God

Tos Nieuwenhuizen,
1987.09.13 (I think)

Before Kevin Martin's, God has revealed himself upon the earth in the form of a dutch power trio. I'm not gonna expand many words about this, mainly cause I'm not the biggest fan of this group, just cleaning some stuff off the computer, so thought I'll upload it here first for whoever.
Don't get me wrong, all three of them are highly technichal, talented players for sure, and the music is a bizzare mix of progressive art-y heavy thrash metal jams, something like Gore-Black Sabbath-Black Flag-someone, but I just never come to listen to any of the albums, never struck me as memorable ones. Someone will enjoy it more for sure.
First line up was responsible for first two albums (their semi-primitive debut Sweet Life is undoubtly my favorite) included Tos Nieuwenhuizen (guitar), Daan van der Elsken (drums, vocals) and Michael Cavanaugh (bass). Tos left on and the last album saw the addition of Björn Warning (guitar, vocals) and Joszja de Weerdt (guitar), with them the sound became a bit more "90's alternative" thing.

If you're looking for more God, be sure to check this '87 radio session up at Brob Tilt's tapes, it's even claimed to be better than their studio, for me it's all the same. Brob also scanned an interview with them at his Zine-World if you care.




1988 - Sweet Life (as said, their best)

1. See Smoke, Smell Fire
2. The Finger
3. Settling Down
4. Lust
5. Wimps
6. Teste Marce
7. Stomping Ground
8. Sack B.
9. So Be It!
10. The Asset of Punishment

1989 - The Shametree

1. Risk of Regrets
2. Blessed
3. Wordsworth
4. Stuck
5. Can You Take It
6. Medicine
7. What Climax
8. Brainstorm

1991 - Headrush

1. Image Down
2. Fooler Of Fools
3. You Know Me Not
4. When Time Is Present
5. Zero Sicks
6. Taste
7. Horizon The Liar
8. Drink Deep
9. Black Balled
10. Chicken Song
11. Who'll Decide
12. Child
13. Classic

Thule

Graeme Milton, Graham Perkins, Simon Doling, Martin Byrne
1993

With all due respect to both Norwegian groups (which there isn't much actually), the only one trve Thule that matters were this London group formed around 1987.
Now, while they didn't got much name outside local Camden scene, let alone England, they deserved much more appreciation for their unique experimental leftfield big beat/dub/industrial post rock. Yap, that's pretty much how they sounded like, making a brilliant british link from the 80's to the 90's, while performing mostly in western european countries and leaving not much recorded audio out there to document that.
Their old myspace page credits a long list of musicians in the line up, though I believe only the first five listed here were the main core, correct me if I'm wrong:
Graeme Milton - Drums, Programming, Percussion
Graham Perkins - Guitar, Keyboards, Programming, Percussion
Martin Byrne - Bass, Guitar, Keys, Vocals, Percussion, Programming
Simon Doling - Bass, Percussion (also played drums for World Domination Enterprises for some time, later to join Terminal Cheesecake and be replaced by Charlie Finke)

Perkins, Doling, Byrne, Milton
1993

Dave Smith - Vocal, Percussion
Mick Ritchie - Keyboards, Percussion
Kev Poree - Live Sound, Keyboards (from FOH mix position)

Their first 12", 1988's Dr. Lloyd, I've never managed to get, but two tracks out of it were featured on later releases, leaving us with only two tracks missing from their discography. Here's what I first thought of them before even knowing about Simon Doling's connection- "Terminal Cheesecake joining forces with WDE trying to mimic how Bark Psychosis would sound playing big beat records". Really, they fuse it all through industrialish very early big beat with dub touches plus heavy/ noisy rock tracks (Disko Beach, Dynamo, Murderball and few more).
Influences on myspace said to be Chrome, Kraftwerk, Tackhead, Can, 23 Skidoo, Cabaret Voltaire.. (and if I may add Finitribe, Slab!, Meat Beat Manifesto ?)
Later on Perkins, Milton and Byrne joined forces with Jason White acting as 95 Nil, playing pretty much what they did with Thule.

1989 - La Jamais Contente [160 kbps] (12", Wiiija Records)

1. Springtime (Etched In Ice)
2. Owed To Kreed
3. Looking Backward To See You
4. Disko Beach






1990 - Wheel [128 kbps] (Wiiija Records)

1. World Service
2. Looking Backward To See You
3. Springtime
4. S.G.L.
5. Sharps
6. Good Old Good Olds
7. Robber
8. Concave Bulge

1992 - 321 Normal 2 [Lossless Rip] (Clay Records)

1. While It Lasts
2. Dynamo
3. Idiomatic
4. Murderball
5. Three Legged Race
6. 4/5 Of 5/8 Of F/A
7. King's English
8. Park Keeper
9. Split
10. We Is You Am
11. Skyscraper

As usual, if you have any missing stuff, better quality, or just some nerdy trivia/info/memories, share with us common people.

3ח

3ח aka שלוש חית                                                                                                                                        3H aka Shalosh Hait

David Opp, Ran Slavin, Reem Hareuveny
Photo by Ofer Azulay, at Pargod

This enigmatic name belonged to a somewhat legendary (for me at least) Jerusalem trio active in the late 80's. They were part of a local "scene" circling a few bands which mostly played at Pargod theater, which is the name the scene was known as. "Rock sessions" often occurred, comprised of different members of the scene, free-thinking, improvising and experimenting with each other.
3H began more as an idea of such art rock act, going through name variations (3H-B, B-3H, etc..) on each show, without committing to a specific sound, often involving industrial acts, sampling (one of the first to do so in Israel), inviting guests (for instance a street violin player they met a day earlier) and on and on. After some time they've settled on 3H and began performing with more "proper" songs.

Their roots lay in 1982's Cholera, the first hardcore (and actually first punk) band in Israel, including both David (Dudik) Oppenheim and Ran Slavin, drummer and guitarist for 3H. After Cholera, Slavin took off to London for a couple years, and came back to form the group with Dudik. Both of them at the time art students, were joined by Reem Hareuveny on bass, thus creating what I see as one of the most important groups here in local alternative music.
Still retaining the pissed and abrasive energy they had in them, 3H were playing their own kind of post punk, unlike anything I can think of. You can hear the vast wide influences through Crime & The City Solution, Swans, This Heat, Neubauten and generally, anything that was worth listening to at the time, but yet again, just as influences. They didn't imitate any of these, or anyone else.

Their only album recorded in 1990, released 1991, limited to 500 copies, is the one above. You SHOULD check it out. An absolute all-time fave for me, featuring ten tracks of their varied repertoire and one hell of a menacing cover of Carole King.
That's the re-mastered version up there, re-released in 2009, also limited to 500, this time with an extra disc filled with unreleased live bonuses, rehearsal material, and some from their second unfulfilled album. Making justice to a local group which never got the respect it deserved.

Flyer for Aaliya Ve'rock Ba Marathon
Local bands marathon.

1989.05.10 - Live Bootleg at Aaliya Ve'rock Ba Marathon, Gerard Behar Center, Jerusalem

1. I Feel The Earth (Carole King Cover)
2. In The Field
3. London Time
4. Brara
5. Jerusalem 80's
6. מפולת של עובש [Mold Avalanche]
7. Scarface Runner
8. רחובות אדומים [Red Streets]
9. Trashman
10. Mystery Dance (Elvis Costello Cover)

11. Kankan
12. [audience]
13. הג'ונגל האוסטרו-הונגרי [Austro Hungarian Jungle (cut up in the end)]
14. Scarface Runner [Reprise]

There's plenty of material that still lays in dust on tapes somewhere, and it's a shame. Here's some stuff I managed to scavenge, mostly ripped it off a short series of radio specials called "Soundman of Pargod" by Eli Shargorodsky, who was among other things, the soundman of Pargod, recording many shows and stuff, handling a great archive. So much much much respect to him (and if by any chance you read this, please continue sharing Eli !)

Ran, Dudik, Reem

Bonus unreleased material

198? - Bass I
198? - Mystery Dance (Elvis Costello Cover) + מעדן חלב [TV Commercial cover, radio rip]
198? - Scarface Runner [Live at Pargod, radio rip]
198? - Untitled
198? - שחרחורת [Ha'breira Ha'tiv'it Cover, without Slavin, with Eli Shargo, radio rip]
1987 - רחובות אדומים [Red Light Streets]
1989.01.23 - Untitled + Film [Live at Pargod, radio rip]
1989.08.10 - Untitled [Live at Pargod, radio rip]
1989.08.10 - Untitled [Live at Pargod, radio rip]


Eventually 3H dissolved around 92, as all three members proceed exploring and innovating for more than a three decades length careers, via many other brilliant musical projects and through other art forms. I'll probably post some more of their music, I have nothing but pure appreciation for these guys.
Ran Slavin | David Opp

Slab!

Mentioning Scott Kiehl's drumming on last post regarding Sweet Tooth, made me want to post some rarities by the band which caused him to move from Illinois to England, Slab!
This post is for Slab's enthusiasts.. if you don't know Slab!, just go listen to Descension before you check this.. and if you do know, and don't like, than just get the fuck out.

Dissatisfied with Robin Risso's unable to improvise, the one who drums on their maverick debut Descension, experimental industrial metal (which is the only way I can think which won't offend Stephen Dray to describe Slab!) decided to find a new fellow to join in. Chris Baker who also contributed drums before, suggested his friend Scott, saying he is the only man who can fit that job.
Eventually, Scott flew to Chicago just to come back with a native friend, Lou Ciccotelli, to record Slab's second album Sanity Allergy, which saw Scott playing bass, and Lou drumming.

Bill Davies, Robin Risso, Paul Jarvis
Stephen Dray, Dave Morris (Descension)

Only Slab recording to feature Scott on drums is their 3rd Peel Session, which was recorded between the two albums, included very heavy early version Sanity Allergy's Last Detail, a brutal-fierce version of Descension's Big Sleeper, and two unpublished songs

1988-02-21 - 3rd Peel Session

1. Last Detail
2. Bride of Sloth
3. Big Sleeper
4. Killer For A Country

Stephen Dray - Vocals, Saxophone
Paul Jarvis - Guitar
Dave Morris - Guitar
Bill Davies - Bass
Scott Kiehl - Drums
Hugh Rawson - Trumpet

Later on, after being not satisfied with Sanity Allregy due to some reasons (even though I think it's a great album), the band sort of fell apart, forcing Stephen and Paul too look for new members. This next line up is documented in single Death's Head Soup, and also in a live bootleg which presents some Sanity Allergy songs with a more psychedelic feel

Paul Jarvis, Lou Ciccotelli, Dave Morris,
Scott Kiehl, Stephen Dray (Sanity Allergy)

1989 - Live in Hultsfred, Sweden

1. Land of The Midnight Sun
2. Switchback Ride
3. You're Not Alone
4. Last Detail

Stephen Dray - Vocals
Paul Jarvis - Guitar
Nick Page - Guitar
Boleslaw Usarazewski - Bass
Rob Allum - Drums

Next up Nick left the band, to make place for Graham Sherman an NME journalist, which according to Slab's very informative and well written biography by Stephen Dray, was their finest era, and if by any chance you have recordings of this line up, please share.
I'm also looking for 2nd Slab! Peel Session, which was avilable through Head Heritage forums some years ago and now link's dead.

2019.03.06 Update: I present, 2nd Slab! Peel Session