Mouldy old dough by Earl Brutus.

what a glorious result : today i found a live version of come taste my mind in the archives that i had no idea about.

― mark e, Thursday, 14 January 2010 21:14 (2 days ago)

I have a live video of this from one of those NME tour concert programmes, recorded around 1997/8 which is staggering. Loads of glass smashing noises and those garage forcourt signs in evidence. Just need to find it, but I'll have a look tomorrow and get it uploaded onto Youtube.

No word from the E-mail i sent on Friday yet but I have the feelers well and truly out regarding the white label and I'm increasingly hopeful.

The Jukebox at The the pub is amazing, Grimly...pretty much the whole of The Fall's back catalogue available, in fact pretty much everything by everyone, it appears. The downside is that the first time you choose a track it has to be uploaded from The Internet which is £1 a song and in my experience, it might not still be in the hard drive the next time you check. Worth it though.

I remember doing exactly the same thing, I doubt I have the tape anymore though. I seem to remember they were on the same show as Travis, Spiritualized and maybe Super Furry Animals.

I used to make compilations of live performances and videos from around 95-98 taped from Top Of The Pops, TFI Fiday and especially The Chart Show. I used to love those indie charts they did where the bands were so obscure they would make they're own video clips usually using lava lamps and floating pictures of the band. Earl Brutus used to crop up quite a lot, footage of them live in darkened rooms with those signs spinning going round. When they came back with Come Taste My Mind it was like wow a proper video maybe they could make it?

haven't listened yet but pre-emotive thanks for the upload mr e!

lol, thanks to iPhone spellcheck for "emotive" too!

One of the greatest live bands ever.

Utter fucking chaos from blokes desperate to defy middle age whilst spewing contempt for the contemporary scene and everything in it.

Lucky enough to catch them a handful of times back then. A real Festival Fuck you too. Gushed about them upthread I think under another stupid moniker

A real shame about Nick Sanderson. Way too young.

The Broken Brothers- I would love to see the footage you have.

But they revelled in that middle age too!

Pretty much EVERYONE I know who's seen Earl Brutus has described them as the best live band ever.

No word from the E-mail i sent on Friday

uh oh - hope we are not hassling the same person !
i've had a response : 'phone me and we'll talk'
eeek.

ooh!

The only reply I've had up to now is from the bloke who did the Traindriver In Eyeliner fanzine.

There was a copy of the white label recently in one of the Record And Tape Exchange shops in London. The chances are, I won't be able to persuade him to part with it, but at least I know it exists and I have potential leads for other copies. If it comes down to simply getting a recording, then I can get it online in no time.

A friend of mine runs a Dubstep label and although he has recently moved to Berlin from London, the potential is there to address issues with pressing and distribution is never a problem nowadays.

Obtaining the rights to press it in the first place, might however, prove to be an issue.

Let me know how you get on mark e

I have a good feeling about this.

oh man that was just tooo damn weird.

jamie fry on the phone.

some details before i forget :

- re 'mouldy old dough' : not EB, but Union Jackson who comprised of Phil King (as in Lush) and Gordon King + Nick S, with Jamie on chorus and hand claps recorded at J&MC studio : 'it was a good night'.
apparently, there is a whispering campaign out there to get it out for the world cup campaign.
i have some numbers to track down a copy, and find out more.

- re sas and the glam : apparently there is a campaign (via alex p @ guardian) to get this to the xmas #1 spot. jamie still has the father christmas outfit good to go for TOTP Special.

- boxset : lots of odds and sods - most owned by Island. lot of love still within the Island/Universal world, but no drive for proper boxset, but jamie believes that the EB story really does need to be told.

in the 5 minutes he was sparking ideas out re cover art for the single - a revised update of the 2 cars/suicide cover : 'tinsel on the cars'

one of the most wonderful, enjoyable surreal moments of my life.

Holy fucking shit ... this could yet be a reality, then. With fucking big knobs on. Awesome, awesome work, Mark.

but jamie believes that the EB story really does need to be told

Yes: this is absolutely vital. And the best way for it to be told would be, er, by Jamie himself, no?

a revised update of the 2 cars/suicide cover : 'tinsel on the cars'

This is the most awesome thing I've heard so far this year :)

Thanks for the update: keep us posted on how you get on with tracking down MOD.

oooooh.
getting closer and closer.
note : re the cars and tinsel.
there was an extra element to the idea that was just too scandalous to put on the wire.
and yes, he did say that should someone want to sort out the story of the band he would be a very willing participant.
it was very obvious that he holds the time in the band with great affection.

i have to get kids do adult stuff, and be offline for a little while (hours not days).
but news just in.
i have it.
and it is what i heard all those years ago on the radio.
so, lets talk about pressing up records/xmas campaigns etc ?

That's brilliant news mark. This just sounds too amazing for words.

Seems as though you've been far more successful than I have, but I would definitely like to help in any way to get this pressed up and heard by as many people as possible.

I can't think of a single band more deserving of publicity and re-evaluation.

So how does it sound then? It couldn't possibly be as good as I've built it up in my head to be, could it?

^_^

i've already said how that original album-cover is a favourite of mine; a tinsel update would be too magnificent for words

i have to get kids do adult stuff,

ouch.
in the exited rush of the school run, this came out badly. please add a comma between 'kids' and 'do'. ta.
i believe we can easily get clearance given that the band are happy to get it out there, tis just a case of the publishers.
no idea as to costs.
also, i only have 192, which isn't going to cut to vinyl really is it ..
i would like to think there are ilm'rs who can provide guidance in such matters ?
[never been in this position before despite having wanted to do something like this for years !]
as for the sound : well, the description at the thread start is spot on. yes its a demo type of recording, but clearly the lads were having a great time in the studio.

I'd suggest starting a new thread looking for advice as those with experience of record production may astonishingly be ignoring an Earl Brutus thread.

That was my description from years ago! I started the thread.

As I stated earlier, I have a friend who has his own label and has many years of experience in cutting what are basically bedroom recordings onto vinyl, though his set up nowadays is way more sophisticated. I've left a message for him but he's in his studio in Berlin and I haven't heard back from him yet. I'm sure he'll know all the ins and outs and I'm very hopeful he'll be able to offer his services.

The original Mouldy Old Dough was basically a living room recording and is all the better for it.

I've had a shit day, but this news has prompted me to do a little dance around my living room.

This whole thread is brilliant. Well done Mark this is amazing news!

Can't wait to hear it, If there's anything I could do to help the release of this count me in.

Also a Brutus boxset would be the dream. I always wondered if they started recording 20 Brutus greats or if it was just a title they had for the third album. Was Larky just intended as a one off single?

This whole thread is brilliant. Well done Mark this is amazing news!

seconded, this is a thread where we all share a beautiful secret and maybe if we unburden our tongues enthusiastically enough some others might or might not pay attention - plus i am oh so down for this potential release

This whole thread is brilliant. Well done Mark this is amazing news!

Can't wait to hear it, If there's anything I could do to help the release of this count me in.

Also a Brutus boxset would be the dream. I always wondered if they started recording 20 Brutus greats or if it was just a title they had for the third album. Was Larky just intended as a one off single?

― Kitchen Person, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 17:43 (14 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Thirded.

Not sure if the recording was for the album but the England Sandwich track, recorded for the Sonic Mook Experiment compilation seemed to employ a more cut-up, almost Bomb Squad style and sounded great. If any more stuff was recorded in that vein, it would be more than worthy of release.

just a warning.
until we have figured a few things out, i will not be releasing this to the wire as an mp3.
we've come this far, and if between us we can use this opportunity to get the track to crimbo #1 then surely thats a massive winner.
i.e. i am gunning for mark g's suggestion upthread (whether it was serious mark or not it matters not now !)
of course, if this all comes to nothing and i just end up dropping track on the blog due to lack of interest, then so be it, that's the way it goes.
but until then, lets see what fun we can have.

mouldy old dough mouldy old dough no nose job

one show at the Austrian Cultural Institute in 2001 ended with the arrival of the police, who had mistaken the band's pyrotechnic-laden performance for a terrorist attack

fwiw nick sanderson is pretty much my ideal of the human being

just a warning.
until we have figured a few things out, i will not be releasing this to the wire as an mp3.
we've come this far, and if between us we can use this opportunity to get the track to crimbo #1 then surely thats a massive winner.
i.e. i am gunning for mark g's suggestion upthread (whether it was serious mark or not it matters not now !)
of course, if this all comes to nothing and i just end up dropping track on the blog due to lack of interest, then so be it, that's the way it goes.
but until then, lets see what fun we can have.

― mark e, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 18:04 (27 minutes ago) Bookmark

Just spoken to my record label mate who reckons the biggest problem with getting it released in a physical format could well be the MCPS, it might mean either getting a letter from the performers autorising it to us, paying MCPS between 2 and 4 hundred pounds, or, worst case scenario, both.

The good news is that as white labels exist, there must be an acetate and almost certainly, this will be still at the pressing plant. it might be an idea to get in touch with the band again, get a catalogue number and see if they have any idea who pressed it. Of course, this could have been destroyed, the studio might have closed, etc.

If the pressing plates still exist, the cost of creating physical copies will be much lower. Even if it only ends up available as a download, the quality will be the best possible.

I'm sorry if this isn't making much sense, but I've just got off the phone to my mate and he bombarded me with information. He's promised to E-mail me tonight with a clearer list of what would be required

re quality : it seems that there is an mp4a available that was lifted directly from DAT tape.
so if this idea flies, we can go up on the 192.
re pressing plant : thats going to be a long shot innit.
its 10 years plus. they wont have held onto the acetates for an unreleased record will they ?
re mcps : do people have to go through all that for promo-only releases ?
[i think i once looked into this idea before, and just gave up with the legal/costings etc .. its a minefield !]
hey ho.

fuck.
this world is soo small sometimes.
producer bloke who follows my twitter feed has just revealed that the original version of MOD was recorded on his tape machine.

not sure if 'original' version = promo version that was pressed, but i doubt there would have been multiple recording sessions ?

re quality : it seems that there is an mp4a available that was lifted directly from DAT tape.
so if this idea flies, we can go up on the 192.
re pressing plant : thats going to be a long shot innit.
its 10 years plus. they wont have held onto the acetates for an unreleased record will they ?
re mcps : do people have to go through all that for promo-only releases ?
[i think i once looked into this idea before, and just gave up with the legal/costings etc .. its a minefield !]
hey ho.

― mark e, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 19:01 (3 hours ago) Bookmark

Minefield indeed! I think the MCPS thing might not apply but it depends who licenced the white labels. As for the acetates, you're probably right, but any pressing on vinyl would certainly be cheaper if that already exists.

I'm a big vinyl fan, but to be honest, if it gets out and is available and it appears one person in the band at least has given their blessing, it would be a job well done.

This thread has given me so much pleasure already, even if nothing comes to pass, but I would love it if the combined efforts of a small group of fans gave others the opportunity to hear and enjoy one of the greatest and most under appreciated bands of all time.

Listening to Male Wife and grinning. Half day off tomorrow means I might get the chance to find that NME tour video and get it on Youtube.

This thread has given me so much pleasure already, even if nothing comes to pass, but I would love it if the combined efforts of a small group of fans gave others the opportunity to hear and enjoy one of the greatest and most under appreciated bands of all time.

re the NME video.
jamie mentioned that it was actually broadcast live on ch4.
they were billed with BRA .. and apparently, jamies trousers split.
i laughed, but it was quickly pointed out that actually, it was quite serious, and no laughing matter !
so do indeed look closely should you find the video, you may get to see more than you bargained for.

I had a couple of the singles through the post today. The S.A.S and the Glam which has The Scottish on it which is pretty great.

They sent me the wrong CD of Universal Plan which is fine as I can get the other one cheap on Ebay but annoyingly it doesn't come with any new songs (unless Nicotine Stain is counted as an actual song) It does have two songs recorded at the London Astoria January 18th 1998. I'm guessing Come Taste My Mind is the same version on the NME CD where he starts shouting about home safety being very fucking important. It's been years since I actually played that version but I kept that CD for only that song.

I just read about Shin-Yu's rants at their gigs and on Nicotine Stain it finnishes with him shouting he wants some kidney pie, you just don't get that with other bands.

I love the picture in the Universal Plan single of them at the live show. It looks really kind of iconic.

I'm waiting to get the Come Taste My Mind single next.

Also I just noticed one of the singles came with a card to send off for more Earl information. It has an address to contact with other fans directly maybe I should send it? I like how under the place to write my address it says what is your plan? with a space to fill out the answer.

On the other side it says

POP MUSIC IS WASTED ON THE YOUNG.

It will go nicely with the other one I have on my wall that says

JESUS DIED FOR EARL BRUTUS...

until we have figured a few things out, i will not be releasing this to the wire as an mp3.

absolutely right.

i.e. i am gunning for mark g's suggestion upthread (whether it was serious mark or not it matters not now !)

Oh, I was absolutely serious.

Regarding the MCPS, it may need the permission of the original songwriter(s), but I don't think they will object. And as a fitting tribute to Nick and a 'genuinely subversive' act of chart attack, those guys must surely be up for this.

OK, this thread has reached new heights of wonder. Anything I can do to help: count me the fuck in.

Genuinely can't wait to hear this. God, ILM is a wonderful place sometimes. You all rock, mightily.

producer bloke who follows my twitter feed has just revealed that the original version of MOD was recorded on his tape machine

Ha! On a vaguely related note, I sent these two tweets last night:

Going to the pub. LISTENING TO EARL BRUTUS. Match made in heaven, that.

and then on the way home:

On a bus, listening to NORTH SEA BASTARD by EARL BRUTUS. Can any of your readers beat that? 'Course they fucking can't.

and yes, he did say that should someone want to sort out the story of the band he would be a very willing participant

If I had more time right now, I'd jump at the chance to do this. If nobody else takes the bait in the mean time, it's something I might speak to you about again in six months' time, Mark.

OK, this thread has reached new heights of wonder.

i realise i've gone quiet, but rest assured if 37% of what has been discussed in the last 24 hours actually happens, you aint seen nothing yet.

entire discography reissued in a 2CD collection a la Chavez? :D

btw this is probably in my top 3 all-time band-specific ILM threads - there's just so much...desperate enthusiasm, not to put too fine a point on it! i kinda think of this band as being in a holy trinity of Englishness with The Fall and HMHB - and considering they only put out two records, that's saying a lot.

'Larky' single is of course three tracks of sheer, sheer brilliance. Needs more repping!

Oh and I'm totally backing S to do the EB story! Preferably starting with a big fuck-off paragraph about the first time he saw them. Which sounds like roughly the greatest gig experience anyone's ever had.

It's hard to put my finger on why I love them so much. I was 13 when the first album came out and I bought their albums around a time when all I spent my money on was indie and Brit Pop a lot of which has been thrown out or forgotten about. They've stood the test of time better than nearly every band I loved at the time. Both the albums are perfect and sound like proper classics over 10 years on.

Not many bands sounded like they were having as much fun as Earl Brutus did and best of all they had huge tunes to back it all up with.

Larky is indeed a great single, England Sandwich is such a creepy and brilliant song.

I got to hear the Come Taste My Mind singe and it's B-sides today. Brilliant!

Larky is indeed a great single, England Sandwich is such a creepy and brilliant song.

Yeah, and I've had Teenage Opera stuck in my head all day!

The first album has a run of tracks where it loses a bit of momentum (Motarola through Curtsy) and a couple of the tracks near the start are good but not great. The second album is pretty much perfect from start to finish. MAYBE they could have kept Midland Red as a b-side, because if anything it's the least brilliant, but fuck it still bangs, especially in the second half with those guitars. The one I'd especially like to praise is Male Wife, which is more or less as stunning a closing track as there is, especially considering it was their last album. It sounds like the end of music.

It seems like a few people on here prefer the second album which I do but I really don't think there's much in it.

I think the opening five tracks on Your Majesty are all pretty special. I do agree Motarola is maybe the weakest moment but I absolutely love Shrunken Head especially when he starts singing Massive head in that really high voice. Curtsy is a sweet little interlude that gets you ready for Blind Date and Life's Too Long which which are two of the most powerful tracks. I think if anything the first album flows better. The drums at start of Life's Too Long are one of those great moments in rock, the timing is perfect.

Blind Date and Life's Too Long which which are two of the most powerful tracks

Not disputing this; they're enormous. Karl Brutus is really pretty and I *love* the bonus track, wish it had been indexed separately. Don't even know what it's called!

The bonus track is a one off Christmas single they did on vinyl called Single Seater Xmas.

It's awesome! There should be a mini-EP of all their instrumental collages.

If you do want Single Seater xmas separately someone is selling it on Ebay for 5.99 buy it now. I know as I've been searching out all their singles over the last few days. It's a one sided vinyl.

I don't know if you ever watched the ITV Chart Show? It used to have these top 10 indie charts every few weeks. There's a funny one from December 95 that has Earl Brutus at number one but obviously the song didn't have a video so they made their own with a floating picture of the behind in front of a burning fire. It's a brief clip but it is up on YouTube. It's funny that they are number one ahead of Wonderwall by Oasis. I can't ever imagine Earl Brutus outselling Oasis but it was a lovely moment.

Maybe when they finally bring out the boxset there will be an awesome instrumental disc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnM76_tR6w4

looooool

I know it's brilliant! I used to watch it every Saturday and tape the indie charts as it was all I was into. Earl Brutus appeared a few times with all the singles from Your Majesty but that is the classic clip.

Changing the subject slightly..what the hell is going on with that Baby Bird song?

I do agree Motarola is maybe the weakest moment

Not having this! Sure, it's not their greatest moment but the last 1'14" is something else: the vocal harmonies, the echo and that fantastic, needling guitar ... fuck's sake, if anyone was doing stuff that sounded like that today, I'd be in clover.

but I absolutely love Shrunken Head especially when he starts singing Massive head in that really high voice

MASSIVE HEAD! MASSIVE HEAD! Er ... yes.

I dunno. Two perfect albums, really. Ultimately, I'd take Tonight ... because I think it just has that slight edge. And, y'know, Second Class War.

what the hell is going on with that Baby Bird song?

I don't remember that one at all! I thought I'd got everything he ever did (don't ask) but that seems to have been the very first single and totally passed me by.

I do really like Motarola but compared to the other tracks it's my least favorite. They have such a high standard. Earl Brutus are one of the few bands I'd give two albums 10/10 to.

I do own that boxset of those early Babybird albums but from that clip that song sounds just a little off. It was a one off vinyl with the excellent Lemonade Baby on the other side. Strange to think a year later he was in the top 3.

“However, we are told these boys definitely won’t be “sleeping in” on Christmas Day!”