Monday, August 31, 2020

Various: Tales From The AUSTRALIAN UNDERGROUND - Singles 1976 - 1989


"A collection of some of the great 45's released during Australia's most prolific independent era of
1976 to 1989. Tales highlights selections from the previous careers of acts like (The Victims & Fun Things), Gangajang (The Riptides), The Cruel Sea (Sekret Sekret), Dave Graney (The Moodists), Big Heavy Stuff (Ups & Downs), You Am I (The Bamboos), Tex Perkins, (Thug), Dirty Three (Venom P. Stinger) as well as classic early releases from Radio Birdman, The Saints, The Scientists, Triffids, Died Pretty, The Mark Of Cain and the Hard-Ons.


In addition, Tales from the Australian Underground includes a selection of seminal tracks, previously unreleased on CD. Featured among others are Pel Mel, Sunnyboys, Sardine, Psycho Surgeons, The
Leftovers, Do Re Mi, The Numbers, Tactics, X and Wet Taxis. Besides offering up an indie 'best of', Tales from the Australian Underground gives the listener an insight into the sounds and musical styles that were developed over the highlighted period. From raw rock 'n' roll and punk roots, to the eclecticism of the eighties. All documented in an extensive 36 page booklet and 2CD collection."


[Every country's underground musical history deserves as careful a chronicling as has now been
lovingly compiled by Tim Pitman and the team at Feel records. This extensive, four-disc, two-volume set compiles 89 singles and rarities from the years 1976 to 1990, many digitally transferred from vinyl and offered here on CD for the first time. This era has been mined before (see Shock Records’ Do the Pop! set from 2002) but never with this academic a bent. Add to that the ultra-extensive linter notes, outlining the history and background track by track, and you've got a document with an archival quality.


The first volume (two CDs) compiles independently released singles from the years 1976 to 1989; the second charts songs from 1977 to 1990. The dates may seem somewhat
arbitrary, but roughly correspond with the emergence of an "independent" or "alternative" scene in Australia. The seminal, founding bands of this scene are known at least by name in Australia -- Brisbane's the Saints and Sydney's Radio Birdman -- and have provided a lasting influence on the garage rock/punk scenes that still exist in the country. Both those bands released their first material in 1976, and so that year is a convenient starting point for both volumes of Tales.
From there, the discs proceed with an indiscriminate, inclusive spirit that encompasses better-known alternative bands like the Birthday Party, the Scientists and Severed Heads, as well as entirely obscure acts such as Makers of the Dead Travel Fast and Happy Hate Me Nots. A few of these acts, namely the Scientists, Cosmic Psychos and the Celibate Rifles, have been cited as influences on the Seattle grunge scene in the mid-'80s. But the styles are as diverse as the number of bands on these discs, so apart from identifying a certain Aussie proclivity for messy DIY-rock, there's not much of a stylistic arc that you can trace from this collection.


But these musicians are important, and have come to play a leading role in Australian alternative music over the past four decades. Ed Kuepper, guitarist from the Saints, went on to form the
Laughing Clowns and, later, to pen 19 solo albums. One of his songs provides a fitting, and slightly
emotional, ending to Tales' listening journey.
Kim Salmon, leader of the Perth band the Scientists, closely informed a generation of alternative artists from Tex Perkins to Nick Cave, whose own early band the Birthday Party is also represented. For the most part, it's a band's first single or early, original recording that finds its way onto Tales from the Australian Underground -- rarities until now confined to dusty basements or second hand record shops, no doubt. It's an impressive feat, the result of Pitman’s obsessive research. But since the bands here are presented in such an embryonic form (often with only a hint at their eventual sound) it can occasionally be a less rewarding listening experience for those not already familiar with these musicians' work.


Looking back at this scene from the skewed perspective of the present day, it's a disservice to filter bands like the Saints and the Scientists through the haze of mediocre pub rock that it has spawned. Aussies, it seems, have always appreciated a good garage growl, but the link between these first messy experiments and the slick retro disposability of Jet or Airborne is tenuous. Just listen to the strong vein of classic rock and blues influence that runs through the early period, say 1975-1980, of Tales.


The Riptides' "Sunset Strip" (1979) energizes the classic 1-5-4-5 chord progression with a surf-rock enthusiasm; sun-soaked and carefree, this kind of wide-eyed rock is so refreshing in our post-ironic
times. The longevity of Severed Heads’ “Dead Eyes Opened” is already well known -- the song, remixed, was voted No. 10 best song of 1994 on Triple J’s Hottest 100 – but even the 1983 cassette version presented here could have been put out last year by a group like WhoMadeWho and hailed as new disco brilliance.


As with any compilation so wide in its reach, the listener is often surprised by how modern the
sensibility of some older bands was. The breakout single for Perth band the Triffids, “Raining Pleasure”, presages recently remastered Born Sandy Devotional for an almost Bjork-like meditation over open string/marimba fifths and wonky, space-filled time. The Moffs' "Another Day in the Sun", a minor independent hit in 1985, is a revelation, combining layers of slow-moving synth chords and a repetitive, mantra-like vocal melody in a way that brings to mind modern drone music.


Yes, these discs are so wide-ranging that there can hardly be a listener for whom every track is a pleasure (the industrial drone of Thug’s “Dad”, with its line “Fuck your dad!”, was lost on me). But if you’re at all interested in the roots of Australia’s well-cemented rock tradition or even in where those
carrying the country’s indie flame (Dappled Cities, Damn Arms, etc.) sprung from, you’ll find plenty of fascinating material here. Tales From the Australian Underground is an often eye-opening, occasionally enthralling look into that country’s alternative explosion from the mid-'70s onwards, compiled with care and representative of the spirit of the bands represented.

Dan Raper
19 Sep 2007]

Various ‎– Tales From The Australian Underground (Singles 1976-1989)
Label: Feel Presents ‎– FEEL 001, Shock (2) ‎– FEEL 001
Format: 2 × CD, Compilation
Country: Australia
Released: 2003
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Garage Rock, Punk

  
TRAXS

CD1.  1976 - 1982

01. Radio Birdman: Burned My Eye (Orig. Version)     1:50
02. The Saints: This Perfect Day (Orig. Version)     2:10
03. The Victims: I'm Flipped Out Over You     1:13
04. The Riptides: Sunset Strip     3:16
05. Psycho Surgeons: Horizontal Action     1:47
06. The Leftovers: Cigarettes & Alcohol  1:40
07. La Femme: Chelsea Kids     3:45
08. The Scientists: Frantic Romantic     2:46
09. Numbers: Government Boy     2:11
10. Tactics: Standing By The Window     2:34
11. Lipstick Killers: Hindu Gods (Of Love) 3:19
12. Fun Things: When The Birdman Fly     3:17
13. The Passengers: Face With No Name     2:52
14. The Visitors: Brother John (Orig. Version)     4:29
15. The Birthday Party: Happy Birthday     3:59
16. Laughing Clowns: Sometimes (I Just Can't Live With Anyone)     4:00
17. Flaming Hands: I Belong To Nobody     2:08
18. Sunnyboys: Love To Rule (Orig. Version)     4:12
19. Sekret Sekret: New King Jack     3:32
20. Pel Mel: No Word From China     3:34
21. Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast: Taels Of The Saeghors 4:49
22. Sardine V: Sudan     4:21
23. Do Re Mi: Standing On Wires 4:41



CD2.  1983 - 1989

01. Scientists: We Had Love     4:49
02. The Moodists: The Disciples Know     3:33
03. The Triffids: Beautiful Waste     3:21
04. X: Half Way Round The World (Orig. Version)     3:08
05. Lighthouse Keepers: Ocean Liner     3:12
06. The Moffs: Another Day In The Sun     4:50
07. Died Pretty: Ambergris     4:24
08. The Eastern Dark: Julie Is A Junkie     2:37
09. The New Christs: No Next Time     2:15
10. Ups & Downs: The Living Kind     3:47
11. Ed Kuepper: Also Sprach The King Of Euro-Disco     3:21
12. Bamboos: With Which To Love You     4:17
13. Wet Taxis: Sailors Dream     3:44
14. Thug: Dad     2:19
15. Venom P. Stinger: Walking About     2:31
16. God: My Pal     3:21
17. The Mark Of Cain: Lords Of Summer     4:57
18. Someloves: Know You Now     3:39
19. The Celibate Rifles: Johnny     3:49
20. Cosmic Psychos: Lost Cause     3:31
21. Plunderers: I Didn't See Them At All     2:40
22. Hard-Ons: Just Being With You     3:17


Credits


Design [Cover Design], Layout [Booklet Layout], Design [Photo Montages] – Cameron Moss
Design [Red Photo Montage] – Lisa Hogben
Liner Notes [Notes Assistance] – Kerrie Hickin, Murray Engleheart
Mastered By [Fine Tuned By] – Rick O'Neil
Mastered By [Vinyl Transfers And Mastering] – Etok, Mark Taylor (6)
Photography By – Caroline Birkett, Cathie Croll, Francine McDougall, Greg Smyrell, Joe Murphy (12), John Foy, Judi Dransfield, Kate Gollings, Linda Nolte, Mark Roxburgh, Murray White, Patrick Bingham-Hall, Paul Ranger, Peter Nelson (8), Robyn Murphy, Robyn Stacey, Russell Kilby*, Stephen Best, The Bamboos (2), Tony Mott
Research [Researched], Other [Documented], Compiled By, Cover [Idea] – Tim Pittman

Notes

A collection of some 45's, released during Australia's independent era of 1976 to 1989.
at 4 comments:

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

The Remains: The Remains 1966 (Remastered: 2007)


The Remains (sometimes referred to as "Barry and the Remains") were a mid-1960s American rock group from Boston, Massachusetts, led by Barry Tashian. Although the Remains never achieved national success, they were very popular in New England, and were one of the opening acts on the Beatles' final US tour in 1966.


Back when Lyndon Baines Johnson was president and the war we worried about was in Vietnam and most TV sets were black-and-white, four kids from BU who met as residents of Myles Standish Hall
formed a garage rock band called Barry and the Remains. For two meteoric years, starting in 1964, their polished performing packed Kenmore Square’s iconic rock club, the Rathskeller, earning them an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, an album deal, and a job fronting for the Beatles’ last U.S. tour. Then, as suddenly as it began, it was over: the Remains disbanded in 1966. “The flame burned out,” says Barry, aka Barry Tashian, lead vocalist and guitarist. “That was the time to quit.”

(In 1964, four Boston University students — guitarist Barry Tashian, bassist Vern Miller, drummer Chip Damiani and pianist Bill Briggs — took the city’s music scene by surprise, mixing Rolling Stones stomp with tight Beatles songcraft. The line
of fans stretching from Kenmore Square to Fenway Park meant only one thing: It was “Remains Night” at The Rathskeller. By New Year’s Day 1965, The Remains were signed to a major recording deal, playing to packed venues throughout New England, even sharing a stage with Bo Diddley (whose “Diddy Wah Diddy” they covered) and The Shirelles. By the end of the ’65 they had two regional hit singles on Epic Records and had performed for 14 million viewers on Ed Sullivan’s Christmas Show.

In 1966, the group had two more regional hits, appeared on NBC TV’s Hullabaloo, and garnered
a coveted spot as opening act on The Beatles’ final U.S. tour. Enthusiastic response to The Remains’ performances were echoed by rave reviews in the local and national press. Following the Beatles tour, The Remains’ eponymous debut was released by Epic Records, anchored by the instant classics “Why Do I Cry?” and “Don’t Look Back”. Unfortunately the album’s release coincided with The Remains’ disintegration, the band frustrated by an inability to gain traction on the national scene.

Long regarded by garage rock aficionados as one of the finest bands of the 1960s, and forever immortalized on Lenny Kaye’s original 1972
Nuggets compilation, Barry, Vern, Bill and Chip took a deserved 21st-century victory lap, releasing 2000’s The Remains EP, and ’03’s Movin’ On, performing to sold-out crowds in Europe and the U.S. An award-winning documentary about the Remains, America’s Lost Band, brought further late-period accolades to the quartet. Today, Barry Tashian and his wife, Holly, are a Nashville-based country/folk duo who released their sixth album, Long Story Short, in 2008.
by Stephen Haag and Dean Johnson)

The band became a popular live act throughout New England and appeared on the CBS TV program
The Ed Sullivan Christmas Show of 1965. After signing with Epic Records, they enjoyed local hits with a catchy, swinging Tashian original, "Why Do I Cry", and their hard-driving version of the Bo Diddley/Willie Dixon classic "Diddy Wah Diddy". In 1965 the Remains relocated to New York City—where they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show—and then, after about a year, moved on to California. They recorded an album, The Remains, appeared on NBC TV's 'Hullabaloo', and released the soulful, hard-rocking single "Don't Look Back".

In 1966 came the opportunity which might have broken the band nationally, but proved instead to be their last hurrah: they were offered a three-
week stint as an opening act for the Beatles, on what would turn out to be the Fab Four's final tour. Immediately before the tour, drummer Chip Damiani quit the band, to be replaced by future Mountain drummer N.D. Smart. Said Tashian in a 2012 interview: "We had always been the four of us and we’d played hundreds and hundreds of gigs as the four of us and all of a sudden this big tour comes up and boom! We have to play it with a new drummer who didn’t have the same feel that Chip had. I mean he was a fine drummer but it wasn’t the same band. I just felt like the flame was burning down without our original drummer."

The Remains broke up in 1966, but their music eventually attracted a strong international cult
following. They began performing and recording again in the late 1990s, and have continued to play regularly since then.
In common with many of their garage rock contemporaries, the Remains gradually acquired cult status, and eventually reformed to play at several garage revival shows, such as Cavestomp in New York City in 1998, Las Vegas Grind in 2000 and a tour of major European cities in 2006. They recorded a new album, Movin' On, in 2002.

[ Review by Mark Deming

Most 1960s garage rock obsessives collect singles rather than albums for a good reason: While plenty of snarling teenagers could come up with two decent songs at a stretch, a precious few seemed able to brainstorm a dozen tunes without reaching to the bottom of the barrel or resorting to covers of other people's hits. But there were exceptions to this rule, among them the Sonics, the Litter, and,
especially, the Remains, who never enjoyed much success on the national charts but were fabled heroes in their home town of Boston. The Remains' 1966 album for Epic is a classic, packed with great songs from singer/guitarist Barry Tashian, bassist Vern Miller, and pianist Bill Briggs, and boasting exciting, fiery performances, and if the full firepower of their legendary live shows didn't always come through on tape, even the album's weakest moments made clear the Remains were tougher, smarter, and tighter than the vast majority of their competition. The Remains is mid-'60s American rock & roll at it's best, and you don't have to own any paisley clothing to enjoy it.


[When Epic/Legacy reissued the album in 1991 (with the band's name augmented to Barry and the Remains), they added a handful of non-LP singles and unreleased tracks and gave the album a crisp digital remix, and against all odds, Epic actually improved a masterpiece. If the old analog version sounds harder and dirtier (a good thing for garage rock), the CD allows you to hear more of the details, and nearly every one of the 21 cuts on board is killer stuff (their cover of Don Covay's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" shows them beating the Rolling Stones at their own game, and after you've heard "Don't Look Back," you'll always wonder why it wasn't a Top Ten hit).]



[ All Music Guide
     “A strong contender for the finest overlooked American band of the mid-’60s. American rock & roll at its best.”
The line of fans stretching from Kenmore Square to Fenway Park meant only one thing: It was “Remains Night” at The Rathskeller. By New Years Day 1965, The Remains were signed to a major recording deal, playing to packed venues throughout New England. By the end of the 65′ they had two regional hit singles on Epic Records and had performed for 14 million viewers on Ed Sullivan’s Christmas Show. In 1966, the group had two more regional hits, appeared on NBC TV’s Hulaballoo, and garnered a coveted spot as opening act on The Beatles’ U.S. tour.]


The Remains clearly retired far too soon, but great music has no expiration date and a revival was eventually staged. In the ’90s, the Sundazed label, located in New York, began ressurecting their recordings, along with previously unreleased material. And in 2002, the band put out a new album, Movin’ On that drew encouraging reviews.

The Remains ‎– The Remains
Label: Epic ‎– 82876 82851 2, Legacy ‎– 82876 82851 2
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: US
Released: 1966
Recording Date: January 27, 1965 - August 19, 1966
Recording Location: Nashville, TN, New York
Remastered: 2007
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Garage Rock

TRACKS


01. Heart  (Written-By – G. Aber, T. Hatch)  2:40
02. Lonely Week-End  (Written-By – C. Rich)   3:26
03. Don't Look Back  (Written-By – B. Vera)   2:41
04. Why Do I Cry  (Written-By – B. Tashian)   2:52
05. Diddy Wah Diddy  (Written-By – E. McDaniel, W. Dixon)   2:35
06. You Got A Hard Time Coming  (Written-By – B. Tashian, V.R. Miller, Jr.)   2:10
07. Once Before  (Written-By – R. Damiani, V.R. Miller, Jr.)   2:09
08. Thank You  (Written-By – B. Tashian)   3:17
09. Time Of Day  (Written-By – B. Tashian)   2:18
10. Say You're Sorry  (Written-By – W.H. Briggs, III)   2:20

    Bonus Tracks


11. Mercy, Mercy  (Written-By – D. Covay)   2:38
12. I Can't Get Away From You  (Written-By – V.R. Miller, Jr.)   2:36
13. But I Ain't Got You  (Written-By – V.R. Miller, Jr.)   2:11
14. Me Right Now  (Written-By – B. Tashian)   2:29
15. My Babe  (Written-By – W. Dixon)   2:11
16. I'm Talking About You  (Written-By – C. Berry)   2:13
17. Ain't That Her  (Written-By – B. Tashian)   2:11
18. Baby, I Believe In You  (Written-By – B. Tashian)   2:36
19. When I Want To Know  (Written-By – B. Tashian)  2:11
20. All Good Things (Written-By – V.R. Miller, Jr.)  2:14

MEMBERS

Bill Briggs: Keyboards
Chip Damiani: Drums
Barry Tashian: Guitar, Vocals
Vern Miller: Bass

Companies, etc.

Copyright (c) – Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Produced For – Legacy Recordings
Manufactured By – Epic
Distributed By – Epic
Mastered At – Sundazed Studios
Glass Mastered At – Sony DADC – CTDP-150249

Credits

 
Producer – Billy Sherrill (tracks: 5 to 7, 9, 11 to 14), Bob Morgan (2) (tracks: 2), Robin McBride (tracks: 4, 15 to 20), Ted Cooper (tracks: 1 to 3, 8, 10)
Product Manager [Packaging Manager] – Jeremy Holiday
Reissue Producer, Mastered By – Bob Irwin
Supervised By [Project Direction] – Adam Farber


Notes

1966, 2007 Sony BMG Music Entertainment / Originally released in 1965, 1966.
1991, 2007 Sony BMG Music Entertainment. / Manufactured and distributed by Epic, a division of Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Originally released 1965 (tracks 12-15), 1966 (tracks 1-10), 1991 (tracks 11, 16-20).
Mastered at Sundazed Studios, Coxsackie, NY.

at 1 comment:

Sunday, August 23, 2020

The Psychedelic Furs: 2 Albums: Psychedelic Furs 1980 + Talk Talk Talk 1981


The Psychedelic Furs are a British new wave band founded in London in February 1977. Their name was inspired by the 1966 Velvet Underground song "Venus in Furs". Led by singer Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene. Their music went through several phases, from an initially austere art rock sound, to later touching on new wave and hard rock.


By this time, 1977, the group had become a sextet, adding guitarist John Ashton and drummer Vince Ely. This was the lineup on their first single, "We Love You," which was released in 1979. It was followed by another single, "Sister Europe," then in 1980 the group's mostly Steve Lillywhite-produced eponymous debut album. "The Psychedelic Furs" dark mixture of punk attitude, post-punk moroseness, and classic songcraft took the record into the Top 20 in the U.K. and earned them a U.S. release as well.
The band scored several hits in their early career. In 1986, filmmaker John Hughes used their song "Pretty in Pink" for his movie of the same name.


The Furs did find success in the US with their next release, 1981's "Talk Talk Talk", which saw the band making its debut on the US Billboard 200 chart. In the UK, the album yielded two charting singles, "Dumb Waiters" and the original version of "Pretty in Pink". The latter song served as inspiration for the 1986 John Hughes film of the same name, and was re-recorded for the platinum-selling soundtrack - though Richard Butler was later adamant that the cinematic interpretation had very little to do with the song's original intent.


In 1982, the band was reduced to a quartet with the departures of Morris and Kilburn, and moved to the U.S. in search of a producer. The band recorded their next album, "Forever Now", with record producer Todd Rundgren in Woodstock, New York. Released in September 1982, this album contained "Love My Way", which became another UK chart entry, and also their first US Billboard Hot 100 single.


Ely left the band after Forever Now (though he would later return in 1988). The next album, "Mirror Moves" was produced by Keith Forsey (who also programmed the drums and became the band's
drummer), and featured the songs "The Ghost in You" and "Heaven". Both charted in the UK, and "Heaven" became the band's highest charting UK hit at the time, peaking at No. 29. Columbia Records opted for "Here Come Cowboys" for the corresponding US release, which failed to chart, but "The Ghost In You" was a hit on the Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, "The Ghost In You" also charted. "Mirror Moves" became a Top 20 album on the Canadian Albums Chart and was named the No. 1 album of 1984 by Toronto new wave radio station CFNY.
Richard Butler in 2006

PSYCHEDELIC FURS  1980 (CD reissue) 2002


The Psychedelic Furs is the debut studio album by the Psychedelic Furs. It was released on 7 March 1980 by Columbia Records. It was reissued with bonus tracks in 2002 by Columbia/Legacy.
The original UK LP had nine tracks. The US LP contained 10 tracks, deleting one track from the UK LP ("Blacks/Radio") and adding two others ("Susan's Strange" and "Soap Commercial"), and changing the order of the tracks significantly. The CD reissue contained 13 tracks, beginning with the original nine UK LP tracks (programmed in their original order), then adding the two additional tracks from the US LP release, plus a version of "Mack the Knife" and a demo of the album track "Flowers".


[  AllMusic Review by Ned Raggett  [-]
Emerging from the incipient post-punk London scene with a healthy fascination for late-'70s Bowie (and in turn, for his own attraction to Krautrock), the then-sextet kicked up a slightly monochromatic
but still attractive storm on their debut. Richard Butler's Thin-White-Duke-after-smoking vocal rasp has a surprising appeal, serving up a wry, slightly detached series of lyrics on life. The members of the core band, meanwhile, had clearly honed their chops well on-stage; Ashton's lead guitar work avoids both wankery and simplicity in favor of a balanced, artistic power.


Production mainly comes from Steve Lillywhite, who smartly steers away from the soon-to-be-clichéd touches he would bring to U2's early work. "India" is a good example; it has a brooding, quiet beginning with strange telegraphic signals and turns into a brawling rocker without sounding like the Edge or Larry Mullins going off. The record comes off as serious without being self-consciously deep, occasional toe-dipping into humorous aside ("We Love You" has Butler idly listing off things he loves, sometimes with appropriate if sarcastically delivered song quotes: "I'm in love with Frank Sinatra...fly me to the moon...").


"Imitation of Christ" is the most frazzled, with lyrics detailing someone else metaphorically nailing himself up over a light but still strange guitar line. "Wedding Song" is amusingly prescient as one of the first "white rockers go hip-hop" numbers of its kind, along with Blondie's "Rapture," though its inspiration could equally be dub. Ely lays down a pounding funk beat while Butler breaks into a midsong rap no better or worse than most such efforts of the time.]

The Psychedelic Furs ‎– The Psychedelic Furs
Label: 2002 by Columbia/Legacy.
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: Europe
Released: 2002
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Post Punk

TRACKS (CD reissue) 2002


01. India – 6:21
02. Sister Europe – 5:38
03. Imitation of Christ – 5:28
04. Fall – 2:40
05. Pulse – 2:37 (produced by Howard Thompson, Ian Taylor and the Psychedelic Furs)
06. We Love You – 3:26 (produced by Howard Thompson, Ian Taylor and the Psychedelic Furs)
07. Wedding Song – 4:19
08. Blacks/Radio – 6:56
09. Flowers – 4:10 (produced by Howard Thompson, Ian Taylor and the Psychedelic Furs)

 Bonus Tracks

10. Susan's Strange – 3:13 (produced by Martin Hannett)
11. Soap Commercial – 2:53 (produced by Martin Hannett)
12. Mack the Knife (Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, Marc Blitzstein) – 4:18 (produced by the Psychedelic Furs)
13. Flowers (Demo) – 5:36 (produced by the Psychedelic Furs)

MEMBERS


Richard Butler – lead and background vocals
John Ashton – guitar
Tim Butler – bass guitar
Vince Ely – drums
Roger Morris – guitar
Duncan Kilburn – saxophones

Technical

Howard Thompson - executive producer
Phil Thornalley - engineer
Steve Lillywhite - producer

IMITATION OF CHRIST LYRICS


Another Christ is on the cross
The nails are words, the nails are lies
To make it crawl and make it scream
And make it real and make it bleed
And make it bleed and make it bleed
And make it bleed and make it dream

Imitation of Christ
Imitation of Christ

This you who lie and scream
You fall to dust, you fall to dust
In walls of word, your words are blind
You speak and you are dumb and blind
The word that is your god
Is you who fall so low and fall so far

Imitation of Christ
Imitation of Christ

Fly to the moon, dear, sew it on a stool
Tie it on the carpet, all the cowboys fall
See the cowboys fat and reeling
Dancing underneath the ceiling
Leave the bar, the theatre's closing
Make a wall of your religion
Imitation of Christ
Imitation of Christ


Mary, Mary, mother, mother
You and me and God the father
Jesus is a woman too
He looks like all of me and you
Your money talks and all your friends
Will laugh at her pathetic tits

Imitation of Christ
Imitation of Christ
Imitation of Christ
Imitation


TALK TALK TALK  1981 (CD Reissue, Remastered 2011)


New wave icons the Psychedelic Furs built a career on mysterious pop songs guided by the world-weary and unmistakable vocals of Richard Butler and an always-evolving sound that started off as stark post-punk then took detours into synth pop, dance rock, and mainstream alternative. Along the way, they released a classic album that fused the energy of punk with the brightness of new wave (1981's Talk Talk Talk) and a string of singles highlighted by "Love My Way," "Heaven," and "Heartbreak Beat" that proved popular and influential.


Their classic song "Pretty in Pink" became the inspiration for the film of the same name and others showed up regularly in movies and TV shows. Though the band ran aground in the early '90s, they returned a decade later to launch a successful career as a live act, and with 2020's release Made of
Rain, showed they could still deliver epic and meaningful records.

[  AllMusic Review by Ned Raggett  [-]
This time working solely with Steve Lillywhite, the Furs introduce a brighter, poppier side to their underground rock edge, with smashing results throughout. The group produces some powerful songs, even more rough-edged than before. Especially striking is "Dumb Waiters," with its queasy, slow-paced arrangement that allows both Kilburn's sax and Ashton's guitar to go wild.


However, the six still create some undeniable pop classics. Most well-known is the lead track, "Pretty in Pink," inspiration for the iconic John Hughes film years later and re-recorded as a result. The original is still where to go, though, with Butler's catchy description of a romantically unsure woman matched by a killer band performance. Similarly lighter numbers on the record call to mind a rockier version of Roxy Music's output in later years: elegant, romantic angst given a slightly rougher edge in both music and vocals.


"She Is Mine" is especially fine as a gently swinging number with some of Butler's best, quietly ruminative lyrics.
Straight-up anthems abound as well, the best being the amazing "Into You Like a Train," which mixes the blunt desire of the title with a sparkling Ashton guitar line and a fast rhythm punch. Talk Talk Talk ends on another high with "All of This and Nothing." A soft, acoustic guitar-sax-rhythm combination introduces the song, then fades away for the main section to begin; Butler details bits and pieces from a lost relationship over a sharp full-band performance, and a final drum smash leads into a reprise of the start -- a fine way to end a fine record.]

The Psychedelic Furs ‎– Talk Talk Talk
Label: Legacy ‎– 5063632000, Columbia ‎– COL 506363 2
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered 2011
Country: Europe
Released: 2002 reissue
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Post-Punk

TRACKS


01. Dumb Waiters     5:04
02. Pretty In Pink     3:58
03. I Wanna Sleep With You     3:19
04. No Tears     3:17
05. Mr. Jones     4:03
06. Into You Like A Train     4:35
07. It Goes On     3:52
08. So Run Down     2:54
09. All Of This And Nothing     6:23
10. She Is Mine     3:53

Bonus Tracks

11. Mr. Jones (Single Version)    3:26
12. So Run Down (Early Version)  3:05
13. All Of This And Nothing (Demo)   9:02


Mastered At – Sony Music Studios, New York City
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd.
Copyright (c) – Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Credits

Bass – Tim Butler
Design – Steven Newman
Drums, Percussion – Vince Ely
Guitar – John Ashton, Roger Morris
Horns, Keyboards – Duncan Kilburn
Mastered By – Mark Wilder
Producer – Steve Lillywhite (tracks: 1 to 10)
Vocals [Words] – Richard Butler
Written-By, Arranged By – The Psychedelic Furs


Notes
Originally stickered "Sony Music nice price"...

Track 13 ends at 3:51, followed by silence, and then a promotional radio medley from 4:24 to 8:58.
Mastered at Sony Music Studios, New York

at 2 comments: