Controlled Bleeding - Scourge Songs Volume 1 (Compilation Tracks 1984/1985)

Here at Bleak Bliss, we tend to only post music that is out of print, hard to find, and/or impossibly obscure. Today I'm going to try something different: I am posting an album that does not exist. "Scourge Songs Volume 1" begins what will be a multi-volume collection of rare tracks by one of my all-time favorite bands, Controlled Bleeding. The New York group has been led by Paul Lemos since the early 1980's, though they have been duos and trios at different times in their career. They have recorded harsh noise, industrial disco, medieval-ish chamber music, ambient drones, progressive rock, free improvisation, metal, dub, and probably more kinds of music than that and other music that doesn't fit neatly under a label. Essentially, CB haven't given a good hoot about what listeners might expect of them, so they've done any and everything they've felt like doing. I have so much respect for this band.

Controlled Bleeding began amid the explosion of international cassette culture. At that time, every weirdo who started a tape label were obligated to put out a comp that included tracks by Minoy, DDAA, Bene Gessirit, Smersh, Big City Orchestra, The Haters, and of course Controlled Bleeding. Because of their ubiquity, a vast amount of CB's songs are now scattered on at least 100 different compilation tapes, LPs, and CDs. Have you ever tried to keep up with this prolific band? Harder than a diamond-encrusted concrete dildo, isn't it? Well, here is some good news. Many (though certainly not all) of their disparate sonic orphans have finally been brought together in convenient album-length chunks for the good of humanity by me, Mrs. Inside. You are welcome, humanity. This first volume collects material from the earliest days of the band, 1984 and 1985. More volumes are on the way.

Controlled Bleeding - Scourge Songs Volume 1 (Compilation Tracks 1984/1985)