divided alien | kif-kif da bus

On the eve of Planet Gong’s scheduled European tour through March to April, 1978, archastral projectionist, Dingbat Alien was allegedly assailed by dark forces set loose in the here and now. The doors of perception stood ajar but Alien’s free pass was permanently revoked. From Planet Gong: “I couldn’t actually get on stage. It was

i steal with a cool hand. look

The Warner Bros. financed “I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang” – adapted from Robert Elliott Burns’ autobiographical account, as serialized in pulp magazine, True Detective – provoked public disquiet and brought the failings of the US penal system into focus.Nominated for three Acadamy Awards in 1932, while Burns continued to serve out his

spilt milk in rubber city

A mere two years after Booji Boy stiffed in their native US, and an overseas deal with Stiff Records soured in the UK, Ohioans Devo signed on the line with major league hitters, Warner Bros. The rest – as some say – was almost history. Produced in Cologne, Germany, by Brian Eno on the recommendation

pink military cadet school

photograph by richard kern. Jayne Casey: vocals;Dave Balfe: bass;Bill Drummond: guitar; Ian Broudie: guitar;Budgie: drums.Recorded at the M.C.V.U. 4 track studio (Teac 3340S), Liverpool, July 1978.Produced by Noddy Knowler. ▼ BIG IN JAPAN: NOTHING SPECIAL from “From Y To Z And Never Again” 12″ EP (Zoo) 1978 (UK)

ein toast

It is my birthday today, siblings. Like those awful greetings cards needle, I have pretty much stopped counting; I know this because often I miscalculate my age by a year of two when somebody has the effrontery to enquire. I have to think carefully and tally up the lost decades. In preparation for the opportunity

off white #1

james chance, lydia lunch and chums on the bowery, summer 1978. No Yorker, James Chance… found a home on the pages of those earliest issues of ‘The Face‘, a fashion & music monthly launched in the UK in 1979. The writing in that magazine, while mostly fine, unquestionably played second fiddle to its sharp graphic

f@ck you and the horse you rode in on

scam 101. Jon posted California’s The Dils some time back with good reason, so in reply here’s The Germs. Written by Darby Crash; Lorna Doon; Pat Smear, “Forming” is generally conceded as representing the first punk 45 to come out of Los Angeles, California. And what a ge(r)m.“…recorded on a Sony 2-track in Pat’s garage

where were you ?

fast 7. Another from Bob Last’s Edinburgh based Fast Product, this one – Fast 7 – featuring a double ‘A’ side from The Mekons, and one of the best drum intros from the period. Packaged in a plastic coated sleeve. Jon Langford: vocals; guitar; Sally Timms: vocals;Sarah Corina: bass; Steve Goulding: drums. Recorded on 20th

fly in the ointment

HAR 5151. Bridging the gap deftly between 1977’s “Pink Flag” and their 1978 follow-up, “Chairs Missing“, this is the sound of a breakfast hangover overspilling into the studio with unspeakable flair. A lot of good art – like disease – is born in the kitchen, I firmly believe. Colin Newman: vocals; Robert Gotobed: drums; Bruce

who’s been f@cking with bl*gger then ?

FICS 001. Well, it’s Halloween, brothers and sisters. Some people like to get dressed up; other bastards like to hide behind a mask. Make scary noises and waft a tortured sheet about. A bit like the Ku Klux Clan. Grand Wizards and monkeys scratching their red hairless bottoms. Well. Here we go then. What else

stormy

sometime in new york city. From the album named after the Ballstaan river crossing through the suburbs north of Stockholm, his second release in Sweden. An act of solidarity with Emmett’s posting on Wednesday, last week. Gabor Szabo: guitar; Janne Schaffer: guitar; Wlodek Gulgowski: piano and synthesiser; Pekka Pohjola: bass; Malando Gassama: congas and percussion;

no static at all

MCA 374 . Drums and percussion: Jeff Porcaro; Bass: Walter Becker; guitar: Walter Becker; steel guitar: Cosmo Creek; piano: Donald Fagen; tenor sax: Pete Christlieb; percussion: Victor Feldman; backup vocals: Tim Schmit. Written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Strings arranged by Johnny Mandel. Produced by Gary Katz. A fine cheese. ▼ STEELY DAN: FM

chris bell: i am the cosmos

More ethereal Beatles fare of a sort. With the accent on vulnerability. From the excellent solo LP Big Star‘s Chris Bell was in the process of recording when he died behind the wheel in a road traffic accident in December, 1978. The album was not released until 1992 when Rykodisc released it posthumously with recently

corwood industries #0739

somewhere in houston, texas:“you are a cowboy when you wear those boots“. A thousand copies printed. Only two sold by 1980. The fools. “Ready for the House is the debut album by Jandek, and was released in 1978 by his own Corwood Industries label, with the catalog number #0739. The artist has said in letters

brüder des schattens

max schreck in f.w. murnau’s original “nosferatu“, 1922. As much an excuse to feature an assemblage of images from Murnau’s Expressionist silent drama, as to pay homage to Popol Vuh‘s contribution to Werner Herzog’s 1978 remake. Bram Stoker’s estate successfully pushed the studio, Prana Films into bankruptcy after suing for copyright infringement. The court ordered

fast 4: being boiled

fast 4A. fast 4B. “Okay, ready; let’s do it.” From Wiki: “…The Human League put out a demo tape to record companies under their new name. The tape contained versions of “Being Boiled”, “Toyota City” and “Circus of Death”. One label, Bob Last’s Edinburgh based independent Fast Records responded and the band were signed.” “Listen

industrial IR0003

industrial records IR0003. Genesis P-Orridge: bass, violin, vocalsCosey Fanni Tutti: guitars, cornet)Peter Christopherson: tapes, found sounds, hornsChris Carter: synthesizer Quite an interesting one, this. The debut 45 by Throbbing Gristle received a fair degree of publicity through certain ‘glamour‘ magazines circulating newsagent top shelves at that time. Chiefly “Fiesta”, a periodical renowned for its popular

in the short grass: residents only

ralph RR87521. I used to think if I ever got a gig on hospital radio it would be fun to feature The Residents on a Wednesday afternoon as part of a mid-week therapy playlist. Then I discovered Jandek. From Wiki: “The Residents supposedly hail from Shreveport, Louisiana, where they met in high school in the

pere ubu: chinese radiation

Tom Herman: guitarScott Krauss: drumsTony Maimone: bassAllen Ravenstine: synthesizerDavid Thomas: vocals After guitarist, Peter Laughner was forced to leave Pere Ubu as a result of serious health issues, the Cleveland group signed to Blank Records. Recording sessions were initiated in November, 1977. The result was their first long player, “The Modern Dance”, released in 1978.

atv: the image has cracked

deptford fun city, DLP01. I made reference to Mark P. and Alex Fergusson of Alternative TV sometime back in a previous post on Eater, a band the “Sniffin’ Glue” editor seemingly – and to my mind, unaccountably – detested. I mentioned then that “The Image Has Cracked” was every inch one of the most superior