Hands Face Space...Nirvana for Øs...Must Have!

I'm elated by musick. I'm high in the stratosphere. I'm not really back yet, but I just experienced the Museum of Human Happiness. You should give it an ear & a nod.

The Legendary Pink Dots - The Museum of Human Happiness, 2022.
decryption code in comments

Be back soon,
NØ

Hallowe’en Special 2022

Perfection from one of my favorite bands, the Legendary Pink Dots.

Currently on tour US now! The Museum of Human Happiness.

11.1.22 – New Orleans, LA : Gasa Gasa  
11.3.22 – Orlando, FL : Will’s Pub  
11.4.22 – Atlanta, GA : Purgatory @ Masquerade  
11.5.22 – Asheville, NC : The Grey Eagle  
11.6.22 – Carrboro, NC : Cat’s Cradle – Back Room  
11.8.22 – Washington, DC : Pie Shop  
11.9.22 – Philadelphia, PA : Kung Fu Necktie
11.10.22 – Brooklyn, NY : Sultan Room
11.11.22 – Cambridge, MA : Middle East – Upstairs

two Canada dates
11.12.22 – Montreal, QC : Bar Le Ritz
11.13.22 – Toronto, ON : Velvet Underground

11.15.22 – Cleveland, OH : The Grog Shop
11.16.22 – Chicago, IL : Beat Kitchen  
11.17.22 – Minneapolis, MN : 7th Street Entry
11.18.22 – Omaha, NE : Reverb Lounge  
11.19.22 – Denver, CO : Mercury Cafe  
11.20.22 – Denver,CO : Mercury Cafe  (with Edward Ka-Spel solo show and Dead Voices On Air)
 

Ka-Spel sez: 

" "The Butterfly Spirit" emerged from an actual incident a few weeks ago (September 2022). I was going to collect my U.S. visa in London and for one mad moment thought it was safe to indulge in a little jaywalking. A magic centimetre or 2 saved the U.S tour (and maybe more) as a taxi sped around a corner. I learned a lesson and wrote the text for this missive on the train in the afternoon."
     EK 

 

The Legendary Pink Dots - Hallowe’en Special 2022

The Butterfly Spirit
10 Days of Mourning

See you next month,
NØ

A Crack in Melancholy Time

 

The Legendary Pink Dots are one of my top ten bands. I've seen them twelve times. I have nearly all their myriad releases. I buy everything new as it comes out (LPD or Edward Ka-Spel or the Silverman or Tear Garden...whatever).

That said, the 1990s was a halycon era for the group to my ears. From 1990s The Crushed Velvet Apocalypse onward through the 90s: The Maria Dimension; Shadow Weaver; Malachi (Shadow Weaver pt. II); 9 Lives to Wonder; on & on to 1999s Live at the Metro...everything was perfection. 

 

 

Ryan Moore had not left for Twilight Circus Dub Sound System. Martijn De Kleer & Niels van Hoorn were still on board. If you're looking for a jumping in spot for this incredible band, then this is the era. 

 

The Legendary Pink Dots - Crushed Velvet Apocalypse, Play it Again Sam USA BIUS CD 1039, 1990.
all decryption codes in comments

I Love You in Your Tragic Beauty
Green Gang    
Hellsville    
Hellowe'en    
The Safe Way    
Just a Lifetime    
The Death of Jack the Ripper    
New Tomorrow    
Princess Coldheart    
The Pleasure Palace    
The Collector    
C.V.A.

 

 

 

 

 

The Legendary Pink Dots - The Maria Dimension, Play it Again Sam Records BIAS 184 CD, 1991.

Disturbance    
Pennies for Heaven
Third Secret
The Grain Kings    
The Ocean Cried 'Blue Murder'    
Belladonna    
A Space Between    
Evolution    
Cheraderama    
Lilith    
Fourth Secret    
Expresso Noir    
Home
Crushed Velvet

 

 

 

 

 

The Legendary Pink Dots - 9 Lives to Wonder, Play it Again Sam Records BIAS 280 CD, 1994.

Madame Guillotine    
On Another Shore    
Softly Softly    
Crumbs on the Carpet    
Hotel Z    
Oasis Malade    
A Crack in Melancholy Time    
Siren    
The Angel Trail    
Nine Shades to the Circle    
A Terra Firma Welcome

 

The Legendary Pink Dots – From Here You'll Watch The World Go By, 

Soleilmoon Recordings SOL 28 CD, 1995.

Clockwise    
Citadel    
Friend    
A Velvet Resurrection    
Kollusim    
1001 Commandments    
Remember Me This Way    
This One-Eyed Man is King    
Straight on 'til Morning    
Damien    
This Hollowed Ground

Enjoy,
NØ

Back to the Round-Up

This is installment three of a crazy-ass project that I started October 1, 2017 All the Usual Suspects when I posted The Elephant Table Album (a Compilation of Difficult Music). Then NSS regular W. commented: "This is a rather fantastic collection of early works from some now well know electronic/experiemntal artists." which led me to the idea of posting a full album by each band on all four sides of TETA.


When I started on October 7, & Other Galactic Funk I stated: "that...I hope I can do the other three sides before my short attention span puts the kibosh to this plan. Well, at least, here's Side One..."


I managed to post up the second side the next day Elephant Round-up Side 2. Then my mind took a walk somewhere else. But like this Elephant thaang goin' on, I never forget, even if I wander off for a while.

Here we go with Elephant Round-up Side 3 with these suspect devices: SPK; MFH; Nocturnal Emissions; Attrition; Legendary Pink Dots; & Paul Kelday.

SPK (System Planning Korporation) - Information Overload Unit, Side Effects ser01, 1981.

all decryption codes in comments

Ultra-Face -
Emanation Machine R. Gie 1916
Suture Obsession
Macht Schrecken
Berufsverbot

Hyper-Face -
Ground Zero: Infinity Dose
Stammheim Torturkammer
Retard
Epilept: Convulse
Kaltbruchig Acideath

MFH - Ground Zero cassette, YHR Tapes YHR 016, 1981.

Side One -
Back to Basics
Geigenzeit
Interlude I
The Last Few Days
Mistral
Tunnel Vision
Interlude II
Whitescape

Side Two -
Funk
Ground Zero
Open-web Soldiers
Metal for Michael
Interlude III
Safi
Behind the Darkest Clouds

Nocturnal Emissions - Spiritflesh, Earthly Delights EARTH 004, 1988.

Side One -
T' Cow's Yed
Acres of Gold
Thor's Cave
Cloud Can
Boneshaker

Side B -
Ch'i Sea
Raindance
Ape Chime
The Well is Deep
Peter’s Stone

Attrition - Death House cassette, Adventures in Reality Recordings ARR 11, 1983.

side one -
Crawling

side two -
Dead of Night

Attrition - Onslaught cassette, Third Mind Records TMT06, 1983.

1st Side -
Vigil
Onslaught
Shrinkwrap

2nd Side -
Tones in Black
First Onslaught

Legendary Pink Dots / Attrition - The Terminal Kaleidoscope split cassette, 

Ding Dong Records & Tapes DDC 011, 1985.

Side A -
Flowers for the Silverman
City Ghosts
A Lust for Powder
Kitto
Tower 4
Neon Gladiators

Side B -
Pendulum Turns: Reflections
Redoubt of Light
The Next Day
Across the Divide
Beast of Burden
Surge & Run


I am a fan of all things LPD-related: LPD; Edward Ka-spel; Silverman; Tear Garden; Ryan Moore; etc.

My own favorite era of LPD is the early/mid 90s. I guess I’ve posted most everything from that time-frame elsewhere on this here mess. I believe one of the few things I haven’t posted is a split with Big City Orchestra entitled Tryst 7 from 1994 on Ubuibi. I’ll remedy that right now.

The Legendary Pink Dots side is a mix of old material into a new "mega-mix: song. An interesting note about this release is that BCO & LPD both produced two mixes each, so there are actually 4 different editions of this cassette totaling 200 copies.  Here’s my copy:

Big City Orchestra / Legendary Pink Dots - Tryst 7 split cassette, UBUIBI, 1994.

Side A: Bedgceityookastraw -
Introduction
Kaosyxs
Seven
Distraction
Focus
Withdrawal
Release - all as one single track

Side B: Legendary Pink Dots -
The Politics of Excess

Paul Kelday - Expedition to the Barren Reaches of the Mind cassette, DTW DTW 011, 1986.

Side 1 -
Princess of Power
Premonition

Side 2 -
Epitaph for the Rainbow Warrior

Enjoy,
NØ

Legendary Pink Dots at Cafe Du Nord

 

Last Saturday Lao Elanya, Black Dahlia, Guitar Mike & I ventured out in the worst downpour we’ve had in quite a few years, at times (near Vacaville) with zero visibility, to drop into the basement of San Francisco’s Cafe Du Nord to partake in the artistry that is the Legendary Pink Dots on their (unbelievable) 30th Anniversary tour. 

Nothing could have kept NØ away.

Anyone familiar with this blog knows that I’m a LPD junkie, but honestly, it was the best show I’ve been to in years. Cafe Du Nord is always a great venue for LPD. Everyone in attendance was ready for some great entertainment. They were not denied. LPD played for nearly two hours & did two long encore sets without much begging (some begging, not too much). Words fail me, so I’ll let this approximation of their set speak for the band & my feeble attempt at review.

 

 

I will briefly add that Phil Knight (aka: The Silverman, Phil Harmonix) on keyboards, soundscapes, electronics devices, gadgets, technology; & Edward Ka-Spel (aka: Prophet Qa-Spel, Qa'Sepel, Che Banana, D'Archangel) on vocals, keyboards, devices, gadgets, interference, & premonitions work together as a finely tuned machine & new-comer Erik Drost was , as they say, a thunder of stringed things including acoustic, electric, bass & Hawaiian guitars. It was all lovingly presented by Raymond Steeg, LPD's long-serving mixing & engineering guru. 

 

 

The Legendary Pink Dots - Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco, November 20,2010. 

Endless Time 

The More it Changes The More it Stays the Same 

Waiting for the Call 

Another Kind of Violence 

Love Puppets 

The Key to Heaven 

The Brightest Star 

Remember Me This Way 

encore -

Soft Toy 

A Crack in Melancholy Time 

another encore -

Close Your Eyes, You Can be a Space Captain 

Enjoy the show, NØ

I Put a Ka-Spel on You

Happy Muthasday, you Muthas.

Prayer for Aradia has gone through many changes since its initial inception. This one has been released several times, originally in 1985 as a 30 minute cassette on the French label Bain Total (K24). The original tracklist is as follows: A1 Premonition 8 (1:53) A2 Flesh Parade (5:08) A3 Purity (2:42) A4 Purified (0:26) A5 Forgotten (2:25) A6 Davritt (0:46) B1 Outsider (2:54) B2 Invocation (0:35) B3 Love In A Plain Brown Envelope (3:32) B4 Love On A Stained Glass Window (1:08) B5 Close Your Eyes, You Can Be A Space Captain (4:01) B6 Premonition 9 (3:05) These tracks were recorded in 1981/82 at Chez Dots in London using primitive equipment. This was before LPD had relocated to Amsterdam.

The Legendary Pink Dots - Prayer for Aradia, Terminal Kaleidoscope TEKA 666 NL,1996.

When it was re-released on cd in 1996 by Dutch label Terminal Kaleidoscope (TEKA 666), the tracklist was as follows: 1. Prayer for Aradia Part One: Premonition 8 Flesh Parade Purity Purified Forgotten Davritt 2. Prayer for Aradia Part Two: Outsider Invocation Love In A Plain Brown Envelope No. 1 Love On A Stained Glass Window Space Captain No. 1 Premonition 9 3. Premonition 5 4. A Spanish Bridge 5. Stoned Obit 1980 6. Peace Crime 2 7. Professional 8. Brill 9. Sensory Deprivation 10. Temper Temper 11. Amphitheatre Shuffle 12. Before The End 13. Fin The original cassette release was now the first two tracks, titled "Prayer for Aradia Part One" & "Part Two", with no track seperation. Track 3, "Premonition 5" is from the 1983 Rising from the Red Sand cassette compilation on Third Mind (TMT04). Track 4 & 5 are previously unreleased. Tracks 6 thru 13 are from Chemical Playschool Volumes 1 & 2, originally released in 1981 as a limited edition on two cassettes from the U.K. label Mirrordot (02/03).

Big Blue, a Polish label re-released the TEKA cd in 2003 (L 0142) with the same tracklist but with different cover art.

Musicians on the original release are: Edward Ka-Spel - vocals & keyboards; The Silverman - keyboards; Stret Majest (Barry Gray) - guitar; & Patrick Q. Paganini - violin, viola, & piano. Various additional musicians appear on the subsequent releases. Second Birth. Sing While You May. Lazhmelih Enjoy, NØ

The Return of the Legendary Pink Dots

 UPDATE: This post was re-uploaded 08/24/2013. Enjoy, NØ.

The obscure concepts that form the basis for individual Pink Dots releases can be overwhelming at times on first listen. They often take repeated playings to fathom the great depths that is LPD. The Whispering Wall is an excellent entry point for anyone attempting to take on this behemoth of a band. The opening track on Dots' albums is usually a good indicator as to the thematic framework & musickal vein of that particular offering. The Whispering Wall begins with the strident, guitar driven "Soft Toy", a wonderful portent of things to come, the first of many surprises. Another highlight of the album, "For Sale," is one of the most polished Dots tunes ever, a great means of introduction for the uninitiated. If I haven't convinced you to check out this band, well, try starting here.

Legendary Pink Dots - The Whispering Wall, Roir RUS8286, 2004.
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 Traclkist -

Soft Toy
A Distant Summer
Dominic
In Sickness & In Health
For Sale
King of a Small World
The Region Beyond
06
Peek-a-Boo
The Divide
Sunken Pleasures - Rising Pleasure - No Walls, No Strings

Enjoy,
NØ

More More Dots Dots

UPDATE: This post was re-uploaded 12/07/2013. Enjoy, NØ.

Individual LPD releases are so indicative of the bands mind-set or line-up of that particular time/space, encapsulating that unique moment so well, that their live offerings seem to better span the bands true genius, giving a better overview of their true excellence. Plus they seem to respond best to the vibe of the live audience.

Legendary Pink Dots began their live career in a local folk club in Ilford, where they resided at the time in a squat. They only played a few live appearances at folk clubs & a Anti-Nuclear Power CND festival. Their first 'real' gig was in Cologne in 1983, where they headlined a show in front of more than 400 people. Their next 'official' show was at the Melkweg (Milky Way) Club in Amsterdam in 1984.

In a setting reeking of marijuana smoke, Ka-Spel roamed the stage, draped in a torn flag, smashing an ironing board against the concrete pillars & stomping a synthesizer beneath his feet. Pandemonium reigned & the crowd love it. LPD was such a hit that for the next ten years they played the Milky Way every year.

Farewell, Milky Way was recorded in 1994. There is a nice blend of songs here from "A Crack in Melancholy Time" to "Space Captain". Edward & the band gel perfectly, bringing forth an array of sinister tunes that represent the essence of the group to date. Although the version of "9 Shades to the Circle" strays from the Nine Lives to Wonder original, it includes some great improvised lyrics & very haunting percussion effects. "Demolition 13" chills with its bitter edged bite of captivating words & changing melodies. The original version of "Needles" appears here as well, eerily coming & going, fading into a quiet, awesome & completely awe-inspiring extended version of "Space Captain".

The line-up: Edward Ka-Spel - keyboards & voice; The Silverman - keyboards; Martijn de Kleer - guitar & drums; Ryan Moore - bass & drums; Niels Van Hoornblower - horns; Raymond Steeg - sound wizardry.

This is one of my favorite live LPD sets.

Legendary Pink Dots - Farewell, Milky Way,
Caciocavallo cad5, 2000.
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Tracklist -

A Crack in Melancholy Time
On Another Shore
Vigil-Anti
Love in a Plain Brown Envelope
9 Shades to the Circle
Demolition 13
Bella D
Needles
Space Captain (extended version)

Enjoy,
NØ

More Pink Dots

UPDATE: This post was re-uploaded 12/07/2013. Enjoy, NØ.

"I think something must be wrong with me. I keep seeing Pink Dots."
"Have you seen a Doctor?"
"No, just Dots."

Because I was reminiscing about seeing LPD live, I posted their Live at... first, but I should really go back to the early days now. Most of their earlier material (Curses, Brighter Now, Basilisk,etc. which originally appeared in cassette format) have been re-released on cds. The earliest vinyl I have of LPD is Stone Circles (A Legendary Pink Dots Anthology) from 1987 put out on Play It Again Sam Records here in the U.S. It contains cuts from the above mentioned cassette releases as well as from other mid-80s fare (Lovers, The Tower, Asylum) plus a previously unreleased song "Gladiators Version Apocalypse" recorded in July 1987. This is a great starting point for the uninitiated as well as a treat for Dots fans.

Legendary Pink Dots - Stone Circles (A Legendary Pink Dots Anthology),
Play It Again Sam Records BIUS 1001, 1987.
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Side One -
Love Puppets
Curious Guy
Black Zone
Hanging Gardens

Side Two -
Golden Dawn
Fifteen Flies in the Marmalade
Our Lady in Darkness
Gladiators Version Apocalypse

note - the last two minutes of "Hanging Gardens" is recorded backward, so I have included as a bonus track that section reversed or backward unmasked.

Enjoy,
NØ

I've Been Trapped in My Own Musick Mania

After the first of the year, I would visit other blogs around the interweb & read their suggested lists of the Best of 2008. & I'd be scratching my head, wondering what the fuck? Granted, I don't listen to all that much neu musick since the plethora of great musick from the past fills my time, ears, shelves & hard-drive. That being said, tho, I do listen to neu musick when I get suggestions from those whose opinions I give more than a grain o' salts worth of import. I try to be open to the possibility that not all neu musick & bands are shit. I hear others playing musick & if it catches my ear, I try to check it out enough to find out if it has any staying power or originality. But the Best Of... lists had bands like Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, etc. ad infinitum (my friend Jon called them ' Tivo on the Radio, MiGGT, the Feet Floxes, & Vampire Wackness '). I've seen these bands myself & they are across the board CRAP! I was thinking about what bands I would put on a Best of 2008 list, thinking of more inspired picks from more trusted sources, but Microcastle seemed to have gone limp, the Walkmen needed new batteries, Receivers' Parts & Labor was 50/50, & Duke Spirit's Neptune was all right, but hardly god-like. They wouldn't even make the Top Ten cut. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' Dig Lazarus Dig was excellent, The Mars Volta's Bedlam in Goliath was obviously in the running, even Alejandro Escovedo's Real Animal beat out those other losers, but Best??? I thought about what neu releases I listened to most, affected me the greatest, pleased me the best. I got down to two that were also by two of my favorite hard-working, long-striving musickians & bands.

Black Teeth - Nurse With Wound Huffin' Rag Blues 2008

Steven Stapleton has been entertaining me with Nurse With Wound since 1978, & thirty years later he's still in the top two. Huffin' Rag Blues was a strange listen at first, but all NWW releases are a strange listen. The more I listened to Huffin', though, the deeper into it I sank, until finally I realized it is right up there with the best NWW stuff. At this sorry state of neu musick, I'll huff that rag anyday. The musick that moved me the most was also from a band that started just two years after Nurse With Wound, whose frontman is also a genius madman. Edward - Ka-Spel & The Legendary Pink Dots have always been entertaining, thought-provoking, & unparalleled in excellence. I have more of their releases than any other single band (they are nothin' if not prolific...with LPD material, Edward's solo work, projects such as Silverman [keyboardist original member Phil Knight aka the Silver Man's solo releases], the Tear Garden with cEvin Key of Skinny Puppy). Hotel Blanc - Edward Ka-Spel Down in the City of Heartbreak & Needles 1995 Serpent Time - Silverman Dream Cell 1995 Sheila Liked the Rodeo - The Tear Garden Sheila Liked the Rodeo 1993 15th Shade - cEvin Key w/Edward Ka-Spel & Genesis P'Orridge The Ghost of Each Room 2001 2008s Plutonium Blonde is the album I listen to most often, with the most enjoyment, yet I didn't see them on any Best Of... lists. I wonder to myself just what's wrong with musick aficionados today?

Rainbows Too? - Legendary Pink Dots Plutonium Blonde 2008

LPD played two shows at the Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco on November 14 & 15,2008 in support of Plutonium Blonde. I went to the Saturday show (11/15 - their last US date of the tour). It was a phenomenal show, the CDN being a great place to see shows. Before the show the band was hanging out front with everyone, very kool. The set was excellent, the band as whimsical as their musick, & there were two encores. Syd Barrett, T-Rex, David Bowie, Throbbing Gristle, the Residents, Kurt Weill among others are name-checked when referencing Ka-Spel & LPD, but any of these comparisons are just for descriptive clarification. There is no imitation with LPD, they are one-of-a-kind originals. Plutonium Blonde sounds fresh & fertile, each song manifesting & evolving into an archetypical musickal experience. This is where my musick mania kicked in full force. I gathered up all my LPD & related material & that's all I've been listening to since the beginning of February. We jokingly refer to it as KLPD radio (ALL PINK DOTS---ALL THE TIME!!!) around the Casa Nada. I have a ten cd changer in my Pathfinder & it's constantly filled with an ever changing selection of Dots. My family & friends are beyond the point of utter despair, but I can't stop. I haven't been able to take this blogging thing serious because all I'm listening to is LPD. All I want to post is LPD. So now my disease is spreading to you. & I don't really care. I'm waiting for a friend who was at the Cafe Du Nord show to send me a boot of the show, but until then, heres a show from almost ten years to the day earlier...

The Legendary Pink Dots - Live at the Metro, Chicago, SPV (Poland) 150122, Nov.11,1998.

Spike Aarzhklahh Olgevezh Gang Green 98 Zoo Saucers over Chicago Fates Faithful Punchline Pain Bubbles Grain Kings 98 Andromeda line-up: Edward Ka-Spel - voice, keyboards; The silver Man - keyboards; Edwin Van Trippenhof - guitar, occasional bass; Ryan Moore - drums, occasional bass; Niels van Hoornblower - horns, flutes; Frank Verschuuren - live sound; Bert van Nijmeijer - lights; special guest Paul Newman - drums on Aarzhklahh. Enjoy, NØ