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‘Machines’ UK compilation LP (Virgin, V2177, 1980)

‘Machines’ was a compilation album from late 1980 that showcased a few of the Virgin records/DinDisc roster, while also including a smattering of established names (Gary Numan/Tubeway Army, John Foxx, Human League, Fad Gadget, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) and up-‘n’-coming names too (Henry Badowski/Karel Fialka/Silicon Teens/Thomas Leer). The Virgin records contingent was a mite biased perhaps, with two names in particular seemingly odd bedfellows for such an obviously ‘synth’ themed compilation, namely XTC and PiL.

'Machines' compilation album front cover design
^ ‘Machines’ compilation album front cover design

‘The Somnambulist’ by XTC first appeared on the double-pack 7″ single for their ‘Generals and Majors’ single from earlier in 1980. It drifts along nicely and is in stark contrast to the abrasively jangly guitar-packed and drum-propelled stuff that the rest of the ‘Black Sea’ album was hewn from. At the time, the main point of interest for the compilation was the previously unreleased ‘Pied Piper’ by Public Image Limited (PiL) – a short, fairly noisy piece that probably fits closer to the ‘The Flowers of Romance’ style (which was of the compilation’s period, though not released until the Spring of 1981), the one and only piece recorded with the late Steve New as part of a short-lived dalliance with PiL. (See the Flowers of Romance Wikipedia entry.) This track eventually resurfaced in the late ’90s on PiL’s ‘Plastic Box’ compilation of CDs. Continue reading “‘Machines’ UK compilation LP (Virgin, V2177, 1980)”

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Button badge goodness: Siouxsie and the Banshees

A few more helpings of new wave button badge goodness to tide over the festive season… this time around some vintage goodies from Siouxsie and the Banshees. All of these are from the period, not later reprints (which I always find a massive disappointment when I come across them on eBay – or is that just me?) The rectangular oblong one has seen better days and the plastic encasing the image has started to discolour now – it has seen a lot of service on my jacket lapels in the past though! A couple of the others are printed on foil instead of plain paper and naturally catch the light and the eye that bit better.

Siouxsie badge, circa 1982
^ Siouxsie badge, circa 1982

Continue reading “Button badge goodness: Siouxsie and the Banshees”

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Button badge goodness: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)

There have been some great posts over at the PostPunkMonk and The Never Ending Search for the Perfect Beat blogs recently focusing on new wave era badges. Coming somewhat late to the party but keen to get in on the act, I present here a selection of OMitD badges from my collection – thought I’d do them justice and add something of a Peter Saville / Ben Kelly vibe to the backdrops!

OMitD badge - first album 'lozenge' grid pattern in grey plastic

Probably my favourite one because it is so unusual – clearly modelled after the original limited edition first album sleeve, this is grey plastic with the the ‘lozenge’ holes. Came across it on The World’s Biggest Online Junk Cupboard – ie, eBay! Continue reading “Button badge goodness: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)”

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Win: ‘Unamerican Broadcasting’ custom sleeve promo 12″ single (Swamplands, SWX 5, 1985)

Sometime after Davey Henderson had ceased on his mission to lubricate your living room and the Fire Engines had stalled, he ponied up with new outfit, ‘Win’, which I rank in my top three Scandalously Neglected Acts Of The ’80s and who also hold the dubious accolade of being The Band I Spent The Most Money On A Single CD On for when I simply, positively, definitely, absolutely had to scratch that materialistic itch and possess the shiny, silvery disc of ‘Uh! Tears Baby’. If you are unfamiliar with Win (and it would not be difficult, regardless of their swagger, given the lack of commercial success they enjoyed despite the music machinery’s best efforts to Re-issue Till We Got The Message And Bought The Damn Thing with ‘You’ve Got The Power’), their confections of delicious, sugar-thrill, polished to perfection ramshackle pop, wrapped in the then relatively fresh packaging garb of über-corporate irony, certainly appealed to yours truly, if not the greater populace. But before producer David Motion had brought the same gleaming machine-finish that he had squeezed and primped Strawberry Switchblade into for Win’s ‘Shampoo Tears’, ‘Super Popoid Groove’, et al, their first release was the rougher-cut ‘Unamerican Broadcasting’. And this short but sugary sweet post shines a light on the curious custom sleeve promo copy I came by back in the day in the second-hand bins and which, until this last weekend, I had never seen another copy of knocking around.

Win 'Unamerican Broadcasting' custom promo 12 inch single front sleeve design
^ Win \’Unamerican Broadcasting\’ custom promo 12 inch single front sleeve design

Continue reading “Win: ‘Unamerican Broadcasting’ custom sleeve promo 12″ single (Swamplands, SWX 5, 1985)”

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John Foxx and the Maths live in London, October 2011

The seemingly evergreen Mr Foxx shows no signs of slowing down his progress and work rate and was in fine form this week, in the company of the Maths, judging by the two live shows in London that I managed to catch, part of a larger UK tour. The first two live outings for the Maths featured a larger complement of members, but these shows have seen a four-piece grouping with the core Maths duo of Foxx on vocals and keyboards along with Benge on electronic percussion (a great set of shiny red Simmons drum pads) and keyboards, joined once again with Serafina Steer (keyboards, bass guitar and backing vocals) plus new member Hannah Peel providing keyboards, violin and backing vocals.

John Foxx
^ John Foxx

First up it was evident that the band themselves were clearly really enjoying the event, which always makes a difference, smiles all round at times. A very ‘live’ experience, for sure. The addition of Hannah Peel’s violin in particular has brought another dimension to old favourites such as ‘Plaza’ and ‘He’s A Liquid’. The set list itself was largely from the ‘Interplay’ album, almost all of it played, plus a track from the just released second album from the Maths (‘The Shape of Things’), ‘The Shadow Of His Former Self’. Along with this were a fair few from Metamatic and some Ultravox! numbers such as ‘Hiroshima Mon Amour’, ‘Dislocation’, et al. Continue reading “John Foxx and the Maths live in London, October 2011”