The Greatest Post-Punk Bands You Never Heard

Hah, just looked up that RW anthology and it goes for stupid money, too. I thought CDs were supposed to be dirt cheap these days! ;-)

Speaking of those long live Flesheaters experiences, there's the punk-associated tradition that goes against punk austerity: the jam, man. Or at least, the performance outward bound, however covertly charted or not. Thinking of Velvets, 10-60-75 The Numbers Band, ca. Jimmy Bell's Still In Town (they did some more compact stuff later), Television, Sonic Youth---UK in this vein--?

I feel like Polyrock should be on this list.

oh yeah, I never heard them much--did see an early long video performance, "live" or live (fancy lighting, no audible/visible audience). Produced by/some kind of connection to Philip Glass, right?

First album co-produced by Glass, yeah. Unlike many of the bands above they made it to the US hinterlands, so I saw them twice in Minneapolis.

^^^ Second album also, I guess.

Just checking some of these posts out. The Dif Juz was incredible and I liked Asylum Party. Rema Rema s/t I would have sworn was mid-80s Fall. Obviously S Reynolds' hypothesis about this era of music is crude, and I am biased because I was a teenager then, but its relentless experimentation has left a legacy of unearthed treasures, some of which I am hearing for the first time and are startlingly good. So thank you Fastnbulbous for starting this thread.

I snatched up the reissue of The Homosexuals' Record (1984) when it came out because it was in The Wire's piece from the '90s, 100 Records That Set The World On Fire While No One Was Listening. It must not have sunk in as I forgot about it.

1. The Homosexuals Record is just a portion of the story, and while it was the most well known example for a long time, it lacks several of their best songs, all of which are on the Astral Glamour set.

2. Spend more time with them.

Here's a song not on the Homosexuals Record:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8aVutmoGSw&playnext=1&list=PL0840F7495337906A&feature=results_video

The one-two punch of "Prestel" into "You're not moving the way you are supposed to" is as fine a combination as art punk ever landed. Get the 3CD set; the Homsexuals cd lacks A lot. Though of course the triple cd overwhelms.

another one not on the single cd:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KARcDGfcj4

missing from poll: icicle works. i fucking love icicle works!

love that Sara Goes Pop release, that's essentially a Homosexuals record, no?

Yeah me too, I even have the deluxe reissue of The Small Price of a Bicycle! But you know, "Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)" pretty much rules them out as being unheard just like Modern English's "I'll Melt With You." Songs beyond those hits may be underappreciated.

xp Sirs, yes sirs, I'll get right on that. Seriously, I will check out more Homosexuals soon.

So a few more minutes to go but I gotta catch a train. Who's gonna win? Probably Liliput/Kleenex followed by Essential Logic and Pylon?

interesting - i never knew Birds Fly was a hit in any context. amazing song either way!

I am biased because I was a teenager then, but its relentless experimentation has left a legacy of unearthed treasures, some of which I am hearing for the first time and are startlingly good.

Dr. X O and I are on the exact same page. The "relentless experimentation" is what I miss the most. I know it's there in young bands, and I do run across it from time to time, but in the original era it was almost expected that bands would progress from album to album and experiment with different angles/sound/approaches. The goal wasn't to sound like their heroes, it was to integrate different things into something new.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Icicle Works biggest hit by far in the UK was Love Is A Wonderful Colour which went Top 20 here. I do think it's a lesser song than Birds Fly which is just fantastic, but it's a good one all the same. Hollow Horse, Seven Horses and When It All Comes Down are all top notch too. Anyhow, they were fairly big for a while and sat nicely alongside other psychedelic Liverpool stuff like the Bunnymen, Julian Cope, Wild Swans/Lotus Eaters etc.

The Wake def deserve their one vote, tho I prefer their kinda-shoegazy Sarah records to most of their 80s stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUtGA0rVxjY

You prefer that to this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO2odzxUsoI

And I like Pylon well enough, but they were one-tenth the band Liliput was. Odd result.

You prefer that to this? - yes, tho that track has its charms! tbh I'm kinda Sarah-biased in general.

Well, to each his own. They made larger gestures in the early 80s....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13DZ9O_uY0w

I just missed the cutoff, my Pylon vote would have put them over the top. As a longtime fan and Randy Bewley disciple, I don't think my vote could have gone anywhere else. I need Liliput and Embarrassment comps; fascinating bands I haven't heard enough by. A lot of Sad Lovers and Giants-type stuff I dismissed as too mopey back in the day sounds better to me now, but still lacks most of the prickly abrasion I love in bands like Delta 5 and Essential Logic. The Individuals, whatever their genre tag, still sound fucking great to me.

I'm with Pillbox re: The Wake. I never could get into their first two albums, preferring their Sarah period. But just barely, they're decidedly 3rd tier for me.

better showing for Virgin Prunes than I expected!

Pylon were talked up big time by R.E.M. for much of the 80s, but their stuff was impossible to find for a long time, which made their reissues kind of exciting. I like 'em but yeah they're more middle of pack for me. When all the Liliput/Kleenex stuff was first reissued on CD back in '93 by the Swiss Off Course label I was so freakin' excited because I'd only had a couple compilation tracks before that. It was definitely a Raincoats-level of revelation for me. I'll listen to them tonight in tribute!

Acute gets 3 votes. 4 if you count The Nightingales.

I forgot to do this earlier, I'd really be interested to see what Post-Punk magazine would be like, so I'm plugging their funding campaign: http://www.indiegogo.com/post-punk

I mentioned in my piece that their Kickstarter campaign didn't succeed but they're trying again with more marketing push. I'm still pondering which amount to give.

Give til it hurts, you goth wannabe!

Seriously, though, that mag looks great, though could it match the quality of writing on this board (The Associates thread is my all-time favorite).

PS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_gAVZBKoMI

PPS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohJFLK9Autw

Yes! I was going to mention Basement 5 but I was away from a computer when I thought of them.

guitar tone on that track is INsane

just noticed the basement 5 peel session's up on youtube

seems like there should be more Germans in any "unknown" post punk list. Two that come quickly to mind, since they had several albums each, are S.Y.P.H. and Geisterfahrer.

Here's a punky S.Y.P.H. song from their first LP, which has some longer, more experimental pieces too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGl3Hx8kIcc

And the first Geisterfahrer single. Zick Zack 1. 1980

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYJo6MdYRMs

speaking of German post-punk, Instant Music from 1980 - precursor to early 2000s Morr maybe?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rzpRqRU8ZE

Nice record that. Of course, the list of German (and Australian) post punk bands with a single or a 12" EP is long. Getting an album out was less likely, let alone multiple albums.

you could do a lot worse than spending 7 dollars on downloading this:

http://thehomosexuals.bandcamp.com/album/astral-glamour

And if you've only heard the single CD release, make sure you get far enough into it. When I had the original ReR compilation (The Homosexuals Record), I remember loving the first side in it's punky mess, and took a while to get to the second side, where some of their most produced and complete and best pop moments like False Sentiments and Astral Glamour live. Revisiting this now, it's just amazing, I remember well now why I was so obsessed. Really unlike anything. A bit of Syd Barrett or Kevin Ayers. Some power-pop and punk rock. Some ReR rock-in-opposition. DIY deconstruction of the highest order. Dub. Incredible String Band. Such a wild range of sounds.

Regarding the comment above about Sara Goes Pop...those records were Amos aka Jim aka L. Voag who was one third of the band with Bruno and Anton, if I have my story straight. I think he definitely brought the most experimental stuff to the band, though judging by a few of the catchier moments on the L Voag LP and EP, he could knock out a pop hook or two or three when he wanted to. He also did the Nancy Sesay and the Melodaires single, which is great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MH71-pNxkc

Go to Astral Glamour and check out (Do The) Total Drop. And Walk Before Imitate. And Calvary. And Mad Bombers of Majour Valour....

I was the only person to vote for The Fire Engines? You people are crazy. The correct answer to this poll was probably Big Flame though.

Quickie list of some lesser-known Australian post punk bands with at least one LP-length release. Obviously, there start to be tons more excellent bands if you just go 7" or cassette; the LP standard is a tough one, but it's a place to start.

Laughing Clowns, Makers of the Dead Travel Fast, Moodists, Primitive Calculators, Severed Heads, Slugfuckers/Rhythmx Chymx, SPK, Sunday Painters, Systematics, Tactics, Voigt/465

And for New Zealand you get something like

Bilders, Gordons, Paul Luker/Phantom Forth/This is Heaven. Nocturnal Projections, Pin Group, Playthings, Victor Dimisich Band

But with NZ, you really feel the LP restriction and then have to fudge a bit. Nocturnal Projections, for example, had a strong cd's worth of material, but spread out over two tapes, a single, two 12"S, and some comp stuff. Plus the unreleased stuff that showed up on the cd.

In their honor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duOQMantKVw

Gets more fun if you go singles, as ever....

From NZ, 1981 7". Shoes this High

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm3F1papWgI

Tracklisting of upcoming 80s uk indie compilation, which picks up still in post-punk territory and follows that thread into C86/jangle/Ron Johnson and other indie territories:

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A UK 80s Nuggets featuring The Lines and The Fire Engines!
* STOP PRESS - SCARED TO GET HAPPY TRACK LISTING *

Well, it's taken a while... feels like forever... and maybe it'll change... still a few tracks we want... but... here it is. Bit of room at the end for stragglers. Otherwise... it's done!

Disc 1:
1. THE WILD SWANS Revolutionary Spirit
2. GIRLS AT OUR BEST Getting Nowhere Fast
3. THE PALE FOUNTAINS (There’s Always) Something On My Mind
4. JOSEF K The Missionary
5. THE MONOCHROME SET Jet Set Junta
6. THE BLUE ORCHIDS Dumb Magician
7. THE MARINE GIRLS Don’t Come Back
8. THE FIRE ENGINES Candy Skin
9. DOLLY MIXTURE Everything And More
10. SCARS All About You
11. THE NIGHTINGALES Paraffin Brain
12. FARMERS BOYS I Think I Need Help
13. JANE It’s A Fine Day
14. PREFAB SPROUT Lions In My Own Garden (Exit Someone)
15. WEEKEND Summerdays
16. THE LINES Nerve Pylon
17. FANTASTIC SOMETHING If She Doesn’t Smile It’ll Rain
18. THE HIGSONS The Lost And The Lonely
19. EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL Feeling Dizzy *
20. BLACK Human Features
21. STRAWBERRY SWITCHBLADE Trees And Flowers
22. THE DAINTEES Roll On Summertime
23. NICK NICELY 49 Cigars
24. TRIXIE’S BIG RED MOTORBIKE Norman And Narcissus
25. THE CHERRY BOYS Kardomah Café
26. AZTEC CAMERA Oblivious

Disc 2:
1. HURRAH The Sun Shines Here
2. THE PASTELS I Wonder Why
3. PULP Everybody’s Problem
4. GRAB GRAB THE HADDOCK I'm Used Now
5. FRIENDS AGAIN Honey At The Core (Moonboot Version)
6. THE BLUEBELLS Callander Green
7. LLOYD COLE & THE COMMOTIONS Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken (Indie Version)
8. IN EMBRACE This Brilliant Evening
9. MICRODISNEY Dolly
10. THE WOODENTOPS Plenty
11. THE JAZZ BUTCHER Southern Mark Smith
12. THE JASMINE MINKS Where The Traffic Goes
13. THE JUNE BRIDES Every Conversation (Single Version)
14. THE REVOLVING PAINT DREAM In The Afternoon
15. THE SHOP ASSISTANTS All Day Long
16. BIFF BANG POW! The Chocolate Elephant Man
17. JAMES Hymn From A Village
18. THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN Just Like Honey (Demo Oct ‘84)
19. THE LOFT Up The Hill And Down The Slope
20. THAT PETROL EMOTION Keen
21. YEAH YEAH NOH Temple Of Convenience
22. THE WEDDING PRESENT Go Out And Get ‘Em Boy
23. THE BODINES God Bless
24. WE'VE GOT A FUZZBOX AND WE’RE GONNA USE IT XX Sex (Demo)
25. McCARTHY Red Sleeping Beauty
26. THE MIGHTY LEMON DROPS Something Happens

Disc 3:
1. PRIMAL SCREAM Velocity Girl
2. THE PRIMITIVES Thru The Flowers
3. THE BMX BANDITS Sad
4. MIGHTY MIGHTY Is There Anyone Out There?
5. THE SOUP DRAGONS Fair's Fair
6. THE WOLFHOUNDS Cut The Cake
7. THE CHESTERFIELDS Completely And Utterly
8. THE SERVANTS Transparent
9. THE CLOSE LOBSTERS What Is There To Smile About (Demo)
10. POP WILL EAT ITSELF Sick Little Girl
11. THE RAZORCUTS Big Pink Cake
12. THE WEATHER PROPHETS Almost Prayed
13. JAMIE WEDNESDAY Vote For Love
14. TALULAH GOSH Beatnik Boy
15. THE DENTISTS She Dazzled Me With Basil
16. THE RAILWAY CHILDREN A Gentle Sound
17. THE GROOVE FARM Baby Blue Marine
18. JESSE GARON & THE DESPERADOES The Rain Fell Down
19. ROSEMARY’S CHILDREN (Whatever Happened To) Alice?
20. THE WONDER STUFF A Wonderful Day
21. THIS POISON! Engine Failure
22. THE BRILLIANT CORNERS Delilah Sands
23. 14 ICED BEARS Balloon Song
24. THE HEART THROBS Toy
25. THE ROSEHIPS Room In Your Heart
26. KING OF LUXEMBOURG A Picture Of Dorian Gray

Disc 4:
1. HOUSE OF LOVE Shine On
2. THE DARLING BUDS Shame On You (Native Single Version)
3. THE POOH STICKS Indiepop Ain’t Noise Pollution
4. THE BACHELOR PAD The Albums Of Jack
5. THE SHAMEN Something About You
6. GOL GAPPAS Albert Parker
7. HANGMAN'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS Love Is Blue
8. WHIRL Heaven Forbid
9. THE BOY HAIRDRESSERS Tidalwave
10. THE FLATMATES Shimmer
11. APPLE BOUTIQUE Love Resistance
12. LAUGH Take Your Time Yeah!
13. GROOVY LITTLE NUMBERS You Make My Head Explode
14. THE WALTONES She Looks Right Through Me
15. YEAH JAZZ Sharon
16. THE CLOUDS Tranquil
17. THE RAW HERBS She’s A Nurse But She's Alright
18. THE SIDDELEYS My Favourite Wet Wednesday Afternoon
19. RODNEY ALLEN Circle Line
20. THE CORN DOLLIES Be Small Again
21. THE HEPBURNS The World Is
22. BUBBLEGUM SPLASH One Of Those Things
23. THE McTELLS Jesse Man Rae
24. THE CHARLOTTES Are You Happy Now?
25. ANOTHER SUNNY DAY I’m In Love With A Girl Who Doesn’t Know I Exist
26. THE LA's Son Of A Gun (Demo)

Disc 5:
1. THE STONE ROSES The Hardest Thing In The World
2. THE INSPIRAL CARPETS Keep The Circle Around
3. THE SEA URCHINS Solace
4. CUD Only (A Prawn In Whitby)
5. THE POPGUNS Landslide
6. EAST VILLAGE Strawberry Window
7. THE FANATICS Suburban Love Songs
8. THE MILLTOWN BROTHERS Roses
9. THE ORCHIDS I’ve Got A Habit
10. BRADFORD Skin Storm
11. THE CLAIM Picking Up The Bitter Little Pieces
12. THE POPPYHEADS Pictures You Weave
13. THE SUN AND THE MOON Adam’s Song (Pour Fenella)
14. THE DESERT WOLVES Speak To Me Rochelle
15. THE GOLDEN DAWN My Secret World
16. BLOW UP Forever Holiday
17. KOROVA MILK BAR Do It Again
18. AVO-8 Big Car
19. THE RAIN Dry The Rain
20. THE BOO RADLEYS Catweazle
21. THE SEERS Sun Is In The Sky
22. THE TELESCOPES Perfect Needle
23. THE VASELINES Jesus Don’t Want Me For A Sunbeam

hah, sorry I copied part of the Acute facebook page...I had posted this info there so I went there to copy it, and now you can see that at some point while operating as Acute Records I "liked" Broadcast and Sexual Objects (post-post-Fire Engines!)

Oh yeah, the Servants. The Sun a Small Star is lovely

housecleaning

love the diachronic/internoise/island-of-misfit-death-disco slant of the thread, so I’m gonna run w/that f/a minute and add Colin Newman’s new-to-me melted-genre nod Troisieme from lol ’80. could prob. go in this threadbut it’s such a sweet mess of proto-techno stomp, martial guitar + drums from the ghost of Swans future, rinky piano plonking, sax lost in reverb, Fripp-ish guitar, and pop vox w/ hints of Bowie damage that it snaps in here w/out effort, so w/e:

http://youtu.be/fNEkicBxe2o

― Hellhouse, Tuesday, February 5, 2013 10:40 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Even though I have at least half of that material, I'm still really excited for that indie nuggets box!

ha I didn't even see that The Lines were on this list. definitely would have voted for them.

I just ordered all 10 volumes of "The Indie Scene: The History Of British Independent Music" covering 1977-1986. I've had MP3s of these for years but meant to get the CDs, this thread inspired me to do so. I'm a sucker for great compilations!