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Browse by Label: YEAR ZERO (UK)
Artist:
X-RAY SPEX
Title:
Live @ The Roundhouse London 2008
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
CD/DVD
Price:
$18.00
Catalog #:
YZ 001CD
Seminal punk band
X-Ray Spex
release a special live CD/DVD recorded at a 2008 sell-out concert at The Roundhouse through new future noise music imprint Year Zero. X-Ray Spex's first live outing since 1979, this performance of their classic album
Germ Free Adolescents
saw
Poly Styrene
and bassist
Paul Dean
joined by friends
Sid Truelove
(anarcho-punk drummer with
Rubella Ballet
and
Flux Of Pink Indians
),
Gt. Saxby
(former guitarist with
Arnold
, signed to Creation Records and Poptones) and
Flash
(sax player formerly with
Rip Rig & Panic
,
Jah Wobble
,
Don Cherry
and
The Slits
) at London's Roundhouse in front of 3,000 raucous fans. In 1976, X-Ray Spex were formed by Poly Styrene placing an ad in
NME
and
Melody Maker
for "Young Punx Who Want To Stick It Together." For a generation sifting through the wreckage left by punk rock, X-Ray Spex truly turned our world day-glo. The combination of tough, razor sharp riffs, kooky sax lines and Poly Styrene's wonderful voice and genius lyrics tearing into plastic consumerist society were perfect. Their 1978/1979 stay was all too brief -- a handful of memorable hit singles: "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" then "The Day The World Turned Day-Glo" followed by the anthemic "Identity" with its genius B-side "Let's Submerge," and the more atmospheric "Germ Free Adolescents" before the final spring 1979 release of "Highly Inflammable." Versions of all these songs are featured here, alongside previously-unreleased new track "Bloody War." X-Ray Spex transcended punk, influencing a whole new scene of indie kids and post-Riot Grrrl rockers like
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
and
The Gossip
. The band's innate genius and brilliant songwriting makes them as relevant now as they were then and they are the rarest of things -- a group that has never dated. Also includes an edited version of Poly Styrene's as-yet unpublished
Diary Of The 70s
. Housed in a special hard-case digi-book packaging. NTSC Region 0 DVD format; approx. running time: 66 minutes.
Artist:
SOUND IRATION
Title:
Sound Iration In Dub
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
LP
Price:
$17.50
Catalog #:
YZ 003LP
LP version. Released in 1989,
Sound Iration In Dub
spear-headed a new age in homegrown British reggae, continuing a mission started by
Nick Manasseh
and
Scruff
which pioneered what became "UK steppers." They were among the first producers to pioneer what's now known as '80s digi-dub, which has become so sought-after by today's dubstep producers. Swapping drum machines and synths for real instruments, they created an awesome sound. This is exemplified on this important debut release. First in a series of reissues drawn from both WAU!'s roots reggae and house archives, the original album presents eight beautiful excursions into deepest roots in embroidered skeleton dub form, which has lost none of its magic. Tracks like "New Style" turned the London take on pure reggae rhythm into a different kind of art form with the new technology coming in, but the album is also a reminder of reggae before it lost much of its richness and spiritual current through digitalization. Remastered 180 gram deluxe vinyl reissue.
Artist:
SOUND IRATION
Title:
Sound Iration In Dub
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
2CD
Price:
$18.00
Catalog #:
YZDD 003CD
Released in 1989,
Sound Iration In Dub
spear-headed a new age in homegrown British reggae, continuing a mission started by
Nick Manasseh
and
Scruff"
which pioneered what became "UK steppers." They were among the first producers to pioneer what's now known as '80s digi-dub, which has become so sought-after by today's dubstep producers. Swapping drum machines and synths for real instruments, they created an awesome sound. This is exemplified on this important debut release. First in a series of reissues drawn from both WAU!'s roots reggae and house archives, the original album presents eight beautiful excursions into deepest roots in embroidered skeleton dub form, which has lost none of its magic. Tracks like "New Style" turned the London take on pure reggae rhythm into a different kind of art form with the new technology coming in, but the album is also a reminder of reggae before it lost much of its richness and spiritual current through digitalization. The second CD will be of particular interest, featuring seven tracks originally intended for the follow-up, plus demos and one-off dub plates including the much sought-after "7th Seal" and unreleased mixes. With reggae still progressing and often in danger of ignoring its spiritual heritage, new generations still continue to discover the unique, timeless quality of roots music. The reissue of this long-feted but much sought-after milestone is timely indeed. With the previously-unreleased material, it stands as a vital document of a crucial time in the music's evolution. Extensive sleeve notes written by
Kris Needs
.
Artist:
SOUND IRATION
Title:
The Dubz: Exclusive Mixes & Unreleased Material
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
2LP
Price:
$21.00
Catalog #:
YZDV 003LP
Originally released in 1989,
Sound Iration In Dub
(YZDD 003CD) spearheaded a new age in homegrown British reggae, continuing a mission started by
Nick Manasseh
and
Scruff
which pioneered what became UK steppers. This second vinyl format brings together the seven tracks originally intended for the follow-up plus demos and unreleased mixes from the
In Dub
album, plus extra cuts not featured on the CD issue -- "King Of Kings" & "King Version" and the highly sought-after original instrumental version of "Seventh Seal," originally released on the Mystic Red label in 1988. Mastered at Master & Servant in Germany and pressed on 180 gram deluxe double vinyl.
Artist:
VA
Title:
Bustin' Out -- New Wave To New Beat: The Post Punk Era
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
CD
Price:
$9.00
Catalog #:
YZL 002CD
Bustin' Out -- New Wave To New Beat: The Post Punk Era 1979-1981
is an often-startling picture of the no-holds-barred musical ructions which sprang up after punk's scorched earth revolution. The music termed post-punk is well-represented in many of its diverse strains by some of its prime movers. Compiler
Mike Maguire
has made a rigid stand against being pigeon-holed throughout his 30-year DJing career, spreading the message that no sound or genre should be compartmentalized. This multi-hued set, the first in the
New Wave To New Beat
series, is a fine testimony to this ethos, encompassing anything from
Gary Numan
's austere electronic pop on "Replicas," through
23 Skidoo
's atmospheric tribal boogie on "The Gospel Comes To New Guinea," to the scrabbling, guitar-driven pop of
Josef K
. What happens elsewhere defies blanket description, as every track charts a different musical seam which, invariably, proved highly influential.
Killing Joke
's radical, apocalyptic approach was often cited as a massive influence on anyone from
Nirvana
to industrial bands, but also incorporated dub reggae and New York dance music, as evidenced by 1979's "Almost Red." The set also shows how later musical movements germinated in the new technology around this time, especially in the hands of electronic protagonists like former
Throbbing Gristle
duo
Chris & Cosey
, who pillaged the new sampling possibilities and predated techno with their use of proto-electro pulses, as illustrated by "Heartbeat," from their 1981 debut album. Or Belgium new beat pioneers
Front 242
, whose "Body To Body" sounds like a spooked house music prototype. New York was also leading the world at this time, particularly the legendary ZE label, which embodied the multi-genred melting pot of disco, punk, reggae and Latin they called "mutant disco." The label is represented here by
Lizzy Mercier Descloux
's infernal treatment of
Arthur Brown
's 1968 hit "Fire" and
Bill Laswell
's
Material
with "Bustin' Out," his first major dancefloor statement before going on to become a world-renowned producer. Another side of the city is presented by quintessential downtown NY post punk/no wave outfit
Bush Tetras
and their debut single, "Too Many Creeps," while visionary musician-producer
Arthur Russell
flies the wigged-out disco flag under his
Loose Joints
banner on the
Larry Levan
-remixed "Is it All Over My Face." The set also illustrates how the disparate post-punk spirit captured the rest of the world with the
Kraftwerk
ian "Cracked Mirror" from Vancouver's
Moev
, Germany's
No More
with deadpan electronic classic "Suicide Commando" and San Francisco's avant-punk
Tuxedomoon
, providing one of the set's most grippingly-complex outings. Meanwhile, Melbourne duo
Dead Can Dance
match
Lisa Gerrard
's spooky vocals with
Brendan Perry
's subterranean atmospherics on their 1981
Frontiers
demo. All perfect examples of how music had moved on since 1977's spring clean, trampling fences like a herd of elephants during this exciting, unpredictable time. Includes extensive sleeve notes written by
Kris Needs
, with artwork by
Mike Coles
(
Malicious Damage
). Housed in special (carbon neutral) digi-packaging.
Artist:
VA
Title:
Bustin' Out 1982 - New Wave To New Beat Volume 2
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
CD
Price:
$9.00
Catalog #:
YZL 004CD
Bustin' Out 1982: New Wave To New Beat Volume 2
is the second installment in veteran DJ
Mike Maguire
's fascinating new mission aimed at charting the groundbreaking developments in electronic-based music through the '80s. The set kicks off in Germany with Düsseldorf's proto-industrial electronic body music exponents,
Die Krupps
and the 6-minute 12" version of "Goldfinger," their irreverent take on electronically-cultivated pop music.
Klein & MBO
's unadulterated dancefloor classic "Dirty Talk" marked the blueprint for the oncoming house revolution. The importance of the trio of New York acts contained in this collection is inestimable. South Bronx sisters
ESG
, who opened Manchester's Hacienda, remained above pigeonholing, influencing everything from hip-hop to house. The second monolithic Big Apple outing is "Hip Hop Be Bop" by
Man Parrish
, whose ingenious welding of
Kraftwerk
robo-sonics and European synth-pop sounds were a crossover club sensation. Thirdly is "Planet Rock" by
Afrika Bambaataa
and
Soul Sonic Force
, who crafted the first hip-hop record to use a drum machine, setting the electronic rhythm beast loose in hip-hop, paving the way for electro and bringing a unifying house music sensibility to the party.
Gary Numan
is represented by "Music For Chameleons," displaying a more mature, haunted city style than earlier outings. Ex-
Throbbing Gristle
duo
Chris & Cosey
are present here, with the popping proto-electro of "Impulse," as well as Belgium's new-beat pioneers
Front 242
whose "U-Men" is possibly the rarest item on display here. Meanwhile
Mark Stewart
, who by 1982 had left Bristol social agitators
The Pop Group
, released the
Jerusalem
EP which featured the bleak alien dub-funk of "Welcome To Liberty City," a suitably unsettling backdrop for his wired urban reportage. This is neatly followed by
Dub Syndicate
's "Pounding System." A more avant-jazz flavored other-worldliness, even foreshadowing dubstep, continues with
Benjamin Lew
and
Steve Brown
, and
Shriekback
are represented here with their rousing funk chant of "My Spine Is My Bassline," as well as
Colourbox
with their 4AD debut "Breakdown." Another serious master-stroke is the inclusion of South London's infamous
Portion Control
, whose fearsome brand of "electro punk" is represented by "Fiends." The set ends with the hugely-influential but obscure
Pylon
, from Athens, Georgia. "Four Minutes" was the B-side of the 12" version of their
Beep
single, heaving through a crashing, alien dronescape, making a suitably unorthodox finale for this rather fine summation of a year when blips on the musical radar often assumed depth charge proportions. Extensive sleeve notes written by
Kris Needs
in a full-color 24-page booklet. Artwork by
Mike Coles
(
Malicious Damage
). Housed in special (carbon neutral) 3-panel digi-packaging.
Artist:
VA
Title:
Bustin' Out 1983 - New Wave To New Beat Volume 3
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
CD
Price:
$9.00
Catalog #:
YZL 005CD
This is the third installment in veteran DJ
Mike Maguire
's sparkling, ongoing series chronicling the seismic developments in electronic-based music through the often misrepresented 1980s. Following the post-punk foragings of volume one and the follow-up which captured the global groundswell of excitement as electronic music came into its own, the microscope now falls on 1983, when the fallout from the previous year's "Planet Rock" spawned electro-funk in tandem with the emerging hip-hop and graffiti cultures, while electronic developments started infiltrating many more stratas of new music, whether disco, punk or even mainstream. Steering clear of the obvious route, the set kicks off with electro-punk poetess
Anne Clark
from Croydon, proceeding with an atmospheric mix of legendary film director-composer
John Carpenter
's theme to
Assault On Precinct 13
, before hitting New York City's boiling electro scene with
Special Request
's "Salsa Smurf" and later the
Jonzun Crew
's "We Are The Jonzun Crew," while Downtown is represented by
Liquid Liquid
's "Optimo." New York's clubs also massively influenced
New Order
, as beautifully shown on their
Power, Corruption And Lies
album, represented here by the grand melancholy of "Your Silent Face," while San Francisco's innovative electronic movement is represented by
Twilight 22
(formed by
Stevie Wonder
's former synth programmer
Gordon Bahary
). Rather than focusing entirely on U.S. developments, the set carries on its tradition of exploring Europe's often darker use of new technology, including Belgium's
Front 242
and
The Neon Judgement
, Denmark's
Laid Back
with the enigmatic electro of "White Horse," German goth-punks
Xmal Deutschland
, while
Koto
's dub of "Chinese Revenge" spotlights the burgeoning Italo disco movement. Another standout track comes from German synth duo
The Unknown Cases
, fronted by legendary former
Traffic
percussionist
Reebop Kwaku Baah
on the rousing Afro-electro of "Masimba Bele." After such a potent, multi-strained hotbed, the UK's
Cocteau Twins
make the perfect finale with "Sugar Hiccup." 1983 was as unpredictable as it was exciting, with musical boundaries blurring all the time and club land on fire with the oddest anthems. At the time, the word buzzing around New York summed everything up: fresh. Same goes for this latest gem to appear in this wonderful series, telling the whole story in the celebratory spirit of that amazing era. Extensive sleeve notes written by legendary journalist
Kris Needs
. Artwork by
Mike Coles
(
Malicious Damage
).
Artist:
VA
Title:
Bustin' Out 1983 - New Wave To New Beat Volume 3 Sampler
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
12"
Price:
$10.00
Catalog #:
YZL 005EP
Limited to 500 copies 12" sampler of the third volume in Year Zero's
Bustin' Out
compilation series. Featuring Belgium's
Front 242
, electro-punk poetess
Anne Clark
, an atmospheric mix of legendary film director-composer
John Carpenter
's theme to
Assault On Precinct 13
, and a taste of New York City's boiling electro scene with
Special Request
's "Salsa Smurf."
Artist:
VA
Title:
Bustin' Out 1984: New Wave To New Beat Volume 4
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
CD
Price:
$15.50
Catalog #:
YZL 009CD
Veteran DJ
Mike Maguire
's spectacular series chronicling the seismic developments in electronic-based music reaches 1984 on its fourth volume, another stellar collection packed with musical milestones. It's often widely assumed that 1984 was something of a calm-before-the-storm doldrums period in music as acid house loomed on the horizon. Synthesized music was indeed progressing wildly, hurried along by developments such as hip-hop now trading session bands for drum machines and proto-samplers, while electro-derived beats underpinned the late '70s disco form to create a dancefloor mutant called boogie. Upgrading electronic tools were affording pioneers and industrial movements new methods to venture into back alleys and darker corners, where sex, anger or psychotic imbalance funnelled through the wide open circuits. Out of the sheer volume of material, Mike has deftly woven an exotic snapshot blend of 1984's titanic deluge, focusing predominantly on the maverick darker side with trailblazing outings such as the
Flowerpot Men
's coruscating "Jo's So Mean To Josephine,"
Cabaret Voltaire
's future-disco masterwork "Sensoria," Factory band
Section 25
's enigmatic classic "Looking From A Hilltop,"
Youth
and
Ben Watkins
' cinematic
Empty Quarter
project and former
Yello
synth-wizard
Carlos Peron
with one of his early solo outings. 1984 was also a revolutionary year for the U.S. dance music underground, represented here by
Strafe
's epochal party-starting percolator "Set It Off" and
Jesse Saunders
' "On And On," often credited with being the first manifestation of Chicago's upcoming house music explosion. As with previous volumes, Mike continues to chart the progress of the industrial movement, itself enjoying a pivotal year when
Front 242
launched their electronic body music movement with tracks such as the epic "Commando Mix" from their
No Comment
album. The set also features harsh, sonically-innovative missives from Australia's
Severed Heads
and Canada's
Skinny Puppy
. One feature of the series being maintained is the reappearance of important, even under-rated, artists from previous sets, including
Anne Clark
's "Our Darkness,"
Adrian Sherwood
and the mighty
Dub Syndicate
with "The Show Is Coming." There was revolution crackling in the air in 1984 and Mike Maguire has again done an inimitable job of bottling it. Extensive sleeve notes written by legendary journalist
Kris Needs
.
Artist:
VA
Title:
Watch The Closing Doors
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
2CD
Price:
$21.00
Catalog #:
YZLDD 007CD
Subtitled:
A History Of New York's Musical Melting Pot Vol. 1 (1945-59)
. Legendary journalist
Kris Needs
' frighteningly-ambitious project aims to capture the fast-vanishing magic of New York City, documenting major musical landmarks and developments, decade by decade over a series of double-CD sets. The first volume focuses on the 1940s and 1950s, setting the scene for a further five sets, straddling the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and 2000s, each accompanied by a 72-page book containing the relevant musical and social history, artist biographies, illustrations and Needs' own stories and recollections of the city that once never slept. For some local perspective and occasional advice on inclusions, Needs pesters names he has encountered during his 35 years as a writer, starting with
Suicide
's
Martin Rev
. For the covers, he applies the graffiti techniques he picked up in New York in the early '80s. The first volume includes jazz giants such as
Duke Ellington
,
Louis Armstrong
,
Dizzy Gillespie
,
Charles Mingus
,
Cozy Cole
,
Horace Silver
,
Miles Davis
and
Thelonius Monk
, mambo king
Machito
, the burgeoning activism-fired folk and blues movements represented by
Pete Seeger
and the
Almanac Singers
,
Harry Belafonte
,
Josh White
,
Dave Van Ronk
,
New Lost City Ramblers
,
Allen Ginsberg
heading up the Beats,
John Cage
and
Raymond Scott
the avant garde and
Cab Calloway
the Harlem street-slicker, before
Big Joe Turner
ushers in the rock 'n' roll revolution along with
Clyde McPhatter
,
Drifters
and the
Honeycones
. Singing the blues are
Danny "Run Joe" Taylor
,
Sonny Terry
and
Big Maybelle
. The female singers which the city became renowned for are beautifully represented by
Nina Simone
,
Faye Adams
and
Billie Holiday
, while the mighty cavalcade of vocal groups who, for many, define New York City, include the
Paragons
,
Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
,
Five Satins
and
The Embers
. Explains Needs, who compiled and annotated two volumes of the highly-successful
Dirty Water: The Birth Of Punk Attitude
: "There hasn't really been a project which brings together all the different ingredients in New York City's musical melting pot as they happened in parallel scenes and neighborhoods since the war. The sets will aim to reflect the different forms of music which gestated in local scenes, often before exploding onto the world stage; jazz, folk, mambo, rock 'n' roll, soul, avant garde, psychedelia, electronic, punk, hip-hop, disco, electro, house and post-punk."
Artist:
VA
Title:
Dirty Water: The Birth Of Punk Attitude
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
2CD
Price:
$21.00
Catalog #:
YZLDD 008CD
There have been many punk collections over the years, and former
ZigZag
fanzine editor
Kris Needs
possesses most of them; so, when it came to compiling his own, he decided to avoid the predictable, except where totally warranted. Although featuring names without whom such a compilation should never be, the set also highlights less-likely candidates through their influence, attitude or sheer courage in the face of adversity. After starting with two quintessential garage-punk bands,
The Standells
and
The Seeds
, the album approaches the punk spirit as a way of making music or conveying a message by any means necessary, which makes Harlem's
Last Poets
prime candidates for laying a hip-hop template in 1970 with their first album. Around the same time, downtown in Washington Square Park,
David Peel & The Lower East Side
were delivering stoner street anthems which could only be captured by a live recording. Kris' lifelong New York obsession continues with the untouchable
New York Dolls
, senses-shattering electronic punks
Suicide
, plus two of their influences in
Silver Apples
and vocal group
The Silhouettes
.
The Dictators
show how their degenerate raunch influenced
The Ramones
.
The Deviants
were at the forefront of the UK's 1967 countercultural revolution, like the UK's answer to America's
Fugs
,
MC5
or
Mothers Of Invention
when it came to forging a new society and playing free concerts, before handing the baton to
Pink Fairies
. 1970s UK proto-punk is represented by
Jook
,
Third World War
and
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
's sinister, cinematic missives, while the rarest tune (on CD for the first time) is the
Hollywood Brats
' storming treatment of
The Kinks
' "I Need You." The oldest track has to be "Blue Jean Bop" by
Gene Vincent
, the original black leather man. Other artists include:
Mott The Hoople
,
Dr. Feelgood
,
Peter Hammill
,
Can
,
T. Rex
,
The Stooges
,
The Up
,
Death
,
Sun Ra
,
Red Krayola
,
Rocket From The Tombs
,
The Saints
,
Flamin' Groovies
,
Zolar X
,
The Monks
, and
Culture
. The set is accompanied by extensive liner notes from Needs in a 76-page book.
Artist:
VA
Title:
Dirty Water 2: More Birth Of Punk Attitude
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
2CD
Price:
$21.00
Catalog #:
YZLDD 010CD
Such was the response from press and public to
Kris Needs
'
Dirty Water: The Birth Of Punk Attitude
that he's filling the bathtub again with another riotous selection of proto-punk scorchers, garage band delights and seminal figures who either revolutionized a movement or upset their chosen apple-cart; all filling the arteries which would explode in 1976 and change the world. This new set casts its net even wider than the first, corralling sonic marauders such as Germany's
Faust
, New York's willfully shambolic
Godz
,
George Clinton
's barrier-trampling
Parliament
, original folk activist
Woody Guthrie
and deathly '60s electronic trailblazers
United States Of America
. As before, the set stretches back to primitive rock 'n' roll's early salvos, including
Bo Diddley
and
Johnny Thunders
' favorite
Eddie Cochran
, plus the hot-wired tremors of seminal UK outfits such as
Kilburn And The High Roads
,
Doctors Of Madness
,
Stack Waddy
,
Hammersmith Gorillas
and the
Edgar Broughton Band
. New York City is represented by
Patti Smith
,
Blondie
, the mighty
Jayne County
, demented
Holy Modal Rounders
and
Dizzy Gillespie
, representing the be-bop movement which flame-blasted cool jazz's rigid trouser-seat, leaving a wide open orifice for the raw, spiritual anarchy of
Albert Ayler
. Needs also exercises his long-standing fixation with obscure, unhinged '60s U.S. garage-psych with the
Misunderstood
,
Zachary Thaks
,
Human Expression
and high-energy Detroit garage bands
Unrelated Segments
and
Tidal Waves
. Reggae's huge influence is acknowledged with righteous cuts from
Tapper Zukie
and
Junior Murvin
. The most singled-out artists on the first volume were New York doowoppers
The Silhouettes
,
Flamin' Groovies
and Detroit's
Death
, so they're here again, as are
Mott The Hoople
in their later phase and untouchable
Suicide
(whose
Martin Rev
was an invaluable sounding-board for the project, along with
Primal Scream
's
Bobby Gillespie
).
David Bowie
as
Ziggy Stardust
also makes an appearance, as does Aylesbury lunatic
John Otway
. The two CDs sport 39 sizzling nuggets in all, again accompanied by a 76-page book, in which Needs explains his reasons for including tracks. This time, Needs feels that the project gets closer to an aural version of
Zigzag
, the crucial fanzine he edited in the '70s; one reason the set is dedicated to
Captain Beefheart
, who sadly passed away while it was being compiled, and represented by the blues roar of "Zigzag Wanderer."
Artist:
THE ORB & YOUTH
Title:
Impossible Oddities: From Underground To Overground
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
2LP
Price:
$21.00
Catalog #:
YZLDV 006LP
2LP format features the 15 rare and club-friendly cuts from the 3CD package plus a download code insert to the full album. Featuring rare and influential cuts across acid house, ambient soundscapes & dub from the W.A.U.! Mr. Modo catalog. Cover art image designed by
Jimmy Cauty
of sonic anarchists
The KLF
. Features a previously-unheard demo version of
The Orb
's "Little Fluffy Clouds" and an unreleased version of
Zoe
's "Sunshine On A Rainy Day." Includes an extensive "scrapbook" fold-out poster of original W.A.U.! cuttings from '80s and '90s music press unearthed from The Orb's personal archive.
Artist:
VA
Title:
Watch The Closing Doors
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
2LP
Price:
$21.00
Catalog #:
YZLDV 007LP
2LP version, featuring 25 out of 32 tracks from the 2CD.
Artist:
VA
Title:
Dirty Water: The Birth Of Punk Attitude
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
2LP
Price:
$21.00
Catalog #:
YZLDV 008LP
2LP version, featuring 23 of the 33 tracks from the 2CD version. There have been many punk collections over the years, and former
ZigZag
fanzine editor
Kris Needs
possesses most of them; so, when it came to compiling his own, he decided to avoid the predictable, except where totally warranted. Although featuring names without whom such a compilation should never be, the set also highlights less-likely candidates through their influence, attitude or sheer courage in the face of adversity. The album approaches the punk spirit as a way of making music or conveying a message by any means necessary, which makes Harlem's
Last Poets
prime candidates for laying a hip-hop template in 1970 with their first album. Around the same time, downtown in Washington Square Park,
David Peel & The Lower East Side
were delivering stoner street anthems which could only be captured by a live recording. Kris' lifelong New York obsession continues with the untouchable
New York Dolls
, senses-shattering electronic punks
Suicide
, plus their influence with a track by vocal group
The Silhouettes
.
The Dictators
show how their degenerate raunch influenced
The Ramones
.
The Deviants
were at the forefront of the UK's 1967 countercultural revolution, like the UK's answer to America's
Fugs
,
MC5
or
Mothers Of Invention
when it came to forging a new society and playing free concerts, before handing the baton to
Pink Fairies
. The oldest track has to be "Blue Jean Bop" by
Gene Vincent
, the original black leather man. Also includes an immeasurably crucial obscurity, "I Need You," by
Hollywood Brats
. Other artists include:
Mott The Hoople
,
The Standells
,
The Saints
,
Dr. Feelgood
,
Peter Hammill
,
Can
,
The Up
,
Death
,
Sun Ra
,
Zolar X
,
The Monks
, and
Culture
. On 180 gram vinyl, featuring a full-color glossy insert.
Artist:
VA
Title:
Bustin' Out 1984: New Wave To New Beat Volume 4
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
2LP
Price:
$21.00
Catalog #:
YZLDV 009LP
2LP version.
Artist:
VA
Title:
Dirty Water 2: More Birth Of Punk Attitude
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
2LP
Price:
$21.00
Catalog #:
YZLDV 010LP
2LP version, pressed on 180 gram vinyl. Includes a full-color insert with photo and features 19 tracks from the 2CD version. Artists:
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
,
The Human Expression
,
Death
,
Patti Smith
,
Bo Diddley
,
David Bowie
,
Mott The Hoople
,
Doctors Of Madness
,
Flamin Groovies
,
Blue Cheer
,
The Misunderstood
,
The Zakary Thaks
,
MC5
,
Blondie
,
The United States Of America
,
Junior Murvin
,
Rudements
and
Vice Creems
.
Artist:
THE ORB & YOUTH
Title:
Impossible Oddities: From Underground To Overground
Label:
YEAR ZERO (UK)
Format:
3CD
Price:
$18.00
Catalog #:
YZLTD 006CD
Subtitled:
The Story Of W.A.U.! Mr. Modo
. Year Zero presents a deluxe 3CD package telling the comprehensive story of the iconic W.A.U.! Mr. Modo label started by
Alex Paterson
and
Killing Joke
bassist,
Martin "Youth" Glover
that gave birth to
The Orb
in the late '80s. W.A.U.! Mr. Modo was the product of like-minded music freaks and lifelong friends Youth and Alex Paterson setting out to celebrate and play their part in the acid house revolution sweeping the UK in the late '80s. In the process, they became two of the most well-known and lastingly influential names to emerge from the whole movement, while the label epitomized the innocence and questing spirit of the era. The first Orb single, recorded at
KLF
's Transcentral squat HQ, was a homage to KISS FM., called
The Kiss
EP. Meanwhile, Alex and Youth started demoing a song they called "Little Fluffy Clouds" (a never-before heard version which opens this compilation). After hooking up with former Killing Joke road manager
Adam Morris
(aka Mr. Modo), the label became known as W.A.U.! Mr. Modo. The music started flowing freely as names including
STP Twentythree
,
Insync
,
Paradise X
and
Lyndsey Holloday
recorded there. The two CDs also feature the cream of the early W.A.U. releases; a stellar collection of half-forgotten names from the acid house archives (several featuring Alex and Youth), including STP Twentythree,
Eternity
,
Discotec 2000
,
Delkom
,
Johnson Dean
,
U.N.C.L.E.
,
Paradise X
,
Sun Electric
,
Indica All Stars
,
Mystic Knights
, Insync,
Sound Iration
and
Zoe
, with "Sunshine On A Rainy Day," one of the label's biggest hits. The recordings here can now be considered the acid house equivalent of
Alan Lomax
's blues field recordings or compilations of DIY bedroom punk; snapshots of seminal moments in musical history. In many ways, acid house was like punk rock all over again; like that movement, Youth and Alex were again in the thick of it but soon out front, leaders of the field within a very short time. This is where it all started. To accompany this celebration of the label, this must-have, collector's package includes a fold-out scrapbook poster of press cuttings from the time unearthed from Paterson's personal archive as well as iconic cover art from
Jimmy Cauty
. Includes a bonus DJ mix CD mixed by The Orb.
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