Various Artists - Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Circus (1978) (10'') (@256)

I've just finished reading John Robb's "The North Will Rise Again - Manchester Music City 1976-1996". After a short introduction which deals with the local music scene during the 60's and 70's, I was sunk into its pages which run two decades full of music, idealism and arrogance, mouldy venues and big stadiums, (not always) packed clubs, drugs and guns and a suicide through quotes of nearly all important music figures of the city.













The Electric Circus
So, given the opportunity, rather than compiling just another mancunian compilation, I preferred to upload this one. Electric Circus was a live venue in Manchester which hosted many of the city's groups during the early days of punk. But it wasn't only that. As we read on the record's liner notes "Out of four or five dates throughout the country, the Anarchy tour visited the Circus twice", while the Clash's White Riot tour passed also from there. Consequently, someone could argue that the Circus was one of the cornerstone places where the then new music inspired local young musicians to create whatever enjoyable has been unleashed from inside the city's borders. The record's live performances were recorded on October, 2, 1977, during the venue's last days before it was closed down; with the exception of Steel Pulse, all the other groups (and ehm... poets) were from Manchester.

Tracklisting:
A1-Fall - Stepping Out
A2-John Cooper Clarke - (You Never See A Nipple In The) Daily Express
A3-Joy Division - At A Later Date
A4-Drones - Persecution Complex
B1-Steel Pulse - Makka Splaff
B2-John Cooper Clarke - I Married A Monster From Outer Space
B3-Fall - Last Orders
B4-Buzzcocks - Time's Up

Check also here for some very interesting Electric Circus artefacts.

download link: here

P.S. For those interested, I'm preparing an upload about Band On The Wall (another historic venue of my beloved Manchester) to celebrate its reopening in September, while there is also an older post about the Hacienda.

U2 - Wide Awake In America (EP) (1985) (@256)

Well, after a break from the Island tribute this is the 4th and last rock upload. Next quartet of Island uploads will deal with pop.
This is an EP that U2 released after the Unforgettable Fire lp and just before Joshua Tree. It contains two good songs that had been left out of the former, and another two live recordings of songs that were in their album.

album review info: here

download link: here (link removed)

Seeds - The Seeds (1966) (@256)

This upload will pay tribute to one of my personal heroes, Sky Saxon, who sadly left us on June 25. I remember that his group, the Seeds, was the first one that helped me realise that UK punk groups of the late 70's had strongly based their sound on 60's garage. Most of all, it was both the music and the lyrics of Pushin' Too Hard that was indeed a basic blueprint; just give a listen to Sex Pistols' No Feelings to realise that both tracks have exactly the same context (with the latter having the "essential" addition of nihilism). Of course, the Seeds were a valuable spark for me, since after them I furiously started digging in the countless groups that saw the light through the various compilations of Pebbles, Nuggets etc. Although I found numerous rough diamonds in there, it was the Seeds that constantly remained a steady reference throughout the years. As for this upload, do not make the mistake to surpass all tracks to go to Pushin' Too Hard, since it is an enjoyable album full of sparkling singles.

Sky Saxon remembered

album review link: here

download link: here

John Fahey - The Transfiguration Of Blind Joe Death (1965) (@256)

Although someone should strive to find a weak release in Sonic Youth's discography (ok, some of their avant-garde "SYR" releases sound unbearable, but then Jim O'Rourke could be the easy target to blame) it's been some (many) years since their last real glorious release. So, I'm in the pleasant position to declare that I have already placed their latest "The Eternal" next to Daydream Nation, Dirty and Goo; their first release for Matador surely marks a cornerstone in their career.
The (essential) trivia here is that the Eternal's front cover is a painting of the (voluntarily) obscure musician John Fahey whose "american primitive" innovative acoustic guitar style that combined blues and folk with bits of Indian ragas and classical was very influential on a whole generation of artists such as Tortoise and (yes) Jim O' Rourke. And if someone points out the obvious influence that Sonic Youth had on Tortoise, an endless circular music route has just begun...

check also this brilliant Fahey's interview to Wire magazine

album review link: here

download link: here