From January 1989 and a return to their Goth Rock roots on one side and a bit of Industrial Dance on the other.
“Motorcycle” has its roots in Glam and was co-produced with John Fryer. Inspired by The Cramps and pinched by Marilyn Manson. (Oh, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club)
“I Feel Speed” is a gentle strummed bass and guitar song , reminds me of the Cocteau Twins.
“Bike” has an insistent drum machine and introduces a saxophone instead of vocals. Almost beatboxing.
“Bikedance” is even more harder, darker beats layered on top of each other and some jarring guitars. An extended bit of alt. dance with a bit of dub thrown in.
(Weirdly as I was refreshing links there has been only a couple of likes and 3 comments over the 8 posts. Unpopular or just hard to find on here?)
And nearly back to their original sound. Cool , jazz overtones on this 4 track EP with their usual trademark sounds. They had officially signed over to PWL and this CD releaed in 1990 had 2 bonus tracks from ’86’s “Matt Bianco” album as a bit of a reminder.
Going back even further is a remix of “More Than I can Bear” from the very first album.
“Fly By Night” with Jenni Evans on lead vocals and “Summer Song” with the smooth electronic bass and drums aimed at the coffee table crowd.
From January 1989 and another single from the LP “Indigo” in a re-recorded version remixed by Phil Harding. It’s got a feel of Level 42 and Prince, with all that funk.
Mid-tempo with a vocoder and plenty of brass stabs and sounding nothing like the original Matt Bianco. The funky flute makes another return. You can see they were desperate to crack America with the new Rock image.
The B side contains the superior Latin Remix of “Wap Bam Boogie” if you missed it from last week.
Sent by Fredisdead (Jimi Mack). Here is a collection of three early twelves. Think across between Sheep On Drugs with Frontline Assembly.
From Discogs;
Danish electro-industrial/EBM group founded in 1991 and named after the Birmingham Six, a group of Irish men wrongly imprisoned for the Birmingham pub bombings. Members include Kim Løhde Petersen (vocals, keyboards and guitars) and Michael Hillerup (Bass, keyboards and vocals).
They took on the name as they focused on injustices worldwide, but particularly in western democratic society. Their lyrics have often been controversial and some radio stations have banned airplay of their songs, while other groups refused to be associated with them.
Birmingham 6 has written several songs questioning governmental systems and their unwillingness to admit their own fallibilty. “Israel” talks about the issues between the Palestinians and the Jews. “Contagious” discusses AIDS and “Who Do You Love?” points out the difficulty in telling good from evil.
So no shrinking violets it seems.
Birmingham 6 – Israel (German CDS)
From July ’92 and recorded at Humdrum Studios and Metropolis in Copenhagan. This was their debut and is full of soundbite samples.
Bold and forceful it adds beats and sequencers to some tragic news stories samples. The horrors of terrorism with whispered and sinister strings and whispered vocals.
“This Girl” goes for the EBM crowd and nearly goes into Rave territory with a nod to “Numbers” by Kraftwerk.
“Sweet 17” has even more sequencers with an EBM bassline (going into 242 territory) and Spy film orchestrations. Quite dodgy lyrics and some interesting samples (but none from Porn) Sheep On Drugs fans would have loved it.
From September 1993 and on the tiny Transfixion label. Adding some guitars into the Rave sounds and acid sequencers. Controversial views on AIDS and a bit of Mortal Kombat.
“Our Father Thou Who Are In Heaven Thy Kingdom Come On Earth As In Heaven Stretch Out Your Healing Hand And Keep This Hiv Virus From Every Woman And Man”
Er, indeed!
Engineered by Michael Skouboe (Longhorn) it was recorded & mixed at Hipcat, Kolding in Dec. 1992.
“Who Do You Love” is a bit more EBM with some female rock vocal samples to start off, going a bit Nitzer Ebb but with whispered vocals.
“Assassinate” uses the President Kennedy news samples and an electro backing.
“Mind Hallucination II” is classic hard rave with “Dance 17” the most commercial and a mix of an old track.
From August 1995 and now on Cleopatra Records and covering KMFDM’s “Godlike” ! More guitars are evident and host of mixes of the main track which became a bit of a Club hit.
It features sampled riffs credited to Denmark guitarist Peter Abrahamsen
A self titled track goes a bit Rammstein and drives home the Birmingham 6 injustice.
“Policestate” appears here as 4 mixes or slightly different but all ticking the Industrial / Rock boxes with suitably relevant samples of sirens and angry cops.
And here it drops. The other I knew from my limited knowledge of the band. 13 Mixes over 4 formats
Why is it always the album version that is the definitive version ? And it’s the shortest mix on here! We should remember to give credit to Goetz Botzenhardt who produced and remixed the original LP version.
The Sharp Boys (George Mitchell and Steven Doherty) go for a Tribal, Progressive House feel. Driving bass and cut up Maxi vocals.
Anthony Acid (NYC Producer Anthony Caputo) is an interesting excursion. Adding squelchy keyboards from Brian Kierulf, giving it a slight retro feel with the sampled strings.
The final mix done by the band samples a Krupa drum interlude and builds with the usual band intricacies.
And four more mixes. The first 2 by the band and the last 2 by Taucher (German DJ Ralph-Armand Beck) who give it a much harder edge with some harder Teutonic, techno beats.
And the 4 x 12″ pack includes 3 more mixes exclusive to the release.
Track 4 (D) is the same as the “Sharp Mix” in the first file.
The popular “Monster Mix” was the one I was familiar with. The “Tuff Mix” is a simple bass and chime stripped back version. The “Serious Danger Mix” is classic Speed Garage from Richard Philips who gives it some sinister organ chords. I like this totally different style.
And finally the much later White Label promo with a Trance mix by the Israeli collective Astral Projection. Motoring it along like an Express train with very little Maxi Jazz.
From November 1998 and back to a higher tempo’s for the commercial Radio Remix. Start up the strings! More mixes than you can shake your bow at!
Speed Garage on the “Rollin’ ” mix Grant Nelson’s mix adding some brass and vocoder along with those Garage beats. The usual epic precision on the “Epic Mix” which is not over long.
André Strässer and Sharam Jey (16c+) harden the Techno and add Teutonic beats, making the original unrecognisable except with Maxi’s rap dropping in halfway through.
Atmosphere returns on the “96 Steps Mix” and the pick of the mixes.
From July 1980 and probably a bored Jah Wobble decides to release some more experimental Dub on Virgin Records whilst P.I.L. were having a rest.
Recorded in a small 16 Track recording studio in a cellar in London called Gooseberry Sound Studios, Numan recorded “Replicas” there.
Mark Lusardi was drafted in as the engineer with help of Virgin stalwart , Simon Heyworth. although It does sound ,at times, it was recorded in a bedsit!
Always a bassist and never a vocalist here he experiments with a synth and primitive rhythm box on a couple of covers on the A-side, with an accompanying dub version. There is a definite “Flying Lizards” vibe about side 1.
The stand out track is “Sea-side Special” mutant jazz funk with dubby horns and no vocals. Sounds pretty fresh for its age.
“Something Profound” has him crooning over a bass and cheesy rhythm track.
“Blood Repression” seems to be a freeform reggae tune, a reference to the Brixton Riots ?
Probably listen to the whole album with a massive spliff.
Three links to choose from; (You wanted it in Flac!)
From April 1981 and the Bunnymen at their pomp. Doing what they do best and playing live. Just superb drum , bass , guitar and vocals.
Recorded at the Pavilion Gardens, Buxton (Jan. 17 1981) this was the raw, early stuff. Post Punk and even a nod to Goth. Hugh Jones and Bill Drummond polishing up the live sound.
“Over The Wall” is the highlight. A definite Concert album sound which never stays the same, the choppy guitars and bass ring out – it’s like you were there!
So mostly albums and twelves from Mike B’s vast collection. Probably unique to the whole of the Web. I really enjoyed curating this particular post.
The Dugites – West Of The World (Aussie LP)
From July ’81 and the second album from Perth band (Bass – Paul Noonan, Drums – Clarence Bailey, Guitar – Gunter Berghofer, Keyboards – Peter Crosbie, Marimba, Timpani – Jeremy Cook and vocals – Lynda Nutter)
Lots of New Wave influences and even some experimental synthpop. Really like the single “Waiting” with its shades of Gary Numan. Going into Pat Benatar / Blondie in places. The quick New Wave of “Malcolm’s Got A Problem” contrasting with the sheer Pop of “Rely On Us” with all its swirling keyboards. All produced by Bob Andrews (Graham Parker and the Rumour)
It has fun Pop songs but mixes in some more sophisticated tracks, plenty of early synth keyboards throughout,
Rare and valuable is this early release (July 1982) of “The One Thing”, An excellent twelve from Mark Opitz, that has appeared on here already but now with it’s 2 B-side. From the album, “Shabooh Shoobah”
“Phantim Of The Opera” predates Public Service Broadcast by thirty years! Samples on an instrumental and written by Tim Ferris, blown away! This is amazing!
“Space Shuttle” has a lead E-bow guitar and chunky synth bass and Glam overtones.
A Coldwave Cover Version of this Classic ? Yes, please!
Two decent B-sides with the first a dance orientated , Linn Drum programmed affair with a female fronted vocal, sorry I don’t know who.
A really like the Jazz cover of “Lonely Man” (Matt Bianco plans will love it!) A few synths thrown in with all the horns over this Arthur Harris classic.
The song was written by Men at Work singer/guitarist Colin Hay and the recording was produced by Peter McIan. It was released in late 1983 as the fourth and final single from their album “Cargo.” A darker edge with a great sax solo.
Two live tracks recorded for radio, ABC Rock Radio at Merriweather Post Pavilion Columbia on 28 / 7 / 83. Lots of indulgent solo’s , guitar on track 3 and saxophone on the very Ska like “Fallin’ Down”
From 1983 and some quality Power Pop with more than a nod to U2 and The Alarm. A great debut with no filler, a touch of keyboards here and there and dramatic “Walk Between The Lines” – it’s futuristic in places and trad rock in places. Very varied.
The Melbourne quartet of ; Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals – Paul McNaughton, Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Grant Hamston, Guitar, Vocals – Trevor Reading and Lead Vocals, Guitar – Mark Edwards.
myvinyldreams 