Desperate Bicycles Discography Online

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~~Ugh,~~ this band is ~~not~~ good. ~~I think the only reason anyone is interested in them is because they 'do not want their music released.'~~

fixed it for you, bro!

― pretzel walrus, Thursday, 22 March 2007 14:34 (6 years ago) Permalink

wow, that ebay listing is exactly what I was affraid of. That artwork? It was an assignment for a letterpress printing class I took 6 years ago. Notice the Acute catalog number and link to my old geocities website with my name on it? I printed maybe 50 or 100 of those by hand, burned the CD from my ripped vinyl and gave it away and traded it with people, stupidly assuming this wouldn't happen. Obviously as you can see above, at some point I expected it to happen. I'd certainly feel better if my name wasn't on it.

― dan selzer, Thursday, 22 March 2007 15:00 (6 years ago) Permalink

I emailed the eBay seller and he said it was removed 3 days ago due to a request from a bandmember. On my birthday of all days. Apologies to the Desperate Bicycles...

― dan selzer, Thursday, 22 March 2007 15:21 (6 years ago) Permalink

Right, so will Ricky Gervaise contact him regarding one of his other 'items for sale'?

― Mark G, Thursday, 22 March 2007 15:37 (6 years ago) Permalink

you'd think London Records would have rushed out a Seona Dancing cd collection...

― dan selzer, Thursday, 22 March 2007 15:38 (6 years ago) Permalink

but is it funny?

― Mark G, Thursday, 22 March 2007 15:43 (6 years ago) Permalink

so what is the band's explanation of not wanting their shit released? Is it embarrassment?

― Richard Wood Johnson, Friday, 23 March 2007 05:41 (6 years ago) Permalink

For many reasons, they are one of the greatest bands ever.

― Dr.C, Friday, 23 March 2007 09:01 (6 years ago) Permalink

I respect artist's rights to have control over their music, and refuse to reissue it, but I also reserve the right to think they are twats for doing so.

― Colonel Poo, Friday, 23 March 2007 10:33 (6 years ago) Permalink

Is it embarrassment?

No, the Embarrassment had a 2 cd compilation on Bar None a few years ago, that may still be in print.

There may be different members of the band who don't get along, that's a common reason bands don't want their music reissued. Some artists see the music as so much a part of it's time that they have little interest in revisiting the past. As someone who runs a reissue label, I can tell you there are plenty of artists who think the past is the past and should stay that way.

But I think enough people genuinely love the Desperate Bicycles for their music that your attempts at calling us disingenuous is pretty week.

― dan selzer, Friday, 23 March 2007 11:19 (6 years ago) Permalink

>> the Embarrassment had a 2 cd compilation on Bar None a few years ago, that may still be in print.

Sadly it isn't and goes for $$$ on Ebay. I've been trying to get it for ages.

― Colonel Poo, Friday, 23 March 2007 12:15 (6 years ago) Permalink

Maybe they or someone else will re-do it...I think the mastering was really weird on it, sounded a bit tinny. The second CD was in my discman when it was stolen out of my house. They've played a few times and someone's working on a movie about them, so I'm sure somebody will get the CD back out.

― dan selzer, Friday, 23 March 2007 12:43 (6 years ago) Permalink

It wasn't the mastering Dan - at least nout entirely - so much as that they rather foolishly remixed a lot of the tracks and added new weird parts in the studio. And it was way inferior to what was there in the first place.

― deedeedeextrovert, Friday, 23 March 2007 15:02 (6 years ago) Permalink

I've only heard the Heyday CD...I'll definitely have to check out the originals.

― dan selzer, Friday, 23 March 2007 15:29 (6 years ago) Permalink

the tape on Fresh Sounds is the thing to get, so good!

― sleeve, Friday, 23 March 2007 15:38 (6 years ago) Permalink

Sorry if this is selfish but I have read about this band so often in books on Punk etc. and alwayswanted to hear some of their stuff. Didn´t know that their stuff never made it to CD. Kept writing to Captain Oi and other reissue labels like GTA or Overground but to no avail. When I saw that someone had posted the files I almost had tears in my eyes. So I finally at least can die in peace having finally heard "The Medium was Tedium" and its B-Side "Don´t Back the Front". Thank you
Robert

― Robert Laversuch, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 13:52 (6 years ago) Permalink

2 weeks pass...

I bought these vinyl releases when they first came out. I was amazed hen they played a benefit concert in my then hometown of Bristol - had an inspirring talk with them afterwards.

A quarter of a century later + after moving through 2 continents it's great to hear the songs that still float around in one's head...

Many thanks!

Rhodri Kasperbauer

― kasperbauer, Friday, 20 April 2007 16:34 (6 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

eww, this music is fucking shite. there's no reason to hear this bollocks except the fact that someone doesn't want you to hear it. brilliant marketing move, laddies.

i love this pretentious existential explanation for the band:
"The Desperate Bicycles were formed for the specific purpose of recording and releasing a single on their own label."

Not to make good music, not to express anything relevant, but simply to release an album. Yes, this has encouraged me to go buy an excessively large Hummer and drive it around just because.

― res, Saturday, 21 June 2008 20:06 (4 years ago) Permalink

i'd say "advice on arrest" definitely expresses something relevant, and far from existential or pretentious. try actually listening to them next time.

― r1o natsume, Saturday, 21 June 2008 20:24 (4 years ago) Permalink

What's really cool about music is that sometimes some people like it, while other people don't. A little respect for other people's taste and opinions goes a long way. They wrote tons of great songs that mean a lot to a lot of people. It's fine if you don't like them, and I guess it's silly for me to argue on the internet about stuff like this.

It was a pretty big deal, a big conceptual leap back then, that you could just put out a record. They had that idea and decided to do it. It was an influential move, but unlike the bulk of their followers, the music was also fantastic and they continued to write songs, released a few more singles and an LP. Most of it is pretty good to completely awesome, in my opinion, if not yours.

And I like it just because.

― dan selzer, Saturday, 21 June 2008 20:46 (4 years ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Is this the thread that is mentioned in the page at the top of the thread that doesn't work when you click on the link on that page?

Because if it is, he's right, it is interesting.

I remember buying the second single from my local record shop and cursing the fact that you must have either lived next to Rough Trade or been a friend of the band to get the first single. Certainly had no chance getting it out in the sticks. It's good to hear it again after all these years.

― Ned Trifle II, Saturday, 2 August 2008 09:25 (4 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

Dug this up for the first time in probably 4 years? Totally enjoying "Cars"

― "lol" as frivolity (Stevie D), Wednesday, 5 August 2009 16:28 (3 years ago) Permalink

"Holidays" is easily one of my favorite songs of all time. Can't get enough of it.

― Trip Maker, Wednesday, 5 August 2009 16:38 (3 years ago) Permalink

I'm at the "Grief Is Very Private" single and it's quite exceptional. I'm surprised at how fucking good this is.

― "lol" as frivolity (Stevie D), Wednesday, 5 August 2009 16:44 (3 years ago) Permalink

10 months pass...

There's a Lusty Ghosts song toward the end of this podcast..!

http://www.slumberlandrecords.com/extras/podcast/27

― prior, Thursday, 10 June 2010 14:50 (3 years ago) Permalink

2 years pass...

the "article" I wrote for Swingset Magazine in 2004:

http://swingsetmagazine.com/2012/06/xerox_music_is_here_to_stay/

I may update it one day with newer info, links, color photos etc, and post to the Acute site, but for now you can look at this and learn nothing new.

― dan selzer, Thursday, 14 June 2012 19:54 (1 year ago) Permalink

Dan, I don't know if it's already been addressed, but do you have the Evening Outs single and the Peel Sessions of the Desperate Bicycles on your burned CDs and if so, is it possible to receive any copies?

― MaRK A Gjr, Saturday, 23 June 2012 22:19 (11 months ago) Permalink

the desperate bicycles 7"s were all recently bootlegged with added bonus peel sessions tracks added. no sign of a 'remorse code' bootleg though.

― stirmonster, Sunday, 24 June 2012 17:34 (11 months ago) Permalink

and, great article, dan.

― stirmonster, Sunday, 24 June 2012 17:57 (11 months ago) Permalink

Thanks. Hopefully I'll do the updated version eventually.

I have the Evening Outs single and the Peel Sessions. Neither were on the original burned CDs.

― dan selzer, Monday, 25 June 2012 21:41 (11 months ago) Permalink

Mark, when you email people via ilx, you have to include an email address so they can write back!

― dan selzer, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 12:22 (11 months ago) Permalink

got the 4 "reissue" 7"s today
first single is Smokescreen/Handlebars on one side & Occupied Territory/Skill on the other, 2 great singles for the price of one.
second single is Medium Was Tedium/Don't Back The Front on one side & 2 tracks from a Peel Session on the other, a slower & more together sounding version of Smokescreen & (i'm assuming) Teacher's Prayer (the sleeve & label have no info at all!)
third & fourth singles are pretty straight repros of New Cross & Grief Is Very Private with sleeves changed/added. have to say stylophone/bass/drums is a great idea for a band lineup.

― zappi, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 15:30 (11 months ago) Permalink

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