Various Artists Compilations (Legendary Pink Dots)

For Your Ears Only

Is there no stopping these Third Mind compilations? Another whopping
helping with around one hundred minutes of mellow, though striking, pop
mood. A double delight going for song. The first platter concentrates
on the more established label acts Bill Pritchard, Bushido, Attrition and
Beautiful Pea Green Boat, whilst the second record is a tour de force of
new faces and new ideas. Especially noteworthy is Tragic Venus' Paintbox
and Edward Ka-Spel's And The Lord Said which seems to have stolen the
ashes from the grave of Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd. Just 25 glorious track
s from 14 luscious acts, blended like good tea, whatever that means.
Compilation of '87.

Review by Ronnie Randall.
Underground UK magazine. Issue 5 of August 1987.

Note by Steve Rolls: I bought this on release and have hardly played it
being the sort to make my own compilation tapes up for trips away in the
Navy. It sports a single non gatefold sleeve and included a folded single
sheet booklet, very arty with the Third Mind catalogue up to this
release. Very nice item. It states in book 'Two LP's for the price of
one ...' An understatement indeed.

Insane Music For Insane People Volume 13

A 14 track compilation that throws together some of the odder creative
spirits and some of the poppier weirdos of the western world. Witness
her the annoying Lelu/lu's, Third Mind's frantic strummer Bill Pritchard,
Belgian dance network Human Dance, the obscure side of Legendary Pink
dots in D'Archangel II, the bananas American-folkie-with-a-problem Craig
Burk, Japan's Kaoru Todoroki and another bunch of unpronouncables. Yes,
it is a testing compilation, but ultimately there's a few laughs and lots
of enjoyment on hand.

Review by TC Wall
Underground UK Magazine. Issue 6 of September 1987.

Note by Steve Rolls. I never managed to get hold of any of the Insane
releases. I wrote to Alain Neffe, the brains behind the whole thing and
the primary mover in bands such as Psuedo Code and Bene Gesserit, who sent
me a catalogue of stuff including track listings of all releases.
Unfortunately I was away out the Gulf again and by the time I'd written
again able to send IMO all 500 copies had gone. Who has them I wonder?

Perdurabo

A compilation album document featuring ten left-field outifits, each with
their own quite unique reading of music, what matters, and group
perspective. The acts themeselves are each outspoken autobiographers,
whose pencil-sketches of contemporary life are uniquestionably
awe-inspiring.
Band of Holy Joy's lyrical bent plays off remarkably against the slurpy
slime-rock of La Muerte, while Attrition and The Legendary Pink Dots prove
they've grown into powerful outfits, and A Primary Industry, Heads On
Sticks and The Wolfgang Press all suggest that they'll be vital before
long. Fine stuff.

Review by Dave Henderson.
Underground UK Magazine. Issue 8 of November 1987.

Note by Steve Rolls: This single album is a collaboration between Cathex
is and Black Rose. I never found out who or what Black Rose is/was. The
front and back covers are brown and off white depicting broken tiles.
The cover states:
"Front sleeve inspiration from 'Study For The Broken Path Series' 1986.
Painted fibreglass 3' x 3' by the Boyle family. Album mixed and assembled
Sunset Studios Scotland" . The album contains an insert with some
band line-ups (not the Dots), some photos (not the Dots), discographies
and other sundry info about the bands.

QED

A double LP set with a bouns single that feautures a whole conglomeration
of lefty talents, whose prime motivation is viewed from the other side
of the glass. These are people who skate on the other side of the ice.

On show are recordings of the highest individuality from a string of name
s as strange as their approach to music. Sample and dissolve into
Laibach, Die Form, Z'ev,, SPK, Der Pia, Chris & Cosey, Het Zweet, The
Hafler Trio, P16 D4, Neubauten and a whole lorryload more. Get the drift?
See the glint of the jewelled crowbar? Enjoy!

Underground Magazine. Issue 13 of April 1988. Reviewer Brad Manson.

Note by Steve Rolls:

On reading this review when I got the mag I tried ordering via my local
record emporiums of the time. To no avail. After 3 months trying they
gave up and so did I. About a month after moving to Canterbury I got out
for my first good trawl round the couple of record shops here (this was
Sept 1990) and found the album in Richard's Records. Cost me =9C8.99
(about $13). Comes in fold out sleeve depicting a Dutch beach with power
station and industrial complexes behind plus a line of photos of Test
Dept. on stage. There is an insert with details of all of the bands first
appearances at the NL Centrum. LPD's is given as 19.01.86. 'Premoniton',
as the Dots track is listed (on both the insert and 7" single enclosed),
is 4=AB minutes long and I haven't played it for some time so will and
review it myself - soon. The insert states Manufactured and Distributed
by Play It Again Sam of Brussels

Globus and Decibel

by Frans de Waard, from Vital Weekly

GLOBUS AND DECIBEL (CD by Freedom In A Vacuum)
Freedom In A Vacuum seems to be specialising in releasing compilations.
Sometimes with live material recorded at their annual festival, but also
more thematic in a approach. The four presented on this disc can easily be
classified as 'veterans' in experimental music. All four have a hugh
catalogue of recorded works, dating back to the early 80s. Who are they?
The CD opens with Brume, who is, as usual, afraid of silence. His collages
are cramned with sounds, popping in and out, left and right.
Edward Ka-spel, who helps carrying the sales this CD probably, comes up
with the 1995 version of an old song that found it's way before to The
Legendary Pink Dots cassettes and Ka-spel solo material: Atomic Roses. Part
1 is mainly vocal, ending is psychedelic guitar blurr. The second part is
more introvert and intense. Edward still remains one of the better people
in combing pop song format with experiments.
Jorg Thomasius remains rather unknown, despite his work being better
available now. His pieces are based around electronica and sampler and have
a certain, never disapointing, quality.
Stylus is a young band of veterans: Randy Greif, Jeph Jerman and R. Kitsch.
Like on their recentely released first CD, they bring on steady dark drone,
and add a nice flavour of pseudo ethnic percussion.
In all a good compilation where artists have lenghty pieces to show case
their music. (FdW)
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