| DIY Or Die!!!!!!!!!!!!! Messthetics at the Sharp End |
| Masking Tape - Doing It Yourself on a Winifield C60 In the early 80s I, like thousands of people all over the world no doubt, recorded my own tapes and even released a couple of them in short runs by advertising in the music press. I couldn't really play any instruments, but with a bit of effort, a tape to tape recording machine and a Casio VLtone I could make my own rough and ready music, do my own art work and put the tapes out, even at the age of 14 (ironically the best drum sound I could get came from hitting the "International Discography of New Wave" by B George which listed these bands better than most!) Though the stuff I did was probably not going to challenge bands like Midnight Circus or the Intestines for musical ability let alone chart bands of the time, but it was great to do it totally yourself and above all fun. Also it was great that you can produce something listenable even though you didn't learn the right(?) chords and notes to play. At the time there was a booming tape culture which was heralded and inspired by such bands as the Instant Automatons, Door and the Window and the Digital Dinosaurs, but even these were relatively professional (I mean they played gigs!) compared to most. A lot of the bands and artists did their tapes for their own pleasure, to release something into the world, with ideas and music that not even the likes of Rough Trade would touch with a cack-caked pole. Of course some the vast amount of material released at this time was always going to be fairly unlistenable (like my cassettes, emerging to the world under the band name "Clive United"!), but as ever there were gems there, sounds like you never heard before and will never hear again and the freedom allowed meant that not worrying (or being worried by a record company anxious to shift "units") that you weren't "pop" enough lead to the kind of wild experimentation and contrast of styles over a C-60 that you would never get on a conventional LP. In fact this did lead to bands recording their own vinyl recordings as well and part of this was always about bands following the Desperate Bicycles lead and putting out 7 inch singles totally by themselves. It was about doing it for yourself, or even by yourself and remaining ture to the music or anti-music you believed in. Until recently this music format along with the thousands of DIY singles produced 77-82 had been for the most part forgotten, unjustly regarded as tuneless nonsense by the mainstream music media (which shows what they actually know), not even acknowledged as happening for the most part. But now it seems that people are re-discover the gems from this era, with the help of the equally wonderful Hyped To Death's "Messthetics" series and also Mark Automatons Waterden imprint. Read on for reviews and links, dear reader............... |
| Messthetics Greatest Hits - The Sounds Of DIY 1977-80 - H2D Yesterday this compilation was featured in a piece by St Etienne's Bob Stanley in the Guardian, so wake up if they know about it, there must be a revolution going on at last! We or maybe the media have tired of Post Punk and are looking for the Next Big Thing (tm). Anyway who cares as long as this music finally gets heard? But what does it sound like, you ask? Well by any standards it is a great compilation. Listening to it as a whole it strikes me as this is exactly how it should be, how Punk should have turned out. Electro, pop and punk bands all on the same disc, invention, drive, enthusiasm and TUNES!!! Not tribalism but a space for you to fill in!! No limits!!! Ranging from the minimalist punk of Six Minute War to the bargain basement Bolan groove of Steve Treatment to Take It's angular pop to O Level's hymn to Talcy Malcy and all points in between it's invigorating listening and thoroughly entertaining too. Plus two never heard before tracks by the Rejects, the band that played the Roxy early days and pre-shadowed the Homosexuals. As the publicity says, this is to the UK DIY 70s/80s as is Pebbles it to garage punk as is Killed By Death to 77 Punk Rock, that is the definitive documentation. You've gotta have it!!! Messthetics 5 - H2D This is features bands/artists beginning with the letter A. Alphabetically is as good as a way as any to do it as you can't exactly do these by genre when you're dealing with the wide range of DIY 77-81 sounds. Such diverse talents as eccenrtic Damned support act Autnie Pus, Factory doyens A Certain Ratio and mystic Punks the Astronauts cross swords on this great mix of odd talents. Arguably a more obscure selection than the Greatest Hits CD, but with informative sleeve-notes as much fun. Messthetics 6 - H2D Logically this features the "B" bands and also a couple of As left over from last time. This features Blitzkrieg Bop's more experiemental follow on Basczax, the Bleach Boys (who are still in good form live I'm happy to say), Big Drummond's star studded Big in Japan and Honey Band along with lesser known names Big Sleep, the Bearz and Base. A joy to behold. Find these along with 70 other rare but goodies spanning obscure UK DIY, US Powerpop, Punk and DIY at here |
| Angst In My Pants - Waterden The re-issue of one of the classic comps of the time. And how nicely its all been done too, a fine reproduction with good photos and info. The Instant Automatons weigh in with the brief "Restless Night" before their insecuro-classic "Sacred To Be Alone". The Door and the Window's jazz Punk hustle CCH follows nciely and Midnight Circus's "Silicone Baby" got some airplay on John Peel at the time and still sounds good. Mic Woods acoustic songs including Bowie tribute "Cracked Actor" are nicely done and effective. Its all weird, but good. Personal favourite? 012's "PIL plays Elvis" version of "In The Ghetto". We Couldn't Agree On A Title - Waterden Another, slightly later compilation featuring many of "Angst"'s contributors and others like the maverick Phillip Johnson. The idea of this CD is that each artist had five minutes of time to play with, the Missing Persons doing three songs in that time but other bands like the Walkin Floors only managing one. A unique concept and a unique recording. Get them both here , along with other essential DIY tape recordings. |
| Click here for reviews of Animals and Men, Instant Automatons and Midnight Circus CDs |