Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry were another singles band: the compressed sounds and 2 1/2 minute duration of the 7" format suiting them ideally, "Take It All" was my favorite of the 4 pre-LP releases with its stomping verse  and the "sister ray" vocal phrasing crashing into that circling guitar motif in the chorus.
 Ive always had a soft spot for drum machines: the 'Lorries, Cocteaus, Big Black, Sisters of Mercy, Godflesh .....I dunno , its probably that discipline thing again: It means the music has to be focused , no wanky "jamming " or  ad libbed make-it-up as-you-go-along extended solos here sonny.
I think Albini used to cheat with a foor pedal, and anyone who witnessed the epic version of Jordan Minesota  that Big Black ended with upstairs at the Clarendon one night knows just what you can do in terms of dynamics, emotion and atmosphere with a beefed up click track.


Take It All - Red Lorry Yellow Lorry


For some reason I taped the whole of the support band at this show (probly cos the singer was a babe...) but only some of the lorries, let me tell you time has not been kind to the skeletal family, on this  they sound like bloody Terminal Burnz on a bad night ...

 Live at Imperial College London, 3rd Feb 1984 (29mb mp3)
instrumental,
beating my head,
sometimes,
silence,
alone?,
take it all,
monkeys on juice.

Heres some more from the next year but north of the river...





Live Kings College London, Feb 1st 1985 (35MB mp3)
take it all,
this today,
sometimes,
alone,
?
hollow eyes,
hand on my heart,
talk about the weather.

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.