INDIE FILE

Rip It Up, Issue 50, 1 September 1981, Page 11

INDIE FILE

7 INDIE LABELS MARKEIEDBYRTC,,

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King of the Indies, the label which started it all, back in 1971, with Mike Oldfield's .perennial Tubular Bells. Virgin gave other, bigger labels a lesson in marketing, and now stands firmly alongside them. Boss Richard Branson, never one to rest on his laurels, has branched the Virgin name into wide-ranging fields, from shops to studios to venues to books and back again. John Foxx was one of the original guiding lights in Ultravox, a band roundly scorned in their early days, being strong on synthesisers when threechord thrashes were in vogue. Foxx left after three albums to try it on his own. His influence on latter-day synth bands is obvious, and Foxx . is now following his own dreams, with one LP, Metamatic, and another, The Carden, due in September. John also wants to sign new bands to his own Metalbeat label, distributed by Virgin. Human League split in half towards the end of last year, lan Marsh and Martyn Ware forming the British Electric Foundation, while Phil Oakley and Adrian Wright kept the home fires burning. The new League is more danceorientated, having picked up a

coupla dancin' girls named Joanne and Susanne in a Sheffield disco. The new-look League already has a hit with 'Sound Of The Crowd', the follow-up, 'Love Action', is making waves, and the new LP, Boys And Girls, is on its way. After quitting Human League, Martyn Ware and lan Marsh formed: British Electric Foundation, a production company to act as a cornerstone for various activities. BEF released a cassette of synthesised music called Music For Stowaways. At the same time, a project called Heaven 17 was being formulated. With vocalist Glenn Gregory, they cut their first single, the now-famous '(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang'. Since then, Ware and Marsh have been hard at work on Heaven 17's first album. Penthouse and Pavement, due out soon on Virgin. The 'Pavement' side is dance-orientated material, while the 'Penthouse' side is mind and body music. The BEF is . also working on a project called Music Of Quality and Distinction, an LP of cover versions of sixties and seventies' classics, with BEF backing guest appearances by the original artists.. Richard Strange was known as 'Kid' in a previous incarnation, leading a bizarre little band known as the Doctors of Madness; highly influential in the pre-punk days. After their demise, he withdrew for a

while, re-emerging late last year with new material, playing solo gigs in Europe and America. In December 1980, he opened .Cabaret. Futura in Soho, a highly successful mixed media club which still thrives, although Strange . himself no longer appears there. His first studio album . in three years is entitled The Phenomenal Rise of Richard Strange, based on a narrative song cycle which he describes as "a political fantasy." Scotland's Simple Minds have recently . signed with Virgin after quitting Arista. They've been recording at Rockfield studios in Wales, under the guidance of Steve Hillage, who also produced their debut Virgin single, 'The American'. They're keen to follow up on the success of their first single 'I Travel', which was a disco hit in the US, and ‘ the highly-acclaimed Empires And Dance. But first, they must seek a replacement for drummer Brian McGee, who's just quit because he's had enough of touring.

Virgin recently signed a deal with the emergent Glasgow label Cuba Libre, featuring two very exciting bands the Shakin' Pyramids and the Cuban Heels. The Pyramids are an acoustic rockabilly trio,

who frequently busk in marketplaces, outside shops, in tube stations, anywhere there's an audience. The Cuban Heels have a reputation around Glasgow as a very hot live act, but had trouble attracting

attention further south. This led drummer Ali MacKenzie to form Cuba Libre. The Heels already have two singles, 'Walk On Water' and 'Sweet Charity', and are currently preparing their debut LP.

INDIE FILE

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Front Line was a label established by Virgin exclusively for reggae acts. And quite a stable it had too, many of the acts signed during a visit to Jamaica by Richard Branson and John Lydon. But - the distance between JA and London meant a lack of quality control, and while Front Line undoubtedly produced some superb rhythms, there was also a lot of dross, and the label finally folded. However, by popular demand. Virgin are releasing a series of compilation albums of the best of the Front Line acts. Each compilation goes under the title of Vital Selection. Already in the pipeline are best-of LP's from three almighty vocal trios: Culture, the Mighty Diamonds and the Gladiators. If you didn't catch the' original Front Line albums (may your, locks fall out), then these will give you a hint of what you missed.

The Passage hail from Marlchester, and are probably one of Britain's most subversive bands. To quote John Gill of Sounds: "Their metaphors are of the mortician's slab, the drug cabinet,, the unidentified assailant(s) and the victim's relatives. You are now expected to get up and dance...” A dark band indeed. Their second LP, For All And None, is released on the Night And Day label through Virgin.

Mention the Flying Lizards and everyone automatically remembers that silly single of 1980, Money'. : Fractured rhythms, deadpan vocals,, outrageously minimal backing, and a most unlikely smash hit. It cost less than S2O to record. A lesson for all aspiring artistes. . Chief Lizard . David Cunningham has more surprises in store with his new album Fourth Wall. Contributors include Robert Fripp and Patti Palladin.

Cimarons have been going for about 15 years, and have become a byword in British reggae. They worked with Bob Marley and the Wailers when they first arrived in Britain, but have ' also backed such JA superstars as Ken Boothe,' John Holt and Dennis Brown. Now, the Cimarons are stars in their own right, and their new Virgin album Freedom Street shows how far they've come. And who the blazes, you might ask, is Hambi Harambolous? Well, he leads a band called Hambi And The Dance, one of Virgin's more recent signings. Despite his exotic Greek name, Hambi actually comes from Liverpool. He and the other four .Dancers have past associations with the likes of Pauline Murray, Adam and the Ants, and Wah! Heat. Hambi describes the band as

"A big sound. Emotion ... big and tender! I really , love Phil Spector's stuff. When you hear that big Spector sound, it sends shivers up your spine. I like hitting people in the heart." A romantic soul. Hambi And The Dance have a debut Virgin single, Too Late To Fly The Flag.'

Peter Baumann, ex-Tangerine Dream is currently working on his third solo album. Working with him, and possibly singing on a couple of tracks, is Robert Palmer. A strange association, but Palmer went running .to Baumann after hearing a track from the rough tapes of the album while at his record company’s office in Munich. The results of their collaboration will be out in September. Sounds intriguing. -

DINDISC

Hot Gossip, the ones Kenny Everett takes a cold shower to. Arlene Phillips' raunchy, innovative dance troupe have captivated TV viewers for the last couple of years, and are now branching out to record their first LP. Producer is . Kiwi Richard Burgess who has his own hit band, Landscape, and also produced Spandau Ballet.

The album features cover versions of some classic songs, some unrecorded songs from well-known artists, and some original material. Hot Gossip's debut single, 'Criminal World', is out and the album will follow shortly. Bet the video will be something else.

Modern Eon could easily be written off as 'another Liverpool band', at a • time when polarisation is popular! But singer Alix maintains they've always deliberately avoided that scene, epitomised by the Bunnymen or Pink Military. Their sound is moody and atmospheric, ' but also tough and aggressive when the occasion demands-. They acknowledge a large debt to ace movie soundtrack writer Ennio Morricone. Their debut LP, Fiction Tale is available on Dindisc.

Beggars Banquet

. A widely divergent label; with an unnerving ability to get its acts into the charts. The label's , biggest success has been Gary Numan (through WEA in NZ). Now he's retired from live performing, the spotlight shifts to BB's lesser-known but even more interesting acts.

Bauhaus are a four-piece from Northampton who have built up a remarkable following through some' stunning live performances and a string of ground-breaking releases on the 4AD label,, prior to signing with 88. The name is that of a German school of art, founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius. The only thing the band claims in common is an approach that is modern and void of excess. But it also boasts a gothic romantic element which is contradictory to the Bauhaus movement. The Bauhaus version of the T Rex classic Telegram Sam' spent two months in the British Indies chart. Their BB releases include 'Kick In The Eye' and 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' and the LP In A Flat Field.

Also on 4AD, which is distributed by 88, is Modern English, five men originally from Colchester, but who

moved to London in the middle of last year. Comparisons have been drawn with Joy Division and Wire, which the group find both flattering and confusing. They've released three singles, including the highly-praised 'Gathering Dust', and have just released their debut LP, Mesh and Lace.

The Carpettes formed in Newcastle in 1977, recording two singles for Small Wonder and did several John . Peel sessions before joining 88, for which they've done three more singles and two albums. Melodic three-piece pop, currently under the direction of Only Ones and Magazine producer Colin Thurston.

Colin Newman was until recently the guitarist, songwriter and vocalist with Wire, whose name needs no further explanation. Wire is currently suspended rather than split, to allow various solo projects. One of these is Colin's album A-Z. which has had rave reviews, but like most of Wire's product, little commercial success. A pity, because the time taken to appreciate Newman is time well spent. An uncompromising experimenter, he's recently assembled a live band that includes Wire drummer Robert Gotobed, and has been touring the USA and Canada. Newman's new single, Inventory', is also available on 88.

Spirit have been going, on and off, for longer than even they care to remember. They started out back in the days of psychedelia, and have split and reformed numerous times since. Devotees tend to be fanatical. The band has been in abeyance recently, but has reemerged after Beggars Banquet picked up the tapes of the legendary but until now unreleased Potatoland. Renewed interest led to Spirit reforming with original members Randy California and Ed Cassidy, plus Liberty on bass and George Valuck on keyboards. Just goes to show that you can't keep a good band down.

Also in the BB portfolio are the likes of the Lurkers, still punking with all their might,

Ivor Biggun, whose bestknown hit is too filthy to name, and New York instrumental combo the Raybeats, who bring back a little of the spirit of the Shadows and the Tornados. Truly a wealth of talent here.