TELSTAR PONIES In The Space of A Few Minutes 1995

by request

 

Discogs

 

TrouserPress

Founded by Sushil Dade of Soup Dragons and former 18 Wheeler David Keenan (and, for a while, including ex-Teenage Fanclub drummer Brendan O’Hare in its ever-changing lineup), Glasgow’s Telstar Ponies fell somewhere between the atmospheric goth of Independent Project Records releases and the prolonged indulgence of freeform improvisation. The US-only Mors Factum Musica conveys something of their breadth, with the straightforward rock of “Lugengeschicte” sharing plastic with 13 minutes of Pink Floyd dynamism in “Does Your Heart Have Wings?”

Shortly before taking a two-year hiatus, the Ponies managed to make a double album without overindulgence or a complete reckoning of what they can do. Voices From the New Music stretches from the deep, despairing pangs of David Keenan’s vocals and guitar on “Last Outpost” (reminiscent of Savage Republic member Thom Furman’s solo work as Autumnfair) to the piano-and-drone creepiness of “Aegis Falling” and the desperado whistling on “The Fall of Little Summer.” Telstar Ponies find a snug corner on where goth angst need not be drenched in absurd theatrics or uninspired songform.[Ben Goldberg]

 

Tracklist

1		The Moon Is Not A Puzzle
2		Lugengeschichte
3		Not Even Starcrossed
4		Maya
5		Two's Insane
6		Moon, Don't Come Up Tonight

7		Monster
8		Side Netting
9		Her Name
10		Innerhalb Weniger Minuten
11		I Still Believe In Christmas Trees

KALIFORNIA (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) Various Artists 1993

 

Discogs

 

 
Tracklist

  1. Mind Bomb - Do You Need Some?
  2. Quicksand - Unfulfilled
  3. East 17 - Deep
  4. Drivin' N' Cryin' - When You Come Back
  5. Sheryl Crow - No One Said It Would Be Easy
  6. The Indians - I Love The World
  7. X - Lettuce And Vodka
  8. Therapy? - Accelerator
  9. David Baerwald - Born For Love
10. The Soup Dragons - Dive Bomber
11. The Indians - Look Up To The Sky
12. Carter Burwell - Kalifornia/Cactus Girl

INDIE TOP 20 VOLUME IX Various Artists 1990

 

 Discogs

 

UK compilation

 

1

The Farm–

Stepping Stone

3:18
2	The Soup Dragons–	Mother Universe

3:12
3	Revenge–	Pineapple Face

6:04
4	New Fast Automatic Daffodils–	Big

6:06
5	The Charlatans–	Indian Rope

4:31
6	The Shamen–	Pro Gen

3:26
7	New Order–	Round And Round (Club Mix)

7:08
8	McCarthy–	Get A Knife Between Your Teeth

3:08
9	Finitribe–	Monster In The House

3:35
10	Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine–	Sheriff Fatman

4:43
11	The Fatima Mansions–	Blues For Ceausescu

6:19
12	Wolfhounds*–	Rite Of Passage

4:32
13	Birdland (2)–	Sleep With Me

3:19
14	The Heart Throbs–	Dreamtime

3:52
15	The Sundays–	Joy

4:11
16	See See Rider–	She Sings Alone

4:05
17	A.C. Marias–	One Of Our Girls Has Gone Missing

3:17
18	Lush–	De-Luxe

3:28

 

THE SOUP DRAGONS Hydrophonic 1994

by request

 

Discogs

Tracklist  

1	One Way Street	4:01
2	Don't Get Down (Get Down)	5:06
3	Do You Care?	3:20
4	May The Force Be With You	4:31
5	Contact High	3:43
6	All Messed Up	3:38
7	The Time Is Now	4:53
8	Freeway	4:19
9	Rest In Peace	5:42
10	J.F. Junkie	4:34
11	Automatic Speed Queen	3:24
12	Out Of Here	3:37
13	Motherfunker	6:52
14	Black And Blues	4:47
15	Hypersonic Re-Entry	0:54

THE SOUP DRAGONS Lovegod 1990

by request

 

Discogs

Artist Biography by James Christopher Monger

Before Scotland's Soup Dragons hit the mainstream with their reggae-infused cover of the Rolling Stones' "I'm Free," the Glasgow four-piece were poised to carry the torch first lit by the Buzzcocks and the Adverts. Formed in the mid-'80s around singer/guitarist -- and eventual programmer -- Sean Dickson, the band included guitarist Jim McCulloch, bassist Sushil Dade, and drummer Ross Sinclair. Their punk-pop debut, Hang-Ten!, consisted of two years worth of singles and EPs -- the shorter Hang-Ten! EP arrived via Raw TV Products in 1986 -- and was released in 1987 on Sire Records. Their direction changed completely on 1988's uneven but ambitious This Is Our Art, a schizophrenic collection of hard rock, funk, and harmony-laden pop that showcased the group's love of melody and willingness to experiment within the modern rock genre.

By 1990, the previously underground sounds of U.K. rave culture began to infiltrate and inform the alternative rock scene, resulting in the birth of the Madchester sound, a drugged-out fusion of acid house and rock that the Soup Dragons were more than willing to get on board with. Lovegod, their Big Life/Polygram debut, embraced the scene completely, marrying dub-heavy beats with synths and acoustic guitars, breathy vocals, and even a guest spot from Black Uhuru's Junior Reid. Hotwired, their follow-up record that included the worldwide chart-topping hit "Divine Thing," was released in 1992. Gone were the hypnotic swells and late-night cigarette lyrics that fueled their previous release, replaced here by tight, immaculately produced songs that were way more alternative dance and sunny Britpop than moody rave anthems.

By 1994, Dickson was the sole remaining member, relying on a bizarre array of session musicians from Bootsy Collins to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra to help complete the funk, soul, rock, and hip-hop hybrid Hydrophonic. The record received mixed reviews, prompting Dickson to form a new group called High Fidelity, which released an EP in 1996 and a series of singles that led to the release of their first full-length LP, Demonstration, in 2002. 

 

Tracklist 

1	I'm Free	4:00
2	Mother Universe	3:42
3	Backward Dogs	2:16
4	Softly	2:56
5	Drive The Pain	2:20
6	Lovegod	3:36
7	Dream-E-Forever	2:12
8	Sweetmeat	4:20
9	Kiss The Gun	2:30
10	Love You To Death	2:40
11	Beauty Freak	3:05
	Extra Tracks
12	Lovegod Dub	4:17
13	Crotch Deep Trash	2:54