Bleak Bliss: June 2019

A Band - A

The most "unsearchable" release ever?

"Recorded live to two-track at The Canning Factory, Nottingham, 1991. No overdubs. No remix."

Self-released CDr from 1997.

eh?

Simon Wickham-Smith / Richard Youngs and A Band - Zene / Salivating Regina

A fairly self-explanatory 7" released in Baby Huey in 1992.

Zene / Salivating Regina

The A Band - An Ole Crab / Andrew Lloyd Webber

Two live recordings from July 1992. etc.

Double CDr released on Matthew Shaw's Apollolaan Recordings in 2009.

An Ole Crab / Andrew Lloyd Webber

Left Hand Right Hand - Hum Drum

CD reissue of Left Hand Right Hand's debut mini-album. The Sheffield multi-media band featured Karl Blake (Lemon Kittens, Shock Headed Peters), Charlie Collins (Clock DVA), Tim & Andrew Brown (The Colonels) with Paul Ackerley. Lol Coxhill and George Haslam provide a sax section on this EP. First released as a 12" single on the Browns' Tak Tak Tak label in 1990, reissued on CD two years later by We Never Sleep.

Left Hand Right Hand - Hum Drum

A Band - Untitled

A couple of Nottingham performances from 1991, edited by Richard Youngs and released on a colorful slab of wax by Qbico in 2003. The editing is unusual for A Band, since most other albums have some sort of "recorded live without overdubs or editing" disclaimer on the sleeve.

A Band - Untitled

A Band - Amphibian

Another missive from our intrepid random-head adventurers ... and it's a complete beauty.

However, the second track is a 45 second confection/masterpiece called CAKE! that obviously brings to mind the incisive and insightful episode of Brass Eye that pricked the consciousness of the nation.

And, that obviously brings to mind the educational contribution of our Harpurhey hero Sir Bernard of Manning:

CDr released on Bug Incision Records in 2010.

Amphibian

A Band - Untitled

Yet another live performance at the Canning Factory, Nottingham, from 1991. This one came out as a 7" single on Any Old Records.

A Band - Untitled

A Frames - A Frames

They originally called themselves Bend Sinister and called their own label Dragnet Records. In itself, that should be enough ...

Jointly released on S-S Records and (their own) Dragnet Records in 2002.

A Frames

A Frames - A Frames 2

If they were from New Zealand in the 80s, you'd have already built a shrine.

Released on S-S Records in 2003.

2

A Frames - Black Forest

No idea why they weren't very popular in their time (in the small circles who like such things).

Released on Sub Pop in 2005.

Black Forest

A Frames - 333

60% of AFCGT. Think Wire / The Fall / God Is My Co-Pilot / Alternative TV thrown into a food processor. Now forget that. It's A Frames.

Triple 12" set that brings together all of their 7" work with a wealth of demos, outtakes and otherwise unreleased gear. Released on S-S Records in 2010.

333

A Band - April Twelfth Nineteen Ninety-Two

Ever show up to a party and someone's wearing the exact same shirt as you? So embarrassing. That must have happened a lot to the A Band. Self-released tape from 1992, reissued as a CDR in 2009.

A Band - April Twelfth Nineteen Ninety-Two

AFCGT - AFCGT

I really do love these people. Just brilliantly broken!

10" released on Dirty Knobby in 2008.

AFCGT

A Band - Artex/A Lot

Two low-fi recordings by the A Band documenting performances from 1990 and 1991, one on each side of an LP put out by Siltbreeze in 1993.

A Band - Artex & A Lot

AFCGT - Live Recording

Recorded live at UW Hub in Seattle on April the 24th, 2009.

Self-released CDr from the same year that again came in an edition of 40.

Live Recording

AFCGT - Square Microphone Tapes

One day, Buttholian archaeologists will unearth the tunes held within this maelstrom.

A cracking self-released CDr from 2009 that only came in a tiny edition of 40 copies.

Square Microphone Tapes

AFCGT - AFCGT

... and, sod's law ... an hour or so later, the 7" that came with the LP version fell right into my lap!

Bonus

AFCGT - AFCGT

A relatively brief but glorious collaboration between Jeffery Taylor and Robert Millis of Climax Golden Twins and fellow Seattle-ites Erin Sullivan, Lars Finberg and Min Yee who were in the splendidly chaotic A-Frames.

This was released as an LP with a bonus 7" on Sub Pop in 2010. This is only the promo CD version that doesn't include the two tracks from the vinyl version. Guarantee your own personal shrine in Badgerstump Towers by sliding that one my way!

AFCGT

Messenger Girls Trio - Excelsior Salon Trio

The same four people and the same trio ...

LP (that comes with the bonus 7") released on Uzu Audio in 2010.

Excelsior Salon Trio

David Knott, Jeffery Taylor, Robert Millis, & Rick Bishop - Messenger Girls Trio

Messrs Millis and Taylor of CGT, David Knott (who was in Animist Orchestra and you may know more for his electro-acoustic improvisations / field recordings) and Sir Richard Bishop formally of the spellbinding Sun City Girls.

LP released on Anomalous Records in 2003.

Messenger Girls Trio

A Band - A

How to describe The A Band? One of the most un-Googleable bands since Electric Guitars were a loose confederacy of oddballs from the UK's 90s/00s no-audience noise/jazz/rock/art underground. At various times, the band included Neil Campbell (aka Astral Social Club), Richard Youngs, Stewart Walden (of Smell & Quim), Stream Angel, Sticky Foster (aka Ovid Corpse), Simon Morris (of Ceramic Hobs) and scads more... Discogs lists 29 members of the group, though they don't all perform each time. The line-up shifts, contracts, and recombines as needed. No matter how many people are involved, A Band's recorded legacy tends to incorporate elements of free improvisation, psychedelic rock, noise, electronics, performance art... think of Sunburned Hand of the Man or Vibracathedral Orchestra, that sort of thing, but A Band were on their own strange wavelength. Oh, and they tended to title things with words that began with "A", because... um, because that's what they did. This self-released CD documents a 1991 performance at The Canning Factory in Nottingham, though it came out in 1997.

A Band - A

Climax Golden Twins - Insect Agents

I think that we are nearing the end of our CGT archive (at least the recordings made solely under that name). If anybody in the world can fill in the missing pieces then that would quite obviously be brilliant. Otherwise, this is quite a good way to go out.

This is the DVDr released on their own Fire Breathing Turtle in 2006 in an edition of 25 copies.

It's in two parts ... you need to extract them to the same folder so that they reassemble.

Insect

Agents

... and then there is this? As far as I know, it's a 7" that came with Volume 10 of The Journal Of Popular Noise in 2008 ... but then you look here and it's a triple 7" set that came with issues 10-12. I have no idea about their publishing schedules and can't remember spending too much time worrying about it.

one third of a part of a journal?

Climax Golden Twins - Session 9

Soundtrack for the film of the same name.

CD released on Milan Records in 2001.

Session 9

Climax Golden Twins - Climax Golden Twins

As far as I am aware, this one doesn't have a pseudonym.

LP released on Conspiracy Records as part of their 10 Year Anniversary LP Series in 2006.

Climax Golden Twins

Climax Golden Twins - Live Vol. 4

A 1997 cassette of live recordings, reissued by Anomalous on 10" vinyl.

Climax Golden Twins - Live Vol. 4

Climax Golden Twins - Climax Golden Twins

For some reason, this has also become known as "Locations".

Presumably that's due to it being "an aural picture postcard from a foreign land but enriched with a palpable sense of the alien-ness of foreign culture which comes over so strongly you can taste it like a mouthful of pungent exotic spice. Released in 1998 and composed of many hours of site and ambiance recordings made around the globe in markets, temples, hotels, next door neighbors, gamelan orchestras, Indian mumbles, calls to prayer distilled into an intricately edited work and packaged in a folded foil stamped sleeve".

CD released on Fire Breathing Turtle in 1998.

Climax Golden Twins

Climax Golden Twins - Live Vol. 3

First issued by the band as a tape, later reissued by Anomalous on 10". This one features guest musicians Eyvind Kang, Jeph Jerman (aka Hands To), MNortham and members of Blowhole.

Climax Golden Twins - Live Vol. 3

Climax Golden Twins - Climax Golden Twins

"Seattle's gloriously weird Climax Golden Twins foist another montage of sneaky sounds upon us ... both sides of the white vinyl revel in turntable and tape manipulation and end with some recently-unearthed acoustic damage-beauty ... an imaginative and unpretentious approach to collaged sound."

7" released on Road Cone in 1996.

Climax Golden Twins

Climax Golden Twins - Live Vol. 2

First released by the band as a tape called "New York Radio", for the very good reason that it was recorded on a radio show in (you guessed it!) New York. Reissued on 10" vinyl by Anomalous.

Climax Golden Twins - Live Vol. 2

Climax Golden Twins - Live In The 21st Century

A truly epic recording with the majestic "Blue Vapour" proving that they were always Sabbath worshipers ... altogether now "What Is This That Stands Before Me ... ?" and the drawn out golden climax of Steamy Column. Oh, and did I mention that Sir Richard Bishop guests on "Football Raga"? Happy Sunday one and all!

CDr released on Kabukikore in 2003.

Live In The 21st Century

Climax Golden Twins - Eerie Fragrance

This combines the impossibly rare Eyeless Fabrication tape from 1995 with the random and unreleased "Toyland" and a couple of tracks that are purportedly from the Climaxgoldenhiss tape. I'm not convinced by the latter claim but you can make up your own mind by visiting the implausibly great Union Pole Tapes bandcamp page.

LP released on Etude Records in 2009.

Eerie Fragrance

Climax Golden Twins - Imperial Household Orchestra

"Our first Full Length compact disc. Oh Boy! That's a whole mess of CGT to wade through. Our first effort with John freaking out with us the whole way through. I think Scott called it "an epic masterpiece" HA!".

Live Volume 4 is sometimes referred to as Imperial Household Orchestra but it's got nothing to do with this.

CD released on Scratch Records in 1996.

Imperial Household Orchestra

Climax Golden Twins - Live Vol. 1

Live in Seattle in 1996, first released by the band as a cassette and later reissued as a 10" by Anomalous in a tan die-cut sleeve of the sort typically associated with 78rpm records.

Climax Golden Twins - Live Vol. 1

Climax Golden Twins - Dream Cut Short In The Mysterious Clouds

This is almost Climax Golden Twins' considered disintegration into no-input mixing board territory.

CD completely appropriately released on Meme in 2000.

Dream Cut Short

Climax Golden Twins - Highly Bred and Sweetly Tempered

My favorite of all the CGT albums! Released as a CD in 2004.

Climax Golden Twins - Highly Bred and Sweetly Tempered

Climax Golden Twins - Fuck Ups

A wonderfully broken collection of live scuzz and barber shop floor extras.

Originally unofficial until the Twins heard it and agreed that it is really upping good and it was subsequently welcomed into the canon.

C30 released on Since 1972 in 2003.

Fuck Ups

Climax Golden Twins - 5 Cents a Piece

LP from 2007, released by Abduction.

Climax Golden Twins - 5 Cents a Piece

Bourbonese Qualk - Archive 1980 - 1986

Well, Bourbonese Qualk were a bunch of odd fuckers ... I only found out about them around 10 years ago which clearly renders most of my life a waste of fucking time. Ah well, never mind ...

Four LP set released on Vinyl-on-demand in 2016. Given the label, you can't be in any doubt that this is anything other than an extremely fine retrospective.

Qualk

Archive

Various - The Extinction

A collection of Italian industrial post-punk noise outsiders plus Bourbonese Qualk who got everywhere ...

C60 that came with the Italian fanzine "The Scream" in 1984.

The Extinction

Climax Golden Twins - Lovely

First released in 1998 as a CDR called "Lovely Drone", later reissued as a CD by Anomalous with a shorter title.

Climax Golden Twins - Lovely

Various - Pianeti Di Lana - Grausame Vorstellung

Maurizio Bianchi, Die Form, Tomografia Assiale Computerizzata, Marco Cacciamani and others that you have met before ...

C60 released on Technological Feeling in 1984.

Grausame Vorstellung

Various - Pianeti di Lana 2 - The Invocation

... and the trip goes on ... with Daniele Ciullini, Mauro Guazzotti's Open Graves Style, Roberto Agus's Ba Alzebûb, Stefano Di Serio's Lyke Wake, Giorgio Cantoni, Officine Schwartz and Maze 1066.

C60 released on Technological Feeling in 1985.

The Invocation

Various - Pianeti di Lana 3 - Molteplice Enarmonico

Welcome to the weird and warped world of Brain Discipline, Wiegen Den Toten, Mauro Teho Teardo, Alberto Fiori Carones, Giancarlo Toniutti and several more Italian savants.

C60 released on Technological Feeling ‎in 1986.

Molteplice Enarmonico

Climax Golden Twins - Untitled (FBT 007)

Another untitled Climax Golden Twins album, though this one is sometimes referred to as "The Rock Album" because... well, you'll see. First released as an LP on Since 1972 in 2001, then reissued on CD with a shiny red-spotted cover.

Climax Golden Twins - Untitled (FBT 007)

Climax Golden Twins - Untitled (FBT 002)

Early self-released 3"CD on the band's own Fire Breathing Turtle label, from 1995.

Climax Golden Twins - Untitled (FBT 002)

Various - Extremity Exhibition

Just look it up ... or just get on with it.

Double C50-ish compilation of supreme oddball period wtf courtesy of Italian label Technological Feeling in 1986.

Extremity Exhibition

Various - Dwarf

The Hanatarashi, The Vickly & Ohdrockanize (which is a completely one off colloboration between Eye and Yoshimi), Bruno Cossano, one of Hitomi Arimoto's odd creations TV Cherubs and Incapacitants. It doesn't last long but sticks in the mind for years.

Single sided C30 released on Hitomi's Beast 666 Tapes in 1987.

Dwarf

Various - Kill S.P.K.

Pointless cover. Great tape.

Le Syndicat, Agencement, The Hanatarashi, The Boredoms and a host of rare Eye vehicles amongst others.

C60 released on Beast 666 Tapes in 1985.

Kill S.P.K.

Various - Journey Into Pain

This is not to be confused with the box set released by RRRon in 1991 on his Statutory Tape label. That was a combination of tapes from the Tourney and Journey sets whilst these are the four Beast 666 Tapes recordings from 1987. They were four ostensibly separate releases that shared the same catalogue number prefixes but are generally thought of as a parts of the same thing.

The New Blockaders and Organum, PGR, P16.D4, H.N.A.S. and Un Drame Musical Instantané.

BST 007-1

Half Japanese, Anschluss and Russ Shorto, Maybe Mental, Hélène Sage, Merzbow, S.B.O.T.H.I., The Haters and Asmus Tietchens.

BST 007-2

Incapacitants, The Sodality, Bruno Cossano, Nord, Giancarlo Toniutti, Hijokaidan, The Boredoms and The Hanatarashi.

BST 007-3

John Duncan, Paul Hurst and Mark O'Brien, Tom Recchion and Vittore Baroni.

BST 007-4

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