LAURENCE VANAY - GATE WAY EVENING COLOURS, LP, 1975, GALLOWAY RECORDS, FRANCE

Laurence Vanay is the pseudonym for Jacqueline Thibault, wife of music producer and musician Laurent Thibault (ex-MAGMA). Her debut album is entitled “Galaxies” released in 1974, a very rare item indeed and a Holy Grail for most collectors of 70's underground French progressive. In 1975 she released Evening Colours [as Gateway] and a final opus still in 1975 called Magic Slows.

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ALBERT MARCOEUR - LIVE IN NANCY, FRANCE, 1976 UNRELEASED, FRANCE

Albert Marcoeur is a singer French unclassifiable, born 12 December 1947 , at Dijon . He began his career in the early 1970s . A fan of experimentation melodic, rhythmic and sound, it is nonetheless an author of texts that are light, humorous and offbeat. Experimenter his side, musician and entertainer proven earned him a time the name " Frank Zappa French. "

During part of his eight years of study the clarinet at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Dijon , Albert Marcoeur played in local rock bands in high school and then, in the Jazz Babies then Lake's Men, with whom making his own stage experience.

Then he went to 1970 for The Fidelaire in the Eure where he is a musician attached to the studio Frémontel. With his training - Kapak (Patrice Tison on electric guitar, Pascal Arroyo on bass and keyboards François Bréant musicians who become regular Bernard Allison ) - he learns the use of multitrack , improvised and composed when the studio is left vacant by Parisian musicians who come to register.

The first album was released in Albert Marcoeur 1974 , and a group formed for regular tours that follow, involving particularly the Albert brothers, Claude and Gerard, and Francois Ovide on guitar and Peter Vermeire - survivor of the Lake's Men - the clarinet and saxophone . The following year, he arranged pieces of Dick Annegarn for albums and Mireille Anticyclone.

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ILITCH - 10 SUICIDES, 2XCD, 1980, FRACTAL RECORDS, FRANCE

This remastered reissue on a double CD of "10 Suicides" present on disc one, the entire album of “10 Suicides”, plus the track "Culture" from the single of the art magazine Sgraffite 5/6 - 1980. The second disc bonus present the complete “Coma Programma” live sessions. With a 20 pages booklet including the "remastering" of the original vinyl booklet. Full color artwork.

Disc 1 / Disc 2

SUNDAY PAINTERS - 4TH ANNUAL REPORT, LP, 1985, TERMINAL RECORDS, AUSTRALIA

All rhythms generated by a Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer.

Limited edition of 250 copies. Comes with numbered A4 info and lyrics sheet. Recorded 1983, released 1985.

Liner notes:

Love for Karen, wherever you go! - Dennis
Surface Paradise ...& this is the lucky country...
1st 5 Year Plan terminated. 1985 begins Part Two.

All songs except "Confession" and "Re/Flex" recorded at Atlantic Studio, Earlwood, May 1983 (16 track).

"Confession"
Backing recorded Feb 1982 on cassette at home. Cut-ups constructed June 1983 at home on 4-track.

"Re/Flex"
Recorded live at Wollongong University on 31/10/83 by Timothy Vandenberg. A 2-Tapes Production.

God Is My Biro* (this song is about spiritual darkness)

Technical note: Due to the unusual nature of certain sound sources on this recording, the LP was cut at somewhat less than normal volume. Please compensate for this on playback. Certain tracks have sufficiently high transient content to damage speakers. Please take care.

Further reading:
Teaching As a Subversive Activity - Neil Postman & Charles Weingartner
Crowds and Power - Elias Canetti
Media Sexploitation - Wilson Bryan Key
The Tree of Life: A Study in Magic - Israel Regardie
The Language of Madness - David Cooper
Body Politics: Power, Sex and Non-verbal Communication - Nancy Henley
The Alternative in Eastern Europe - Rudolf Bahro
The Third Mind - William Burroughs & Brion Gysin
Collected Essays, Journalism & Letters - George Orwell

Terminal Records
"obscurum per obscurius"

Boring music is killing home taping.

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RONRUINS - KETSUNOANA, CD, 1998, PANDEMONIUM RECORDS, USA/JAPAN

Assembled in one five-hour jam session, this recent side project, a tossed off improv blowout between Ruins and lo-fi spazz rock guitarist Ron Anderson of the Molecules (following 1995's Yoshida/Anderson collaboration First Meeting), is sure to arouse the crowd who feel their nipples stiffen at the mention of Melt Banana and Harry Pussy. Personally, I'm a bit underwhelmed. There are several factors contributing to this point of view (thin sound quality; undermixed, improperly e.q.'ed bass frequencies; and a strong sense that instant composition mode is not the Ruins' strongest suit), but chief among these is this salient point: I sorely miss Ryuichi Masuda. A great deal of my deep seated affection for past Ruins releases is inevitably bound up in the sense of Ruins as Magma gone hardcore, which in turn, is inevitably bound up in the corrosively overloaded yet highly controlled fuzz bass artistry deployed by Mssr. Masuda, suggesting Magma's Bernard Paganotti with a mile-wide mean streak. His replacement in the person of grindcore veteran Sasaki Hisashi is simply no match. Capable? Yes. Corrosively overloaded? Most definitely. Highly controlled, artistic and sublime? Not by a long shot. And certainly not Magma-esque.
-from Eric Lumbleau

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DILEDADAFISH - MOTHBALL, CD, 1991, YUCCA TREE RECORDS, SWITZERLAND

Contemporary Swiss folk music with the sense of dadaistic humour and the feeling of red garlic. Ultra-rare disc. Check it, the rumors are true. 

Part 1 / Part 2

V/A - POINT OF YUCCA: VOLUME ONE, CD, 1993, YUCCA TREE RECORDS, SWITZERLAND

Yucca Tree Records of Bern, Switzerland in collaboration with Pointless Music of Kent, Ohio (USA) bring you "Point of Yucca" an international compilation CD over 76 minutes long. Making sure that you have plenty to listen to wasn't enough for this DADA (Digital Analog Digital Analog) production. Here's the other sca dope: This is Volume One in a limited edition of 500 copies, packaged in a 8 1/2 by 6 inch folding plastic wallet comes a color cover with the CD in the left pocket and 9 pieces of artwork in the right pocket, a very legible contact list of the contributing Combos and on the CD is some pretty eye appealing drawing too ..

Part 1 / Part 2

ANIMA SOUND - STÜRMISCHER HIMMEL, LP, 1971, OHR RECORDS, GERMANY

Often described as one of the oddities in the Ohr catalogue, Stürmischer Himmel supposed the vinyl debut of Anima Sound, the radical free-music duo of sculptor Paul Fuchs and his wife Limpe Fuchs. Recorded at a 'thousand year cottage on a windy hill' and opening with ambience recording of wind and sheeps, the album is an organic collection of improvised atonal pieces ranging from the atmospheric to the wild with much use of screaming, horns, percussions, ambience recordings, wordless vocals and all kinds of home-made sound devices (Fuchshorn, Fuchszither, Fuchsbass... ). Pure German counter-culture sounds from the early 70s.

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BLACKLIGHT BRAILLE - ELECTRIC CANTICLES OF THE BLACKLIGHT BRAILLE, LP, 1981, VETCO RECORDS, USA

Blacklight Braille is a large, amorphous “fringe rock” collective from Cincinnati, Ohio. They experiment with a wide variety of idioms, including rock, folk, jazz and Arthurian poetry. Thomas H. Owen Knight and Douglas Smith are the guiding lights of Blacklight Braille although there are usually up to ten musicians on the recordings who play a variety of traditional and non-traditional instruments.

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ARIEL PINK WITH ADDED PIZZAZZ - ARIEL PINK WITH ADDED PIZZAZZ, 12", 2010, FREE DOPE AND FUCKING IN THE STREETS, USA

Issued by Free Dope and Fucking in the Streets, this limited edition EP was only available in it's current form on Haunted Graffiti's upcoming American tour. It's the best work he's ever done, with the excellent guys in VDO doing all the heavy lifting. Check it. 

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INDIANS IN MOSCOW - BIG WHEEL, 12", 1983, KENNICK RECORDS, U.K.

Indians in Moscow are a synth-pop band formed in Hull in 1981 who later moved into Techno and house territory.The band was formed in 1981 by keyboard players Pete Riches and Stuart Walton (formerly of The Most), and singer Adele Nozedar. The band later expanded to five members with the addition of a guitarist and a drummer (Rich Hornby).The band released their forth single entitled 'Big Wheel EP' in 1984.Unlike the bands previous single, 'Jack Pelter And His Sex Change Chicken', 'Big Wheel' failed to reach the charts.

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WILLIAM D. DRAKE - WILLIAM D. DRAKE, CD, 2001, ALL MY EYE AND BETTY MARTIN MUSIC, U.K.

Solo album from former "Cardiacs" member. This album is a little more tame than Cardiacs, but falls more in line with post-Cardiac band, Spratleys Japs. Wacky cartoon piano pop with beauty, majesty and a good sense of humor.

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V/A - STRING OF ARTIFACTS, 2XCD, 2005, FISH PIES, USA

A who's who of artists new and old bringing the old noise-revival back into a cacophonous dreamscape. If this is you're bag, then you will do good digging out of this. It's also a good introduction to bands like Fat Worm of Error & Masonic Youth. Solid stuff.

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KAREN COOPER COMPLEX - SHINJUKU BIRDWALK, UNRELEASED, 1981, USA

The only album of NY avant rock band. It's quite difficult to qualify the musical genre - minimalistic mix of beatniks atmosphere, free jazz techniques (without being jazz at all!) and Zappa-like songs. Female vocal isn't wordless, but lyrics are too loose and freaky to be counted as real lyrics. Main musical component are scratching guitars, but again, more on a manner of punky Nels Cline. Music is free and often primitive. Some touches of vintage NY new wave could be found, but possibly under the children drum-like rhythm sound in combination with distorted guitars and primitive electronic effects there are more "no wave" aesthetics.This recording is more strange and interesting, than pleasant. Not the release for casual listener may be, but good find for searching on interesting sound on the avant vaults.

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COS - PASIONES, LP, 1982, GEEBEEDEE RECORDS, BELGIUM

Cos were a Belgian band active in the 70's-80's. This record has been described as a mini-opera based on the story of 3 soldiers during the Spanish civil war, with vocals in Spanish, French, English, German and Dutch. There's a distinct RIO feel to much of the music, with Etron Fou and Aksak Maboul certainly coming to mind, though Cos are more eccentric than avant-garde, and consequently more accessible, while still being varied, always interesting and often quite dazzling in their accomplished circus like execution.

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TWELVE CUBIC FEET - STRAIGHT OUT THE FRIDGE, 10", 1982, NAMEDROP RECORDS, U.K.

Now here's a record that's overdue for a reissue treatment of some kind. Spindly post-punk of the Essential Logic/Family Fodder variety, angular and forceful. Sure it's not as groundbreaking as the similar-minded bands that were their contemporaries, but as an artifact of the DIY sound of the time it's pretty dang top. Seven quick songs, all of 'em good. A spacious production that feels alive with sincere joy.

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THE MAKERS OF THE DEAD TRAVEL FAST - ZOOM < ZERO, LP, 1983, M SQUARED, AUSTRALIA

The Makers of the Dead Travel Fast were an Australian experimental band active throughout the early 1980s. Recorded Sydney in 1983, this is the final release by The Makers of the Dead Travel Fast before splitting up. Very haunting and brilliant work.

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JOWE HEAD - PINCER MOVEMENT, LP, 1981, HEDONICS RECORDS, U.K.

Jowe Head (born Stephen Bird) is a British bass guitarist singer, and visual artist, who was a member of Swell Maps before joining the Television Personalities. This is his debut album, Pincer Movement, which literally sounds like the Swell Maps trippin on some fine LSD. Crawfish is certainly a highlight, but the whole thing is smooth like butter. 

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CRAWLING CHAOS - THE GAS CHAIR + SEX MACHINE 7", LP + 7", 1982 + 1980, FACTORY RECORDS, U.K.

The Gas Chair by Crawling Chaos remains one of the most baffling albums ever made. Originally released on Factory Benelux in 1982, it followed their legendary Factory debut single Sex Machine (FAC 17) from 1980, often cited as that label's most bizarre release. Next to nothing is known about Crawling Chaos, who went on to record another two albums.

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