S&D: The 3D's

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Wow! I just bought hellzapoppin' on Amazon used on a whim. I'm really enjoying it after one listen. What else do I need to seek by them? Couldn't find any thread of them oddly.

― T. Weiss (Timmy), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know, but I've always been curious about them since one of their members was in the wonderful wonderful Look Blue Go Purple.

― Ian Riese-Moraine has been xeroxed into a conduit! (Eastern Mantra), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Really *really* great band. Did I do all their AMG reviews? Let me check and report back.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I think I did!

Fish Tales

Swarthy Songs For Swabs

(These were both combined on CD over here and possibly over there too.)

Hellzapoppin

The Venus Trail

Strange News From the Angels

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Anyway, your go-to album is The Venus Trail, which I feel is their best. After that those first two EPs, then Strange last (and regrettably, least).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Sounds cool

http://www.geocities.com/telephonepolesmusic

Thanks, Brian Hall.

― Michael Costello (MichaelCostello1), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:45 (twenty-one years ago)

hellzapoppin is my fave although venus trail is also strong. i actually have quite a bit of time for the last album, although it reprises songs from far superior versions on a solo single by the frontman under the name of Spacious.

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:54 (twenty-one years ago)

ghost club stuff is also nice too.

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

ghost club = two main members of 3Ds

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

(is that right?)

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

dope!

― T. Weiss (Timmy), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:56 (twenty-one years ago)

yep SHOM, it's mitchell and roughan. the ghost club disc 'ghostclubbing' is a quite astonishing record, more 'feral' than most 3ds. wild. an earlier 7" is all acoustic and lovely.

― jon dale, Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:56 (twenty-one years ago)

they were always derided as pixies-copyists but to be fair david mitchell was doing his thing longer than charles t.

search the ep comp and the first two albums and the first ghost club 7 inch because of 'the crying room' which is great. last record loses points for no denise vocals.

― keith m (keithmcl), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 01:14 (twenty-one years ago)

i saw them live a couple months back (ghost club, that is) and the new album 'suicide train' is pretty good - if not as immediate as the first lp. it was recorded in A SINGLE DAY - which is both a good and a bad thing. this new one has denise on a couple tracks backing vocals btw, but no leads.

dave mitchell is still one of the most amazing guitarists of all time (along with having a superb singing voice).

dave saunders has apparantly gone in to hiding, the last output from him being (i believe) the last 3ds album and the 'spacious' 7" that was pillaged for its recordings.

actually ned - ive always been a bit irked about your 'strange news' write up. i think the history / state of the band during recording it is a big part in the albums sound/approach - one could interpret it as being pieced together by the various members side project material...

but it still manages to sound crucial. there's HUGE highlights like the warped 'dust', the sublimely downbeat 'animal' and 'carrion days'...

denise roughan was also involved in the early 1980s 'every secret thing' groups like the weeds, wreck small speakers and rob scotts many one-off tapes...

― chris andrews (fraew), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 01:23 (twenty-one years ago)

...let's not forget the awesome Mitchell/Roughan 7" compiled on "Making Losers Happy" (Dead Dog In Port Chalmers/Grey Funnel Line) and the also awesome "Beautiful Things" 7" on Merge. I love both of those.

― sleeve (sleeve), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 01:30 (twenty-one years ago)

actually ned - ive always been a bit irked about your 'strange news' write up.

D'oh. I will say it's been a long time since I've heard it, so a relisten with a new perspective could have me changing my mind!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 02:40 (twenty-one years ago)

and the also awesome "Beautiful Things" 7" on Merge. I love both of those.

Yay. Also I'm suddenly thinking of the...hm, who was it now. Alf Danielson, does that sound right? What was the single, "Mary Had a Steamboat" or something?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 02:41 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah - dave did the cover for the 7", and he played guitar on a couple magick heads albums with alf (denise too!)

― chris andrews (fraew), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 03:09 (twenty-one years ago)

There's a double CD single that compiles that Beautiful Things 7" and one other single, both related to The Venus Trail (which is, as said, great). It's buried somewhere, so I can't say what the other songs are. I'm pretty sure it was on Flying Nun.

― dlp9001, Wednesday, 29 June 2005 03:14 (twenty-one years ago)

the venus trail also has one of the better cd labels ever

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 03:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I probably love the two-EPs comp best of all, but what a great band they were all the way. Ditto on the Mitchell/Roughan 7" love.

I have vivid memories of seeing them at the Mercury Lounge--drummer had the tiniest kit I've ever seen. Kick, snare, cymbal, that was IT.

― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 04:17 (twenty-one years ago)

i agree with ragetts strange news summation. it is clearly a weak way to go out for this mighty band. been recently reviving on this myself. hellzapoppin and venus trail are absolutely essential. these guys do not get what they deserve and along with the terminals touch are my favourite nz albums ever.during the period early 90's (i think) every single show they did was like the best thing i ever saw in my life but then i was drinking a lot back then.

― lawdy claud, Thursday, 30 June 2005 20:49 (twenty years ago)

denise wasn't in the magick heads, both daves were for a time. the first magick heads single with the two daves is one of the best singles ever but it sounds like a robert scott thing especially with one dave on drums.

― keith m (keithmcl), Thursday, 30 June 2005 23:17 (twenty years ago)

Fantastic singles! The cover of "Song For The Whole World" is a bit underrated/forgotten. Um. "Spooky" is, every month or so, the best song ever written.

― etc, Friday, 1 July 2005 00:03 (twenty years ago)

It seems like there are enough people here who could whip up Thee Ultimate 3Ds Rarities CDR Comp or something. Would there be interest?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 1 July 2005 00:13 (twenty years ago)

Hellza and Vebnus are fantastic *except* for the Denise songs. Her voice is just so earnest and maudlin at once. Also, they have a very bad drummer (who originally played guitar, but was forced to switch). But you don't really notice - the dualling David guitars are what's worth listening for.

Search: First Church, Ritual Tragik, Meluzina Man, Outer Space, Swallow, Sunken Treasure, Hellazapoppin, Teacher is Dead, Hey Suess, Philadelphia Rising, Cash None.

Destroy: The Ball of Purple Cotton, The Golden Grove, Beautiful Things, Spooky, and most of the last album.

― paulhw (paulhw), Friday, 1 July 2005 00:24 (twenty years ago)

if yer gonna do a 3ds rarities list you'd actually need to do the band-tree...

wreck small speakers on expensive stereos
look blue go purple
goblin mix
exploding budgies
ghost club & mitchell/roughan
snapper
the renderers
pink plastic gods
bird nest roys
spacious
mr big nose
chug
magick heads
plagal grind

etc...

i got the magick heads mixed up with chug earlier - both saunders and mitchell were in the magick heads, but it was norma o'malley from look blue go purple who was in chug with mitchell...

― chris andrews (fraew), Friday, 1 July 2005 01:01 (twenty years ago)

ive got a bunch of WSSOES rarities, plus most of the stuff from the rest of those guys (except mr big nose)

― chris andrews (fraew), Friday, 1 July 2005 01:07 (twenty years ago)

chug are underrated

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Friday, 1 July 2005 01:07 (twenty years ago)

never a big fan myself, preferred most of the collective members other bands better...

― chris andrews (fraew), Friday, 1 July 2005 01:09 (twenty years ago)

Outer Space Outer Space Outer Space!

Also, the Plagal Grind songs on 'Making Losers Happy' made me very happy indeed. I don't know what that means...

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 1 July 2005 07:28 (twenty years ago)

Also, saw Ghost Club play in a little pub here a couple of years back to a pretty tiny audience. They were okay, I guess, but not nearly as good as Alastair Galbraith who played straight after them though.

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 1 July 2005 07:31 (twenty years ago)

dave mitchell is also playing in some other bands in london, the mean streaks and evil, and also in heliogabalus, who have a split album w. vaw coming out soonish (i think) on difficult fun (difficultfun.org).

― cb, Friday, 1 July 2005 10:17 (twenty years ago)

fifteen years pass...

surely somebody somewhere would be kind enough to reissue these on vinyl

― "Gaspar? No way." (sleeve), Saturday, 24 April 2021 16:15 (five years ago)

it's Saturday afternoon, time to put on "Dreams of Hergé" :)

― swing out sister: live in new donk city (geoffreyess), Saturday, 24 April 2021 21:39 (five years ago)

if the Gordons lp can be reissued no reason why those first two 3ds records couldn't be surely - they still sound just as joyfully demented now as they did back then /personally though the ultimate reissue for me would be Plagal Grind - that would be the holy grail

― clouds (peanutbuttereverysingleday), Saturday, 24 April 2021 21:57 (five years ago)

Don't sleep on the "The Complete Goblin Mix & the Exploding Budgies" comp of David Mitchell's earliest work!

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 24 April 2021 23:07 (five years ago)

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