SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - The Peel Sessions 1977-1978

One more great release is another John Peel session by Siouxsie & The Banshees and on this record are the first two recordings. Info: "At a time when no other record company on the planet would touch them, Siouxsie & The Banshees came very close to signing to the BBC's own label. At least, they would have if DJ John Peel had had his way. Absolutely entranced by the two sessions that the group recorded for his show during 1977-1978, and disgusted by the rest of the industry's fearful avoidance of the band, he tried his hardest to interest the Powers That Be in at least releasing a Banshees single drawn, if necessary, from one of the actual sessions. Of course the BBC passed and, while Polydor would eventually step in to give the band the chance they demanded, it would be another two decades before the sessions themselves finally made it out, across two EPs (compiled, in turn, onto an eight-track mini-album) that returned to Siouxsie & The Banshees' first recordings for the corporation and left fans still demanding the six sessions that followed over the next ten years. Historically, of course, these are all you really need, the sound of the Banshees refining their clatter from the early rent-a-punk stylings that marked out their first shows, to the dense, chiming clang that laid the groundwork for their monumental debut album, The Scream. Spikily enthralling, six of the eight songs featured on the two sessions, from December 1977 (first transmission) and February 1978, would appear on that album; one more, "Hong Kong Garden," would become the group's first hit single, and all are instantly recognizable from their radio incarnations. But there's also a wildness here that Steve Lillywhite's LP production purposefully suppressed, a jagged vein of excitement that reminds you that here is a band kicking against all the odds, watching while a horde of lesser talents landed record deals, but refusing to compromise an iota of their vision in the hopes of joining that queue. It is that, even more than the performances, that makes this such an intense, and intensely valuable document -- if you want to hear the Banshees at their best, after all, you simply put on The Scream. But if you want to hear them at their most defiant, walk this way." (Dave Thompson)

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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V/A - Winters Of Discontent: Peel Sessions 1977-1983

A feature of Peel's BBC Radio 1 shows were the famous John Peel Sessions, which usually consisted of four songs recorded by an artist live in the BBC's studios, and which often provided the first major national coverage to bands that later would achieve great fame (These 'sessions' are similar to 'Live Lounge' sessions recorded today for the station). The BBC employed it's own house bands and orchestras and it also engaged outside bands to record exclusive tracks for its programmes in BBC studios. This was the reason why Peel was able to use "session men" in his own programmes. Sessions were usually recorded and mixed in a single day; as such they often had a rough and ready, demo-like feel, somewhere between a live performance and a finished recording. John Peel remained on BBC Radio 1 for 37 years, until his death in 2004. During that time over 4000 sessions were recorded by over 2000 artists. Many classic Peel Sessions have been released on record, particularly by the Strange Fruit label and this one of these.

1.Somethin' Better Change - THE STRANGLERS
2.Love In A Void - SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES
3.Gary Gilmore's Eyes - THE ADVERTS
4.Shoplifting - THE SLITS
5.Fast Cars - BUZZCOCKS
6.Rich Kids - RICH KIDS
7.Of One Skin - THE SKIDS
8.It Doesn't Matter - ADAM & THE ANTS
9.Another Girl Another Planet - THE ONLY ONES
10.Suspect Device - STIFF LITTLE FINGERS
11.Mess Of My - THE FALL
12.Stretcher Case - THE DAMNED
13.Anti-Pope - KING
14.Read It In Books - ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN
15.Sus - THE RUTS
16.A Brand New Life - YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS
17.Start From Scratch - THE NIGHTINGALES
18.Big Jesus Trash Can - BIRTHDAY PARTY
19.A Matter Of Gender - THE ASSOCIATES
20.The Fan And The Bellows - THE CHAMELEONS
21.Wall Of Fir - THE VERY THINGS
22.Enchanted - WILD SWANS
23.Sun - MICRODISNEY
24.Kick Over The Statues - REDSKINS
25.A New England - BILLY BRAGG

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Q4U - Q1 1982

Today on a visit to the far north of Europe and we meet an amazingly versatile band that only made a mini-album in the early eighties but meanwhile there are some CD re-releases out and read the following information about the artists: Q4U are one of the great survivors of Icelandic music and was founded winter of 1980-1981 in Reykjavík, inspired by the British punk movement. It’s original members were Elínborg (Ellý) Halldórsdóttir (vocals), Berglind (Linda) Garðarsdóttir (vocals), Steinþór Stefánsson (guitar), Gunnþór Sigurðsson (bass), Helgi (drums) and Már (synthesizer). Helgi and Már soon left the band & Helgi was replaced by Kormákur (Kommi) Geirharðsson on drums. By early 1982 they self-released a full length cassette, “Skaf Í Dag” and appeared in the documentary Rokk í Reykjavík, which showcased the Icelandic punk scene. This version of the band ended and only two members continued on. In the summer of 1982 Ellý and Gunnþór recruited Óðinn Guðbrandsson (guitar) and Árni Daníel (synthesizer) from the band Taugadeildin. Their drummer was replaced by a Roland TR-808 drum machine they named “Elísabet II”. signaling a change in the group’s sound toward synthesizer-driven post punk. In August 1983 they reinstated Kormákur to record a final set of demos and then called it quits.

Q4U began with a stylish, aggressive Punk image before experimenting with drum machines and synthesizers, which almost nobody did in Reykjavík at the time. The later sound had gothic leanings,often compared with Siouxsie & The Banshees and X-Mal Deutschland. Their body of work is united by the powerful vocals of Ellý, who mostly sings in Icelandic about controversial, political experiences, much like Ari Up of The Slits.

In 1984-1985 the group Þetta er bara Kraftwerk (ÞEYR) continued working on similar post-punk synth music Q4U as had been working with. Ellý and Árni Daníel teamed up with Árni Daníel's little brother Ingólfur and later Óskar Þórisson joined. This group recorded a few songs as demos, but did not publish anything in its lifetime. Everybody started having families, studying or working. Then in 1996 the group came together again, under the influence of the grunge movement and the interest in punk and post-punk that blossomed at the time. Now it was decided to put together a CD with some of the unreleased material of the group and publish it. This CD, Q2, contained much of the unreleased demos from 1982, a demo from late 1982 with the synth version of the group, the EP from 1983 and the demos from August 1983. There was also one song by ÞEYR on the CD. It was published in 1997 under the name Q2. Q4U followed the publication of the CD up with a number of concerts in 1996-1998 and also with television performances, of which some are available on the YouTube. One of these is with the song Egó, which is otherwise unpublished. The line-up was Gunnþór, Ellý, Árni Daníel, Ingólfur from ÞEYR and a new drummer, Guðmundur Gunnarsson.

The group is currently rehearsing again after another thirteen years abscence, with two gigs already having taken place in 2010. (source: DarkEntriesRecords)

Consistently awesome stuff and interesting for everyone!

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THE DISHRAGS - Love/Hate 1997

A quick re-post now: When the Dishrags formed 1977 in Victoria, British Columbia, they were like the Runaways without Kim Fowley's behind the scenes machinations: three teenage girls, singer & guitarist Jade Blade, bassist Dale Powers and drummer Scout, devoted to the Ramones and the Clash and creating their own short, sharp shocks. Moving to the more punk-friendly Vancouver scene (where bands like D.O.A. and the Pointed Sticks were already defining the sound of western Canada's new wave) in 1978, the Dishrags made their debut on the now-legendary Vancouver Complication anthology. If they had never made another recording, the Dishrags would remain beloved in punk-fanboy circles for the track "I Don't Love You." 103 seconds long and built on an insistent, scratchy guitar riff and a positively crazed drum part played primarily on the ride cymbal, "I Don't Love You" is as clangorous and primitive as U.K. second-wavers like the Slits or the Desperate Bicycles, but it also features an instant-classic pure pop chorus that would do the Buzzcocks or the Undertones proud.

The Dishrags followed that up with a slightly more polished three-track EP, "Past Is Past," and following a lineup change (Powers being replaced by second guitarist Sue MacGillivray and bassist Kim Henriksen) the band traveled to London to record the EP Death In The Family. Produced by Chris Spedding and featuring a more traditional punk-pop sound akin to the Adverts' first album, Death in the Family was insistently tuneful and clever. The wistful title track seemed to have actual hit single potential, while "Love/Hate" explored a darker post-punk sound along the lines of Siouxsie & The Banshees. Though RCA's U.K. imprint released the EP, it disappeared almost immediately, and the Dishrags broke up. Over a decade and a half later, the Canadian reissue label Other People's Music gathered the complete recordings by the Dishrags -- the two tracks recorded for the Vancouver Complication sessions, including the previously unreleased "Bullshit," the single, the EP, and ten demos and live tracks including covers of Lou Reed's "Vicious," the Ramones' "I Don't Wanna Walk Around with You," and the Clash's "Janie Jones," alongside previously unheard Dishrags originals. This is a textbook example of how to do a punk-era reissue properly. Review by Stewart Mason (source: AllMusic)

- Great Thx to Dante D -

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UNDERJORDISKA LYXORKESTERN - Lögnens Mästare 12'' 1982

Now to a band where I'm really undecided. On the one hand their music bores me a little, on the other hand I can't say they suck, do you know what I mean? There are passages that I really like and some that don't infect me and I'm open to good early sound that came out of my youth, and you can't know everything and there was a lot of crap as well (see NDW) but I'm really undecided on this combo. Kicks partly and becomes uninteresting at the same time. A damn conflicht. But I'm posting it now, because it's rare and not total scrap, decide for yourselfs. Some facts: Underjordiska Lyxorkestern (Underground Luxury Orchestra) were formed after TT Reuter and Garbochock were finished and was a Swedish band from Lund and consisted of Henrik (vocals/keys/horns), D.F. Mikael (guitars), Peter (bass/violin/vocals) Binke (drums) and this is their second release on Heartwork Records after the fucking rare Kärleksön 7'' (five testpressings made & remains unreleased, was 1983 as one-sided single released). The only album, Prairie Romanser, was released in 1982 via Silence, and that was it. After releasing their first record, they were the opening act for Siouxsie & The Banshees on their Scandinavian tour in Summer 1982. Peter left the group in 1982 and they continued for a short time as a trio before disbanding in the mid Eighties. Found on some comps, one of them the great Vägra Raggarna Benzin Vol.3 & 4 double record set on Massproduktion. Well, it would be interested what you think about it and write your opinion in the comments.

- Great Thx to Fredrik -

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