Tuesday, October 31, 2006

One for today... actually more than one

Dead C: Helen Said This/Bury 1990 (Stiltbreeze Records)


Helen Said at around 14 minutes long - I adore long songs, especially if they do not a aweful lot, be they electronic or guitar focused.

Its the Dead C's 20th anniversary this year, thus there are a few articles cropping up about this New Zealand band, notably one by Phillip matthews in the Listener and a interview ans review of their 2CD compilation in the October Real Groove magazine by my good friend Alan Holt.

I've been a fan since I got The Live Dead See cassette which came out on Xpressway in 1988, Xpressway being my perhaps favourite ever NZ label, more Nun than Flying Nun and less prone to duff releases, and well out there musically as only a label not seeking nor needing the trappings of the business end of this industry can be.

I must have almost everything the Dead C and Xpressway released, on cassette, vinyl and in the latter phases CD, I also managed to grab a huge chunk of the various US label releases that the Dead C and Xpressway(incomplete catalogue here) related artists released, notably on Stiltbreeze, Forced Exposure and Drag City. I was lucky I somehow found myself on Bruce Russels mailing list, so every now and then a postcard and catalogue would arrive in the physical mail (no email marketing back then) and I'd immediately write a cheque and send it off for what delights he had on offer, this included the Xpressway Catalogue, a number of US imports - usually all 7"s. I have some delightful records as a result, his was the best and most effective marketing I've ever been exposed to.

A girlfriend of mine way back in the early 90's, hand painted me a Sun Stabbed EP (a awesome record) T shirt, it was my favourite item of clothing for many years and I wish things like this never wore out or more ot the point, one didn't expand past being able to fit into them.







Helen Said this isn't to a lot of people's taste, probably most peoples, but for me its perfection in noise.

to use a young persons language... I heart the Dead C






weirdly I just got a email, whist typing this post, about a new LP by The Terminals.... no not them Terminals, a Lincoln (USA) band called the Terminals - I still found it a bit spooky....

well it is halloween

[pictures to come for this post, can't get em uploaded right now & yes I am using firefox LOL - update, pictures inserted with the aid of Firefox 2.0, damn you mr gates... yet still no reply from the firefox people to my email...]

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

ah, the Dead C. Gotta love 'em, eh? Long time since I heard the original 12" of Helen Said this. Mind you, it's on the new compilation just released (reviewed the UK Sunday Times, no less; http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2101-2409269.html) so maybe I'll have to pick it up and relive some good old day .... Anyway, be good to catch up with you some time .... dwparrott68@hotmail.com.