SOFT CELL
DEMO NON STOP - SBZ059CD -OUT NOW COLLECTION OF DEMOS FROM THE SESSIONS OF SOFT CELL’S MULTI PLATINUM DEBUT!! Non-Stop
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Erotic Cabaret was the first album released by the groundbreaking synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell, released in 1981 by Some Bizarre Records. The album's critical and commercial success was bolstered by the worldwide success of its single Tainted Love, a cover version of a little-known R&B song by Gloria Jones which topped charts worldwide and became the best-selling British single of 1981 in the United States. The album continued to produce a string of Top-5 singles in the UK, including "Bedsitter," "Torch," and the unapolagetically sentimental "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye." Now the newly resurrected Some Bizarre is releasing the best of the until now unreleased demos for the sessions of the album, including an early version of the hit single “Say Hello, Wave Goodbyeâ€. An essential addition to any Soft Cell, Grid or Marc Almond fan’s collection.
SOFT CELL
THE BEDSIT TAPES - SBZ046CD - OUT NOW
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Historical rare recording made between 1978 and 1982 by the now legendary 80’s electro pop group SOFT CELL!!! Originally, vocalist Marc Almond and synth player Dave Ball teamed to compose music for theatrical productions, and as Soft Cell, their live performances continued to draw heavily on the pair's background in drama and the visual arts. A self-financed EP titled Mutant Moments brought the duo to the attention of Some Bizzare label head Stevo, who enlisted Daniel Miller to produce their underground hit single "Memorabilia" the following year. This was the launch pad for the band to rise to international notoriety in their short and successful career. Sleeve notes: “I remember there was a little makeshift studio tucked away in the corner of Leeds Polytechnic Fine Arts department,the "studio" basically consisted of two Revox B77 quarter inch reel to reel tape machines,a funny old Tandberg reel to reel machine and a six channel line mixer.I had a Korg DV800 duophonic synth,(my first one) a couple of stylophones and eventually aquired a very basic drum machine.I used this set up to make weird little tunes up for reasons known only to myself(ie no reason). It was probably 1978 when Marc Almond;a fellow student happened to be walking by and heard these funny electronic bleeps and came into the studio to listen and asked if I would do some sounds for his performance art shows which I did. A year went by and we had started writing our idea of "pop songs" which we performed live at the Fine Art Xmas party.Before we knew it we had turned our "art pop" into "pop art" or maybe the other way round.†:- Dave Ball 6th June 2005
DAVE BALL - IN STRICT TEMPO
SBZ075CD
Release Date: 14.05.07
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British synthesizer player Dave Ball was one half of Soft Cell, along with Marc Almond, starting in October 1979. Before that duo broke up in December 1983, he made one solo album, In Strict Tempo. Originally released in 1983 the album was a leftfield masterpiece, featuring a plethora of guest musicians including GAVIN FRIDAY and the mercurial GENESIS P. ORRIDGE with Dave Ball acting as producer, multi instrumentalist and main vocals. The album was also mixed by enigmatic british producer FLOOD (known for his sucessful work with U2, DEPECHE MODE and SMASHING PUMPKINS).
Test Department
Release Date: 30 / 04 / 07 BEATING THE RETREAT - SBZ065CD THE UNACCEPTABLE FACE OF FREEDOM - SBZ064CD
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TEST DEPT contribution to the movie 2006 "The Year 2027, the last day of the Human Race, No Child has been born for 18 years. He Must Protect Our Only Hope - Universal Pictures. "Children of Men" Test Dept were an industrial music band formed in New Cross, London, by unemployed musicians (including Alastair Adams, Paul Jamrozy, Angus Farquhar, Graham Cunnington, Tony Cudlip, Toby Burdon and Paul Hines) from Glasgow, Scotland, where the band later re-located. Formed in 1981, they are hailed by many musicians as one of the most influential early industrial music acts. Their approach was marked out by a strong commitment to radical politics. Their discography spans a wide variety of influences and styles, including a collaboration with the South Wales Striking Miners Choir in support of the Miners' Strike of 1984. They were particularly notable for complex and powerful percussion, as well as high-energy live performances. Like the German band Einstürzende Neubauten, with whom they are often compared, Test Dept used unconventional instruments such as scrap metal and industrial machinery as sound sources; however, Test Dept's use of these objects was far more rhythmic than was Neubauten's, and was often accompanied by film and slide shows. Continuing the re-issue of their extensive back catalogue Some Bizarre present here 2 classic albums from the band’s 80’s incarnation. Both re-issued in Dig packs like the other releases on the label such as FOETUS and NEUBAUTEN. Essential for any collector of early industrial!!!
Swans
COP/YOUNG GOD/GREED/HOLY MONEY - SBZ047CD -OUT NOW AMAZING DOUBLE CD RE-ISSUE OF 4 SWANS EARLY ALBUMS!!!
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Crawling out of the same noisy, arty New York underground that sired SONIC YOUTH and LYDIA LUNCH, Swans created a dark, abrasive, murky, slowed-down noise rock that served as a starting point for their ruminations about alienation, depression, depravity, and the disturbing side of human nature. Singers Michael Gira and Jarboe have been the group's only constants over the years; Gira has taken the group from its early confrontational shock tactics to a more varied, mature attack. The band first appeared on record in 1982 with a self-titled EP, and these early releases document their search for the musical vocabulary to express their ideas effectively. Female singer Jarboe joined the group for 1986's Holy Money and brought a gentler, more relaxed dimension to Swans' sound. “The Swans are the only band in the universe. There is no other sonic experience of such incredible power and magnitude to be found anywhere. That is an absolute fact.†- ATTITUDE (USA) “Swans can confidently be described as nothing short of a miracle†- NME “Swans are like some elite combat group. Abandoning conventional concepts of pitch and melody, they strip rock and roll to the barest bones. Power, urgency, excitement. This is no pose†- THE VILLAGE VOICE The track “raping a slave†is included in Kurt Cobain’s handwritten journals as one of his top 50 tracks of all time.
Scraping Foetus off The Wheel
HOLE - SBZ052CD - OUT NOW
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NAIL- SBZ053CD - OUT NOW
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Re-mastered by SCOTT HULL (David Bowie, Herbie Hancock etc.) at Scott Hull Mastering Restored artwork in Digi pack format (under supervision of J.Thirwell himself) FIRST IN A SERIES OF DELUXE FOETUS RELATED RE-ISSUES In an age when terms like "alternative" and "independent" get bandied about corporate boardrooms as mere mass-market packaging slogans, it takes an artist as rare as Jim Thirlwell (FOETUS) to inject some meaning into what is so casually labeled "the underground." With his history of relentless aesthetic terrorism and committed cultural subversion, Thirlwell is one of the most independent thinkers on the music scene today, a much-needed alternative to "alternative rock" itself. Linking up with Some Bizarre in the early eighties Thirwell adopted the “Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel†moniker for the release of two of his most well know early albums “Hole†and “Nail†in ‘84 & ‘85 respectively. With a collision of electronics, tape loops and harsh beats and vocals these albums helped define the burgeoning underground industrial scene in London at the time. With lovingly restored artwork under direct supervision from Thirwell himself these two albums are now available in deluxe digi packs which do the original LP’s artwork justice like no CD issue has ever done. Both albums have also been re-mastered by SCOTT HULL (Herbie Hancock, David Bowie etc.) to bring out the best in these milestone releases freeing them from the bad CD mastering these titles have suffered from in the past.. These two CD’s are essential to any fan or curious music buyer. FOETUS reissued, starting October 23, 2006 Posted October 05, 2006 wassonii says: side-line has this to say from side-line: 1st reissue for Foetus back catalogue “Hole†is the first in a series of deluxe Foetus reissues on Some Bizarre. Linking up with the Some Bizarre label in the early eighties Jim Thirwell adopted the ‘Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel’ moniker for the release of two of his most well know early albums “Hole†and “Nail†in ‘84 and ‘85 respectively. With a collision of electronics, tape loops and harsh beats and vocals these albums helped define the burgeoning underground industrial scene in London at the time. For this reissue the material has been remastered and the artwork restored under direct supervision from Thirwell himself. man, i’m so broke right now, but this moves to near the top of i MUST have this. somebizarre Permalink Comments dj ivi says: “electronics, tape loops and harsh beats†those are the magic words for me! i am looking this album up! thanks! Posted wassonii says: I haven’t followed through with these particular rereleases, but read that through his site, thirlwell is offering a new album of reworked pieces and such from his most recent sessions. i think it was at brainwashed.com, but can’t swear to it. too, check out the music blog mutant sounds. deals with a lot of the musics that led to where foetus and others went and beyond. The Throne of Agony Posted September 24, 2006 sedagive says: Sometimes you have a staple in your musical pantheon that was a major influence, but has faded into a kind of personal obscurity. For some reason, you’ve let it slip away, despite its importance; or maybe it exists only in the form of a single over-listened track in a playlist or on a mix disc. Inevitably, you rediscover it and all that awesomeness comes flowing back into your ears (or lack of awesomeness – sometimes it’s not as great as you remembered it). Recently, I wrote a piece about “angry music,†in which the crown jewel was Anything (Viva!) by Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel. I was moved to revisit my collection, and rediscovered one of the most original, most caustic, and mostly forgotten artists of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Known under various and equally designed-to-shock names like “You’ve Got Foetus On Your Breath†and “Foetus Uber Alles,†Jim Thirlwell, aka Clint Ruin, creates a wall of cacophony in his music. But behind the madness is a distinct method. Foetus music is carefully crafted despite its noisy quality. It is also composed music in the classical sense, as there is a definite symphonic quality to it. And it is also angry, sarcastic and brilliant. The first thing you notice when listening to much of Foetus’ work is that you want to dance to it, but you can’t. It’s often nearly melodic, often be-boppy, but always bound for Hell on a rattling, out-of-control handcart. Thirlwell is considered by many to be a first rate composer, he just happens to use screeching metal, power tools, and other found noise as a complement to more traditional instruments. The discography is extensive, encompassing around 50 LPs and EPs. Other side projects include Steroid Maximus and Wiseblood, and one album with L.A. performance artist Lydia Lunch. He is still producing albums, with a decidedly more melodic edge in recent years, but his opus remains the album, Nail (1985). This is almost a concept album, opening with Theme from Pigdom Come, a cinematic instrumental, continuing to the masochistic Throne of Agony and ending with the megalomanic Anything (Viva!). Somewhere near the middle is a brilliant piece called Descent Into The Inferno that must surely be the top dance hit in the 8th ring. Foetus music is the absolute opposite of easy listening. It’s hard listening. You have to work to enjoy it sometimes. It can get hard to work your way past the pompousness and pretension, the painful slog through the self-flagellation of Jim Thirlwell’s tortured id. The reward, however, is a deeper look into the abyss than you ever thought you might take. Anger Mismanagement Posted September 10, 2006 TAGS: Artist: Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel Album: Nail Track: Anything (Viva!) Ministry, Rage Against the Machine, Rammstein sedagive says: When I was younger, I pretty much fit the stereotype of the “Angry Young Man,†so most of the music I listened to was what you might call “angry music.†In the ‘70s (the high school, god-aren’t-those-jocks-a-bunch-of-assholes years) it was Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, et.al. In the ‘80s (the art school, isn’t-reagan-a-dumbass-prick years), there was a lot of punk, goth, proto-industrial music – Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, The Cure, Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel, Husker Du. After that came the late ‘80s/early ‘90s (the god-what-was-I-thinking-how-the-hell-do-I-make-a-living-from
-a-fine-arts-degree years), there seemed to be plenty of angry music to listen to – the Seattle scene started taking off and for a while it was a sort of anything goes scenario – Soundgarden and Nirvana come to mind, naturally. Anyway, here is my current “angriest music†playlist, which I do not need to listen to nearly as much as I used to since marriage, fatherhood and a decent income have mellowed me (although there may actually be more to be angry about in this day and age than ever). Anger Mismanagement: A Perfect Circle – Judith Afghan Whigs – Debonair Big Black – Kerosene Black Angels – Young Men Dead Coal Chamber (with Ozzy) – Shock the Monkey The Crazy World of Arthur Brown – Fire Gob – Paint It Black GodSmack – Keep Away Gravity Kills – Guilty House of Freaks – Kill the Mockingbird Kittie – Brackish Linkin Park – Crawling LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out Ministry – So What Orgy – Blue Monday Rage Against the Machine – Bulls on Parade Rage Against the Machine – Killing in the Name Rage Against the Machine – Wake Up Rage Against the Machine – Testify Rage Against the Machine – Guerilla Radio Rage Against the Machine – Sleep Now In The Fire Rammstein – Du Hast Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel – Anything (Viva!) Soundgarden – Jesus Christ Pose Stephen Lynch – Bitch Tool – Sober Now, these are in alphabetical order for the sake of… well, order, I guess. But a word about a few of the selections here. First of all, yes, the list is heavy on Rage Against the Machine. Of course. They made a career out of making supremely angry music. Secondly, there’s not a lot of hip hop, much of which is very angry indeed. Black anger just isn’t my anger (but I don’t deny there’s plenty to be angry about in that musical genre’s base). It’s also a generational thing, I think. But how can you argue with the candid, smoldering moment in time, when you realize a relationship has disintegrated beyond repair, as in the Afghan Whig’s “Debonair?†“It’s locked it’s jaws and now it’s swallowing.†Or Big Black, arguably one of the angriest bands ever, in their tale of small town angst and isolation, in which they contemplate lighting each other on fire just to get some excitement. Rammstein – “Du Hast†means “You Hate Me†in German. ‘Nuff said. Arthur Brown is an oddity from the mid-to-late sixties who deserves an article all his own. His psychedelic “Fire†– sung with a flaming dish on his head – has the entirely campy yet dark “You’re gonna burn!†as it’s refrain. And finally, to top it all off, the two angriest songs on the list. The first is “So What†by Ministry, a searing, nihilistic tribute to thrill-killing and generational despair. The live version on “In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up†is the best. And at the absolute end of it all, Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel, aka just plain Foetus, aka about half a dozen other project names. “Anything (Viva!)†starts out gravelly and growling, with lots of Einsturzende Neubauten metal noise and miscellaneous cacophany, end ends in Lucifer conducting a symphony as the soundtrack for you smashing your car defiantly into the gates of hell. At least, that’s how I envision the crescendo ending of this amazing finale to the “Nail†album. I’m sure there are hundreds of equally hot-headed anthems for the disaffected out there. What are yours?
FOETUS - FINAL PARTS IN A SERIES OF DELUXE FOETUS RELATED RE-ISSUES - 'SINK' and 'THAW'
FOETUS - 'SINK'
Release date: 28.05.07
SBZ074CD
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FOETUS - 'THAW'
Release date: 28.05.07
SBZ054CD
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In an age when terms like "alternative" and "independent" get bandied about corporate boardrooms as mere mass-market packaging slogans, it takes an artist as rare as Jim Thirlwell (FOETUS) to inject some meaning into what is so casually labeled "the underground." With his history of relentless aesthetic terrorism and committed cultural subversion, Thirlwell is one of the most independent thinkers on the music scene today, a much-needed alternative to "alternative rock" itself.
Linking up with Some Bizarre in the early eighties Thirwell adopted the “Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel†moniker for the release of two of his most well know early albums “Hole†and “Nail†in ‘84 & ‘85 respectively (already re-issued by SOME BIZARRE this year!). Later adopting “FOETUS INTERRUPTUS†for the “THAW album in 1988 and “FOETUS INC.†for the “â€SINK†album (collecting together rare and compilation/collaboration tracks). With a collision of electronics, tape loops and harsh beats and vocals Foetus’ albums helped define the underground industrial scene in London throughout the eighties and has remained (if indirectly) a large influence on the scenes development. With lovingly restored artwork under direct supervision from Thirwell himself these two albums are now available in deluxe digi packs which do the original LP’s artwork justice like no CD issue has ever done. These two CD’s are essential to any fan or curious music buyer.
Einsturzende Neubauten
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FULL SOME BIZARRE BACK CATALOGUE RE-ISSUED FROM THIS LEGENDARY GERMAN EXPERIMENTAL BAND
Formed in 1980 EINSTUERZENDE NEUBAUTEN
(“Collapsing New Buildingsâ€) EINSTUERZENDE NEUBAUTEN
contribution to the movie's "Heat" - "The Insider" - "Day in the Life of David Gale" quickly gained notoriety for their unique use of Industrial sounds and electronics in their live shows, after releasing their first album the band signed to Some Bizarre for the production and release of their next four albums. All re-issued on deluxe digi packs these albums presented here represent the bands most popular period in the mid to late eighties. These are essential albums for any fan of the band or curious music fan looking to explore the creative heyday of the classic group or industrials most favoured period.
CURRENTLY working with:
The Grid
Soft Cell
Swans
The Dark Poets
ZGA
Scraping Foetus off The Wheel
Stitch
Meka
Monkey Farm Frankenstein
Test Department
Mainstream Distortion
Historical Rosta Includes:
The The
Cabaret Voltaire
Einsturzende Neubauten
Psychic TV
Artwork Courtesy Of www.darkmouth.com
and
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SOME BIZARRE RECORDS