Saturday, January 13, 2007

V.A. - East Of Croydon (LP, 1981 UK, Nothing Shaking records)


A1 Janet Armstrong Inadequate
A2 Heartbeats, The Funny Anymore
A3 Flips, The Schitzo
A4 Big Combo, The 21 Girls
A5 Local Heroes SW9 Another Modern Romance
A6 Big Hair Over You
A7 Bobby Henry Next Move
B1 Calling Hearts In the Jungle
B2 Kan Kan Phone Call
B3 Sir James The Selection
B4 Spöön Fazer Fly on The wall
B5 A Circle Charmed Henrietta Missing
B6 Greenfield Leisure Leisure
B7 Normil Hawaiians Dark World

Top five compilation (Business Unusual/Norwich a fine city/UnzippingThe Abstract/Your Secret Safe are the other four). The definition of Dark Wave minimal synth new wave. Janet Armstrong (new wave) HEARTBEATS brilliant powerpopFlips (insnae dark wave)BIG COMBO (female vovcals like AU PAIRS incredible song 10/10). Local heores SW9(kevin Amstrong majesty!!!)Big HAIR (dark wave electronic)Calling Hearts (10/10 cannot be described) KAN KAN (10/10 minimal./synth)Sir James(new wave) Spoon Fazer (dark edge synth) A circle Charmed (the best song here 10/10 psychedelic masterpiece)Greenfield Leisure (alter ego of normil Hawaiians -more funk) and finally the Normil Hawaiians with ethe chaotic DARK Wolrd . Really incredible!!!

12 comments:

VKRSblameVTR said...

I'm very interested in the music on this record, but the links are coming up damaged, does someone have some fresh working links- I believe all are corrupt :(

VKRSblameVTR said...

Certainly interested in the Local Heroes SW9 track- I have both albums and a couple rare live recordings from the "Live at the 101" album- if anyone can help me out? Also i've read that Kevin Armstrong was involved with Normil Hawaiian, can anyone confirm this- isn't Janet Armstrong part of Normil Hawaiian, is there any relation between her and Kev? Many questions-thanks :)

mutantsounds said...

I don't think that Kevin had any relationship with Janet and he was not involved in Normil hawaians definately!I'll check the link.

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised that nobody's gotten round to commenting on just how good the music is throughout this otherwise entirely obscure compilation. Fresh, inventive but still very direct, and catchy as hell. And clearly just the tip of an iceberg. Thanks so much and I'll be keeping an eye out for anything similar you feel like posting.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr. Mutant,

haven`t heard this one yet (Croydon Comp)
but the whole Blog is veryveryvery interesting to me, as I know (even only by name) only maybe 20-30% of the Records/Artists featured here (speaking of the PostPunk/DIY Stuff which appeals to me in the first Place).
Thanks
C.

Anonymous said...

1. I always thought Kevin and Janet were siblings...anyway, Kevin had some involvment with the Normils, and Janet sang on some of their tracks....but everyone probably played with the Normils at some point in their lives...

2. However, Greenfield Leisure were NOT an alter ego of the Normil Hawaiians - we were a separate band in our own right (check out "L'Orange" 7" and "Those Far Off Summers" EP on our own Strange Orchestra label).

One or two of members of the Leisure moonlighted with the Normils (see above...), who also covered one of our songs, "Sally" on their double LP and "ripped off" one of our unreleased songs. (No hard feelings, Guy)

I never thought our track on East of Croydon was our best song - John Peel preferred "Too Fat to Frug", and the unreleased "Yellow Socks" would have given Ian Dury a run for his money

Anonymous said...

Yes, Janet and Kevin are siblings.

The Local Heroes SW9 album Drip Dry Zone is coming out digitally on 1 May 2008, with four additional tracks from the follow-up album, New Opium, and Kevin's new mix of Stabbed in the Heart Again as a bonus track.

DJ Jack Daw
www.myspace.com/djjackdaw

Anonymous said...

I was lucky enough to see BIG HAIR and SPOON FAZER play in Totnes civic hall. Cressida Bowyer and Simon Patterson were also in the punk band WHIPPETS FROM NOWHERE.
Cressida married Jimmy Cauty and last performed in the band DISCO 2000 (with June Montana. Happy Days.

thanks for the blog..

Anonymous said...

I was lucky enough to see BIG HAIR and SPOON FAZER in Totnes civic hall, many years ago. Cressida and Simon were also in the punk band WHIPPETS FROM NOWHERE. Nice people. Happy Days.

cheers..

Anonymous said...

I can definitely confirm that Kevin Armstrong and Janet are brother and sister. also he has played with the Normil Hawaiians ! and he mixed their last Recordings at Foel studio in Wales.I was there as a member myself ! normilhawaiians .co.uk

Gary Field said...

Yellow Socks by GREENFIELD LEISURE is a killer track, very catchy and danceable and its a shame it never got released with a proper recording.

youngalistai said...

Remember hearing this on tape way back and thinking it was a pretty good selection of bands that never made it and about how many 1000s of bands that never really got a look in and what they are doing now.