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