Remain in Light (new band)

Let's hear some new music with old references...
I decided, every now and then, to briefly introduce new bands I consider interesting.
Click on grey text to hear tracks from this new gothic rock band Remain in Light I just discovered...
They claim to be from... Somewhere!
http://www.facebook.com/RemainInLightband

Nice logo too!

Gustave Doré and the Goths (Sex Gang Children)

Paul Gustave Doré (1832 – 1883) was a french artist with a gift for engraving. He made a career as an illustrator for books such as the Bible, Milton's "Paradise lLost", Dante's "Divine Comedy", Edgar A.Poe's "The Raven" e.a. He worked primarily with wood and steel engraving. The images he created are classic and timeless full of mood, tension and an uncomparable romantic approach. 
It's no wonder goth bands of the 1980's used his imagery on their record sleeves. The Sisters of Mercy are the most notable example but today it's Sex Gang Children's turn.
On their first 7" single cover "Into the Abyss" in 1982 the band used a Doré illustration from his work for Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" c. 1861-68.

The original illustration is entitled "Alichino and Calcabrina" after the names of two demons fighting over a lake in hell. Dante and Virgil are overlooking...
I'm telling you, if you like goth and moody dark imagery, Doré is your man...

Press material and gig ads 2

I'll start regularly posting clippings concerning gig ads and other material, from music papers of the '80s (NME, the Sounds, Melody Maker, Zig Zag e.a). It's quite interesting to see who played where and with whom before they became "big names".

OK, as promised, here's part 2. 

Stay tuned as there are many to come...

80's goth bands logos pt.V (Red Lorry Yellow Lorry)

While I'm scanning gig ads for the previous post, here's something else...
The Lorries were a great band and like Gary Marx, quite underrated! ;-)

They used this logo for almost four (4) years, that is from 1982 till approximatively, 1986.
The two (2) trucks appeared on the sleeve of "Beating my head" 7"single (in color as 
you can see).
The last time they used it on a record label, sleeve or other, was if my memory serves me  
well, for "The very best of" in 2000. But by 1986 it was abandoned from regular releases.

A great band, a not so great symbol...
Let alone the resemblance to the mighty Jamie Reid's "nowhere buses" for 
the Sex Pistols in 1976.

Press material and gig ads

I'll start regularly posting clippings concerning gig ads and other material, from music papers of the '80s (NME, the Sounds, Melody Maker, Zig Zag e.a). It's quite interesting to see who played where and with whom before they became "big names".
Enjoy!


1983: 

 

I'll soon upload more clippings...

Gary Marx is underrated!

Ok, I don't know how many of you knew this, but I just recently heard these excellent tracks and got aware of the following fact:


"Nearly 13 years after first coming into being Nineteen Ninety Five and Nowhere receives its first official release on the French independent label D-monic. 
  Recently completed and re-mastered the new 10 track album features songs originally written in 1995 by The Sisters of Mercy co-founder Gary Marx at the invitation of Sisters’ supremo Andrew Eldritch. The material was intended to represent the pair’s first collaboration since the landmark Sisters’ album ‘First and Last and Always’ of 1984, but the notoriously wilful singer pulled out of the project without uttering a single word.
  The backing tracks went unheard until relatively recently when Marx, convinced of the material’s obvious strength, decided to finish the songs himself, writing lyrics and adding his own distinctive vocals. The response on hearing the results among the Sisters fan-base was immediate and the clamour for the tracks prompted him to make 7 of the songs available via the internet.
  Despite continual pressure to make the songs more widely available Marx had refused to be drawn until the approach of the Paris based label. Now with all 10 songs included for the first time the album has been re-mastered and re-packaged and is due for release on December 1st 2007.
  Despite (or perhaps because of ) the twisted path the songs have had to walk these long years, the album works as much more than a mere taste of what might have been – it serves as ample reminder of Marx’s undoubted ability as a writer and guitarist and is essential listening for anyone who has followed his career to date or for newcomers looking for an introduction to his work."

The above excerpt was taken by the French label, D-Monic's website.

I recommend you listen to this album letting your imagination bring in Andrew's voice...

Poor guy, what an opportunity he missed...

Tune in...

Gothic bands and art vol. I (Ghost Dance)

In April 1986, Ghost Dance (x-Sisters, Gary Marx & x-Skeletal Family, Anne Marie) released their first 12" release "River of no return" on Karbon records.
On the sleeve -following a tradition partly imposed by the Sisters of Mercy- a detail of a painting was used.

"The Lady of Shalott" was painted in 1888 by John William Waterhouse, a painter closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelites, who became famous for depicting women belonging to Arthurian legend or ancient Greek mythology.

The Pre-Raphaelites were a group of english painters and poets who formed in 1848. Their ideals were influenced by a fascination of the Middle Ages, a return to Flemish and Italian early Renaissance art and a reject of the changes the industrial revolution brought in society.


Stay tuned... 

80's goth bands logos pt.III (Fields of the Nephilim)

During this early period, goth bands -like most respectful to themselves bands of the 70's- developed a taste for not only a logo (which includes the font for writing in a distinct way the name of the band) but also for a symbol. I think it presents a certain interest, so lets see as many cases as we can...

This early logo accompanied all their releases from “Returning to Gehenna” in 1986  till “The Nephilim” album in 1988. It’s a detail from the opening scenes at  the train station, just before the fight, of Sergio Leone’s 1968 movie “Οnce upon a time in the west”.

After that McCoy proved unable to make up his mind. 

A series of magic circles appeared only to be replaced by another shortly after 

in some other release.

"The Nephilim"  first magic circle was designed by the mighty Chris Bigg, a long time assistant to Oliver Vaughan who created the wonderful pictorial world of 4AD sleeves.

The others were designed probably both by Bigg and by in house Nephilim design studio Sheer Faith. 

Here are some...

(I'll) Keep talking...

Starting point & top 15

Ok, lets begin...

My interest in gothic rock goes back to my high school days when punk and later, gothic bands provided me and a couple of friends with a new spectrum of excitement...

Years passed with endless hours of listening, hundreds of records and gigs, clothes, places, photos, dreaming and even my choice of studies (graphic design) been influenced by gothic and punk fascination with art and atmospherics.

Oliver Vaughan, Chris Bigg (4AD) along with Neville’s Brody’s work on vinyl record sleeves, haunted my walls and my personal work. I can remember that the first poster I ever did as a student, was a collage of xeroxed photos for Bauhaus’ live LP “Press the eject and give 

me the tape”.

“..discover all of earth’s surprises” – Love under will, Fields of the Nephilim

Now, so many years later I know Mc Coy was right when he sang this...

I still feel a strong attraction towards not so much the image, masquerade and paraphernalia 

of this kind of music but to it’s very essence. For each of us it may be somewhat different...

That’s why I bother to upload this blog.

So I’ll start with a cliche.

My top 15 LP’s of classic goth rock.

Please feel free to upload yours.

That’s what blogs are about.

 I think that compilations here are a cheat so I haven’t included any...

Red lorry Yellow lorry - Talk about the weather (1985)

Play Dead - The first flower (1983)

The Sisters of Mercy - First and last and always (1984)

Fields of the Nephilim - the Nephilim (1988)

Fields of the Nephilim - Dawnrazor (1987)

Bauhaus - The sky’s gone out (1982)

The Cult - Dreamtime (1984)

Dance society - Heaven is waiting (1983)

Killing Joke - Night time (1985)

March Violets - Natural history (1984)

The Marionettes - Ave Dementia

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Tinderbox (1986)

Siouxsie and the Banshees - A kiss in the dreamhouse (1982)

The Mission - God’s own medicine (1986)

Dead can Dance - Dead can dance (1984)

That’s about it...

With no particular order.

Y


* whenever someone sends a top something I'm going to upload it to this page too instead of leaving it to the obscurity of the comments...


SavaGeo proposes:


Killing Joke - Fire Dances 
1919 - Machine 
Leitmotiv - Carress & Curse 
Southern Death Cult - S/T 
The Danse Society - Seduction 
The Sisters Of Mercy - First And Last And Always 
Bauhaus - Burning From The Inside 
Play Dead - The First Flower 
Christian Death - Only Theatre Of Pain 
Cocteau Twins - Garlands 
Gene Loves Jezebel - Promise 
Virgin Prunes - If I Die I Die 
Skeletal Family - Recollect