URBAN ASPIRINES: May 2020

Friday, May 29, 2020

Body Count: Body Count 1992

Body Count is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1990. The group is fronted by Ice-T, who first established himself as a rapper but co-founded the group with lead guitarist Ernie C out of their interest in heavy metal music. Ice-T took on the role of vocalist and writing the lyrics for most of the group's songs. Lead guitarist Ernie C has been responsible for writing the group's music. Their self-titled debut album was released on Sire Records garnered much attention due to a controversy around the song "Cop Killer".

Body Count's label, Sire Records, and their parent company, Warner Bros. Records, defended the single, however Ice-T chose to remove the track from the album because he felt that the controversy had eclipsed the music itself. The group left Sire the following year. Since then, they have released six further albums on different labels.

Three out of the band's original six members are deceased: D-Roc died from lymphoma, Beatmaster V from leukemia and Mooseman in a drive-by shooting.

Body Count's self-titled debut album was released on Sire/Warner Bros. Records on March 31, 1992.

On the strength of the album, Body Count toured internationally, developing a strong following. When the group performed in Milan, Italy, some of the punks in the crowd began spitting at Ernie C. Ice-T attempted to calm the situation by telling the crowd not to spit, but the spitting continued. As the band prepared to play "Cop Killer", Ice-T identified an audience member who spit in his direction; Ice-T responded by rushing into the crowd and punching the spitter. As the band began to play, some of the audience began fighting with Ice-T. Body Count escaped the crowd mid-song, and the promoter immediately shut the concert down.

The song "Cop Killer", intended to criticize corrupt police officers, encountered controversy, as it was seen as an attack against the entire police force.

According to Ice-T, "I thought I was safe. I thought within the world of rock'n'roll, you could be free to write what you want. Hell, I was listening to Talking Heads singin' 'Psycho Killer.' Fuck it, I'll make 'Cop Killer'! But, that was the cross of metal with something that was real. Now we’re not just killing your family, we’re killing somebody so real that everybody just went, 'oh shit.'"

The Dallas Police Association and the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas launched a campaign to force Warner Bros. Records to withdraw the album. Within a week, they were joined by police organizations across the United States. Some critics argued that the song could cause crime

and violence. Many defended the song on the basis of the group's right to freedom of speech. In The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck, Ice-T wrote that "The people who did have a platform were way off backing me on the First Amendment. That's not where all the anger should have been directed. The anger should have been generated back at the police. [...] Because people jumped on the wrong issue they were able to drive this thing totally through Warner Brothers."

Over the next month, controversy against the band grew. Vice President Dan Quayle branded "Cop Killer" as being "obscene," and President George H.W. Bush publicly denounced any record company that would release such a product. At a Time-Warner shareholders' meeting, actor Charlton Heston stood and read lyrics from the song "KKK Bitch" to an astonished audience and demanded that the company take action.

The album's material focuses on various social and political issues ranging from police brutality to drug abuse. It also presents a turning point in the career of Ice-T, who co-wrote the album's songs

with lead guitarist Ernie C and performed as the band's lead singer. Previously known only as a rapper, Ice-T's work with the band helped establish a crossover audience with rock music fans. The album produced the single "There Goes the Neighborhood".

Body Count is well known for the inclusion of the controversial song "Cop Killer", which was the

subject of much criticism from various political figures, although many defended the song on the basis of the group's right to freedom of speech. Ice-T eventually chose to remove the song from the album, although it continues to be performed live. It was voted the 31st best album of the year in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics poll, and is believed to have helped pave the way for the mainstream success of the rap metal genre, although the album itself does not feature rapping in any of its songs.

[ AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Divorced from the controversy that surrounded its release, Body Count's self-titled debut is a surprisingly tepid affair. Apart from the previously released "Body Count" (which appeared on Ice-

T's 1991 album O.G. Original Gangster), the record is devoid of serious commentary, trading intelligence for a lurid comic book depiction of sex, violence, and "Voodoo." All of Ice-T's half-sung/half-shouted lyrics fall far short of the standard he established on his hip-hop albums.

The controversial "Cop Killer" -- which is nothing more than a standard thrash metal chant -- stands out because it is one of the few tracks that doesn't rely on garish, cartoonish imagery. There's the saga of "Evil Dick," which tells Ice-T not to "sleep alone." There's "KKK Bitch," where he crashes a Ku Klux Klan meeting and screws the grand dragon's daughter. There's "Voodoo," where a witch doctor cripples our hero with a voodoo doll.

There's "Mama's Gotta Die Tonight," where Ice-T offs his mother cause she's a racist. By the time the band works around to the power ballad "The Winner Loses" and Ice-T is crooning "My friend's addicted to cocaine," it's unclear whether the record is a parody or a horribly flawed stab at arena metal.]

TRAXS

01. Smoked Pork Ice-T 0:46

02. Body Count's in the House Ice-T Ernie C 3:24

03. Now Sports Ice-T 0:04

04. Body Count Ice-T Ernie C 5:17

05. A Statistic Ice-T 0:06

06. Bowels of the Deil Ice-T Ernie C 3:43

07. The Real Problem Ice-T 0:11

08. KKK Bitch Ice-T Ernie C 2:52

09. C Note Ernie C 1:35

10. Voodoo Ice-T Ernie C 5:00

11. The Winner Loses Ernie C 6:32

12. There Goes the Neighborhood Ice-T Ernie C 5:50

13. Oprah Ice-T 0:06

14. Evil Dick Ice-T Ernie C 3:58

15. Body Count Anthem Ice-T Ernie C 2:46

16. Momma's Gotta Die Tonight Ice-T Ernie C 6:10

17. Out in the Parking Lot Ice-T 0:30

18. Cop Killer Ice-T Ernie C 4:09

Total length: 52:59

Personnel

Ice-T – lead vocals

Ernie C – lead guitar, acoustic guitar

D-Roc the Executioner – rhythm guitar

Beatmaster V – drums

Mooseman – bass

Sean E Sean – sampler, backing vocals

Sean E. Mac – hype man, backing vocals

COP KILLER LYRICS

I got my black shirt on.

I got my black gloves on.

I got my ski mask on.

This shit's been too long.

I got my twelve gauge sawed off.

I got my headlights turned off.

I'm 'bout to bust some shots off.

I'm 'bout to dust some cops off.

I'm a cop killer, better you than me.

Cop killer, fuck police brutality!

Cop killer, I know your family's grieving,

(fuck 'em!)

Cop killer, but tonight we get even, ha ha.

I got my brain on hype.

Tonight will be your night.

I got this long-assed knife.

And your neck looks just right.

My adrenaline's pumpin'.

I got my stereo bumpin'.

I'm 'bout to kill me somethin'.

A pig stopped me for nuthin'!

Cop killer, better you than me.

Cop killer, fuck police brutality!

Cop killer, I know your momma's grieving,

(fuck her!)

Cop killer, but tonight…

Die, die, die pig, die!

Fuck the police!

Yeah!

Cop killer, better you than me.

I'm a cop killer, fuck police brutality!

Cop killer, I know your family's grieving,

(fuck 'em!)

Cop killer, but tonight we get even, ha ha ha ha, yeah!

Fuck the police!

Break it down.

Fuck the police, yeah!

Fuck the police, for darryl gates.

Fuck the police, for rodney king.

Fuck the police, for my dead homies.

Fuck the police, for your freedom.

Fuck the police, don't be a pussy.

Fuck the police, have some muthafuckin' courage.

Fuck the police, sing along.

Cop killer!

Cop killer! what do you want to be when you grow up?

Cop killer! good choice.

Cop killer! I'm a muthafuckin'

Cop killer!

Cop killer, better you than me.

KKK BITCH LYRICS

[Spoken]

Aw yeah, what's up out there? BC's in the house. Right about now, I'm gonna tell you a little love story, you know what I'm sayin'? This is a Body Count love story. Check out the lyrics, you know. I'm a tell you 'bout what happened when we went down south last year on tour

[Verse 1]

Out on tour yo, I been all around the world

Went to Georgia, met this fine-ass white girl

Blonde hair, blue eyes, big tits and thighs

The kinda girl that would knock out most guys

She got wild in the backstage bathroom

Sucked my dick like a motherfucking vacuum

Said I love you, but my daddy don't play

He's the fucking Grand Wizard of the KKK

[Hook]

I love my KKK bitch, I love it when she sucks me though

I love my KKK bitch, I love it when she fucks me though

I love my KKK bitch, she loves it when I treat her bad

I love my KKK bitch, motherfuck her dear old dad

[Spoken]

You know what I'm sayin'? So we was down south fallin' in love, you know. D-Roc had this Nazi girl. My man Mooseman had a skinhead. I fell in love with Tipper Gore's two twelve year old nieces. It was wild, you know what I'm sayin'? It got even worse, you know

[Verse 2]

So, one night, they took us to a meeting

White sheets, white hoods, no room for seating

There was skinheads, Nazis, and crazies

Talkin' 'bout black people pushin' up daisies

They hated blacks, Jews, Puerto Ricans

Mexicans, Chinese, even the Indians

We had our hoods on, we were slick

She pushed her butt up hard against my dick

Then her daddy jumped on the stage

Talkin' 'bout killin' in a goddamn rage

I got mad, my dick got hard

Entered in her ass, she said, "Oh, my God!"

[Hook]

[Spoken]

So what we really tryin' to say is Body Count loves everybody. We love Mexican girls, black girls, Oriental girls, it really don't matter. If you from Mars, and you got a pussy, we will fuck you. You know, that's all we're sayin'. Word

[Verse 3]

So, every year, when Body Count comes around

We throw an orgy in every little southern town

KKKs, skinheads, and Nazis

Girls break their necks to get to the party

It ain't like their men can't nut

Their dick's too little and they just can't fuck

So we get buck wild with the white freaks

We show them how to really work the white sheets

I know her daddy'll really be after me

When his grandson's named Little Ice-T

MP3 @ 320 Size: 129 MB

FLAC Size: 379 MB

IN MEMORY OF GEORGE FLOYD (25 - May - 2020)
(The black man killed by police in Minneapolis on Monday after an incident captured on video in which an officer knelt on his neck as he lay on the ground)

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Black Uhuru: Ultimate Collection 2000

For over 50 years Black Uhuru has remained one of the most popular recognized prolific reggae band from Jamaica. The living legends have earned several achievements in the music industry including winning the first ever Grammy Award for reggae music. They’re long success along with having the highest reggae record sales after Bob Marley & the most songs sampled by other artist over the years has allowed them to become Ambassadors of reggae.

The roots of Black Uhuru formed in Kingston’s “Waterhouse” District in the late 60’s. It is the home of founder & leader Derrick “Duckie” Simpson along with all the rest of the singers from the

group. The original Uhuru’s Swahili for “freedom” were Duckie, Don Carlos & Garth Dennis. The first song was a Curtis Mayfield cover of “Folk Song”. They made only a couple more songs before Don left to pursue a solo career & Garth joined Wailing Souls. The two were replaced by Michael Rose & Errol Nelson both from Waterhouse. They recorded the debut album “Love Crises” in 1977 for Prince Jammy later re-released as “Black Sounds of Freedom”. Errol later left the group to join the Jays & was replaced by female singer Puma Jones.

By the late 1970s Black Uhuru referred to three vocalists who constituted the “golden age” of Black Uhuru’s popularity: Michael Rose, Derrick “Duckie” Simpson, and Sandra “Puma” Jones.

This new line-up is when the band began to collaborate with Sly & Robbie & developed the “classic Uhuru” sound of the 80’s. A unique style full of heavy drum & bass, sharp keys, loud guitar riffs & long instrumentals filled with whirly background effects & the signature “wow oh-oh oh’s” echo. It was during this period they signed with Island Records. They began touring internationally & started receiving worldwide attention. They recorded some of their most popular albums like “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner” “Sensimelia” & “Chill Out”. The album “Red” was voted #23 for Rolling Stone Magazine list of 100 greatest albums of the 80’s. And history was made when they won reggae’s first grammy award in 1984 for the album “Anthem”. Shortly after the grammy Michael left the group to go solo.

Another Waterhouse resident named Junior Reid became the new lead singer. Two albums were

released “Brutal” nominated for grammy & “Positive” with Ras Records. These albums included popular hits like “Dreadlocks on the Mountain” “Fit You Haffi Fit” & one of the groups first music videos “Great Train Robbery”. Sadly due to ill health Puma passed away in 1990. Around this time Jr. Reid was having visa issues unable to tour.

During the mid 90’s the original members reunited. Four albums were released “Now”, “Iron”, Storm”, “Mystical Truth” &“Strongg” all nominated for grammy. They made an award-winning music video for “Tip of the Iceberg” that featured rap star Ice-T & another video for “One Love” featuring Louie Rankin. They performed live on television for VH1 a cover version of Jimmy Hendrix “Hey Joe”. In 1994 they won the Diamonds Awards for Excellence. Unfortunately, the group began to dispute over band legal rights & went to court in the late 90’s. Duckie won the rights to the name.

As the new millennium approached Duckie found Andrew Bee’s once again from Waterhouse. Bee’s first tour with the band was in 1996 in Brazil. They released two albums “Unification” in 1998 & “Dynasty” in 2001. In 2002 they reunited with Sly & Robbie for an international world tour & released a live album/dvd “Dubbin it Live”. The group resurfaced in 2010 & has been touring extensively throughout Europe, South America & the United States. In 2012 they performed in a Broadway musical in Los Angeles called “Loving the Silent Tears”. In 2013 Duckie was awarded a lifetime achievement award from the IRWMA. In 2017 they released a new single & music video “Jah Guide” a Peter Tosh tribute that featured Bugle.

In 2018 the longly awaited new album "As The World Turns" was finally releaesd. The first album in over 15 years was nominated for "Best Reggae Album" for the 61st Grammy Awards. The album was produced by Duckie Simpson & Horace Campbell & mixed by Jermiaine Forde. The album has

15 tracks with Duckie on lead & features collaborations with Agent Sasco & Prezident Brown. Two music videos for "Chalice" & "War Crime" were released from the new album. In 2018 Black Uhuru played the One Love Festival in New Zealand in January, headlined the Austin Reggae Festival in April, played at Rotterdam in Amsterdam & No Logo Festival in France over the summer & toured the East Coast in September. In 2019 Black Uhuru toured the West Coast, Hawaii & the East Coast where they appeared on NPR's "Tiny Desk" concert series. The video was released on Black Friday November 29th. A new single was just released "I See You" from the new "Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica Reloaded" album by Contractor Music.

Black Uhuru is currently working on a new album & planning a world tour for 2020...

[Black Uhuru can claim big things in reggae history. Winners of the first Grammy Award for best reggae album (for Anthem), Black Uhuru took Bob Marley's punching rhythms and hardened them further, thanks to the duo of bassist Robbie Shakespeare and drummer Sly Dunbar. Singer Michael

Rose also had a raggy voice, which was coarse and impassioned like Marley's--and had a great alter ego in vocalist Sandra "Puma" Jones. This generous 77-minute set of classic Uhuru includes the major points: "I Love King Selassie," "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," "Utterance," "Youth of Eglington." The melodic flow and harmony-vocal crosscut of the lattermost tune stood far and away above so much reggae of the era with an adroit mix of old-school rootsiness and creative expression. Alas, the lineup that cut the tune would break apart gradually, first with the 1984 departure of Rose (replaced by Junior Reed), and then in 1986 with the departure of Jones--who succumbed to cancer in 1990. The vast majority of these 17 tracks, though, come from the Rose/Island Records era, and for that, the collection indeed amounts to "ultimate" as its title claims. Andrew Bartlett]

[ AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson

This generous compilation isn't really a career retrospective, since it focuses almost exclusively on Black Uhuru's years on the Island label. However, it does take several tracks from the group's Greensleeves and RAS catalog and a Joe Gibbs single version of "Rent Man." What it all boils down to is an overview of the trio when it consisted of Michael Rose, Derrick Simpson, and Puma Jones,

which is generally considered to be the classic Black Uhuru lineup (Rose is replaced by Junior Reid on two tracks). Fans will have most of this material already, of course, but for the uninitiated this is a good an overview as one could imagine -- all of the most important songs are here, from the inevitable "I Love King Selassie" to "Youth of Eglington" (paired with its dub version from the Dub Factor collection). "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" is mixed in showcase style, but with a dubwise appendix that differs significantly from the one on Heartbeat's Showcase album. "What Is Life?" and "Try It" are both presented in their original Jamaican mixes. No track is less than worthwhile, and some of them are among the finest reggae ever recorded.]

Black Uhuru ‎– Ultimate Collection

Label: Hip-O Records ‎– 314 542 348-2

Series: Ultimate Collection

Format: CD, Compilation

Country: US

Released: 2000

Genre: Reggae

Style: Roots Reggae

TRACKS

01. Sinsemilla 5:10

02. I Love King Selassie 4:35

03. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner 4:54

04. Sponji Reggae 4:56

05. Love Crisis 3:47

06. Rent Man 3:18

07. Endurance 4:00

08. Whole World Is Africa 5:15

09. Utterance [Explicit] 3:43

10. What Is Life? (Original Jamaican Mix) 5:44

11. Youth Of Eglington [Explicit] 5:02

12. Youth 3:48

13. Try It (Original Jamaican Mix) 5:26

14. Dread In The Mountain 4:05

15. Brutal 4:07

16. Darkness 3:59

17. Chill Out 5:58

MP3 @ 320 Size: 180 MB
FLAC Size: 505 MB

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Magazine: Play 1980 ( 2 CD Album 2009 )

Magazine were an English post-punk band active from 1977 to 1981, then again from 2009 to 2011. The band was formed by Howard Devoto after leaving punk band Buzzcocks in early 1977. Devoto had decided to create a more progressive and less "traditional" rock band.

Play is the first live album by English post-punk/new wave band Magazine. It was released in December 1980 by Virgin Records (International) and in April 1981 by I.R.S. Records (US). It

peaked at No. 69 on the UK Album Chart. It was Magazine's sixth 1980 release.
The live album consisted of a recording of the group's performance at Melbourne Festival Hall in Australia on 6 September 1980. The performance was part of a world tour in support of the group's third studio album, The Correct Use of Soap, released earlier that year. The majority of the album is composed of songs from the first and third studio albums. The original album is notable for including a performance of the B-side "Twenty Years Ago", while omitting the group's best-known song, "Shot by Both Sides", which was cut from the original album release along with gig opener "Feed the Enemy".

The short-lived lineup of Magazine that performed Play had formed due to the departure of founding member and guitarist John McGeoch. In his place was ex-Ultravox guitarist Robin Simon. Simon left

the group on completion of the tour and was in turn replaced by Ben Mandelson for Magazine's fourth studio album. Simon's recording history with the group is limited to Play and tracks from another Australian gig on the 2009 compilation Live and Intermittent. The rest of the group consisted of Howard Devoto (vocals), Barry Adamson (bass and backing vocals), Dave Formula (keyboards) and John Doyle (drums).
The album was produced by Magazine and John Brand. Design was credited to Malcolm Garrett with photography by Birrer.

The album was originally released as an LP and cassette in December 1980. The album was

subsequently released as a budget album on LP, cassette and CD in the late 1980s. A Japanese edition of the album was released in 1995 with three bonus live tracks recorded at the Russell Club in Manchester on 3 May 1980, which had been released as B-sides to "Sweetheart Contract". A remastered edition, titled Play+, was released by Virgin/EMI in 2009, augmented by the two deleted songs from the Melbourne Festival Hall gig and a bonus disc featuring a 21 July 1978 performance at Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall. The 1978 gig featured the Real Life lineup of the group with McGeoch and original drummer Martin Jackson.

[ Play. documents an Australian concert from 1980 that finds Magazine in fine form, spitting out their unsettling, edgy post-punk songs with controlled energy. By this point, guitarist John McGeoch had been replaced by Robin Simon, and although there are some weak patches on the record, he fits into the group's dense interplay remarkably well. Play., however, remains a record for the collector, especially since their best-known song, "Shot by Both Sides," isn't on the record, and an awkward cover of Sly Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" is.]

This 1980 Australian live album captures the legendary (and now reunited) post-punk band Magazine in peak form, just a year before they disbanded.

We all know the drill: a successful songwriting partnership breaks up, and the defector goes on to form a band that either sounds exactly the same as his former band-- or one that sounds exactly the same, but much, much worse. In the annals of pop music history, Magazine were something of an exception, seeing how they matched the Buzzcocks in many ways while still spiraling off on several new tangents. If the Buzzcocks were a melodically inclined punk band that helped transition punk to new wave, Magazine were a new wave band that retained the fury and edginess of punk. The difference may have ultimately boiled down to the use of synthesizers, but still, Magazine posed much darker stuff than the Buzzcocks, and differently, too. As spin-offs go, Magazine were no mere copycats. They were something else entirely.

Howard Devoto was only in the Buzzcocks for a few months before ceding control to Pete Shelley. And, burning hot and bright, Magazine itself lasted only a few years. What they released, though, comprises one of the most distinctive catalogs in new wave, ranging from "Shot by Both Sides", the defining outburst of alienation, to more refined takes on the same subject like "A Song From Under the Floorboards", the last of Magazine's songs to feature founding guitarist John McGeoch before he jumped ship to Siouxsie and the Banshees.

That line-up switch is pivotal to Magazine's Play, a 1980 live album recorded in Australia and featuring McGeoch's freshly tapped (and short-lived) replacement Robin Simon. Most bands wouldn't have dared press "record" with the new guy barely installed, but clearly Magazine knew what they

were doing. While hardly epic, the disc bristles with intensity and arty, angular grit. In fact, for a while, Play might have been the best introduction to the band, as it showcases several of the group's best attributes-- Devoto's acidic singing, the disorienting keyboards, and future Bad Seed Barry Adamson's pulsing bass.
Magazine reunited in 2009 for a UK tour, with almost all the remaining members of the "classic" lineup, with the exception of guitarist John McGeoch, who died in 2004. He was replaced by Noko, who had played with Devoto in Luxuria.

Magazine: Play

Label: Virgin ‎– CDVX 2184, Virgin ‎– 50999 6 88463 2 9

Format: 2 × CD, Album

Country: Europe

Released: Aug 2009

Genre: Rock

Style: Post Punk, New Wave

Credits

Bass Guitar – Barry Adamson

Design [Original Sleeve] – Malcolm Garrett

Drums – John Doyle (tracks: 1-1 to 1-12), Martin Jackson (tracks: 2-1 to 2-9)

Engineer – John Brand (tracks: 1-1 to 1-12)

Engineer [Assistant] – Paul Frindle (tracks: 1-1 to 1-12)

Guitar – John McGeoch (tracks: 2-1 to 2-9), Robin Simon (tracks: 1-1 to 1-12)

Keyboards – Dave Formula

Lyrics By – Howard Devoto (tracks: 1-1 to 1-7, 1-9 to 1-12, 2-1 to 2-7, 2-9)

Mixed By – Pete Mew (tracks: 2-1 to 2-9)

Producer – John Brand (tracks: 1-1 to 1-10), Magazine (tracks: 1-1 to 1-10)

Vocals – Howard Devoto

Notes

Original album (CD1) released in 1980, recorded at Melbourne Festival Hall, 6th September 1980. Tracks 1 and 10 previously unreleased.

CD2 previously unreleased, recorded at Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall, 21st July 1978.

CD 1.

Melbourne Festival Hall, 6 September 1980

01. Feed the Enemy Devoto, Formula 4:12

02. Give Me Everything Devoto 4:27

03. A Song From Under The Floorboards Devoto, Adamson, Doyle, Formula, McGeoch 4:15

04. Permafrost Devoto 4:59

05. The Light Pours Out of Me Devoto, McGeoch, Shelley 4:46

06. Model Worker Devoto, Adamson, Doyle, Formula, McGeoch 2:57

07. Parade Devoto, Formula, Adamson 6:05

08. Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) Sly Stone, Sylvester Stewart 3:49

09. Because You're Frightened Devoto, Adamson, Doyle, Formula, McGeoch 3:53

10. Shot by Both Sides Devoto, Shelley 5:19

11. Twenty Years Ago Devoto, Adamson, Doyle, Formula, McGeoch 4:00

12. Definitive Gaze Devoto, McGeoch 3:48

Total length: 52:45

MP3 @ 320 Size: 120 MB
FLAC Size: 358 MB

CD 2.

Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall, 21 July 1978

01. Definitive Gaze Devoto, McGeoch 4:14

02. Touch and Go Devoto, McGeoch 3:17

03. Burst Devoto 4:14

04. The Light Pours Out of Me Devoto, McGeoch, Shelley 4:58

05. My Tulpa Devoto, McGeoch 5:03

06. Shot by Both Sides Devoto, Shelley 5:06

07. Give Me Everything Devoto 4:42

08. I Love You You Big Dummy Don Van Vliet 3:51

09. My Mind Ain't So Open Devoto, McGeoch 2:30

Total length: 37:59

MP3 @ 320 Size: 86.3 MB
FLAC Size: 270 MB

Personnel

Howard Devoto – vocals

Barry Adamson – bass guitar

Dave Formula – keyboards

John Doyle – drums

Robin Simon – guitar

John McGeoch – guitar (Play+ disc two)

Martin Jackson – drums (Play+ disc two)

Production

Magazine - producer

John Brand - producer, engineer

Paul Frindle - assistant engineer

Pete Mew - mixing (Play+ disc two)

Malfunctions - Stage

Birrer - Photography

Malcolm Garrett (at Assorted Images) - Sleeve

Magazine : Secondhand Daylight 1979 HERE

Monday, May 18, 2020

Tangerine Dream: Stratosfear 1976

[Stratosfear, the last Tangerine Dream album by the great Baumann/Franke/Froese threesome, shows the group's desire to advance past their stellar recent material and stake out a new musical direction while others were still attempting to come to grips with Phaedra and Rubycon. The album

accomplishes its mission with the addition of guitar (six- and 12-string), grand piano, harpsichord, and mouth organ to the usual battery of moogs, Mellotrons, and e-pianos. The organic instruments take more of a textural role, embellishing the effects instead of working their own melodic conventions. Stratosfear is also the beginning of a more evocative approach for Tangerine Dream. Check the faraway harmonica sounds and assortment of synth-bubbles on "3 AM at the Border of the Marsh From Okefenokee" or the somber chords and choral presence of "The Big Sleep in Search of Hades." The title track opener is the highlight though, beginning with a statuesque synthesizer progression before unveiling an increasingly hypnotic line of trance.
Review by John Bush]

[Following the path of increasing symphonic-progressiveness that marked the first six years of Tangerine Dream's Virgin career, "Stratosfear" is the most symphonic-oriented album by Tangerine Dream with Peter Baumann still in the band. The emphasis on the organization of clear melodic lines

and compelling keyboard orchestration is quite clear, while still sticking to the electronic ambience formula that TD learnt to make their own. The title track kicks off the album with grandeur and sheer elegance, introducing a couple of 12 string electric guitar arpeggios over a soft, dreamy keyboard layer once the main motif is introduced on Moogs and mellotron, the listener is hooked into the sequence of gentle variations on synth and lead guitar, somehow reminding them of "Wish You Were Here"- Pink Floyd and "Moon Madness"- Camel.

The closing comeback of the opening theme in a more melancholy mood ends the cycle in order to give the listener room for meditation about the show of ethereal beauty they are presented to. "The Big Sleep in Search of Hades" is also constructed under the main theme/interlude/reprise premise. The opening-closing section is a graceful Baroque-like sonata built upon the dialogue between real harpsichord and mellotron flute; what happens in between is a somber Gothic synth/mellotron string extravaganza, pretty much related to the overall spirit of "Atem" and "Phaedra", though not as harsh.

Once again, pure beauty becomes the rule at writing and performing - this particular number feels stylistically connected to the stuff created by Schicke Führs & Fröehling and Pulsar. Things get

more exotic and cosmic in "3 A.M. at the Border of the Marsh from Okefenokee", whose Arabic-like lines on mellotron brass, synth and electric piano, flowing synth layers, and occasional passages on harmonica manage to convey sonically the situation of having a nice meditative walk by a march before the first light of dawn.

The best track is "Invisible Limits", which is actually structured in a similar way than the opening cut, without the reprising motif in the end. In exchange, after the symphonic tour-de-force conveyed

by the clever interplay of keyboards and guitar, we are first offered a minimalistic succession of random and almost unnoticeable touches of synth and electric piano, then concluding with an astonishingly beautiful nocturne on grand piano, seasoned by a dreamy mellotron flute.
The aggressive handling of the last piano chords serves to release the fire that had been contained for the previous 50 seconds - the appearance of the human heart that all this time had been behind the electronic paraphernalia. Such a brilliant ending is more than appropriate for such an evocative album.
Review by Cesar Inca]

By 1976, Tangerine Dream had established a solid, if enigmatic, reputation as pioneers of stately, glacial and planetary synthesiser music rejecting anything approaching “rock” music: so, ironically, reintroducing an electric guitar to their sonic grab-bag was perceived as a radical step.

The Berlin outfit, founded in September 1967 by Edgar Froese, had made a limited degree of headway in their native Germany and elsewhere in central Europe, but it wasn’t until Richard

Branson signed them to his Virgin imprint in December 1973 – on the stairwell of the Virgin store in Notting Hill – that their shock-of-the-new notoriety spread, firstly with 1974’s "Phaedra" and then 1975’s "Rubycon" (a UK Top 10 album). A Moog modular synthesiser, purchased from Ohr label co-founder Peter Meisel with money from the Virgin advance, contributed in large part to the sequencer pulse which characterised these albums, and a series of concerts in unlikely, rarefied settings, including York Minster and Reims Cathedral, boosted their profile while distancing them from the indignities of the workaday touring circuit.

Stratosfear was to be the last studio album performed by the “classic” Tangerine Dream trio of Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke and Peter Baumann (the latter would leave after the band’s first US tour,

in 1977). Released in October 1976, the album was also the first TD project to be recorded in Audio Studios, situated in Berlin’s Lichterfelde district. The title track is topped and tailed by a circular, gently flanged 12-string guitar pattern (other than bass, Tangerine Dream hadn’t factored a guitar into their sound since 1972’s "Zeit") but the body of the piece features a more urgent yet conventionally structured version of the sequencer burble which underscored much of "Phaedra" and "Rubycon"; a keening, high-register synth line suggests the motifs favoured by Kraftwerk. "The Big Sleep In Search Of Hades", meanwhile, creeps in on an arpeggiated harpsichord figure, dressed with a courtly flute melody, before curdling into a sinister Mellotron wash.

"3AM At The Border Of The Marsh From Okefenokee" again features a textural introduction which recurs at the track’s conclusion: rather surprisingly, a high-plains-drifter harmonica is contrasted with swooping sci-fi drifts of synth and a placid, heart-monitor, C-octave throb. This, in turn, becomes subjugated by a hardscrabble synth blizzard.
The concluding "Invisible Limits" features Froese carefully mapping out a minimal electric guitar solo before a scampering sequencer figure exerts control, itself sinking into an abstract electronic whirlpool. Out of this emerges a simple grand piano-and-flute figure, its chord progression faintly reminiscent of the concluding section of Pink Floyd’s ‘Saucerful Of Secrets’.

With hindsight, Stratosfear was the album which introduced the compelling notion that Tangerine Dream harboured an old-school respect for an enduring melody. The inscrutable knob-twiddlers, capable of enraging uncomprehending listeners to the point where one threw a bag of marmalade at

them at a 1973 Paris concert, had come of age.
One of the earlier albums driven by electronic synthesizers, it is more refined and carefully arranged than similar tracks being released today and maintains its age with grace. Like the other releases by Edgar Froese and company, the album navigates through all kinds of emotions, swerving effortlessly from sprawling, otherworldly harmonies to simple ambience. Using what was available at the time to literally invent sounds, part of Stratosfear’s charm lies not only in its incredibly moving set of pieces, but with an instrument that is less than a decade old, what’s truly incredible is how effortlessly they manage to do so.

The album’s title track pushes us forward and wills us along for the journey, jogging ahead and

willing us to keep pace. "The Big Sleep" lulls and soothes, "3am" gives us a deeper sense of the marshy and mysterious realm, but by sprinting through the finish, "Invisible Limits" (famously sampled in DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing) becomes the most memorable thing on the record. Each track is so separate and distinct, their very own decadent pieces, yet they manage to come together magnificently to tell a beautiful story in supernatural form.

The wandering chords of a soft acoustic guitar meet the mists of a dark mellotron. After a brief introduction of iodized steam, the sequencer introduces a bass and round line whose chords roll like

percussion and waved in a biting rhythm on keyboard chords that merge into a melodious and symphonic synth. The cadence is amplified with subdivided sequences that mold finely feverish percussions, guiding "Stratosfear" towards a superb melodious passage with its ghostly synth. A remarkable passage where one feels the dramatic and mephistolic approach of "Stratosfear" which reaches its melodious apotheosis with strident spectral synth blows.

With its wild rhythm on sequences with subdivided chords and random percussions, "Stratosfear" navigates in troubled waters embracing brief atmospheric passages but always keeping the course on a minimalist rhythmic with fine modulations. Everything is beautifully combed by Edgar Froese's juicy guitar. And the rest is history. "Stratosfear", as well as its title track, will mark the destiny of Tangerine Dream, as much as Stairway to Heaven scored that of Led Zeppelin.