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Soundtracks of Our Lives week ending 6 February 2021 CE
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Fatalist
Fatalist
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Edited Feb 09, 2021, 22:21
Re: Soundtracks of Our Lives week ending 6 February 2021 CE
Feb 09, 2021, 22:12
Monganaut wrote:
Fatalist wrote:
Robert Calvert – Freq / Test-Tube Conceived. God, some of this is fantastic, for instance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmaOKDJ4KBA


Never picked these up at the time, now I'm a bigger fan they go for silly money. Wasn't one a novel or something, or am I making that up? Saw Calvert live in the late 80's at Leeds Acid Daze festy. At the time I only went for Suicide (who played but 2 numbers, abused the hippies for being hippies and fucked off, though luckily I did catch em' several times later). I didn't really appreciate quite how good he was. He was in his Sherlock Holmes faze, with cape, deerstalker and pipe. Think Spacemen 3 were on the roster too as well as the feckin' Enid who were in there 80's 'Yes' garb, long flowing silk coats etc....bloody awful, still hate em :)

After the genius of Capt: Lockheed I hated Lucky Leif so never explored later Calvert releases, sadly missing out on Freq and Test Tube thinking the were gonna be more jokey shenanigans. Ho hum! Pre internet I scored a US promo vinyl of Capt' Lockheed from the now defunct Reddington's Rare Records many many moons ago, prob paid over the odds for it even at the time though it's still a mint pressing, so maybe not (Reddington's were terrible rip off merchants really, but if you couldn't find something, they were a good place to source it).

So, he asks tentatively, after your wonderful Hawkwind book, you gonna do a Calvert biog seeing as there are no decent ones (are there any?) about. Or is that just gonna do yer head in after years mired in the world of all things Hawkwind ? Just askin' ;)

Also, what's the new Camera album like, same old same old, or a new and interesting direction?

edit. Just found this boot up on youtube of the calvert Dec 12 87' gig. Was only a 30 odd minute set,as there were a fair few bands on.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXxAKs1RWBy-tYgcYpV_60roQnxB3pVJM

Also turns out I've a few live versions of some of the later Calvert stuff from the Live In Carlisle 86 2CD thang on Atomhenge I just uncovered and forgot I Had. Bits of Freq don't half remind me of early Fad Gadget (in a good way).


The novel/album was Hype, which at the time I thought was just parodic power pop/new wave stuff, but whaddaya know, recent revisits have revealed it's really good - the power pop stuff is brilliantly executed and there's a few tracks which prefigure his later, more electro direction. Here it is (BTW, the original cover was bad, but this is even worse): https://robertcalvert.bandcamp.com/album/hype

When I spoke to Daniel Miller for the book, he'd never heard Freq etc, but I hope he's since rectified that, as like you say, it's very early Mute in places.

Hmmm, quite a lot of people have said the same re a Calvert biog, but no plans. On saying that, I am going to be writing something about his later solo stuff for Electronic Sound. And there's something else possibly (but not a book)

I too have never understood the appeal of The Enid. Though I do have a copy of Something Wicked This Way Comes, which I thought was OK...

It's by no means a classic, but the new Camera album seems to have snagged my attention more than the last few. I think only the drummer remains from the original band. Some of the tracks are more electronic, successfully so, but it still maintains that maximal Krautrock groove, as you can hear on the two tracks here: https://camerawithin.bandcamp.com/album/prosthuman

EDIT: BTW, that Calvert Live In Carlisle CD is pretty rare now and much sought after! By far the best of the various live albums out there. Does it include a load of demos too?
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