The Door And The Window – N.B. Records 1979

Dig / Production Line

He Feels Like A Doris / I Like Sound / Innocent

Mad as a bag of frogs, this EP is the second released by The Door And The Window, so cheaply recorded and pressed it makes the band’s LP, ‘Detailed Twang’ (on this site somewhere if you search for it) sound like U2! Interesting release though if you love the minimalist approach. Text below from the band’s myspace site.

Initially inspired by the first wave of industrial bands and the ethos of diy pioneers like the Desperate Bicycles and Scritti Politti, Nag and Bendle played their first gig and recorded their first single sometime before they bothered to rehearse. Playing with an ever-changing lineup tdatw became first gradually rhythmic and then melodic. Mark Perry became a third permanent member. Unhappy to remain in one musical ghetto, they inhabited several – playing gigs with post punks and ska bands, playing free tours with idealist hippies and gradually becoming deeply involved with the London Musicians Collective. they co-produced a magazine about the politics of record production, hosted the seminal “Jazz Punk Bonanza” Festivals of 1980, ’82 and ’86 and ran the weirdly eclectic sprouts conspiracy cabaret club. Nag and Bendle also played in the 49 Americans and the liberated sound octet, Nag played with Mark Perry and Karl Blake in The Reflections and Bendle with The Casual Labourers and the Late Music Group. whilst both Nag and Bendle are still quietly musically active they have focussed on other activities – for the last decade Nag has been producing animated films and running both the Melbourne and London International Animation Festivals and Bendle has been pursuing a psychospiritual approach to his practice as a medical herbalist.

10 comments
  1. baron von zubb
    baron von zubb
    November 8, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    Im discovering that my musical tastes are very conservative.
    Or is it that people who can’t play should leave it to the Coltranes & Allderlys of the world to make discordent music?
    Top marks for creativity. Makes me glad to be born in the 20th C.

  2. Nic
    Nic
    November 8, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    When I bought this (from Rough Trade, if I remember), it was invigorating to hear people just doing it without concessions to any pre-determined and imposed set of rules on what might constitute expressing oneself through sound…

    To my ears, this EP has always sounded great: ‘Innocent’ and ‘Production Line’ particularly…

  3. devotionalhooligan
    devotionalhooligan
    November 8, 2008 at 10:38 pm

    another great post mate… and a fuckin woosh of an ep…. it was tdatw & other like minded bands that opened up my ears to more experimental stuff … slugs and toads by the reflections remains one of my top albums.

  4. Penguin
    Penguin • Post Author •
    November 9, 2008 at 3:12 am

    The Reflections LP is uploaded on this site somewhere Hooli…

  5. Michael Duane
    Michael Duane
    October 5, 2009 at 5:56 am

    hi, i’m working on an lp with Bendle that is very near to being finished… if you would like to hear it, let me know… as you can probably imagine, it’s rather good…

    Mxxx

  6. Nic
    Nic
    October 5, 2009 at 9:04 am

    I’d like to hear it, Michael…

  7. bendle
    bendle
    March 4, 2011 at 3:03 pm

    hi there

    following on from comment from michael above the finished album/s – actually two now by dustdevil & crow are at: http://bendle.bandcamp.com/

    thanks for the post

    anyone out there got a copy of the hornsey dusseldorf picnic corporation cassette?

  8. deedee
    deedee
    October 11, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    Hi.
    I was v briefly in a 24 piece punk orchestra (!) with 2 characters called Nag and Igor. Is it possible that they are the same peeps…the Door and the Window???????
    I remember we got a review in Sounds magazine…fkn hilarious.
    Please let me know, as i have not seen these guys since 1978 (or thereabouts)
    I’m now on myspace (Dolores) and on Soundcloud (Dolores-3)
    so do say hi, or email me.
    cheers
    D

  9. deedee
    deedee
    October 11, 2012 at 8:19 pm

    oops, shoulda said, the band was called The Running Saws (!)
    Ahh, those were the days…
    D

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