Repost: NYAM NYAM "Hope of Heaven" (UK, 1984)

Perhaps they are mostly remembered nowadays for the single "Fate/Hate" they cut for the famous Factory (Benelux) label in 1984, Nyam Nyam`s though best argument against oblivion is the great LP "Hope of heaven" they released in same year on Beggars Banquet indie branch Situation Two.
Nyam Nyam`s melodic post punk knows here some fine piano driven acoustic moments, others tracks though have an experimental approach, especially the closing song "The Resolution" which moves, unexpectedly, their new wave romantism toward a haunted folkish land.

Nyam Nyam had one more Situation Two release: the EP "The Architect "(1985). After that they probably disappeared.

Update 2012: "Hope Of Heaven" (+ singles) has been reissued! 

Nico's Last Concert - Fata Morgana (1988)

Fata Morgana - Desert Sounds In The Planetarium

"Fata Morgana" is, as fate wanted, Nico's final work. A live performance, or rather an audio-visual show at planetarium Wilhelm-Foerster-Sternwatre that happened, as part of the festival activities for "Berlin - Cultural European Capital", in early summer of 1988, just few weeks only before Nico's sudden passing away.

The theme of "Fata Morgana" is the moon deserts. Nico sings and plays (indian) organ, the rest instruments played by the band Faction (see also Nico/Faction collaboration on 1985 "Camera Obscura" album).

All compositions are written specifically for the needs of this event, apart from the ending "You Forget To Answer" which bridges the past with the berlin sky of that night absolutely shiveringly.

    

Nico's Last Concert was released initially on cd in 1994 and reissued recently (2011).

Lutz Ulbrich, organisator and producer of that performance writes about "Fata Morgana":

"In 1987 Martina Marx and i had the idea to organize 'fata morgana - desert sounds in the planetarium' for the festival year 'berlin - kulturstadt europas 1988'.

We at once thought of nico, who i had known for years since we had worked and lived together in the 70s. She had often told me how impressed she had been by the Death Valley, where she hung out with Jim Morisson and where she had been working on the film 'la cicatrice interieure' by Philippe Garrel, which they filmed at locations like Death Valley, Iceland and the Sahara, a picture of which you can see on the cover of 'Desertshore'. When i called her in Manchester to ask her to compose "music for a desert", she spontaneously proposed the stone desert of the moon as a theme. It was obvious, that her magical aura would enable her to turn the whole planetarium into a moon desert and become the highlight of the festival.

Nico arrived on the 4th of June together with her musicians the Faction and during the two days of rehearsal every listener became enthusiastic about the creative, dynamic and intense way in which Nico & the Faction were working.

Dr. Werner Celnic, director of the planetarium, who operated the optical effects and who completed the music with wonderful pictures and films of the moon, seemed to be in his element. To add to this we had installed 360° sound system which treated a unique sound event.

The  6th of June 1988 Nico gave a magnificent double concert in a sold out planetarium, from which this is the mix: Nico's last concert."

The Cheepskates "Remember" (1987)

For New Jersey's "backward boys" The Cheepskates, it was this third album which made things much clearer. A band, melodically gifted, with a great sense of true, unforced fast-short songcrafting, was ready now to lead its very own path from the faded summers of the previous decades towards the 80's garage-revival lands. And as their east/west-coast breezes perfumed the psych gardens again, refreshing shadows creeped on the power-pop earth.

The started here cooperation with euro-psych label Music Maniac spred them perhaps a little further,  The Cheepskates though, after all, they didn't get the attention they deserved.

Few relatively ears witnessed and much less appreciated. But then... that's why, i guess, you have to Remember.

   
"Remember" line up:
Shane Faubert vocals, guitars, keyboards, composition
Jeremy Lee drums, percussion, background vocals, composition
Tony Low bass, guitar, backing vocals, composition

Remember (vinyl rip)

GIANLUIGI TROVESI "Les Boites A Musique" (1988)

"Les Boites A Musique" is the discographic document of the homonymous Gianluigi Trovesi's solo project from a period when the top italian saxophonist, clarinetist and composer, performing live over pre-recorded material and computer processings, extends his jazz explorations towards italian folk and renaissance music, avant-garde, electronics...
This really unique album was created with the help of Tiziano Tononi on percussions and Luciano Mirto on computer operation. Trovesi played soprano & alto saxes, baritone clarinet and piccolo flute. Recorded at Milano in March 28-30, 1988, and released on legendary italian jazz label Splasc(h) Records.

Les Boites A Musique

Red Flame - Ink Records

Activated quite ambitiously in the field of 80's indie music, Red Flame and Ink Records, the two associated London based labels, presented an eclectic gamut of works (ranging from new wave and synth pop to post punk, industrial, experimental...) created mainly by british and australian artists. A sampler with representative selections from Red Flame / Ink Records catalogues you can listen here:

Red Flame - Ink Records
01 Dif Juz roy's tray
(from "Who Says So?", ep, RFM24, 1983)
02 Shiny Two Shiny grey
("Halfway Across The Rainbow", lp, RFM16, 1982)
03 Artery afterwards
("Oceans", ep, RFM4, 1982)
04 Decorators absent friends
("Tablets", lp, RF1, 1982)
05 Blurt arthur
("Blurt", lp, RF6, 1982)
06 The Nightingales insurance
("Hysterics", lp, INK001, 1983)
07 Philip Boa don't pull my whole life away
("Aristocracie", lp, RF52, 1986)
08 Camberwell Now green lantern
("The Ghost Trade", lp, INK19, 1986)
09 Moodists she cackles
("The Disciples Know", single, RF721, 1983)
10 Tactics hard hat nine iron
("Blue &White Future Whale", lp, RF58, 1988)
11 The Room Naive
("Jackpot Jack E.P.", ep, RF1242, 1985)
12 Severed Heads army
("Come Visit The Big Bigot", lp, INK22, 1986)
13 Pinkie Maclure different world
("Unman", lp, MINK21, 1986)
14 Patrik Fitzgerald domestication
("Drifting Towards Violence", lp, 1983)
15 Ruby Blue wintery day
("Glances Askances", lp, RF53, 1987)
16 Carmel track of my tears
("Carmel", mlp, RFM9, 1982)
17 C Cat Trance miss manners
("Khamu", lp, INK006, 1985)

compiled by LaFolieDuJour

link   

Louis Tillett & Charlie Owen "The Ugly Truth" (1993)

A CD release on the german limited-edition series Return To Sender, (sub-label of Normal Records and distributed via mail only), "The Ugly Truth" can work, for newcomers, as a very good and finely performed introduction to the lyrical, bluesy world of Louis Tillett. Oldcomers though, or ones who have missed some earlier episodes will find here interesting new material along with refreshing alternate versions of tracks from his first works.

The album was recorded in Australia in 1993 with Louis on piano, hammond, voice, percussion and Charlie  Owen (guitarist in Beasts Of Burbon, New Christs and others) on production, guitar and percussion. Tillett is a little known, perhaps, in Greece, Germany and, i guess, Australia, but the ugly truth is he generally remains an unjustly neglected  artist.

The Ugly Truth

Louis Tillett - An Ancient Song (live, 1999)
(from "Live @ The Basement", Return To Sender, 2001)

The Geography Of Sound

A musical journey through the paths of Ethno-Jazz and World music.

BADAWI a voice from six corners (from "The Heretic Of Ether", 1999, U.S.A.) 

YASUAKI SHIMIZU  Utukushiki tennen ("Kakashi", 1982, Japan)

LOWZYL/TIMANSKI/ KLEBBA/CHANDRAN afrodyzjak ("Nisani", 1999, Poland)

RENAUD GARCIA-FONS Fui piedra ("Navigatore", 2001, France)

CARLO ACTIS DATO QUARTET Bossa di mafia ("Fes Montuno", 2000, Italy)

UNE ANCHE PASSE Chanson du feu follet ("Serpent d' Etoiles", 1997, France)

FREY/TIEPOLD/THIERFELDER Tabasheer ("Ziyada", 1979, Germany)

FLORIDIS/SKOPELITIS/TEMIZ pitch ("Our Trip So Far", 2001, Greece)

MARCO ZURZOLO Chi e...n' aggie capito... chi e ("Pulcinella", 2002, Italy)

LA KUMPANIA ZELWER C'est pas tous les jours shabbat ("Daissa", 2003, France)

ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ Cuando vuelvo a tu lado ("Cuba Linda", 1996, Cuba)

MIRTHA POZZI ceci-cela ("Acadacoual", 1996, Uruguay)

MEGADRUMS (REINHARD FLATISCHLER) Mahakal ("Layers Of Time", 1996, Austria)

FODAY MUSA SUSO spring waterfall ("Jali Kunda: Griots Of West Africa..", 1996)

MALHERBE/ELHRICH  Caspienne blues ("Hadouk", 1999, France)

compiled by LaFolieDuJour

Listen (approx. 68 min.)

EVIL TWIN "The Black Spot" (UK, 1993)

One of the masterworks in Karl Blake's catalog, "The Black Spot"  was created between 1987 and 1991, when Blake's main band Shock Headed Peters was on hiatus. Blake cooperated here with David Mellor -an old collaborator from the Lemon Kittens days, and the amazing vocalist Amy Rodenburg. Practically existing as a project for the making of this sole album, Evil Twin stayed out of action... until 2006, when suddenly appeared -with original lineup plus assisting musicians- in a Paris Festival for one only performance.

"The Black Spot" CD came out (on World Seprent distribution) in 1993. A french reissue is scheduled for2012

Evil Twin - Approximately Empty

Australian Compilations Vol.5

The fifth part of LaFolieDuJour tribute to australian acts.

Severed Heads in flesh (v.a. Live At The Wireless, ep, 1983)
Birds Of Tin Slothy tank (ep, 1981)
Wreckery bending the bars ("Laying Down Law", 1988)
The Moodists chatter shapes ("Engine Shudder", 1983)
Naked Lunch teenage blues ("Little Too Late", single, 1986)
Crystal Set drop in the ocean (single, 1985)
Bo-Weevils illusions ("Where Particular People Congregate",1989)
Pray TV where do i get off ("Swingers Paradise", 1994)
Celibate Rifles back on the corner ("On The Quiet", 1996)
Kim Salmon & The Surrealists sea anemone ("Essence", 1991)
Tendrils Hands are tied ("Soaking Red", 1998)
My Friend The Chocolate Cake algeria ("Good Luck", 1996)
Jackson Code do you feel the pull ("Things you need", 1995)
Steve Kilbey shell ("This Asphalt Eden", single, 1985)
Not Drowning, Waving another pond ("Another Pond", 1984)

Volume 5

LEFT HAND RIGHT HAND "Legs Akimbo" (1992) / "In Mufti" (1995)

Οι Left Hand Right Hand σχηματίζονται προς τα τέλη της δεκαετίας του '80 από τη σύμπραξη των αδερφών Andrew και Tony Brown με τον Paul Ackerley από το μουσικό σχήμα Zahgurim. Οι αυτοσχεδιαστικές -στα κρουστά-  αναζητήσεις των πρώτων και οι ηλεκτρο-ιντάστριαλ κατευθύνσεις των δεύτερων καθορίζουν τον ήχο τους, ο οποίος, και με την προσθήκη πνευστών, επιδιώκει τη δημιουργία ενός διευρυμένου σκηνικού όπου συνυφαίνονται το ροκ, τα ηλεκτρονικά, οι εθνοφόλκ απόηχοι, ο tribal εξωτισμός... η βιομηχανική τζαζ.
Αρωγοί στο ενδιαφέρον εγχείρημα των Left Hand Right Hand διάφοροι προσκεκλημένοι σε κρουστά, φωνητικά και πνευστά οπως ο βαρύτονος σαξοφωνίστας George Haslam, o σημαντικός τζαζ αυτοσχεδιαστής Lol Coxhill (σοπράνο σαξόφωνο), ο πρώην Clock DVA Charlie Collins (πνευστά και ηλεκτρονικά), αλλά και ο ιθύνων νους των Shock Headed Peters, Karl Blake, (μπάσο, κιθάρες...), παράγοντας καταλυτικός της γοητευτικής αινιγματικότητας των ήχων.

Αν και οι λάιβ δραστηριότητες των Left Hand Right Hand απλώνονται σε βάθος χρόνου σε Αγγλία, Ευρώπη, Αμερική χαρίζοντας τους μια μικρή φήμη στους σχετικούς αβάν/ιντάστριαλ κύκλους, η   δισκογραφική τους παρουσία περιορίζεται στο διάστημα 1990-95 περιλαμβάνοντας κατά κύριο λόγο, (μετά το εισαγωγικό EP "Hum Drum"), τα άλμπουμ "Legs Akimbo" (1992, διανομή World Seprent) και "In Mufti" (1995, Musica Maxima Magnetica), τα οποία μπορείτε να ακούσετε μέσω των κάτωθι σύνδεσμων:

Legs Akimbo

In Mufti

MAESTRO SUBGUM & THE WHOLE: Sounds From A Fringe Theatre

Maestro Subgum And The Whole was formed in late 80's in Chicago. As an ensemble connected mostly with the musico-theatrical activities of the Curious Theatre Branch -which was founded in 1988 by multi-talented band members Beau O'Reilly and Jenny Magnus- Maestro developed an avant, weirdly performed style based on showtunes, cabaret jazz and eclectically incorporated elements from blues, pop, folk, funk-rock, alternative...

Band's sound was mainly built around voices, horns (trumpet, flute, trombone...), piano/organ and percussions, their line up hosted many musicians though, as well members of the theater company. Beside its unique live performances, Maestro created several very significant recordings, most of them self-released and now hard to find.

Maestro went defunct circa middle-nineties, when  pianist and co-composer Michael Greenberg quit. Since then Greenberg has been making music with new bands and releasing solo works, while Beau O'Reilly and Jenny Magnus continue writing, directing and performing their plays..
Maestro's latest appearance was an one-night reunion show in March 2009. O'Reilly's Crooked Mouth String Band is now the band within the long-lasting Curious Theatre Branch.

Maestro Subgum & The (nearly) Whole at reunion show (2009)

Maestro's crew:

Beau O'Reilly (a.k.a. Lefty Fizzle), Jenny Magnus, Miki Greenberg (Miki the Lip), Bob Jacobson, Kate O'Reilly (Sister Kate), Colm O'Reilly (Clem of the Bogs), Blair Thomas, Ned Folkerth (Red Ned the flame-haired messenger of love), Mark Messing, Mark Hollman, Spencer Sundell and others...

"lost lost lost", 1991

"Jiggle The Constable", 1992

"Whoopsadaisy", 1997

The LaFolieDuJour intro to Maestro Subgum & The Whole 

(sorry!! due to complaints the link to our anthology has been removed)

Bamboo Guru ( from "lost lost lost", 1991)

A Sudden Stroll

One hour in the company of the "small heroes" of 80's...

ALGEBRA SUICIDE horizon
("Big Skin", cassette, 1986)
POLISH AUGUST ten tips for beautiful nails
("No Platform For Heels", V.A., LP, 1982)
PERFORMING FERRET BAND bar room
("Performing Ferret Band", LP, 1981)
FACTION tired of love
("Faction", LP, 1981)
METHODISHCA TUNE orchestras
("Orchestras", 7'', 1981)
THE PLUGS bat brain moon man boiler boy
("Rupert Preaching At A Picnic", V.A., LP, 1981)
SCREEN 3 the dividing line
("Come Into My Jungle", 7'', 1983)
CAS CARNABY 5 death of a 1000 public houses
("Mr Morris' Funeral", LP, 1988)
INCA BABIES ramblin' man
("Opium Den", mLP, 1987)
THE LEGEND! talk open
("Some Of Us Still Burn", EP, 1985)
YEAH YEAH NOH prick up your ears [peel session]
("Fun On The Lawn Lawn Lawn", LP, 1986)
4000000 TELEPHONES we' re not coming out
("4000000 Telephones", LP, 1985)
IN EMBRACE to friends (an open letter)
("Passionfruit Pastels", LP, 1982)
THE LINES blow a kiss
("Therapy", LP, 1981)
JESUS COULDN'T DRUM frosty
("Ruttling Orange Peel & Blind Lemon Pie", LP, 1988)
SCATTERBRAINS lopen
("Musical Marriage", LP, 1983)
ZRU VOGUE do the zru
("Zru Vogue", LP, 1982)
D.J. LEBOWITZ holiday in cambodia
("Beautiful Hapiness", V.A., LP, 1988)
HAIGINSHA lusefeea
("Obscure Independent Classics vol.4", V.A., 1987)

A Sudden Stroll (19track comp. -by LaFolieDuJour )