CLASSIC ALBUMS THE WORLD FORGOT Rachel Goswell - Waves are universal

In days in where it seems we are reviewing every shoegazing band that exists, I thought it was about time to draw attention to a forgotten gem.
The ultimate shoegazeband of course is Slowdive, to be honest I never saw My Bloody Valentine as shoegazers (splendid noisemakers of course but...). Apart from the guitars and the songs I guess it was Rachel who did the trick. The looks? I guess so but she had the kind of voice that made me melt even if her voice was smashed away by the guitars during the concerts.
It's a bit of a surprise that not many people are aware of Rachel's soloalbum "Waves are universal" that's been released in 2004 on 4-AD.
It's a not so known fact that since Slowdive became Mojave 3, it wasn't only Neil who made the soloway, but Rachel as well.
And what's more, with a little bit of imagination you can discover here some songs that could have been on the first two Slowdive-albums, even if the general mood from this album is a rather folky-pop one, but it keeps you in a dreaming mood, at least I dreamt several times.
As generally known it's a shame (not for the music only of course, but for Rachel as well) that one of her eardrums bursted during a Slowdive-concert which caused partial deafness and got her away from more recordings.

CLASSIC ALBUMS THE WORLD FORGOT Mark Burgess & The Sons Of God - Spring Blooms Tra La

2010 will definitely be the year in where not only I retook my old life (the one from a zinewriter, perhaps I end up old and lonely...who knows) but also the rediscovery of The Chameleons.
"Why?" is a question I can't answer myself, but since some years (not that many, mind you) I stopped listening to their music which is pretty strange especially as I see myself a very huge fan from Manchester's finest, or is that The Fall?
Like every devoted fan I bought all those special releases (most of them on Imaginary Records) and you're happy as you have so many stuff from a band who basically only recorded 3 albums (if you don't count their comebackalbums).
In the 90's Mark Burgess, the leadsinger from The Chameleons, went solo with Yves Altana.
It's a bit like with his mate, and my other hero, Adrian Borland, as it took some time before I got into their solo-albums... It's only normal I guess, cos you're hoping or waiting for another Chameleons-record but it's a solo-album.
With this "Spring Blooms Tra-La" (a very stupid name, I know) it was totally different as on this double CD (well, it was a single one that had a bonus disc) you can hear the liverecording from Mark doing a whole set of Chameleons-tracks.
Solo is a big word, as not only he was backed by Yves, but there was John Lever (the original Chameleons-drummer) as well.
If you think aboutit, this was like the foreplay of the forthcoming Chameleons-reunion.
What makes this album so special is that there are some songs on here that never were played live by The Chameleons (like "The Healer" which was featured on the collectable "Tony Fletcher walked on water"-EP) or classic Chameleons-song that are differently played.
I rank this album between the lost classics as I don't think there are that many people, even Chameleonsfans, who own it.
It was released, and I think it's still available, on the German wave-gothiclabel Strange Ways Records.

CLASSIC ALBUMS THE WORLD FORGOT Excuse 17 - Such friends are dangerous

Everybody (well not everybody, a handful of people more like) are talking about the Riot Grrrl-movement but it strikes me that it's mostly Bikini Kill, Babes In Toyland or L7 and then it's mostly followed by a big silence.
I am a massive fan from Bikini Kill, but a band who are at least as good as Kathleen's noisemakers are Excuse 17.
Excuse 17 were a trio consisting of Carrie Brownstein, Becca Albee and CJ Phillips.
After having released some material on tiny labels like Atlas Records and Chainsaw Records, their 2nd album "Such friends are dangerous" was released on the motherlabel from the Riot Grrrl-scene, Kill Rock Stars.
Their music had all the best bits from the Riot Grrrl-scene, but they were more than just messengers, the direct DIY-indierock was influenced by emorock and that resulted in haunting melodies, not forgetting that you were dealing with a Kill Rock Stars-band which indicates that yopu also have the usual jingle-jangle garagesound.
Excuse 17 toured a lot with Heavens To Betsy (another forgotten Riot Grrrl-band)and so it happened thatCarrie fell in love with Corin Tucker from Heavens To Betsy, the two decided to start...Sleater-Kinney, and the rest is history as they so, and so was Excuse 17.

CLASSIC ALBUMS THE WORLD FORGOT Daniel Johnston - Fear yourself

Daniel Johnston is a strange phenomonem in the musicscene. Not known by the big public (even as obscure as say Bleach I guess) but he has a fanbase that consists of the greatest artists ever : David Bowie, Kurt Cobain (he wore several times a Daniel Johnston T-shirt on promopics) or Tom Waits are only three examples from people who are going wild about Daniel's music.
Daniel Johnston is the living example that it pays being a casette-artist as most of his releases were DIY-tapes (imagine how much they're worth now on the collector's market).
Some people even state that Johnston formed the base of the lo-fi scene.
He is the sort of bedroomartist who is most known for his relativization from himself. If you see pics from Daniel, you tend to pity him, someone for whom life has no more surprises, someone who seen it all...
Everyone who saw the documentary 'The devil and Daniel Johnston' knows he saw it all as not only he suffers from diabetes, he's also mentally ill as well.
If you're listening to Daniel's music, it got even worse as all the songs are drifting in the sort of sadness that would bring labile people to suicide, but Daniel transforms it in heavenly music.
I choose "Fear yourself" because it was the album that got me into his musical world and it's also an album that mixes lo-fi with orchestration and that gives this music a very apart feeling, a feeling I only heard on "Yerself is steam" by Mercury Rev.
"Fear yourself" was released in 2003, and apart from the typical Johnston comic-art, the record was produced by Mark Linkous from Sparklehorse.
A very wide range that goes from pure lo-fi (listen to "Living it for the moment" and it'll change your life) till orchestrated songs (listen to "You hurt me" and you'll burst into tears).
An artist everybody should listen to, not only Bowie.

CLASSIC ALBUMS THE WORLD FORGOT The Clientele - Strange Geometry

If you want I can fill this blog with clssic indiepopalbums nobody cares about till the day I'm die, who knows I will do that...
Anyway, The Clientele are such a typical band that only a handful of people are aware of and you happen to think that they are so much better than all those overhyped shitbands you turn off from the moment you heard a first song by.
The Clientele were (or are?, as they had a release out in 2009 ) a duo from Hampshire.
The legend says that the two came together by seeing the name of indiepopgods Felt being written on each other's pencilcase.
The skeletons from the band (as usual some people come and go) are Alasdair MacLean and James Hornsey.
I recently wrote a review in where someone was referring to the TVseries "Happy Days" and with having that mind, it's no wonder that bands like these aren't picked up by the public as this is the greatest bullshit I read, well...., this evening.
The music from The Clientele refers perfectly to 80's indiepoptroubadours like Pale Fountains, Aztec Camera or Orange Juice.
I just picked out this third album (it was released on Merge, haven't they also released stuff by Magnetic Fields?) as it has some Belgian references....
Well, there is the cover which is a painting by Paul Delvaux but there's also the colloboration from the Belgian jazz-guitarist Louis Philippe who some of you might know from his works on Elefant Records.
"Strange Geometry" are all songs about some K, a love that's been lost and after 12 songs you realise the lover is desperate for having the love of his life lost...a desperate cry packed in pure indiepopsongs well well....

CLASSIC ALBUMS THE WORLD FORGOT Troy Tate - Ticket to the dark

On Facebook there's a page called "When I was your age MTV played music" and that's already where the problem starts. In 2010 there seems to be no space for music, let alone for the perfect popsong.
What's a perfect popsong? Difficult to describe, but it certainly ain't something by Lady Gaga, I swear!
A perfect popsong that must have a strong poppy melody, you must be able to dream away on it, you must have the remote control in your hands so you can push the repeat-button over and over, it must be perfect for your ears......
I guess the song "Love is" by Troy Tate is the perfect example of that. But who is Troy Tate, you say? Well, I guess that he's just like Edward Ball or Stephen Tin Tin Duffy one of those genius popsongwriters who should have topped the charts if there was any honesty in this world. The world ain't like that and so it happened that now Troy is totally forgotten, and that in the 80's he was as good as forgotten.
Tate might have been 'popular' as he was a member of The Teardrop Explodes during the "Wilder"-album. After two years he left the Liverpool-wunderband to concentrate himself on a solocareer from which this "Ticket to the dark"-album must have been the highlight.
"Ticket to the dark" is best to be compared...oh how typical...with the early soloworks from that other genius, Julian Cope. Twisted pop but never forgetting that it is actually pop. Despite the help of Teardrops-man David Balfe and avant-garde artist Virginia Astley, the album stayed obscure as hell.
Little footnote in pophistory : Troy Tate was the original producer for the debutalbum by The Smiths but Moz & C° were so dissapointed with it, that they rejected it and choose John Porter to record it for the 2nd time.

CLASSIC ALBUMS THE WORLD FORGOT We've got a fuzzbox and we're gonna use it! - Bostin' Steve Austin

Don’t you just love the name…We’ve got a Fuzzbox and we’re gonna use it? Well, it was what Maggie shouted the day she bought her distortion pedal, or at least that’s what the legend says.
And they certainly used it, their debutsingle was the base for many other “fuzz”-bands like early Primitives or later the Darling Buds.
It was the perfect combination of cheap commercial stuff made with a punk attitude. Just listen to “XX Sex” and you know what I mean, the short perfect poptune.
As the single got N°41 in the charts, the interest of the majors came and WEA gave them the opportunity to record their debutalbum “Bostin’ Steve Austin”. In fact, it already was a bit too late for the Birmingham-based quartet as even if the album is a gem of a nice commercial indiepunkpop only “Love is the slug” became a minor hit.
It’s difficult to say why then Fuzzbox were never taken seriously but if you’re listening to their music now, you’ll be aware of how innovative they were.
The album is over in 30 minutes and all you get are brilliant 3 minute punksongs that are both sexy as hell and enriched with nice guitars, and not forgetting…of course…the fuzzbox!
Later followed the album “Big Bang” but it was only the name that stayed because the sound they made in 1989 was far away from the stuff that was once be loved by Mr John Peel (“Rules and regulations” made the Festive 50 in 1986).
If you have difficulties finding this album, it was released by Cherry Red with additional tracks.

CLASSIC ALBUMS THE WORLD FORGOT Fischer Z - Red skies over paradise

It might sound strange to you that I add this album in such a section but judging on the fact that I see this album on every stable on every fleamarket, it definitely means the British post-punkband Fischer-Z are totally forgotten.
Personally I think it's a shame that this band will be eternally linked to "So long" which is of course a classic with a capital c, but the band did so much more...this album in fact.
Fischer-Z isn't some German thing but it's a term taken from statistics and no, I needed Google for that, mind you.
The British band started their career in 1979 and they released three albums (World salad, Going deaf for a living) and this "Red skies over paradise" which saw its release in 1981.
Sadly enough it also was the end of the band but musically there was an enrichment of their sound with the added synths that let them sound a bit like early Sound, and just like Adrian's band they also had a song included about missiles.
It's a pity the band gave up because a song like "Battalions of strangers" was a hint that they were more than just the British Talking Heads.
Their sound was very characterised by the voice of John Watts who went later solo and also fronted The Cry.
At the end of the 90's Fischer-Z decided to do a come back but as you can guess, or maybe as you know : it never was the same as before.
Pity, but if you're on a fleamarket take the album with though...

CLASSIC ALBUMS THE WORLD FORGOT Ultra Vivid SCene-Ultra Vivid Scene

When I was young (doesn’t mean that I’m old now) I used to have this habit to buy every release by different labels, 4-AD was one of them.
Regarding it now, it all seems a bit weird as after all it has more to do with collecting than the music itself but having said that, if you ask me to come up with one bad release from 4-AD it’d be a rather tough question.
One of those little bands that came to me was Ultra Vivid Scene. I remember those days when I saw Ultra Vivid Scene perform “The Mersey Seat” on Snub TV (perhaps the best musicshow the BBC ever had if you don’t count Whistle Test) and I immediately got hooked by these fuzzguitars that lend everything from Jesus & The Mary Chain.
Ultra Vivid Scene featured different bandmembers throughout their career but all by all it can be seen as the musical outfit from Kurt Ralske.
They never got big and after 3 albums the band split up, even if the duet with Kim Deal (Special one) was their moment of fame.
Despite their varied sound, it was clear that after the 2nd album “Joy 1967-1990” the thrill was gone. It never was so good as their debutalbum “Ultra Vivid Scene” that was released in 1998.
This whole album is a proof of a genius songwriter who could pack his music in a wall of sound, a pre-shoegazing album if you want. Funny thing, is that their sounds comes quite close to the newest darlings from 4-AD, Big Pink.
Apart from being a brilliant record, the sleeve is one of the most beautiful things Vaughan Oliver has done.

CLASSIC ALBUMS THE WORLD FORGOT The Beloved -Where It Is

Do you know The Beloved? "Of course we do, you silly Belgian, we danced the whole night to "Hello" and "The Sun Rising", do you think we're idiots?" I hear you say. And you're right but that was when The Beloved were a duo (John Marsh and Steve Waddington) and got bitten by the Madchester-scene.
When they started out in 1983, The Beloved were not only a quartet but they made totally different (better) music. Apart from some 12"inches (that are all included on here), the sole material they have is this album "Where It Is" that's been released on Flim Flam in 1989.
It was already back then a sort of retrospective because The Beloved were never praised (and later only by a handful of people) for their melancholic wavepop that came close to The Chameleons, New Order or even The Sound.
Dramatic lyrics, waveguitars, the usual 80's wave drummachine and melodies that stick in your head. It wouldn't surprise me that today the members see it as some sin of youth who are even ashamed of it. But if you're into 80's wavepop this album must be part of your collection though, one of the sounds that formed my youth...yeah, and see what has become of me...41 and bounded to a pcscreen mumbling about some obscure 80's band...

CLASSIC ALBUMS THE WORLD FORGOT Television Personalities-And don't the kids just love it

One of the most genius bands this world ever knew were without any doubt Television Personalities. It's difficult to say which style the Personalities were making but it's certainly a fact that, without wanting it I guess, they were one of the bands who created the founding stones for what once would be known as indierock. The later obsession from Creation-boss Alan McGee, says enough about that.
Television Personalities were a band who had every time a different line-up but the main characters were Dan Treacy and Edward Ball who left after 3 albums to form his own band, The Times.
After having released their legendary debut "14th Floor" and the "Where's Bill Grundy now"-EP the Television Personalities released their first album "And don't the kids just love it" (Rough Trade) with the well known Avengers on the cover.
This album features 14 classic tracks that can be best described as Billy Bragg with an upbeat-tempo. The similarities with Bragg aren't that silly cos just like the anarchic singer-songwriter the Personalities looked down on the cruel Thatcher politics.
This album features many timeless tracks like "I know where Syd Barret lives", "Silly Girl", "Geoffrey Ingram" or "Parties in Chelsea".
Sometimes a tear, sometimes a cry, sometimes a dance that's how you can describe Television Personalities. The last decades were for Dan a real nightmare, not only did he suffer many health problems but he was homeless for several times.
With Ed Ball it went a better way even if his solo-album (released on Creation) is one of the most overlooked albums ever. An album you can't live without it, at least I can't...

CLASSIC ALBUMS THE WORLD FORGOT Mercury Rev-Yerself Is Steam

Something I wanna do in this fanzine is featuring albums from which I think that they're a masterpiece but somehow the world seems to cease all interest. But that's the world, and the world always has been unfair...not that I think I'm better than the world, or am I?
Fifteen years ago there was a musicchannel called MTV. Funny I must add musicchannel cos now it's all Jackass, Pump my ride or any other stupid show that features the dumb ass from Paris Hilton.
There was also a musicprogramme around called "120 Minutes", later it became "Alternative Nation" and it was presented by Paul King (yes, the one from Love And Pride)and Miles Hunt. In these days they showed every week the most f***-up song I could think of these days, "Chasing a bee" by Mercury Rev.
Little did I know that eight years later this band should turn out to be one of the biggest American acts ever. But how great they are now, they never sounded so desperate as in those early days. "Yerself is steam" was their debut and kind of a cultsuccess, especially because of the appearance from singer David Baker. After the 2nd Mercury Rev-album "Boces", Baker got enough from their psychedelic outfits (the band sounded more and more like their friends Flaming Lips) and he formed Shady, but no one would listen.
"Yerself is steam" is after all these years one of my fave American records of all time, it sounds like the screaming help of an insane lunatic and when I saw Mercury Rev on stage I was kind of right by my opinion as Baker must be one of the weirdest people I ever saw, during the whole set as he was crawling on hands and knees through the public...imagine that!
If you think Mercury rev are the most bittersweet band ever, then check this one out!!!!