An Alternative History of "Pop" Music: Part 2, 1982 -

[daf]

Brassy ‎– Boss



Released in March 1996 - did not chart

In 1986, American singer Muffin Spencer - younger sister of Jon Spencer from the Blues Explosion - moved to Manchester. She became the lead singer with The Exuberants, who released a couple of singles and a 6-track mini album in 1992.

In 1994, along with Karen Frost (bass), Spencer formed Brassy with fellow ex-members of The Exuberants : Stefan Gordon (guitar) and Jonny Barrington (aka DJ Swett, drums) - releasing their debut single 'Boss' in 1996.



Influenced by The Smiths, their early material also drew comparisons with Elastica. Later they incorporated hip hop and punk rock influences into their sound.

[daf]

Lionrock ‎– Fire Up the Shoesaw



Reached #43 in the UK chart in July 1996

Lionrock were a British big beat group, comprising record producer Justin Robertson, MC Buzz B, and producer, engineer, programmer and synthesist Roger Lyons. Lyons replaced recording engineer Mark Stagg in 1995. The group formed in 1992, and signed to Deconstruction Records in 1993.

Justin Robertson's musical career began in Manchester. Initially working behind the counter at Eastern Bloc records, he went on to DJ at the Konspiracy club in Manchester, and began his own Sunday club Spice with fellow DJ Greg Fenton. In the early 1990s he started the Most Excellent club and played at The Haçienda.

"Fire Up the Shoesaw" featured on their debut album, 'An Instinct For Detection', released in 1996.

[Brundle-Fly]

Two great choices daf

The Dream Machine - Sukia . Released on Nickelback in 1996.





Whatever happened to these dudes? This was killa space age sleaze.

Sukia were an American electronic band, based in Camarillo, California, United States, that featured former child actor Ross Harris, who in the 1970s acted in shows such as CHiPS and the Little House on the Prairie.

Formed in the early 1990s, amidst the burgeoning Los Angeles indie music scene, Sukia took their name from the Italian vampire comic book of the same name. Their only released album was Contacto Espacial con el Tercer Sexo (1996), which was produced by the Dust Brothers and Jerry Finn, released on the Dust Brothers label, Nickelbag Records in the United States and through Mo Wax Records in the United Kingdom.

Following their dissolution, Sukia have gained a cult following from the release of the above-titled album, and also alternate versions of the songs "Gary Super Macho" and "The Dream Machine".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lvggxfxjLg

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Martin Rev - I Heard Your Name



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQlJCxJaNTE

Suicide man gets all gooey on this charming declaration of love from his fourth solo LP.

Martin Rev is an American musician and one half of the influential synth-punk band Suicide. Rev has also released several solo albums for a number of record labels. His style varies widely from release to release, from harsh and abrasive no wave to light bubblegum pop and heavy synthesizer rock.

[jamiefairlie]

Disco Inferno - Can't See Through It

https://youtu.be/HxaFbfuNkk8



Taken from their last album, "Technicolour", recorded in 1994 just before the band split,  but released two year later. A projected EP release of "Sleight of Hand" (backed by the unreleased tracks "Keep It Together" and "Drowned Out") was canceled, and an entire album's worth of songs already recorded by singer/guitarist Ian Crause remains unreleased.

[Brundle-Fly]

Cambridge California - Lilys. Released on ché in 1996.





Surprisingly good album from one of those contemporaneous acts that met the inevitable kiss of 'cred' death by association of doing a Levis commercial. A flash of coolness, the Initial big payout, and then obscurity knocks. Take a bow, Babylon Zoo, Stiltskin, Biosphere, Smoke City, MC 900ft Jesus.... etc

That Levis Ad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH-5DMJ-g78

Lilys, were a U.S.East Coast outfit led by singer/songwriter Kurt Heasley, are a notoriously difficult band to categorize. With an ever-evolving lineup, home base, and a sound that swings pendulum-like between The Monkees to My Bloody Valentine-influenced shoegazer to indie guitar pop, the answer to the question, "Who are the Lilys?" depends of the qualifiers of "when" and "where."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQrJq8Xdb_4

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Monkees-tastic!!

The Past Members section on their Wiki page amounts to a veritable cast of thousands, it makes the Fall look like a tight-knit gang of stable bedfellows.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilys

[daf]

Nanny In Manhattan was one of my first mental picks for 1996 - so you can imagine how annoyed I was to find out (just last week!) that it had become a sodding hit (on re-release) - Bah!

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Similarly, I was going to nominate Planetary Sit-In by Julian Cope, but it turns out that got to number #34. Which is a copper-botttomed hit in my book

[Brundle-Fly]

Monkees-tastic!!

The Past Members section on their Wiki page amounts to a veritable cast of thousands, it makes the Fall look like a tight-knit gang of stable bedfellows.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilys

Apparently, Kurt Heasley (the Mark.E.Smith of Lilys) had a reputation of being a bit of a 'Miles Hunt' which can't have helped their fortunes.

[Brundle-Fly]

Nanny In Manhattan was one of my first mental picks for 1996 - so you can imagine how annoyed I was to find out (just last week!) that it had become a sodding hit (on re-release) - Bah!

What gets me annoyed is when I suddenly remember a great track but it's a few years too late to nominate it. example: Deux Filles.  1982! I thought they were much later.

[daf]

Yes - I had a few of those. Managed to scratch the itch by posting a few in the 'Brilliant pop singles that were total chart flops' thread, which is currently languishing down amongst the wines and spirits on page 2.

Doctor Father - Umbopo (1970) **
Jimmy Jukebox - Motorboat (1973)
Transglobal Underground - Temple Head (1991)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
** (I had posted this back when we were in 1970, but the original link was a dud & I only noticed after it was too late)

[daf]

Me Me Me - Hollywood Wives



Released in August 1996 as the B-side to "Hanging Around" - reached #19 on the UK Singles Chart.

Me Me Me were a one-off English Britpop supergroup formed in 1996, consisting of Alex James of Blur (vocals, bass), Stephen Duffy (vocals, guitar) previously of The Lilac Time and Justin Welch of Elastica (drums), plus James' friend Charlie Bloor (?).

The band's first and only single, "Hanging Around" featured "Hollywood Wives" as the B-side, with a third track, "Tabitha's Island" included on the 12-inch and CD single. The tracks were originally recorded as a soundtrack for Damien Hirst's film Hanging Around, first shown at the Spellbound Exhibition, which took place at London's Hayward Gallery in March 1996.



Stephen Duffy : "Me Me Me? If ever a band should have been called speedball... With that one I was just encouraging Alex to make a statement. Because he did that nice track on Parklife – his Syd Barrett track – and I'd just hang out with him and he'd sing songs. I thought, 'Well here's somebody who can actually pick up an acoustic guitar and sing a song.' But then it all got so bogged down contractually that I ended up singing it, which was never really the point."

(Much better than the actual A-side, in my opinion!)

[Brundle-Fly]

Me - The Shave Released on Pet Sounds in 1996.



Do you think somebody had English Settlement in their record collection? Only released one single and that was that.

Well, not quite...

The Shave were a 90's British band: Andy Boyd: Vocals, Ross Newell: Guitar, Scott Carey: Bass & Michael Chesters: Drums
Andy Boyd now manages Pete Doherty, Scott Carey was formerly of the Manchester band Paris Angels and now performs with Walton Hesse Ross Newell runs a successful chain of licensed adult outlets. Insert 'Shaven Havens' joke here.

Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmPOl24rnXE

What the hell, it's a Saturday, so I'm throwin' in the A-side too...

Commercial Queen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMieNkpzpjg

[daf]

Do you think somebody had English Settlement in their record collection?

Good spot - Never heard of them before!

(sounds like there's a bit of 'Love on a Farmboys Wages' in there too!)

[Brundle-Fly]

Good spot - Never heard of them before!

(sounds like there's a bit of 'Love on a Farmboys Wages' in there too!)

Unfortunately, not much material to explore. Apparently, they played at some XTC-related event in Swindon, a few years ago but I couldn't attend. It must've been a short set.

[Johnny Yesno]

Nude On The Moon - Tipsy  Released on Asphodel in 1996.



The lounge swinger version of The Residents?

Tipsy were brought together by their shared fascination for experimental music and noise, the San Francisco-based lounge-collage duo Tipsy consists of Tim Digulla and David Gardner.

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzGx4oDDhAY&t

Yes! This is an utterly superb album. My own choice would be...

Tuatara: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRraVhcCwgI

The album also has Xopher Davidson and Naut Humon engineering and producing respectively, which is another reason it has a strong experimental noise sensibility.

[Johnny Yesno]

The Gentle People ‎– Travel Bug



Featured on the album 'Soundtracks For Living' - released in 1996

This is also great. Unsurprisingly, my choice of track would be...

Tiki Mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdG5Xl1deD8

[Johnny Yesno]

Download - The Turin Cloud



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SUsFSSwGBk

From the second and finest album by ex-Skinny Puppy+ industrial project Download. In fact, I'd stick my neck out and say The Eyes of Stanley Pain is the finest album by any act in the north American industrial strand. The emotional tone and sonic palette is all over the place, which makes it an intense rollercoaster ride if you're fond of listening to music on psychedelics.



Coil - Baby Food



https://coil1.bandcamp.com/track/baby-food

Cheating here, as this track was originally released on the Sub Rosa compilation Chaos in Expansion in 1993. It's such a beautiful track, though, that you won't mind me being forgetful and having to cheat.



Black Light District - Stoned Circular II



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa7uY72SpPU

It's Coil again under another moniker. A Thousand Lights in a Darkened Room is also up on Bandcamp. It's good to see you can get hold of this stuff without having to pay eye-watering prices.



Main - XIV



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgoBP7lfMoI

From the third in the Firmament series of eps/albums by ex-Loop members.



Final - ,,,,,,,



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_Xd__HmpJs

From the second studio album by Justin K. Broadrick's noise project 2.



Panasonic - Uranokemia



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Litq7fZeWGI

From the second ep Osasto by the Finnish electronic experimentalists. Note, the problematic 'A' is still in their name at this point.



Microstoria - Endless Summer NAMM



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzDmvw9gsN8

From Marcus Popp and Jan St Werner's second album snd.



The Jesus Lizard - Thumper



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVXLDbynpUg (live tv appearance - the video quality isn't great)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjRwFyUanZk (album version)

From their sixth album Shot, the album where they went 'commercial' and you could hear the lyrics. It was the first of their albums that wasn't produced by Steve Albini.

[McChesney Duntz]

Apparently, Kurt Heasley (the Mark.E.Smith of Lilys) had a reputation of being a bit of a 'Miles Hunt' which can't have helped their fortunes.

He's a little on the nutty side - I interviewed him not long after this came out and he was clearly zooted out of his skull (he claimed that he was hyped up on his wife's pre-natal vitamins, which may be grounds for obstetrician malpractice if so); pretty hilarious, actually, but hoo papi. (I've since interacted with him on Twitter now and again and he's still decidedly odd but no less delightful for it.) I can imagine being in his employ might wear on one over (not very much) time.

[jamiefairlie]

The American Analog Set - On the Run's Where I'm From

https://youtu.be/ToOqcMxDLvQ



Formed in Texas in 1995, the group's early sound was highly-influenced by krautrock and post-rock and British shoegazer bands.
This is from debut album, "The Fun Of Watching Fireworks". They split in 2005.

[Brundle-Fly]

He's a little on the nutty side - I interviewed him not long after this came out and he was clearly zooted out of his skull (he claimed that he was hyped up on his wife's pre-natal vitamins, which may be grounds for obstetrician malpractice if so); pretty hilarious, actually, but hoo papi. (I've since interacted with him on Twitter now and again and he's still decidedly odd but no less delightful for it.) I can imagine being in his employ might wear on one over (not very much) time.

Aaw, sorry, Kurt Heasley. Tittle-tattle I must've read in the NME twenty-five years ago.

[Brundle-Fly]

Contrazoom - Spacer    Released on Pussyfoot in 1996.





The great lost James Bond title theme? This would have pulled the 007 soundtrack screaming into the future.  Just wait until the Shirley Basseyesque type vocals kick in at the 4:09 mark.

Spacer is a vehicle for renowned electronica engineer/producer Luke Gordon to stretch out and show what he can do on his own. In the early '90s he began engineering for such acts as the Sandals, La Funk Mob, and Chris Bowden. But Gordon's true love was creating his own music, as a few of his tracks appeared on obscure compilations before the release of Spacer's 1996 debut album, Atlas Earth,  That same year, another Spacer track, the epic "Contrazoom," was issued as a single and featured on the compilation Pussy Galore, which proved popular in dance clubs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeOm3MTvXFU&t

[jamiefairlie]

Willard grant conspiracy - morning is the end of the day

https://youtu.be/AgVdsNMn9yA



Formed in Boston in 1995, by Robert Fisher and Paul Austin. This is from their debut album, "3 AM Sunday @ Fortune Otto's". Robert Fisher died of cancer on February 12, 2017, aged 59.

[daf]

Tiny Monroe ‎– She



Released in April 1996 - did not chart

Tiny Monroe were formed in London in 1993 by Norma Jean "NJ" Wilow (vocals), Alex Culpin (bass guitar), Philip Spalding (guitar) and Greg Sanford (drums). The line up was cemented when Richard Davies (guitar) and Jon Solomon (drums) replaced Spalding and Sanford.

The band released their debut single "VHF855V" (the title coming from the number plate of NJ's Ford Escort) on their manager Howard Gough's Laurel record label in March 1994. Their most successful release, the Cream EP reached number 7 in the national indie chart in April 1994, and number 100 in the UK Singles Chart.



"She" featured as the opening track on their debut album, 'Volcanoes'. A second single from the album, "Open Invitation" was released in June 1996.

[Astronaut Omens]

Red Snapper- Get Some Sleep Tiger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WozHlLuqa8M
Warp's only jazz band (obviously one of their other solo acts does jazzy stuff) doing a quirky tune that reminds me of some of Alan Hawkshaw's TV themes.

[Astronaut Omens]

Mike and Rich- Eggy Toast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJNId35B93A

A collaborative LP between μ-Ziq and Aphex Twin, supposedly made whilst drinking a lot during the 1994 world cup in Aphex' flat in Stoke Newington on " an Atari, a Roland MKS-80, a Memorymoog, a Roland R8 and a handful of samples on a Casio FZ-10M".

[Astronaut Omens]

Stezo- Figure It Out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y1djhuMb2Y

A former dancer for the hip-hop group EPMD, Conneticut rapper and producer Stezo had some success in the late 80's with his LP Crazy Noise, but after taking a 5 year break following the death of a friend,  his 90's records didn't really sell too well. In recent years he had left the music business and become a barber, dying last year of a heart attack.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Belle & Sebastian - Like Dylan in the Movies



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePAg7nJyurw

Our great curator, Jamie, has already nominated the opening track from Belle & Sebastian's debut album, Tigermilk, but just a few months later they released If You're Feeling Sinister. Which is one of the greatest albums of all time. I think so, anyway.

Stuart Murdoch was mostly housebound throughout the early to mid-1990s. He suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome. During that time he wrote a plethora of songs, hence why Belle & Sebastian were so prolific in their earliest days. A burst of creativity, finally given some shape and sound. A vision fully formed after years of dreaming.

I could've chosen any song from Sinister, really, but I think this one captures what was so magical about them. I just wish that piano and xylophone outro went on for at least a minute longer.

[the science eel]

This thread is amazing, thank you.

Almost makes up for the unfathomable Erasure-love here