Musick that Needed Work - S: Skafish

 Skay as in slay, not ska as in...well, ska.  

I believe the first time I was aware of Skafish was when I saw Urgh! A Music War. They did “Sign of the Cross" & were weird in that way that I really enjoy, so I sought out their debut self-titled & then their next release, Conversation. Then they just disappeared off my radar. 

Skafish was a Chicago based punk band fronted & named for the inimitable Jim Skafish.. 

Without batting an eye, Jim sez he's 
       "the sole originator and godfather of punk in Chicago."

Altough not what was considered "punk' at the time, the band’'s stage shows catapaulted them into the world of punk.. Over six feet tall with an unforgettably enormous nose & sagging man-boobs, Jim often came on stage dressed in vintage ladies' bathing suits or tube tops. When the band opened for Sha Na Na at the Arie Crown Theater, Jim took the stage done up like a middle-aged woman, eventually stripping down to a one-piece bathing suit as he applied lipstick.

After the Sha Na Na show the band found their audience at early Chicago punk clubs like La Mere Vipere & O'Banion's. In 1978 they played CBGB, the first Chicago band to do so. They were one of the early signees to Miles Copeland's fledgling I.R.S. label.

I.R.S. released Skafish's self-titled debut in 1980. The album is a triumph in innocent naivete & honest oddity. The band toured internationally to promote the record. This was the time that their performance of “Sign of the Cross” was included in the Copeland-produced concert film Urgh! A Music War. 

Conversation followed in 1983. It was savaged by critics who thought it was generic 80s dance music with lyrics that weren't up to snuff. But if you listen closely, this isn't genereic 80s dance music. It's definitely Skafish in depth & the lyrics are definitely Jim's usualy psychotherapy as music. Jim was never totally happy with the album. He believes that I.R.S. warped the production because they wanted a more commercially viable record than he intended. The band never recorded again. After taking one last shot at touring, they packed it in for good in 1985.

Skafish's music was always much less abrasive & more complex than what people tended  to associate with punk. There were lots of key & time signature changes, with synths & keyboards washing over jittering guitar & bass. The vocals were always front & center. The lyrics were as tortured as the music was genial: Skafish was much more a new wave art-music project than a punk band. 

 

Skafish - Skafish, I.R.S. Records XSP008, 1980.
decryption codes in comments

Side A -
Introduction / Joan Fan Club
Maybe One Time    
Obsessions of You    
We'll See a Psychiatrist    
Romantic Lessons

Side B -
Work Song    
Guardian Angel    
Disgracing the Family Name    
No Liberation Here    
Take it Out on You

 

 

 

 

Skafish - Conversation, I.R.S. Records SP70038, 1983.

Side One -
Secret Lover
Wild Night Tonight    
Made Up in the Dark    
Victims of the Night
She Lives for Love    
Mother is Waiting

Side Two -
Lover in Masquerade
She's Taking Her Love Away
Might Move in Next Door    
Bad Feelings Have Died    
In Another Time, in Another Place

 

The fix is in,
NØ

Musick that Needed Work - S: Secret Chiefs 3

 

I've shared a bit of Trey Spruance's Secret Chiefs 3 here before. 

 

You can read all about them on my other previous shares. I had a couple more items from SC3 that needed work, so here they are for any of you who enjoy this band.

Here's their third & fourth releases on their new label Web of Mimicry, Trey's label for Secret Chiefs 3 projects... 

 

Secret Chiefs 3 - Eyes of Flesh, Eyes of Flame, Web of Mimicry WoM002, 1999.
decryption codes in comments

Set Two (8-part single track) -    
     a. Adept Chamber of the Magian Tavern
     b. Inn of Three Doors
     c. Theme from 23rd Nade
     d. Inn of Three Doors
     e. eeeee
     f. Combat for an Angel
     g. Theory of the Supreme Ones
     h. Mary of Magdalen

Set Three -    
Renunciation
Jãbalqã/Jãbarsã
Rose Garden of the Mystery
Assassin's Blade
Zulfikar
Ciocarlia

 

 

 

 

Secret Chiefs 3 - Book M, Web of Mimicry WOW006, 2001.

Observance of the Word -    
Knights of Damcar
Hagia Sophia
Vajra
Ship of Fools (Stone of Exile)

Engagement of the Sword -    
Horsemen of the Invisible
Combat for the Angel
Zulfiqar III
Siege Perilous
Dolorous Stroke

Ritual of the Cup -    
Blaze of the Grail
Lapsit Exillis
Lapis Baitulous
Safina

 

 

 

The fix is in,
NØ

Musick that Needed Work - S: SWA

 

Following bassist Chuck Dukowski's departure from Black Flag in 1983, he set about reforming his first band, Würm. Despite recording an album, Würm's reunion was short-lived.

Chuck soon became acquainted with Greg Cameron, a teenaged-drummer who was hanging out & jamming at SST Records'  rehearsal space. The two began playing together & were soon joined by guitarist Ted Falconi of Flipper, but this line-up was short-lived.

The group was soon rounded out by former Overkill vocalist Merrill Ward, Frantic Technoid's guitarist Richard Ford, & Greg Cameron's high school friend, Ray Cooper, also on guitar. 

 

In 1985, the band recorded their debut Your Future (If You Have One), which was produced by Chuck's former Black Flag band mate, Greg Ginn. After the recording, Cooper departed the group to play with the Descendents, with whom he had played with off & on since 1982. In 1986 SWA released their sophomore Sex Doctor, a punky jazz-rock affair. 

 

SWA - Sex Doctor, SST Records SST073, 1986.
decryption code in comments

Side X -    
Catacombs
Sea & Sky
Sex Doctor
The Only One
Oklahoma
Onslaught

Side Z -
Big Ride
Round & Round
The Evil & The Good

 

 

 

The fix is in,
NØ

Musick that Needed Work - S: Swell Maps

 

Swell Maps were a Solihull UK experimental rock group formed in 1972 by brothers Nikki Sudden (Adrian Godfrey) on guitars & vocals with brother Epic Soundtracks (Kevin Godfrey) on piano & drums. They blended inspirations as varied as glam rock T-Rex to prog rock Can. They really came into their own with the advent of DIY punk around 1977. 

 

By 1977 the band was Sudden & Soundtrack plus Biggles Books (Richard Earl), Phones B. Sportsman (David Barrington), Golden Cockrill (John Cockrill), & Jowe Head (Stephen Bird).. They released the single "Read about Seymour" as their 1977 debut, soon after the brothers Godfrey left Solihull School. It is widely considered a classic punk era single.

Shortly after their first John Peel session, Swell Maps went into WMRS Studio to record their first album A Trip to Marineville, which was released in 1979. With hard rocking punk numbers interspersed with ambient instrumentals & experimental interludes, the album marked the band out as innovative non-musicians. The album went #1 on the new Independent chart.

Although Epic Soundtracks died of unknown causes at the age of 37 in 1997 & Nikki Sudden died in March 2006. Phones Sportsman & Jowe Head still remain active in music today.

 

Swell Maps - A Trip to Marineville LP + 7", Rough Trade rough two, 1979.
decryption code in comments

LP Side 1 -
H. S. Art    
Another Song    
Vertical Slum
Spitfire Parade    
Harmony in Your Bathroom    
Don't Throw Ashtrays at Me    
Midget Submarines    
Bridge Head    

Side 2 -
Full Moon in My Pocket    
Blam!!    
Full Moon (reprise)    
Gunboats    
Adventuring into Basketry    
My Lil' Shoppes 'Round the Corner

7" first side -
Loin of the Surf    
Doctor at Cake
    
other side -
Steven Does    
Bronze & Baby Shoes

 

 

The fix is in,
NØ

Musick that Needed Work - S: Saafi Brothers

 

I came across this ten-year span of Saafi Brothers releases that all needed work. Whipped them into sharable shape & offering them up here to all who are interested in chilling out with this downtempo psychedelic trance Dub ambient band of brothers.

 

The Saafi Brothers are two German musicians, Gabriel Le Mar & Michael Kohlbecker (early on a threesome along with Alex Azary) related by their musick. Nothin' beats the discovery of extraordinary music for me. When I first heard these super talented musicians from Frankfurt in the late 90s with their unique take on fusing dub, techno, & electro, it was a pure audio delight. The best chillout music around.

Saafi Brothers' debut Mystic Cigarettes came out in 1997 on the British label Blue Room Released. Its deep ambient tunes are layered gently into tranced & bassy beats. On this, their debut, the project consisted of Gabriel Le Mar, Alex Azady, Groovetitan, George DIN, & Michael Kohlbecker. 

 

Saafi Brothers - Mystic Cigarettes, Blue Room Released BR032CD, 1997.
all decryption codes in comments

Sweet Sirenes    
On Air    
2046
Together in Silence
Supervision    
Internal. Code. Error    
Internal. Code. Error 9.3.0 extra ingredient (Philantropic mix)

 

 

 

 

After a long tour with numerous DJ sets in clubs & numerous festivals such as Tribal Gathering/UK & Roskilde/DK, the Saafi Brothers returned to the studio in early 2000  & recorded their second longplayer on Blue Room, Midnight's Children. The album expanded on the Bros. willingness to experiment, going deeper into the floating sound clouds of Dub, psychedelic ambient, lo-mo trip hop & subtle techno beats with ethnic elements making for a much more Goa trance sounding release.

  

 

Saafi Brothers - Midnoght's Children, Blue Room Released BR087CD, 2000.

Altered Future
Into States of Consciousness
Free Senses
Wellness Farm
Mystical Chants
Degravitating
The Deep (Part 1)
The Witness
The Deep (Part 2)

 

 

 

 

While their third album Liquid Beach followed the chillout path of their first two releases, with  trance, Dub, downtempo, & sun-kissed psychedelics, it contains more danceable elements as well. It has been labelled "danceable listening music". The zero-gravity ambient sounds, relaxed pulsating grooves & mystic harmonies let you either dream or dance, a masterpiece of sound design often not present in other chillout tracks. Ethereally stretched samples, endless morphing soundscapes of vigorous grooves & mighty Dub bass abound.

 

 

Saafi Brothers - Liquid Beach, Saafi Records SLR001-2, 2003.

Summerhills    
The Green Cloud    
Seven Horizons    
Feelings Per Room featuring Jasmin Pour
Fusedub    
Sunchild    
Metapop (After Morning mix)
Liquid Beach    
Lovin' Music featuring George DIN
Metapop featuring Dea Li

 

 

 

 

With their fourth album, Supernatural, you should know what to expect from the Brothers, electronic sounds from ambient to Dub with lucid soundscapes & blissful themes. Here are occasional languid female vocal samples & the duo's frequent use of vintage Moog sounds that give these tracks an almost hypnotic quality. As always, the Saafis put together a unique blend of riddims & synthesis, hard to describe but wonderful to behold. They make the supernatural seem perfectly natural. Hope you've enjoyed these as much as I.

 

 

Saafi Brothers - Supernatural, Ayia Napa AYA20803-2, 2007.

Supernatural Pt.II    
Ready for the Rise (Prepara)    
Under the Sun    
Frankfurt Beach    
Take it Slow
Two Windows
Lunatic    
High Moon    
Something Outside    
Under the Stars
Supernatural

 

 

 

The fix is in, 

NØ

Musick that Needed Work - S: Spiral Tribe

 

In March this year on the share A Crash Course from the Ravers,

I did a deep dive into the rave collective Spiral Tribe. I had a few items left over from that share that needed work. I'll share them now.

 

Spiral Tribe - Breach the Peace EP, Big Lie BLRD79, 1992
decryption codes in comments

Breach the Peace    
Doet    
Seven    
23 Minute Warning

 

 

 

 

Spiral Tribe Sound System - Sirius 23 EP, Butterfly Records BFLD4, 1993.

Sirius 23 (edit)    
Earthworm    
Going All the Way    
Preditor

 

 

 

The fix is in,
NØ

Musick that Needed Work - S: Skinny Puppy

 

I'm sure everybody knows about Skinny Puppy. My exposure to them comes mostly as an adjunct to Kevin  'cEvin Key' Crompton's involvement with the Legendary Pink Dots as the Tear Garden.

 

Skinny Puppy was a Canadian electro-industrial band formed in Vancouver in 1982 by Key as a side-project that with the addition of vocalist Nivek Ogre became a full-time project. the two became the core of an oft-changing line up that has at various times included Dwayne Goettel, Dave "Rave" Ogilvie, Bill Leeb, Mark Walk along with numerous guests such as Al Jourgensen, Danny Carey, & many others. Early in their career, Skinny Puppy signed to Vancouver label Nettwerk, anchoring its early roster & bcoming one of its shining lights..

Although this release is entitled The Singles Collect(ion), it is actually mostly a compilation of album versions with a few remixes thrown in, not really a collect(ion) of Skinny Puppy singles??? 

 

Skinny Puppy - The Singles Collect, Nettwerk America, 1999.
decryption in comments

Testure (S.F. mix)    
WORLOCKed    
Dig It (short edit)    
Censor    
Assimilate    
Stairs & Flowers    
Inquisition (single mix)
Spasmolytic    
Tin Omen    
Tormentor    
Addiction    
Deep Down Trauma Hounds    
Killing Game    
Smothered Hope    
Far too Frail

 

 

 

The fix is in,
NØ

Musick that Needed Work - S: Simon Boswell

 

Simon Boswell grew up attached to a piano keyboard. At the age of 8, inspired by a BBC Radio program about Mozart, he composed a theme & variations in the styles of Chopin, Bach, Mozart, & Rachmaninov. He astounded an unexpecting audience at a school recital.

Then when he was 12, he learned the guitar after being mesmerized by a television broadcast of Jimi Hendrix. Combining the two techniques...classical piano & rock guitar, Boswell spent several years in bands. He founded the power pop group Advertising in 1977 then took over guitar in Live Wire (when Chris Cutler left the band after their debut Pick It Up) where he recorded both 1980s No Fright & 1981s Changes Made before becoming a record producer.

In 1982, his production of Italian superstar, Renato Zero, became one of the biggest selling Italian albums of all time. This brought him to the attention of horror director Dario Argento who changed Simon’s career forever. Argento asked Boswell to combine with the nucleus of Goblin, on the soundtrack to the film Phenomena. 

 

Since then, Boswell has scored films that span a myriad of genres & styles, all known for the creative combination of electronic elements with orchestral instruments. His work for horror / fantasy cinema is renown, especially the Italian giallo films, & flicks like Clive Barker's Lord of Illusions, the chillingly atonal Incubus, & the hybrid cyberpunk stylings of Hackers & Hardware.

Here's one of the great soundtracks of the 90s, the accompaniment to the Richard Stanley masterpiece of sci-fi/apocalyptic cinema, Hardware, an excellent example of low-budget filmmaking, "an art-house, sci-fi gorefest". For the score, Boswell combined acoustic slide guitar with resonant, doomy synths to create a hugely popular, apocalyptic score. 

This version ontains a final hidden track with sound effects & dialogue by Dylan McDermott. 

 

Simon Boswell - Hardware OST, Milan CDCH627, 1990.
decryption code in comments

No Flesh Shall Be Spared    
Good Morning Amerika featuring Iggy Pop - Simon Boswell
The Order of Death - Public Image Limited
Reno's Reindeer Steaks    
Alligator Heart
Everything is Under Control    
Mark 13    
Jill Burning    
Silent Night    
A Message from Our Sponsors - Simon Boswell    
A Piece of Pipe - Kaduta Mass featuring Lemmy Kilmister
Stigmata - Ministry
It's Horrible.. I Love It.. What Is It?
Cockroach Tea    
Crucifixion    
Hardware - Simon Boswell    
Stabat Mater - The London Symphony Orchestra
bonus track - 
I Dreamt it Was Raining

 

 

The fix is in,
NØ

Musick that Needed Work - S: Sun City Girls

 

Thought I had all my Sun City Girls (& associated projects) all gathered in one file, but low & behold, when I was digging through this pile of off-casts, here was one by the Girls, needing some work, hiding from sight. 

 

I am a devout follower of the SCG. I have shared them numerous times before: 
here; here (& links to eight or nine more in comments); & a couple more you can find in the "Labels' list to the right.

Here'a a fine cassette that I had compleely misplaced. Hope you enjoy it as I much as I enjoyed finding it again. 

 

Sun City Girls - The Fresh Kill of a Cape Hunting Dog, Cloaven Cassettes 12, 1987.
decryption code in comments

Side A -
Amphitheater of Pause
Avoid the Hyenas
Carri-on
I Told You So
Entrail-Littered Savannah

Side B -
Diet-Blue Morbid Attraction Soda
Ya Raitni
Ajax Flood Lamp
Casa Loma
Poppies
Nile Hilton Burning
Dolores
Atomic Jackals

 

 

The fix is in,
NØ

Musick that Needed Work - S: Suns of Arqa

 

Suns of Arqa was created by Michael Wadada (Michael Albert Ward or Michael Mafia) in 1979. Suns of Arqa is a sonic mission that began when Michael received higher guidance while working with roots reggae chanter Prince Far-I  in Jamaica. 

 

Suns of Arqa as a prolific travelling music collective has been continuously investigating the supernatural potential hidden in the ancient Hindustani raga systems. with Piobaireachd & Nyabinghi roots drumming, creating ritualistic world music infused with Dub & reggae, deeply spiritual vibrations that merges cultures, faiths, & musical genres. The lyrics combine both mystical & sensory elements, often including prayer, referencing a higher power but finding roots in experiences common to all people: memory; sight; physical sensation.

Mixed by none other than Adran Rydims (Adrian Sherwood). 

 

Suns of Arqa - Revenge of the Mozabites re-issue, Arka Sound ARKACD33116, 2001.
decryption code in comments

Acid Tabla    
World Peace A.D.?    
Sully's Reel    
Bali Citra    
Sully's Jig    
Piece of the World
Acid Tabla Dub    
Ananta Snake Dance    
Return of the Mozabites    
Sanaiscara Saturn    
Paintings of a Cave    
Acid Tabla remix

 

 

 

The fix is in,
NØ

Musick that Needed Work - S: School of Language

 

School of Language is a side-project of David Brewis, an English singer, songwriter, & musician. With his brother Peter Brewis, he formed Field Music, a rock band based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear in 2004. Prior to Field Music, he was in the band New Tellers. 

 

During a hiatus from Field Music from 2007 to 2009, Brewis worked on solo material under the name School of Language. This release was recorded in 2019. The title 45 refers to the 45th President of the US, Dumbass Trump. Thematically it is a darkly witty & poignant anti-Trump concept album. But don't get me wrong. It's not at all depressing. It is much funkier than its subject could ever be, thanks to grooves, licks, & a general vibe lovingly influenced by the likes of The Meters, James Brown, Talking Heads, & Prince. But it's also spot-on lyrically, thanks to incidents, themes, & quotes ripped from the headlines, cribbed from Hillary Clinton, borrowed from assorted swamp dwellers, & nicked from the Donald himself, all delivered via Brewis's tenderly soulful tones & soaring falsetto. 

 

School of Language - 45, Memphis Industries MI0560CD, 2019.
decryption code in comments

I've Got the Numbers    
Nobody Knows    
A Beautiful Wall    
Rocket Man    
Rex    
The Goldwater Rule    
Adult in the Room    
And Even if I Did    
Lock Her Up    
The Best People

 

 

The fix is in,
NØ

Musick that Needed Work - S: SubArachnoid Space

 

SubArachnoid Space was a psychedelic rock band from San Francisco, CA. They started up in 1995 & called it a day in 2010. 

 

The original band was a trio made up of Mason Jones, the owner of the independent music label Charnel Music on guitar, Jason Stein on bass & Michelle Schreiber on drums. The trio released their debut 7" single but before their first live show on Palo Alto's college radio station KFJC, second guitarist Melynda Jackson joined. This quartet toured for several years until Michelle moved to Texas & Jason left to pursue other interests. At that point, Chris Van Huffle joined as the drummer & Andy Stephens took over on bass. Stephens left in 2002 & the band went through numerous bass players while the rest of the lineup remained stable until 2003, when Mason departed to allow the band to tour more extensively. Melynda & Chris relocated to Portland, Oregon. They disbanded August 2010 & went on to form the group Eight Bells.

Here the band is: Melynda Jackson - guitar; Rus Archer - guitar; Michael Shiono - bass; & Chris Van Huffel - drums. 

 

SubArachnoid Space - Crusades CDr, Architect Records ARK016, 2009.
decryption code in comments

Beeps
Submerger
Ron Wong / To Infinity 

 

 

 

The fix is in,
NØ

Musick that Needed Woek - S: Sheila Chandra

 

Sheila Chandra was born in South London to a South Indian immigrant family, She discovered her musical voice at the age of twelve while attending Theatre Arts school. From that moment on, her chosen path was to be a singer. The only thing was that she had no knowledge as to how she could proceed in the music world.

By chance, Steve Coe, a writer & record producer, was forming a band, Monsoon, as an outlet for his increasingly Indian influenced material. He came across Chandra's voice on an old audition tape, lying in a box at Hansa Records. He knew at once that he had found his singer:

The band's first single "Ever so Lonely" took a raga song & utilising the new production techniques available, came up with an irresistible but radical modern pop fusion sound. It was a top ten hit that sold over a quarter million in sales worldwide. After several more singles that went nowhere, Chandra walked away from it all, frustrated by the increasing lack of communication between the label Phonogram & Monsoon over artistic direction. 

 

Sheila went back to Steve Coe's studio, Indipop & began working on her solo debut. Her first album for the label chronicles a profound transformation in the quality & depth of her work, both as a singer but also increasingly as a writer, in her now chosen field of Asian fusion. Her new found ability to cross continents in a single vocal line, to weave seamlessly the vocal styles of the Arab world, Andalucia, Ireland, Scotland, & India made for a true fusion within one mind / one voice.

Weaving My Ancestor's Voices established Chandra as a spiritual heir to a ‘whole world’ vocal tradition. Coe's sensitive, painstaking production enhanced this further, acting as an integral part of the recording, particularly on the virtuoso vocal percussion pieces "Speaking in Tongues I & II". The album was released on Peter Gabriel's Real World label & spent several weeks in the Billboard World Music Top 10.

Sadly, in 2009 Sheila was diagnosed with Burning Mouth Syndrome [BMS].  Chandra had to give up music in 2011 due to voice problems. Luckily we have the recorded history of her journey perserved for posterity.

 

Sheila Chandra - Weaving My Ancestor's Voices, Real World Records CAROL2322-2, 1992.
decryption code in comments

Speaking in Tongues I 
Dhyana & Donalogue    
Nana / The Dreaming    
Ever So Lonely / Eyes / Ocean
The Enchantment    
The Call    
Bhajan
Speaking in Tongues II    
Sacred Stones    
Om Namaha Shiva

 

 

The fix is in,
NØ

Musick that Needed Work - S: Swervedriver

 

Swervedriver is an Oxford, England band formed in 1989. Their line-up seemed always in flux with only Adam Franklin (vcals / guitar) & Jimmy Hartridge (guitar) as constant members. 

 

Though they were progenitors of shoegaze, they had a heavier rock sound that came to include elements of psychedelia, indie rock, & indie pop.

Swervedriver called it quits near the end of 1998 due to label bullshit & waning sales, but reunited in 2008 & finally released some new material in 2013 with the Deep Wound 7". 

 

Swervedriver - Deep Wound 7", Tym Records TYM014, 2013.
decryption code in comments

Side A -
Deep Wound
Side B -
Dub Wound

 

 

The fix is in,
NØ

Musick that Needed Work - S: Spear of Destiny

 

Spear of Destiny was formed in 1983 by Kirk Brandon & Stan Stammers after the demise of Theatre of Hate. The original line-up was Brandon (guitar / vocals) & Stammers (bass) plus Chris Bell (drums) & Lascelles James (saxophone).

 

Some of the tracks on Grapes of Wrath were written for the Theatre of Hate album that was to follow Westworld. That album never came to fruition & Kirk kept the best songs for SoD - GoW. 

 

Spear of Destiny - Grapes of Wrath, Epic EPC25318, 1983.
decryption code in comments

Side 1 -        
The Wheel
Flying Scotsman
Roof of the World
Aria
Solution

Side 2 -
The Murder of Love
The Preacher
Omen of the Times
The Man Who Tunes the Drums
Grapes of Wrath 

 

 

The fix is in,
NØ