Re: When Doug is away, the The will play ...

[hall%beta.DEC@decwrl.DEC.COM (Dan Hall)]

> Really-From: Jim Hofmann <hofmann@AMSAA.ARPA>
>
> Yeh, the only thing I know about this group besides the New Trouser
> Press entry is this fantastic 12" dance mix a friend in Washington
> has.  It has the gnarliest cover of some wigged out dude and just
> cooks.  Anyone know the name of it and when it was released?  The New
> Trouser Press guide doesn't list 12" singles (much to its detriment).

Yeh, totally gnarly artwork eh?  It's done by Andrew Johnson who I presume
is Matt's brother.  He did the covers of the two singles and the LP.

The one you saw sounds like This Is the Day b/w I've Been Waitin' For
Tomorrow(all of my life).  The cover is a painting of Matt Johnson standing
in what looks like an empty city lot, screaming his guts out.  The tune
This Is the Day features some great accordion playing (no kidding) by someone
named Wicks and fiddle by Paul Doyle.  I've Been Waitin' For Tomorrow features
a synth solo by Thomas Leer, and excellent percussion by Johnson.  It was re-
leased in 1983 on Some Bizarre/CBS Records.

The single of Uncertain Smile b/w Three Orange Kisses From Kazan, and Waitin'
For the Upturn was released in 1982 on Some Bizarre/Sire Records.  The artwork
shows Matt Johnson wearing a The The t-shirt sitting in a chair with his arms
folded.  All instruments, percussion and voices are by Matt Johnson.  This is
a ten minute version of Uncertain Smile, with some nice synth sounds, especially
one that I've characterized as "pull-toy rock n' roll" - it sounds like one of
those Fischer-Price toys that had wooden balls rolling around inside a cylinder
of tuned metal rods.  The B-side is very strange indeed.

The album _Soul Mining_ was released in 1984 on CBS Inc./Epic Records.  The 
cover shows our friend Matt again, screaming his guts out again as he is hit
on the head by four hammers.  Johnson is credited with synths, instruments,
vocals and percussion.  Also appearing are Thomas Leer; synths, Zeke Manyika;
drums, Andy Duncan; drums, Camelle G. Hinds;  bass, and Jools Holland plays
some very nice jazzy piano bits on this version of Uncertain Smile.  As I've
already mentioned in this forum;  this is a MUST have album.

The back cover of _Burning Blue Soul_ mentions an as-yet unreleased record 
called _Pornography of Despair_ that supposedly fills in the gap between BBS
and _Soul Mining_.  It can be released anytime now, says I. :-)

Looking forward to the next The The album,

Dan

"I'm just a symptom of the moral decay-
that's gnawing at the heart of the country"  --That Sinking Feeling,
                                                _Soul Mining_