On this day, 31 years ago, Front 242 released their seventh studio album 05:22:09:12 Off or simply pronounced as “EVIL Off” as each letter preceding “Off” is represented by its equivalent numerical position in the alphabet. It was released by Red Rhino Europe, a sub-label of Play It Again Sam, on 23 August, only three months after their sixth studio album, 06:21:03:11 Up Evil. Sony released 05:22:09:12 Off worldwide on 2nd November 1993 through their Epic sub-label.

Upon its release the album was received with mixed feelings by fans and music critics. For the first time it featured female vocals, those of Christine "99" Kowalski, while Jean-Luc De Meyer only appeared on a few tracks. EVIL OFF also seem to have had no significant input from Richard 23 who also didn’t get cited on the album's liner-notes. On the other hand, a variety of new contributors were listed as members of Front 242 on these albums, for instance Jean-Marc Pauly and Pierre Pauly of the Belgian electronic band Parade Ground.

While most electro industrial bands stuck to their ‘successful’ 4/4 beat formula, Front 242 decided to leave this well-trodden path behind and embraced new musical styles and elements emerging in the electronic scene music at the time. The ambient and rhythmic atmosphere on the album can be seen as groundbreaking and innovative in those days, however the sudden style change left many Front 242 confused ranters behind.

However, we at Peek-a-Boo Magazine encourage you to dig these albums up from your archive and to listen to them again at high volume! Just like wine, this music, and most likely your brain too, needed some aging!

Front 242 ‎– 05:22:09:12 Off (RRE 22 CD)

DISCOGS

Today, it’s exactly 32 years ago that Nitzer Ebb released Join In The Chant (12mute64 / 10th August 1987).

It was the 3rd and last single to be taken from their debut album That Total Age. Like the album this 7” / 12” was released by the renowned British label Mute Records. The song hit #9 on the US dance chart in 1987 and became a Balearic Beat anthem in clubs around the world. Even to this day this track is still a dance floor filler.

Tracklist 12"
A1. Join In The Chant (Burn!) - Remix by Phil Harding
B1. Join In The Chant (Gold!) - Remix by Miller*, Flood
B2. Join In The Chant (Lies! - Instrumental)

Lyrics
Lies, lies, lies, lies
Gold, gold, gold, gold
Guns, guns, guns, guns
Fire, fire, fire
Gold, gold, gold, gold
Church, church, church, church
Guns, guns, guns, guns
Fire, fire, fire

Muscle and hate
Muscle and hate
Muscle, muscle, muscle, muscle

Lies, lies, lies, lies
Books, books, books, books
Burn, burn, burn, burn
Fire, fire, fire

DISCOGS

On this day, 34 years ago, MOEV released its fourth album, Head Down (8 August 1990). It was their last album released on Nettwerk Records and the last one featuring singer Dean Russell, who died in 1994 of complications due to AIDS. In an interview Dean Russell once explained what the name of the band meant, he stated that "Mauve - M.A.U.V.E is a pretty purplish pink, and Moev - M.O.E.V. is the colour of insanity". After Dean's passing the band took a 10 years break and returned in 2011 with a new studio album Ventilation. In 2014 they released their, up to today, latest album "One Minute World, albeit only in digital format.

The album features Sarah McLachlan on backing vocals on a few tracks.

MOEV - Head/Down (1990 LP/CD)

1. In and Out 5:43
2. Sadistic Years 4:32
3. No Flash in the Sky 4:23
4. Fear 4:07
5. Noise 4:20
6. Head Down 5:02
7. Smog 3:53
8. Face 4:23
9. Miracle 4:29

CD bonus tracks
10. In and Out (Extended Mix) 7:30
11. Head Down (Extended Mix) 6:24

MOEV

Dean Russell – vocals, production
Tom Ferris – keyboards, programming, production
Kelly Cook – bass, drums, programming, guitar, keyboards, production
Sarah McLachlan – background vocals (4, 5, 7)

Producer
John Fryer – Producer, Drum Programming, Recording

DISCOGS

This month, 41 years ago, British EBM/Industrial act Nitzer Ebb recorded their first eight songs which were featured on the A-side of their first ever release/demo tape Basic Pain Procedure (August 1983). On the B-side they put a live recording of a concert in Chelmsford from 9th December the same year. Initially it was meant to attract the attention from record labels but the tape was also sold at their live concerts. Two years later they would meet producer, Phil Harding, who produced their 1985 debut single ‘Isn't It Funny How Your Body Works?’ and helped them set up their own label, Power Of Voice Communications.

Besides ‘Crane’, which was re-recorded and placed on the B-side of their first 12”, and the song ‘Home’, which was re-worked into K.I.A. for the 1988 Belief album, it seemed all other tracks where archived, never to be heard again...

Luckily, for NEB fans around the globe, Basic Pain Procedure was officially re-released in it’s entirety, to celebrate it’s 30th anniversary, on CD, USB and tape in June 2013. The vinyl re-issue version however, only features the eight original studio recordings and thus not the live 1983 performance.
Basic Pain Procedure - Tracklist

A1 Faded Smiles
A2 Tradition
A3 The Home
A4 Star
A5 The Passage
A6 The Book
A7 Crane
A8 Trust Ran In Colours

B1 Tradition
B2 The Home
B3 Star
B4 The Book
B5 Crane
B6 Violent Playground
B7 A Whiter Shade Of Pale
B8 Smear Body

Check out the unique live footage of the song Crane performed in the early 80s...

On this day, 45 years ago, July 30 1979, British punk rocker Johnny Rotten appeared on BBC TV's "Juke Box Jury" bringing his own brand of cynicism and sharp tongue to an unlikely appearance on Juke Box Jury.

In this episode Johnny comments on the following singles:

- Sweet Little Rock'N' Roller - Showaddywaddy
- Bad Girls - Donna Summer
- Angeleyes - ABBA
- Playground Twist - Siouxsie An The Banshees
- No Shame - The Monks
- We all Need Love - Domenic Troiano