As I remember, I first became away of aware of Killing Joke as a thing in about 1982/1983. It was the sight of a scary looking bloke in a cut down T-shirt (weren't they all then!) bearing the image of a disconsolate jester that I recall. I thought nothing more of it until I heard 'Eighties' on The Tube quite a few months later. My next encounter with the band was when someone gave me a C90 cassette which had on one side 'Permanent Waves' by Rush (the album with 'Spirit of Radio' on it), whilst the other was better for it was Killing Joke's first album. In the weeks that followed, this borrowed tape was in heavy rotation.... well one side of it was at least! I still cannot believe that a lot of the revision for my mock O-levels was done with that album in the background!
In January 1985 I heard 'Love Like Blood' the single that heralded the arrival of the band's fifth studio album, 'Night Time' due for release the following month. There were no two ways about it, 'Love Like Blood' was an immense powerhouse of a song and I fell for it big time. So come February I was off to W.H. Smiths (perhaps with a Christmas Record Token in hand) to get the new album).
'Night Time', the song, sets the tempo for this, if not their best album one that is in most fan's top 5 I would guess. The two Pauls, Ferguson and Raven drive the tracks along with thunderous drums and bass, whilst moody keyboards glide over the top and provide a counterpoint to Jaz Coleman's unmistakable vocals. 'Night Time' feels like a complete body of work, everything is in its correct place. There is not a duff track on it and certainly no filler. It was a real return to form after 1983's rather patchy 'Fire Dances' album (an album that was perhaps always going to struggle as the follow up to another classic, the 'Revelations' album).
I think 'Night Time' was a turning point for Killing Joke. Many of the songs on the album, 'Love Like Blood' and 'Europe' for example, compositionally remind me of religious music, hymns I suppose, a writing style that the band have carried through to subsequent albums.
I know that there is a lot of cross over with The Stranglers fan base and Killing Joke (I believe Jaz is a fan of the band), but in case you are unfamiliar with them, then 'Night Time' would be the perfect point at which to jump in... then work both backwards and forwards to understand just how diverse their material has been over many years.
Unfortunately, I don't have a full complement of UK music press reviews for 'Night Time', so these will have to do for now.
Record Mirror (2nd March 1985)
Now's here's a gig that I would have loved to have witnessed, not so much for the Banshees, but for Vancouver's irrepressible D.O.A. who supported on the night. To have seen 'Kaleidoscope' era Banshees for sure have been a treat too. This soundboard captured gig was nothing but lively judging by the comments and admonitions coming from the stage (lots of spitting and fighting it would appear). I never really got the spitting thing and it should have died out by late 1980... having said that there was still plenty of gobbing to be seen at gigs in the mid-'80s! Thanks to Edge (101Guitars) for this one.
Siouxsie and the Banshees (along with The Creatures) are a band(s) that I saw a few times late in the day. Then, I never really ventured much beyond the singles so I am quite enjoying trawling their back catalogue (better late than never!) since I have all the albums... it's just that I didn't give them much airplay at all.
FLAC: https://we.tl/t-0nHZ8XTmhf
Artwork: https://we.tl/t-WNVeyiZahR
Here we have an anniversary offering from the '10' tour. On this day in 1990, The Stranglers played the Leisure Centre in Gloucester. Unfortunately this is a partial set recording. If I recall correctly, at some point in the dim and distant past Gizzard told me that this was one of the worst gigs that he saw the band play. This I can understand as I had a similar experience two weeks prior to this gig when the band played at Crawley Leisure Centre.... if you are that concerned about preserving the condition of your parquet flooring don't play host to a former punk band and 1500 fans!
FLAC: https://we.tl/t-oknkBaAbTx
Artwork: https://we.tl/t-lNtsDFc9fY
Once again (and rather unexpectantly) a door has been opened to allow another peak into the world of Vladimir, a well known peripatetic Man of the Soviet, not to mention long standing comrade of The Stranglers. It is now 43 years since we were first introduced to Vlad in Odessa, then an upstanding product of the Communist state. Quite literally we have followed his mixed fortunes in real time. Now in his autumn years he is returning to the East as a wronged oligarch. In this, the seventh part of this chronicle, our man ties himself to the fortunes of the mighty Hamilton Academicals!
Good to have you back Vlad!
The appearance of this track got me thinking. Whilst the six preceding adventures of Vladimir have seen an official release on the Epic compilation, 'Here & There: The Epic B-Sides Collection 1983-1991', wouldn't it be something to see the 'Chronicles of Vladimir' released on vinyl.... a future Record Store Day release perhaps....10" coloured vinyl. What do you say?
Nine years old tomorrow with the 'Classic Collection' in Aberdeen. This is a WAV format version of Chatts 24-bit recording. many thanks to him as always for the share and thanks to Meanie for the artwork.
WAV: https://we.tl/t-9iDQtAF2mn
Artwork: https://we.tl/t-FxmG63QaPv
As much as I love Bowie, this is not the man at his best. I may be in a minority here, but 'Let's Dance', whilst being a massive commercial success was, for somebody with his track record, a creative low. It was the start of a near decade long decline that for me was only reversed by the brilliant 'Outside' album in 1995. This is not a great set from him either.... but then again for me, I would go for a 50:50 split of 'Rubber Band' era material and Berlin material!
Of note on these two nights when Bowie played Barcelona, The Stranglers were the 'Artista Invitado'.
FLAC: https://we.tl/t-41wupECRBV
Artwork: https://we.tl/t-20JyeUobHC
