luka

Well-known member
But the gods would be heavy pleased as to see the sacrifice layer out all nice like
 

catalog

Well-known member
I'm enjoying how you're reformatting the idea of a top 100 format washyourhands. Making it about places, time periods, rather than a list, ranked. Good new style of how to think about things. I think there was this similar interview format in a film magazine a few years ago, where they asked people to name a significant film for every 5 years of their life
 

sus

Well-known member
Pitchfork did this (ages 5/10/15/20) and it was always a fun feature. Not quite as comprehensive as this though, I mean one teenage cut? are you kidding? Those be peak listenin years
 

WashYourHands

Cat Malogen
What is it about the north? Lancashire, Manchester. Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford. It’s, a, York, shire, thing? Liverpool to Hull across the Pennines and beyond, that underpins so much musical talent? It’s not an attitude in itself. The remnants of Yr Hen Ogledd boundaries intermarrying Anglo-Scandinavians? The Harrying of the North? Industry? Mosaics of Irish, Asian, and Mancunian Jews? Two massively varied coastal, port-heavy regions? Unions? Brass Bands? Football icons? Rugby league? Kes? Rita, Sue and Bob Too? Mixed communities? Ted Hughes? Yosser Hughes? Jimmy Savile? Cilla Black? Tony Wilson? Game of Thrones appropriation?

Big hitters in the north. Too many, so omitting the glaringly obvious is a bind, but favourites include Eric Burdon, Throbbing Gristle and Coil, Cabaret Voltaire, The Fall, Chris and Cosey if you factor CFT is proper northern, Pete Shelley, Factory, Stone Roses, Warp, A Guy Called Gerald, The Hacienda, some of the core founders of DiY, The Orbit. Blackburn madness, free parties in Hulme’s ruined concrete sanatoriums. And everyone else.

Can any of this be condensed into sound beyond rambling text? Yes, but you have to map the terrain first. Emphasis can then focus on the price of admission. Liquid metal mind melters and space-time distortional vortexes are sought in this quest. The north is surreal, psychedelic and swaggers.

Cut to Throbbing Gristle. Included version due to the sound quality retaining its bottom end and yes there’s a wee lass crying (bit tragic), but it’s not a perfect world. Cut to Mr Kirk, Voice of America and Red Mecca filtering down through record traders and wobbling tape copies and a gig in 1986 at Rock City in Nottingham. The long coated brigade out in force. Sources for speed and acid, just too into the acid casualty image to attract the kind of lass some friends and I were trying to pull. Cabaret Voltaire might have even cost you a ride, slightly divisive then and divisive again through later career choices, but they fucking rock





Too many



Kirk’s gear head intuition for a soundscape and Mallinder’s bark are an entire universe unto themselves. Thank god these answers auto save. Have to think about the next cluster.
 

WashYourHands

Cat Malogen
Interlude.

Hired coach to Wedgieland with Nottingham’s Hoops all aboard some time early ‘89. Everyone‘s 3 sheets and at the back of the bus more powerful intoxicants are swimming through bloodstreams. Buzzing to put it mildly. To our horror, somewhere outside Carlisle the driver announced a tire issue and pulled the wreck onto the hard shoulder. Noooooo.

Every man over 16 climbed outside with the driver weighing up this and that while pointing back and forth, before the luggage sectioned opened and with not much time to spare this group of olde fellas got the wheel changed.

A crescendo cheer of relief rode through all of us and two tunes belted out like anthems while crossing the border that I’ll never forget


edit - lob this into youtube due to blockage “Luke Kelly McAlpines Fusiliers (Rare)”

 

WashYourHands

Cat Malogen
First love. What a nightmare of fumbling and guilt and learning to breathe through your nose during prolonged snogs, praying, praying, for a fingerbang. Working this in chronologically is the best bet, due to CV’s utter command of my cohort’s world at the time. Back to that asap.

Early 80’s pop monstrosities are what they are, but at the time it was even worse. That was the truly grim part of Britain. Yes, one or two things were vaguely palatable - Depeche Mode had a jingle or 2 - but so much of it was a hellscape of complete bollocks, fashion disasters and Mrs T looming large.

Somewhere around this time a girl at school handed me a note at lunch break. Did I like so and so and, if so, would I meet her at the underpass after school? You’ve never seen a kid scrub-up quicker. From that period (and to save waffling) one act and lp that became a feature of our time together was her battered copy of Steeleye Span’s ‘Hark! The Village Wait’, that accompanied many a clumsy fumble. The wording of that title was a puzzle in itself and north Nottinghamshire’s coal-fields were the antithesis of English pastoralism. You can hear a lot of their jangly guitar work in later British bands.

However, long-term SS taught me the joy that is Martin Carthy‘s many gifts and talents, but it’s their first lp that has resonated most across time. Wherever you are Fiona H, thank-you




 
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WashYourHands

Cat Malogen
I'm enjoying how you're reformatting the idea of a top 100 format washyourhands. Making it about places, time periods, rather than a list, ranked. Good new style of how to think about things. I think there was this similar interview format in a film magazine a few years ago, where they asked people to name a significant film for every 5 years of their life

There didn’t seem any way my memory could compute distinguishing no82 from no49. Music seems a personal, emotional and temporal journey as much as a collective one, so you have to tip your cap to those teachers who cast pearls in your heart’s well.

Think this was posted before, but Mark Fell clearly had fun condensing his own picks into a few different mixes a while back

 
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catalog

Well-known member
Never really listened to steeleye span or heard of them. I do know know Martin carthy, might have even seen him play live with Eliza carthy. But didn't really make any kind of impression.

But very much enjoyed all these, just listened to the whole hark! album and now carrying on with below the salt. Good stuff, I like how there's some variety in the tunes, some a capella, some woman singing, some quite thumping.
 

catalog

Well-known member
I made the cd and listened in the car. I think you can draw a pretty straight line between the la la las on the blacksmith steeleye tune and the non specific female ooh sound on rhythm and gash
 
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