'80s dark wave from North Greece!

21rst April is internationally celebrated as Record Store Day.
Greek record shop "Lotus" in North Greece (Thessaloniki) has for the occasion released this very interesting set of 45's as a boxset or as separate items.
Under the general title "Dark Wave, Post Punk & Proto-Electro from North Greece", it's a series of 3 -vinyl only- 7" singles, each with studio and live recordings from '80s greek underground bands of the area.
Superbly packaged it's an important and respectable effort worth checking and having...
Read some of the press release:

  In an effort to take active part in the recently established Record Store Day celebration, whilst also participating in the formation of the puzzle that captures the underground music of Greece in the 80s, we decided to issue three 7'' singles.

  All bands featured on these editions stem from the north of the country and, in our view, constitute primary examples of the post-punk sound, as well as, some of the most distinct aesthetic directions set out at the time, not only musically, but also in broader cultural and social directions, as they were all part of a culture which diffused both in the streets and in the social life.

For more info check here:

http://www.lotus.gr/

Hear the tracks here:

http://soundcloud.com/lotus-releases

Box set cover

Singles covers

Mr. Fiend and the Cramps

Were the Cramps gothic? 
Though their image had strong elements of that genre, none can give a positive answer to that question. Their music came down to american rock 'n' roll and blues music on the trash side.
As Mick Mercer put's it in his mighty "Gothic Rock Black Book" in 1988, "... it was all rock'n' roll to them"! Still we love them a lot...
So did Mr. Nik Fiend if we are to judge from the back cover of the "Dead and Buried" 12" in  1984.
If you note at his photo on the bottom right you 'll see he's wearing a Cramps t-Shirt . 
The original image of the T was taken from a promo poster for the Cramps 1980 LP "Songs the Lord Taught us".
(See detail below)


Oh yes, to illustrate this just listen how he sings "Boneshaker baby".
Lux must have made a bit impression on the man...

 

Rip-offs!

Yes, there are some cases where we can note serious rip-offs even among our tribe!
See some of many examples, but keep in mind that noticing it does not mean I don't like the bands in question :
As mentioned in an older upload Bauhaus ripped of completely the famous 1919 German art school's logo... 
(see September 13th 2011 upload) http://80sgothicrock.blogspot.com/2011/11/80s-goth-bands-logos-pti.html
Seth Artaud is the champion of copy-pasters...
"I wanna be Eldritch in the place of Eldritch and Mc Coy in the place of Mc Coy, 
at all costs..."
First of all the band's name. Merciful Nuns is almost saying Sisters of Mercy (was an order of catholic nuns) in a different way.
Sorry guys, it's well done but naming a track "Temple of Hadit" after SOM's mighty "Temple of love" is a bit of an obvious copy...
"Tower of Faith" after the Mission's "Tower of Strength"?
"Body of Light" after SOM's "Body and Soul"?
Name an LP "Lib. I" when the various versions of F.o.t. Nephilim's "Psychonaut" in 1989 had "Lib.I", "Lib II", "Lib III"?
Let alone the artwork for which I'll only show this:

Judge for yourselves...


69 Eyes of the New Church...
We know they liked Steve Bator's gang...
The Lords logo appeared in 1982 and slightly changing and distorting does not conceal that it's the same font in the same arrangement...

Tones on Tail merciful mode...
Great act but the sleeve on this 1984 release could be more original than imitating SOM's releases design and font...