It's Immaterial

In 1981 It's Immaterial recorded their first session with John Peel. The Liverpool based band formed by former members of pub rock band Yachts and made a fine combination of post-punk and pop. I almost forgot them when I saw that they were featured on a sampler about Liverpool's new sound of the early 80's. Still a band that was underrated and didn't got the acclaim they should have. In better times with less other big bands around in their times they would be great.

It's Immaterial - A Gigantic Raft
It's Immaterial - Imitate The Worm
It's Immaterial - White Man's Hut

Disco Not Disco

In the early 80's New York was the melting pot where a different kind of disco music could grow. It was the hottest music beyond punk and new wave in these days. Sadly a lot of people missed this fantastic sound because only a few DJ's got the intuition of this kind of music and the dance floors weren't ready for them. It was called by the press as No Wave or dance punk but it was essential  club music with it's roots in funk, dub, reggae, Afrobeat and punk. Most songs were based on a floor of a great bass guitar with a straight rhythm and danceable. A few years ago a compilation was released with songs from this time and genre and named Disco Not Disco. A few days ago another compilation was released and also filled with gems from these days. If you listen to the songs they made decades before you can imagine where many DJ's went to school.

Liquid Liquid - Cavern
Shrieback - My Spin (Is A Bassline)
Delta 5 - Mind Your Own Business

Back To The Days Of Glam

When we remember the days of glam we also will remember a few one-hit wonders from this age. Alvin Stardust with his retro-styled Rock 'n' Roll attitude and Gary Glitter with his dazzling glam outfit were those who made me to investigate for the originals they copied. In my very younger days I liked to watch them on TV and they were a kind of hero for a summer until I got involved to the originals they copied for their sound.

Black Is The Night

Like every year in the last months the record companies release best of compilations by any band they could. But this year a lot of releases are about the 40th anniversary of records from 1979 or to celebrate some bands that used to big or named 40 years ago. So it happened a few weeks ago with an anthology of The Stray Cats and a few days ago one by The Damned. They were not the best one around these days but a few of their singles are far over the average and hymns of my very younger days and still worth to bring back to your memories of times long gone by. I am sure everyone has his own memories when you listen to this great moments in history of punk and how The Damned faced the new spirit in new music.

The Damned - Neat Neat Neat
The Damned - Problem Child
The Damned - New Rose
The Damned - Wait For The Blackout

Monday's Long Song

One of the most covered songs in history is Norman Whitfield/Barret Strong's I heard it through the grapevine. First released by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles in 1966 many artists covered this song more or less successful. In 1970 Creedence Clearwater Revival released a version on their album Cosmo's Factory. This album was a million seller almost 50 years ago and it also was played often when I was much younger. I really liked the way they played their unique kind of a swampy blues-rock and it is always a pleasure coming back to the music of my later childhood.

Creedence Clearwater Revival - I heard it through the grapevine

Priestess

The recent days I heard about the new album by Pumarosa, another band from London. I got aware of them a few years ago when they released their last album. I don't know the whole album but there was one song that I played often in these days and I ask myself why I Priestess didn't appear on this site until know. The band call their sound Industrial Spirit but for me it is like Siouxsie singing on an magic dance track with the help of tempered electric guitars.

And for those who want to know how they sound a few years later - here is their newest single:

Ghost Box

The news that New York based band SUSS is going to release a new album made to listen to their debut album released one year ago. The music is hard to describe but ambient country music comes very close to it. The quintet is led by Bob Holmes a multi-instrumentalist and member of a cowpunk band called Rubber Rodeo. All the members of the band had worked with different artists like B 52's, Lydia Lunch, David Bowie, John Cale, Burt Bacharach and many others. SUSS once asked What would it sound like if Brian Eno had produced the Western film scores of Ennio Morricone? Certainly like SUSS but I can also hear a bit of Boards of Canada in their music. The songs are quiet and slow but showing great musicians doing a fantastic job.