Chris & Cosey | Incomplete Discography

Genesis P-Orridge: “As to the Cosey being with Chris situation beinganything to do with TG splitting up. Absolutely not. Cosey and Chris had been sleeping together since we all met. Often in the bed with me. Yes I was very heartbroken initially to see her leave. But mainly because she felt compelled to do it secretly, behind my back, not in a mature, open way. The deception made me distraught. By 1981 I was married and very happy with everything except TG." ' Taken from the footnotes to "PostPunk 1978-1984" by Simon Reynolds.

From the very begining... Chris & Cosey

Minimal Synth, Avant Pop, Industrial...

↑ Download C+C "Heartbeat" | Rough Trade ' 1981 (78.6 Mb)
↑ Download C+C "Trance" | Rough Trade ' 1982 (46 Mb)
↑ Download C+C "Songs Of Love & Lust" | Rough Trade ' 1984 (76.7 Mb)
↑ Download C+C "Technø Primitiv" | Rough Trade ' 1985 (86 Mb)
↑ Download C+C "Take Five" | Nettwerk ' 1987 (68.1 Mb) I own this Canadian LP, but "Take Five" was also reissued on LD Records (a defunct sublabel of PIAS) in 1987.
↑ Download C+C "Rise" | Nettwerk ' 1989 (37.9 Mb) Again, one from my collection is Canadian but actually the release was twice repulished - by SPV Recordings and PIAS, both dated 1989.
(All sleeves are embeded, you can see these in iTunes artwork section).

• No reason to retype all sleeves info you can easily find some on Discogs.

XTC "3D EP" | Virgin

First of all, this child above is completely OK... For wonderers, there is the whole story at end of the post.

"3D EP" was the band's vinyl debut. It was released on October 7, 1977 on Virgin Records. It was 12" single and was initially proposed with a 7" single (known as the 3D Single). However instead of issuing both Virgin recalled the 7" at the very last minute (however a few singles did escape). The singles that do exist have been known to fetch upwards of $1,000. ' Taken from Wikipedia.
In three songs the sound of XTC is firmly established. “Science Friction” promotes equally the skills of all the band members. Andy attacks his guitar to produce the most jagged mixture of ska and chord riffs anywhere west of early Gang Of Four. Terry maintains a steady fast pop dance beat, intentionally not interacting with Andy’s ska guitar pulls. Colin plays bouncy and creative bass guitar while Barry creates a twisted-carnival fun-house atmosphere with his farfisa organ. The stop & go rhythms defy you to dance and then make you spastically trip over yourself when you do. Mostly there’s Andy’s voice - puns and wit delivered in a voice that prefers to stutter and hiccup the words. If you listen to just Andy Partridge on the first few albums you’ll hear the most under-rated singer/guitarist in the history of new wave. His playing is jagged, intense, pissed and often discordant with the rest of the song, while his voice is an acrobatic marvel. “She’s So Square” is a more straight-forward pop song while “Dance Band” represents the other side of early XTC - slow, robotic dance anthems for manipulated and alienated youth (a theme expressed often in early new wave). ' Taken from Old Punks.

• The sleeve info:
1977 Virgin Records
Andy Partridge - Guitar, Vocals
Colin Moulding - Bass, Vocals
Terry Chambers - Drums, metal door of microphone cupboard, filing cabinet
Barry Andrews - Keyboards, Vocals
Produced and engineered by John Leckie
Tapes 'worked' by Haydn Bendall
Vans and Smooth Talk Steve 'Fullblast' Warren, Jeff 'money' Fitches
Recorded and mixed at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London NW8
Printed in England by Robor Limited
(All sleeves are usually embeded, you can see these in iTunes artwork section).

Bizarro pop, early new wave.

↑ Download XTC "3D EP" (18 Mb)

PS. "Pic story". Serching for some pic based on any correspods to that 12'' name or sleeve design to illustrate this post I've hit on that photo of Laura from Portland, Oregon. Here is the story: "I really envied my friends with freckles. So one fine day I got a brown felt-tip marker and gave myself freckles. It did not work very well". The corresponds are dubious - felt-tip markers were also used on 3D LP cover and here is E.T. printed on the T-shirt, well, that's almost "EP"=)...

Siglo XX "View of the Weird" | PIAS

"Twentieth Century" is a literal translation of "Siglo XX" from Spanish. But "Siglo Iks Iks" or "Siglo Veinte" also terms an anarchist movement during the Spanish civil war...
Siglo XX was a tin mine in Bolivia. Along with the Catavi mine, it was part of a mining complex in the area. The mine was nationalized following the "Bolivian National Revolution" of 1952, when the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement and its allies overthrew the military junta. Siglo XX and other mines were placed under the control of a new state agency, the Corporación Minera de Bolivia. On June 24, 1967, government troops and a new military junta marched on the mine and committed the largest massacre of workers in Bolivian history. In 1987, as part of an economic restructuring deal with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, the government shut down production at Siglo XX.
Well, what the hell was this historical excursus done for?..
The band members were from Genk, a depressed industrial city located in the Belgian province of Limburg. A peaceful village with a population of 2,000 by the begining of the twentieth century and the biggest city in Limburg, peaking to a population of 70 000 by the middle of the twentieth century, after a large quantity of coal was found there in 1901. In 1966 the coal pit of Zwartberg closed down and... by the end of the 1980s, the two remaining coal mines of Winterslag and Waterschei were also closed. 70 000 of unoccupied, beside these who managed to employ the Ford Motor Company factory... a painful present of poverty.
See the link?..

As Siglo XX, Antonio Palermo, Dirk Chauvaux, Erik Dries and Klaas Hoogerwaard started with their release of a single without a record company "The naked and the death" in 1980. The gloomy dark-new-wave sound of that 7" the group were to repeat all through the eighties. A sound that - much to their disgust - has been described by the critics as "cold wave".
"View Of The Weird" is a 12'' EP (EP, I suppose), recorded and released 1987 on Play It Again Sam (PIAS). For tracking down, here is the quick access discography.

• The sleeve info:
BIAS 73
"View Of The Weird" Produced by Luc Tijtgat and Siglo XX
"Silent Crowd" Produced by Ludo Camberlin and Siglo XX
All songs and instruments by Siglo XX
Coverdesign by Tone Loenders
(All sleeves are usually embeded, you can see these in iTunes artwork section).

So called "cold wave".

↑ Download Siglo XX "View of the Weird" (20.5 Mb)

Au Pairs | Kamera Records

The Au Pairs formed in Birmingham in 1979, part of what became known as the "second wave" of punk, or simply "post-punk". The Au Pairs was fronted by Lesley Woods (on vocals and guitar (who was at the time one of only a handful of "out" lesbians in the whole punk music scene). The other members included guitarist Paul Foad, bassist Jane Munro and drummer Pete Hammond.
The Au Pairs were able to use their mixed line-up to highlight gender clash in their songs, with lyrics celebrating female sexuality and power stuggles between the sexes in relationships; they also took obligatory swipes at the conservative political climate sweeping England after Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister. The group released two studio albums, "Playing with a Different Sex" in 1981 and "Sense and Sensuality" in 1982. Interestingly, after their bootleg "Equal But Different" was released in 1983, an official version of the same concert was released as the LP "Live in Berlin" (with two less songs than on bootleg, however... but I've got that one - give it a comment and I know there is someone to upload it for). Their last release was the BBC Sessions, also released in 1983. The group disbanded later that year. In the late 1980's Lesley formed a band called The Darlings with Ellyot Dragon and Debbie Smith (of Curve, Echobelly and Snowpony), who later went on to form Sister George. But then left the music industry. She now works as a lawyer. Guitarist, Paul Foad remains an active musician, playing and teaching guitar in and around Birmingham. Bass player Jane Munro works as an alternative therapist in Birmingham. Pete Hammond also remains an active musician and teaches percussion in Birmingham.

So, "Sense and Sensuality" released by Kamera Records in 1982 is their second and actually the last album. Characteristics: Munro's heavy and prominent bass lines accented by two choppy guitars, "mid-hi" new wav-ish drums. "Sense and Sensuality" songs counstructions are so brittle and dissonant, the atonal bass and guitars are trying to shake the melodic grid holding it still at the same time. The album is a solid piece, 10 tracks, absolutely different melodically, but all the ingredient listed above draw the LP scheme so precisely that in case you like a track, you'll like the whole piece.
In case you would like to track down this release, there are still several items used on ebay (not that rare actually), but "Sense And Sensuality" was twice reissued on CD, first on RMP Records in 1993 and then on Castle Communications (a subsidiary of Sanctuary Records) in 2002 (remixed and digitally remastered from the original master tapes).

• The sleeve info:
KAM 010
Lesley Woods - guitar, vocal
Jane Munro - bass
Paul Foad - guitar, vocal, cello
Pete Hammond - drums
Plus: Chris Lee - trumpet, Olly Moore - sax, Keith Knowles - synthesizers, John Suddick - synthesizers, Milt Hampton - vibraphone.
Cut by John Dent (Sound Clinic)
Recorded at Jacobs Studios
April-June 1982
Engineered by Terry Barham and Ken Thomas
Produced by Au Pairs and Martin Culverwell
Published by Ideal Home Noise
Sleeve adapted by Martin Culverwell from a design by El Lissitzky
Artwork by Citizen Bank
Printed by Centre Print
Distributed by Stage One.
(All sleeves are usually embeded, you can see these in iTunes artwork section).

A well-known resouce, I suppose, but... take a look at them young and furious at New wave photos.

Post-punk or new wave, whatever - true masterpiece.

↑ Download Au Pairs "Sense And Sensuality" (60.2 Mb)

Martha and the Muffins | Dinsong (Virgin)

Here is Martha and the Muffins – a new wave band out of Toronto that got started in 1977 and "Metro Music" - their debute LP dated 1980.
In fact, there were actually two Marthas in the group: Martha Ladly (vocals) and Martha Johnson (vocals and keyboards), who was later one half of the duo M+M.
Mark Gane: "In May of 1977 as a young visual artist/experimental musician, I was invited by fellow Ontario College of Art student David Millar to start a band with him. The punk/new wave scene had been going for a few years and its ironic and distainful stance against the blandness of 1970's mainstream culture was immediately appealing. Suddenly, everyone around seemed to be starting a band or was in one already."... cut... "We were signed to Dindisc/Virgin Records in London and by the summer of 1979 we were recording our first album, "Metro Music", at The Manor, just outside of Oxford, England" – as told by Martha... cut... "Unfortunately, as with many young groups, the pressures of success and fame brought on differences of opinion, personality clashes and ultimately the erosion of band unity. It was very difficult for those six people to weather the changes that came with the success in 1980 of Metro Music" and the world-wide top ten hit "Echo Beach". Here the history of Martha and the Muffins ends and the M+M's one starts...

PS. From "Today's Parent" (June/July) – review by John Hoffman: "What happens to pop stars when they have kids? Some, like Martha Johnson, try their hand at children's music. Many have taken this shot, and most miss the mark- Not Johnson. She and partner (family as well as musical) Mark Gane were collaborators in Martha and the Muffins (subsequently known as M+M), a Canadian group that enjoyed some international success in the '80s. Songs from the Treehouse, her first album for children, is pretty much what you might expect from the folks who brought us Echo Beach. The music is simple and melodic with a clean, modern sound that, fortunately, resists the temptation to overindulge in technology, even though it's synth-based. One highlight is My Little Sister, a catchy little a cappella tune about learning to talk, made all the more appealing by the recorded babblings of Johnson's daughter Eve. Overall, it's a fresh new sound in children's music, and that's quite an accomplishment these days in a genre where few stones have been left unturned".=)

Here are some links all these citations has been taken from: Wikipedia on Martha and the Muffins, Women of 1970's Punk, A site dedicated to the musical artistry of Mark Gane and Martha Johnson OKA (once known as) Martha and the Muffins AKA M+M, Russian web page on Martha and the Muffin – fuck, is that what I see?

• The sleeve info:
Carl Finkle – bass
Mark Gane – guitar, synthi A
Tim Gane – drums
Andy Haas – sax
Martha Johnson – vocals, keyboards
Martha Ladly – vocals, keyboards, trombone.

Produced by Mike Howlett
Sequencer on "Terminal Twilight" - Mike Howlett
Engeneered by Richard Manwarning
Assistant Engeneer - Lawrence Diana (ADVISION)
Tape op. - Paul Menpes
Recorded at The Manor, August 1979
Mixed at The Manor and ADVISION, London
1980 Dindisc, Dinsong Limited.

Sleeve based on map 30M/11 of the National Topographic System with kind permission of DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, MINES AND RESOUCES, OTTAWA, CANADA. (All sleeves are usually embeded, you can see these in iTunes artwork section).

Canadian Musician 81: "The English used to call them pop. Now they don't know what to call them. We just call them Martha and the Muffins". Absolutely new wav-ish piece.

↑ Download Martha and the Muffins "Metro Music" (63.9 Mb)

Kevin Dunn and the Regiment of Women | Armageddon Records

Third – I still count gems of mine. And the first LP I bought... Kevin Dunn and the Regiment of Women "The Judgement of Paris", Armageddon Records 1981, Atanta. Of course, I thought it was Kevin Drumm... was in such a nervous tremor, visiting the vintage LP store near by for the first time=). Thanks God, it was Dunn... First a Fan, then sole leader (and member) of a Regiment of Women.
"The Judgement of Paris" is a striking modern-music pop album by this onetime member of Atlanta's great pioneering independent band, the Fans. In reality a solo album, with lots of synths and guitars, Dunn mixes technical flash with semi-demented musical ideas, camouflaging nutty lyrics in engaging melodies and closing out the proceedings with an instrumental "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," complete with devolving rhythms." [Ira Robbins, whoever she is.]
What's so special about this release: the number of rythmic and melodical changes per time unit, the density of musical ideas for such a monotonic and moodish direction as new wave. These adroit pop tunes are made of absolutely "non-pop" stuff... it's amaizing. For exqmple, the A-Side "Creep" is so "dense", "CPM" enough and to spare, the "non-pop" effected guitar solo is absolutely unique... Listen to the drum machines – "nonconvetional" would not be exact enough. It's TR606... I think... or TR 808... programmed so uncommon, fast and almost falling out of step...well, it can take time to compose a full description, but there is no sence. Sometimes you got to just let the record speak for itself.
Get this gem, dig for more on Dunn... buy this LP if you can, write him a message on "His"Space...
Just wanted to mention, for further search... a great resource, one page only, on Atlanta area new wave bands.
If onyone has any other releases from Dunn's RW or Fans ripped or has been in time with downloading "Nadine" (his first solo 12'' containing a cover of the Chuck Berry classic and a song about the Soviet era underground comic character Oktyabrina) from CRUD CRUD, please, let me know.
• The sleeve info:
ARM3 Kevin Dunn and the Regiment of Women "The Judgement of Paris" (12")
Kevin Dunn and the Regiment of Women are: Kevin Dunn, Debbie Heidel, Lenore Thompson, Terry Coburn
Produced by Kevin Dunn except Tootsie 1produced by Bruce Baxter and Kevin Dunn
Engineered by Bruce Baxter/Recorded at Channel One, atlanta, 3.12.80 to 13.3.81
Executive Production: Danny Beard
Cover by Sean Bourne
Thanks to: Alfredo Villar for consultation on bass and backing vocal arrangements; Clark Musical Instrument Co. for sundry essential assists; etc., etc....

Once again, absolutely new wav-ish piece... unusual up to the limit.

↑ Download Kevin Dunn and the Regiment of Women "The Judgement of Paris" (63.9 Mb)

The Sensational Creed | Beggars Banquet

The Sensational Creed is kinda band-phantom for me... absolute info absence. I mailed to Mutant Sounds and left comments on several blogs more in attemp to get any info that would be somewhat more than just niggardly cat description. Well, anyway, The Sensational Creed "Nocturnal Operations" is a masterpiece... and nevertheless I cannot inform you in a worthy manner, this LP is the one I would like to share more than any. Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin. In 1977, spurred by the prevailing DIY aesthetics of the British punk rock movement (then at the height of its popularity), they decided to join the fray as an independent label and release records under the Beggars Banquet imprint. Two daughter labels, Situation Two and 4AD Records, were launched to release artists like The Pixies, Cocteau Twins and others. Situation Two was the label to press the first The Sensational Creed 7'' under the same name three years later their 12'' "Nocturnal Operations" was pressed on Beggars Banquet. This ripp was done from the 1984 BEG 12''.
• The sleeve info:
BEG 125 T Sensational Creed "Nocturnal Operations" (12")
All titles written by Sensational Creed
"Nocturnal Operations": Christine Beveridge* – Voice; Steve Reid – Voice, Instruments; Mixed and Produced by M. Hedges, B. MacKenzie and S. Reid
"Down Pericomoscopes": S. Reid – Voice, Instruments; S. Mason – Synthesisers; B. MacKenzie – Tubular Bells; Mixed and Produced by M. Hedges, B. MacKenzie and S. Reid
"The Voyage of the Titanic": S. Reid – Instruments; Howard Hughes – Grand Piano, Emulator; Jamie McCormack – Euphonium; Mixed and Produced by S. Reid
* Christine Beveridge, Billy MacKenzie's friend from Dundee, Scotland. Christine and Billy were old friends. They met in The Crypt, Billy's clothes shop in Dundee, where Christine was a "regular costumer". Later, she had moved in London with Steve Reid, and that's where she met Billy again in 1981. According to the Glamour Chase (Maverick Life of Billy MacKenzie (Paperback)) biography, she moaned about being forced to sing in that breathy style by Billy.
Any additional info would be appreciated. No sleeve attached, sorry... problems with a scanner (I do not paste the covers into the post body but these should be embedded and seen in iTunes as "Artwork"... not this time*).
*Upadated, now with the front and back of the sleeve scans embeded.

"So, brilliant, but obviously too strange for that time, to be a hit"... tricky avant-pop with, shaking vocals by Reid, breathy one from Beveridge... really twisted bass lines are the well produced supplement for the simple drum lines structure... new wave masterpiece... it's outstanding.

↑ Download The Sensational Creed "Nocturnal Operations" (29.8 Mb)