OFF: reccomendations?

[Doug Pearson]

On Mon, 19 Jun 2000 15:21:07 -0700, "John H. McCartney"
<scorch at TE-CATS.COM> queried:
>I'd appreciate if someone could give me some reccomendations on what
>to pickup from the following bands. Some I'm heard tracks by on various
>'tribute' albums, others I've just heard about over the years.
>
>Controlled Bleeding
>Coil
>Nurse With Wound

If you haven't heard Throbbing Gristle, you should check them out before
the above 3 bands.  Peter Christopherson, founder of Coil, was a member, as
were Genesis P. Orridge (Psychic TV) and Chris (Carter, no relation to the
X-Files guy!) & Cosey (Fanni Tutti), and they were a huge influence on the
other two bands.  They were also Hawkwind fans way back when.  Then, after
you do, you should buy every album on the (infamous) Nurse With Wound "list".

>Swans

This band went through a number of changes, so I couldn't really make a
definitive recommendation.  I prefer(red) them at their mid-80s heaviest,
when they were probably the (sonically) ugliest band in the world.  Their
later stuff sounds more like goth chamber music to me.

>Alien Planetscapes

Do they have more than one CD out yet?  It's a good one, go for it!

>Chrome

... to which Bob Lennon <Hawkwinder at AOL.COM>, on Mon, 19 Jun 2000 18:38:32
EDT replied:
>"Half Machine Lip Moves"
>or
>"Red Exposure"
> are both great starting points for Chrome.

Hopefully, the 'Half Machine Lip Moves' / 'Alien Planetscapes' (the album,
not the band!) twofer CD on Touch & Go is still available.  I'd highly
recommend that one (although HMLM is by far the more essential album).

Bob's also apparently too modest to recommend the Chrome box triple-CD on
Cleopatra (WHO ARE PURE SLIME FOR CHOPPING OFF THE END OF "ROBOT" -
F*CK*RS!!!), since he compiled & wrote the liner notes for that one ;^).
Although there are a couple of (IMHO) glaring omissions that I've already
whined to him about, it is as complete a collection of prime (Helios Creed)
era Chrome as you could imagine, and very reasonably-priced for 3 CD's,
sticker, mini-poster, informative booklet, etc.

>For my taste, it's best to avoid any Chrome released after 1983 (after Helios
>Creed left the band)

I strongly second this opinion.  The recent reunion with the ever-present
Tommy Grenas filling in for the departed Damon Edge isn't bad, but
definitely start with the band's "real" work.

        -Doug
         ceres at sirius.com