Three for Thursday

Just three short ones today. I’ve been busy as hell as of late, but I know Brother Z is in transition, as they say, so I’ll try my best to carry on with some tasty musick. A change of pace from the last post. Will come up with something a bit beefier this weekend. Here are: a 12“ single; a so-called 12“ ep; & a real 12“ ep.

Cabaret Voltaire - James Brown b/w Bad Self(Part One) 12“ single

Cabaret Voltaire began in 1973 in Sheffield, England. They worked mostly with noise manipulation & processing. They were included with bands such as Throbbing Gristle at the time. Originally a three-piece with Richard H. Kirk (guitar & synthesizer), Stephen Mallinder (vocals & bass), & Christopher Watkins (keyboards & sampler). By 1984 when this single was released, Christopher Watkins had left the band to form The Hafler Trio with Andrew M. McKenzie & Cabaret Voltaire was moving toward a more commercial, rhythm-conscious dance oriented sound. The remixes of tracks from CV’s Micro-Phonies on this single are highly recommended.

On this recording, Cabaret Voltaire was: Richard H. Kirk & Stephen Mallinder along with Roger Quail (drums); Mark Tattersall (percussion); & Eric Random (tablas).

Year of Release: 1984
Label: Some Bizarre/Virgin CVS 4 12
Genre: Electro-dance

Tracklist:

Side 1 - James Brown [ We Toil to the Boil in run-out ]
Side 2 - Bad Self (Part One)[ What’s on Your Minds? in run-out ]

Download: Cabaret Voltaire - James Brown 12“ single
Download Size:33.159MB (ripped from vinyl at 320Kbps)

Machinations - Pressure Sway 12“ ep???

Next up is Sydney, Australia band Machinations. Although this is listed as a 12“ ep with three songs, I’ll be damned if this record has three songs. Side Two is listed as containing “Pressure Sway (Instrumental Version)” & “Push Bike”, but there is no bike, push or otherwise. So I guess this is really a 12“ single as well. Oh, well. Machinations was very popular in Australia in the indie-rock scene of the mid-80s. They also began as a three-piece with Fred Loneragan (vocals), Tim Doyle (guitar), & Tony Starr (keyboards & drum machine). They were then joined by Nick ‘Nero’ Swan on bass. After a charting single & a self-titled ep, the band signed with prestigious Mushroom Record's White Label. In 1983 the band again charted both in Australia (#21) & the U.S. (#40) with the song “Pressure Sway”. Fame was not due to follow, however, & they never really became a household name.

Year of Release: 1983
Label: A&M Records SP-12077
Genre: Electro-pop

Tracklist:

Side One: Pressure Sway (Extended Club Version)
Side Two: Pressure Sway (Instrumental Version)

Download: Machinations - Pressure Sway 12inch ep
Download Size:25.5MB (ripped from vinyl at 320Kbps)

Wreck - self-titled 12“ ep

Last is Chicago noise-rock band Wreck. A truly under-appreciated & overlooked band. Started by Dean Schlabowske (guitar & vocals), Keith Brammer (bass), & Bart Flores (drums). Dean later was in the Waco brothers, while Keith left after the first ep (for Die Kreuzen & Boy Dirt Car) & was replaced by Kurt Moore. The band recorded for WaxTrax! on their Play it Again Sam label, releasing two eps, a single, & one full length lp. Wreck was an oddity on Waxtrax!, who featured mostly industrial dance musick. Wreck seemed to have more in common with AmRep bands. Their sound was in a similar vein as Big Black. In fact legendary madman Steve Albini was at the production helm of all their releases.

Year of Release: 1989
Label: Play it Again Sam BIUS 3033
Genre: Noise-rock

Tracklist:

Side A
Song X
Cut Ups
Side B
Lac du Flambeau
We Know Everything

Download: Wreck - Self-titled 12“ ep
Download: 23.27MB (ripped from vinyl at 320Kbps)