Severed Heads: CDSD

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Stereolab "Twenty Deadly Diseases"

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 00:42 (twenty years ago) link

of course, Fischerspooner "Propellor"

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 00:43 (twenty years ago) link

chicks on speed "canine"

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 00:46 (twenty years ago) link

Kylie Minogue "Hot With Fleas"

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 00:56 (twenty years ago) link

Now that's a very astute one, donut bitch.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 01:08 (twenty years ago) link

i did a cover of 'we have come to bless this house' and then binned it after realising that severed heads are pretty much untouchable.

i was speaking about this eralier with a friend - if they hadn't had such an intimidating (to some) name, could severed heads have been as big as new order?

― stirmonster, Tuesday, 2 March 2004 01:12 (twenty years ago) link

I think their biggest problem was being based in Australia - the usual problem.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 01:15 (twenty years ago) link

I think it's more then the name...the artwork on the Nettwerk releases and the associations with Skinny Puppy(Ellard did a record w/ one of them, I think? and/or helped produce something of theirs, which if memory serves me correctly he later referred to as "teaching them how to use their synthesizers) Maybe not as big as New Order but maybe as big as Cabaret Voltaire? Maybe they were as big as Cabaret Voltaire. I think even the poppiest Severed Heads tracks walks that thin-rope of weirdness. But I also think when people listen to dancey and or noisy electronic music, they don't think "how is the songwriting" and Tom Ellard's a great goddamn songwriter. I think there was a tribute CD made by members of the Severed Heads mailing list, which is apparently a very active group that Tom contributes to.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 01:25 (twenty years ago) link

tom ellard sure is a great songwriter but i guess his voice is offputting to a lot of people. yr also right about the weirdness. take 'harold and cindy hospital' - a great pop song but freaking weird or what?

anyhow, here in the uk, they were never even a blip on the radar. very sad but very indicative of the (pre techno) uk conservatism for any electronic music that wasn't kraftwerk.

― stirmonster, Tuesday, 2 March 2004 01:52 (twenty years ago) link

hi, twitch!

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 02:03 (twenty years ago) link

severed heads had a following amongst the wax trax/nettwerk types. After I got into the Cabs and Throbbing Gristle etc, I dabbled in that stuff and immediately hated most of it (I haven't forgotten how you feel about Skinny Puppy though!) but for some reason the Severed Heads really stuck. It's been this constant thread, it's how I met Morgan Geist and many years later, how I bonded with some of the NYC techno people, hearing Greater Reward at techno parties in the just pre-electroclash days of 2000 or so.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 02:40 (twenty years ago) link

By the way, if anyone here wants to try to do a cover version of "Dead Eyes Opened", I have a copy of the original source material he cut up and used for that. I can possibly make a copy of mp3 it up if anyone cares that much.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 02:51 (twenty years ago) link

Well, I remember Severed Heads getting the "New Order vs. Residents" comparisons quite a bit in college radio.. but yeah, that S R Gilmore art and the Skinny Puppy association (which was basically Ellard "showing them how to use their synthesizers" on the "Chainsaw" ep... and note how more fucked up Skinny Puppy sounded after that!) certainly scared off a lot of people who avoided Wax Trax! and most Nettwerk stuff like the plague.. but you know, they probably wouldn't have had ANY U.S. or Canadian following if it weren't for Nettwerk, so they should be given some credit here.

Tom doesn't have a single kind word to say about Ink records, the UK label that ripped the band off, but did pretty much got their stuff distributed on vinyl... and is the reason most of us on this thread might actually own any Severed heads vinyl pre-1985 at all.

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 07:02 (twenty years ago) link

hi lauren! are you going to be in miami this week?

sean - please do make that available as an mp3. i'd like to hear it, even just out of curiosity. i adore 'dead eyes opened'. joakim from tigersushi has done a really excellent re edit of it that should be out soon. i was a bit wary as it's such a sacred song but he has done a very respectful job.

i never knew that ink records ripped them off but i have to say, if it wasn't for ink releasing their stuff over here, i don't think i'd have discovered them until much later when nettwerk started putting their music out.

and dan, i used to be mad about skinny puppy but i can't say i have put on any of there records in the last decade whereas severed heads are always on my stereo. most people in the uk probably only know 'greater reward' and think they made house records as it was a huge dancefloor hit in the summer of love ('88). that piano - mmmmmm!

― stirmonster, Tuesday, 2 March 2004 14:20 (twenty years ago) link

yes, twitch! i'll be there. see you friday?

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 15:58 (twenty years ago) link

six months pass...

Okay, so one of the more intriguing things I learned about the grand LTM label is that they're going to be doing some sort of reissuing of Severed Heads stuff, and as an early teaser of that, here's a great and utterly exhaustive new biography up on the LTM website.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 4 September 2004 17:52 (nineteen years ago) link

I already own it all, ned!

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 4 September 2004 18:05 (nineteen years ago) link

I mean, it would be silly of them to reissue all that stuff if i already have it. Wouldn't it?

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 4 September 2004 18:10 (nineteen years ago) link

But it would be shiny and sparkly.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 4 September 2004 18:23 (nineteen years ago) link

who's gonna reissue this Nasmak record i'm listening to right now. play that funky postpunk, dutchboy!

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 4 September 2004 19:00 (nineteen years ago) link

you can never have too much severed heads. my favourite all-time band ever.

― frenchbloke (frenchbloke), Saturday, 4 September 2004 19:10 (nineteen years ago) link

this reminds me, i still have to digitize the 2 vhs tapes of theirs i have

― david acid (gareth), Saturday, 4 September 2004 19:25 (nineteen years ago) link

Best album? I reckon it's a close race between Since the Accident, Clean and Blubberknife.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Saturday, 4 September 2004 22:41 (nineteen years ago) link

the weird thing is he's starting with Rotund for Success.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Saturday, 4 September 2004 23:16 (nineteen years ago) link

That era of Severed Heads was almost a different band, lineup wise. That was the Tom-only era.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Saturday, 4 September 2004 23:33 (nineteen years ago) link

Can't wait for reissues. All I own is the "Petrol" 12" and Cuisine, both of which I love.

― (Jon L), Saturday, 4 September 2004 23:47 (nineteen years ago) link

i bought blubberknife on cassette when i was 14 and haven't been the same since. it was inspiring to hear as that was my casio + radio + janet jackson cut-up and overdub phase.

rotund for success is easily my favorite album of theirs. "greater reward", it's b-side "nation", "all saints day", and "big car" all should've been huger than huge.

in the earlier days of sevcom.com, they were offering the entire catalog as a free download. a friend of mine has all of it on one mp3 cd. it's impressive and humbling.

― tricky disco (disco stu), Sunday, 5 September 2004 00:04 (nineteen years ago) link

When i was in high school I made a 90 min cassette of sev heads that was brilliant. anyway, I do love Rotund for Success, but it doesn't seem as defining as the CD of Come Visit the Big Bigot w/ Dead Eyes Open, which I think is a closer mix of the weird and the pop, or perhaps because that was my first cd purchase of theirs.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Sunday, 5 September 2004 03:18 (nineteen years ago) link

i think rotund is an excellent starting point. my fave SH album is bulkhead, but it's really just a singles compilation..

― purple patch (electricsound), Sunday, 5 September 2004 08:26 (nineteen years ago) link

bulkhead is indeed great. i wish they would have put a shorter version of "hot with fleas" on it and added "all saints day", but as a comp it's a perfect introduction to the weird and the pop. there's always bulkhead plus!

― tricky disco (disco stu), Sunday, 5 September 2004 12:59 (nineteen years ago) link

go to www.sevcom.com and you'll see the bulkhead plus cd, and many others lovingly hand-crafted by mr. ellard himself.

― frenchbloke (frenchbloke), Sunday, 5 September 2004 13:11 (nineteen years ago) link

I just think Rotund and esp. Bulkhead lean to far towards the later dancier period, neglecting all that wonderfull stuff on those early records. That's why I think Come Visit the Big Bigot w/ Dead Eyes Open makes a nicer starting point, is all.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Sunday, 5 September 2004 17:50 (nineteen years ago) link

i started on goodbye tonsils, then come visit the big bigot then there's no going back

― frenchbloke (frenchbloke), Sunday, 5 September 2004 18:43 (nineteen years ago) link

i just pulled out clifford darling..for the first time in a long time cuzza this thread. it always makes me happy!

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 5 September 2004 19:02 (nineteen years ago) link

...the big bigot has "sam loves you" = classique

― tricky disco (disco stu), Sunday, 5 September 2004 22:55 (nineteen years ago) link

one month passes...

*bump* - if only because SPK and Foetus are top of the ILM thread list at thew moment, so let's make it a trifecta for the weird Aussies.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 4 November 2004 01:50 (nineteen years ago) link

ahh, i love seeing my threads bumped

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Thursday, 4 November 2004 02:06 (nineteen years ago) link

I remember hearing 'Dead Eyes Opened' on the radio when I was a kid, it used to spook me a quite bit. It seemed kinda cheesy then, but I'm sure I'd appreciate it more now.

I'd buy something if I ever saw them around.

And Jim, do you still have Priviledge?

― Sasha on a different PC, Thursday, 4 November 2004 05:42 (nineteen years ago) link

yes i do.

i've always thought "Dead Eyes Opened" to be one of Ellard's less interesting works. on the other hand, "Canine" OWNS.

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Thursday, 4 November 2004 05:45 (nineteen years ago) link

four months pass...

Anybody heard the new album/soundtrack by Severed Heads? It's called "Illustrated Family Doctor".

― Jedmond (Jedmond), Sunday, 13 March 2005 14:29 (nineteen years ago) link

yeah, it's pretty and ambient and probably works well as a soundtrack but it's not really compelling listening

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Sunday, 13 March 2005 23:58 (nineteen years ago) link

I've been playing Rotund For Success a lot recently; actually "Big Car" caused me to rear-end a minivan (true story).

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 14 March 2005 02:38 (nineteen years ago) link

two weeks pass...

Hey, something I was wondering...I went to the SevCom site recently and it looks like Ellard is offering up all of the old albums in new packaged, but it looks like they're all home-burns from the man himself. Anyone actually try out any of these? Are they worth it? I am intrigued but I'm actually a bit wary of buying burned copies rather than pressed copies.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Saturday, 2 April 2005 03:24 (nineteen years ago) link

i got a few that way - Twister Retread abnd GigaPlus and a couple of others. Quality is fine.

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Saturday, 2 April 2005 03:39 (nineteen years ago) link

What's the artwork like? Is it anything special beyond being made by the man himself? Is it worth replacing the Nettwerk CDs perhaps?

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Saturday, 2 April 2005 03:47 (nineteen years ago) link

i can't say anything about replacing stuff, but the artwork is ok, nothing special about the cd inserts, and the typography is a little basic. i had to check this just now, cos it's not something i'd thought about til you asked! nb, i am not wearing my glasses right now

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Saturday, 2 April 2005 03:54 (nineteen years ago) link

Speaking of not replacing, the LTM reisssue of Rotund For Success is NOT really a song-for-song replacement aid for the Nettwerk release. "Triangle Tangle Tango" is COMPLETELY different on both. I like both, but as different songs. Also, the remix of the LTM version different enough such that it might be worth keeping the Nettwerk and/or Important issue around.

― donut debonair (donut), Saturday, 2 April 2005 09:25 (nineteen years ago) link

I would like to reiterate that the version of "Big Car" on RFS is wildly, impossibly wonderful. Even if it did make me have a car accident.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Saturday, 2 April 2005 13:51 (nineteen years ago) link

ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM, DANG... YOU'VE MADE IT!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!

― donut debonair (donut), Saturday, 2 April 2005 23:22 (nineteen years ago) link

always thought it was 'all the way to the bottom, maggie...' for some reason.

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Saturday, 2 April 2005 23:45 (nineteen years ago) link

Skipping 154 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

don't think Bradbury has been in a lineup in a longtime. Was interesting discovering some of his solo stuff, gave a good sense of what his contribution might have been.

― dan selzer, Saturday, 8 January 2022 20:41 (two years ago) link

(he was p much only involved in 1982-83 and 1985, but had solo and other-band releases on Terse Tapes beforehand and on Sevcom much later)

― dark end of the st. maud (sic), Saturday, 8 January 2022 21:30 (two years ago) link

saw GB play live solo maybe 10 years ago, was an extremely good show - and as suggested upthread he definitely possessed a good amount of whatever made Sevs weird and great when they were weird and great

― lemmy incaution (emsworth), Saturday, 8 January 2022 22:07 (two years ago) link

Just heard this, how fucking sad

― raven, Sunday, 9 January 2022 03:55 (two years ago) link

eight months pass...

Upcoming livestream on Bandcamp

https://severedheads.bandcamp.com/merch/seance

We announce a Seance to be held with the departed spirits of Severed Heads for Halloween 2022. Based upon the freshly restored backing tapes and instruments used by the band in performances in the year 1982, before any hint of acclaim or recognition. You will enjoy an hour of sight and sound from beyond the grave (and probably a bit of in-studio malarkey if the OUIJA board is a bit dodgy. Please join us Saturday 8th October @ 7pm PDT. - The Severed Seance System

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 19 September 2022 14:36 (one year ago) link

Excellent!

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 20 September 2022 14:31 (one year ago) link

ooh

― castanuts (DJP), Tuesday, 20 September 2022 19:17 (one year ago) link

two weeks pass...

starting soon

― Vance Vance Devolution (sic), Sunday, 9 October 2022 01:58 (one year ago) link

Yesterday my shuffling iPod threw up "We Have Come to Bless the House" and I was transported with ecstacy

― assert (matttkkkk), Sunday, 9 October 2022 03:17 (one year ago) link

*ecstasy

― assert (matttkkkk), Sunday, 9 October 2022 03:17 (one year ago) link

*pingers

― assert (matttkkkk), Sunday, 9 October 2022 03:17 (one year ago) link

how was it, with pingers, or not?

― stirmonster, Sunday, 9 October 2022 03:54 (one year ago) link

Great show!

― Lord Pickles (Boring, Maryland), Sunday, 9 October 2022 04:33 (one year ago) link

It's up for 48 hours replay, so latecomers might still be able to buy a ticket in that window? Worth it just to hear Tom doing a Beatles cover.

― Vance Vance Devolution (sic), Sunday, 9 October 2022 18:26 (one year ago) link

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