Feb 14, 2008

Alphabet Soup (18)

Hello, Alphabet Soup Day has reached R today. When i glanced my R cdrow i noticed how dominated it was by big names, Rammstein, Radiohead, Red Hot CP, Reed, Rolling Stones, Roxy Music some 40 titles at least..duh..Not what i was searching for Alphabet Soup. Not to worry i've come up with a nice mixed bunch. Recoil is Alan Wilders project he started whilst still in Depeche Mode, the band he left on his 36th birthday stating he was no longer prepared to accept the work ethic of some of his fellow bandmembers ( spending more energy in taking credit). That was 95, meanwhile Recoil has released 3 albums. The one here he recorded just after the Violator tour in 91, with vocal support of Nitzer Ebbs Douglas McCarthy and Curve's Toni Halliday....Next up the man that doesnt relent, a muscular bundle of ADHD, a hardrock poet and these days a 'Talking Head'. Henry Rollins is the name with his Rollins Band he released Weight in 94 supported by that great single, Liar, and Corbijn video clip. It turned out to be their biggest smash...Finally Lesley Rankine she went to Seattle and met Mark Walk and the former post punk princes transformed into Ruby, Salt and Pepper comes in two distinct versions .

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Recoil - Bloodline (92 ^ 258mb)

Alan Wilder began piano at the age of eight, through the encouragement of his parents, later on, he learned the flute and became a leading musician in his school bands. After school, Alan worked as a studio assistant at DJM Studios. This led to him ending up working for a variety of bands .Following the departure of Vince Clarke, Depeche Mode put out an ad in the music magazine "Melody Maker": "Keyboard player needed for established band - no timewasters." Even though the ad was looking for someone under 21 (Alan was 22) he lied about his age to get the job and got away with it. For many years, Wilder was seen as the musician in Depeche Mode. As such, he is credited by much of the fan base for moulding Martin Gore's songs and sculpting the sound that became known as the Depeche Mode sound. His efforts can be felt all over classic albums like Black Celebration, Music for the Masses, Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion.

After officially splitting from Depeche Mode in 1995, longtime member Alan Wilder finally went ahead with his side project Recoil. Wilder started Recoil in 1985, but efforts were halfhearted due to his responsibilities with DM. But despite such conflicts of interest, Recoil issued a set of early demos entitled 1 + 2, which coincided with the release of DM's 1986 album Black Celebration. As the '80s were coming to a close, Wilder and his original bandmates were becoming international superstars. With Violator the smash hit it was, and Depeche Mode coming off a huge burst in popularity and attention, Alan Wilder's solo project was never in a better position to get wider notice for itself in turn. Bloodline didn't produce an "Enjoy the Silence," but in many ways, this was and remains Wilder's most distinct Recoil album: a sharp combination of his ear for arrangements and notable guest singer turns. Wilder's production skills became even more influential with time. Electro-clash was a decade off, and the combination of pulsing energy and cold, brutal punch was perfectly evident throughout Bloodline.

In 1997 Wilder, after officially leaving DM, was freshly ready for Recoil, following up with the project's first album, Unsound Methods. This album, a cathartic set of techno-bombastic scores, brought in a wide range of artists such as spoken word sassy girl Maggie Estep, Songs of Faith and Devotion session vocalists Douglas McCarthy (Nitzer Ebb) and Hildia Cambell, and Recoil mainstay Siobhan Lynch. Unsound Methods was critically labeled as "difficult" and "dark," but it didn't distract Wilder. Certainly that was the reaction he was searching for. Three years later, his cunning musical mystery continued on Liquid. Strangely enthralling and genuinely unhinging, it masquerades as the aural equivalent of a disturbing movie. Following a five year break from recording, Alan Wilder, collaborating this time is blues-man Joe Richardson, returned with Recoil's fifth studio album, entitled subHuman released in July 2007, an album of complex sonic imagery and expansive dynamic range. SubHuman asks us to reach within ourselves and extract the very essence of what makes us human—and more importantly what allows us to subordinate others, sometimes with the most brutal consequences. "We are all 'subhuman' in somebody's eyes".



1 - Faith Healer (Voc.Douglas McCarthy) (6:01)
2 - Electro Blues For Bukka White (8:57)
3 - The Defector (8:06)
4 - Edge Of Life (Voc.Toni Halliday) (6:12)
5 - Curse (Voc.Moby) (7:04)
6 - Bloodline (Voc.Toni Halliday) (6:48)
7 - Freeze (7:28)

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Rollins Band - Weight (94 ^380mb)

Almost immediately after the legendary punk/hardcore band Black Flag called it quits in 1987, lead singer Henry Rollins issued his first solo releases, Hot Animal Machine and Drive By Shootings (the latter an EP credited to Henrieta Collins and the Wifebeating Childhaters), featuring longtime friend Chris Haskett on guitar. But Rollins missed being part of a true band, hence the formation of the Rollins Band. Similar in style to the Flag's latter direction, the Rollins Band enlisted ex-Gone members Sim Cain (drums) and Andrew Weiss (bass), while Haskett remained onboard. The group quickly made a name for themselves with their explosive concerts and nonstop touring, as soundman Theo Van Rock signed on as well (Rock's contributions were so great that he was often credited as a fifth member of the band).

A steady stream of releases followed: 1988's Life Time, 1989's Do It and Hard Volume, as well as the 1990 live set Turned On. 1990 also saw the release of Fast Food for Thought, a one-off experimental side project by Rollins and Weiss, dubbed Wartime. But the Rollins Band caught their big break when Perry Farrell invited them to join his inaugural Lollapalooza festival tour in the summer of 1991. Opening up the day's multi-band concert proved to be quite a challenge -- but the buzz on the band was growing and their next release, 1992's The End of Silence, proved to be their best selling album thus far, meanwhile Henry Rollins began appearing regularly on MTV as a guest VJ or on specialty programs.

Weiss left and was replaced by New York City funk bassist Melvin Gibbs, recommended by Living Colour's Vernon Reid. The Rollins Band's 1994 release Weight proved to be the biggest hit of their career, due to MTV's heavy rotation of the striking Anton Corbijn-directed clip for "Liar" On Weight, the Rollins Band is able to mix the musicians' love for jazz with a blindingly direct hard rock assault, making a twisted form of metal-jazz. Henry Rollins' lyrics have also begun to move away from his relentless self-examination, adding a touch of the self-effacing humor that distinguishes his spoken records. The new lyrical dimension adds depth to the band's music, making Weight their most impressive album to date.

A memorable appearance at Woodstock '94 followed shortly thereafter as the band continued their relentless touring schedule. 1997 saw the release of the band's debut for the massive DreamWorks label, Come in and Burn, but stagnation began setting in and Rollins dismissed his bandmates shortly after the conclusion of its supporting tour. He had produced a Los Angeles hard rock band called Mother Superior, and invited them to form a new incarnation of the Rollins Band. Their first album Get Some Go Again, was released two years later. The Rollins Band released several more albums, including 2001's Nice and 2003's Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three. After 2003, the band became inactive as Rollins focused on radio and television work.



01 - Disconnect (4:57)
02 - Fool (4:26)
03 - Icon (3:42)
04 - Civilized (3:54)
05 - Divine Object Of Hatred (4:02)
06 - Liar (6:37)
07 - Step Back (3:58)
08 - Wrong Man (4:20)
09 - Volume 4 (4:39)
10 - Tired (3:47)
11 - Alien Blueprint (3:45)
12 - Shine (5:25)

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Ruby - Salt Peter (95 ^ 289mb)

Ruby was the alias of singer Lesley Rankine, previously the frontwoman of Scottish noise-provocateurs Silverfish. After leaving the group in the wake of their 1993 LP Fuckin' Drivin' or What, Rankine relocated from London to Seattle to collaborate with producer Mark Walk, with whom she'd previously worked on material for the industrial collective Pigface. Dubbing the project Ruby -- a name shared by both of their maternal grandmothers -- Rankine and Walk created a sonic backdrop closer to electronica than the abrasive rock of the singer's past work, with the acclaimed LP Salt Peter appearing in 1995. It's more provocative, as well as better written, instead of hard-edged post-punk, Ruby's music is a dark, eerie fusion of trip-hop and industrial, with quietly menacing beats and droning synths.

The remix version , Revenge, The Sweetest Fruit, appearied in 1996. She also appeared on the Toronto-based Monster Voodoo Machine's Suffersystem album recorded in 1994 at Chicago Trax. The album won a Juno award (the Canadian equivalent to a Grammy). Rankine returned to her native Scotland to work on Ruby's second album, Short Staffed at the Gene Pool. This saw the group release material on a new UK label, Wichita Recordings, as well as Thirsty Ear in the US. The song "Grace" was mixed by several abstract producers including Warp Records artist Mira Calix. Later in 2001, Altered & Proud gathered more remixes from luminaries such as Max Tundra, Kid 606, Console and Dot Allison.

Mark Walk is currently a member of legendary Industrial music group Skinny Puppy. Rankine has since taken a break from recording, and fell in love there (Scotland) with an Aussie/Scot, married and planned to go Australia..this was 2002. My guess is she's having kids and barbeques these days, but then writing/recording songs is not something easily passed on, so who knows she might be back with a record any day....



01 - Flippin' Tha Bird (4:10)
02 - Salt Water Fish (3:29)
03 - Heidi (4:03)
04 - Tiny Meat (4:05)
05 - Paraffin (3:36)
06 - Hoops (3:51)
07 - Pine (4:09)
08 - Swallow Baby (Tim Brown Remix) (5:32)
09 - The Whole Is Equal To The Sum Of Its Parts (4:09)
10 - Bud (4:19)
11 - Carondelet (7:06)



Ruby - Revenge, The Sweetest Fruit (Salt Peter Remixed) (96 * 413mb)

01 - Flippin' Tha Bird (Ceasefire Remix) (5:06)
02 - Salt Water Fish (Peshay Remix) (8:26)
03 - Heidi (Scream Team Remix) (7:51)
04 - Paraffin (Red Snapper Mix) (4:28)
05 - Hoops (Da Lata Remix) (4:49)
06 - Tiny Meat (Meat For The Feet Dub) (6:28)
07 - Heidi (Num Num Mix) (8:27)
08 - Swallow Baby (Tim Brown Remix) (6:16)
09 - The Whole Is Equal To The Sum Of Its Parts (Fila Brazillia Remix) (7:25)
10 - Bud (Rootless Mix) (7:05)
11 - Carondelet (Don't Fear The Remix) (5:11)
12 - Tiny Meat (Mark Walk Mix) (4:29)

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6 comments:

Mr R said...

Thanks for the RUBY tracks, do you have the Silverfish album you could post as part of Alphabet Soup S?
Cheers
Lee

dominic vine of the owls said...

Hey Rho
just came across your site and it's GREAT
i've been looking for this album for years (loved it over a decade ago)
could i ask you to upload a FLAC of the remix album to my server?
if ya could...

ftp.dominicvine.net
u: sheridan@dominicvine.net
pass: sheridan

if ya've got a moment

thanks thanks.

Anonymous said...

Hello Dominic, i could but you have to be more specific here, there are 4 albums here, you fail to mention which one youwantin flac

best of luck,

Rho

dominic vine of the owls said...

Ah, indeed i did
forgive the miscommunication

i was talking about the Salt Peter Remixed album
(i used to have the lushly packaged version...)

thank you thank you, when you can

...dominic

viagra online said...

So good to see Rollins Band in your blog! This is such a powerful band and some times it is so hard for them to get the acknowledgment they actually deserve... I mean, Henry Rollins is a musical genius and a vocal beast!

AliBoingo said...

Hi Rho, please could you re-up the Ruby LPs - thanks again!