Side 1
01. Two minutes later - The Disney Razors
02. Studio animals - R. Stevie Moore
03. Jesus rocks - R. Stevie Moore
04. A frozen Glance - S. Core
05. Substructure - S. Core
06. Trin. lopez - Yeah Yeah Noh
07. Poker chip - White boy
08. Shades of light - Webcore
09. I wanna be on 'Lost in Space' - Richie Hass + The Beatniks
10. Wind song III - L.J. Treanor
11. Bodega Bay - The Swimming Mannequins
Side 2
12. B.F.I - Richie Hass + The Beatniks
13. Theme - Jesus Couldn't Drum
14. It was clearly the belgian who tampered with the sardine - Push Button Pleasure
15. True romance at the world's fair - Algebra Suicide
16. Horizontal - Fritz Gosh and the Goshbrokers
17. Hello condemnation - Rich Cuevas
18. Tom and Jerry (one twist of the head to the right is equalled by one twist to the left) - Robert Cox
19. At the discotheque - The Wimps
20. Rococo rock - Paul Johnson
21. The seven wild cucumbers - Yukio Yung
22. Carnival time - The Lunatic Fringe
All of these tracks were written by the artists in question with the following exceptions: 'Trini Lopez' was written by Hammond, Grayland and Jenkins, 'poker chip' was written by Ott/Whipp, 'It was clearly the belgian...etc' was written by Yung/Pad, 'Horizontal' was written byJ. Ashurst, 'True romance...' by Tomkin/Hedeker, 'at the disco' by Illegible, and carnival time by Trev Faul and someone else whose name I've forgotten. Everything is published by Octagonal Rabbit Music except: 'Trini Lopez' (copyright control), 'Shades of Light' (copyright control), 'I wanna be Lost in Space' + B.F.I.' (Richard Hass music (BMI)), 'Jesus Couldn't Drum' (mono music), "Hello Condemnation" ((c) Rick Cuevas), "At the Diso..."(copright control), 'Rococco Rock' ((c) Paul Johnson). Boy was that a bit boring? Yep.This compilation was conceived and executed by me, Alan Jenkins, not bad huh? The 'Now' label can't make a better one, but then again - credit where it's due - they are limited to the top 40. A Cordelia records catalogue can be obtained by sending an SAE and a Sampler Cassette by sending 50p (Foreign people can send IRC's English banknotes, foreign bank notes as long as there's enough money to cover the bank's commission, or goods such as alcohol, firearms and ammunition, girls, and cat food, - but it must be good cat food e.g. Whiskers or similar. Don't send cats or other animals; except photographs or video tapes of them - but they must be live ones. No video tapes of royal occasions or old vans. erm.....what else ?... don't forget...send large amounts of money to Cordelia Records as soon as possible...
If magnetic tape had been invented two hundred years ago, Vincent Van Gough would have spent all his time recording experimental music instead of painting pictures. He would have been rejected by all the major record companies and he would have ended upon on Obscure Independent Classics. Then he would have gone mad, cut his ear off and killed himself. Thus here we are on the back of Obscure Independent Classics Volume Three, another haven for crazy genii who have been rejected by major record companies because they are too creative, imaginative, and revolutionary. Well, that's the way I see it . oh shut up. If you are in a record shop at the moment you will now buy this record; you will take it home and play it and you will enjoy it more than almost any other record you've heard recently. Otherwise you should flush your brain down the toilet. So....let's see now....what can one say about the people on this record?....
THE DISNEY RAZORS need absolutely no introduction whatsoever. None. This group are so self explanatory that there is very little point in writing anything at all about them. It would be a complete waste of time to say anything at all by way of explanation. No explanation in respect of this is group would convey any information at all which isn't totally obvious in any case. An explanation here would be superfluous and unecessary and perfidious. No, not perfidious...wait a minute...er...there's a forthcoming Cordelia L.P. (not the last time you're going to hear that). Jesus Christ
R STEVIE MOORE is one of the most talented people in the world ever. He writes brilliant songs and he's an incredibly good singer and guitarist. No I don't owe him money. This segment comes from a forthcoming Cordelia L.P. He's made about 200 cassettes over the last 30 years and you can buy them all if you want to. Calm Down. Whenever someone puts out an L.P. for him he compiles it from the best of his cassettes. The Cordelia one will make seven. They are all brilliant. Let's talk about something else, this is becoming embarrasing.....
YUTAKA TANAKA is the man behind S.CORE. A Japanese experimental music person. He's released three cassettes on his "Afflict" label. At this very moment Yutaka is compiling "Obscure Independent Classics Volume Four", which is going to made up entirely of Japanese bands. This will be Japan's finest contribution to world culture since Pearl Harbour. Ha Ha. Sorry about this Zoogz + Laura
We now have an exclusive item by YEAH YEAH NOH, an interesting 60's type group who unfortunately gave up just as they were learning to put a decent song together because John Peel didn't like their debut L.P. But I'll let John Grayland (their guitarist) carry on in his own words...."Trini Lopez was probably the first thing we ever wrote. The riff was thought up by Alan Jenkins (Hello-ed) Get lost. , Graham Summers and me when we tried to come up with 7 songs in an hour in a rehearsal studio so Derek could write some words. It doesn't really have a tune and I think Derek's a bit embarassed by the words now, but at the time In Tape wanted to release it as our first single instead of "Cottage Industry" which shows what abysmal taste they've got." YEAH YEAH NOH are currently sueing In Tape - but then they were always influenced by the Beatles.
I don't know anything about WHITE BOY. Great This track got on because Trev Faull gave it a rave review in his "Outlet" magazine. Trev Faull is one of the people behind THE LUNATIC FRINGE. You should write to him to get a copy of "Outlet" which is a totally fascinating magazine . It has a much better perspective on music than anything else I've ever read, even this ? and it always has nice things in it about Cordelia records. Anyway, WHITE BOY are Mr. Ott and Jake Whipp. This was their single. WEBCORE come from Cornwall. They run a label called "A Real Kavoom". This is one of their less commercial tracks. They're gigging in London a lot at the moment. Write for their catalogue and their sampler tape.
RITCHIE HASS and the BEATNIKS live in Los Angelese. They've made some cassettes. Ritchie Hass is also the drummer in Zoogz Rift's band (see OIC 1). This stuff is Zappa influenced only a bit more garage band like. It's a pity they can't play live in Britain, the live tape sounds good.
JESUS COULDN'T DRUM have just changed their name to THREE ORANGE KISSES. This is their theme tune. Jonathan Staines, show wrote this song, told me that it was influenced by a song called "God" by the Deep Freeze Mice (See OIC 1). This JCD, not DFM group will shortly be too famous to be on this L.P. and you will have to scrape this track off with a razor blade when this happens. If yo uare smart you will write to find out how to obtain their L.P. "Er....something about cows" which is really jolly good.
PUSH BUTTON PLEASURE's track is from a forthcoming L.P. on Hamster Records (See OIC 2). PBP are Yukio Yung (of whom more later) and Melvyn Z. Pad (who was the first man to ride from Land's End to John O'Groats on a unicycle). There are about oh...2 or 3 PBP L.P's out on Hamster. You can get these. If you don't have the intelligence to do this then we don't want you listening to music of this quality in any case etc etc etc etc....
ALGEBRA SUICIDE have been on every L.P. of this kind that's ever been made. Also they have made two e.p.s which contain four tracks each much like this one. They are a husband (the music) and wife (the words) team.
FRITZ GOSH and the GOSHBROKERS (alias J. Ashurst and his portastudio) sent in one of the best demo tapes we've ever had, of which this is a sample. I don't think he's ever released a tape commercially but it might be worth writing if you want to hear some more.
RICK CUEVAS is a Lennon influenced Californian, (although this one sounds a bit like Elvis Costello). This is a track from one of his solo L.P.s. He's also made L.P.s. with Zru Vogue. What else ? Joy Crick is on backing vocals and the producer is Doug Hopping (at Suite 17 studios, Sunnyvale, California in 1984.)
I wrote about THE WIMPS on OIC 2. So I won't do it again. Hell. Who do you think I am ? This track was their second and final single. Its a pity they didn't make any more records - although they did mention something about some unreleased material dating back to the late 70s. Who knows. Perhaps it'll surface. Perhaps I'll surface it. Perhaps I'll send a metaphorical ferret down its hole and drive it to the surface, bleeding and Get on with it. muddy and expose it to the light of day. Perhaps the centuries of..... er........to get back to the present record...
ROBERT COX is the man behind Rimarimba. He is producing the most interesting computer music currently being made. Here's some of it now. Brilliant isn't it ? Should be more famous than Philip Glass. There are three Rimarimba L.P.s. available from Cordelia. Also see OIC 1. Also watch out for his masterpiece "Chicago Excretion Death Geometry", a forthcoming Cordelia release.
PAUL JOHNSON is a 60's surfing legend. (He wrote Mr. Moto). Now, however, he runs a label which is specialises in high quality cassettes of instrumental music. This track, for instance, he played entirely by himself accompanied by a linn drum. You should write for a brochure full of fascinating historical details, - he turned down an opportunity to join the Beach Boys - and also Paul Johnson's tapes. There's lots of other interesting things to say about this track. But I won't. I'm beginning to get bored with this sleeve note business. If I wanted to be a writer I would have been born Ernest Hemmingway wouldn't I ? Sorry about that Paul I made a bit of a mess of your bit.
YUKIO YUNG hasn't even recorded his track yet, let alone sent it in. God knows what he's going to come up with. If there isn't a track by him at all - then he didn't make the deadline. Anyway. What can I tell you about YUKIO YUNG ? Buy his Cordelia Records L.P. "The tree climbing goats", it's lots of fun. Oh yes - he once became King of Estonia due to a clerical error. It says here.
THE LUNATIC FRINGE is Trev Faul (see above) and someone else who's name escapes me. what??? This is an extract from one of his cassettes. I refuse to write anything else I'm going home now. ??
L.J. TREANOR is a violin player from Leamington Spa who's interested in textures. He arrived at this kind of music after playing every other kind of music first apparently. This was part of another of our best ever demo-tapes. He has supplied a quotation which he says is appropriate to this work "See deep enough and you see musically; the heart of nature being everywhere music." (Carlyle.) ah.
THE SWIMMING MANNEQUINS may easily be the best Swiss punk band (if they're a punk band at all). I think they may have broken up by now, or at least changed their line up, or something like that. This is a very good song. Don't think there is anything else I can tell you about them. Oh well.There - I think I managed to exclude any bits of actual information which may have otherwise crept in A.J.
Alan Jenkins September 1986
01. THE CHRYSANTHEMUMS - Moral Statements are Personal Manifestoes
10. SCUM AUXILIARY - Con/Text 119
So, with the usual paroxysms of sartorial proclivity well and truly laid aside, let's commence with an in-depth examination of those wacky, spaced-out, fun loving kids THE CHRYSANTHEMUMS. Yukio Yung (an Englishman who thought it was amusing to have a silly name), Vladimir Zajkowiecz (a Latvian who thought it was normal to have a silly name) and Alan Jenkins (a Brazilian who thought it was embarrassing to have a silly name and so changed it for an English one) combined to form what one prominant rock journalist described as 'the first anti-establishment super-group'. There was a fourth member, drummer Geraldine Minou-Sullivan: she departed at the end of 1987 to pursue a successful career as a 'page-three' model. Their debut LP Is that a fish on your shoulder or are you just pleased to see me? released last year on the Eggplant label, has been acclaimed as a work of some substance by most right-thinking people. Sadly, since the record buying public comprises very few right-thinking people, the album only sold four copies. Underterred, however, the Chrysies have remained in relentless pursuit of pop superstardom and have recorded a double LP collection entitled Little flecks of Foam around Barking, to be unleashed in the middle of 1988. It won't, though, be including this version of their unsuccessul 1987 Eurovision song contest entry 'Moral Statements are Personal Manifestoes, which tells the moving story of the ill-fated love of a Latvian peasant girl for the village tractor driver.
ASMUS TIETCHENS is one of the most prolific characters on the European avant garde scene. He's worked with such luminaries as H J Roedelius and Dieter Moebius (aka Cluster), done all the usual rock 'n' roll things, like giving taped concerts of Brazilian universities, and he's also recorded numerous albums of his own work. In 1986, Hamster issued the first of a four-part series: his collaboration with Terry Burrows, Watching the Burning Bride. Tietchens claims now to have abandoned totally the use of musical instruments and other modern devices like the good old Fairlight; he has developed a new recording concept involving thought-transference and balls of wool... or something... But seriously folks, his dark, atonal experiments stand out clearly in a musical area often seemingly inhabited by mindless, humourless idiots flirting with fascist/SM imagery. I believe this man is a TRUE artist.
The same can, I think, also be said of New Yorker Paul Lemos who, along with Joe Papa and Chris Moriarty has conspired to bring to the planet CONTROLLED BLEEDING. They've been around for several years, and have had at least four LPs issued by various labels in the US and Europe. Over that period the scope of their music has gradually broadened from industrial to include the likes of jazz and opera, some of it even approaching commercial accessibility - though, that's not to say that they'll necessarily be giving Madonna a run for her money. The track here is a really good one. Unfortunately, I don't know what it's called: in an act of hitherto unknown unprofessionalism, the accompanying letter was mislaid. I guess you could always find out by writing to them at: 54 Locust Street, Massepequa, New York 11758, USA.
By the time you read this, BILL PRITCHARD will probably be a bigger household name than 'fridge-freezer' or '13 amp fuse'. This talented little bugger writes thoughtful songs that sometimes touch the gentle greatness of Nick Drake. An interesting feature of Bill's writing is his occasional tendancy to slip into French and German, grappling with miserable old sods like Bğll or Borchert in the process. Miraculously, he usually manages this without sounding too pretentious! He's made two LPs for the Third Mind label: Half a Million, from which this track, 'Baby Blond', is taken, is quite magnificent... well, the other one might be, too, but I've never heard it...
Then we have the very strange case of KAORU HIROSE, a Japanese lady who now lives in California. Formerly, she recorded mega-production pop music for RCA Tokyo. Unfortunately, this wasn't really where her interests lay, so, in an act of supreme integrity, she packed it all in to begin producing epics like this track 'Dah-may-yoo'. The man man from Del Monte (well, Hamster, really) liked it so much that later on in the year (if he doesn't go bankrupt) he'll be releasing an, as yet, untitled album of her work... and it's pretty damned weird stuff, too!
I'm not even going to bother telling you everything you wanted to know about R STEVIE MOORE. If you're still unaware of his genius through the seven or eight LPs and 200-odd cassettes he has available then, quite frankly, you don't deserve to live.
Controversy surrounds '
TARGET HEROES is a long-standing collaboration between Yukio Yung (see The Chrysanthemums) and Steve Xerri (former vocalist with, now sadly defunct, Cambridge band and former John Peel faves, Perfect Vision). This track, 'Angel in the House, dates back to 1983. Xerri handled the vocals, lyrics and percussion and Yung, the guitars and synthesiser. Five years on, it still sounds fresh and exciting. Our planet needs more of this...
ATTRITION, over the past few years, have gone through more personnel changes than the London Symphony Orchestra. Throughout this turmoil the solitary figure of Martin Bows has remained. In that time he's steered them from the bedroom DIY scene - about four years ago there wasn't a single independent compilation released anywhere in the universe that didn't feature Martin and Co - to the concise synth/dance pop that has given them a sizable following on the Continent. The track included here - 'Look Out! Hedonist' - is a recording made at a gig in Strasbourg in 1986. In addition to Herr Bows, the recording features former Legendary Pink Dot (and now former Attrition!) Julia on vocals and Gary Cox on keyboards. Indeed, Gary's elevation to celebrity status for his remarkable sense of humour and extraordinary displays of drunkedness is, I would say, imminent! Last year, Hamster issued the band's five-year-old 'soundtrack' album Death House, an interesting contrast to their more commercial Third Mind releases.
Here's an odd yarn for you before you attempt side two. One day in early 1988, after a particularly bitter exchange with his bank manager, BRIAN EL GRECO found himself in too tense a state to produce anything remotely coherent. In a brief flurry of anger, he plugged one of his Synclaviers into a portable cassette deck and, so to speak, began to excrete. The tape was duly sent down to the offices of the Hamster Corporation where it mysteriously disappeared, so now we'll probably never hear it!
(after LOCHNESS)
I don't think I'll bother saying much about THE DEEP FREEZE MICE since everybody who buys this record is likely to own all eight of their LPs. 'The Short Good Friday (version)' is a sort of dub mix of a track that can be found on their recent Miss Timberlake album. No, all that I'll say about the Mice is that I think they're jolly good.
JAN KUNK were, apparently, a bunch of grammar school kids who sprang
Obscure Independent Classics Volume 5
Special Hamster Edition
various artists
Hamster (UK) HAM22 - 1988
Side 1
02. ASMUS TIETCHENS - Columbine Lunair
03. CONTROLLED BLEEDING - Untitled
04. BILL PRICHARD - Born Blond
05. KAORU HIROSE - Dah-May-Yoo
06. R STEVIE MOORE - Actions speak louder than words You Love Me Do Something
07. JODY AND THE CREAMS - Look Out! Here Come the Radio-Active Zombies
08. TARGET HEROES - Angel in the House
09. ATTRITION - Look Out! Hedonist (live version)
Side 2
11. ENSKI BOSKI - Who Are the Real Masters of Disguise?
12. COCO STEEL AND LOVE BOMB - Puppy Dub Yuppie Love
13. YONETEN (H.N.A.S.) - Gefahrlicher Neuer Negersong
14. THE LOCH NESS MONSTER - Winter in Milton Keynes
15. THE DEEP FREEZE MICE - The Short Good Friday (version)
16. JAN KUNK - The Exchange Suite (extracts)
17. LYDIA TOMKIW & TERRY BURROWS - Pressed in an Atlas
18. THE WILD STRAWBERRIES - The 17th Dream
Hello. Welcome to another exciting issue of Obscure Independent Classics. This one's the fifth in the series: a special Hamster edition.
March of Look Out!! Here come the Radio-Active Zombies' the only known recording by JODY AND THE CREAMS. Some contemporary music historians believe them to have been the legendary 'secret' supergroup formed in 1974 by ex-Rolling Stone Mick Taylor with George Harrison, Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, Bill Haley, Gordon from Peter and Gordon, Gary Brooker from Procol Harum, Ginger Baker from Cream, Billy Fury, soul singer Harold Melvin and various members of Barclay James Harvest and Herb Albert's Tijiuana Brass. The truth? Well I'm buggered if I know!
Way back in about 1983, Hamster first reached for its cheque book to sign SCUM AUXILIARY. Thankfully, noone could find a pen... er... anyway, around about that time the duo (George Bechmann, erstwhile medic, and Don Echs, esrtwhile n'er do well) were regularly terrorising East Anglian audiences with a special brand of pop that utilised feedback, flickering TV sets, computers and 'radical socialist text'. Let me tell you
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