Puressence: Puressence 1996 + Only Forever 1998

 

Puressence were from Failsworth (Oldham), Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. They formed in

1992 and disbanded November 27, 2013. They were an alternative rock band who have produced some dark edged moody classics. They were most popular in the UK and Greece where they did regular gigs and live DJ sets.
                      

James Mudriczki, Neil McDonald, Anthony Szuminski and Kevin Matthews met on a bus on their way to watch The Stone Roses play at Spike Island. Matthews watched The Stone Roses' Gary Mounfield

play bass and Matthews bought himself a bass guitar. The rest of the members followed suit and bought the necessary equipment to complete a band, although they had little to no musical experience or training. However, this is a pure creation myth as Neil McDonald had been playing guitar for a number of years prior to the popularity of The Stone Roses, being heavily influenced by Eddie Van Halen.
                       

Through much practice their music developed and they decided on the name Puressence, a name instantly identified by most Mancunians for the paper letters 'P'-'U'-'R'-'E'-'S'-'S'-'E'-'N'-'C'-'E', which

were plastered around Manchester city centre, on derelict buildings, and on bridges (the most notable being the railway bridge opposite the Haçienda). Manchester independent record label 2 Damn Loud released two singles and there was a further single with Rough Trade Singles Club. The band played a series of gigs at Manchester's In The City festival early in the 1990s.
                           

The big breakthrough came a couple of years later, when the band signed to Island Records. In May 1995, the band released the "I Suppose" single on Island without chart success. A few months later they

returned with the "Fire" single, which again failed to sell. The tracks though did herald Puressence's self-titled debut album. The album also produced three more singles, "India", "Traffic Jam in Memory Lane" and "Casting Lazy Shadows." (The album only contained ten tracks, of which they had released five as singles.)
                 

Only Forever: The album displayed a shift in Puressence's style. Mani, bassist for the Stone Roses and Primal Scream, appeared as record producer on "Standing in Your Shadow." "This Feeling" proved to

be a hit for the band, when it reached number 33 in the UK Singles Chart, helping the band appear on television programmes such as TFI Friday and Soccer AM. BBC Radio 1 DJ Simon Mayo made this his single of the week and it received airplay on numerous radio stations around the UK. The second single "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" fell just short of the Top 40. But the third single "All I Want" scraped in at No. 39, its second CD was joined as a double A-side with "Never Be The Same Again". The album peaked in the UK Albums Chart at No. 36.

PURESSENCE - PURESSENCE 1996
                   

Puressence – Puressence
Label: Island Records – CID8046, Island Records – 524 194-2, Island Records – CID 8046
Format: CD, Album
Country: Europe
Released: 1996
Genre: Rock
Style: Indie Rock

TRAXS

                 

01. Near Distance    4:39
02. I Suppose    4:13
03. Mr Brown    5:02
04. Understanding  (Keyboards, Programmed By – Andy Wright)   4:27
05. Fire    4:05
06. Traffic Jam In Memory Lane    3:16
07. Casting Lazy Shadows    3:36
08. You're Only Trying To Twist My Arm    4:27
09. Every House On Every Street    4:03
10. India    6:04

LINE - UP

                      

Bass – Kevin Matthews
Drums – Anthony Szuminski
Guitar – Neil McDonald
Voice – James Mudriczki
Written-By – Mudriczki, Matthews, McDonald, Szuminski

NOTES

                             

Recorded at Angelshare Studios - Clwyd, Bath Moles, Chapel Studios - Lincoln, The Cutting Rooms - Manchester and Monnow Valley.
Mixed at Park Street - Liverpool, except "India" mixed at Swanyard London.

MP3 @ 320 Size: 102 MB
Flac  Size: 304 MB

PURESSENCE - ONLY FOREVER 1998
                        

Puressence – Only Forever
Label: Island Records – 524 478-2, Island Records – CID 8064
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: 1998
Genre: Rock
Style: Indie Rock

TRAXS

                               

01. Sharpen Up The Knives   4:04
Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Dave Eringa
02. This Feeling   2:59
Co-producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Ian Grimble
Producer – Mike Hedges
03. It Doesn't Matter Anymore   4:31
Co-producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Ian Grimble
Producer – Mike Hedges
04. Street Lights   3:23
Mixed By – Ian Grimble
Producer, Recorded By – Dave Eringa
05. Standing In Your Shadow   5:14
Mixed By – Dave Eringa
Producer – Gary 'Mani' Mounfield, Puressence
Recorded By – Justin Richards
06. All I Want   3:09
Co-producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Ian Grimble
Producer – Mike Hedges
07. Behind The Man   1:24
Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Dave Eringa
08. Never Be The Same Again    3:50
Co-producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Ian Grimble
Producer – Mike Hedges
09. Hey Hey I'm Down   4:05
Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Dave Eringa
10. Past Believing    3:38
Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Dave Eringa
11. Turn The Lights Out When I Die   4:04
Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Dave Eringa
12. Gazing Down   7:21
Mixed By – Dave Eringa
Producer, Recorded By – Simon Dawson

LINE - UP

                                  

James Mudriczki: Vocals
Lowell Killen: Guitar
Kevin Matthews: Bass guitar
Tony Szuminski: Drums / percussion

MP3 @ 320 Size: 112 MB
Flac  Size: 339 MB