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Wednesday, 2 December 2009

AAGA - CELL CASSETTE - 1983

In contrast to the bright and breezy AAGA track I put up a couple of weeks ago, on this outing AAGA take us all on a trip to the dark side.
The CELL cassette was done in 1983, and although all the material is untitled, I think I will call this one "Council Scheme Nightmare" ...for rather obvious reasons.
It's not a tune you're gonna be whistling along to, oh no, in fact you better go find some health & safety gear for protection.!!
It starts with a piercing shrill, a noise that undulates throughout the full 7 minutes like somebody grinding a piece of corrugated iron in a manic workshop. The pace is kept at a slow steady pulse by a menacingly hypnotic rhythm created on a drum machine, and then slicing their way through it all like a circular saw on overtime are the scathing lyrics, dissecting the ugly scenes encountered.
A bit of a tour de force I reckon. Dare you check it out?
Thanks to Mike Kane.


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15 comments:

  1. Anonymous2 December 2009 at 10:56

    The "piercing shrill" appears to be the noise from one of the early ZX Spectrum computers. It's the sound made when loading a program.

    Ooh the memories!

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  2. Anonymous2 December 2009 at 14:06

    was steve grimond on this as it is mike kane on the cover

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  3. Anonymous2 December 2009 at 14:54

    unlistenable

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  4. VEX2 December 2009 at 15:08

    It is indeed a ZX specrtum loading ! I copied (stole) the idea from the throbbing gristle track IBM , which is also the sound of a computer loading.
    It was a solo thing by me and steve does not appear on it, I was asked to contribute to a "mail Art" project called Cell and I produced this cassette , each cassette came with a "cell" with led's that lit up !
    In the early 80's me and steve put stuff out under the name AAGA regardless if it was his poetry or my music projects.
    it was recorded on the cassette recorder that I used to load games on the spectrum , hence pretty shit quality.
    Quite like the unlistenable comment and I agree, but, seems ok at the time ! and I enjoyed doing it!
    mike

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  5. Orwell2 December 2009 at 20:39

    I'm not sure if i like you or hate you !!! don't like much of the stuff you've done , but to be fair , at least you did produce things worth arguing about , and i did see some of your bands/projects in days gone by, not my thing, but at least we have the freedom to do it !

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  6. AlanStalin3 December 2009 at 07:01

    Brilliant! It does a bit like TG but so what! This is very much ahead of its time with the bleak poetry narration... Arab Strap would have been in short trousers when this was recorded!

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  7. lyken love3 December 2009 at 07:55

    Fuck on!

    Never heard this before, great when the beat comes in over the loader code.

    Prefer the alternate ending.
    "I went to the chipper & came back with a Bournville Dark & jar of Mussels, without incident."
    heh!

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  8. Anonymous25 December 2009 at 04:28

    i liked it at the time and after hearing it again after a very long time its still fekin good...

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  9. Anonymous26 December 2009 at 10:23

    oh i forgot to say bill glover here

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  10. Altres28 December 2009 at 07:35

    I like it. It's better than a lot of early Altres.

    Hope you had a good time over the winter, Mike. All the best,

    Brian

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  11. VEX28 December 2009 at 15:21

    thanks Billy and Brian !!

    I prefer the Flux stuff , but , the cell tape was very "lo - Fi" and stands on its own !

    have to look out early ALTRES , sure I have the first tape - green cover?

    mike

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  12. RETRO DUNDEE7 January 2010 at 08:28

    Actually, it just hit me that the screechy noise is kinda similar to the one Cabaret Voltaire used on their single "Nag Nag Nag". They too used it to good effect all the way through the track.
    See what you reckon.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-IixtxKETU

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  13. vince25 January 2010 at 07:50

    Contrary to popular belief i've always been a fan of Mike's music.....it would be an awful place if we all did the same thing & sounded the same.....vive le difference


    Vince P

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  14. The Historian4 February 2010 at 03:46

    Well said Vince. Bring more of VEX on and what about a reunion gig Quick Spurts, The Junkies, Vex come on and make it happen people! Jock on the decks...

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  15. VEX5 February 2010 at 16:00

    Hi historian , its a nice thought , but , quick spurts probably impossible , who knows where colin is now ! same with junkies - Vince is around and so is Alison doing her jazz tours but Ali !?
    Personally i could do a vex gig at the drop of a hat and Suggest we replace jock with pre-recorded cassettes like the old days !!
    -Joking jock would be happy to have you on board , do you think anyone would come to such an event !!?
    mike

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