Young Marble Giants : Colossal Youths or Little Duds

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there was going to be a new album of unreleased old stuff by the YMG on the Vinyl Japan label, did that come out yet?

― duane, Monday, 23 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

it's in the discography on the Cardiffians site but I couldn't find it in the cat. on the VJ site.

― duane, Monday, 23 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Classic, of course. For further argument check http://www.dominorecordco.com/ (under news/et's ipu)

― Jerry, Monday, 23 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

hey, i've just been to dominorecordco. i didn't know they'd signed schlammpeitziger

― gareth, Monday, 23 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Maryann just pointed out to me how much like Kraftwerk the YMGs sound. I know, "influence", big deal, but it was really interesting to me how 2 bands I liked so much, had listened to for years, I'd never thought of this obvious resemblance between them. Check it out.

― duane, Thursday, 26 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Glad to see that people are checking out my Cardiffians site -- I've just included a link to this message board there.

Regarding the _Salad Days_ compilation: Vinyl Japan did indeed release it last year. Your local record shop should be able to order it for you, or you can get it through any number of mailorder services. I recommend Other Music (www.othermusic.com), Tweekitten (www.tweekitten.com) or Penny Black Music (www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk).

By the way, here's the link to Vinyl Japan's site: http://www.vinyljapan.demon.co.uk/ask/askcd113.htm.

― Mike Appelstein, Sunday, 29 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

six months pass...

Whoooo.. I was just about to start this thread but I thought I'd best check it hadn't been done already. But it had! Yay!

Wurlitzer Jukebox has the best bass bit EVAH EVAH

― electric sound of jim, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two years pass...

I bought this about a year ago, can't remember why, but I always feel the need to come back to it. Its a great palate cleanser for all the shit I am forced to listen to - YMG Sorbet.

I haven't been able to find my copy for a few weeks and am going through withdrawl.

I think the Adam Green cover is very good w/the bongos and the sax.

Someone say something about the Young Marble Giants. Don't make me bring pitchfork into this...

― christhamrin (christhamrin), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 12:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I like CY. A bit samey at times and the organ definitely gets into zamboni territory at points, but on the whole it's a minimal masterpiece. On the original album, "Consantly Changing" and "Credit in the Straight World" are my favorites, on the re-issue it's probably "Final Day."

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 12:44 (twenty-two years ago)

i wish i liked them more than i do

― amateur!st (amateurist), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 12:53 (twenty-two years ago)

BBC Wales is running a program on them today!

― mike a, Wednesday, 18 February 2004 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Little DUDS?!! HOW DARE YOU????#%$^&*(()

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 15:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Did anyone listen to the program on Radio Wales?

― Oliver Pyper (stickthrower), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 19:03 (twenty-two years ago)

At some point I really need to own a YMG cd as I have lived off of taped radio broadcast selections and random mp3s. This reminds me to update my to-buy list.

― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 19:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I tried, but the office firewall got in my way.

― mike a, Wednesday, 18 February 2004 19:24 (twenty-two years ago)

The programme's entry on the bbc website is classic:

Colossal Youth: A tribute to 80s Cardiff band Young Marble Giants, now largely forgotten, yet cited as an influence by many international stars. Followed by Farming News.

FARMING NEWS!!
Maybe they'll stream it.

― harveyw (harveyw), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Someone please post about how the new material sounded...I won't be getting a copy for several days and am dying of curiosity.

― mike a, Wednesday, 18 February 2004 19:55 (twenty-two years ago)

I heard the documentary. Sort of underwhelming, in general--they had to explain what "indie" music was to everybody, at length. A little bit of interesting info about the internal dynamics of the band; one new song at the very end, which was not "Colossal Youth"-caliber but was still quite pretty.

― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 20:03 (twenty-two years ago)

someone really really needs to properly reissue the Crepsucule version of Colossal Youth. like, today.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 23:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I managed to pick it up pretty cheaply.

― christhamrin (christhamrin), Thursday, 19 February 2004 00:11 (twenty-two years ago)

same, but it's a travesty that it's not widely available

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 19 February 2004 00:15 (twenty-two years ago)

wow, i'm the only person in this thread who just doesn't like this record. i had been looking for it for years after reading the chapter on them in r.unterberger's book, and after finally finding it, i just didn't get it. too little too late maybe?

― JaXoN (JasonD), Thursday, 19 February 2004 00:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I think it is hurt from most people hearing it as 25 tracks crammed onto one CD. It works better in bits and pieces (which you should listen to over and over). And the test pattern songs spoil it all a bit.

Then again I am totally full of shit because I wrote this thing about how the are boring (sort of is, but in a good way) and said it was what Kurt Cobain was listening to when he shot himself.

― christhamrin (christhamrin), Thursday, 19 February 2004 00:32 (twenty-two years ago)

"oh why oh why did i let courtney cover YMG!! that was my idea!!! i'm going to end it all now..."

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 19 February 2004 00:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I think it is hurt from most people hearing it as 25 tracks crammed onto one CD

but i have the record. didn't help

― JaXoN (JasonD), Thursday, 19 February 2004 00:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks to Courtney, Stuart Moxham got some serious publishing money. I'm not going to argue with her covering "Credit In The Straight World," even if it's an inferior version.

― mike a, Thursday, 19 February 2004 02:17 (twenty-two years ago)

indeed! he probably saw decent wedge from that Lush cover too

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 19 February 2004 02:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Indeed. It's like Mandy Moore covering XTC (erm...if that Mandy Moore record had actually sold, I guess).

― mike a, Thursday, 19 February 2004 02:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Interestingly enough...back in May 1992, when I was seeing Ween at Jabberjaw (oh, the indieness) in LA, I was talking to a feller who ran a small label that was supposedly putting together a YMG tribute. Nirvana were indeed intending to contribute to same, if he was to be believed.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 19 February 2004 02:31 (twenty-two years ago)

the Magnetic Fields cover of "the man amplifier" was apparently due to be one of the contributions. i don't recall why it was never released.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 19 February 2004 02:38 (twenty-two years ago)

best record ever made! weekend is pants though

― mullygrubber (gaz), Thursday, 19 February 2004 06:16 (twenty-two years ago)

mandy moore covering ymg!

you heard it here first

― amateur!st (amateurist), Thursday, 19 February 2004 09:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, Chris of Landspeed Records. He got pretty far with that YMG tribute, but for whatever reason never managed to finish it. Many of the tracks have been released elsewhere - Magnetic Fields, Barbara Manning, Versus, and Linda Smith among others.

― mike a, Thursday, 19 February 2004 13:58 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

Just heard this, colossal indeed. Wonderful collection of miniatures, never drags, some of the instrumentals are fine but the voice is a vital element.

Do have some admiration for the neatness of the discog.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 8 April 2004 09:04 (twenty-two years ago)

still wish i liked this more than i do, i so want to love it

― amateur!st (amateurist), Thursday, 8 April 2004 10:05 (twenty-two years ago)

We all want you to love it too

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 8 April 2004 10:06 (twenty-two years ago)

ams sometimes i worry that you were born without a soul, then i realise it's just my opinionated bastardness shining through

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 8 April 2004 10:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Classic. But kinda like Stuart Moxham's next band, The Gist, even better. A bit more techno n funkee. Again, everything fits on one cd reissue. Again, hard to get, but that's what gemm.com is for.

― sexyDancer, Thursday, 8 April 2004 14:02 (twenty-two years ago)

YMG/The gist hard to find. you are silly

― heroes + villains, Thursday, 8 April 2004 22:34 (twenty-two years ago)

i mean, i went to the trouble of finding the gist album (actually, i found it easily enough for fairly cheap, to the surprise of several friends who had spent years looking for it) and several s.m. solo albums, not to mention the weekend stuff (yawn), in pursuit of what i hoped would be, and sometimes pretended was already, a great musical love. i mean, i like ymg, the music i mean, but i can't find myself loving it with any great passion, or really feeling any sort of liftoff when i listen to the record.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 9 April 2004 12:38 (twenty-two years ago)

the one thing i really really like in this little subsubgenre is "public girls" by the gist.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 9 April 2004 12:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm sure you'll get over it

― sexyDancer, Friday, 9 April 2004 13:01 (twenty-two years ago)

whatever, it's been like 8 years, and my interest has drifted away from this kind of thing anyhow

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 9 April 2004 13:24 (twenty-two years ago)

drifted into posting several times about it?
admit it... you're a huge fan

― sexyDancer, Friday, 9 April 2004 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I always find I have to be in a very specific mood to fully enjoy and absorb YMG's music. It is so subtle and fleeting an appeal that you have to be actively wanting their immense sparseness... The gaps in instrumentation and lack of flourish are what count really. The absence plays upon one's mind in quite a symbolic way, for me.

They tend to have some of the most affecting organ playing on record that I've heard, also...

― Tom May (Tom May), Friday, 9 April 2004 14:36 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

Has anyone seen the new dvd on Cherry Red yet? I'm only asking because every other video I have seen from Cherry Red has been horrible in quality (Felt, The Fall, Chameleons, Cherry Red Story). Just hoping this one is better.

― svend (svend), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 13:06 (twenty-two years ago)

From what I understand, it's simply the Live at The Hurrah! video transferred onto DVD. No word on extras yet. The quality isn't the clearest, but somehow works for the subject matter. It's the same effect as _Here Are The Young Men_ - Ian Curtis looks trapped by a searchlight.

― mike a, Wednesday, 12 May 2004 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

When I play this disc, I have to have a sweater nearby.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 13 May 2005 03:57 (twenty-one years ago)

that weekend cd really is pants though. pants + sweater = ??

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Friday, 13 May 2005 04:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Something about the spartan beats combined with that organ sound and Alison's voice makes for the sonic equivalent of a chilly draft hitting me on the back of the neck.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 13 May 2005 04:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 121 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

wow, Sugar Plant have a album on Spotify from 2018!!! I thought they broke up years ago.

― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 29 August 2019 15:51 (six years ago)

Whoa, what?!?

― McGrief the Crying Dog (Old Lunch), Thursday, 29 August 2019 15:53 (six years ago)

yep, called Headlights... they cover Ben Watt's North Marine Drive on it!

― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 29 August 2019 16:01 (six years ago)

I would never call YMG "lounge," but some songs do conjure up moods not far removed from "Girl from Ipanema" or "Summer Samba" for me. And the drum machine, while not lounge, is a sound from the past, like my aunt playing her Lowrey organ at Christmastime when I was a kid.

I love this record so much, but it's one of a handful I consciously don't pull out often, because I don't want to overplay it and wear out its magic.

― confusementalism (Dan Peterson), Friday, 30 August 2019 14:13 (six years ago)

Lounge music my arse

― paolo, Friday, 30 August 2019 17:23 (six years ago)

Superficially, Colossal Youth reminds me most of There's a Riot Going On and VU's s/t. It feels like everyone, musician and listener, is shut up together in a medium-sized cabinet.

― McGrief the Crying Dog (Old Lunch), Friday, 30 August 2019 17:28 (six years ago)

Just looked over a review I wrote for the reissues 12 years ago - had forgotten that I pondered the squareness, though I don't think I'd have reached for "lounge" as a descriptor. I didn't see that squareness as a drawback:

http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/3835

...now that the thing has been beloved to me for more than a decade, it's hard to recover those first impressions.

― bendy, Friday, 30 August 2019 17:51 (six years ago)

There's some beachy vibes to the follow-up group The Weekend, who are excellent. But seedy, schmaltzy "lounge"? No.

That said, I'm going to share my favorite Weekend track just because there's never a bad time: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E9WCCHHoepw

― Soundslike, Friday, 30 August 2019 18:31 (six years ago)

Nice piece, Bendy, thanks for sharing.

― confusementalism (Dan Peterson), Friday, 30 August 2019 18:53 (six years ago)

Thanks DP

― bendy, Saturday, 31 August 2019 04:44 (six years ago)

Have you’ve heard about this band called Furniture?

https://youtu.be/3pkisXg5jCc

Furniture is in no way related to YMG, but heard this song just now for the very first time and loved it. Apparently it’s from 1983 and the first artist that came to mind is YMG, also gives some vibes of Echo & the Bunnymen.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 12 September 2019 05:20 (six years ago)

I honestly can’t tell if that’s a drum machine or a real drummer... or a mix of both. But drum machine + sustained organ lines are also the basis sound of YMG

It’s only missing the distinctive YMG bass sound and Alison’s voice, of course, but we get a cool clarinet sound and some Echo & the Bunnymen vocal instead.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 12 September 2019 05:32 (six years ago)

furniture had a big(ish) uk hit a few years later with this, which is a bit smoother. (and this is yet another band that reminds me of Japan)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx37AWqSPU0

― koogs, Thursday, 12 September 2019 08:35 (six years ago)

some Wild Swans in there too

― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 12 September 2019 13:03 (six years ago)

Never saw this thread before---reminds me that I long ago came across a few post-Giants tracks with voice and songs of Alison Stratton, very intriguing, and now I want to look for more. Meanwhile, this archived Voice reviewette of the worthy Domino collection still details and sums up their appeal (to me, anyway):
https://myvil.blogspot.com/2016/06/young-marble-giants-colossal-youth-and.html

― dow, Friday, 13 September 2019 04:01 (six years ago)

you're talking about the band Weekend, I assume?

― sleeve, Friday, 13 September 2019 14:09 (six years ago)

Have you’ve heard about this band called Furniture?

Never, and that first track is wonderful, thanks!

― confusementalism (Dan Peterson), Friday, 13 September 2019 14:38 (six years ago)

Weekend is food but that weekend demos release from a few years ago is great.

― dan selzer, Friday, 13 September 2019 14:42 (six years ago)

xpost sleeve, I heard Stratton in a duo, blanking on the other name, something unexpectedly turned up on the old Rhapsody streaming service, while I was checking out a computer at Best Buy, 10 years ago maybe.

― dow, Friday, 13 September 2019 20:38 (six years ago)

Dan, food is good, I like food!

― dow, Friday, 13 September 2019 20:39 (six years ago)

whoa, there's TWO duos!

https://www.discogs.com/artist/404215-Alison-Statton-Spike

https://www.discogs.com/artist/288814-Devine-Statton

― sleeve, Friday, 13 September 2019 20:40 (six years ago)

one year passes...

Finally got round to listening to the Stuart Moxham / Louis Phillipe album that came out a few months ago bearing the title 'The Devil Laughs'. Ruddy hell, what a lovely record! Anyone else got it yet?

― kites aren't fun (NickB), Wednesday, 14 October 2020 14:44 (five years ago)

they just announced a 40th anniversary double LP of Colossal Youth too
https://www.dominomusic.com/releases/young-marble-giants/colossal-youth/exclusive-limited-double-lp

― sean gramophone, Wednesday, 14 October 2020 14:45 (five years ago)

how the hell did I miss this Salad Days release?!?!

― sleeve, Wednesday, 14 October 2020 14:52 (five years ago)

Very tender and delicate songs on this new one as you'd expect and a bit of a David Crosby vibe on some of the arrangements making it all very pastoral and dreamy. Really reminding me of Gorky's circa 'The Blue Trees' (a fine thing)

― kites aren't fun (NickB), Wednesday, 14 October 2020 14:53 (five years ago)

thanks for the heads up, Nick! I was afraid Louis had retired from music to focus on sportscasting, so I'm pleasantly surprised that he's putting out two albums (the Moxham collab and an upcoming solo album) in 2020

― (peech) or (buht ih-moh-jee) (unregistered), Wednesday, 14 October 2020 15:44 (five years ago)

Never got round to investigating Louis Phillipe before tbh, maybe now's the time!

― kites aren't fun (NickB), Wednesday, 14 October 2020 15:58 (five years ago)

I'd missed that too, it sounds really good, thanks Nick.

While we're on the subject of Louis, some of you may like / may have missed this Louis version of "Don't Talk" which we put out a few years ago and which not enough people heard IMO:

https://hangoverloungerecords.bandcamp.com/track/dont-talk

― Tim, Wednesday, 14 October 2020 16:02 (five years ago)

that's a great vocal performance, but the breathing kind of spoils it for me. song for song, Ivory Tower is still probably my favorite album of his, and Azure is the best showcase for his arrangements. I also really love this re-recording of 'Fires Rise and Die':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Kxh4G37iI8

― (peech) or (buht ih-moh-jee) (unregistered), Wednesday, 14 October 2020 16:38 (five years ago)

three months pass...

new madlib

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMBjoK1s3fA

― sean gramophone, Tuesday, 26 January 2021 19:24 (five years ago)

― kites aren't fun (NickB)
Wait, which album is this??

― dow, Tuesday, 26 January 2021 22:55 (five years ago)

Love it.

― Van Horn Street, Tuesday, 26 January 2021 23:44 (five years ago)

dow: Stuart Moxham / Louis Phillipe - 'The Devil Laughs'

― mage uluk (NickB), Wednesday, 27 January 2021 00:00 (five years ago)

four years pass...

Choci Loni roams

― timellison, Monday, 15 September 2025 22:53 (eight months ago)

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