Bob Carlos Clarke and the Damned

The Damned have never been a real Goth band. They were one of the first and best punk acts. Many songs though, due to Dave Vanian 's obsessions had gothic elements and feeling. In 1984 they released their most gothic in style LP, "Phantasmagoria".

The superb images on the sleeve were taken by an Irish photographer, Bob Carlos Clarke (1950-2006). 

The front and back cover pictures are actually one photograph that  was shot at Brompton cemetery and had the initial title 

"The Dream Keeper".

The backside picture is thus a detail.

The model is Susie Bricks, who now happens to be Nick Cave's wife.

The original image was included in Clarke's 1985 photobook "The Dark Summer" (Quintet editions) now out of stock... 

Croppings of this same picture were also used on "The Shadow of Love" 7" and 12" single and remixes.

Another shot by Bob Carlos Clarke was used on their single "Grimly Fiendish" from that same album. The original title for the photo was "Crown of Thorns".

Check Bob Carlos Clarke website here:
http://www.bobcarlosclarke.co.uk/

'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...

 

Death Cult and a weird & famous photographer

Tim Page is a self taught English photojournalist whose work became famous mainly due to his Vietnam war shots. He was the sort of guy who would walk without a care in the frontline and do all sort of dangerous things for a good photo. Careless and captured by the excitement of battle and the drugs he used to take, he would frequently venture where other professionals would not. 
Wikipedia reports that he was wounded four times in battle in the '60s - one of them almost sending him to an early grave. His daring and unusual personality -worth investigating- is rumored to have inspired the photojournalist's character in Coppola's masterpiece "Apocalypse Now" in 1979.
Why do we bother with him?
He's the one who shot the aerial photo that appears on Death Cult's "Brother's Grim" EP cover in 1983.
Not a surprising choice knowing Ian Astbury's fascination with the 1970's and the Nam saga...
See his page here:
http://www.timpageimage.com.au/v4/

Unmissable!... (for those who can afford it!)

Amazing bill for all, both old and new goth and rollers!

14/10/83 Sisters & Violets gig review

1983. 
Both Merciful Release (back then) bands...
The Foot Club in Hammersmith. 
Imagine the event.

See the poster, read the review.
By Adam Sweeting...

"Wonderland" label motifs (Siouxsie & the Banshees)

From 1983 onwards Siouxsie & the Banshees formed their own label named Wonderland.
Actually it was a sublabel of Polygram and since that date almost every official S. & t.B release was on it. Wonderland's first release was the acclaimed S.& t. B. double live Lp "Nocturne".
Later, Siouxsie's, Budgie's and Severin's other related projects were also released via this label (the Glove, early Creatures).
Every Wonderland's offspring bore the code SHE+(serial no.) and a little decorative motif whose basic shape (two rectangles) remained almost identical but all details and design changed for every single release! 
Most of the times details would somehow be related to the title of the song or the album.
So each Wonderland release has it's own distinctive motif!
Graphic design was initially credited to Da Gamma, later to a certain Nigel Vichi & the Banshees.


See some of them below.
I'll try to display them all in due time.

 Dazzle (1983) 

 Song From the End of the World (1987) 

 The Thorn (1984) 

 Killing Jar (1988)

 The Last Beat of my Heart (1988)

Asylum (Less known bands)

Since we mentioned New Model Army...
Asylum was a band from Reading, UK. They formed ca. 1988 and released 2 albums. Just before the 3rd entitled "Vent", they split.
Their 1rst  LP "Suckling the Mutant Mother" - 1991, was a very promising start produced by former New Model Army drummer Robb Heaton, who passed in 2004 due to cancer...
Their second LP "Into the Web" - 1992, without being bad, leaned too much towards metal
but I think is worth listening too... 
Their former guitarist Dave Blomberg joined N.M. Army in 1993 and stayed for 12 years.
His playing can be heard on NMA's following studio LPs:
"Strange Brotherhood" (1997), "Eight" (2000), "Lost Songs"(2002), "Carnival" (2005)


Here's a pic of the band and their 2 LPs front sleeves.


Have a great week!

Nelson quits!

Recently, New Model Army's official site announced that after 22 years in the band, 
bassist Nelson quits...
The statement and Nelson himself claims that it's due to family and personal reasons.
He will indeed be missed by the band and us, fans.
He is a great bassist and a fantastic person as I had the chance to found out for myself in 2009.
So long mate... thanks for the gorgeous grooves. Enjoy your new life !
Read more here: 
http://www.newmodelarmy.org/

Photo by J. Melchior

Press material and gig ads 3

...continued from 16.12.11!

More clippings from my collection.
Start with this weird summer show in Brussels (1981),

... then stuff from 1984,

  

and 1987...

Stay tuned for more goth 'n' roll...

Surreal article on Eldritch!

SOM frontman's anti-French feelings were known even in the mid 80's...
Many made fun out of that. Mostly English fans but not only...
This one appeared in a tabloid (the Sun, I think) during the "Vision Thing" era (1990).
Now that's one hell of an article!!!  
;-)

Zig Zag magazine poll ca.1984

Enjoy this clipping from a mid-1984 issue of the then, famous semi-underground magazine, ZIG-ZAG.
Mick Mercer user to write a lot of articles for it...
Interesting categories, no? My fav is "Best dressed single"!!!


Sheer joy!

Gothic bands and art vol.2 (Rosetta Stone)

In 1852 a british painter and illustrator, heavily influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, created "Ophelia" (one of many paintings of that era with this very subject).
His name is Arthur Hughes and his art was noted by radiant coloring and exquisite draughtmanship  on images of romantic love, passion and human fate .
This odd shaped painting was used by Rosetta Stone (a fantastic british band) to illustrate the cover of their excellent 1991 track "An eye for the main chance" on 12" and CD maxi single (Expression Records).
Here's the painting and bellow the cover in question.
Note the slightly smaller cropping on the semicircle and the greenish alteration of colors
on the sleeve...
Great song, Nice choice of image...

SOM gig review 1983

This is a press review that appeared shortly after London's gig at the Venue (3-3-1983).
I' m not sure though if it was on the Melody Maker or the NME...
If someone knows please feel free to complete the info...
By the way, I love this exuberant writing style by this certain miss Elissa Van Poznak...
Enjoy!

80s goth bands logos pt.VI (The Rose of Avalanche)

OK the Roses were up to a point an interesting band. They've released very good tracks. 
I don't think their intension was ever to copy the Sisters but some songs reflect that a lot.

A thing the Sisters brought up was to have a logo that was supposed to represent their own label but was used so heavily that it got transformed into the band's own symbol. 
In the Roses case we have -according to their bio that can be found here: (http://www.roseofavalanche.com/biog3.htm)- the opposite. 
The bands logo turned into their own and only label's symbol.
What's odd is that even in their early 12" on different labels, that rose thing appeared on the left upper corner of the back sleeve with the single word "Avalantic" beneath.

So it was used on almost all their  releases even before their "Avalantic" label logo days that started in late 1988. I couldn't find it on their "In Rock" LP sleeve as this was released without the band's permission in 1987 by Fire records. Also on an earlier release of "First Avalanche" LP by italian label Contempo in 1985. I recommend this band to those who still ignore them.


Stay tuned for more...

"Bela Lugosi's dead" 12" backside image origin

In 1920 Robert Wiene released the movie "Das cabinet des Dr. Caligari".

It's a silent horror movie that belongs to the German Expressionistic film era.

It's mood is very intense and it's no wonder arty aesthetes as Bauhaus where influenced by it - definitely a must see. 

In the climax of the plot the zombie-like Cesare, assistant to the evil Dr. Caligari kidnapps the beautiful Jane - girlfriend of Francis (the hero) - and a hunt of course, follows...

This is the still from the hunt scene

and just as he goes down the bridge

this is the poster

and this is the use Bauhaus did in the backcover of their first release “Bela Lugosi’s dead".

It perfectly suits the mood!

Well done. 

Check wikipedia if you need some more info on the movie.