Peter Gabriel-Security(1982)

In post punk Britain in the late 70s, there was a main move away from the punk ideal to bands that seem to incorparate their influences. In this instance you had Bauhaus who gained success with Ziggy Stardust as an example. With punk there was a move to sort of dismiss everything that went before 1976 as not really relevant. In the early 80s there was not many bands that were aspiring to be Genesis , except if you count Marillion. Genesis were seen as slightly self indlugent in the early 80s, it wasnt until the Phil Collins solo success that Genesis suddendly becae hip again. In hidsight I find some of early Genesis really powerful especially tracks like ' Dance of the moonlight Knight'and 'Fly on the windshield'. When you listen to the genesis back catalogue you can see there is more themes and structure to their albums, it almost with hidsight there is an inevtably that Gabriel was going to leave Genesis. Peter Gabriel seemed at the height of punk to be collabarating with Eno and Fripp who were part of their respective bands (Roxy Music, and King crimson), but where Peter Gabriel succeeded at this time was to develop a more edgy sound. It had starkness in the production and the output. You can hear the glimpses of what was to come in tracks early on like "HEre comes the Flood'. By early 1980 and with the success of Pater gabriel 3. Peter seemed to get more into world musics and also had fairlight which truly meant that his sound had a modern feel. Rather than create a slick sound his sounds were almost tribal and sparse. With the Security album in 1982 it only has one really truly stand out track in terms of commerciality which is 'I Have the Touch'. The rest of the album has the nature of experimentalism. The album starts with "Rythmn of The Heat', this is probably one of the best constructed songs on the album it starts eiree and the builds up in atmosphere. Probably the other highlight is 'San Jacinto ' which has a real searing vocal , it has been played live numerous times since. The other tracks like 'Family and the fishing net' is abstract it reminds me of David Bowie's "Sons of silent age, 'Lay your hands on me ' deals with healing by touch. The album ends with Wallflower which features heavy percussive sounds. Many of the songs feature in the New Blood concerts in a orchestral setting, which gives the songs added depth. I think when the first Peter Gabriel albums came out they set the way forward for solo artists to remain their fan bases whlst at the same time moving their sounds forward. Peter Gabriel was a visonary i n terms of humantarism issues, production(real World studios) and is in my huble opinion right up there with David Bowie in terms of music as an art form.

The Cult-Dreamtime

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckhY3xynhLc The Cult-Dreamtime (1984) Post punk well maybe…, but what followed was definitely not. The Cult were a band that had had three name changes in as many years. Formerly they were the Southern Death Cult, Then Death Cult and then the Cult. What got them notice was that there first concerts were recorded live for TV and also the pop show the Tube gave them exposure which the singer grabbed with both hands. At the time the tube appearances got people talking about them, maybe not since Peter Murphy was the front man to the fore. What also changed from the 1982 period to 1984 was that members came and went. But Billy Duffy joined from the Theatre of Hate, his guitar playing gave Astbury the songs greater textures. No more was this more evident with the ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ 1985 single. But going back to the 'Dreamtime’ album it is probably one of the best produced gothic albums, it does have a punk angle to it, compared to the rock(y) follow up of Love. It starts with 'Horse Nation’ which builds up the album, quite a good intro for the album. There were a number of singles that were lifted from the album 'Go West’, 'Ressurection Joe’ and 'Spiritwalker ’. I prefer the extended versions of these tracks, but the sign of a good album is the fact that the other tracks are not fillers. Now some of you will be saying 'The Cult are you sure?’ but in terms of post punk the album was of the time, at the time it stood head above the rest of the pack. The problem with the Cult was they were achieving numerous success on the US college circuit and as a result and due to Astburys influences being mainly American bands. The band went from being a UK band to a US in some ways, the 1987 album which name escapes me was a band that was mirroring bands like Zodiac Mindwarp – the difference was that they knew they were in on the joke. The Cult went from a band that created a scene, only to leave it behind when success called. The Album 'Dreamtime’ is the sound of a band finding its feet. But it is a album of rich guitar work and its a varied album, they would never hit these peaks again. (posted on post punk discussion group 20/5/14)

Public Image LTD-PIL

PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED-FIRST ISSUE (1978) When you look back at Early PIL, rightly so you go straight to metal box. Almost like the first punk/dub album of its kind. Looking back with hindsight you can see the first album by many bands is a band finding its feet, without First Issue we would not have had Metal Box. In some ways it can be argued that PIL Era of 1978-1981 was the band at its peak. The original line up had keith Levine , Jah Wobble and Macolm Atkins. The first two were probably the best guitarists out there at the time. Especially Jah Wobble for the basslines he was putting down which took PIL’s music into a different scene that Pil had originated from. I think with PIL its hard to grasp how much expectation must have been on John Lydon’s shoulders as this time. After leaving the Sex Pistols he could of just been true to type and made a living of the reputation. Lydon had always had an admiration for Kraut Rock and other artists from before the 1976 era and finding like minded players in Levine and Wobble he set about creating a band that would be as influential as the Pistols but would take it beyond that scene. In some ways with the Siouxsie and the Banshees album ’ The Scream’, I would say that PILs first two albums were post punk essentials. But why am I concentrating on First Issue. Well for myself I could not afford Metal Box at the time, I was only 7 when it was released but even finding it in 1987/8 was a task in itself. Many record shops due to the nature of the packaging of Metal Box it went for slightly more than the rest of the catalogue. So saving up the pennies, it was First Issue that was the most easy to buy. If anything I prefer the production of this album compared to Metal Box. It starts with ‘theme’ which is basically a Jam, but the album features tracks like 'Public Image ’, 'Lowlife’ and 'Analisia’. It is a album where the songs follow a structure and are quite consise in length. But not the same could be said about 'fodderstompf’ which even it its lyrics states 'they are trying to finish the album with the least amount of effort neccesary’. Pil would hit other highs through out their career, in some ways the first two albums could be classed as dub albums, where as 'Flowers of romance’ could be classed as a drummers album, due to the lack of guitar and bass on the album overall. PIL are one of those bands that dont have the following of some bands but there is always a respect for their ground breaking early work. Its also good to see PIL doing the rounds of festival circuit, but the true back bone of the band in Levine and Wobble continue to work together and PIL will not be the band it was until there is true reformation. Public Image Ltd. – Public Image uploaded to post punk disucssion group -20.4.2014

Cabaret Voltaaire-Drinking Gasoline

Post Punk Eps and Albums part…9 Cabaret Voltaire-Drinking Gasoline Now this one will probably court some controversy, is it an album or is it an EP?. Well it can be classed as both. I always considered this a double 12”. But everyone has their own opinion. But it was a EP that was just on the borderline between both. Why I have singled out this EP? Its was the sound of a band that was working to its full power, after the ‘Microphonies’ album of 1984 the sound was a mixture of Electro and bass. The Tracks of the Drinking Gasoline EpP had been played live for most of a year before they were committed to vinyl. In some ways these early recordings are more subtle and a little less underplayed, the peel sessions and Janice Long sessions have more laidback versions of tracks like 'Sleepwalking’ and 'Kino’. Cabaret Voltaire were a band that drew from post punk but with the new technology at the time they were complimenting this with their recordings, As such you could say that New Order and Cabaret Voltaire were ahead of the competion at this time. What I like about Drinking Gasoline they could of took it easy and just replayed those tracks, but they almost converted the tracks into 8 minute pieces of harsh electro. The tracks were industrial Electro , harsh and powerful. The tracks also provide a stepping stone between the two albums of Microphonies(1984) and the Covenant(1985). Due to the format of the EP, being two 12” I remember a distinct feeling that Virgin/Some Bizzare did not know how to market it. Also that many record shops were not sure how to price or advertise it. Most records of the time came in standard formats. There are only 4 tracks on the EP, being 'Kino’, 'Sleepwalking’, Ghosttalk’ and 'Big Funk’. 'Kino’ is a almost Kraftwerk-ian in its style of beats but that’s the only comparison to make with another artist. It was remixed and reissued later on in 1992, but the original version remains the best. 'Ghost Talk’ probably is the best cut-up sample song ever released from the 80’s, the speed of the track and keyboards and drums drive the track along. 'Big Funk’ its almost collage like – Keyboards are sparse, Mallinder’s lyrics more to the fore. The final track not that there was any order as a lot of the labels were printed wrong on the release’. Sleepwalking is very atmospheric and harsh, especially the Keyboards. It remains one of their best works. With Cabaret Voltaire there was never a band that encompassed so many styles who went from the DIY musical ethics to Electro to commercial releases and then back to Indiependent releases. That’s what made them unique. In terms of Post Punk its not punk in the truest sense, but the EP/LP shows that they had the ambition even when on a major label to provide experimental works that were not afraid to push the boundries. As stated before I don’t ever see Cabaret Voltaire reforming but the recent reissues have created a lot of interest. Where 80’s bands have reformed . The Cabaret Voltaire reunion if it ever happened would be a chance maybe for the press to give them recognition for the part they played in 1980s/90s dance and electronic music. In a Wolfgang Flur interview he was asked who he would like to see reform , he mentioned Cabaret Voltaire. The very band they were influenced by , gave them recognition. Thats the ultimate compliment. http://open.spotify.com/album/1gSeJ1KSVDWVSlzWTGAcTb

The Cure-17 Second

Post Punk albums - part 20034. Cocteau Twins-Head Over Heels (1983) 4AD I may have covered this one before(So forgive me). But this to me remains one of the best post punk albums, or should that be post gothic albums from the early 80’s. The Cocteau Twins were formed in 1981 in Grangemouth in Scotland which is a heavily industrialised place. How their music can be so beautiful yet from an area like this remains a mystery, they took their name from a very early Simple Minds track. But that is where any similarities end. Liz Fraser originally joined the band and then left, but with bands like the Birthday Party coming on the scene it had a knock on effect to the band, they started to raise interest in their recordings and presented a demo to the Birthday Party’s manager at the time who passed it on to the head of 4AD, Ivo. What I like about Head Over Heels is that it has this atmospheric backdrop of keyboards, echo sax. Where as Garlands and the 82-early 83 was a very bass driven sound. Then the 1984 ‘Treasure’, which is always considered one of their best works but in a way not brilliantly produced. Head Over Heels is the link between these two albums. In early 1983 Will Heggie left, mainly due to travelling to and from London and the album was recorded as a duo. Its a powerful album, the drum machine placed through echo, guitars overlap and sear on tracks like 'Mussette and Drums’. It starts with the 'When Mama was Moth’ which is a dense drum beat with guitars being dominant. It does features tracks where Fraser’s voice starts to flourish, but for most parts the vocals are quite audiable and not over layered. Other tracks like 'Sugar Hiccup’ show a sign of things to come, other tracks worth noting are 'Tinderbox’ and as mentioned before is 'Musette and Drums’ which features Robin Guthrie Guitar work as its best, etheral an gothic in its truest sense. Head Over Heels is a band that was getting to know their sounds and was developing. Compared to albums like 'Blue bell Knoll’ this is a more straight forward release, Simple yet powerful. Quite romantic in its nature and ambition. http://open.spotify.com/album/7anSOkSVKCykLrxe6yjp6e

Cocteau Twins-head Over Heels

Post Punk albums - part 20034. Cocteau Twins-Head Over Heels (1983) 4AD I may have covered this one before(So forgive me). But this to me remains one of the best post punk albums, or should that be post gothic albums from the early 80’s. The Cocteau Twins were formed in 1981 in Grangemouth in Scotland which is a heavily industrialised place. How their music can be so beautiful yet from an area like this remains a mystery, they took their name from a very early Simple Minds track. But that is where any similarities end. Liz Fraser originally joined the band and then left, but with bands like the Birthday Party coming on the scene it had a knock on effect to the band, they started to raise interest in their recordings and presented a demo to the Birthday Party’s manager at the time who passed it on to the head of 4AD, Ivo. What I like about Head Over Heels is that it has this atmospheric backdrop of keyboards, echo sax. Where as Garlands and the 82-early 83 was a very bass driven sound. Then the 1984 ‘Treasure’, which is always considered one of their best works but in a way not brilliantly produced. Head Over Heels is the link between these two albums. In early 1983 Will Heggie left, mainly due to travelling to and from London and the album was recorded as a duo. Its a powerful album, the drum machine placed through echo, guitars overlap and sear on tracks like 'Mussette and Drums’. It starts with the 'When Mama was Moth’ which is a dense drum beat with guitars being dominant. It does features tracks where Fraser’s voice starts to flourish, but for most parts the vocals are quite audiable and not over layered. Other tracks like 'Sugar Hiccup’ show a sign of things to come, other tracks worth noting are 'Tinderbox’ and as mentioned before is 'Musette and Drums’ which features Robin Guthrie Guitar work as its best, etheral an gothic in its truest sense. Head Over Heels is a band that was getting to know their sounds and was developing. Compared to albums like 'Blue bell Knoll’ this is a more straight forward release, Simple yet powerful. Quite romantic in its nature and ambition. http://open.spotify.com/album/7anSOkSVKCykLrxe6yjp6e

Siouxsie and the Banshees-the Scream

SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES-THE SCREAM (1978) Imagine the scene -you get rejection kicked in your face time and time again , chasing the dream of a record companies support. You see other bands that you started the same time as you dazzle(excuse the pun) and then disintegrate before you have even put music to vinyl. You gig solidly for a year and a half with no break through. Well that’s what happened to the banshees. They were well known for appearing at the 100 club but there was such a gap between that gig and the Scream album that followed in November 1978. In that time they were gigging almost everywhere and for all their hard work they signed to Polydor in 1978 and released ‘The Scream’. The album its quite simply one of the best post punk albums to be released in the 70’s. This album featured the drum work of Kenny Morris and the excellent guitar work of John McKay. Now with hindsight you can see that in the banshees story that they tend to get forgotten about, however the way they played in terms gave the banshees a very dark edge to the sound. In some ways they set the template. The album stats with the Track ‘Pure’ which is a very small build up to the album. The track then goes into the track Jigsaw feeling’. If there was an track you wanted to hearing brilliant guitar work of McKay this is it. Its quite a driven song to the drumming of Morris and the bass work of Steven Severin. The song ends with a cutting guitar riff. It then goes into Overground which would appear again on the 1984 EP the thorn. Its almost like a acoustic version , with the drums and bass low down in the mix . Then the song builds up to the chorus , with the guitar work strumming over a almost military drum beat. I remember reading the book that was written by the Manager of the banshees at the time and he stated that Kenny Morris was not a very good drummer, but believe me he had definately found his feet at the time of this record. Carcass the next track was a track that was played around the hunt for a record a label and I believe it was on many demo tapes. Its a typical punk song, very full of energy. The album to me features Siouxsie approaching singing from a different angle than the other artists, there were songs in this album dealing with split personalities and addiction. Not the usual type of songs sung by female artists at that time. A theme that was to appear on this album and in 1983 was that they were recording cover versions of Beatles songs, namely from the white album. They were to cover 'dear prudence’ and achieve some success later on. This version of ‘Helter Skelter’ has very little bass in the mix, not as driven as the version of the nocturne 1983 album. Mirage has almost a psychedelic guitar intro. This was a popular song on the peel sessions they recorded at the time. Nicotine stain is a punk riff song , sort of ridiculing oneself on addition to nicotine . The final two tracks are suburban relapse and Switch. Switch is a masterpiece. Builds up neatly, the guitar work on it is brilliant. In some ways it could be argued that the Banshees had hit the ground running and it was almost impossible to maintain. Inner tensions within the band would mean that 'Join Hands’ released the following year would be poorly recieved and the band split in two later in 1979. Also worth noting is 'Hong Kong Garden’ was the catchy pop song, the scream remains a gothic / post punk masterpiece that will never be matched. http://open.spotify.com/album/4jOwAkMW3ZdrGjcTJHEsnu

Cabaret Voltaire-the Crackdown

CABARET VOLTAIRE-THE CRACKDOWN(1983) Such is the Cabaret Voltaire’s back catalogue, I could have picked any album from their back catalogue to discuss. Like with Simple Minds there is two era’s. The Chris Watson era of experimentation of noise collages, then there is the dance/electronic/trance(delete as appropriate) era from 1983 onwards. With Cabaret Voltaire there sound was grouped in with punk, but was also grouped in with Industrial. There sound was always in several genre’s. How many acts from the early 80s had such a varied sound and could say that? The departure of Chris Watson forced Cabaret Voltaire into rethinking where to go on from there in late 1981. They joined forces with Dave Bell(soft cell) and set about bringing a more danceable element to their sound. There music had always had a slight funk/bass sound due to Mallinders bass playing but from the Crackdown the keyboards were definately more upfront in the mix which meant that Cabaret Voltaire were becoming a success in the clubs as well as achieving better Chart positions. In the early 80s it was easy to be classed as a sell out in the alternative crowd , many bands never fully recovered from the critical backlash , but with the Cabs they seemed to retain the indie respect whilst also gaining new fans with their bass/keyboard driven sound. That made them a unique band. Influenced by bands like Can, Chrome, Roxy Music, Eno and of course Kraftwerk, i would say Cabaret Voltaire drew on these resources but also made something that was entirely their own. New Order and Cabaret Voltaire were bands of the time that were moving the Kraftwerk electronic template and created some timeless works over the years. Also worth noting is the effect Cabaret Voltaire had on the scene around them in Sheffield in the late 70s and Early 80s. The crackdown album was released in August 1983 and was originally packaged with a 4 track ep which featured more ambient pieces. The album starts with 24-24 and this sets the standard for the rest of the album. Tracks like ‘Animation’ and 'Talking time ’ remain highlights. It was recently remastered and released at the end of last year. The Crackdown album is album showing a band at the peak of their powers. Albums followed which were just as influential but this album is a highlight for me as it was a bit of a gamble at the time, but also showed that taking an experimental approach sometimes pays off with excellent results. As for reunion’s I cannot see Cabaret Voltaire reforming, which has been a major discussion on the Cabaret Voltaire group I help run. But whats worth remembering is that Cabaret Voltaire outlasted bands like Throbbing Gristle, some bands reformed in the years that the cabs were going. They continue to release groundbreaking albums under aliases Richard H Kirk and Stephen Mallinder (wrangler). They are no longer together but the records they released influenced what they are doing now. I like the legacy the way they left it. http://open.spotify.com/album/4W2f00wkFHZVOA5ezMkGNQ posted on 3/3/14 post punk dicussion group

Simple Minds-Sons and Fascination

SIMPLE MINDS - SONS AND FASCINATION AND SISTER FEELINGS CALL.(1981) When I think of post punk there were many bands who were part of that scene but through their progression turned into almost the band they rebelled against. When I mention Simple Minds immediately you think back to ‘Belfast Child’ and Kerr’s late 80s hair do’s and political causes. But that would be too dismissive, they released some truly groundbreaking albums in the early 80’s. I think its safe to say there is two Simple Minds ,the 77-85 era and the 86 and beyond. What made Simple Minds lose their way ? Well letting Derek Forbes go might have been the reason. It started a series of events in which the original line up sort of fragmented and within 9 years the line up was only Kerr and Burchill. Derek Forbes bass playing its totally brilliant over the albums like 'Empires and Dance’ and New Gold Dream. The stepping stone between these albums was Sons and Fascination and Sister feelings call , they were both released in September 1981. These albums were produced by Steve Hillage and were quite raw in terms of production. The albums were released quite close together but were from the same sessions. The albums features tracks like 'Love Song’, 'Sweat in Bullet’. I personally like the songs like '70 cities’ and 'Seeing out the angel’ the non single tracks if you like, these were the tracks where they were not afraid to experiment.. Another factor on these albums is Mick Macneil’s keyboards, which are not over bearing, on albums after this period the drums and guitars were more in the mix. I also seem to recall that the album was well received, but the ,music press cast a critical eye over their choice of producer. However in the Simple Minds discography its one of those albums that gets forgotten about. They were a band that were not afraid to wear their influences if you like, influenced by Roxy, Bowie and Kraftwerk. They were part of post punk scene and they also recorded a few john peel sessions between 1979-1982 but then their sound became more slicker , better produced. I think every band has a peak and probably New Gold Dream was Simple Minds, however they were a band that made some brilliant records on the path to that album. About 2 years ago they did a tour to play songs from the first five albums which was ironically one of the better received tours. posted on 26.2.14 post punk discussion group

The Chameleons-What Does anything Mean basically

THE CHAMELEONS - WHAT DOES ANYTHING MEAN BASICALLY? (1985) Forgive my discussions having a 80’s feel, with the Chameleons I look at the 80s scene and you see bands like Simple Minds and U2 being at their creative peak between 1980-1983, with the Chameleons at this time they were finding their feet. If the Edge was the master of alternative guitar tunings, then the Chameleons were the masters of songs of rich textural guitar awash with keyboards. The Chameleons main purpose was to record a peel session that was their main inspiration if you like, this happened quite early on. Due to the exposure Peel gave them they were signed to Epic records and released ‘In Shreds’. In the 80s record companies would get behind bands or drop them, with Epic records they were a bit unsure of where to go with the Chameleons. So they left the contract and joined Statik records which was a subsiduary of Virgin. In early 1983 'As high as you can go ’ was released and was followed up by the excellent 'Script of the Bridge’. They toured constantly but in late 1984 they recorded for me what is the pinnacle of the Career, the excellent 'What does anything mean Basically?’ . It starts with the Phillip Glass like 'Silence, Sea and Sky’. Other tracks like 'Singing Rule Britannia’ and 'On the beach ’ just add to what is a complete album in the truest sense of the word. In hindsight the music press claim it was over produced, I think the follow up 'Strange Times ’ lacked the power of this album. With the Chameleons they broke up in late 1986/87 due to the death of their Manager Tony Fletcher. As a result it would take them many years to get back together. They did resurface with ’ Why call it anything’ around 2000, Mark Burgess continues to tour with Chameleons Vox. The comparisons to other manchester acts was unfair, where as Joy Division was about the power and starkness of the music and of course the lyrical content, singing about Passover and means to an end. With The Chameleons it could be as moody as that but there was also an optimism with the songs like 'Pleasure and Pain’ with lyrics like 'baby bouncing on your Knee, Hope for you and hope for me’. There was always an uplifting part to the Chameleons music that many other acts could not match. posted on 14.2.2014

Keith Le blanc-major Malfunction

KEITH LE BLANC-MAJOR MALFUNCTION - SIDE B I’ve posted this before on my own group, but this is a brilliant album. For the time it was a very hard hitting album. Keith Le Blanc had contributed to many different sessions, he surfaced with a minor hit in 1983/4 on Tommy Boy with the Malcolm X tribute ‘No Sell Out’. By the mid 80s he was working with Adrian Sherwood and the beats he was producing were becoming harder, this features Al Jorgenson(Ministry) and is one long 16 minute mix of percussion and beats. In a way the album sounds like a harder hitting Tackhead bur pre-date the Tackhead tape time album by about 2 years. Technology Works is the best one on this….at about the 4.19 mark.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBNKqNQRiEo posted on 11.2.14

Joy Division-Unknown Pleasures

Joy division-Unknown Pleasures. Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures.(1979) Now I am a bit unsure whether to include this. But what the heck, Joy Division is a band that divides opinion. Some people really respect the history, to others the music and the mood is to sombre. The thing with Joy Division taking the Ian Curtis situation out of the equation, the music was brilliant produced stark and powerful. It was a shame that a band that was developing lost its most important member due to the lack of support by the System and his continuing ill health. Why did Joy Division’s legacy continue, well Martin Hannett’s production of the first two albums was a league apart from many other bands. The use of atmopsheric’s and sound effects into the mix created a sometimes haunting and powerful sound. It took many bands and acts years to achieve the level that Joy Division did in the 1979-80- era. Only two bands came close Killing Joke, Sisters of Mercy. Who both mixed the dark sound with powerful production. In many ways the Joy Division albums were the complete package. The artwork the sound and image was all as one. Never was this better on the album ‘Unknown Pleasures’, its the album where the power of the band was evident. With the Follow up album closer which was described by Tony Wilson as when he emerged himself in the role. With Unknown Pleasures there is still some deep lyrics but there is also lyrics where its more general rather than aimed at his love life. Especially on the opening track ’ Disorder’. The best track on the album for me is the track 'Day of the lords’ which has this really deep bass line that seems to be at the lower register of sound. Where Sumner/Albrecht’s guitar work follows the bass. It builds with use of keyboards to a eventual descending mix of sound. There are some filler tracks on the album but this can be forgotten when tracks like 'Insight’ and 'New Dawn fades’. Other tracks like ’ She’s lost control’ and even 'New Dawn fades’ would be more powerful in John Peel Session Versions. Events of May 18th 1980 will always over shadow the music. Never has a band or artist sang with such raw emotion than Joy Division, in some interviews it was mentioned that Ian Curtis’s love of Kraftwerk’s music showed them the way forward. This is quite true in some respects. I always wonder what the next album would have been like and with the increasing technology at the time which came in , in the early 80s. It would be interesting to see where the sounds would have gone. But we will never know. Unknown Pleasures is a band playing at the peak of their powers. Its quite optimisitic in its mood compared to the follow up. If I was suggesting to anyone to look for a place to start I would recommend the substance Joy division album from 1988. But for studio albums it would have to be Unknown Pleasures. Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures

Big Country-The Crossing

Big Country-The Crossing Now I was not sure about this one, in some ways it might be classed as Major label rock and for all purposes it was. But for those of us who missed the Skids in the first instance, Big Country’s debut album was a album which achieved success and spawned various singles. But all albums that followed failed to live up to the promise of the first album. Stuart Adamson was one of the truly gifted scottish songwriters that popped up in the 80s, although his pedigree was from the mid 70s. In the 80s you had artists like Roddy Frame, Ricky Ross(Deacon Blue). Stuart’s lyrics were very much working class in their nature in that he highlighted things that other artists could not. The hardship of the shipyards and life in scotland in the 80s, but what made his lyrics so good was that there was a romantism and hopefulness in the songs words, but the music also was very traditional in sound even using standard Eletric and Bass guitars. I think what Im trying to say is that a new listener would perhaps pick up that they were scotland from their sound, it was distinctive. There was also a despair in some of the lyrics, especially to the track of the following album Steeltown, check out East of Eden for example. Sadly Stuart took his own life over 10 years ago and has been sadly missed by the fans. Big Country continue to release and tour and have recently been joined by Derek Forbes(ex simple minds). In some ways its easy to see that bands like U2 and Simple Minds achieved success from building on the albums they had out in the 80s. Big Country remained the following but the chart success passed them by. The Crossing was a band at the start, the singles set them apart it was a shame they could not build on that. Big Country – The Crossing (Deluxe Edition)

Talk Talk-Colour of Spring

TALK TALK-THE COLOUR OF SPRING(1986) Usually I contribute articles to my facebook groups and Post Punk Discussion group, but this album I thought I would post to 80IS. In terms of albums from the 1980s none has stood the test of time better than this album. Released in early 1986 it was an album rich in texture and songwriting, in some ways the earlier album in 1984 called ‘Its My Life’ showed the way they were going. In the early 1980’s Talk Talk were sort of on the coat tails of the new romantic movement with tracks like Today and 'Talk Talk’.They supported Duran Duran early on but that was as far as they went as far as mainstream pop went. In 1984 'Its My Life’ was released and it featured some classic tracks, but in some ways they did not treat the promos they did seriously. Which in turn infuriated EMI. That was the thing with Talk Talk considering how big EMI was a record company they seem to achieve critical success following their own route rather than the route the record company wanted. By the time of 1984 album they were a three piece band , but had Tim Friesse Green as a unofficial fourth member. He was responsible for Production and Song writing but never performed live with the band. The Colour Of Spring starts with bass by Danny Thompson and goes into 'Hapiness is easy’ which sets the tone. The thing that strikes you with the album is that the drums are played in a different way with a delay/Echo and the Bass is understated. Its an album that features guests in Steve Winwood and also features the guitar work of David Rhodes(Peter Gabriel). The tracks like 'Give it up’ and 'Living in Another World’ just give the album a complete feel then tracks like 'April 5th’ slow the tempo down. Its an album that works from start to finish. Other albums followed like 'Spirit of Eden’ and 'laughing Stock’ which took the sound to an almost different level. But this was Talk Talk making an expansive album in terms if sound. Talk Talk – The Colour Of Spring

Pink Floyd - Dark side of the moon

Pink Floyd - Dark side of the moon Recorded in 1972 and released in 1973, this is probably one of the oldest records in my collection. Bar stuff by tangerine dream, however the best thing i can say for this album is that it has stood the test of time. At the time of this album Pink Floyd were sort of stagnating, probably the wrong word to use but they had released some good music on previous albums. But the album before this called ‘Obscured by clouds’ was a bit patchy, the songs were starting to mirror songsand getting better but were still self indulgent pieces of psych rock. In some ways some bands probably seem to produce better material when they are under pressure to deliver, the band went into semi hibernation within abbey road recording studios and spent many months going over tracks they had been performing live as part of the Eclipse tour. The basis of this tour formed the main part of this album, What I love about the album is just the soaring guitar work of David Gilmour, the songs of Roger Waters are just brilliant pieces of songwriting. I can honestly say I fell out of love with music for a number of years but this album was the one after hearing it, things were not quite the same.What makes the album is the production they were obviously using the mixing desk to its fullest. It starts with the heartbeat track 'Speak to me’ and then goes into 'Breathe’ which is just so laidback, understated but just briliant. It then goes into the track 'On the run’ which is usually reffered to as the Travel Sequence. There are clips on youtube which shows how different the live version is(i prefer that). It then goes into the classic 'Time’. This is Gilmours guitar playing at its most etheral and blues(y). The tracks that follows ’ Great gig in the sky’ is an instrumental piece with female vocals and mostly Richard Wrights piano underpinning the track. 'Money’ is probably the albums best known track. 'Us and them’ is a track that was used as part of the Zebruskia point’ soundtrack they took the ipiano and layered aa song over it. 'Any colour you like’ is psychedelic, probably a bit dated. The album then closes with 'Brain Damage’ and 'Eclipse’. There has been articles and interviews where Waters thinks of the some of the lyrics slightly six form, but I would have to say that sometimes understating something can have more effect. The album brought eh band the success they craved and albums followed, but in terms of ambition. It has to be 'Dark side of the moon’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRVN_T2v490

Front 242-official Version

Post Punk Albums - No.10. Front 242-Official Version. Now I am probably blurring the lines beteween post punk and electronic music here. But sometimes a album is realeased that sort of changes the landscape of the genre. Now with Front 242’s 1986 album ‘Offical Version’ it sort of crept under the radar. It probably recieved more exposure abroad before it became ntoiced in the uk. Front 242 formed in 1980/81 and initially the sound was very minimal and sparse, which was typitifed on their album 'Geography’. Albums followed like ’ No comment’. But with the advent of Richard 23 joining the sound became more reliant of drum machines and live drumming. This meant their music went from being less about the senses and more about the dance element of their sound. Front 242 were also gaining exsposure in the Uk through John peel and recieving an increased press coverage. In some ways the album that followed this was probably better produced but it was more reliant on drum machines. What I like about this album is that the drum machines are there but Richard 23’s drumming just drives almost all the tracks along. Also worth noting you normally have to adjust the EQ levels to appreciate the record. Tracks like 'Rerun time’, 'Masterhit’ mean the albums goes from danceable to laid back and then the beat picks up again where it left off. This album was getting Front 242 noticed and they toured with Depeche Mode in the same year, they would release some really good singles after this album. But the albums became more experimental and they never returned to the heights of this album.

Heaven 17-Penthouse and Pavement - A review.

This is a review and a sort of a re-evaluation. I remember that when this album came out in 1981 it had a knock on effect to a particular sound but also to album covers becoming works of art at the same time. This album was always in those books for classic rock album covers that were on coffee tables through out the early 80s. But to dismiss it “as of the time “ is a foolish thing to do.. To Give background to the album a year before the original Human League Mk1 sort of splintered into two groups, in some ways led by the single mindedness of the people involved in the group, but also to do with Bob Last having two acts for the price of one. (In documentaries he has stated his instigated the move.) At the time its hard to understand but with hindsight you can say that he definitely did the right thing. It enabled the music that had influenced Ware and Marsh to become more to the fore in the mix. I can hear the elements of Donna Summer in the I’m Your Money, Chic in ‘Play To Win’. Also stated in interview Martyn Ware was imnnesiely driven by the situation that had unfolded , as remember he was the main founding member before Phil Oakey joined. If anything this was the motivating factor he needed . The Success of Penthouse and Pavement pre-dated Dare by a short while. The Penthouse and Pavement album is the first of the 80s albums that was intelligently produced , danceable but also powerful in sonic sense. It also was the complete opposite to the scene at the time like Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen. If the latter thing was to wear raincoats and get depressed, the heaven 17 mantra was do your job, wear suit and tie and then have a good time but whilst doing that beware of the social system. Now that last comment sounds stupid but on the immediate listen you got hooked by the pop sensibility but dig deeper and you can see some of the songs were political without being to in your face. It is an album that was successful at the time but due to sheer quantity of bands and material of this time it got overlooked but with hindsight it remains one of those classic early 80s albums that will never be repeated. With Heaven 17 they set a standard and perhaps it was matched by the Pet Shop Boys who incorporated their influences as duets(Springfield, Manelli etc). The Thing was the BEF were doing this six years previously with Tina Turner etc. To gain a quick glance over the album the tracks that still stand out for me are 'IM Your Money’ , 'Penthouse and Pavement’, 'Play to Win’ and 'Height of the fighting’. Recently it was reissued with bonus tracks and there are some other versions around on the net as well which show the band playing around with ideas. To conclude in all these 80s revivals there were several bands that were welcomed back bands like Blancmange and Yazoo but also add to that Heaven 17. They created an organisation as band(BEF) they assisted other artists and then one of those projects became an influence on a scene (Heaven 17) and then they moved into producing. Their Original manifesto complete. Heaven 17 – Penthouse And Pavement