The Pop Anachronism Of TOT TAYLOR

Tot Taylor, a tin pan alley lover in the heart of 80s music industry

Tot Taylor is an english composer, songwriter, film-scorer, producer and founder of the 80s label Compact Organization. His vision for a contemporary pop art influenced by favourite songforms of previous decades (Beatles, Burt Bacharach...) and especially by pre-rock'n'roll music (Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, George Gershwin...) found expression in a number of solo albums, scores for films or theatre plays, and other music, which he wrote and produced, (using often the alias Teddy Johns), for Compact artists such as Virna Lindt, Mari Wilson and others...

In spite of Compact Organization comparative commercial success circa 1981-83 and the influences it spred around (think of el records for example), Tot Taylor's music, with all its irony, self-parody and witty eccentrity, remained largely ignored and only japanese labels has reissued in 90s a part of it.

Selected 80s Works:
TOT TAYLOR Playtime (LP, 1981) - Inside Story (LP, 1982) - Box-Office Poison (LP, 1986) - Menswear (LP, 1987) - My Blue Period (LP, 1987) - THE SOUND BARRIER Suburbia Suite (LP, 1984)

A LFDJ introduction to Tot Taylor

01 offbeat (single, 1980) - 02 this time tomorrow ("Playtime") - 03 an appointment with you ("Playtime") - 04 this romance starts here ("Playtime") - 05 playtime ("Playtime'') - 06 love man (vocals: Mari Wilson, single, 1980) - 07 the girl with everything (single, 1981) - 08 don't spy on me (single, 1982) - 09 the crimson challenge ("Inside Story") - 10 richard rodgers ("Inside Story") - 11 car scribbles ("Suburbia Suite") - 12 australia ("Box-Office Poison") - 13 spoil her ("Box-Office Poison") - 14 the tearjerker waltz ("Suburbia Suite")

TOT TAYLOR - An Appointment with you

STRANGE WAYS RECORDS (GER)

Focused on Strange Ways Records earlier, most creative years, this two-part compilation presents a portrait of diverse and eclectic directions from a period when the good hamburgian label, extending interests beyond german synth-pop/darkwave music , also hosted several significant alternative artists, some of which sadly have never known the recognition they deserve...

A
01 CARLOS PERON Knight theme
(from v.a. "The Ship II", 1993)
02 RAIN ON BAMBOO the traveller
(from v.a. "Bouquet Of Dreams vol 2", 1994)
03 KATRIN ACHINGER & FLIGHT CREW monkeys
(from "Icare", 1993)
04 ARTWORK (feat. Edward Ka Spel) bring the rain
(from "Artwork", 1993)
05 GOETHES ERBEN ich liebe schmerzen
(from "Tote Augen Sehen Leben", 1994)
06 LARRY AND THE LEFTHANDED bad luck love
(from "Quantum Rider", 1998)
07 RAIN ON BAMBOO point blank
(from "Suburban Skirmish", 1996)
08 22 PISTEPIRKKO coffee girl
(from "Rumble city, LaLa Land", 1995)
09 MALKA SPIGEL kishufim
(from v.a. "Way 100", 1995)
10 BILLY MOFFETT'S PLAYBOY CLUB raumschiff der traume
(from v.a. "Strange Works 2", 2002)
11 FIT & LIMO panaeolina themes
(from "Folly Is An Endless Maze", 1995)
12 DAS WEETH EXPERIENCE earlybird special
(from "Aural Scenic Drive", 1999)

B
01 22 PISTEPIRKKO i never said
(from "Rumble City, LaLa Land", 1995)
02 LOVE SISTER HOPE kings & pawns
(from v.a. " The Ship II", 1993)
03 PAUL ROLAND ophelia
(from "Sarabande", 1994)
04 CHRIS REED'S WOOF run for me
(from "Birthday Skin", 1994)
05 ELECTRIC FAMILY pueblo woman
(from "Welcome To The Family Show", 1997)
06 WHITE ROSE TRANSMISSION vapour
(from "White Rose Transmission", 1995)
07 KASTRIERTE PHILOSOPHEN jussun 129
(from "Souldier", 1994)
08 KATRIN ACHINGER & THE FLIGHT CREW icare's son
(from"Icare", 1993)
09 DAS WEETH EXPERIENCE tumbleweeth
(from "Aural Scenic Drive, 1999)
10 CHARLES CURTIS TRIO huge
(from "Volcanoes", 1996)
11 THE PERC MEETS THE HIDDEN GENTLEMAN lavender cantos [parts I -IV]
(from "Lavender", 1991)

part A - part B

compiled by LaFolieDuJour

Cherry Red's SEEDS series compilations

What did new wave and early indie 80s look like in the eyes of late 80s? A kind of answer to this question was tried to be given with "SEEDS" vinyl series, one of the earliest retrospective efforts to highlight some of the (so called) great lost works from the 1977-1984 period. The series was released in 1987-88 from Cherry Red label. Most of the presented here bands come from UK. The five volumes bear titles as "Pop", "Rock", "Art", "Punk", "Electric", which is rather confusing, as in most occasions, the compilations are not really aesthetically separated.

SEEDS I: POP

a1 THE JUNE BRIDES every conversation / a2 FANTASTIC SOMETHING if she doesn't smile / a3 THE PASTELS heaven above / a4 THE SUEDE CROCODILES stop the rain / a5 VITAL DISORDERS tough times / a6 PROTEX don't ring me up / a7 HURRAH! the sun shines here / b1 TELEVISION PERSONALITIES three wishes / b2 THE SINATRAS happy feeling / b3 ST. JOHN'S ALLIANCE mark my word / b4 MARINE GIRLS don't come back / b5 THE WILD FLOWERS things have changed / b6 BIG TABLE patrick / b7 THE DISTRACTIONS time goes by so slow.

SEEDS II: ART

a1 PUNISHMENT OF LUXURY puppet life / a2 MARINE life in reverse / a3 CLUB TANGO f.t.n. / a4 THE NIGHTINGALES urban ospreys / a5 THE HOMOSEXUALS hearts in exile / a6 PATRIK FITZGERALD trendy / a7 THE HIGSONS conspiracy / b1 BLURT my mother was a friend of an enemy of the people / b2 THE PAST SEVEN DAYS so many others / b3 THE GO BETWEENS world weary / b4 THE SKODAS everybody thinks everybody else is dead bad / b5 FIVE OR SIX another reason / b6 THE DRAGEES shoot to kill / b7 BONE ORCHARD jack.

SEEDS III: ROCK

a1 RUDI big time / a2 NEW YORK NEW YORK roger wilson said / a3 DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS dance stance / a4 COLENSO PARADE standing up /a5 EUROPEANS europeans / a6 MARC RILEY favourite sister / a7 THE REVILLOS she's fallen in love with a monster man / b1 THE MONOCHROME SET cast a long shadow / b2 GARAGE CLASS terminal tokyo / b3 ROTE KAPELLE king mob / b4 GL*XO BABIES christine keeler / b5 FISCHER Z so long / b6 WASTED YOUTH i'll remember you / b7 CRUELLA DE VILLE drunken uncle john.

SEEDS IV: PUNK

a1 DEAD KENNEDYS holiday in cabodia / a2 PETER & THE TEST TUBE BABIES run like hell / a3 BUZZCOCKS love you more / a4 PUNCTURE mucky pup / a5 THE SIMPLETONES i like drugs / a6 BLITZ someone's gonna die tonight / a7 SERIOUS DRINKING hangover / b1 THE OUTCASTS the cops are comin' / b2 THE FLYS love and a molotov cocktail / b3 NOTSENSIBLES i'm in love with margaret thatcher / b4 RAPED escalator hater / b5 THE PANIK murder / b6 ABRASSIVE WHEELS the army song / b7 THE SAINTS lipstick on your collar.

SEEDS V: ELECTRIC

a1 PAUL HAIG running away / a2 THE FARMER'S BOYS more than a dream / a3 ANDREAS DORAU & DIE MARINAS fred vom jupiter / a4 THOMAS LEER letter from america / a5 TONTRIX slipping into life / a6 RICHARD BONE digital days / a7 THE GYNAECOLOGISTS the red pullover / b1 THOMAS DOLBY europa and the pirate twins / b2 EYELESS IN GAZA kodak ghosts run amok / b3 FAD GADGET saturday night special /b4 VIRNA LINDT attention stockholm / b5 CLASSIX NOUVEAUX never never comes / b6 THE PASSAGE xoyo / b7 EDWARDS VOICE falling from another high building.

SEEDS Series sampler
(17 tracks, approx time 1 hour)

V.A. Australian Compilations vol.3

The Go Betweens, Melbourne 1981

Third batch of minor, obscure gems from 80s australian indie scene, compiled by LFDJ

01 NUVO BLOC Living Brigade
02 TRIPPS Crystal Palace
03 THE LIMP Marked Man
04 XL CAPRIS Refrigerator Town
05 SAFEHOUSE Things That You Say
06 THE INTERNATIONAL EXILES Mini Skirts In Moscow
07 PETE LILLY'S GUITAR METHOD Dangerman
08 DANCE SET Nothing's Gonna Break Us Apart
09 THE SWELL GUYS Smack In The Head
10 THE TABLEWAITERS Confrontation With A Mountain
11 TWO WAY GARDEN Overnight
12 THE DAGOES I Do It For Mama
13 PHILISTEINS Point Of No Return
14 THE WRECKERY Everlasting Sleep
15 THE APARTMENTS Make It Count
16 HONEYMOON IN GREEN The Good Mood

Vol. 3 (16 tracks, approx 50 min)

KARL BERGER " TRANSIT " (1986)

One of the best works of german vibraphonist KARL BERGER, a postbop/free influenced album that Berger recorded in New York in 1986 with DAVE HOLLAND on bass and Ornette Coleman's collaborator ED BLACKWELL on drums. BERGER was on piano and vibraphone. "Transit" released from italian BLACK SAINT, the sister label of SOUL NOTE.

TRANSIT

(7 tracks, 38min)