Renaldo & The Loaf
(original 1979 release)
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Brian Poole (Renaldo) and Dave Janssen (Ted the Loaf) were fortunate in having extra names, respectively Hooper Struvé and Josef Sneff. Fancying themselves as the new Rodgers and Hammerstein, Struvé and Sneff did not necessarily reflect the personas of Renaldo and Ted. However, between April and November 1979, Renaldo and the Loaf were sufficiently inspired by their inflated alter egos to produce the music on this disc. Initially, each piece was created through improvisation; out of the unpredictable product a song would distil from a process of selection and reaction...a music formed as a consequence of other consequences. Using simple instruments (no synthesisers) and assorted household objects, the songs were recorded on modest equipment, a Teac 4 track and two domestic 4 track decks. As a result, when the master tape was compiled onto one of the domestic decks, another recording was found to be running backwards on some parallel tracks. Jumping on this happy accident, it was decided to fade this backwards track (a tape delay improvisation) into and between the songs, unpredictably 'colouring' them. So it was that one, almost seamless, piece emerged, arguably realising Struvé and Sneff's dream of a musical for the dice generation. Renaldo and the Loaf play Struvé and Sneff was our first publicly available project; a cassette album sold through local shops and by mail order, only about 250 copies were made. In 1985, an album of the same name was released on vinyl with extra tracks inserted into the song sequence. This remixed/remastered version, to a degree, lost the fluidity of the original in attempting to reproduce its 'accidents'. So it's even more gratifying now that Struvé and Sneff's work is presented in its original form, just as it was on the cassettes, including the two tracks on the 'B side, unreleased since those early days. Untitled is a relatively calm instrumental/voice improvisation, that contrasts with the aggressive sonic rant of Letters From Lee. This piece vented our frustration with a record label boss who spun us along, promising a deal and who then mysteriously disappeared....the opening 'number unobtainable' tone for his phone sums it all up. The narrative is the letters he wrote to us. Looking back, these two pieces seem to stand alone, they in themselves, being uncharacteristic of future RATL material. |
Meaning of W.E.I.R.D. 16 Going on 17 Absence 120 Before Zero Brittle People Dying Inside Kymbolton Gnome Song The Bathroom Song Untitled Letters From Lee |
Renaldo plays: Guitar, Mandolin,
Glockenspiel, Drums, Percussion, Kazoo, Macaroni and Voices. Ted the Loaf plays: Guitar, Prepared Guitars, Clarinet, Mandolin, Tapes and Loops. Recorded at Sneff's Surgery, April to September 1979. Operation conducted without the aid of anesthetics or synthesizers. secret picture! |
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