Today, 5th February 1990, it’s exactly 30 years ago that British EBM/Industrial band Nitzer Ebb released Lightningman, the preliminary single from their upcoming third album Showtime.
The single stayed in the US Billboard dance charts for 8 weeks and peaked at 14th position on 26th May 1990.
Lightnigman - Lyrics
It seems some story was told
But what is there to tell?
Well, some song had been sung
But none of it sings
So let's spell it out
A, B, and C
Up and down from A is to Z
You meant zed, you said zed
From nothing to something
And something for nothing
From no one to someone
From someone to same one
Same old thing
The only way out
Leads to no way back
What can you do?
Easy
You shove it back where it came
Easy
You never let yourself down
So you got up
And you ran
And you run to get up
Through Chinatowns
To slip right down
Soho's a town in every downtown
On this day, 36 years ago, Fad Gadget released its last studio album Gag!
On this day, XXXYEARSXXX years ago, Frank Tovey released his last studio album under his alter ego Fad Gadget. This album was called Gag and was released on 1 February 1984 by Mute Records. It features one of Fad Gadget's best-known songs and biggest club hits ‘Collapsing New People’ which was also released as a single and supposedly features German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten.
Almost sure is the fact the song was Frank Tovey’s tribute to his Mute label mates.
Blixa Bargeld, head and voice of Einstürzende Neubauten, once mentioned this collaboration in an interview which was recorded in the 2005 Einsturzende Neubauten out of print book ‘No Beauty Without Danger’.
“ We got together through a chain of coincidences. Fad Gadget did a record with Gareth at Hansa Studio and the lead singer Frank Tovey wrote the song “Collapsing New People” with the line: “Sat awake all night / But never see the stars / And sleep all day / On a chain-link bed of nails.” That was a direct reference to the Neubauten. Now Tovey had the clever idea to ask the Neubauten whether we’d play on it so that the whole thing wouldn’t be misinterpreted as criticism. That’s when we did our first recordings with Gareth. At the same time, those were also the first recordings that the Neubauten did at Hansa Studio. After all, in this session, Gareth was confronted with our instruments for the first time. That had sweeping consequences because directly afterwards he recorded Depeche Mode, also at Hansa, and used our overdubs from the Fad Gadget reels for “People Are People.” He later told me about that.”
At the time of the album's release, Frank Tovey made the decision to retire his Fad Gadget persona for good and released all future recordings under his own name.
Gag - Track listing
- "Ideal World" - 5:39
- "Collapsing New People" - 4:22
- "Sleep" - 3:25
- "Stand Up" - 3:30
- "Speak to Me" - 3:23
- "One Man's Meat" - 4:06
- "Ring" - 3:53
- "Jump" - 4:09
- "Ad Nauseam" - 6:32
31 years ago this month, the album “Technique” arrived as New Order closed out the nineteen-eighties with one, last breath of creative genius in FACT-275 (Released 30 January 1989).
This is an album which has split fans since it inception, between the dark-brilliance of “Power, Corruption & Lies”, to this their more accessible side.
“Technique” was more disco inspired effort, displayed fully in the track “Mr Disco”, highly danceable with that-orchestral-synth crescendo after the first chorus, it manages to still sound fresh against their previous work.
In the single “Fine Time", we find a satirical brilliance in the simplest of themes, based wholly on sex. With an eruption of drums and random guitar that cranks to the high point of eighties-music. Throughout the lyrics are more playful though remaining honest, this is by no means a commercial move but a natural progression in style.
The more mellow sides of the album have a charm all of their own, “Vanishing Point” is a more softly-constructed synth based song, reflective and mood ridden. Throughout “Technique” manages to balance evenly, the guitar-disco anthems and the euphoric dance style already verging on the horizon as ‘House Music’ made its entry into the world. This is the sound of a band at the top of their game, fearlessly treading waters of experimentation and executing with ease all manners of directions taken.
A submerged sound of progressive-rock can surprisingly be found in the abrasive “Run”, although certainly different in style, it does not so much take away from the flow of the album but adds that extra dimension instead. The proceedings close with heavy-synth and guitar solos in the glorious “Dream Attack”, a song built to bring not only “Technique” to a close but also the decade and this chapter in the story of New Order.
Dream Attack;
“Nothing in this world
Can touch the music that I heard
When I woke up this morning
It put the sun into my life
It cut my heartbeat with a knife
It was like no other morning
I don't belong to no one
But I want to be with you
I can't be owned by no one
What am I supposed to do”
Technique (Original 1989 Track List)
01. Fine Time 4:42
02. All the Way 3:22
03. Love Less 2:58
04. Round & Round 4:29
05. Guilty Partner 4:44
06. Run 4:26
07. Mr. Disco 4:20
08. Vanishing Point 5:14
09. Dream Attack 5:13
[Kevin Burke]
On this day, 37 years ago, Fad Gadget performed at the Amsterdam Meervaart Theatre.
On this day, 37 years ago, Frank Tovey performed as Fad Gadget at the Amsterdam Meervaart Theatre (29.01.1983), as part of the second anniversary of the monthly Vinyl magazine. The event was given the name 'The Voice Of Mute' as reference to the, at that time, booming Mute records. Besides Fad Gadget, Mute also had artists like Yazoo and Depeche Mode signed to their label. But also because Fad Gadget was the first artist signed to Mute Records in 1979. Cocteau Twins and local Rite de Passage also performed at this event.
Frank Tovey, born 8 September 1956, died due to heart failure on 3 April 2002 at home, just days after returning from a European come-back tour.
It is mainly thanks to Hotel Suburbia, a music program of Dutch TV channel VPRO, that this historical remembrance exists.
The program interviewed Frank Tovey and recorded four tracks of his performance which they broadcasted one week later, on February 6th 1983.
Hotel Suburbia (1983 broadcast)
Life On The Life
For Whom The Bells Toll / Interview
Lady Shave
Back To Nature
These videos were later added to the 2006 post-mortem 2 x CD + 2 x DVD release Fad Gadget by Frank Tovey (Mute – CDMUTEL13).
Watch and enjoy this incredibly talented man in this musical history document below.
ASHRR’S Dark Industrialized New Single, “ALL YOURS ALL MINE (DARKER DAYS MIX)” Is Streaming Now
Los Angeles’ darkwave trio has returned following a groundbreaking 2019 with a brand new, reworked single titled “All Yours All Mine (Darker Days Mix)” that is now available on all streaming services. In a continuous process of inspired creativity, the band has no plans to slow down this year with additional new music forthcoming.
SHRR recently debuted a music video, directed by Keith Musil (TWIN SHADOW, GRIZFOLK, TENNIS) that can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/3fzjJB-PobE
Commenting on the track vocalist Steven Davis says: “The song deals with confrontation of self and social anxiety. We have no better foil than ourselves. The video is about wrestling with yourself or different versions of how you perceive yourself.”
In 2019, ASHRR released their debut full-length album, Oscillator, which spun off several riveting singles (heard at the links below) that are familiar, recalling new-wave/synth driven rock style, and yet entirely unique with a signature blend of skilled and mesmerizing songwriting with brooding and dark mysterious undertones.
“Don’t Wait Too Long” Music Video – https://youtu.be/90Wuxx4-uiE
“Medicine Man” Music Video – https://youtu.be/0mqBtncnXIU
“Sometimes” Live @ The Moroccan Lounge – https://youtu.be/dcvY1TGCww4
ASHRR exists at the crossroads of analog synth ecstasy, underground industrial darkness, and a dash of Big Easy voodoo. At the same time, three individual journeys coalesce within the final aural transmission. GRAMMY® Award-nominated producer, mixer, engineer, writer, and multi-instrumentalist Ethan Allen boasts an impressive discography, spanning Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Ben Harper, Sheryl Crow, and Meg Myers, to name a few. Frontman Steven Davis draws from a fascinating well of experience, including performing in top live music venues from New York City to Tokyo, co-writing alongside John Oates, and contributing music to film and television productions such as Criminal Minds, Just Getting Started [Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman], and Startup. Mentored under Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® legend Dr. John, prodigious pianist/recording artist and multi-instrumentalist Josh Charles not only writes, records and produces for top artists, but he also crafts music for visual media and beyond.
A series of serendipitous events united the triumvirate in late 2017. They consistently rallied to conjure up music for ASHRR throughout 2018. In between regular live appearances and the self-titled ASHRR EP, the vision unfurled on the 2019 independent full-length debut, Oscillator. NPR touted the music video for “Don’t Wait Too Long” on its coveted “All Songs Considered” as acclaim came from POPDUST, AXS, LA Weekly, buzzbands.LA, airplay on KROQ , and many others. Maintaining a prolific pace, the Live in L.A. EP and single “Sacrifice” followed. A remix of “All Yours All Mine” closed out the year and heralded more to come in 2020 and beyond.
For More Information:
https://ashrrmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/ashrrmusic
https://www.instagram.com/ashrrmusic
https://twitter.com/ashrrmusic
