B-Side groove 1 – Temple Of Psychic Youth spokesman
B-Side groove 2 – Jim Jones / Charles Manson
Psychic TV following Joy Division and Throbbing Gristle unto this most respected record label, Sordide Sentimental. 3003 copies made of this particular release. A rare release indeed and what do you get for your money?
The best Psychic TV song that they ever created (The Orchid comes close), in a beautiful ‘Velvet Underground’ style, banging on about Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski.
The B-side is a double groove treat (!) Double groove during the mastering and pressing up stage is incredibly expensive. Basically instead of separating tracks like an EP / LP so you have two, or more, separate tracks to choose to play, the technique of double groove is that two tracks run parallel to each other, in other words no gaps for the two separate recordings on the B-side. Pot luck will get you on one recording in one groove, or the recording on the other groove.
One B-Side track is Mr Sebastian being the voice of TOPY. Mr Sebastian is no longer with us, but I used to see him a fair amount in his studio up Mount Pleasant near Kings Cross or sometimes in Beck Road. He was the guy that would do the piercing and tattoos for the Psychic Youth. On the first Temple Of Psychic Youth video, which I also have somewhere around, this track is the introduction to it, with Derek Jarman as the face and Mr Sebastian as the words.
The second B-side track is the voice of Charles Manson from one channel and the voice of Jim Jones in the other. The Jim Jones voice is interesting because Zos Kia ripped off some of this speech for the track ‘Be Like Me’ on Temple Records somewhere else on this site. Search for Zos Kia using the search function.
For your money you also get an informative magazine concerning the band in both English and French languages, and a poster. A very nice package all in all.
There is plenty more Psychic TV (including the Sordide Sentimental concert in Rouen, France) to find on this site if you use the search function.
simon
January 22, 2008 at 1:05 pmGreat to see this classic up. Although I still have a copy myself somewhere, one of the handful of vinyl items I still possess, I no longer have a deck to play it on, so very pleased to get this on mpfree!
A very interesting release this and as mentioned it had the double groove, great vocals by GPO on it too. Years back I also owned a vaguely similar release to this by ‘Non’ who some may know was associated with the industrial scene. Called ‘Mode Of Infection / Knife Ladder’ it was a one sided 7″ that featured an off-axis hole drilled by the artists and stated “This record is absolutely unbreakable.” Needless to say I never tried to smash it! If I remember rightly it was fairly unlistenable industrial noise and headache inducing stuff.
Also a mate (who shall remain nameless!) and I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Sebastian around those times, at the studio in Mount Pleasant mentioned above. It was for some, shall we say, ‘interestingly located’ piercings!! I no longer have mine, it probably would have rusted away by now anyway!! Was that too much information??!! 😀
Just Insane
February 22, 2010 at 10:28 pmI have just spent ages searching the internet for a download of this, to no avail… till I came here! Quite why I didn’t look here in the first place I don’t know. I’ve got this on vinyl too, but can only stare at it (no record player). I agree when you say it’s the best PTV release – it is, without a shadow of a doubt (both sides). Thanx for the upload – you’re the man.