Die Laughing - Heaven in Decline

Genere: Rock/Pop.

Style: Goth Rock, Indie Rock.

Similar Artists: All About Eve, The Shroud.

Recording Year: Grave News, 1997.

Die Laughing originally formed in late 1986-early 1987 (in the flat above the RSPCA in Radford Road, Hyson Green) from the remnants of Vital Stance - a punk band consisting of John Berry (guitar & bass), Ian Fletcher (drums), and Tina Thurman (vocals.)
Vital Stance recorded one three-track demo and played a few gigs around the Nottingham area, but soon after the demo was recorded and with the introduction of Stuart Salt (Johns cousin) on bass, it was a unanimous decision that Alison Turner would replace Tina on vocals, and with this came the change of name and musical direction.

Most people automatically think that the name Die Laughing came from The Missions Wake this is not the case. The name was decided when Alison fell about in an uncontrollable fit of laughter.The rest is history.
This line up played many gigs and released three demos, including one for a single called Insomnia that never happened, and also recorded a track called Wake which featured on a very rare compilation album called Underground Resistance. During this time the band had only one line up change with Rick Martin replacing Ian on drums towards the end of 1987.
The band split in 1988 after the release of their final 4 track demo Of Hearts & Tears, when Alison left. Auditions were held but a new vocalist was never found and the line up members simply moved on.

Four years later in 1992 the line up everyone knows as Die Laughing was born when John Berry (guitars) teamed up with Rachel Speight (vocals) and formed the song writing nucleus of the band.
Within a few months a newly-acquired bass player in the form of Dave Shiner, keyboard player Ruth Tyson and drummer Tom completed the line up. The band recorded their first demo Poems Of Your Life at Cage Studios in Sheffield (recording four early Die Laughing songs) as an experiment to see how things would work. The recording went well but the drummer disappeared soon after and was never heard of again and to this day we have no idea what happened to him!!
After purchasing a drum machine (Dr Duck) and a crash course in drum programming the first gig was on 12 February 1993, held at the famous Narrow Boat public house on Canal Street in Nottingham. From the band's point of view this gig was very successful and would spur them on for several years to come.
The band's second demo Love Amongst The Ruins was recorded in March 1993 and came with a choice of two coloured sleeves, red or blue. The demo contained four brand new tracks highlighting the band's writing capabilities and received excellent reviews from fanzines and underground publications around the world, pushing the band to new heights within the scene.
The band continued writing inbetween a hectic gigging schedule around the UK and late 1993 saw a return to Cage Studios for a self-financed single Nemesis. Four tracks were recorded with the addition of a live session drummer but unfortunately touring and studio costs took their toll on any finances the band had, and the single idea was shelved and the tape released as the Nemesis EP in October 93.

Heavy touring around the UK during the summer of 1994 with Children On Stun had urged the band to bring in another guitarist, Ian Holman, which would add power to the live performance of the band. Due to the success of the tour, it was decided Ian should become a permanent member and contribute to the writing of the songs with John and Rachel.
October 1994 saw the release of the Shadows & Silhouettes cassette which featured a new recording of Nemesis (back with the drum machine) and two new tracks.
Ian made his recording debut with Die Laughing on the band's final visit to Cage Studios in 1995 after the band had been approached by independent London label Grave News Ltd and 'Gothic Rock's Mick Mercer.

Following impressive reviews and gigs the band were asked (and paid) to record two new songs, Harlequin for the Dreams In The Witch House compilation (Grave News), and Safe Little World for Mick Mercer's Gothic Rock 2 compilation (Jungle), both released in 1995.

Die Laughing were now getting worldwide attention and Nemesis was receiving lots of airplay in the clubs of New York, and with this came mail and fanzine interest from the United States and Europe. Things were looking good and the band was signed by Grave News to release a seven-track mini-album Glamour & Suicide.

The band spent one week recording the 13 tracks but opted for a month break before returning to finish and mix the album.
The album was released in May and saw Die Laughing embarking on a short but very successful first trip to Germany with Vendemmian to promote the album in Europe.
On returning to the UK it was announced that the success of Heaven In Decline as an import was so good the licence had been bought by a Japanese label to manufacture and distribute the album for the Japanese market.

Fields Of Haze.

Great Expectations - O.S.T.

Genere: OST

Recording Year: Atlantic Recording, 1997.

Great Expectations is a 1998 contemporary film adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel of the same name, directed by Alfonso Cuarón and starring Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert De Niro, Anne Bancroft and Chris Cooper. It is known for having moved the setting of the original novel from 1861 London to 1990s New York. The hero's name has also been changed from Pip to Finn. Despite its popular and respected cast of actors, the movie received mixed reviews.

The song "Siren" was written especially for this film by Tori Amos. The soundtrack also includes songs by popular artists such as Pulp, Scott Weiland, Iggy Pop, Chris Cornell, and The Verve Pipe. Duncan Sheik's contribution, the song "Wishful Thinking", was released as a single from the soundtrack. The film's score was written by Scottish composer Patrick Doyle, a veteran of many literary adaptations and frequent collaborator of Kenneth Branagh.

The soundtrack also featured the breakthrough single "Life in Mono", which became a major hit, charting on the Billboard Hot 100.

Fields Of Haze.

Howlin' Wolf - Best of Chess (Remastered)

Genere: Delta Blues, Chicago Blues

Similar Artists: Pat Hare, Muddy Waters, Rice Miller

Recording Year: Chess, 1997.

He was born in West Point, MS, and named after the 21st President of the United States (Chester Arthur). His father was a farmer and Wolf took to it as well until his 18th birthday, when a chance meeting with Delta blues legend Charley Patton changed his life forever. Though he never came close to learning the subtleties of Patton's complex guitar technique, two of the major components of Wolf's style (Patton's inimitable growl of a voice and his propensity for entertaining) were learned first hand from the Delta blues master. The main source of Wolf's hard-driving, rhythmic style on harmonica came when Aleck "Rice" Miller (Sonny Boy Williamson) married his half-sister Mary and taught him the rudiments of the instrument. He first started playing in the early '30s as a strict Patton imitator, while others recall him at decade's end rocking the juke joints with a neck-rack harmonica and one of the first electric guitars anyone had ever seen. After a four-year stretch in the Army, he settled down as a farmer and weekend player in West Memphis, AR, and it was here that Wolf's career in music began in earnest.

By 1948, he had established himself within the community as a radio personality. As a means of advertising his own local appearances, Wolf had a 15-minute radio show on KWEM in West Memphis, interspersing his down-home blues with farm reports and like-minded advertising that he sold himself. But a change in Wolf's sound that would alter everything that came after was soon in coming because when listeners tuned in for Wolf's show, the sound was up-to-the-minute electric. Wolf had put his first band together, featuring the explosive guitar work of Willie Johnson, whose aggressive style not only perfectly suited Wolf's sound but aurally extended and amplified the violence and nastiness of it as well. In any discussion of Wolf's early success both live, over the airwaves, and on record, the importance of Willie Johnson cannot be overestimated.

Wolf finally started recording in 1951, when he caught the ear of Sam Phillips, who first heard him on his morning radio show. The music Wolf made in the Memphis Recording Service studio was full of passion and zest and Phillips simultaneously leased the results to the Bihari Brothers in Los Angeles and Leonard Chess in Chicago. Suddenly, Howlin' Wolf had two hits at the same time on the R&B charts with two record companies claiming to have him exclusively under contract. Chess finally won him over and as Wolf would proudly relate years later, "I had a 4,000 dollar car and 3,900 dollars in my pocket. I'm the onliest one drove out of the South like a gentleman." It was the winter of 1953 and Chicago would be his new home.

When Wolf entered the Chess studios the next year, the violent aggression of the Memphis sides was being replaced with a Chicago backbeat and, with very little fanfare, a new member in the band. Hubert Sumlin proved himself to be the Wolf's longest-running musical associate. He first appears as a rhythm guitarist on a 1954 session, and within a few years' time his style had fully matured to take over the role of lead guitarist in the band by early 1958. In what can only be described as an "angular attack," Sumlin played almost no chords behind Wolf, sometimes soloing right through his vocals, featuring wild skitterings up and down the fingerboard and biting single notes. If Willie Johnson was Wolf's second voice in his early recording career, then Hubert Sumlin would pick up the gauntlet and run with it right to the end of the howler's life.

By 1956, Wolf was in the R&B charts again, racking up hits with "Evil" and "Smokestack Lightnin'." He remained a top attraction both on the Chicago circuit and on the road. His records, while seldom showing up on the national charts, were still selling in decent numbers down South. But by 1960, Wolf was teamed up with Chess staff writer Willie Dixon, and for the next five years he would record almost nothing but songs written by Dixon. The magic combination of Wolf's voice, Sumlin's guitar, and Dixon's tunes sold a lot of records and brought the 50-year-old bluesman roaring into the next decade with a considerable flourish. The mid-'60s saw him touring Europe regularly with "Smokestack Lightnin'" becoming a hit in England some eight years after its American release. Certainly any list of Wolf's greatest sides would have to include "I Ain't Superstitious," "The Red Rooster," "Shake for Me," "Back Door Man," "Spoonful," and "Wang Dang Doodle," Dixon compositions all. While almost all of them would eventually become Chicago blues standards, their greatest cache occurred when rock bands the world over started mining the Chess catalog for all it was worth. One of these bands was the Rolling Stones, whose cover of "The Red Rooster" became a number-one record in England. At the height of the British Invasion, the Stones came to America in 1965 for an appearance on ABC-TV's rock music show, Shindig. Their main stipulation for appearing on the program was that Howlin' Wolf would be their special guest. With the Stones sitting worshipfully at his feet, the Wolf performed a storming version of "How Many More Years," being seen on his network-TV debut by an audience of a few million. Wolf never forgot the respect the Stones paid him, and he spoke of them highly right up to his final days.

As the '70s moved on, the end of the trail started coming closer. By now Wolf was a very sick man; he had survived numerous heart attacks and was suffering kidney damage from an automobile accident that sent him flying through the car's windshield. His bandleader Eddie Shaw firmly rationed Wolf to a meager half-dozen songs per set. Occasionally some of the old fire would come blazing forth from some untapped wellspring, and his final live and studio recordings show that he could still tear the house apart when the spirit moved him. He entered the Veterans Administration Hospital in 1976 to be operated on, but never survived it, finally passing away on January 10th of that year.

Fields Of Haze.

Rollins Band - Come in and burn

Género: Hard Rock

Artistas similares: Atomic Brother, Reuben, Mother Superior

Año de grabación: Dreamworks, 1997.

Rollins Band fue una banda de rock estadounidense, liderada por el cantante y compositor Henry Rollins. Se les conoce principalmente por las canciones «Low Self Opinion» y «Liar», que alcanzaron una amplia difusión en MTV a principios de la década de 1990. El crítico Steve Huey describe su música como «una fusión catártica, intensa y sin concesiones de hard rock, funk, post-punk, noise y jazz experimental, en la que Rollins grita rabiosos, mordientes autoexámenes y acusaciones a los conformistas».

Rollins Band was an American rock band, led by singer and composer Henry Rollins. Mainly known them by the songs “Low Self Opinion" and “Liar”, thay reached huge diffusion in MTV at the beginning of the decade of 1990. The critic Steve Huey describes his music like “a cathartic, intense fusion and without concessions of hard rock, funk, post-punk, noise and experimental jazz, in which Rollins shouts rabid, mordant self-examinatioves and accusations to the conformists".

Fields Of Haze.

Nitzer Ebb - That total age

Género: Hardcore punk, american underground

Artistas similares: Pixies, Dead Kennedys, Black Flag

Año de grabación: Geffen, 1997.



Grupo inglés de EBM formado en 1982 por David Harris (voz, percusión y guitarra), Douglas McCarthy (voz principal y guitarra) y David Gooday (persusiones).

El trío comenzó sus actuaciones en pequeñas salas locales, pero su fuerte presencia en escena, su imagen militar y energía consiguieron una creciente base de seguidores que pronto condujo a actuaciones en clubs más grandes y conciertos en salas. Lanzaron su primer single de debut, "Isn't It Funny How Your Body Works", el 7 de enero de 1985, en su propio sello, Power of Communication, y su música se convirtió pronto en obligada en los clubs. Le siguió el single de doble cara 'A' "Warsaw Ghetto"/"So Bright So Strong" en 1985, con críticas similares y aclamación en las pistas de baile. Dos lanzamientos posteriores, "Let Your Body Learn"/"Get Clean" y "Murderous" fueron editados en Power of Voice antes de firmar con la Mute Records.

En mayo de 1987, realizan su primer LP con Mute Records, 'That total age', el cual presentaba fuertes ritmos de bajo y voces ahogadas como en -Join the chant- y -Let your body learn-. Ambos cortes encontraron buena aceptación en los clubes europeos y el apenas incipiente movimiento balearico. Gracias a este disco fueron contratados para abrirle en europa a Depeche Mode en su gira Music for the masses.

Un excelente disco para todos aquellos amantes del EBM.



English group of EBM formed in 1982 by David Harris (voice, percussion and guitar), Douglas McCarthy (main voice and guitar) and David Gooday (percussion). The trio began its activities in small local rooms, but its best its presenting in scene, their military image and energy secured an increasing base of followers who soon lead to greater activities in clubs and concerts in rooms. They sent its first single of debut, " Isn' t It Funny How Your Body Works" , the 7th of January of 1985, in its own seal, 'Power of Communication', and its music soon became forced clubs. ' Later release single of double slide; A' " Warsaw Ghetto" /" Under Bright Under Strong" in 1985, with similar critics and aclamation in the dance tracks. Two later launchings, " Let Your Body Learn" /" Get Clean" and " Murderous" they were published in Power of Voice before signing with Mute Records.

In May of 1987, they realise its first LP with Changes Records, 'That total age' , which presented strong voices and low rates drowned, as in - Join the chant- and - Let your body learn-. Both cuts hardly found good acceptance in the European clubs and the incipient balearic movement. Thanks to this record they were contracted to opening concerts in Europe to Depeche Mode in the tour ' Music for the masses'.

An excellent record for all the EBM lovers.




Fields of Haze.

David Bowie - The Deram Anthology

'The Deram Anthology 66 - 68' es una compilación hecha por Bowie en 1997. Recopila mucho del material realizado en -Deram Records- por esos años y que había sido editado anteriormente. Incluye su album debut por orden cronológico.

Planeado en un primer momento para ser un disco doble en el cual se incluiría material inédito, pero fué vetado por el mismo artista.


'The Deram Anthology 66 - 68' it's a compilation done by Bowie in 1997. It compiles much of the realised material in - Deram Records' by those years and that had been published previously. It includes his album debut by chronological order.

Glided initially to be a double disc in which unpublished material would be included, but it was vetoed by the artist.


Tracklist:

1. "Rubber Band"(single version) – 2:05
2. "The London Boys"– 3:22
3. "The Laughing Gnome"– 3:03
4. "The Gospel According to Tony Day" – 2:50
5. "Uncle Arthur" – 2:09
6. "Sell Me a Coat" – 3:01
7. "Rubber Band" – 2:19
8. "Love you till tuesday"– 3:11
9. "There Is a Happy Land" – 3:14
10. "We Are Hungry Men" – 2:59
11. "When I Live My Dream" – 3:24
12. "Little Bombardier" – 3:27
13. "Silly Boy Blue" – 3:53
14. "Come and Buy My Toys" – 2:10
15. "Join the Gang" – 2:19
16. "She's Got Medals" – 2:25
17. "Maid of Bond Street" – 1:45
18. "Please Mr. Gravedigger" – 2:40
19. "Love You Till Tuesday" (single version) – 3:01
20. "Did You Ever Have a Dream" – 2:08
21. "Karma Man" – 3:05
22. "Let Me Sleep Beside You" – 3:27
23. "In the Heat of the Morning" – 2:58
24. "Ching-A-Ling" – 2:04
25. "Sell Me a Coat" (single version) – 2:53
26. "When I Live My Dream" – 3:52
27. "Space Oditty" (original version) – 3:46

Fields of Haze.

The Cranes - EP Collection

Género: Alternative/Dream Rock

Artistas similares: His Name is Alive, Lush, Curve

Año de grabación: Dedicated, 1997.


Grupo de la costa sur de Portsmouth, Inglaterra. Formado en 1988 por los hermanos Jim y Alison Shaw (batería y voz respectivamente), los cuales invitaron a participar en el proyecto del grupo al guitarrista Mark Fancombe y al bajista Matt Cope, el cual se unió a la alineación dos años más tarde. Se caracterizan por tener un sonido etereo combinado con letras y melodías muy sonoras y con guitarras distorsionadas.

La primera producción del grupo llamada 'Fuse' fué producida de manera independiente en cassette en 1990, una compañía local de discos se interesó en su material y sacaron al mercado 'Self-Non-Self' el mismo año logrando buenas críticas de parte de la audiencia. Ambas producciones les llevaron a poder firmar con una disquera más grande -Dedicated Records- con los cuales grabaron su primer EP en form, 'Inescapable' material que los llevó incluso a las páginas de la revista especializada Melody Maker. Un segundo EP, 'Espero' fué también relevante, el cual precedió a su primer LP con la misma disquera 'Wings of Joy', material que fué bien recibido por el mercado europeo como el americano. Hecho que les sirvió para que el mismo Robert Smith, vocalista de The Cure los escogiera como teloneros en su gira mundial de 1992.

'Forever', editado en 1993, fué su segundo álbum, a los cuales les siguieron 'Loved' en 1994 y 'Tragedy of Orestes and Electra' en 1996, para entonces contaban ya con un reconocimiento del público. Le siguieron 'Population 4', disco de remixes de canciones de varias etapas del grupo, y en 2001 un nuevo material, 'Future Songs' el cual marca un nuevo estilo del grupo marcadas por la voz de Alison Shaw. Recientemente editaron en 2004 'Particles & Waves' y en 2008 'Cranes'.

En esta ocasión Fields of Haze te presenta la colección EP, un disco doble que agrupa los EP y mejores trabajos de todas las producciones de Cranes. Anque a primera vista, por la extensión del trabajo podría pensarse que está dirigido solo a seguidores muy asiduos del grupo, no es así, ya que en pocos trabajos del grupo logra tener tanta efectividad su sonido como es el caso del presente material.

Escucha pues sin más preámbulos a Cranes.


Group of the South coast of Portsmouth, England. Formed in 1988 by the brothers Jim and Alison Shaw (drums and voice respectively), which invited to participate in the project of the group to the guitarist Mark Fancombe and to the bassist Matt Cope, who was united to the alignment two years later. Characterized to have an ether sound combined with letters and very sonorous melodies and distorted guitars.

The first production of the group was called ' Fuse' it was produced in cassette in an independent way in 1990, a local disc company was interested in its material and take out to the market ' Self-Non-Self' the same year, obtaining good critics from the hearing. Both productions help them to be able to sign with a bigger company - Dedicated Records- with they recorded his first EP, ' Inescapable' material even took them to the pages of specialized magazines like Melody Maker. A second EP, ' Espero' he was also excellent, which preceded to its first LP with the same record company, ' Wings of Joy' , material that was very well received either by the European market and the American. That served them for being choosed by Robert Smith, singer of The Cure, to open their concerts in its world-wide tour of 1992.

' Forever' , published in 1993, it was his second album, which followed ' Loved' in 1994 and ' Tragedy of Orestes and Electra' in 1996, by then they already found recognition by the public. They followed ' to him; Population 4' , disc of remixes of songs of several stages of the group, and in 2001 a new material, ' Future Songs' which marks a new style of the group marked by the voice of Alison Shaw. Recently they published in 2004 ' Particles & Waves' and in 2008 ' Cranes'.

In this occasion Fields of Haze presents the collection EP, a double disc that conjugate the EP's and better works of all the Cranes' productions . At first sight, by the extension of the work could think that it is directed only to very assiduous followers of the band, this is no true, since in few works of the group its sound manages to have as much effectiveness as it is the case of the present material.

Listening then without more introductions to Cranes.

1

2

Fields of Haze.

In Strict Confidence - Cryogenix

Género: Electro Industrial

Artistas similares: Hajoubb, Swamp terrorist, Front line assembly



In Strict confidence, grupo alemán de principios de los 90's, comenzó como cuarteto, con Stefan Versper y Anttje Shulds. pero se fué desintegrando hasta conformar un dúo, integrado por Dennis Ostermann y Jörg Scheluz. para 1992 realizaron dos cintas demos a manera de debut, su nombre Criyogenix, pero fué editado hasta 1996 en Zoth Ommog Records (el primer tiraje de discos solo duró una semana).

En esta ocasión te presentamos el primer disco LP de la agrupación, Cryogenix.


(Material subido por petición de Arkjadark).


http://www.4shared.com/file/115451585/8b98d05/In_Strict_Confidence_-_Cryogenix.html


Fields of Haze.