Bleak Bliss: May 2017

Devo - Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology

Another double-disc set of de-evolution from 2000, this one features album tracks from throughout the band's career (which means plenty from the crappier albums, like "Total Devo" and "Shout", by which point they had already become irrelevant) but also songs from the self-released early singles and some unreleased music.

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Nervous Corps - False Icons

No label CDr of crackling Wall released in an edition of 15.

False Icons

Devo - Recombo DNA

A double-disc set of demos and alternate versions, released by Rhino Handmade in a limited edition of 5000 (which, to a fan of albums published as cassettes in editions of 30, sounds hilarious) in 2000.

disc 1
disc 2

Nervous Corps - Untitled

Spectacular tape of harsh noise with Side A sounding like Lucifer's Marching Band is providing accompaniment whilst Side B simply lays waste to the Earth in a very pleasing fashion.

C52 released on Mr Rage's own Meaning Corrupted in 2014 in an edition of 15.

Untitled

Devo - E-Z Listening Disc

What do you get for the spud who has everything? How about Muzak interpretations of "Come Back Jonee", "Jerkin' Back and Forth" and "Mongoloid"? This is a compilation of two cassettes that were originally released for the Devo fan club, Club Devo, in 1981 and 1984, reissued as a CD by Rykodisc in 1987 and now very much out of print. It's about as "good" as you'd think it would be, but completists can now check off one more box.

Devo - E-Z Listening Disc

Nervous Corps - Suffocate

Harsh Noise Wall solo project of Blue Sabbath Black Cheer member William Rage ...

CDr released on Victimology Rec. in 2013.

Suffocate

Blue Sabbath Black Cheer / Josh Lay / Wilt - Bleak

Blue Sabbath Black Cheer, Josh Lay and James Keeler & Dan Hall's wonderful Wilt project on one slab of vinyl ...

LP released on Urashima in 2012.

Bleak

Black Leather Jesus / Blue Sabbath Black Cheer - Untitled

Here you get the best of both worlds. Two mighty outfits with one track each and a collaboration on Side B.

LP released on Urashima in 2014.

Black Leather Jesus / Blue Sabbath Black Cheer

Grunt - Archive: 90's Tapes

Mammoth collection of Mikko Aspa's work as Grunt. A spectacular revisitation of impossible to find releases and contributions to splits and compilations and a couple of unreleased tracks thrown in for good measure.

Released on Industrial Recollections in 2014.

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Butthole Surfers - Double Live

This won't be new to most of you.

If it is, what the hell have you been doing with your life?

Back in the day (as your grandad is fond of saying) there was a spurt of "official bootlegs" that came out. It would be impossible for me to say whether this or Walls Have Ears or Sound Of Impact are the greatest thing ever. Anyway ... 28 tracks of live Butthole glory ... apparently recorded on DAT ... it sounds murky which adds to the Buttholian charm. There is nothing in the booklet that tells you anything about where these recordings came from ... it doesn't matter.

I've not played this for a very long time. Way back when, I thought that it was beautiful ... listening back now, I admire it all the more. Truly unhinged magnificence and perfect in all the wrong ways!!!

Double CD released on Latino Bugger Veil in 1989 (my copy is #4667 btw).

Butt

Hole

Crash Worship - Live 95

More unwashed psychodervish drums ... this time recorded live in Prague in 1995.

This was released on Fantastic in 1995 and later released as "The Gods Are..." four years later on the same label.

Live 95

Crash Worship ADRV - The Science of Ecstasy

Recorded in 1988 and 1989, released as a cassette in 1989 by the band's Rocco Fresco label. This is, I think, the first release credited to Crash Worship ADRV (Adoración De Rotura Violenta).

Crash Worship ADRV - The Science of Ecstasy

Crash Worship ADRV - ¡Espontaneo!

Anybody in the mood for psychotic samba?

CD released on Mason Jones' Charnel Music in 1991.

¡Espontaneo!

This Is The Place!

In the face of barbarism, we give you poetry.

Crash Worship - This

First official Crash Worship tape, recorded in 1986 and released by the band in 1987.

Crash Worship - This

Crash Worship - What So Ever Thy Hand Findeth - Do It With All Thine Might

Once I heard the Butthole Surfers' double drummer line-up my general rule in life became: the more drummers the better! Unless it's a marching band (that's not cool). Here, the lovely Crash Worship people give you three ...

12" jointly released on Rocco Fresco and ¡Alarma! in 1989.

Do It With All Thine Might

Crash Worship - Hit After Hit

Recorded in 1985 & 1986, released as a private-edition cassette for the band's friends in 1986.

Crash Worship - Hit After Hit

Há-Zá-Má - Há-Zá-Má

Lovely music that just drifts away ...

CD reissue of an earlier tape released on Captain Trip Records in 1995.

Há-Zá-Má

Há-Zá-Má - Once Upon A Time

Roku, Furukawa, Kaoru O and the legendary Michio Kurihara delivering quality psychrock ...

CD reissue of an earlier tape released on Captain Trip Records in 1999.

Once Upon A Time

Há-Zá-Má - Under The Radioactive Fallout

An unexpected and brief reprise of Há-Zá-Má with only Roku surviving from the original line-up.

C54 released on Sloow Tapes in 2011.

Under The Radioactive Fallout

Devo - Be Stiff

Their first 12" EP, released by the legendary Stiff Records in 1979. Includes early self-produced versions of songs that later appeared on "Q: Are We Not Men?", plus an Eno-produced version of the title track and one additional tune.

Devo - Be Stiff

Taco - タコ

The best way to begin to even begin to describe this is to say that it was released on Pinakotheca.

Truly great music that ranges from inspired insanity to new wave / J-pop to elegiac chaos to punk carnage. Inspired!

LP released on Pinakotheca in 1983.

タコ

Taco - 大全

There is a disgruntled comment on Discogs about this release ... I don't believe a word of it! Read it if you want but it's really not worth it. Whilst this reprises some of the original LP ... there are major differences ... nothing is as simple as a baseless opinion it would appear.

This release adds some interesting and entertaining spoken word interludes. There also appears to be a few points where injudicious bleeps are inserted to obscure words in order to appease the mortally offended. These are also missing from the vinyl. Yeah, Discogs can be full of shite.

More fact, non-fact and baseless Bleak Bliss opinion will become clear tomorrow.

CD released on SSE Communications in 1994.

大全

Gaseneta - Sooner Or Later

These are recordings from 1978 by what I think is the core line-up of Harumi Yamazaki, Jun Hamano and Toshiharu Ohsato (although there is an apparently uncredited drummer on these tracks as well). Until 2011, these appeared to be the only surviving recordings of Gaseneta.

CD released on P.S.F. Records in 1991.

Sooner Or Later

Gaseneta - Greatest Hits

Genius ramshackle garage rock and roll punk noise that delightfully collapses around your ears.

Greatest Hits is very tongue in cheek considering that they didn't actually release anything in their lifetime. The majority of these recordings are made between 1977 and 1979 with three tracks from 1985 that have a completely different line up including Asahito Nanjo on bass, Munehiro Narita on guitar and Yuro Ujiie on drums (all of whom were in High Rise).

CD released on Super Fuji Discs in 2011.

Greatest Hits

Devo - Ultracore 1974-1977

Collection of early demos and live stuff, of unknown provenance, assembled by fans and passed around in the usual way. If all you know are the hits, this is unlikely to give you no satisfaction. However, if you expect basement electronics recorded at a time and place when no "scene" or context existed for such a thing, then this is a remarkable document.

Devo - Ultracore 1974-1977

Devo - Hardcore Devo Vol. 4 74-77

Further grey-area collection of homemade synthesizer squelch and teenage hormonal panic by Akron's Fab Five. Definitely not produced by Brian Eno.

Devo - Hardcore Devo Vol. 4 74-77

Devo - Hardcore Devo Vol. 3 74-78

Grey area continuation of Devo's series of early four-track demos, much more electronic, experimental, awkward and rough than their better-known major-label studio albums. Closer in spirit to a snotty Throbbing Gristle or "Duck Stab"-era Residents than "Whip It".

Devo - Hardcore Devo Vol. 3 74-78

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - Univers Zen Ou de Zéro à Zéro

In 2002, the lovely people at Fractal Records released the Univers Zen Ou de Zéro à Zéro CD.

The following year, they "re-released" it as a quadruple vinyl set that included the complete Univers session, unreleased tracks and the fourth disc "Live In Europe 2002".

The first 50 copies even came in individual colours. What a lovely thing to do!

ABCD

EFGH

Various - Boule

They said I need to go to rehab and I said "Yeah, I know!" I need to detox ... but before that happens ... I've never heard the first Ptôse release on PPP. The best that I can do is this collection of covers of the titular track. Anne Gillis, Renaldo & The Loaf, Nigel Jacklin, Mark Lane, Wolfgang Wiggers, Die Form, The Grief, Yoshiaki Kinno's Ice 9 project and so on and so forth ...

C60 released on Ptôse Production Présente in 1985.

Boule

Ericka Irganon / John J. Cabanis - PPP K010 : PPP K017

Were Ericka Irganon and John Jean Cabanis pseudonyms of two of the core members of Ptôse, sometime collaborators or satellites orbiting the Ptôse universe? I could postulate for a while but you're not that bothered. This brings the two tapes released on Ptôse Production Présente in 1981 and 1984 respectively.

LP released on Vinyl-on-demand in 2014.

PPP K010 : PPP K017

Ptôse - PPP K 015 + PPP K 009

... and just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.

I've been listening to Ptôse on constant rotation for weeks. Literally just Ptôse. I've just fed the cats some sardines whilst singing Eat Your Fish ! (and there may have even been some dancing involved). To be honest, I think that they very much enjoyed the full package. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. This is a CDr released on Halte Aux Records ! in 2003. It combines the Poisson Soluble and Moxisylte N. tapes but on this the sound is brighter and shinier (and possibly remastered). That may be a good thing or a bad thing but it is a different thing. I appreciate that I'm not the best person to ask which is which at the moment ... there's even a CD version released on Le Cluricaun in 2010 that includes the Women On The Moon track (if I had it, I'd post that as well).

PPP K 015 + PPP K 009

Ptôse Production - Women In The Moon

Single-sided 7" released on Sordide Sentimental in 1980.

Women In The Moon

Whilst I'm here ... I can't offer you much more information than what is obvious. It sounds like an audience bootleg ... yours if you want it.

Live Rennes, 1984

Ptôse - A Paraitre

In 1981, Ptôse released the Apparaitre tape and three years later they re-released it with the additional "Par La Fenêtre" track.

C34 released on Ptôse Production Présente in 1984.

A Paraitre

Ptôse Production - Moxisylyte N.

You probably already have guessed that this is incroyable!

C34 released on Ptôse Production Présente in 1981.

Moxisylyte N.

Ptôse Production - Poisson Soluble

Insert your own superlative here: " ........... "

C32 released on Ptôse Production Présente in 1983.

eat your fish my son

Ptôse - The Swoop

Bouncing dislocated lounge jazz?

Fucked up. Gloriously fucked up.

LP released on Eksakt Records in 1984.

The Swoop

Ptôse - Face De Crabe

As far as I know, this was the final work of Ptôse. You could almost describe this as pop(ular). There's a hint that they fell foul of the prevailing chart electronic aesthetic before thinking "fuck it, we've done what we wanted to do...goodbye". But this is Ptôse after all, and it's still better than a couple of thousand other things that spring to mind.

LP released on Eksakt Records in 1986.

Face De Crabe

Ptôse Production - Early Recordings 79-83

Joyous and surreal.

Self-explanatory double LP released on Vinyl-on-demand in 2006.

AB

CD

Dinosaur Make Out Party!! - Untitled

You're on your own with this one.

Dinosaur Make Out Party!! - Untitled

Ptôse - The Official Guide To P.P. 1979-1982

The original Official Guide was a tape released on Flowmotion in 1981. Ostensibly lost to the world until Frank re-released this as an LP (the members' edition came with a bonus 7" ... hence the 1982 component). The track list for this on Discogs just follows the tape but misses the last two tracks on Side A, and gets the title wrong ... but, hey whatcha gonna do?

Flowmotion was a good choice for the label given the motorik glimpses but it could only have been imagined in France. This is more akin to the sound of embracing your psychosis.

LP and 7" released on Vinyl-on-demand in 2014.

Listen to the voices inside your head...

Die Form - Chronology: The Bain Total Years 1.977-1.985

Ridiculously comprehensive compilation of Die Form, the related side projects and the Bain Total label itself.

Six LPs and a 7" that offer a damn fine opportunity to revisit / discover a key piece of our heritage.

Needless to say, this is courtesy of Vinyl-on-demand.

It was released in 2010.

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KLMN

Etant Donnes - Tapes 1977-1983

Typically brilliant collection from the über-archivist Frank Maier that brings together the tapes released on Philippe Fichot's Bain Total.

6 LP set released by Vinyl-on-demand in 2008

ABCD

EF

GH

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Etant Donnes - L'Eclipse

Dungeonesque body horror from the Hurtado brothers ...

C50 released on Staalplaat in 1985.

L'Eclipse

Etant Donnes - Mon Cœur

Eric and Marc Hurtado creating a slaughterhouse perspective on industrial concrète noise. True visionaries!

C34 released on Vita Nova in 1986.

Mon Cœur

Francois Douris - 59éme Journée Regionale De Gérontologie

I don't know much about Francois Douris and haven't heard anything else by him. Fucking about with a tape recorder and a microphone or low art abstraction? You decide.

C44 released on Cat Move in 1998.

( ... that's all of the Cat Move releases that I have and, apart from three Deadly Verity tapes (that I'll post at some point), I don't have any more Kei Yokota. If that's not the case for you and you want to save civilisation, step forward brothers and sisters. Or don't ... )

59éme Journée Regionale De Gérontologie

Deadly Verity - Deadly Verity

... and Kei even manages to make me think that an even more snide Mark E. Smith is involved. He isn't by the way, my brain just made me type it.

C30 that was the 1st release on Cat Move ... from 1994.

Deadly Verity

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