Re: Love-Hounds Digest, 1/16/86

[ia-sun2!smeagol!gorbag!earle@csvax.caltech.edu (Greg Earle)]

(WARNING - LONG letter ahead - proceed at own risk) 
Re: Love-Hounds digest of 1/17/86

An introduction and information:

Hello everyone in Love-Hounds land.  My name is Greg Earle, and I am the
world's first post-punk Computer Scientist (self-proclaimed) currently
haunting the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in good ol' Pasadena CA.  I have only
been on USENET for ~4 months, so I am just getting on this mailing list.
A few comments and observations:

It appears this list has expanded beyond the range of merely re: the Amazing
Kate.  Is this true?  I note much info on Milo decides college sucks (aka
the Descendents) in the 1/17/86 digest.

Now on to the 'request for information'.  A footnote:  I have been personally
involved in the L.A. punk & antecedent scenes since about day 2, which means
since ~1977 just after the Original Masque (if that means anything to you
non-L.A. dwellers), both as an intersted bystander/fan and also involvement
in promoting shows, clubs, and bands, etc.  I bring to this mailing list
a backlog of 9 years involvement in the music scene, and a collection of nearly
1500 records, almost all from the post-'76 era.  If anyone has a question
about any music from anywhere that is post-'76, I can either answer it or
find someone who can.  Now *that* sounds incredibly pompous, so I'll shut up
now, and give you "just the facts, ma'am".

(Aside to list-keeper - are long discographies appropos for posting,
[Sure! -- Doug] or should I say 'I've got one, e-mail me and I'll send
it to you'??)

-----------------------------
(Hold your breath, folks)
For Fu-Sheng:

- The Residents
The Residents are a bunch of people from S.F., who have been around for over
10 years.  As far as I know, all of their output has been on Ralph Records
of S.F.  The most noteworthy thing about the Residents is that they never
allow pictures of any of the real live band members to be taken.  So if you
see a record cover with 4 men in tuxedoes on it, their heads replaced by
giant eyeballs, that's them.  They have put out quite a few LP's; among
others that come to mind are 'The Residents' Commercial Album', 'The Mole
Show', 'Duck Stab' (came with free t-shirt!) and lots of others.  The best
shot at describing their sound is 'pop eclectic', they mix and match many
elements of standard pop together.  They are about as unclassifyable as
any band going.

- The Replacements
These guys hail from Minneapolis, Minn., and are currently hailed by the
so-called "critics" (sooner or later, everyone on this list will come to
realize my absolute hatred/disgust for any newspaper/magazine rock "critic")
as being at the forefront of the new "American Wave" (sneer).  They play
an amalgamation of styles, loosely based on 60'sish garage basic-rock combos.
It is basically unembelished music.  They are 'famous' for getting wasted
before gigs, and from playing sets of extremely varying quality and content.
Their first 3 or so LP's were on the Twin Tone label, but they were recently
signed by Sire, and their latest LP, "Tim", is the one getting all the
huzzahs (When the L.A. Times critics pooled their Best-of-85 polls, this
LP came up on top.  I refuse to say anything about "Lowest Common Denominator")

- Siouxsie (not Siouxie) and the Banshees
Well, .... just let me say two things.  First, if I wanted to, I could make
this paragraph so long that you wouldn't get anything else done all day.
Second, I own every record they have ever released.  That should tell you
something ...
Fu-Sheng asked "what are their best efforts, and which LPs are good intros?"
First of all, "best" is entirely subjective.  The word is "favorite".  In the
words of a famous lost rock philosopher :

	"Musical opinions are like assholes.
	 Everybody has one;
	 They're all different;
	 and everybody else's STINKS!"

So any time I see a "critic" say THESE WERE THE TEN BEST RECORDS OF 198? (see
Thunder and Lightning), I start foaming at the mouth.  ("Shaddup!")
Anyway, in Siouxsie's case, this is IMPOSSIBLE to answer.  So I will give
an off-the-top-of-my-head Discography (English Releases Only):

----------------------------------
Singles:
	(All releases Polydor/Wonderland)
	Hong Kong Garden / Voices (1978)
	Staircase Mystery / Twentieth Century Boy (1978)
	Playground Twist / Pull To Bits (1979)
	Mittageisen / Love In a Void (1979)
	Happy House / Drop Dead (1980)
	Christine / Eve White Eve Black (1980)
>From here on, all singles released in both 7 and 12" formats:
	Israel / Red Over White (1980)
	Spellbound / ? / ? (1981)
	Arabian Knights / Slap Dash Snap / Supernatural Thing (1981)
	Fireworks / ? / ? (1981)
	Slowdive / Obsession II / Cannibal Roses (1982)
	Melt / Il'l est en divine enfant / ?(1982)
	Dear Prudence / Tattoo / There's A Planet In My Kitchen (1983)
	Dazzle (Long Mix) / Dazzle (Mix 2) / ? (1984)
	Swimming Horses / ? / ? (1984)
	The Thorn (4 old songs re-done w/ Orchestra) (1984)
	Cities In Dust / The Execution / Quarterdrawing Of The Dog (1985)

Sorry if I missed any, and the forgotten B-Sides (I can remember the 7" ones
easily, and I'm not at home to look at the others).  There is also a fan
club 7" single that you Can't Get.

The albums, however, I do know from memory.  Also, if you count Robert Smith
twice, the Banshees have had no less than *7* guitar players in their
history.  I list the player who appeared on each LP :

	(#1, P.T. Fenton, did not appear on any LP's)
	The Scream (1978) (John McKay)
	Join Hands (1979) (John McKay)
	(#3, Robert Smith Mk. I, played on a tour after McKay left)
	Kaleidoscope (1980) (John McGeoch and Steve Jones [ex-Pistol])
	JuJu (1981) (John McGeoch)
	Once Upon A Time - The Singles (Singles Compilation) (1982)
	A Kiss In The Dreamhouse (1982) (John McGeoch)
	Nocturne (Double Live) (1983) (Robert Smith [Cure])
	Hyaena (1984) (Robert Smith)
	(#7, John Valentine Carruthers [ex-Clock DVA], appears on their
	 upcoming LP, and on the 'Cities In Dust' single)
John McGeoch was indeed ex-Magazine & Visage, and is now in The Armoury Show.
The current drummer, Budgie, was formerly in Big In Japan, and appeared on 
The Slits' "Cut" (1979) LP.
As a duo, Siouxsie and Budgie have made a few records as 'The Creatures':
	Wild Things by The Creatures double 7" E.P. (1981)
	? / Weathercade 7" (1983)
	Feast LP (1983)
Steven Severin (bassist) and Robert Smith combined as 'The Glove':
	Blue Sunshine LP (1983)
	2 singles (1 12", 1 7") (1983)

* Anything * is a "worthwhile introduction". 

[Aside to Laura Clifford - if Siouxsie is one of your faves, (a) How come you
don't know how to spell her name; (b) What do you mean by Nazi punk - she 
was never a Nazi punk, just one of the first to use Nazi regalia for shock
value.  As for Nazism, cf. "Israel", or the cover of "Mittageisen", taken
from a drawing by John Hertsfeld, well-known anti-Nazi artist; (c) Siouxsie
is in NO ONE's league when it comes to stage presence.]
-------------------------------------------

- Cocteau Twins
	Again, I own all of their records, so the same thing holds true for
these folks as for the Banshees.  I could wax lyrical forever.. *Sigh*
Briefly, the nucleus of (couple) Robin Guthrie and Elizabeth Fraser have been
together for about 4 years.  In the last year they have been augmented by
bassist Simon Raymonde (ex-Drowning Craze).  Another off-the-top-of-my-head
discography follows:

Singles:	(All in 12" format, 4AD records UK)
	Lullabies (1982)
	Peppermint Pig (1982)
	Sunburst and Snowblind E.P. (1983)
	Pearly Dewdrops' Drops (1984) \_
	The Spangle Maker (1984)      /- IS THIS THE SAME RECORD, I FORGET
	Aikea-Guinea E.P. (1985)
	Echoes In A Shallow Bay E.P. (1985)
	Tiny Dynamite E.P. (1985)
	
Albums:
	Garlands (1982)
	Head Over Heels (1983)
	Treasure (1984)

Liz (singing) and Robin (Production, gtr.) have been involved in some way with
these other 4AD bands :
	This Mortal Coil - It'll End In Tears LP (1984) (Liz vocals, R. gtr)
	Dif Juz - Extractions LP (1985) (Liz - vocals 1 track, R. prod.)
	Felt - Primitive Painters 12" 45 (1985) (Liz - background vocals)
	Wolfgang Press - Sweatbox 12" 45 (1985) (Robin - Produced)

There is a domestic (yes, American) compilation LP called
"The Pink Opaque (1985)" that is a good introduction to the Cocteau's magic.
Sound is best described as "Atmospheric" - Liz' amazing voice-as-instrument
melded to Robin's phlanged-chiming-guitars.  Defies categorization.

Editorial Comment:
	One of the great memories I have of 1982 was listening to two
masterpieces of that year, the Cocteaus' "Garlands" and the Banshees'
"A Kiss In The Dreamhouse"; come the end of the year the "critics" tried
to tell me that the *best* 2 records were Loose Stringbean's (sic) "Nebraska"
and Abbott N. Costello's "Imperial Boredom (sic)".  What a joke.

[Clearly, "The Dreaming" was the best album of 1982, since it's the best
album of all time -- Doug.  Oops, I'm sorry, after all this is someone
else's article...]

----------------------------------------------------------

This is getting too long, so I'll be brief:

- X
Came out of the first wave of L.A. punk bands in 1977-78.  Produced a few
early memorable singles, a great first LP ("Los Angeles", Slash, 1980) and
from there on, no comment.  Signed to Elektra records after release of
second Slash LP, "Wild Gift".  Have released "Under The Big Black Sun" and
their latest on Elektra.  Let's just say their latest is a big disappointment
for those of us from the "Old Days"; but don't let that prejudice you in any
way.  Original guitar player Billy Zoom left band last year, one of the
Blasters is filling in on tour.  Seems like John Doe and Exene Cervenka (lead
singers - songwriters) are more interested in being the Common Man types
these days.  (if you like folk, try the X spinoff, The Knitters - "Poor Little
Critter In The Road (1985))

-------------------------------------------------------
- Five (not Fine) Young Cannibals
No info for you there.

[Dunno about Five Young Cannibals, but there *definitely* is a Fine
Young Cannibals.  I have their video for "Johny Come Home" (or something
like that).  I believe that it has someone from The (English) Beat in it.
-- Doug]

-------------------------------------------------------
- Tom Waits
HAS been around a long time.  Affects the viewpoint-from-the-underbelly-of-
society lyrical viewpoint.  I'm not much of a fan, but his last two LPs,
"Swordfishtrombones (1984)" and "Rain Dogs (1985)" meld that same lyrical
style to a real interesting mix of musical styles - very ecclectic.
Interesting stuff if you like that sort of mix and match musical style.

-------------------------------------------------------
- The The
are not "them", but the product of one person (and sidemen, live), namely
a bloke named Matt Johnson.  First The The records are hard to find; first
got (semi-)wide exposure when he released a 'solo' LP on 4AD back in 1981
called "Burning Blue Soul" (this was re-released with a different sleeve,
and remixed  :-(, last year), which is magnificent.  Apparently decided to
"re-form (heh heh)" The The, and in 1983 (?) put out a double LP called
"Soul Mining".  I believe this received domestic release.  Again, Matt
is not one to get stuck in one musical style; "Soul Mining" is a pleasant
mix of various elements of pop (including accordion on "This Is The Day",
perhaps te best known song), whilst remaining accessable (whatever that
means).

-----------------------------------------------------

Are you still with me??  *WHEW*  Sorry if I bored anybody, I hope this
is helpful.

P.S. I thought the Japanese cover of "The Kick Inside" was a good intro
to Kate for me ... ("Greg?? Greg? The MUSIC, Greg, the MUSIC!! ...")
[Clearly a man who knows his nipples -- Doug]

	Greg Earle
	JPL
	sdcrdcf!smeagol!earle (UUCP)
	ia-sun2!smeagol!earle@csvax.caltech.EDU (ARPA)

Know Your Culture:
-----------------
"PsychoCandy", LP by The Jesus And Mary Chain (posted to the net in Nov.,
but deserves another mention here) - singlehandedly restored my faith
in pop music when it was dying ...