2007-06-06

back to sing for free: danny and the dressmakers, alternative tv, the astronoughts, wilful damage, the sell-outs and more.

street level was a london recording studio that gave home to the anarchist hippie punk avantgarde that in the late seventies and early eighties of the last century evolved out of an undogmatic conglomerate of jamming improvisers and free music activists. loosely connected with veteran campaigners like the pink fairies, throbbing gristle, gong, colin potter, here and now, mark perry (ATV of course aka alternative t´television) and others literally hundreds of sensitive noise combatants and weird folk buskers aligned, played and recorded in the shelter of street level.

to share the music with their unconcious audience street level created (adequate and bona fide for those times, preposterous thirty years later) labels like "fuck off records", "wierd (sic!) noise", "organized chaos" and others to release mostly tapes and very few vinyl editions of obscure sonic aspects of revolutionary activism. the very first tape they released was "i´ll be back to sing for free again soon", indexed as "FUCK OFF 1 (STEREO)" and this is what you are about to listen to, of course. you may find some information on some of the artists involved on the aforementioned site of street level, some links and complementary information will be added whenever i find some and your complementing comments are very welcome.

street level and all artists involved encouraged every body to copy their releases and to disperse and distribute them for free or at leat not exceeding prime cost. so spurensicherung shares a second generation copy with you.

side a: slightly sanesville:
dick heley - void burstin
dick heley - photograph of feeling
astronauts - secret file
astronauts - all night party
astronauts - back to sing for free again soon
dick heley & blankspace - fantasy
anal surgeons - wheres that fag
dog ends - aint no free unless its free
alternative tv - terrified of dogs

side b: crazytown:
wilful damage - you hang at midnight
wilful damage - no-one cares
wilful damage - fictitious
wilful damage - farewell to innocence
danny and the dressmakers - ernie bishops dead body
danny and the dressmakers - how hot is a match
danny and the dressmakers - john e begood
danny and the dressmakers - what the world needs now
danny and the dressmakers - whole lotta pinball
danny and the dressmakers - dont make another bass guitar
danny and the dressmakers - manchester united
the sell outs - rock + roll honcert
seventh angel - from a sly fox to a pack of wolves
amazing zeepee silent orchestra - no kung future
planet gong - psychedelic man
blankspace -
original linernotes, almost obliterate...

and of course you waited for the bonus track:

alternative tv can be heard performing the uncut radio session version of "cold rain" in the kraut mask replica podcast.

13 comments:

A Dashing Blade said...

A bit of background & bear in mind that we're going back 25+ years here . . .

ATV and Here & Now toured (live album on Deptford Fun City iirc).

Kif Kif Le Batteur (drummer from Here & Now) formed Fuck Off records.

Planet Gong = Here & Now to all intents and purposes.

Both The Astronaughts and Blank Space ("The Band you Can't Put in a Hole") were regular Here & Now supports.

Hope this make sense!

Rod Warner said...

...fascinating stuff... I left London (and the UK) in 1974 so monitored much of what was going on from a distance... but remember the anarchic street musics of an earlier generation (being a minor player in that game for ten years)... great blog! (Reciprocated the link, by the way...)

Anonymous said...

Fuck Off One, 1979 - I'm staggered. I always wanted to hear this having missed that part of the scene, and it's more awesome than I ever imagined. Many thanks for sharing this - this page should have Unesco world heritage status, but that'd probably mean somebody parking a tank in it.

Anonymous said...

I remember buying that Lp that A Dashing Blade refers to.The ATV side was a little too leftfield at that time for my teenage punk sensibilities ,though i did play the H and N side a lot. Mummy mummy I want a chocolate biscuit....etc.

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for posting this work of genius. The world needs Danny & The Dressmakers more than ever right now, to say nothing of the 012 & other Fuck Off bands.
If I could help I would, but all that I can do is recommend that you get hold of anything on Fuck Off and post it, most notably 39 GOLDEN GRATES/200 CANCELLATIONS By D & the D & THE WHITE PATTERNS ON HER DRESS by the 012 as well as the FOLK IN HELL tape & the WEIRD NOISE EP. I have only emmory to remind me of their genius. Thanks again, Richard, Oxford, U.K.

Unknown said...

The anal surgeons used to support Here & Now as well, there's stuff about them at www.funboyfive.co.uk/as1.html

Anonymous said...

Just found this! What a fantastic post, thanks for bothering... IBx

alleywaykid said...

Can you repost the b side?

alleywaykid said...

Can you repost the B side? Thanks!

rvd said...

@alleywaykid: the b-side is up against the wall: add-free direct download for your pleasure...

alleywaykid said...

It just would not save last night, but it's working now, thanks!

Seema Gill said...

Richard (Dick) Heley, former front man of Blank Space, seminal punk rock/ indy band of the 70's London sqat scene, has just released a lovely moody poetic album called "Perfect mistakes" and it's available on CDbaby.com
Richard now paints amazing pictures, writes and performs poetry and whacky, surreal, funny, philosophical tall tales. Do take the time to check out his website at http://www.richardheley.com it'll blow your mind
peace
Seema

Certifiablockhead said...

primeval!! this cassette is fu&in marvelous!! FUCK OFF 1 (STEREO)!!