In The Trashcan
Records GEM017
"From Belgium to Germany and Switzerland, from France to
the UK, this is the Euro-sound..."
The "da-da-da" band with their kiddie Casio synthesizer are here with their second single and a much fuller sound, even using guitars. Their minimalistic sound conquered the world in 1981 and had a big influence on many bands, such as Stereo Total. I love the no-nonsense music by this German trio.
Liaisons Dangereuses had one fabulous release, "Los niños del parque", from 1981. This is the magnificent flipside, which I, as a young kid, used to spin at a slower pace, long before New Beat years later. The menacing church bells as rhythm section were a perfect addition to the darkened sound of this German outfit. My #1 song, however, is the album track "Etre assis ou danser" from their sole eponymous album.
Splendid B-side of their 1986 single "Murderous" on Power Of Voice Communications, connected to Mute Records. Formed in 1982 after listening to Belgian electronic body music groups such as Front 242 and The Neon Judgement, they became Britain's leading EBM group.
"Control I'm here" was another Nitzer Ebb fave. This single-only flipside is too good to be ignored. It reminds me a lot of a Front 242 song, with different vocals. A 1988 release on Mute Records.
Swiss band that had a smash hit on the alternative charts in Europe with Eisbaer. This is the flip, released on the Swiss label Off Course in 1981. One year later the band around the Eicher brothers disbanded after only two and a half years' existence. Stephan Eicher went solo soon after and recorded more than a dozen albums. "Ich lieb Sie" is a typical Deutsche Neue Welle song. On the 12" there's an extra song, which still is my favourite Grauzone song, the instrumental "Film 2".
The first single with Midge Ure replacing John Foxx as singer in 1980 and also on their best-selling album "Vienna". A year later they became huge thanks to the single release of "Vienna". This "Sleepwalk" shows the transition from guitar-based music to New Romantic synth-pop.
The inventors of EBM (Electronic Body Music) came from Belgium. Ten years after their formation in 1981 they ended their military looks and style with this single. You can say this 45 is the end of an era. Release on Red Rhino Europe, a Play It Again Sam Records subsidiary.
I always thought this sunth-pop tune was an Elli & Jacno song. It's a Jacno production for this French group of Claude Arto and singer Edwige Belmore. An underground discotheque hit in 1980.
I'm not a big fan of "Everything counts", the A-side, although it was a big hit single. "Work hard", a single only track, works better for me. Released in 1983 on Mute.
Six Belgian girls accompanied by a stack of synthesizers and samplers on this impossible to find 45 on Etiquette from 1982. "Sweety" is the A-side.
Instead of ignoring Yello 45s, you'd better check the B-sides and be surprised. This 1985 instrumental flipside to "Desire" was indeed a surprise. Oh yeah!
B-side of their 1982 single "See you", on Mute Records of course. A year earlier founding member Vince Clarke left to start Yazoo.
Predating the New Beat hype of 1987, this 1986 recording on Target is for me the real start of that typical Belgian sound of New Beat that conquered Europe in 1987, although it's always "Flesh" by A Split Second, another Belgian band, that is considered to be the very first New Beat song. Slowed down, dark beats and an oriental synth riff are the main ingredients.
UK synth pop group from Liverpool founded in 1979, taking their name from a line in a Stranglers song ("Toiler on the sea" on "Black and white"). Here they are with their second 45, produced by Bill Laswell. Issued on Jive Records in 1981.
Two big names in the Belgian record producing world were Dan Lacksman (also known for his Two Man Sound project) and Marc Moulin (check out his Placebo project from the early 70s). They asked Michel Moers to be the singer and Telex was born. This is the B-side of their third 45, "Moskow Diskow". Their electronic minimal synth-disco soon became very popular all over Europe.
This volume ends with the flipside to "Disco-rough". On the label it reads "A+B", while on the sleeve and also on their sole album "Les visiteurs du soir" it's called "A+B=C".
