Since Lene Lovich burst onto the scene with her 1979 hit single "Lucky Number," ushering in the New Wave era, her life has been defined by an unyielding commitment to the arts and activism. She starred in the French television film Rock, costarred (with Nina Hagen and Herman Brood) in the motion picture Cha-Cha, and co-wrote and played the lead in the London stage play Mata Hari. She co-wrote the score to the short film Alpha Girls, and also wrote the libretto for the opera The Collector, and recorded Peter Hammill and Judge Smith's opera Fall of the House of Usher. She recorded and toured in support of the fundraising single "Don't Kill The Animals" with German star Nina Hagen. The Stereo Society, the on-line label founded in 1999 by celebrated producer Mike Thorne (Wire, Bronski Beat, John Cale), now proudly presents us with Lene's greatly anticipated new album: Shadows and Dust.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Sound of the North
At the height of the so-called 'Madchester' scene or 'baggy' if you will, this captured everything in all its glory. For a start Northside featured in a major item. Footage shows the band in interview, rehearsal, live in concert and even at work (well, the one band member who worked); Central Station Design in their studio creating something out of a pane of glass and loads of ephemera; Happy Mondays in Amsterdam - including Derek Ryder soundchecking for his son!; also includes 808 State and MC Tunes; Celebration was a Granada Television arts strand and undoubtedly Anthony H Wilson (So It Goes, The Other Side of Midnight, Remote Control, Content) must have had some influence in the making of a programme featuring Northside from his own record label.
Funk Pop A Roll
Emerging from the British Punk/New Wave movement of the late seventies,
XTC quickly established themselves as a band that transcends either category with the angular, hook-filled "White Music" album, featuring the songs, unconventional guitar and voice of leader Andy Partridge, bassist/vocalist/songwriter Colin Moulding, quirky organ by Barry Andrews and drummer Terry Chambers. One more album with this line-up, "GO2", quickly followed. After this less accessable collection, Andrews left to form Shriekback. He was replaced by guitarist/keyboardist Dave Gregory and in the first few years of the 80s, XTC produced the three albums, "Drums and Wires", "Black Sea", and "English Settlement" that firmly established them as one of England's "bands to watch".
Combining literate, pointed lyrics with Beatles meets Captain Beefheart instrumental sensibilities, XTC seemed poised for stardom when they unexpectedly stopped touring in 1982 due to their leader's stage fright.
XTC quickly established themselves as a band that transcends either category with the angular, hook-filled "White Music" album, featuring the songs, unconventional guitar and voice of leader Andy Partridge, bassist/vocalist/songwriter Colin Moulding, quirky organ by Barry Andrews and drummer Terry Chambers. One more album with this line-up, "GO2", quickly followed. After this less accessable collection, Andrews left to form Shriekback. He was replaced by guitarist/keyboardist Dave Gregory and in the first few years of the 80s, XTC produced the three albums, "Drums and Wires", "Black Sea", and "English Settlement" that firmly established them as one of England's "bands to watch".
Combining literate, pointed lyrics with Beatles meets Captain Beefheart instrumental sensibilities, XTC seemed poised for stardom when they unexpectedly stopped touring in 1982 due to their leader's stage fright.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
South Of Watford
Michael Moorcock hosts 1983 ITV show about the Positive Punk genre based on an NME article by Richard North.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Yashar
The Cabaret Voltaire of 1973 to 1976 was purely involved in the manipulation of these sounds and the compilation of tapes of them.
As part of the confrontational energy of punk, itself inspired by the Dada and Situationist art movements, the early titles of the records didn't mince words - 'Baader Meinhof' and 'Do The Mussolini (Headkick)' were indicators that were bound to lead to a certain notoriety. To the press they appeared to be immersed in a world of paranoia fed by conspiracy theories, political control and the use of drugs to both liberate and inhibit the individual.
The band began working with Rough Trade in 1978, producing the now seminal triumvirate of albums "Mix Up" (1979), "Voice of America" (1980) and their most prophetic album "Red Mecca" (1981), an album released to an excellent response from the music press. All these recordings were assembled in the seclusion of the band's own studio in Sheffield called Western Works.
As part of the confrontational energy of punk, itself inspired by the Dada and Situationist art movements, the early titles of the records didn't mince words - 'Baader Meinhof' and 'Do The Mussolini (Headkick)' were indicators that were bound to lead to a certain notoriety. To the press they appeared to be immersed in a world of paranoia fed by conspiracy theories, political control and the use of drugs to both liberate and inhibit the individual.
The band began working with Rough Trade in 1978, producing the now seminal triumvirate of albums "Mix Up" (1979), "Voice of America" (1980) and their most prophetic album "Red Mecca" (1981), an album released to an excellent response from the music press. All these recordings were assembled in the seclusion of the band's own studio in Sheffield called Western Works.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Atv
Alternative TV (often referred to by fans as ATV) were an English rock band, formed in London in 1976. Their punk rock and post-punk sound has proven influential for several musical artists.
As the founding editor of the pioneering Sniffin' Glue fanzine, Mark Perry gained attention in the English punk scene. He formed the band while producing the fanzine, although eventually diverted his energies solely to this band.
Key members of the band were Perry and Alex Fergusson, who described their music as "closest to Can and reggae-type rhythms".
The band's debut single was "Love Lies Limp", a free flexi disc issued with the final edition of Perry's Sniffin' Glue fanzine. On this single Perry and Fergusson were accompanied by John Towe (ex Generation X) and Tyrone Thomas. Towe left to join the Rage and was replaced by Chris Bennett, so completing a line-up which early punk fans consider to epitomise the punk era (the band subsequently underwent extensive line-up changes). Shortly afterwards they released the "How Much Longer" / "You Bastard" 7" in December 1977, the A-side being a critique of youth culture apathy.
Soon thereafter at the end of 1977, Perry sacked his chief collaborator Fergusson. The latter went on to form Cash Pussies and, a few years later, Psychic TV along with Genesis P Orridge. Fergusson was replaced by Dennis Burns.
A dub influenced single, "Life after Life," was released as well as a debut album, The Image Has Cracked. The band's second album, Vibing Up the Senile Man saw the band take a more explicitly experimental direction however, which alienated many of their followers as well as the music press. Around the same time, a live LP, split with commune-dwelling hippy band Here and Now was released (a document of their tour together), marking the band's movement further away from the ever more predictable punk/new wave scene. Alternative TV soon evolved into the avant-garde project, The Good Missionaries (taking the name from a track on the 'Vibing' album), releasing one album, "Fire From Heaven" in 1979. A series of releases under Perry's own name as well as an album under the name Door and the Window followed before Perry, Burns and Fergusson briefly reformed Alternative TV along with former members of Fergusson's Cash Pussies in 1981. Alex briefly returned to collaborate with Mark on the Alternative TV's 'pop' album, Strange Kicks which was produced by Richard Mazda.
From 1981 to 1984, Perry had a new project, Reflections, collaborating with Karl Blake (of Lemon Kittens) and Grant Showbiz among others, before concentrating on production.
Perry reformed ATV in 1985. This line up started with Karl Blake, Steve Cannell and Allison Philips. Protag and then Clive Giblin featured later on guitar and ATV released further records on and off over the following decade or so with varying line-ups, Perry being the only constant member. Another line up followed with James Kyllo and Steve Cannell which lead to the releases of "Sol" and "Dragon Love".
Lost Moment Records released the 2001 studio album, "Revolution", followed in 2003 by the official bootleg album "Viva La Rock'n' Roll - comprising of live performances recorded in the UK, France, Germany and the US. In 2004 Mark finally gave in to logic and recorded the Ramones classic "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" for a Lost Moment Single and an Argentinian Ramones tribute CD, and the world heard at last his version of the song that his pioneering fanzine took its name from. Cleopatra Records released a compilation of the Lost Moment output for the US market in February 2006, entitled "In Control".
Mark Perry is currently (Dec 2006) in the process of forming the new Sniffin' Glue Records label, which will feature a third Long Decline album as its first release.
As the founding editor of the pioneering Sniffin' Glue fanzine, Mark Perry gained attention in the English punk scene. He formed the band while producing the fanzine, although eventually diverted his energies solely to this band.
Key members of the band were Perry and Alex Fergusson, who described their music as "closest to Can and reggae-type rhythms".
The band's debut single was "Love Lies Limp", a free flexi disc issued with the final edition of Perry's Sniffin' Glue fanzine. On this single Perry and Fergusson were accompanied by John Towe (ex Generation X) and Tyrone Thomas. Towe left to join the Rage and was replaced by Chris Bennett, so completing a line-up which early punk fans consider to epitomise the punk era (the band subsequently underwent extensive line-up changes). Shortly afterwards they released the "How Much Longer" / "You Bastard" 7" in December 1977, the A-side being a critique of youth culture apathy.
Soon thereafter at the end of 1977, Perry sacked his chief collaborator Fergusson. The latter went on to form Cash Pussies and, a few years later, Psychic TV along with Genesis P Orridge. Fergusson was replaced by Dennis Burns.
A dub influenced single, "Life after Life," was released as well as a debut album, The Image Has Cracked. The band's second album, Vibing Up the Senile Man saw the band take a more explicitly experimental direction however, which alienated many of their followers as well as the music press. Around the same time, a live LP, split with commune-dwelling hippy band Here and Now was released (a document of their tour together), marking the band's movement further away from the ever more predictable punk/new wave scene. Alternative TV soon evolved into the avant-garde project, The Good Missionaries (taking the name from a track on the 'Vibing' album), releasing one album, "Fire From Heaven" in 1979. A series of releases under Perry's own name as well as an album under the name Door and the Window followed before Perry, Burns and Fergusson briefly reformed Alternative TV along with former members of Fergusson's Cash Pussies in 1981. Alex briefly returned to collaborate with Mark on the Alternative TV's 'pop' album, Strange Kicks which was produced by Richard Mazda.
From 1981 to 1984, Perry had a new project, Reflections, collaborating with Karl Blake (of Lemon Kittens) and Grant Showbiz among others, before concentrating on production.
Perry reformed ATV in 1985. This line up started with Karl Blake, Steve Cannell and Allison Philips. Protag and then Clive Giblin featured later on guitar and ATV released further records on and off over the following decade or so with varying line-ups, Perry being the only constant member. Another line up followed with James Kyllo and Steve Cannell which lead to the releases of "Sol" and "Dragon Love".
Lost Moment Records released the 2001 studio album, "Revolution", followed in 2003 by the official bootleg album "Viva La Rock'n' Roll - comprising of live performances recorded in the UK, France, Germany and the US. In 2004 Mark finally gave in to logic and recorded the Ramones classic "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" for a Lost Moment Single and an Argentinian Ramones tribute CD, and the world heard at last his version of the song that his pioneering fanzine took its name from. Cleopatra Records released a compilation of the Lost Moment output for the US market in February 2006, entitled "In Control".
Mark Perry is currently (Dec 2006) in the process of forming the new Sniffin' Glue Records label, which will feature a third Long Decline album as its first release.
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