Not Rock On

As I will be away for a while here are the missing episodes of this wonderful series of compilations that really shows the diversity of 80s Indie music. All CD rips 192 kb, tracklists in the comments. I had to split most in two parts as they were slightly over 100 MB. Part 1 is on RS, part 2 is on Mediafire.

Indie Scene 1981 file 1

Indie Scene 1981 file 2




Indie Scene 1982 file 1

Indie Scene 1982 file 2



Indie Scene 1983 file 1

Indie Scene 1983 file 2



Indie Scene 1984 file 1

Indie Scene 1984 file 2


Indie Scene 1985 file 1

Indie Scene 1985 file 2

Indie Scene 1986

You find 1977 + 78 here and 1979 + 80 here

Labels: Compilations, New Wave + Indie

Posted by Jörg at 2/19/2007 10:30:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Here are two more of the double LPs with classic independent singles from 79 + 80, my two favorites of the series. The tracklists are in the comments!


Indie Scene 1979

Indie Scene 1980

You find 1977 + 78 here and the rest of the series here

Labels: Compilations, New Wave + Indie

Posted by Jörg at 1/31/2007 03:59:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

This is my last post for this year as I will spend Christmas with the family, and I neither have DSL nor my record collection there. I hope we will all have a peaceful Christmas and a good start into the New Year!

This is a collection of the rare B sides of the wonderful El Records records. Enjoy! And see you back in 2007 with lots of interesting music!

"El was the brainchild of Mike Alway, who envisaged a seamlessly artifactual indulgence/essay in façade; imagine an ambitious cultural montage drawing on references unheard of within the traditional scope of pop including food, travel, costume, leisure and sensuality. like the visual fantasies of the avengers and patrick mcgoohan's prisoner and using the recording studio as a time machine, el would simultaneously charm, educate, confuse and amuse. alway guessed from the outset that the ambition of the approach might fly over the public's head and his estimation proved to be absolutely accurate." (from their website)

El Records - The legendary B sides 1995 CD 1

El Records - The legendary B sides 1995 CD 2

Labels: Compilations, New Wave + Indie

Posted by Jörg at 12/20/2006 04:25:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

After the SARAH and Compact compilations here is more perfect POP!

EL RECORDS!

"el records is a world where The Avengers' John Steed forever seems to be creative controller and Emma Peel works the A&R department."Record Mirror
"The melodies, the phrasing, the enthusiasm and ambition are all here plus a mysterious sexuality, a tropic of Ruislip classy vulgarity."Andy Darling, Melody Maker, March 26 1988
"Mike Alway is that rare breed - a man who knows a record should always look good."Jane Solanas , NME, November 26 1988

El Records - Abracadabra 1992

Labels: Compilations, New Wave + Indie

Posted by Jörg at 12/20/2006 04:24:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Labels: Compilations, New Wave + Indie

Posted by Jörg at 12/20/2006 04:17:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

These two nice double LPs give a nice look of the above mentioned, nice singles from 77 and 78!
A great collection of compilations, more to come!

Indie Scene 1977

Indie Scene 1978

You find 1979 + 80 here and the rest of the series here

Labels: Compilations, New Wave + Indie

Posted by Jörg at 12/17/2006 01:40:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Everybody posts Christmas records, so I can't stand back. This is a wonderful X-mas record compiled by Dr. Demento. I had some nice moments with this music, I hope you will have too!

Nice tracks by Stan Freberg, Spike Jones, Allan Sherman, Tom Lehrer, Wild Man Fischer, Cheech and Chong, The Three Stooges and more!

Dr. Demento - Christmas

Labels: Compilations

Posted by Jörg at 12/16/2006 05:16:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I bought my first Sarah record from Malibu, a mailorder from Hamburg. Jackie Eldorado worked there too. I bought many records from them, but it is this one that I care about.

I first heard "Pristine Christine" on John Peel and loved it, the energy.
Then I wanted to find out more and "Shadow Factory" came. From then on I collected all the Sarah singles I could get my hands on. I have a few nice letters from Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes, the hands and brains behind SARAH.

Sarah 587 Shadow Factory

Watch this space for Sarah 7" in the future! (I am afraid this will take longer than expected, but do come back!)

As a bonus you get the very fine charity LP Becket House, featuring Brighter & Durutti Column. You can still donate to

Becket House,
Wardalls Grove
Avonley Road
New Cross
London
SE14 5ER

Becket House

Labels: Compilations, New Wave + Indie

Posted by Jörg at 12/15/2006 05:48:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

The dutch label Plurex released this LP in 1982.
A nice collection of rather dark Wave music, except the wonderful Dislocation Dance!

Plurex - Hours

Labels: Compilations, New Wave + Indie

Posted by Jörg at 12/15/2006 05:48:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

This was another important sampler for my musical education :


You will know some of the songs already as anonymous backdrop to something on TV. I bought it for the then horrenedous sum of 40 DM, because it was a japanese import. Nobody thought about the internet back then with everything available on your fingertips. But I never regretted any one of the DM I spent for these LPs!

Perfect french Pop by Antena, Kevin Hewick's Haystack! , DURUTTI COLUMN!, A Certain Ratio with Shack up, this took many years 'til it appeared on a compilation (or in this case a 7" with an LP), no words have to been lost for Paul Haig, Winston Tong, Lawrence Weiner (pretty weird), Anna Domino (fantastic!), Pleasure Ground and the Pale Fountains! Michael Head was such a genius!

Soft Verdict - Close cover - everybody knows this song as background to countless documentaries!
Anna Domino - Trust in love aka North and South and East and West
Pleasure Ground - Wait are excellent to prepare you for the Compact compilations!

You find the tracklist in the comments!

Coincidence vs. Fate 1
Coincidence vs. Fate 2

I just found out that two songs were not recorded correctly, so I did it again:

14 The Border Boys - Sorry

21 Paul Haig - Adoration

Labels: Compilations, New Wave + Indie

Posted by Jörg at 12/10/2006 11:30:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

With this post I want to start a new rallye of posts on great and influential compilations already started last post!
I start with Pillows & Prayers from Cherry Red ( I am not giving a direct link to them, maybe they would not like it...)
I was reminded again of this wonderful record by reading about it in old SCRITTI magazines from Hannover. After Sounds closed for miracolous reasons in 01/83 SCRITTI was an intermediate solution until SPEX was ready and also available in my region from 1985, unfortunately they did not last that long... , SCRITTI that was, SPEX is still alive, IS IT? (My subscription is running out in February...)
FAMEwas introduced! Great idea, I had just subscibed to SCRITTI, so I thought I had a new subscription, but there was only one mag delivered.
Threre were some interesting people involved in SCRITTI :
Tim Renner, Joachim Steinhöfel, a MartinF

Nevertheless P&P is a fantastic modern record containing something for everyone (unless you're a Hippie)
Five or Six, Monochrome Set, Thomas Leer, Tracey Thorn, Ben Watt, Kevin Coyne, Piero Milesi, Joe Crow, Marine Girls, Felt, Eyeless in Gaza, The Passage, Everything but the Girl, Attila the Stockbroker, The Misundestood, The Nightingales, Quentin Crisp

Pillows and prayers

Labels: Compilations, New Wave + Indie

Posted by Jörg at 12/10/2006 02:35:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

The Compact Organisation was something that had to be dreamed up! Perfect Pop Music for hip people! They made a big buzz in the early 80's but unfortunately they did not sell enough records... but still very influential samplers!
I still love the work of Tot Taylor (some of his albums may be posted here!).
Just enjoy this perfect POP!

A young person's guide to Compact

Compact Singles

Labels: Compilations, New Wave + Indie

Posted by Jörg at 12/07/2006 03:29:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

As I can't post in the next week here is something different, german popular music from the 30's and early 40's. Most songs are from movies from the UFA, the major studio in Germany. Many of the songs sound like everything was fun at the time, but you can not forget, that most jewish artists had to escape or were killed. Take the
Comedian Harmonists as an example. Formed in 1927 as a unique vocal ensemble and, after worldwide success, had to stop working in the original lineup after they were banned in Germany in 1934. The jewish members went to the USA and reformed with new members, the non-jewish did the same under the name 'Meistersextett'.
Some of the songs here were clearly propaganda and perseverence slogans, for example 'Ich weiss es wird einmal ein Wunder geschehen' (I know a miracle will happen) by Zarah Leander. But there also many nice love songs, novelty numbers, enjoy!

UFA-Schlager 1

UFA-Schlager 2

UFA-Schlager 3

UFA-Schlager 4

Labels: Compilations, German stuff

Posted by Jörg at 11/03/2006 12:45:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

This was a cheapo sampler from 1984 of (mostly) previously released material on the great ON-U label run by genius Adrian Sherwood.

Many tracks on ON-U featured the former Sugarhill backing band later also known as Tackhead, guitarist Skip McDonald, bassist Doug Wimbish and drummer Keith LeBlanc, completed by singer Bernard Fowler.

You can find more info on Skysaw's ON-U fan site with lots of information on the label and the artists and all the rhythms. This is a german site on ON-U .

V. A. - Pay It All Back Vol. 1

Unfortunately this link is no longer available and even more unfortunately I do not have a copy of this file! Grrrr... If anybody has a copy he found here, please let me know by posting a comment to the newest entry to this blog, so I can update this post for everyone and myself. I am not too keen on ripping several records again...


The second volume is from 1988 and features among others Reggae legends Lee Perry, Bim Sherman and Prince Far I, three of the great voices of Reggae and Dub.

This LP has more electronic flair to it, yet still keeping the trademark ON-U sound of Reggae and Dub plus that extra bit of weirdness/charme/genius, that makes these songs stand out.

V. A. - Pay It All Back Vol. 2

Labels: Compilations, On-U Sounds +

Posted by Jörg at 10/01/2006 02:11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

This is a Sampler by Cherry Red from 1981, showing artists as various as Ben Watt and Lol Coxhill!

Claire Thomas & Susan Vezey - Bright waves
Matt Johnson - What Stanley saw
Virgin Prunes - Third secret
Lol Coxhill - The calm
Lemon Kittens - In wooden brackets
Eyeless In Gaza - You frighten
Kevin Coyne - Hello Judas
Mark Perry - Dear, dear
Ben Watt - Departure
Two Daughters - Return call We are
Kevin Harrison - People in space
Thomas Leer - Kings of Sham
Five Or Six - Folded
Morgan-Fisher - Foreign correspondent
Robert Fripp - Remorse of conscience
A Tent - No way of knowing
David Jackman - Untitled

Perspectives and Distortion 1981

Labels: Compilations, New Wave + Indie

Posted by Jörg at 9/21/2006 10:39:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post