The Act Became Real

The Actor Dub

This record is so bad it is not really worth listening to. Ham rap / reggae at it’s worst, lyrics written by a seven year old by the sound of it…I believe they are Arsenal FC supporters, hence the lack of flair or care in thier work. I only put this rotter up to read any comments about the band and Spiv McDonald if anyone has any to write up…! 

The only good thing about this post is that the next one has GOT to be great!

Steel Leg / Stratetime And The Wide Man

Haile Unlikely By The Electric Dread / Unlikely Pub

Studio downtime anyone? More than likely recorded during a P.I.L. session, this is a decent enough punkyreggae set of tunes courtesy of Don Letts, Jah Wobble and Keith Levine. Not massively great, but decent enough in small doses…Worth sticking up just to get the comments going…

The Wrong Name And The Wrong Number

Awesome track by ex Pop Group front-man collaborating with New York’s Sugarhill Gang session musicians, Skip MacDonald, Doug Wimbush and Keith Le Blanc. The guy making it sound like an aeroplane taking off via the mix, ONU Sound boss Adrian Sherwood.

At Tackhead Sound-systems and live ONU Sound events, of which I went to many…the main draw for the night was watching Adrian Sherwood sweat it out over the mixing desk…What was occurring on stage faded into insignificance compared to watching this wizard at work all night. And the sound was bastard loud which always helps while away the evening. 

What was great for the Tackhead / ONU Sound-systems was the mix of public turning up for them. Rastas, Wideboys, Mutoid Wasters, Hip Hoppers, and everybody in between.

This track was lifted from the ‘Myths And Instructions’ LP on Sub Rosa. A version of ‘Bastards’ on the ‘Veneer Of Democracy Starts To Fade’ LP on ONU Sound. Mixing up and cutting up W.S. Borroughs with a dance beat with the odd yelp of  “Y’ALL BASTARDS” and “THE ECONOMICS OF GENOCIDE”. Essential listening…make it LOUD.

I have some great Mark Stewart live tapes from 1986 which I may stick on at some point.

Stinky punker getting tugged by the plod – modelled by Lugworm.

Jah Woosh – Woodpecker Sound / Machine Gunn Hogg – Bed Bound Saga / Prince Far I and Creation Rebel/ Quante Jubila / The Chicken Granny – Quit The Body / Alan Pellay – Parasitic Machine / London Underground – Dreams Are Better

Suns Of Arqa – Asian Rebel / Alan Pellay – Demonic Forces / The Mothmen- Afghani Dub / Jeb Loy And The Oil Wheels – Things That Made U.S. / New Age Steppers- Yippie I Ahhh / Judy Nylon – The Dice

Pretty sure that this is the very first ONU Sound compilation LP, artists on the eclectic funkypunkyreggae paarty LP that I know nothing of include Machine Gunn Hogg, The Chicken Granny and Jeb Loy And The Oil Wheels. Alan Pellay went onto an acting career most notably with ‘The Comic Strip’ in the early 1980′s naming him / herself Allana Pellay.

Artists I know plenty about but can not be arsed to go on about (been cleaning the house all day getting ready for the hatching, so well knackered!) include my old JA buddy Jah Woosh, Prince Far I, London Underground, Suns Of Arqa, The Mothmen, New Age Steppers and Judy Nylon. All of these artists I have a load more material by on the ONU Sound label and various other labels which may or may not get uploaded at some point.

The Last Train To Hellsville / A Rebel Without A Conscience / Who Are The Mystery Girls? / D.F / Theme For Yoko Ono / Being Alive / It’s So Easy / Moral Chains

Another Chris Low personal tape, will await details from Chris about (hopefully) dates / personnel performing on the tracks and any other useful info. I will then cut and paste innit. Lots of other Apostles material on this site if you care to search.

Official Apostles Site

Nic Says:
I would date this tape around late Summer 1982, judging by the mix of songs…

‘Last Train to Hellsville’ – probably Flump (of Flump and the Fruitbats, and a fanzine I can’t remember the name of) on vocals. This recording sounds like the one that Larry Peterson put on his ‘A Sudden Surge of Sound’ compilation tape on his Cause for Concern tape label…

‘Rebel without a Conscience’ – Another track featuring Flump (as on the 1st track) which also sounds as if it is from the rehearsal session which appears on the Larry Peterson compilation…

‘Who Are the Mystery Girls?’ – New York Dolls cover demonstrating Dave Fanning’s ‘L.A.M.F. fixation… Not as good as Slaughter and the Dogs’ cover…It also sounds as if it is from the rehearsal session which appears on the Larry Peterson compilation…

‘DF’ – a version of an instrumental also titled ‘DF 118′ on other tapes (DF118 is a Codeine-based tablet used for Opiate withdrawal)…Beat by drum machine…

‘Theme for Yoko Ono’ – an instrumental was re-recorded later on one of the early LP’s…Beat by drum machine…

‘Being Alive’ – an instrumental later re-recorded on the early LP’s. A version of this was also recorded as part of the rehearsal sessions which begin this tape…Beat by drum machine…

‘It’s So Easy’ – Back to the live drummer…Another instrumental later re-recorded on vinyl…

‘Moral Chains’ – This song was originally by John Soares’ band Libertarian Youth where it was a much more ‘punky’ songs. This version involves more of the Good Missionaries-inspired freakout feel which characterised the 4th demo…

The Apostles / Primal Chaos / Black Flag / The Heretics

Man about town, obscure punk enthusiast and general good guy, Chris Low late of Political Asylum, The Apostles, Oi Polloi, in the 1980′s and The Parkinsons in 1990′s, handed this tape to me on his birthday along with a load of others. I have uploaded this late because it is unfortunately been dubbed / copied onto tape by horrid mono means, i.e it only comes out of one speaker…bummer! Two other tapes Conflict at Brixton Ace 1982 supplied by Mark ‘Vegas’ Palmer starts off stereo then clicks into mono. Sadly to say Lugworm supplied a cassette tape recorded from Spaceward Studios of The Mobs LP recorded there. Not interested in The Mob LP as such but there is an alternative mix of ‘Stay’ which I was absolutely interested in. This track also plays on one speaker. Point of fact – nothing wrong with my cassette playback system!

Any how, I do not like putting up faulty or mono cassettes onto this site, but this has to be an exception because of the rarity value. The Apostles, Primal Chaos, Black Flag, and The Heretics all for the price of…well nothing. Not sure of the history of the tape, no doubt Chris will comment on it. Not sure of the line up, track listing or anything else. Again I hope Chris or his chum Nic will comment. On the B-Side of the tape is a Flux live gig and a Napalm Death practice. All I the info I got what was written on the tape itself, just band names basically. I actually have not heard this tape yet cos wifey needed me to do something so I just let it play…hope Bucks Fizz does not come on half way through the recordings!

Info from Nic: 

The Apostles:
Pete The Plectrum (later formed part of ‘The Hunt’ on the first LP)
Some Men Are Born To Rule (the first song the group ever wrote)
Antichrist
? (This isn’t from this time period if I remember correctly – it features the drum machine: is it ‘The Island’, Chris?)
Solidaridad Proletaria (This is the original title at the time of recording: it was later changed to ‘A New World In Our Hearts’ and was re-recorded on both tape and vinyl)
Killing for Peace
Proletarian Autonomy (later re-recorded on tape and vinyl)
Time Bomb
Stoke Newington 8 (later re-recorded on tape and vinyl)

Primal Chaos – Rehearsal 1982:
Systems Slave (This isn’t part of their ‘Fighting for a Future’ rehearsal tape)

Black Flag – Rehearsal 1981:
The Master Race   (Earliest version of this song that I heard)
Waiting for the All Clear (later recorded by The Apostles, but this version features Matt Mcleod on vocals

The Heretics – Rehearsal 1980:
No Character

Jake from Heretics on stage with Iggs of Crass 1979

The Heretics

Hirosima / Unemployment / Mother / Democracy / Labels / Big Bully / Dolls Of Destruction / Sexual Violence / D.I.R.T / 6.35 / Canvey Island / Wargames / Public Execution / Master Race

Indebted to Chris Low for this tape, an ok quality audience recorded tape of D.I.R.T. rocking the south coast.

I personally did like D.I.R.T. but remember being slightly disappointed when the LP was released on Crass Records, a live LP which was overdubbed anyway! D.I.R.T who had such close contact with Crass for a couple of years, I imagined, like The Poison Girls before them, that an attempt by the label to get the band a decent studio LP would have been a more likely move to preserve the sound. 

D.I.R.T had a lot of material that could have easily been recorded at Southern Studios, perhaps the label was going through a cash flow problem at that time…If anyone has any unreleased demos that I can upload (Vince, looking at you now!) then please contact me so I can get them up here…

Vince looking guilty about something…

Shaved Women / Fight War Not Wars / I Got A Bomb / Tired / G’s Song + short radio interview collage 

(Search for some other rare Crass interviews / Rehearsals on this site)

Here’s a funny one…Bradley from my vintage scooter club, the Spinal Tap inspired named New Originals Scooter Club came to the meeting tonight armed with some early Crass singles (Cardboard cover Reality Asylum – like the one I uploaded on 01/01/08 not the poster sleeve, Honey Bane, Zounds) and a couple of pics. One of him on a visit to Margate 1978 (Brad is from North London, a THFC supporter), and one of Crass performing on one of the occasions that he saw them. Only thing is he can not remember this particular venue. He definitely saw them at Conway Hall and Acklam Hall and he remembers a couple more but not the venues, always with The Poison Girls in support cos he remembers a really old woman singing at the gigs he attended!

Your (the great KYPP public) starter for ten is where is this photo taken? He did not see Crass after 1979 – He is positive of that. It is definitely a London based Crass gig, he used to go to the Lyceum every Sunday night for the weekly punk shows and also the Music machine on a regular basis he remembers.

Your second question for extra points is what is the interview collage on the end of the Peel session?

It is really nice when a guy totally ‘normal’ comes up out of the blue and hands me these photos and tells stories of ‘the old days’ after hearing from other members of the Scooter Club of my involvement on this website…nice one Brad!

If anyone recognises the decor on the stage please leave comments…bigger picture here cos Brad would be pleased to know where this picture was taken. A look in his loft may bring out other pics etc, but that is for a later date.

Also I have uploaded Simons Wapping photos up in photo gallery under Wapping Autonamy Centre. Cheers Simon.

Music for Hippies

In the Post 86 section, Penguin has just put up the Orb’s first (1989) record. I don’t have any Orb music, but listening to the first track – Loving You: Orbital mix – it sounded eerily familiar. (and beautiful and haunting). Eventually I worked out that it sounded like Tangerine Dream – their 1975 album Ricochet.

Tangerine Dream? Now that is what I call music for hippies. Is this strange? That you can go from 1975 straight to 1989 in one smooth movement – as if there was nothing in between.

Although Penguin says:

The Orb seemed to me a progression of the Club Dog club vibe, with artists like Another Green World and Webcore. The Spiral Tribe and Bedlam Sound Systems, who I have DJ’ed with. Also the Whirl-y-Gig set up, continued this spirit for me personally later on in the 1990’s.
I often wonder if Kill Your Pet Puppy was written in 1989 instead of 1979 what would the front cover have written on it?
In 1979 the cover stated ’Ants/Tuinol/Crass’. I would guess that the cover for 1989 would probably have read ‘The Orb/Ecstasy/Spiral Tribe’!

But then where did Club Dog come from? I can’t place it in time, but I do remember going a couple of times, but having kids -Sky: 1983, Elizabeth: 1987, AL junior:1990 and Callum:1991 – restricted access to such interesting places. From 1988 onwards my main source of music was listening to and taping stuff from ‘acid’ house music pirate stations.

Though did see Ozricks Tentacles play at Greenlands Farm, Glastonbury in 1985 and I think they did a bit of synthesiser doodling – but have never heard them since…

OK, rather than waffle on – how did a group like The Orb emerge in 1989 playing music which (at least to an old hippy like me) sounded / still sounds more like Tangerine Dream circa 1975?

Final note – on Radio Two (?) there was a programme about ‘psychedelic music’ a few years ago and it ended with The Orb’s ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’ as an example of modern psychedelic music. There is a video for it here

Tangerine Dream are still going and have a web site here.

Love Without Sound / My Game Of Loving / Here Come The Fleas / Firebird / Your Hidden Dreams

The Visitation / Black Mass: Electric Storm In Hell

This LP released on the Island Record label in 1969, is as mad as a bag of frogs…Equal part Pink Floyd and Amon Duul with maybe a little Soft Machine thrown in for flavour, this LP was indeed well ahead of it’s time. Tracks like Black Mass could perhaps sit quite nicely on some 1990′s Industrial Musical outfit’s musical release. Sold zilch when released, David Vorhaus was given another chance with Virgin Records who released the second White Noise LP crazily entitled ‘White Noise 2′. This also sold zilch but did have a nice cover with goldfish on it…I uploaded this onto the site because I could not find my Third World War debut LP on Fly Records (Marc Bolan’s Record Label) which I am seriously p’ed off about, because some folks were going on about it in comments. Stuck The Orb first 12″ up in post 86 section to cheers me up a bit also.