Mick Hobbs and Benb Gallaher - "Bite My knee" (Life and Living Records) 2011

This Strobe Talbot 'spin-off' spoken word project recorded in 2002, involving Mick Hobbs and Benb Gallaher, apparently has sunk without trace in the heaving mires of modern information overload. Ramming headlong into a flatulent Iceberg from the 21st century musical glacier that threatens to consume all noble vessels that sail beyond the middle 'c's' . It rested on the seabed of taste for 7 long years only to be discovered in perfect condition in my e-mail inbox, courtesy of one Benb Gallaher!
Like Sir Lew Grade's abysmal "Raise The Titanic" movie, the album has been raised from the depths in near mint condition to sail,but not for sale, again to a new audience......well probably the same old audience, but who cares huh, it lives? 

This is rather good for the continuity of this blog, because I was looking for tenuous links to post some new 'This Heat' bootlegs. Mick Hobbs' Cold Storage links aside,the original backing sounds for these spoken word pieces were originally to be comprised of unreleased works from the late Gareth Williams.....of This Heat.
A reverence towards Gareth's work, led to that idea being dropped. So that task fell squarely on the more than capable shoulders of mick Hobbs, Benb and the usual suspects including Jad fair, R. Stevie Moore, and Rick Wilson.

Tracklist:

1. 99 Similes (for the Ploughman's Lunch)
2. Upon Waking
3. Sad Saturday
4. I Hate Text
5. After Driving A Considerable Distance Within A Short Time
6. Stock Exchange As Seen From Afar
7. Paintings Of Pears
8. Prompts and Replies (For Dr. Dexter -- My Physical, Revisited)
9. Attempted Definitions
10. Fun
11. The Death Of Dignity
12. New Math
13. Statements
14. Between
15. Bite My Knee
16. A Dozen Things That I Chose Not To Say Today
17. Yourself And Elsewhere
18. Business Is Brisk
19. Comme Tu Dis (Excerpt From The Memoirs Of My Mirror)
20. Someone's Birthday
21. State of Affairs
22. My Latest Theory

words: Benb Gallaher
sounds, Mick Hobbs, Benb Gallaher

aided by various pals:

R. Stevie Moore (1)
Jad Fair (2)
Alig Pearce (3)
Rick Wilson (14)
Andy Fisher (18)

Recorded May 2002 in London, UK
Released on Life and Living Records in May, 2011,

DOWNLOAD and bite someone else's knee HERE!

Strobe Talbot ‎– "Funland" (Moone Records ‎– MR032) 2017

I've got a headache from a weekend of excess and too much spring sun,but what did I find in my inbox this morning?.....only the most recent LP from Strobe Talbot!
Headphones on,headache gone.
Jad,Mick,Benb,and notable chums return after a short gap of 14 years as if time didn't exist.
Jad Fair continues to speak in a kind of tongues that bypasses the strait-jacket of adulthood ,ably backed up by the ever inventive Mick Hobbs, and the tumbling stickwork of Benb Gallaher.
There ain't many records from 2017 i'd happily post on this blog, but there are obvious exceptions, this being one,and anything I'm on of course (New ZOG and Scouts of Uzbekistan coming up in 2018).
Whats more is that this fine record was released in a strictly limited edition of 100, pressed on very attractive (is that marbled?) blue vinyl, and allegedly is the first LP to be pressed with a 'Morphing Hollogram'?....see this phenomenon in action HERE!

The news is that a second edition of 300(!) is now ready to relieve you all of the contents of your piggy banks,for only 25 bucks plus shipping from Moone Records. A beautiful thing it is too.
I suppose this is an advert?....but its for a worthy cause I guess?

Tracklist:

A1 On The Go
A2 Forever
A3 Superstar
A4 Werewolf Of The Timberland
A5 The Awakening
A6 All At Once
A7 Made That Way
A8 Alien Dead
A9 With Sprinkles
A10 1-Letter Alphabet
A11 Hunger
A12 Evil Of Frankenstein
A13 I Don't Know
A14 I Love You
B1 Poetic Heart
B2 Blame It On...
B3 The Token Waltz
B4 A New Day
B5 Pretty Flowers

Usually i'd offer it up for free downloading, but I guess they wanna sell 'em to break even,so............Place your order HERE!

Officer! ‎– "Dead Unique" (Blackest Ever Black ‎– BEB CD006) 2014

Mick Hobbs with friends and acquaintances, subverting the medium of the 'Pop Song' in Baltimore, in 1995, and belatedly released twenty years later.
One must say, this is actually the best 'Officer!' album,and is strewn with minor celebs from the avant-rock hinterland; like most of The Work, Jad Fair, and Amy Denio ,among others who I ain't necessarily heard of. In fact all of the fabulous 'Strobe Talbot' appear on this,and will, coincidentally, be featured next, as fate may have it!?

DOWNLOAD and be dead unique HERE!

The Lo Yo Yo ‎– "Extra Weapons" (Floppy Discs ‎– FLOP 1) 1985

The early eighties were full of generic groups and generic people like this who fitted in with the waves of fashionable right-on-ness, temporarily. What's surprising is that Mick Hobbs of The Work was in it,and it was recorded at Cold Storage by Charles Bullen(This Heat).
There is a Family Fodder connection however, Mick and Alig of The lo Yo Yo were guilty of this.
Nonetheless,"Extra Weapons" is a fairly weedy, late in the day attempt at hip chart-worthyness, like a  lo-budget Belle Stars or a more middle class Au Pairs or The Passions.Christ there are even a couple of 'white Reggae' numbers to add a rather unpleasant cherry to the top.The Beefheart inspired name is definitely a red herring left out of the fridge for too long.
Most of the members of The Lo Yo Yo would have disappeared back to their day-jobs at a Solicitors Firm, or as a senior member of the councils social equality department,or as a candidate for the Green Party, after this brief foray into pop music.But at least they could tell the kids that they were in a band once.
Weren't we all?....and ,sadly, still are!

Tracklist:

A1 Bad Intentions
A2 All The Atrocities
A3 I Can Hold My Own Hand
A4 Learning To Fly
A5 Petroleum
B1 More To Come
B2 China Blue
B3 Cache-Cache
B4 You Never Know
B5 Cog
B6 The History Of Weaponry

DOWNLOAD that lo yo yo stuff HERE!

Officer! ‎– "8 New Songs By Mick Hobbs" (AAA ‎– C01) 1984

Eight, thirty-four year old songs by Mick Hobbs, with chums from 'The Work' and others, recorded at This Heat's 'Cold Storage' studio, by Charles Bullen. You simply can't get any more post-punk Avant-Prog than that!?
It all sounds like if Caravan had formed in 1978 and mated with Henry Cow.....and Yes, 'Tunnels' is rather good indeed.

Tracklist:

A1 Join The AA 0:49
A2 Life At The Water's Edge 5:05
A3 Dogface 1:43
A4 Tunnels 3:49
B1 Way 3:23
B2 You 3:36
B3 Spooky 3:20
B4 All Reality Is Symbolic 2:38

DOWNLOAD 8 more mp3 files of mick hobbs songs HERE!

Officer! ‎– "Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes" (Officer! Self-released ‎– NO 001) 1988

Whereas "Cough" from 1985 reminded me of 'The Dirty Three', this lime green offering from the second summer of love reminds me of 'The Legendary Pink Dots' or maybe a more dysfunctional Deep Freeze Mice"?
This is an unfortunate comparison as I can't stand 'The LPD's', but love 'The Dirty Three',even'The Deep Freeze Mice' are growing on me,whereas they used to leave me cold (haha!?).
It's not quite as irritating as any LPD's release, and its eccentrically shambling and jaunty quality is actually rather charming.
The LPD's wore obvious influences on their sleeves, in their Casiotone Syd Barrett stylee, but I can't really identify Officer's specific inspirations, beyond perhaps some tuneful prog, like Caravan maybe?
Above all, this was one of the better records from the year that carved its name on the tombstone for the rock group forever,and the year zero of 'Chav' culture.I doubt Mick Hobbs was ever seen with a Brian Jones haircut shaking a pair of maracas or a tambourine ,dancing like a Twat!

Tracklist:

A1 Coma
A2 R Tune
A3 Simone
A4 Old St
A5 Remove Your Hat (Parts 1 & 2)
B1 (I've Got A) Nice Girlfriend
B2 (I Only Want To Make You) Smile
B3 Truck
B4 Hid It ('Cos I Wanted You To Find It)
B5 Gawping
B6 Bright Star

DOWNLOAD HERE!.....Yes or No?

Officer! ‎– "Cough" (Ayaa Records) 1985

I rather like this lo-fi outing for Mick Hobbs' 'Officer!' 
Dare one suggest that this sounds not unlike post-cave Australian trio 'The Dirty Three' in places, which I intend as a compliment.
A lot of the tunes are Violin led , like the aforementioned antipodean '90's threesome. Which seems to replace the Henry Cow-isms that tarnish Officer!'s other records.
Recorded in France, it says, and sounds as if it was either done at a concert where the audience didn't turn up, or in a rehearsal room with very little sound dampening.Either way it adds a very agreeable 'Live' feel to the proceedings.
On a more sombre note.....
I don't usually pay tribute to the Police,but....Play the 'sad' tunes in tribute to the Officer of the French Gendarmerie who was killed yesterday after selflessly signing his own death warrant and took the place of a hostage at the Carcassone Supermarket siege, by one of those Islamic Fuckwit Terrorist Twats!......and for any Flat Earth 'truthers' out there; no, it wasn't a fucking 'False Flag' attack!

DOWNLOAD some cough medicine HERE!

Officer! ‎– "Ossification" (Ayaa ‎– DT 1284) 1984

Mick Hobbs' post-prog post punky pop collective 'Officer!' made some slightly annoying but very eccentric song based Avant-pop. This is their/His debut disc, predictably distributed by old mate Chris Cutlers' Recommended Records. They all sounded like this on Recommended. Blatant echo's of the Avant-Prog days of the early 70's can be heard, tinged with folky, operatically trained upper middle class ladies, and classically trained musicians; all this blended with the new DIY prog of the post-punk era. Classically English sounding, but big in France apparently. I've heard Mick speak French with a heavy English accent(as I myself speak it), they (*the Frogs) like that y'know.When they 'like' you, you stay liked,one thing they* ain't is fickle.

Tracklist:

Side Alpha

Dynamite
Anagrams
Air
Telepathy
Spitter's Hooked (On Love)
Dogface
Some

Side Béta

Boxers V Wrestlers
Tunnels
Apply
Office Occasion
Origin
Hello
Top. Top, Top

DOWNLOAD some new bone for your hip bone HERE!

Mick Hobbs ‎– "Bandagen/Officer!" (No Records ‎– No. 002) 1989

The Quirky post-prog lunacy of Mick Hobbs on solo duty,as theatre score composer and as his 'band', 'Officer!'.
Side A sees our Micky as provider of an avant-garde soundtrack to Pergoletti's stageplay "Bandagen", and side B has some 'Officer!' songs masquerading as superior 'Filler'.
For the Theatrical side,I suppose you need the play to augment the sparsity of the minimal content for maximum effect?
The 'Officer!' side  is Mick's usual abstract post-punk prog inventiveness,as he regularly churns out for The Work, The Momes, and Half-Japanese.
Naturally he gets some help from the usual suspects Like Tim Hodgkinson and Andy Wake, both from The Momes.

Tracklist:

Music From Bandagen

A1 Undovetailing
A2 Heartwood
A3 Kindliche Kleidung
A4 Spewing
A5 Jasminduft
A6 Inflation
A7 Ballacodep
A8 Deflated
A9 Happy Days, Lonely Nights
A10 Arbeitstitel 

Officer! - Some Songs

B1 Good Cement
B2 Plan For Peace
B3 My Song About My Head
B4 Hunter
B5 Damage
B6 Good Citizen's Car

DOWNLOAD illegally HERE officer!

The Lowest Note On The Organ ‎– "Piggy Bank" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 008) 1984

This one contains most of the core line-up of 'The Work' plus Trefor from Camberwell Now.
"Piggy Bank" is the closest they ever got to making a commercial tune with a hummable melody,and doesn't get too 'weird'.It still wouldn't get played on mainstream media platforms however.

Tracklist:
A Piggy Bank 3:22
B Lambeth Salt 3:11

DOWNLOAD the contents of this piggy bank HERE!

The Lowest Note On The Organ ‎– "The Lowest Note On The Organ EP" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 006) 1983

A 'Work' related group, featuring Mick Hobbs of 'The Work',  Rick Wilson of 'The Work, and Trevor Goronwy of 'Camberwell Now' and 'This Heat';and completing our Avant Rock connections,  produced by Charles Bullen of,its them again, 'This Heat.
A quirky little e.p. which could easily be labelled 'Art Rock' by those who know better.

Tracklist:

A1 Thusly Routed We Gambol
A2 Jane
A3 Meddle-A-Beadle

B Trial By Silhouette

DOWNLOADest notes on the computer keyboard HERE!

The Work ‎– "The Worst Of Everywhere" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 005) 1982

A novel angle on the 'Live' album by our fav proggy punky avant rockers, The Work.
Capturing a whole tour schedule in 69 untitled short snippets from April 1980 to March 1982 in Belgium, France, Finland, Germany, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia.All roughly recorded and roughly edited using the medium of audio cassette.
It kinda works as one,or maybe two sidelong disjointed conceptual collages, in the tradition of Frank Zappa's 'Lumpy Gravy',or at least in its post-punk version thereof?

Tracklist:

1-69 - "Untitled 1-69"

DOWNLOAD the worst of everywhere to anywhere HERE!

The Work ‎– "See" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 015) 1992

I thought I'd posted this before,but I hadn't......I checked.
If you click HERE!.....you can find the rest my The Works posts from earlier in Blog-time......eg "Slow Crimes", "I Hate America" single, and 'Live im AJZ'........all rather excellent.
Just listened to it for the first time in years,and its yet another fantastic disjointed masterpiece of rock reinvention.If you like verse chorus verse chorus solo repeat, then don't download this.

Tracklist:

1 Blind 3:00
2 Steam 1:10
3 Eat 5:37
4 Disgrace 1:45
5 Shock 3:27
6 The Rim 4:41
7 Hive 5:32
8 Shine 4:54
9 Tell 3:58
10 Repossession 2:19
11 Warehouse 5:47
12 Pursuit 2:43 (for missing track 12 click here!)

DOWNLOAD see HEAR!

The Work - "Rubber Cage" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 012) 1989

Wasn't this the second 'official' Work album from the end of the decade......I think it was y'know.
It's up to the same extremely high standards of progressive chord structures and odd time signatures that we've come to love.Prog-Punk at its highest possible level. If you were to play this at your meet the neighbours fondue based dinner party, it could either make you look intelligent, or weird,depending on the neighbours.As most neighbours are part of the 90%ers,and feel uncomfortable with abstract concepts, they will inevitably look upon you as 'Weird',so you may as well be hung for a horse than a sheep and whip out some 'Whitehouse' or Merzbow.That should stop the fuckers from asking for a cup of sugar,or saying 'Hello' everytime you leave the house.

Tracklist:

Poise 0:57
Abdomen 2:26
Felt 1:20
Commerce And Despair 2:46
Dangerfish 4:33
1992 5:58
Coloured Water 3:10
Stone 4:19
Trauma 3:44
Knee 1:52
Jay 2:20
Quack 3:40

DOWNLOAD some rubber from jonny HERE!

The Work ‎– "Live In Japan" (Recommended Records Japan ‎– RRJ 05) 1982

Deconstructed rock from Henry Cow spin off's, The Work. 
This Live performance in Osaka, featured the one and only Jim Whelton,aka Amos, of Homosexuals fame, on vocals.Which gives this some added kudos.
The Work's special kind of Prog inflected Post Punk is always rather interesting,and this album seems to capture them at their best.
Remarkably,this was recorded on a cassette half way back in the hall, which belies the extremely hi-fidelity quality of this recording somewhat. 

Tracklist:

A1 State Room 3:40
A2 Like This 3:01
A3 Fingers & Toes 3:02
A4 Pop 4:40
A5 Crabs 4:29
B1 Duty 2:10
B2 Cain & Abel 3:50
B3 Do It 2:16
B4 Tuning 0:43
B5 Flies 0:58
B6 Benidorm 1:42
B7 Night By The Sea 4:54

DOWNLOAD some hard work HERE!

The Die or DIY? Christmas Mixtape 2014 - "This is NOT a Love Song (22 Golden Greats for the Season We Love To Hate)" (a Die or DIY? Mixtape No.7)

"On the Twelfth Day of Christmas my Führer gave to me....
12 Dum Dum Bullets,
11 Snipers Sniping,
10 Lord Haw Haw's a raping,
9  Ladies dancing on the end of a rope,
8  Nazi Maidens a Killing,
7  SS guards a gassing,
6 Goose stepping Death Squads,
5 EXTRACTED GOLD TEETH.
4 Punishment Beatings,
3 French Collaborators,
2 Mass Graves,
And a Russian Peasant hanging in a tree."

(Traditional German Christmas Song circa 1943)

Yes, 'tis the season to be Jolly again, especially if you've spent thousands of quid on useless shit,and received piles of unwanted consumer crap in return.Eaten and drank everything that moves you nearer to an early grave with every mouthful. Watched happily as your kids are turned into the selfish greedy little consumers of the near future,as you think of the money that you borrowed to pay for it all from one of those very helpful 'pay day loans' company's at 1258%  APR.
Love and family are the themes for this time of year,as in the Love of Plasma TV's,ruining your kids,and plunging your family into debt to show them that you love them all. Its fucking insane!?
So as an anti-venom to all this fake love, we bring you 22 ditties full of(mostly) fake hate to entertain granny as you carve the Christmas capon.
"It's CHHHHHHHRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSTTTTTMMMMMMAAAAAAASSSSSS!" (N.Holder, 1974)

Track Listing:

1. "God Hates Rock" - Scouts of Uzbekistan
2. "I Hate Music" - The Mad
3. "I Hate Children" - Adolescents
4. "I Hate You" - The Monks
5. "I Hate You" - Gang Green and the Amputations
6. "I Hate School" - The Suburban Studs
7. "We Hate You" - The Jerks
8. "I Hate America" - The Work
9. "I Hate the Universe" - The Cravats
10. "I Hate Cops" - The Authorities
11. "Hate Me" - Die Kreuzen
12. "I Hate Myself" - Vectors
13. "I Hate the Rich" - The Dils
14. "I Hate Tourists" - The Freeze
15. "I Hate Reggae" - Poison Idea
16. "I Hate my Job" - The Bubonic Plague
17. "I Hate" - 100 Flowers
18. "You're the Hate" - Reflex from the Pain
19. "(Learn to) Hate in the 80's" - Bobby Soxx and the Teenage Queers
20. "Escalator Hater" - Raped
21. "Recipe for Hate" - Bad Religion
22. "We Hate You Little Girls" - Throbbing Gristle

DOWNLOAD these loveable hymns HERE!

The Momes - "Spiralling" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 011) 1989

What do you get if you combine The Work with Unrest,Work and Play? No, not Unrest,Work,Work and Play. We get The Momes, which is French for The Brats,or the Kids, by the way(but should have one of those little hats over the 'O':mômes).

What does this combination sound like? Well,pretty much like Unrest,Work,Work and Play.

Yup, more disjointed art rock; Wot you don't get much of in these boring,boring ,times.

An Avant Rock in opposition super group,if ever there was one?

Tracklist:

A1	Lobby
A2	Friday
A3	Mirror Egg
A4	Bloodsucking Babies
A5	Ghosts
A6	Locus Swarm
B1	Core Of Water
B2	Dog
B3	World Is Only Turning
B4	Nitrate Mine
B5	Slab

DOWNLOAD these spiralling brats tracks HERE!

The Work - "Live im AJZ" (Edition Unbeirrt ‎– MC e.u.B) 1981

Officially sanctioned Unofficial bootleg of The classic Work line-up going through their paces in some club in the Netherlands(?) on the 24^th August 1981. Standard bootleg foggily recorded from the audience sound quality,but very listenable ,and a fine performance preserved from a time when modern music was at its peak; all downhill from here.

No Track listing as yet,but if anyone wants to work it out, feel free to donate.

DOWNLOAD without working too hard HERE!

Also check out The Work live in Ampermoching 1981 HERE!

The Work - "I Hate America" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 002) 1981

“I Hate America”;the shameless courting of a pinko audience by any chance? Presumably,America meaning the United States of....,and not the whole continent, 'cus Canadians are particularly nice, and Mexicans make great bandits in westerns. Most Americans are jolly decent chaps as well,if you ignore the American Taliban of the trigger happy, homophobic,racist,and,quite frankly,stupid god nazi's of the middle bit. The Clash were 'Bored of the USA', which is a description of a nation that is simply incorrect! It's a place that evokes extremes of emotion. You either Love it, or, as in The Work's,and the majority of the developing world's case,Hate it.

With the unapologetic indiscriminate drone bombing of school kids in Pakistan,the inexplicable continuing support of the Zionist army of occupation in Palestine,and the shameless spying by the NSA on their 'allies' puppet leaders; there is a good case for the 'Hate' emotion. But, like the German people under the Nazi regime,Americans are victims too. Helplessly drugged by consumer fascism into a stupor of acquiescence, absorbing the Fear propaganda peddled by the unelected elements of that one party state, we must strive to help our American friends; if only to save them from themselves?

Fear not, for the unsustainable military spending to fight a non-existent enemy will cause this regime to collapse into the empty vaults of Fort Knox. The very same fate that happened to the Soviet Union.

I suppose its better to be hated than ignored isn't it? In fact you'd be hard pushed to think of a country that isn't hated by a certain section of the world's population.Even harder to think of a country that everyone loves......maybe Ireland,but I can't see it myself.Everyone seems to love Ireland and the Irish,even though they talk incessantly without breathing to anyone,anywhere,and are invariably drunk.

Being British, I am quite used to being from one of the most unpopular places on the Planet(especially where I live in France, where they still haven't forgotten the Hundred Years War!); so I have some sympathy with my american cousins.Personally, I Love America,and Americans; but their puppet government and its hidden masters stink.

Oh yeah,the music!

This single is classic disjointed and fractured, damaged avant rock of the highest order.

Tracklist:

A I Hate America 5:50
B1 Fingers & Toes 2:50
B2 Duty 1:00

DOWNLOAD and hate america too HERE!

The Work - "Slow Crimes" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 003) 1982

Well, one may as well feature some choice works from Recommended Records related acts....what better place to start than Avant Rock's finest,The Work, and their 1982 classic "Slow Crimes". Featuring Ex Henry Cow-sters, The Work stayed overtime to de-construct the Rock Tune into its constituent parts and made a different sense out of the pieces.All the useless left over bits are thrown into the nearest most deserving skip. They sort of remind me of an English Jesus Lizard,with the rocking out bit removed.

Tracklist:

Nearly Empty 2:55
Balance 2:10
Pop 4:42
Flies 2:22
Like This 2:53
Knives 3:27
Cain & Abel 4:11
State Room 3:24
Brickyard 4:37
Do It 2:18
Le Travail 3:34
Maggot Song 2:57

DOWNLOAD at work HERE!