In Celebration of Largesse...

A Book of Days for the Literary Year reminds us that on this day in 1374, the apparently very wise and equally thoughtful John of Gaunt awarded Geoffrey Chaucer an annual pension of £10 (or something on the order of 2,700 of today's dollars). I'm certain old Geoff shat a word salad, or at least dashed off a note to his nervous system to commence spasming...

Funky Terrorist - 5! 5! 5!

(1999, Dual Plover UQF-998, CD3; out of print.)

From the press release:

THE POWER OF POO POP

That's right, I said POO POP! What the hell is it, you ask? Well, that's best left to nu-skool girls on the block Funky Terrorist to explain. And who the hell is Funky Terrorist? They are part Phoebe Jeebe: former member of Sydney based experimental bass/synth combo Alternahunk and electronic group The Family with ties to Clan Analogue. They are second part Naoko: previously singing in Japanese psych-popsters Tiger Mad & The Strange Classics and working as a session muso before arriving in Australia three years ago to embrace our underground avant-garde scene. They have just released their debut EP 555 (funnily enough with five tracks on there) which comes in the form of 3" CD lovingly caressed by an oblong manga-ish booklet that spits in the eye of convention and revolutionises packaging aesthetics as we know it. Well, it's fun to play with...and it is released by our own Chef Boy-Ar-Dee of experimental/noise rock Lucas Abela on the ever surprising Dual Plover label, who is also planning on releasing a follow up to the excellent Rebirth Of Fool compilation. With a knack for a happy sugar-coated pop hook coupled with a warm affection for the wacky and the left-of-centre, they're one of a kind and you have no choice but to love them. They are Funky Terrorist.




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I loved this EP from the first second in. You might be able to find a used copy if you're lucky!


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Audio Arts - Accent for a Start

(1987, N Media W NMW 004 AA 006 LP, long out of print.)

Recorded, edited and produced by William Furlong and Michael Archer in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and London.



(Apologies for the puny thumbnail; I ripped the album from Rudolf Eb.er's personal archive but, alas, there was no scanner at the Schmipfluch compound at the time...)

Two descriptions:

This LP by Audio Arts arises out of a series of voice recordings made on the streets in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In combination with a number of environmental sounds from the same location, most notably the interior of the Tyne Bridge's South Tower, these recordings have undergone various musical and rhythmic treatments. Passers by were stopped at random in Newcastle's city centre and asked questions about their attitudes towards living in the North East and their perceptions of cultural, economic and social differences which might exist between the North and the South. Subsequently, key words, sentences and phrases were removed and orchestrated, in order to focus on and express specific issues and concerns within the material. As well as what is said, it is how things are said - that is, accent, humour and intonation - which has given rise to particular tracks on the LP.

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The Record explores the North/South divide through humour, wit, irony, pleasure, confrontation, anger and obsession. The material revolves around voice recordings gathered out on the streets in Newcastle Upon Tyne then orchestrated, and combined with various treatments and ambient sounds from the area. Tracks range from the austere and audially confrontational such as "Canny Place" and "Everything You Could Possibly Want" to the dance and disco rhythms of the weekend's celebratory release heard in "Uniform" and "Song for Edwina".


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(88 MB, ripped at 320 kbps from the original vinyl release and compressed to a zip file.)

Get it here.

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Cheers,

TS

Comments

Tom said…
I'm uncertain if praising the content and facilitating guerrilla distribution of a limited-run, long out-of-print, eight-year-old recording merits the response, but out of respect for the label, the link was removed.

(As the message was both anonymously sent and mis-spelled, I was somewhat doubtful of its veracity. Nonetheless, on general principles I deleted the URL.)

From my perspective, especially as one whose own recordings frequently appear on file sharing networks, I'm pleased when someone takes the initiative to place otherwise unavailable artifacts within reach.

Obviously, I only speak for myself.

Best,

TS

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