Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project Presents; Jass

The Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project presents, Jass;

I don't actually know very much about this band but their music is perfect for soundtracks. Jass were apparently a Shefield based band from the early to mid 1980's and part of the same scene as Cabaret Voltaire and Clock DVA and they tread similar ground to the Cab's circa "Three Mantras" and "Red Meca" era. Albeit in a more minimalistic and trance-like way. One of their tracks ("Trap Drip Drop") also shows some influences from Steve Reich's tape-loop works "Come Out" and "It's Gonna Rain". Their entire recorded output seems to consist of an album of demos recorded in 1985-86 and a live album from 1987 and that's it. Needless to say the videos I made are the only ones for this band. Incidentally the group's name comes from the original 1900's spelling of the of the word "jazz".

JASS ~ "OLD FILM LIFE";


For this video I used an early French Pathe film "Sculptures Moderne" which features some crude stop-action animation.

JASS ~ "FRONTIER JUSTICE";


This one uses another Pathe stop-action film.

JASS ~ "SUNKEN SOLDIER BONES";


For this track I used a 1960's silent op-art short made for the Fluxus Art Collective by George Maciunas.

JASS ~ "TRAP DRIP DROP";


This track uses another art film made in the 1960's for Fluxus, this one a series of performance art films made by Frenchman Ben Vautier

JASS ~ "UNTITLED LIVE TRACK NO.2"


This track off the live album uses another film by Ben Vautier although this one is essentially a home movie

Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project Presents; Japan

The Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project Presents; Japan:

Japan is another one of those bands like Simple Minds and Ultravox, who went from being a guitar-oriented Post-Punk band to a more atmospheric sound using keyboard washes, guitar arpeggios and funky basslines to make atmospheric and occasionally danceable music that seemed perfect for film soundtracks.

JAPAN ~ "LIFE IN TOKYO";


After two ablums of forgettable glam funk Japan introduced some electro-dance (via producer Georgio Moroder) as well as thier first flirtation with Asian music although at this point it's basically limited to J-Pop. Accordingly for this video I used a Segundo De Chomon film "Hombres Chinoises".

JAPAN ~ "VISIONS OF CHINA";


For this song off of the 1981 album "Tin Drum", which more deftly incorporated Asian influences, I used a 1908 French silent film

JAPAN ~ "METHODS OF DANCE";


For this song off of the 1980 album "Methods Of Dance" I used a 1962 French performance art film by Ben Vautier which basically consists of him sitting on a jetty holding a sign that says "Look At Me" while the camera records their reactions. It actually kinda works out with the "dance" theme.

JAPAN ~ "GENTLEMAN TAKE POLAROIDS";


For this track off the same album album I used a 1965 Dada German film short by Wolf Vostell, "Sun In Your Head". I also used this film for a Cabaret Voltaire track which I liked better but I thought this one still works.

JAPAN ~ "A FOREIGN PLACE";


This instrumental uses travel footage from 1950's Hong Kong

JAPAN ~ "OIL ON CANVAS";


This instrumental track is off the "Oil On Canvas" live album and uses a short film made by John Cale in 1967 as part of the Fluxus Film Dada art collective.

JAPAN ~ "TEMPLE OF DAWN";


This is another insturmental track off of "Oil On Canvas" using another Fluxus Films short, this one "OPUS 2" by Eric Anderson.

Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project Pres; Killing Joke

This week on my Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project; Killing joke.

Killing Joke's 1980 first album practically invented Industrial Rock. There had been Industrial bands since the mid seventies with groups like Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire and Destroy All Monsters. But these groups largely rejected traditional rock & roll lineups, riffs and song structures, aside from a few exceptions like Cabaret Voltaire's "Nag Nag Nag" or their cover of the Seeds' "No Escape'. Killing Joke however were clearly a rock and roll band with punishing riffs and pounding drums.

KILLING JOKE ~ "CHANGE";


For this song off the second 1981 album I used footage from the end of the 1916 German Expressionist Horror film "Homunculus". Although little known now this film was one of the influences on later horror films like "Frankenstein".

KILLING JOKE ~ "BLOODSPORT";


This instrumental off the first album uses an early American film "Fire".

KILLING JOKE ~ "$0.36";


This one, also off the first album, uses an earlier fireman film, Edwin S Porter's "Life Of An American Fireman from 1903. I also used this film for a Siouxsie & The Banshess film but decided to keep both versions.

KILLING JOKE ~ "TOMORROW'S DREAM";


Another song off the first album, this time using a short art film "Bad Burns" by Paul Sharits from 1982 made of spliced together strips of over-developed film. Note I had some sound problems on this one. Note also this is not a cover of the Black Sabbath song.

KILLING JOKE ~ "THE FALL OF BECAUSE";


This song off the second album uses a French Pathe film

KILLING JOKE ~ "HARLEQUIN";


This one is off of the fourth album, "Fire Dances", and uses a British film that features some early claymation

The Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project Pres; Savage Republic, pt.2

This week on my Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project; Savage Republic pt.2.
Once again we return to my favorite obscure post-punk-indie band (American division) with their unique spaghetti-western-surf-guitar and industrial-tribal drums.

SAVAGE REPUBLIC ~ "EXODUS";


This echo and feedback drenched track form the first 1982 "Tragic Figures" album uses Edison Studios newsreel footage from a huge fire in Berkley, California.

SAVAGE REPUBLIC ~ "ATTEMPTED COUP; MADAGASGAR";


Another track off the first album this time using footage from another one of Spanish film-maker Segundo De Chomon's late period actualities, this time shot in Venice in 1912.

SAVAGE REPUBLIC ~ "EMPTY QUARTER";


For this one I used another Edison Studios newsreel footage of a fire, this time a gas refinery in New Jersey in 1900.

SAVAGE REPUBLIC ~ "WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS";


Another track off the first album and one of the bands rare vocals. This time using George Melies film "The Haunted Convent".

SAVAGE REPUBLIC ~ "ON THE PROWL";


For this track I used "The Hasher's Delirium", an early piece of animation.

SAVAGE REPUBLIC ~ "ZULU ZULU";


This short track off the first album uses a short Dada art film made by Paul Sharits for the Fluxus Film collective in 1966.

Throwback Thursdays Retro Videos Presents; Savage Republic, pt.1

This week on my Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project; Savage Republic.
Savage Republic may well be my favorite obscure 1980's post-punk band (American division). This California group with an ever-shifting line-up combined epic spaghetti-western-surf-guitar with tribal drumming, industrial distortion and some occasional ethnic seasoning to create a moody, atmospheric sound completely their own. They also had a striking visual style for their record covers as they had access to an antique off-set printing press and a willingness to use it. They put out a series of albums starting in 1982 to about 1992 before splitting into various spin-off groups, some version of Savage Republic exists to this day. They made no actual videos which is a shame as I always thought their cinematic music especially well suited for the medium.

SAVAGE REPUBLIC ~ "TABULA RASA";


This is a song off the 1988 fourth album "Jamahiriya" using an early DW Giffith film "Edgar Allan Poe" in which Poe is inspired to write "The Raven" in order to find money to feed his dying wife. The actor does bear a striking resemblance to Poe.

SAVAGE REPUBLIC ~ "JAMAHIRIYA";


Another track off the fourth album this time using a 1908 film "The Haunted House" by Spanish film-maker Segundo De Chomon, a contemporary of the Frenchman George Melies whose style he expanded on.

SAVAGE REPUBLIC ~ "TRUDGE";


The group were in full-on Ennio Morricone on this epic track off the 1986 "Trudge" ep. For the vid I used a George Melies film "The Alchemist".

SAVAGE REPUBLIC ~ "TREK";


The other epic track from "Trudge", this time using a perfromance art film by Dutch film-maker Franz Zwartjies.

SAVAGE REPUBLIC ~ "TARANTO";


This track uses another Segundo De Chomon film "Les Grenouille" from 1908.

SAVAGE REPUBLIC ~ "VALETTA";


For this Mediterranean influenced track I used a documentary film "Burgos" about a Spanish city made by in 1911 by Segundo De Chomon in one of his rare docs, it's also one of the earliest colour films. The music runs out before the video ends and normally I would have junked it but the imagery matches up with the music so perfectly I had to keep it.

Next Week; CIUT's 30th Anniversary Pub Crawl!

CIUT's been on the air with 15,000 Watts of power for thirty years so join us for our Year End Pub crawl.

Thurs.Dec.14 at the Bovine w/The Swinging Pussycats, Unbelievers and Doghouse Rose;



THE UNBELIEVERS AT CIUT;


DOGHOUSE ROSE;


THE SWINGING PUSSYCATS ~ "GOO GOO MUCK";


THE SWINGING PUSSYCATS ~ "THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING";


Fri.Dec.15 at Cherry Cola's w/Luau Or Die, The Speedkings, Mark Malibu & The Wasagas and The Hang Ten Gallon Hats;



THE SPEEDKINGS ~ "SOAPBOX PREACHER";


THE SPEEDKINGS ~ "WRECKING YARD" & "DRAGSTRIP GIRL";


MARK MALIBU & THE WASAGAS ~ "PET CEMETERY";


LUAU OR DIE ~ "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER";


Sat.Dec.16 at the Cameron House w/Christian & The Sinners, George Westerholm & the Wildcats, The Cliff Divers, The Calrizians



CHRISTIAN & THE HANGOVERS ~ "LIFE GETS IN THE WAY";


THE CALRIZIANS;

Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project Pres; The Silver Apples And Syrinx

This week on my Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project; The Silver Apples and Syrinx.
Back in the late 1960's while everybody else was slinging guitars, organs and the occasional sax the Silver Apples and Syrinx were among the first groups to use synthesizers. Although both groups were hopelessly obscure and mostly forgotten by all but the nerdiest of rock-snobs (like yours truly) they pioneered a path leading directly to the synth-pop, industrial and techno bands from the 1980's onward. Especially fellow New Yorkers Suicide.

The Silver Apples were one of the weirdest products of the New York underground scene of the 1960's. And this was a scene that included the Velvet Underground, the Holy Modal Rounders, Lothar & The Hand People, Albert Ayler and Moondog. Starting in 1967 as a fairly conventional psychedelic band that included the electo-noodlings of Simion Ross. The Moog synths of the day were massive affairs, with a jungle of patch-chords and vacuum tubes. They were not only huge but also expensive so Simion didn't actually play one, instead he built his own jerry-rigged contraption of various electronic pulse generators, effects pedals and feedback. The resulting mountain of gear took up two tables and was referred to as the "Simion". This ungainly monster was capable of an arsenal of whirring feedback and hypnotic tones for a spacey, ethereal sound that sounded like literally nothing that had ever came before (or since). This cacophony soon drove all of the other members of the band out as superfluous save the drummer, Brian Taylor. Influenced by Mitch Mitchell, Taylor developed an intricate rapid-fire style that filled up the space left by the now departed guitars and drums. On top of all this Ross added his own ghostly tenor vocals and the occasional banjo or flute.

Somewhat amazingly these weirdos actually got signed to Kapp Records, an otherwise thoroughly conventional home for acts like Loouis Arsmtrong, Cher, Burt Bacharach and Bob Wills (although they also had Budgie). They even managed to put out two albums in 1968 and 1969 which, in an unexpected development, failed to get any airplay or press. They had recorded a third album which was not released before Kapp gave up on them. After that they broke up and returned to the void from whence they came. In the 1990's the group was rediscovered by a small group of electro-nerds and their two albums were released on one CD in 1994 and Simion Ross reformed the group (minus Taylor) albeit using more conventional synths and samplers as his original "Simion" had long since been broken up and tossed away. In 1998 Taylor discovered the master tapes of the lost third album which was finally released as well. Taylor died in 2005. Simion Ross continued to record and tour until a serious car crash badly injured his back and smashed his gear in 1998. After taking a few years to recover he has resumed recording and touring.

Not surprisingly there is no live or video footage of the band. When I went about making some I decided the abstract shorts made by German Dada film-maker Hans Richter in the 1920's and the Op-Art films made in the 1960's by George Maciunis would perfectly suit their ethereal sound.
THE SILVER APPLES ~ "OSCILATIONS";


Using a 1966 film made for the New York Flux Films collective.

THE SILVER APPLES ~ "I HAVE KNOWN LOVE";


THE SILVER APPLES ~ "WATER";


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unlike the Silver Apples Toronto's Syrinx actually did use a proper Moog and could be considered perhaps the first real synth band, along with the Germans Tangerine Dream with their first albums coming out in 1969. Syrinx consisted of Moog player John Mills-Cockell along with Doug Pringle on sax (often played through various effects) and Alan Wells on percussion. Their sound was more lush and conventionally melodic compared to the droning cacophony of the Silver Apples. The trio were also trained musicians while Simion Ross was an inspired amateur (although Apples drummer Derick Taylor did have jazz training) which allowed Syrinx to weave longer, more complex pieces similar to those being toyed with by the similar sounding Germans Tangerine Dream (first album in 1969) and Terry Riley. They put out two albums ("Syrinx" in 1970 and "Long Time Relatives" in 1971) which were released only in Canada and did some touring and played on the CBC before breaking up. Mills-Cockell would go on to do film and TV soundtracks while Pringle would go on to found Toronto punk one-hit wonders The Poles with his performance artist wife Michelle Jordana. The Poles would go on score a classic hit single with "CN Tower" before fading away. In spite of their status as electro pioneers Syrinx were quite forgotten about for years while their German contemporaries Tangerine Dream would go on to decades long world-wide success with a similar approach. In 2017 their long out of print collected works were put out as a box set and short film doc was made.

Unlike the jarring other-worldly noise of the Silver Apples the more contemplative sweep of Syrinx seemed to lend itself to more conventional film narrative.

SYRINX ~ "December Angel";


This mournful track off the 1971 album uses newsreel footage from the Titanic.

SYRINX ~ "FATHER OF LIGHT";


This track uses footage from the 1915 German sci-fi horror film "Homonculus". This largely forgotten film was a major influence on the later classic German Expressionist films as well as "Frankenstein".

SYRINX ~ "FIELD HYMN";


For this track I used a film by French director George Melies, "The Airship".