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The tracks posted right now are from the 1979 YMCA gig. The lot was drawn for instruments. This is what you get!! + two tracks from the classic "Fire From Heaven album"!
Click Here for Mark Perry
Born out of frustration with the way things were. In Mark Perrys own words, January 1996
"I rejected punk's restrictive format and took ATV into a direction that was more like free form jazz than the three chord thrash. Some critics despised the change, a few applauded it. I didnt give a shit. As far as I was concerned, it was my band and I could do what I wanted with it. Miles Copeland (my manager at the time) still talks about the day thet I first played him 'Vibing...', he sat there aghast thinking it was some sort of joke until he realised that I was deadly serious. 'Vibing ...' had, and still has a clarity that I could never acheive within the confines or the traditional rock sound. Punk inspired me but I could never let it constrain me. 'Vibing ...' is all about me and my life - wierd, stark and sometimes even embarassing. I wanted people to like the album because I guess I wanted them to like me. The real me, not Mark P Punk prophet, but me that lurks behind all the bullshit. I thought that people would appreciate my honesty but most rejected it, perferring the safe world of pop-punk. I still think that 'Vibing ...' is a classic punk album because it takes it into truly chaotic territory - witness the brooding 'The Radio Story' for proof. To me, punks only boundaries are the ones that have been set up in peoples closed minds. Punk became the new rock music."
Toured with the Pop Group in 1979, and varios gigs around London.
HEARD THE ONE ABOUT THE GOOD MISSIONARIES
London Empire Ballroom
Opening the procedings, The Good Missionaries were just ridiculously good. The wise addition of Henry Badowski on drums / percussion has lent an all-important binding factor to the sound; where at Greenwich, the sound was perhaps too de-centralised, now the output is far more solid, far more tangible, most importantly, this Empire Ballroom performance demonstrated perfectly adequately that Marc Perry has the proverbial finger on the button: so much so that "people"" just can't come to terms with the fact. Alternative TV were bound and gagged by "image" and "reputation" none of which was of their own making. Now in 'The Good Missionary', he sings "Smash Alternative Television" and he does just that.
Instruments are literally raffled and swapped throughout, between Perry himself and Dave George, whose role within The Good Missionaries is becoming progressively more functional and active: his incensed contribution to 'The Force Is Blind' is nothing less than crucial . . . . and the following rocker 'Lost In Room', allowshim space to concoct simplistic, cutting guitar lines. It climaxes chaotically.
Also present . . . Dennis Burns, seated, creating rumbling bass undercurrents, striving to fold himself into the background . . . and Gillian, occasional vocals, she stands with hands thrust into pockets and appears somewhat unsure, though she had only "joined" a matter of days previously.
'Release The Natives' is stark, more aggressive than on the album; there's also a stripped down 'Nasty Little Lonely' which stems into improvised areas, fixing and astounding.
And finally the masterstroke. For 'The Good Missionary', Sam, Mandy and Simon from the Transmitters stroll onto the stage, as does Genesis P Orridge, who takes over the drum seat. Drums, sax three guitars, two basses, keyboards . . . the sound is massively stirring and dense. Destroying his own "heritage", Perry guides the unit through self-destruct re-vamps of 'Action Time Vision', 'How Much Longer'. 'Action time Banana . . . and the onstage glee is automatically injected into the crowd.
The Good Missionaries project is steadily becoming more self-assured, more positive, more radical. Gradually the name Perry is becoming less synonymous with The Good Missionaries: the frontiers are being broken down step by step, This was some performance, That's beyond contention.
Chris Westwood, Record Mirror, May 19 1979.