Part 1 – Paraworm Records – 1982

Ghost / Salem / Funeral Parade

Funeral Parade / Graveyard Song / Tomb

Massively fine EP by Milton Keynes based ghouls Part 1 – A very rare slice of 1982 proto-goth at it’s best. Even more rare when you consider what happened to several hundred copies of this 7″ gem. For that small bit of inside information you will need to continue reading the text below! 

Indebted to Mark F from Part 1 (pictured below performing at Wapping Autonomy Centre courtesy of JFB) for the text that he has written specifically for this post.

…and yew really have to imagine this:  a brick cell, some kind of bleary, damp and very archaic structure, deep underground, sealed except for some rusted kind of sluice pipe, entering at flagstone level.  Sometymes admitting aire.  Sometymes a frothy mix of slurry, rank vegetation, sea water…and within the pitch black darkness…an occupant.  In fact, the form of something akin to an octopus, moaning and slapping out bruised tentacles to walls slick with a thick, greyish moss. And here we be!

In regret, I’m not totally sure it is an octopus…for it has a single, baleful eye, caught to its imprisonment, burning in the dark with a luminous, hypnotic rage…

Why we, Part 1, had travelled all that way, to just outside Cambridge, and that particular recording studio to lay those tracks for the ‘Funeral Parade’ E.P. I am not really sure.  I have a vivid memory of coming ‘above earth’ after the eight or so hours we’d been in there, work done, and standing at the edge of a farmer’s field, the July 1982 sun setting over a far meadow, blazing gold, red, those wild sickly yellows, my skinny elbows pricking into hedgerow…the bark of a rabbit.

Yes, ‘Octopus Studios’ were in a spot that rural!

Having decided to travel so far from Milton Keynes for this recording, I think we were all suffering from some bizarre form of agoraphobia.  Our first attempts at recording ‘Graveyard Song/Tomb’ a mere 16 months previous, had seen another far visit to alien lands, the neat little 8 track ‘Crypt Studios’ in Stevenage, buried ‘neath a de-consecrated church no less. 

From Milton Keynes to Stevenage…what a daft show of neurotic masochism!

Cruelly green, we soon gathered from ‘Mr. Engineer’ at Octopus, rather proudly, that the Grandee Royal of ‘Custard Pie Punk’, Mr. Ray ‘Captain Sensible’ Burns, had been to said same a mere weekend afore, worming pantomime and getting his sticky fingers into tuck shop ‘Dolly Mixtures’.  I expect he used every single, bloody one of those 16 tracks…we didn’t, not out of some snarling antipathy toward the recording techno, but again, I surmise, through a whiff of the nascent agoraphobia…that had primarily caused us to van drive the 80 or so miles from MK.  Everything, every crime, had to occur ‘far from home’!

That afternoons recording did indeed catch something of the intense, spiteful malignancy we had been exhibiting that year, in the gigs that we had played, especially with those cultured, backwater yobbos from Hertfordshire, Rudimentary Peni.  Sound wise, its as close as close can be to ‘live’ as, not wishing to offend ‘Mr. Engineer’, we got our collective skull-caps down-pat and it was all first take.  Except I must confess to a little over-laided riffing amid my desperate cries for “more reverb!  I must have more fucking reverb!”  Plaintive wordings which all fell like scales from the mulched cochlea of ‘Mr. Engineer’.

To give due credit, both Nick and Grant Peni helped much in this subsequent uneasy, first (and only) birth from PARAWORM RECORDS, stumping out some ‘ackers from the honeyed pots of ‘Farce’.  The master tape itself was taken by Blinko and F out to’ S.R.T. Records and Tapes’ of Finchley, a hack enterprise that had done all the ‘Outer Himalayan’ releases, and whence for the blood-sum of three-fifty nicker,1000 gleaming, rounded beasties sliced, spiced, diced, labelled, were wetley borne…I thank ye kindly.

They also ‘mucked in’ as regards ‘penile muscle’, i.e. the hernic-rupture inducement of ‘escorting’ dirty great suitcases brimful of ‘Funeral Parade’, up and down, up and down tube escalator, bus etc after its pressing…back to Bletchley vaults.

The disc did represent probably our four strongest tracks of that tyme.  The instrumental intro/outro ‘Funeral Parade’ was borne out of some morose, elongated ‘jam’, a rich paean to necrophilia, incest, agoraphobia…a sure fire hit!

The original studio version of this instrumental rambled on for about twenty minutes. ‘Mr. Engineer’, slacking of jaw, decided to cut and cauterise various sections for consideration, i.e. for the beginning of side one and the close of side two.  But ‘Mr. Engineer’ lazily repeated the opening section on his spool, and dispensed with some other equally darkling parts…why?  Why ‘Mr. Fucking Engineer’?

The printing of the A3 sized fold-out sleeve, littered with F artworks and rantings,  took place on a quiet Saturday, circa September 1982, at the Bletchley print works where Bob (Part 1 drumming utterances) had his employ.  Bletchley…Oh home of ire and sedition! Of course, having responsibility for the keys helped, as did the boss sunning his scaly mutoid body in Majorca, or similar.  My designs led to a painful thousand-fold act of blasphemous origami, a veritable ‘death by a thousand paper-cuts’ for any bleeder vaguely associated with the band.  The PARAWORM RECORDS staff were in up-roar.  But my…it did look good.

Out of the thousand folds, a few hundred went to the slack-jaws of Rough Trade, another couple of hundred to Sir Peter Gnome of Small Wonder…and then…

…an octopus in darkness, slapping its bruised tentacles against dungeon walls…

Feeding into the cochlea, ‘Ghost’ still seems to carry something of an evil portent, what with its aggressive growling bass sound and the insane ‘bird calls’ of guitar.  The lyrics are amongst favorites of mine, tyme wrote.  I mean, what better than, ‘fuck the cross, cut the throat of religion’ and ‘at night you’re no longer human’…I mean, they still carry charm.

‘Salem’ seems to suffer from that lugubrious, sliding bass which dominates and grieves a little too much, threatening to overwhelm the whole proceedings, ’till the ominous strains of the ‘Funeral Parade’ outro return, pulling all back to some ill-holy balance.

Long after the inevitable fold of Part 1, many a ‘remaindered’ copy of ‘Funeral Parade’, sleeved and boxed, still in those damn suitcases, met an ignoble end I’m ashamed to state.  During 1985, tired and annoyed at the presence of a large number still cluttering the parental shed, I literally skipped four hundred copies into the Milton Keynes municipal dump, there to mulch as fodder for concrete cows or, more hopefully, to join entombed 80’s landfill awaiting just resurrection and that judgment day of ‘Charlton Heston/Statue of Liberty/Shock’…a moment that surely must await us all…man, ape, barking rabbit or…octopus.

…yew can take the Octopus out of the Crypt, but never the Crypt out of the Octopus…

Mark F 2009

20 comments
  1. sunshine
    sunshine
    May 17, 2009 at 6:11 am

    Awesome. Can not wait to see the pictures mentioned in the other comments. I have at one time owned 4 of these 7″s and about 20 of the LP that over the years gave away to those who might “get it” and others when I was poor. Still trying to figure out the guitar sound.

  2. Nick Hydra
    Nick Hydra
    May 17, 2009 at 12:36 pm

    I’ve had the MP3s of this for a while, but no artwork – lovely stuff.

    I only saw them play once near the end of their career at the 100 Club, with Turkey Bones (maybe – can’t remember the details).

    I have no clear memory of what they sounded like, just a weird vision of ripped combats, big boots and thousands of FX pedals. I remember it being one of those gigs when you think “I have GOT to see them again”, and then they split up.

    More of this please!

    The fantastic “Pictures of Pain” is available here:

    http://phoenixhairpins.blogspot.com/2006/12/part-1-pictures-of-pain.html

  3. jon (ex-from bromley)
    jon (ex-from bromley)
    May 17, 2009 at 11:09 pm

    On a Part 1 note, I met up with Bob Leith many years later (early 90s) when I was living in Milton Keynes and my band Some Weird Sin (pretty average All About Eve meets Banshees goth-rock) band did a few gigs with Ad Nauseam. Bob was their drummer before both he, and guitarist Jon Poole ended up joining Cardiacs (who were a major influence on Ad Nauseam). Bob has been associated with them ever since though i’m not sure how active they are now.

    As for Mark’s guitar sound, I just recall a flanger with everything on full!

  4. egor
    egor
    May 18, 2009 at 2:03 pm

    Yeah, amazing, thanks!
    Love it!
    Maybe someone have lyrics?

  5. presstoeject
    presstoeject
    May 18, 2009 at 4:42 pm

    Anyone got the Part 1 demo? Mark sent me a copy along with a gig or two (I think it was a C90 or even C120?). Needless to say it got chewed up fairly quickly but I remember the demo being fantastic. I bought the single outside the Pied Bull in Islington and it always stood out against the ‘run of the mill’ stuff that was around. I think the gig was Hagar The Womb/Youthinasia.

  6. Chris
    Chris
    May 18, 2009 at 5:11 pm

    I had a copy of the demo which I thought i’d passed on to penguin for upload? Maybe it was one of the uploads that got wiped when there were the problems with this site a while back? Also had a couple of other Part 1 live tapes which i’m sure got uploaded too. Does anyone have the ONKER THE DWARF tape? I’m sure I was sent that long with the demo and remember it being very strange at the time! Kinda Magits meets The Residents electronic bizarreness. Would love to hear that again. Don’t think even Mark has a copy, though – frustratingly – i’ve unearthed the cover not that long ago.

  7. Penguin
    Penguin • Post Author •
    May 18, 2009 at 5:50 pm

    Some more Part 1 tapes being uploaded soonish inc the demo ‘In The Shadow Of The Cross’, and some more live gigs. Keep checking back. Chris the only Part 1 tape I borrowed and uploaded on this site was one at the Autonomy Centre. That uploaded post is still on this site somewhere. The one with the crazy artwork on the post (like a spooky victorian china doll).
    https://www.killyourpetpuppy.co.uk/news/?p=505

  8. Nic
    Nic
    May 18, 2009 at 7:10 pm

    I’ve always really loved Part 1: nocturnal vibrations, hate-drenched lyrics, sepulchral imagery…what’s not to like?
    😉

    It’s great that you’re putting the live tapes up Penguin: many thanks to JFB for the goods…

    I’ve got the shorter demo and the ‘In the Shadow…’ demo somewhere in the vaults (at least, I think I have?), along with the 2 copies of the single which I bought when it came out…
    There was a short period when they seemed fairly ubiquitous in fanzines: the artwork always stood out…

  9. Chris
    Chris
    May 18, 2009 at 7:55 pm

    Ah, OK…i definitely had a few other tapes. Maybe I gave them to a certain former Playboy Playmate who’s a massive Part 1 fan. Can’t be many other Anarchy centre bands who can boast that 🙂

  10. jon (ex-from bromley)
    jon (ex-from bromley)
    May 18, 2009 at 8:04 pm

    One of the tapes I passed on to Penguin was ‘In The Shadow Of The Cross’ so it will be along soon… (providing it has survived all the house moves and storage)

  11. Ole
    Ole
    May 26, 2009 at 8:59 am

    The post is what I’ve been starving for! I thought I’d do you people a favour and upload some scans of the cover which you can get HERE: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WVVKHMUR

    Also, I can’t wait to hear those demos and live shows.

    And if you have an extra copy of the demo and want to get rid of it, please let me know.

  12. egor
    egor
    May 26, 2009 at 10:54 am

    ohh,thanks for the good scans!

  13. Alex Marshall
    Alex Marshall
    June 17, 2009 at 7:14 am

    Hey,

    I would really love to get a Part 1 7″ single.I have the Part 1 “Picture’s of Pain” LP but am now needing this 7″ with all of the Blinko work in it. So if any of you out there who reads this have a copy I could get, please let me know .And if there’s anything on my Record Label that you would like to trade for just tell me so we can work something out. So I hope to hear back from one of you soon to get this 7″,

    Alex

  14. F
    F
    June 24, 2009 at 10:41 pm

    Er…young man…young man…’Alex Marshall’.

    I am informed, by myself, that the ‘7″ single with all of the Blinko work in it’ is not the painful penmanship of Sir Nick Blinko but the pent-up-pen-riffery work of none-other than ‘Mark F’, myself.

    Fuck, I so wish I’d been around then to shake down the sweat from his satan’s claw…

  15. Harry The Bastard
    Harry The Bastard
    November 8, 2009 at 6:05 pm

    Fuck me I’ve already commented on Part 1

  16. Alex Marshall
    Alex Marshall
    February 6, 2011 at 10:35 am

    Hey there F ha i’m back!!!!!
    And as im writting this im actually putting my pictures of pain LP to my computer now. And you know what sadly i still dont have original inserts to it. But some that i’ve gotten throughout the years and all. This whole album does rule!!! I just know i need and just want to get the 7″ that you did a lot of art for too. So you all stay in to it, and as you are make sure to check out my labels page too.

  17. Alex Marshall
    Alex Marshall
    February 6, 2011 at 10:50 am

    Hey Mark again.You know in all I just love the fucking art that you did too. And just really wish to find the 7″ ep some day. Sorry if I said some shit that was strange, i’ve got an art page on my record labels page too. So if you care to read about that mess please do at the Henry Boxer gallery. I’ve got mine and Nick’s pages linked up on my links for the page. So please do check it out. And e-mail me too because of how my mind is now I dont know when I will be back on this page. So just write me at sickofbeingdead@hotmail.com
    Hope to hear back from you soon Mark.

  18. Chris L
    Chris L
    February 7, 2011 at 7:06 pm

    didn’t know any inserts came with the ‘Pictures of Pain’ LP? I certainly didn’t get with my copy if so 🙁

    and Alex, best to check Ebay for the 7″ . Copies pop up every now and again but go for a few buckaroos.

  19. Igor
    Igor
    June 27, 2011 at 12:39 am

    “i definitely had a few other tapes. Maybe I gave them to a certain former Playboy Playmate who’s a massive Part 1 fan.”

    I’m intrigued. Which former Playmate is a fan of Part 1?

  20. Igor
    Igor
    June 27, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    I remember seeing this band’s Pictures of Pain LP listed in the Toxic Shock mailorder catalog back in the 80s and wondering what they sounded like. Some people have likened them to Rudimentary Peni, but now that I’ve heard them, I find the comparison both inaccurate and unflattering; these guys were more interesting musically.

    To me they sound like a more aggressive Wire or a less flamboyant Bauhaus. Given the song titles and artwork, I was afraid they might be death metal, but was pleasantly surprised; their music is better than I expected it would be. I would have loved Pictures of Pain when I was younger.

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