product and both turned out to be close to the truth.


This clip has David Baker, stuffed animals - including a smoking lion but alas none of the Finsbury Park  bumble bees and is from one of those daft music shows were they booked out a venue, recorded the band then had them mime (maybe the vocals are live?) to an empty house...great idea team.

Mercury Rev: Something For Joey/ Bronx Cheer

March Violets

This bunch were from Leeds and with their drum machine and doomy grave-digger schtick (later to be known as Goth) its hard to believe the sisters of mercy didnt borrow a lot from them.
I remember the singers looked a bit odd: a "big boned" guy with a beard and a skinny biker chick - but the dual vocals were brilliant - and this is an awesome set with all their hits from Colchester Uni (supporting  Danse Society)  .
I loved Crow Baby and I got my brother to paint a copy of the cover art onto an old tee-shirt which I fixed to the back of my leather jacket....(another one to file under "dik: fashion atrocities"...)

March Violets - Crow Baby
What the heck happened to this band? : they became the original Crack whores of Prostituting your art!!! Check this out as an lesson in just how how low you can take a good brand : Saturday Superstore ......

Colchester University (19th Nov 1983)
Side1:
Walk Into The Sun
1-2 I Love You
Grooving In Green
Crow Baby
So Hot
Kill If You Like


Side2:
Miracle Of The Rose
Snakedance
Listen

Triffids

Imagine a time when there is no internet, little or no non-MOR radio, two music papers and a nation of 52 miliion people. John Peel was on at 10pm for 2 hours 3 nights a week and Everyone one under the age of 25 listened and/or taped each program. So most people in the UK had a copy of Red Pony on a cassette, and , when the Triffids' session (with the definitive version of  "Field of Glass") aired they were home and dry. I often wonder about the bands that Peel didnt like....they simply would not ever progress outside their hometown/bedrooms.



Triffids, Jacksons Lane Community Centre, 1984

 Anyway at this time I had no intention/desire to even visit australia let alone move there, my sister had come back from her travels downunder with a neanderthal sheep shearing fiancee and all the music previously had been carefully "filed" in the RawCK bucket. But it was hard to resist the romantic notion of treeless plains and lonesome roads when walking up Shoot-up hill in a sleety Cricklewood November, and there was something about that singers voice that grabbed you by the curlies.
Of course that singer died , broke and forgotten , most australian bands are still playing Rawck and the reality of Australiana aint so pretty up close.

This show was an old church in Islington? (sly google..okay: Archway) and the acoustics and vibe were perfect for an awesome band at their best.....

Triffids - Beautiful waste

Triffids, Jackson Lane, 1984

Side1:
Lonesome Hobo,
Bright Lights Big City,
Property Is Condemned,
My Baby thinks Shes a Train,
Wrong Turn,
Jesus Calling,
Red Pony,
Beautiful Waste,
Raining Pleasure,
Monkey on my Bike (sic),
Field of Glass
Side2:
Field of Glass (cont),
I Cant Help Falling In Love With You,
Branded for Life,
Dont Miss Your Water.

Bone Orchard

I was so excited when I found this tape again, some great bands played that weekend but unfortunately its pretty much unlistenable. Someone had the great idea of hosting Futurama in a decrepit , damp cathedral like hall in the middle of Leeds. The acoustics were apalling at the time and its hard to hear anything on the tape apart from the odd remnant of over treated guitar - this was in the time that chorus pedals walked the earth (armoury show, comsat angels, chameleons etc).

The other inspired decision was having Bay City Rollers headline, god did they cop some flack - physical , verbal and kharmic. The crowd was exceptionally aggressive and it was a bit of a culture shock for us "soft southern bastards" too, Id never seen chips served with mushy peas on top before.
I remember we stayed with some friends of little roger on the way up, they were full on vegan-anarchos and played some of their music to us, it sounded ok but we all smugly believed that noone would ever go and see a band called Chumbawumba.....




Bone Orchard was Prents' band from Brighton, of course he was now called Troy Tyro or somesuch, they had this striking front-woman with a huge blonde hairdo and a fearsome growl , the band peddled a pretty cool strain of Birthday Party by-product. Id forgotten they even played this festival, and if you are familiar with their work you might just be able to work out this is them.....
Bone Orchard

The Shop Assistants

This was recorded in the upstairs room of the Enterprise at Chalk Farm in late 1985. This was a great venue that closed down after short while when John Robb managed to put his foot through the floor into the pub below during a Membranes show. The Spaceman 3 played their first london show here, and I recall they had to come back and do a second set cos the record label/journalist they had come to impress missed them.

 

 

All that ever mattered - shop assistants

This is Shop Assistants with two drummers and  Alex singing. the recording is a second generation copy on a crap tape and its starting to deteriorate. Its not super hi-fi but the vocals are pretty clear which is what you want with these guys. 
Theres something on the end of the tape which I suspect is The Legend...and Im sure somewhere Ive got a an acapella version of "Just like Honey" with the Legend backed by the Shop Assistants from this show....ahh for a time machine and a digital video camera.

 

Shop Assistants Live ChalkFarm Camden, 1985 (24mb mp3)

 

• home again,
• safety net,
• all that ever mattered,
• isnt it funny?,
• somewhere in china,
• its up to you,
• all day long,
• switzerland,
• goodbye sadness?

Cocteau Twins

'did I ever tell you I  saw the Cocteau Twins once when they had  two singers? Its True!!!.  ..but..I checked wikepedia and it doesnt back me up....so maybe its my enfeebled memory playing tricks on me.  Cos if it aint in wikipedia then it didnt happen right?

This photos from the Victoria Palace theatre, I loved this band sooo much....but then they went all "Q magazine". Bands do that , dont they? 

But luckily we can always find another, go crazy on them, bring em into our hearts and homes , until, they decide we are actually a bit embarassing and they need some time apart, they need some space, we are holding them back......sorry ok?

This Track is from the  ULU  13/12/83 (on one of those tacky Orange SONY CHF90's), and really , its here for no better reason than its got me shouting " SHUT UP MARCUS!" on it....


Cocteau twins - Song To The Siren


This is the full set from the Victoria Palace Theatre, 26th Feb 1984:

Side1 (14mb mp3)

• Spangle Maker
• Dearheart
• Love Paramour
• Sugar Hiccup (tape ends)

Side2 (24mb mp3)

• Hitherto
• Blind, Dumb, Deaf
• Pearly Dewdrops Drop
• From the Flagstones
• Musette and Drums
• Pearly Dewdrops Drop (Encore)

Hammersmith Odeon, 19th April 1983 (32mb Mp3)
01 Hearsay Please

02 Garlands

03 Alas Dies Laughing

04 Dear Heart

05 Feathers oar Blades

06 Hazel

07 Shallow Then Halo

08 Blind Dumb Deaf

09 Peppermint Pig

10 Wax And Wane
11 All But An Ark Lark
Terrible Quality - not one of mine either!!!

ULU 13th December 1983 (28mb Mp3)
01 When Mama Was Moth
02 The Tinderbox (of a heart)
03 In Our Angelhood
04 because of whirljack
05 From The Flagstones
06 My Love Paramour
07 Sugar Hiccup
08 Hitherto
09 Musette & Drums
10 Song To The Siren

Memories Of Mother

So my dad had this massive extension put on the house in Great Totham, we talked him into making the attic en-suite bit into a rehearsal room, dad never does anything by halves so he built a false wall of plasterboard filled with fibre glass insulation all round the space, you loaded in through a hole in the floor and there were plasterboard/fibreglass "plugs" to fill the window and the access hole.  As sound insulation it sucked but it was damn near airtight and my god did it retain the heat ...oxygen was an optional exra.
This was recorded in there - the last MOM rehearsal before Prent left for Uni in Brighton so must have been about '82. There was a lot of bad feeling that night you can hear arguing all through the tape, its me at the end whining "look fuck off!, I just wanna bloody get a decent recording, something to look at...."


Memories of Mother : Powertouch

Vox: Deborah Mckenna
Guitar: Trevor Prentice
Bass: Richard Payne
Drum Machine.

Ahhh the BASF Ferro Super 120, built to last.

Waxwork Dummies

Waxwork Dummies, Maldon April 2nd 1980

Video:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=155907805584


Of course the chelmsford punks were always the coolest toughest guys around, and where do you think Adam got the idea of the Red Indian/Punk look for the Ants R2????
Hummed  "The Curse" all the way in to work this morning "there is no cure than can be sought,  BE SOUGHT!" truly a clasic.
Now I wonder if Anorexia ever recorded "Anti-matter man"?
Download the whole Demo from here:
http://www.divshare.com/download/686044-df3

The Lost

Dads firm relocated to Witham so we moved from chingford to a shiny new house in Essex, and for me a new school. On my first day I had to do some tests to put me in the right class, waiting outside the head masters office was this kid with a bright red haircut and purple flares , Prent.  Later when it was lunchtime a skinny kid grabbed me and explained as we had packed lunch we had to sit on the stage of the assembly room to eat - not at the tables with the other kids. Woody.

We used to sit on a coal binker round the back of the school at breaktime doing the bored teenager thing and eventually decided to form a band, prent knew a guy called scraggy who would teach him some guitar, woody would drum and I would play bass. Woody had a brother Graham who loved the Who and wanted to be the singer/manager/promoter/svengali. He called himself Henry.

I bought a bass and an amp with money from my milkround , and my sister made a pair of bonndage strides based on Paul Simonons....after a couple of tries in the Woods' garage we progressed to full dress rehearsals at goldhanger village hall.  Henry renting a strobe and  us practicing our song and big entrance - walking from the halls kitchen to the stage with an audience comprised of the local alternative kid : Keith. 

Our dads would be there at 10 to take us and the gear home......





Maldons legendary "The Lost" Recorded at Spectrum studios Southen Essex, 27th February 1979

• Drums: David (Woody) Wood
• Vox: Graham (Henry) Wood
• Guitar: Trevor (Prent) Prentice
• Bass: Richard (ITN) Payne

  

"Walked into a party, just the other night
Wasnt very long before I got into a fight
This kid started hitting me - just pushing 12
That was when I new that something really wasnt right
Im too Old.." (repeat)

Rules...

Must come from a tape
Must be over 15 years old
Must have some relevance