From the Top Drawer LVI - Back To The Planet

 

Feeling lazy today so I'm gonna let Wikipedia introduce this band to you, as if you don't know who they are already -

'Back To The Planet (BTTP) formed while squatting together in Peckham, London in 1989, and attracted a following throughout the early 1990s. They played four consecutive Glastonbury Festivals and played many free festivals, including the Deptford Urban Free Festival and the Castlemorton Common Festival in 1992. BTTP were vociferous in their resistance to the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
Their music blended elements of ska, dub, punk, and dance music.

Their first album, 'Warning the Public', was released on their own record label, Arthur Mix Records, based in Hither Green. In 1993, the band signed to Parallel Records, and released a chain of singles. BTTP split not long after the release of 'Messages After The Bleep' in 1995, to pursue personal music projects.

 BTTP performed a reunion gig at the Red Star Bar in Camberwell on 10 December 2006. They also played at the Endorse It In Dorset Festival on 12 August 2007, and the main stage at the 2007 Beautiful Days festival, but to a smaller than expected crowd owing to them clashing with Bill Bailey. BTTP played the Paradise Gardens free festival, London on 25 May 2008, and at the Endorse It In Dorset, SolFest and Shambala festivals in summer 2008. 

Back to the Planet appeared at Glastonbury, and EnDorset in Dorset during the summer of 2009. Back to the Planet played the Wickerman festival in 2010. They played the Levelling the Land Part II tour, along with The Levellers and Dreadzone, in December 2011, headlined Rogues Picnic in May 2012, and played Bearded Theory festival in May 2012.

Back to the Planet made a late-night appearance at The Bimble Inn at Beautiful Days Festival on Friday 17 August 2012 and are confirmed to play Alchemy Festival 20-22 September 2013.'

Side One: Teenage Turtles / London City / You're The Judge / Starved By Ignorance

Side Two: Misunderstood / Human Error / Daydream

Ripped @320kbps as two side-long tracks

Get yer copy HERE

Just gonna add a personal reminiscence which in the light of later projects by a couple of members of the band seems somewhat ironic - I think it was from the band stage at Castlemorton Festival in May 1992 that I heard singer Fil slagging off the new-to-the-festival-scene 'cheesy-quavers/ravers' (probably more because of their lack of outdoor toilet etiquette than anything else - 'if you shit in the woods take a shovel mate') - keyboard player Guy McAffer went on to become Guy 'The Geezer', a well-known acid techno producer, and drummer Henry Cullen went on to become 'D.A.V.E the Drummer', a techno producer and DJ. Hohoho...

(Couldn't resist posting this...click on it for a larger view)

Part Two can be found HERE

BTTP's own website is HERE

From the Top Drawer LV - Wooden Baby

A double dose of live Wooden Baby from Club Dog at the Sir George Robey pub in London - one set from late 1989 and one from early 1990. The two sets, although only a few months apart, show some differences in sound and attitude, with the first more of a live expression of their studio sound including vocals at that time and the second showing more of an influence of the burgeoning acid house/rave dance scene.

Wooden Baby of course would soon reshuffle their personnel, losing founder member/singer Charlie Daniel and adding the talents of Joie Hinton and on occasion Steve Everett, renaming themselves Eat Static to become one of the cutting-edge pioneers of the electronic dance and ambient scene of today. So this is a chance to hear them on the cusp of a tranceformation.

(Yep, it's that same flyer again...I don't have any pics of the band from this era.)

'In its later guise, Wooden Baby produced some of the most incredible music of the late 1980s, hinting at and fusing elements of goth, punk, techno, acid house, ambient, industrial and space rock. However, not only did they hint at these genres, they excelled at them. 'Exorcism of Anu' could easily be a Sisters of Mercy track; 'Impossible Maze' sounds like the Sex Pistols with an electronic backing track; Hawkwind would be proud of tracks like 'The Birds' and 'Execution', while 'Bath Scum' sounds like an improved version of 'Theme from S-Express', and is an early example of the dance music themes that Eat Static would explore in the 1990s.

Despite Pepler's prowess as a drummer, Wooden Baby employed a drum machine which immediately gave their sound the feel of electronic music rather than that of a conventional band set-up. Many of the tracks featured vocals, from either Pepler's goth-tinged singing or the at-times-crazed wailing and shouting of Daniel. The lyrical themes were often dark and ominous, lending an extra "edge" to what was already very darkly psychedelic music.'
http://encycl.opentopia.com/term/Wooden_Baby

Sets are audience recordings from the back of the Main Room at the Sir George Robey pub in Finsbury Park, North London, using two PZM microphones onto chrome cassettes. Unfortunately they seem to be incomplete.
1) Friday 8th December 1989
2) Friday 16th February 1990
No track list or personnel info available but almost certainly Merv Pepler and Charlie Daniel were involved.
(CORRECTION - Charlie has let me know that he was not involved with these live recordings and the personnel for these sets was - Merv Pepler, Joie Hinton, Nick Timberlake & Clive Browne)

Download HERE
 

From the Top Drawer LIV - Spirit People

Spirit People was a project formed by Cyrung (Australian Craig Miller), perhaps better known later on as the didge-playing and singing frontman of Tribal Drift, and who was around the time of this tape's release briefly a member of Lights In A Fat City.

This particular recording features 9 didge players with percussion who 'weave a jungly journey' and seems to have been recorded in New South Wales in 1989. Excellent atmospheric sounds.

'Comments:
I also was loaned a 'copy of a copy' of a tape a friend of mine picked up years ago at a fair or street market sort of thing in Australia. The only words on it are : 'Spirit People'. It is very nice. Sounds like two, perhaps three didge players with various drums and click sticks. That's all, no nature sounds. Just good rhythms and didj playing.
Reviewer: Ed Drury
There are two tapes of Spirit People. The first was described in Ed Drury's abstract. It actually features 9 didge players and was recorded in NS Wales around 1989. One of those players goes by the name of Cyrung. For a short time in 1990, he was a part of Lights in a Fat City. As far as I know, he now lives in London. His credits include playing on a CD by the group COIL.
Reviewer: Stephen Kent
Nine didjeridus and natural percussion produce the varying sounds and rhythm of the natural world.
Reviewer: The Australian Cultural Experience
A collectors piece, 9 didgeridoos and percussion weave a jungly journey. Four tracks, each 10 minutes.
Reviewer: Cyrung'    
- More info -

Side One : 1. One  2. Love  /  Side Two : 1. Jungle  2. Life

Ripped as two side-long tracks @320kbps

Grab a copy HERE

 

Alternate artwork

Rick Simpson - Darkcity Phoenix Tears Rising

'Who is Rick Simpson?
Rick Simpson rediscovered a way of cannabis oils for the treatment of cancer. He has dedicated more than a decade of his life to informing the world of this incredible medicine.

More Informations:
http://phoenixtears.ca/

By making this campaign successful, you will be helping Rick Simpson to fulfil his dream of producing high quality, healing cannabis oil to give to those who need it and to supplying seeds worldwide in a NON-PROFIT environment without fear of legal retribution.

Campaign Goals
The aim of this Campaign is to finance Rick Simpson in creating a cannabis seed bank of medical cannabis strains recommended for the production of RSO and a cannabis association to allow rick to legally produce RSO and supply RSO treatment to those who need it most.

Why a Seedbank?
Rick Simpson wants to provide the correct medical cannabis seeds of selected strains to anyone who is looking to treat their severe medical ailments with RSO. He says the only way to know you're getting the best produce, is to make it yourself.

Why Spain?
Because Spain has quite a sensible approach to the medical cannabis issue in which it allows private non profit associations to provide its members with cannabis for medical or even recreational use.'

Stage 1 info & Donate - Phoenixtears Compassion Club

If you haven't seen Rick's film 'Run From The Cure' go HERE 

From the Top Drawer LIII - Third Ear Band

Happy Solstice to all.
Although this tape was recorded in a club one chilly December night, Third Ear Band's music might be at least as well experienced at an open air summer event, preferably one within a short distance from an array of standing stones, accompanied by a timeless flavour of earthy mystery.

'Third Ear Band originated from Canterbury (sic) and started out as a psychedelic band called The Giant Sun Trolley gaining residency in south-London clubs doing long and improvisations and eventually changing their names to The Hydrogen Jukebox, recording one live album. Having finished their concert recording they discovered all their equipment stolen. So by sheer coincidence and obvious necessity, they became an acoustic band taking the name Third Ear Band.

They are considered by many to be the first who invented the term "world" music. Published during the late 60s an album as "Alchemy" is seen as a landmark of ethnic fusion music, including many elements of improvisations and obvious eastern and medieval accents. They used a lot of "raga" instrumentations thanks to cyclical, dancing oboe patterns and "tabla" percussions. They often included jazzy rock parts next to India spiritual music. Stylistically this is a band who have brought to the fore a kind of "transcultural" music. Their impressive and cult first effort was followed by what we can consider to be the summit of their career. Their self titled album recorded in 1970 is an outstanding collection of ethereal, ethnic improvisations, totally floating, ecstatic, consequently directed to a high level of consciousness. A real travel through suggestive, imaginative dreamscapes. The music is executed with genius and always orientated in favour of various acoustic experimentations.

Originally released in 1972 for the Roman Polanski movie, their following "Macbeth" carries on this intense, trippy musical adventure but stresses the folk & medieval acoustic structures (including for the first time some vocals). Atmospheres are sometimes creepy & sinister admitting weird and melodic guitar lines. The music is less improvised and really turned to efficient, enchanting, moody and medieval ambiences. This one is recognised as their most popular effort. After a long break the band recorded in 1988 the album "Live Ghosts" with a new line up, continuing a similar musical experience, always making a fusion between a sensitive raga / ethnic style and powerful jazzy rock improvisations. Their following efforts "Magic Music" (1990) and "Brain Waves" (1993) include more evident electronic arrangements and a mystical jazz/ ethnic rock combinations.'http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=1745

This tape was recorded at Club Dog @the Sir George Robey pub, Finsbury Park, London on 15th December 1989 (the very gig on the flyer above). There are seven (correction: eight) tunes included here, I'm afraid I'm not familiar enough with the band to identify them.
(Recording notes - 2xPZM microphones above rear of audience>cassette deck>chrome cassette>>cassette deck>PC>sound editor>spliced@41m10secs>320kbps .mp3)

UPDATE

More info on this gig including track titles and personnel has kindly been supplied by the Ghetto Raga blogspot and can be found HERE

Download HERE

Third Ear Band Official Archive

The Oroonies are Undone

Just a little reminder between my own posts that the Oroonies are offering a free download of their latest offering 'Undone' in full quality .wav format from this page -
https://soundcloud.com/oroonies-undone

'After a 20 year snooze, The Oroonies emerge coughing and spluttering into the light of day. Use, reuse, abuse and confuse as you will. Track Listings: Legba, His Memory is Lost, Gone Beyond, Lets Do It Together, Bodies Disappear, You Must Learn Our Signs, Kalfou, Putti Putti, Parasamgate.'

The magic still lives on...O Mighty Ones!

From the Top Drawer LII - Banco de Gaia

Here's an act that doesn't really need an introduction, but here's a brief one from Wikipedia anyway -

'Banco de Gaia is an electronic music band from England, formed in 1989 by Toby Marks (born 1964, South London).

The music of Banco de Gaia is best categorized as ambient dub, but Marks works to cross genres, often using Arabic and Middle Eastern samples against a bass heavy reggae, rock, or trance rhythm to produce deeply textured tracks that progress layer upon layer.'

'Freeform Flutes & Fading Tibetans' is the second of BdG's cassette-only releases in 1992 (although I believe the album got a limited release on CD-R from the BdG website in 2003).

It has never had a proper commercial issue on CD or vinyl because some of the samples used have never got clearance for copyright, but the sound on tape is pretty good and there shouldn't be too many complaints about the overall quality.

Some tracks here will already be familiar to fans since versions of them also appeared on releases such as 1993's 'Desert Wind' EP, the 'Ambient Dub' compilations on Beyond Records and BdG's 1994 debut full-length album 'Maya'.

Side One: Desert Wind / Lai Lah / Soufie / Alpha (Waves All In My Brain)

Side Two: Therapy / Terra Om / Theta / Darkside / Eternal Recurrence

Ripped @320kbps as two side-long tracks

Get it HERE

Banco de Gaia website