Dude please upload those cassettes! AFAIK the compilations are taken from re-recorded LP versions. I've never heard any of the actual cassette stuff.
― Felix Frankfurter, Man Of Justice (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 22:42 (fourteen years ago) link
the first three of the cleaners' cassette-only albums have been remastered and re-reissued by captured tracks. 1981's blow away your troubles, their first release, is a double album, while the next two (both from 1982) are single LPs. so far, the individual albums are vinyl-only, but there's also a 3-disc CD box set available.
i just picked up the first two albums and they've been soundtracking my weekend (they debuted on record store day, but aren't RSD-exclusive releases). had never heard the band, but i'm loving this stuff to death. wish i'd heard it way back when.
― yuppie bullshit chocolate blogbait (contenderizer), Monday, 23 April 2012 00:49 (twelve years ago) link
also, the allmusic.com reviews of the early cleaners albums are horrible and should really be redone. yes, the sound isn't perfect, but it isn't an impediment to enjoyment, and they deserve a little more respect.
― yuppie bullshit chocolate blogbait (contenderizer), Monday, 23 April 2012 01:10 (twelve years ago) link
Thanks for the tip! The 3 releases are available on emusic too, i see.
― aluminum rivets must not be proud of their plastic bosses (Jon Lewis), Monday, 23 April 2012 01:35 (twelve years ago) link
We spoke to Martin Newell last week. He has an interesting back story.
I've playing the hell out of Midnight Cleaners for the last few days. It's such a great album.
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Monday, 23 April 2012 10:50 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, that's the one i don't yet have, and i'm itching to pick it up. i say this cuz blow away your troubles is obviously formative, with lots of the sorts of half-baked fragments, sketches, jokes and experiments you'd probably expect from an hour-long, home-recorded cassette debut. the upwards leap up in songwriting and recording ambition w/ on any normal monday is massive. they're both good records, but the latter is a lot more accessible and consistent.
also a bit surprised by how strongly jazz, funk and dub influenced this early stuff is. not what i'd been led to expect of the cleaners. and super druggy. the best stuff on both albums leans towards anthemic/yearning guitar pop, but there's a lot of variety in other directions.
― yuppie bullshit chocolate blogbait (contenderizer), Monday, 23 April 2012 15:52 (twelve years ago) link
Great article! His current life/array of projects makes me jealous, totally admirable.
― aluminum rivets must not be proud of their plastic bosses (Jon Lewis), Monday, 23 April 2012 15:55 (twelve years ago) link
saw the HUUUUGE box set on Record Store Day and was tempted
― heavy is the head that eats the crayons (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 23 April 2012 17:26 (twelve years ago) link
The Mighty Plod, his glam band in the early 70s, whose Neo City can be found on the Velvet Tinmine compilation
had no idea this was him! awesome
― heavy is the head that eats the crayons (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 23 April 2012 17:28 (twelve years ago) link
And I had some thoughts today:
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16553-blow-away-your-troubles-on-any-normal-monday-midnight-cleaners/
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 16:13 (twelve years ago) link
I'm pleasantly surprised to see that it's on Spotify. At least until it gets replaced by live Pussy Galore tracks.
― dlp9001, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 19:16 (twelve years ago) link
I have CDrs of all the cassettes but I ordered this new set as silver CD >>> CDr, I really hope they release them all!
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 2 May 2012 00:49 (twelve years ago) link
don't know if i've ever heard these guys! but ned's review today made me want to.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 2 May 2012 02:23 (twelve years ago) link
Another year, another reissues boxset, another Pitchfork review from yours truly
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17610-cleaners-from-venus-in-the-golden-autumn-under-wartime-conditions-songs-for-a-fallow-land/
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 5 June 2013 14:33 (ten years ago) link
Loving this stuff so much. "Young Jobless" is a new favorite.
― Trip Maker, Wednesday, 5 June 2013 14:39 (ten years ago) link
Great review, Ned.
― Trip Maker, Wednesday, 5 June 2013 14:42 (ten years ago) link
Thanks kindly!
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 5 June 2013 14:44 (ten years ago) link
just in time for Father's Day
― Mr. Scarf Ace is Back (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 5 June 2013 15:54 (ten years ago) link
last night after I put her to bed my daughter held a private concert in her room featuring a 15-minute rendition/repetition of the chorus to "Only a Shadow"
― Bathory Tub Blues (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 6 June 2013 20:11 (ten years ago) link
Did she nail the guitar part that comes after?
― Evan, Thursday, 6 June 2013 23:50 (ten years ago) link
anybody heard Vol. 3 yet
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 3 June 2014 15:51 (nine years ago) link
Didn't even know it was out!
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 3 June 2014 15:55 (nine years ago) link
comes out June 10th...?
http://www.capturedtracks.com/shop/_ct-release/ct-202-203-204-205-cleaners-from-venus-vol-3-vinyl-box-set/
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 3 June 2014 16:00 (nine years ago) link
as much as i've been enjoying vol 1 and 2, i think i'm a bit cleanersed out at this point
― doctrine the house (electricsound), Tuesday, 3 June 2014 22:49 (nine years ago) link
b-b-b-but this is arguably the peak period here
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 3 June 2014 22:50 (nine years ago) link
awesome!
― PaulTMA, Wednesday, 4 June 2014 00:46 (nine years ago) link
ugh so good
― macklin' rosie (crüt), Thursday, 19 June 2014 18:23 (nine years ago) link
vol 1+2 is the best thing I've heard in a while. mindblowingly good tunes & i can't believe i've never heard of these guys before
― macklin' rosie (crüt), Thursday, 19 June 2014 18:44 (nine years ago) link
Wish I could afford vol 3 atm
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 19 June 2014 19:08 (nine years ago) link
Thanks for the reminder- I haven't listened to my copy of vol. 1 + 2 in awhile. Must revisit.
― Evan, Thursday, 19 June 2014 19:14 (nine years ago) link
anybody heard any of the gypp stuff? i've only heard "ex-army boy" on a stray trolleys comp... i like it!
― rushomancy, Saturday, 21 June 2014 00:27 (nine years ago) link
well I ordered Vol. 3
― Οὖτις, Monday, 30 June 2014 22:25 (nine years ago) link
I find this axis of British 80s jangledelia endlessly fascinating - the axis of Partridge/Newell/Hitchcock, descended from Barrett. Are there other notables out there I'm unaware of?
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 1 July 2014 20:29 (nine years ago) link
television personalities? maybe that's something a bit different
― soref, Tuesday, 1 July 2014 20:33 (nine years ago) link
Some stuff by the Go-Betweens hits me in a similar place.
― Trip Maker, Tuesday, 1 July 2014 20:52 (nine years ago) link
but they're from Australia!
who ever heard of Australian whimsy
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 1 July 2014 20:57 (nine years ago) link
Australian whimsy is decidedly unpsydchedelic
― buttery biscuit bass through a guitar amp (electricsound), Tuesday, 1 July 2014 21:42 (nine years ago) link
well this does not disappoint!
― Οὖτις, Monday, 7 July 2014 16:35 (nine years ago) link
great to hear the original versions of tracks that eventually ended up on Greatest Living Englishman (can def hear Partridge's hand in that by comparison)
― Οὖτις, Monday, 7 July 2014 16:43 (nine years ago) link
Hm sign me up for that. I like the songs on Greatest...Englishman a lot but the production kind of sucks.
― how will the milf survive? (Jon Lewis), Monday, 7 July 2014 22:29 (nine years ago) link
"she's marilyn.. OHOH marilyn on a train" *swooons*
― brimstead, Monday, 7 July 2014 22:32 (nine years ago) link
a lot but the production kind of sucks
it's primarily the string arrangements that I don't dig. so hearing We'll Build a House and Before the Hurricane in their original less fusty incarnation is nice. Partridge did add some sparkle and some decent vocal harmonies/countermelodies to the more jangly stuff like er Jangling Man and Home Counties Boy and Christmas in Suburbia.
― Οὖτις, Monday, 7 July 2014 22:43 (nine years ago) link
Iirc though there's those fake sounding drums on it
― how will the milf survive? (Jon Lewis), Monday, 7 July 2014 22:55 (nine years ago) link
well I can say that the drums on the Cleaners stuff are still plenty fake albeit cheaper sounding, which has its own charm
― Οὖτις, Monday, 7 July 2014 22:59 (nine years ago) link
Yeah blatantly fake drums are fine around here. Partridges drums on that record sounded like triggered samples or something.
― how will the milf survive? (Jon Lewis), Monday, 7 July 2014 23:06 (nine years ago) link
I love "Greatest Living Englishman" unreservedly, production and all. But I agree that it's cool to hear the original versions. Newell has this incredible knack for writing songs that convey the everyday smalltown England experience in vivid and compelling slices.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 8 July 2014 00:08 (nine years ago) link
drowning butterflies prob my fave example of same
― niamh 1073 (electricsound), Tuesday, 8 July 2014 00:23 (nine years ago) link
lol @ this song that references the Stone Roses (in the middle of a typical working-class leftist screed; something he's better at than most tbh)
original version of Home Counties Boy is nice and all, but Partridge's influence on that resulted in a definite improvement, the Greatest...Englishman version adds a bunch of nice touches with the descending melody and additional harmonies
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 8 July 2014 17:52 (nine years ago) link
Weird, one of these songs (Pearl) is an andy partridge-penned song, some demo he didnt use.
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 9 July 2014 02:30 (nine years ago) link
Anyone heard the recent Cleaners albums? I went off Martin's album some time ago - the first few solo albums are ace but after that, meh.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 10 July 2014 03:23 (nine years ago) link
I really can't seem to run out of praise for Living With Victoria Grey. I have all three box sets (my vector for discovering them thanks to my abiding faith in Captured Tracks) and it's easily the best album of the lot.
― a duiving caTCH, a stuolllen bayeeeess (jamescobo), Sunday, 27 July 2014 02:41 (nine years ago) link
jeeeeez, i don't know how i always miss this stuff for so long. the other day i was listening to Belong (criminally underrated) and realized one of their songs was a cover of cleaners from venus' cover of syd barrett "late night". then i found tripmaker's spotify playlist, a couple hours long, and here i am. i'm still in newbie zone but looking forward to comparing originals to re-recorded versions at some point.
― Karl Malone, Tuesday, 12 May 2015 02:03 (nine years ago) link
i've only heard the volume 1 albums but there's so many gems on them. 'corridor of dreams' is incredible
― ufo, Tuesday, 12 May 2015 03:17 (nine years ago) link
i just came across these guys (or guy moreso) last night searching on spotify for artists similar to r stevie moore. the album "midnight cleaner" is amazing. theres a great range of stuff on it from anthemic guitar pop synth stuff and "vivenhoe bells" which is just a gorgeous snapshot of rural england. going to have a lot of fun trawling through the large back catalogue
― Neptune Bingo (Michael B), Wednesday, 6 July 2016 15:05 (seven years ago) link
box sets are incredible, highly recommended
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 6 July 2016 15:53 (seven years ago) link
Im surprised at how accomplished at how this stuff for a cassette dude. The arrangements on "vivenhoe bells" are amazing.
― Neptune Bingo (Michael B), Wednesday, 6 July 2016 16:37 (seven years ago) link
Diy cassette dude. Blargh phone
― Neptune Bingo (Michael B), Wednesday, 6 July 2016 16:38 (seven years ago) link
Finally dipped a toe into their catalog by picking up "Living With Victoria Grey", and I can already tell I'm going to end up on a deep dive into their cassette stuff. It just feels so effortless -- like Clara Bow is clearly not trying to disguise itself as anything else besides a Beatles pastiche, but he's got the hooks to back it up.
That said, I would gladly pay 2x as much for a copy without all the Shmootie Patootie skits between songs. Do all their 80's albums have that crap on them? Calling Ned Raggett...
― enochroot, Friday, 29 April 2022 01:24 (two years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9XrdvpbV8s
― meisenfek, Thursday, 22 June 2023 21:42 (eleven months ago) link