Into Paradise - Into Paradise (1990)

The following posts have been contributed by Serge ZENI, who contacted me and did a great work of preparing the info and uploading the files for all of us. Thank you once again and here it is...



Into Paradise were a great group from Dublin who mixed post punk edginess /angst with dollops of pure pop to create a rather unique and wonderful sound. The band first formed in 1986 and went by the Backwards Into Paradise handle until 1988. The name Backwards Into Paradise was a reference to the great band Blue in Heaven, also from the same leafy suburb of Dublin, Churchtown. The original line up included songwriter Dave Long and Rachel Tighe. They released the single 'Never The Same / She Is Close' on Snap-Owl Records in 1986. This work was described in Irish music mag Hot Press as sounding like "Knocking On Heaven's Door all speeded up"!!
Backwards Into Paradise also appeared on two compilations released by Comet. Comet was a marvellous little Dublin record store wherein I wasted hours and hours sifting through oceans of great second-hand and new records, and wasted lots of money too!

In 1989, after changing their name to Into Paradise, they released the 'Blue Light' EP in 1989 on the newly formed independent Irish label Setanta. The line up then was Dave Long (Vocals, Guitar), Rachel Tighe - no relation to the mad Capt Tighe from Galactica! -(Bass), James Eadie (Guitar, Keyboards) and Ronan Clarke (Drums).
The 'Blue Light' EP was selected as single of the week in the Brit music mag NME in June 1989. Back then, NME was a highly respected music journal (not the rag it now is) and being single of the week there was a huge accolade for any band. Especially bands from Ireland, as it was immensely difficult then to become known in the UK - a huge indie music market compared to the tiny pond of Ireland.



Top Irish indie DJ, (well, he was that back then - far from it now!) Dave Fanning - whose show was, in those days, a music diamond amongst the morass of Irish Radio and unmissable for indie kids like myself - played the great track I Want You from this EP regularly on his evening show through the summer of 89.
Their live shows, in the spirit of punk / post-punk, were aways highly energised, edgy, powerful affairs and in Dave Long the group had an excellent frontman who always put his heart (and blood, sweat and tears!) into the performances. A few gigs, in true rock'n'roll fashion, actually ended with fighting between band members! Soon after their first release, in 1990 came the EP 'Change' on Setanta. Later in 1990 came the band's first full-length album, 'Under the Water', also on Setanta. Setanta's first taste of success came when Into Paradise received glowing reviews from the British music press for Under The Water. A flurry of major label interest followed and Into Paradise subsequently signed to Ensign Records, while retaining Setanta head-honcho, Keith Cullen as band manager.

Later that year, Ensign/Chrysalis issued a collection called Into Paradise, in the States. This was a compilation of the Under the Water LP and the Change EP. A true fan should have this US release as well as the originals though, because of variations in the tracks. Into Paradise followed up with their most successful album - and major label debut - the Adrian Borland produced 'Churchtown' in 1991.

This was followed by two great Mini Albums;
'Down All The Days' -1992
'For No One' -1993
The two mini albums are excellent, especially Down All The Days which may be their best work. They will always be remembered by their many fans.

Into Paradise discography:
* Never The Same (EP) (1986) ... under the name BIP
* Blue Light (EP) (1989)
* Change (EP) (1990)
* Under The Water (1990)
* Into Paradise (1990 US-only compilation)
* Burns My Skin (Single) (1991)
* Churchtown (1991)
* Angel (Single) (1991)
* Down all the days (1992)
* Angelus (7" Single) (1992)
* For No One (1993)


 
1: Bring Me Closer
2: Red Light
3: The Circus came To Town
4: Change
5: The Pleasure Is Over
6: Hearts & Flowers
7: Heaven
8: Under The Water
9: The World Won't Stop
10: Say Goodnight
11: Going Home.

This is the US version of Into Paradise's 1st album. In the UK and other countries, it was issued as "Under The Water" with different tracklisting. I'll post the missing tracks later, along with B-sides and rarities.

more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_Paradise
http://www.myspace.com/intoparadise


 

Ultravox - Rare (vol.2 1984-87) (1994)

Dzięki Herr X możemy zapoznać się z Ultravox Rare vol.2. Pozdrowienia Hen :)))

Część 2 kompilacji stron B-singli Ultravox zabiera nas w lata 1984-1987, czyli od 'Lament' do 'U-Vox'. Możemy zaobserwować zmianę kierunku muzycznego, który obrała grupa, gdyż zaczęli wiecej eksperymentować z remixami i mixami swoich utworów, w wyniku czego dostajemy słabszą składankę niż część pierwsza, głównie wersje instrumentalne oraz live utworów ze stron A singli. Utwór 14 był wydany tylko w Niemczech, a numer 15 to 'special 12" remix' dostępny z niektórymi egzemplarzami albumu 'The Collection'.

Rare, Vol. 1 was both a critical and commercial success for Ultravox, especially in England and Europe. So, Volume 2 was prepared and released to capitalize on the sales and to finish the story. This CD picks up where Rare, Vol. 1 finishes, collecting B-sides and rare mixes from 1984-1986. However, this CD covers the last two albums produced by this lineup of the band. By the time they recorded U-Vox, Warren Cann had left the band, and they produced arguably their weakest effort. The leftover tracks found on B-sides were also less than thrilling and go nowhere. The true highlights come from the Lament session B-sides, such as the beautiful "Easterly" and the eerie "Building," both instrumentals. This CD should be of interest only to completists, who will find some gems here that would otherwise be lost on unavailable B-sides.
~~internet



1. Easterly
2. Building
3. Heart of the Country [Instrumental]
4. White China [Live]
5. Man of Two Worlds [Instrumental]
6. 3
7. All in One Day [Instrumental]
8. Dreams?
9. All Fall Down [Live Instrumental]
10. All Fall Down [Live]
11. Dream On [Live]
12. The Prize [Live]
13. Stateless
14. Heart of the Country [Special 12" Remix]
15. One Small Day [Final Mix]

Death Cult - Ghost Dance (1996)

Wcześniej prezentowałem tutaj album 'Love' The Cult, a dzisiaj podróż do początków tej grupy. Wokal Astbury'ego oraz gitara Duffy'ego są nie do podrobienia - ten rodzaj gitarowego grania przemawia do mnie od samego początku i jestem wiernym kibicem ich poczynań.
W pierwszym składzie Death Cult znaleźli się Ian Astbury (vocals), Billy Duffy (gitara), Jamie Stewart (bas) oraz Ray Mondo (perkusja), który wkrótce został zastąpiony przez Nigela Prestona. Zespół powstał w połowie 1983 roku, po rozwiązaniu poprzedniej formacji Astbury'ego The Southern Death Cult, teraz zaprosił on do współpracy Duffy'ego, gitarzystę Theatre of Hate.
Death Cult odnieśli szybki i krótki sukces na fali popularności zespołów Bauhaus czy też UK Decay z kręgu batcave oraz sceny post punk.
Prezentowana dzisiaj płyta to w sumie jedyny LP, a w zasadzie składak, gdyż utwory 1 i 10 pochodzą z SP 'Gods Zoo' 7"/12" (1983), utwory 2,3,4,5 z SP 'Brothers Grimm' 12" (1983), natomiast utwory 6,7,8,9 zostały nagrane dla programu David Jensen Show w BBC Radio One, wyemitowane zostały 27.10.1983.
Na początku 1984 roku ogłoszono iż zespół zmienia nazwę na The Cult i rozpoczyna nowy etap działalności, niektóre z tych utworów skomponowane dla Death Cult znalazły się później w innych wersjach na debiucie płytowym The Cult 'Dreamtime'.
~~internet



1 God's Zoo
2 Brothers Grimm
3 Ghost Dance
4 Horse Nation
5 Christians
6 A Flower In The Desert
7 Too Young
8 Butterflies
9 With Love
10 God's Zoo (These Times)

Ultravox - Rare (vol.1 1980-83) (1993)

Collecting B-sides from the Vienna to the Quartet era, Rare, Vol. 1 is a much better prospect than Vol 2. which comes from Ultravox's later, less interesting years. Here the band was still full of life and as many of the less formal tracks display, willing to experiment. The rickety "Keep Talking" is the strange sound of Ultravox jamming and if you've never been able to connect this cold band to member Midge Ure's earlier, more glam outfit the Rich Kids than you haven't heard their aggressive cover of Brian Eno's "King's Lead Hat" (and you really should). There's also the German language version of Vienna's "Mr. X" along with the fan favorite "Passionate Reply" plus a handful live cuts. While Rare, Vol. 1 was a godsend for fans when it was released in 1994, anyone who purchased the expanded reissues that later appeared have received many of these tracks as bonus cuts and should take duplication into consideration.
~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide



1 Waiting
2 Face To Face (Live)
3 Kings Lead Hat (Live)
4 Passionate Reply
5 Herr X
6 Alles Klar
7 Keep Talking
8 I Never Wanted To Begin
9 Paths & Angles
10 Private Lives (Live)
11 All Stood Still (Live)
12 Hosanna (In Excelsis Deo)
13 Monument
14 The Thin Wall (Live)
15 Break Your Back
16 Reap The Wild Wind (Live)
17 Overlook

The Sound - Propaganda (1999)

Album, na którym znalazł się materiał oryginalnie nagrany przed Jeopardy, czyli okres maj-lipiec 1979 roku i może być uznany za pierwszy oficjalny LP zespołu. W tym czasie grupę tworzyli Adrian Borland, Graham Greene, Michael Dudley oraz Bi Marshall i zdecydowali się zmienić nazwę z The Outsiders na The Sound. Trzy utwory z tej sesji trafiły później, w lekko zmienionych wersjach, na album Jeopardy (Words Fail Me, Missiles, Night Versus Day). Płyta ta to przykład surowego, nieoszlifowanego brzmienia oraz ciekawe historyczne spojrzenie na początki powstawania tego niedocenionego do dziś fenomenu, jakim z czasem okazał się The Sound.
Nigdy nie wydany wcześniej w tej formie materiał, teraz po latach możemy wrócić do poczatku lat 80tych, usłyszeć i docenić coś naprawdę wyjątkowego.

Released in 1999 by Renascent, Propaganda gathers 12 formative recordings that were laid down by the Sound in 1979, some of which would be re-tooled for official release later on. Technically speaking, it covers a period during which a band called the Outsiders -- who put out the first self-released punk LP in Britain in mid-1977 -- underwent some lineup changes and officially changed into a new band, with guitarist/singer Adrian Borland and bassist Graham Bailey carrying over from the initial band. The material found here was recorded in the Borland family home with Adrian's father, Bob, performing the engineering duties from a small room nearby. Borland and company's influences are apparent: the Stooges, MC5, and Roxy Music. Borland's vocal phrasing resembles Iggy Pop's streetwise cool in a more-than-apparent way, though his worlds-apart personality is introverted and restrained compared to Pop's unbridled exhibitionism. The presence of clarinet blurts is an obvious reference to early Roxy Music, and some of the careening, assaultive guitar licks from Borland himself resemble the unholy squall and torrential bomber FX channeling of MC5's Fred Smith and Wayne Kramer. Down the road, the Sound would become much better at incorporating their influences, blending and almost burying them. Regardless, this is just a rawer version of a Radio Birdman record with a little more stylistic range and more thoughtful lyrics (they are far from being an endless splatter of grunts and scratches), without the crazy pose; despite the fact that these people were just getting used to playing with each other, most everything sounds assured, tight, and nearly professional. What these songs suffer from in derivation is equaled in skill, quality, and enthusiasm. Any hardcore fan needs a copy. It's not for nothing that the bandmembers themselves regard this collection as their first true record.
~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

more info on The Sound



1 No Salvation
2 Deep Breath
3 Cost Of Living
4 Quarter Past Two
5 Night Versus Day
6 Physical World
7 Statik
8 Music Business
9 Propaganda
10 Words Fail Me
11 One More Escape
12 Missiles

The Sound - Thunder Up (1987)

I oto kolejna odsłona The Sound, powoli budujemy dyskografię zespołu, a wszystkich zainteresowanych odsyłam do wcześniejszych postów o tej grupie. 
W kolejce do prezentacji czeka jeszcze jedna płyta The Sound, w następnym tygodniu...

THE SOUND's final official album from 1987. Thunder Up is a tightrope between Adrian Borland's vocals, the turbulence of alligator bass, the prettier guitars and drums with additional keyboards and brass bringing a touch of life down the wings. Welcome confusion, that works on two levels. Their blank image hides frosted weariness, defiant observation disturbing any placid pique. Their sound, conventional only in set-up, belies the depth and malevolence of their pitter-patter as Borland makes you ashamed of your pessimism. "Shut Up And Shut Down" tickles and crawls through hateful emptiness every bit as biting as the more obvious two-ply ballads "Hand Of Love" and "I Give You Pain". The implied threat of mindless, mawkish muck never materializes because the wounds always want to remain open, only apparently transparent, the kick really does occur inside. It never hurts to have the Pulomonary Art Ache, to find emotions and memories stirred by a cool blue fog of guitar, and the lean but incisive melodic devastation of "You've Got A Way" achieves a landmine of a victory here. They can be flawed, like the crump of "Kinetic" or the thwipp of "Barria Alta" but that claustrophobia also doubles as a rarified atmosphere Unlike the grand deceits of similarly inclined, fictitiously humble, rock bands. where you can always foresee the peaks and step lazily over dubious depressions, untroubled by grimaces or real anguish, The Sound, by refining their despair simply amplify their magnificence and magnify the intensity of expression. The Sound WERE the missing link between Joy Division and Echo & The Bunnymen; perhaps time will help acknowledge this.

Here it is folks, at long last the 6th LP by the Sound (plus the live one). Mostly, Thunder Up finds Adrian Borland and company going back to their starkly beautiful, minimal landscape pop and overloaded pop bullets that made their 3rd LP All Fall Down (recorded at the same studio, coincidentally) such an interesting work. Again they scrap the cohesive feel of the '85 masterplece Heads and Hearts, and back comes the scattered collection of strange turns, dark passages, open fields, and then back to a forbidding woods.

The best song is the opening 'Acceleration Group,' along with From the Lion's Mouth's 'Winning' the finest recording of their long career. As fast as a speed skate with the wind in your face, and suddenly shifting gears 2/3 of the way through to a leisurely campfire to warm your hands only to return to the speed skate. 'Acceleration Group' is a sensational track, perhaps the first one they've ever done that bowls over all listeners, right from the opening seconds! So much for the Sound as acquired taste! Phew! After that out-of-breath beginning, The Sound have your attention, and they're intent on taking you whatever direction they feel like. One or two tracks sound like a soundtrack for Kubrick's Dr.Strangelove or Marooned for their doomed-in-space and the horror of technology sound (especially the b-side of both singles, 'The Fall of Europe' which makes the purchase of either mandatory). 'Hand of Love' and 'Web of Wicked Ways' brings out Borland's Velvets' Influence; pretty, sighing pop with a strange, inexplicable depth. Kinetic is just that, an off-toned piece of fired dissonance with sexual innuendo pierced through the squeal, while the ending I Give You Pain' builds like a trash can fire becomes a towering inferno, from extreme quiet to a roar of distortion (Into the red).

Then, the piece-de-resistance (bad French, I know), the most emotional track is the ending one (2 straight they ended on such a pulling note. last time the heartbreaking 'Temperature Drop'), 'You've Got a Way.' with descending little piano and unbelievable strings as deep as the Black Sea (occasionally flanked by rapid lightning bolts of guitar which clap and vanish instantly), which dismantles your defences and makes you out and out swoon like a lovesick sheep. By the time you get off this non-stop rollercoaster of faith, expectation, disenchantment, gentle joy and crushing disappointment, you feel like you just became the wheel of fortune and you've been spinning so much you don't know if you're bankrupt or you struck the emotional jackpot. In 30 years, when the Sound are 60 times bigger than they are today, people will wonder how anyone could settle for anything less than such an stunning. moving juggernaut. And by now. The Sound (Borland especially) has proven their genius, their standard so far above all others.
Buy anything with their name on it!!!

http://www.renascent.co.uk/pagessound/sound.html
http://www.brittleheaven.com
http://www.myspace.com/thesounduk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Borland



01. Acceleration Group
02. Hand Of Love
03. Barria Alta
04. Kinetic
05. Iron Years
06. Prove Me Wrong
07. Shot Up And Shut Down
08. Web Of Wicked Ways
09. I Give You Pain
10. You've Got A Way
 

The Sound - In The Hothouse (1985)(1997 Reissue)

The reissue of The Sound's live album, originally issued in 1985; digitally remastered by Wally Brill in 1996. The Sound were tragically overlooked in their time and have remained unjustly neglected since. We can but hope that the re-issuing of most of their albums, plus the posthumous release of late frontman Adrian Borland's last solo work, will bring them into the light. In The Hothouse is an amazing live recording from The Marquee in August 1985. 15 stonking tracks show how versatile, intense and committed this band were. How does a quartet make such complex and layered music onstage? Layered rhythms, effects and counter-melodies from the keyboards, guitar solos and duets, fine vocals. "Winning" is harsh and insistent, "Skeletons" dark and jobsonic, "Prove Me Wrong" exuberantly cheerful and snappy, "Heartland" ragged and stirring, "Hothouse" almost bluesy and "Judgement" sketchy and a little lost. The best part of the album, by far, is the quartet of songs it ends with, "Red Paint", "Silent Air", "Sense of Purpose" and "Missiles". The band seem to relax on these, perhaps finally having dispelled the paranoid expectation that the crowd would all leave if they let any song go past three minutes. Borland's tenuous vocal control is pushed to its tolerance when the arrangements expose his singing, but that's a detail that gives these live versions a much-needed identity of their own. "Red Paint" is excitingly Comsat-Angels-ish, "Silent Air" is majestic, the bass runs on "Sense of Purpose" are electrifying, and "Missiles" is unapologetically epic.  
more info

"In The Hothouse" is a double live thriller from London's Marquee, with all the claustrophobic ambience of the club's packed space coming through on the recording. Live records this immediate sounding are hard to find. With the bulk of the material chosen from "Heads & Hearts" and "From The Lions Mouth", this is a superb introduction for the curious. "Thunder Up" is a middle ground between "All Fall Down's" emotional warfare and the later, more sensuous pop. Punching right in with one of their most exciting tracks, "Acceleration Group", the album is a rollercoaster ride through desolation ("Shot Up and Shut Down"), titillation ("Kinetic"), cynicism ("Prove Me Wrong") and profound beauty ("You've Got a Way"). Though the contrast can be jarring, unpredictability is a strength, and this is a bold up/down, hot/cold, built-up/knocked-down record most bands would not attempt. It was to be their last such uncompromising work; the group finally called it quits in early '88.   
more info





1. Winning
2. Under You
3. Total Recall
4. Skeletons
5. Prove Me Wrong
6. Wildest Dreams
7. Burning Part Of Me
8. Heartland
9. Hothouse
10. Judgement
11. Counting The Days
12. Red Paint
13. Silent Air
14. Sense Of Purpose
15. Missiles
16. Monument (bonus track)
17. Fire (bonus track)

Personnel:
Adrian Borland: Guitar, Vocals
Colvin "Max" Mayers: Keyboards, Guitar
Graham Bailey: Bass Guitars
Michael Dudley: Drums, Percussion