― Bill, Thursday, 20 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― nick, Saturday, 29 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
http://www.rock-city.co.uk/content/EppAAZpZVlpuMABFvu.shtml
― fin lodger, Wednesday, 2 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― james wiseman, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― robb monn, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― emil.y, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Rob M, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― B. Jam, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Joe R., Wednesday, 27 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Adore avin em back...
― Elsa Marie, Wednesday, 12 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
Classic, classic, classic. Heard them first on Two Pint Takehome, a compilation cassette where they covered Tomorrow Never Knows. Corresponded with Jo for a while and was lucky enough when I was about 16/17 when I first heard of them, to get the split flexi with Loop and all the rare singles (that weren't too rare then but still cost me £27 for a 7" single)
I'm a very happy man and glad to see that such a brilliant band hasn't been forgotten. Love both previous albums and listen to them regularly but Taste is definitely a darker album.
S
― Simonn Klee, Friday, 28 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Captain Nemo, Tuesday, 13 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
cheers,
m2
― m2, Friday, 8 November 2002 22:47 (twenty-one years ago) link
― sherri, Saturday, 9 November 2002 15:13 (twenty-one years ago) link
― some cheeky wag (david h), Saturday, 9 November 2002 15:19 (twenty-one years ago) link
― mother superior, Sunday, 10 November 2002 04:13 (twenty-one years ago) link
Surely the only decent band to come out of Burton-on-Trent though?
― James Ball (James Ball), Monday, 11 November 2002 12:31 (twenty-one years ago) link
― mr bigger, Wednesday, 16 April 2003 21:59 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Chris Barrus (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 17 April 2003 00:01 (twenty-one years ago) link
― jamie fake, Friday, 6 February 2004 20:31 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 6 February 2004 20:32 (twenty years ago) link
― Keith Watson (kmw), Friday, 6 February 2004 21:32 (twenty years ago) link
This reissue business is exciting. Record label in Reissues Something Desperately Deserving Of Being In Print shockah!
― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Friday, 6 February 2004 21:51 (twenty years ago) link
― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 6 February 2004 22:42 (twenty years ago) link
― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Friday, 6 February 2004 23:27 (twenty years ago) link
― holojames (holojames), Monday, 27 September 2004 10:31 (nineteen years ago) link
You may be disappointed then. The last show I heard of theirs (back in 2002) was Steve and Jo only doing a 40 minute slow grinding instrumental drone that sounded like tectonic plates moving - then it concluded with a dirgelike slowcore "The Perfect Needle"
I liked it, but your mileage may vary.
― Gator Magoon (Chris Barrus), Monday, 27 September 2004 17:37 (nineteen years ago) link
Personally, I seem to have developed in musical, um, taste in a similar direction to them, from frenetic teenage angst to dreamy spaced-outness (although perhaps not so much of that, although I did like Slowdive and Ride a bit, the 'Scopes were always my main focus there) to the more electronic side of things (tho' I think I'm further down that line than they are). That similarity in progression is gratifying, but I don't think that they're quite as exciting as when I first heard Taste - there's not the same urgency there. If that's what you're looking for then it's not what you'll get.
Still, fuckin-A is what I say, you should definitely check it out, just try to remove preconceptions.
― emil.y (emil.y), Monday, 27 September 2004 20:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― jellybean (jellybean), Monday, 27 September 2004 20:39 (nineteen years ago) link
I like their later stuff but the raw goodness of Taste makes it my favourite Telescopes LP.
I'll happily take what's given but The Perfect Needle would be a great bonus.
― holojames (holojames), Monday, 27 September 2004 20:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 27 September 2004 21:13 (nineteen years ago) link
parasol lists "Telescopes - Altered Perception (Space Age)" for july 6th... i think that's the one peel mentioned. can't find a track list for it though.
― koogs (koogs), Tuesday, 28 September 2004 08:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― , Tuesday, 19 October 2004 18:41 (nineteen years ago) link
http://www.poptones.co.uk/interviews/qod_steven_lawrie.htm
― doomie x, Thursday, 18 November 2004 10:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― doorag logged in as gg (gegoss), Thursday, 18 November 2004 14:31 (nineteen years ago) link
― doo as gg (gegoss), Thursday, 18 November 2004 14:45 (nineteen years ago) link
Yup (2nd studio at least, there was a semi-legit live album called Trade Mark of Quality that came out after the first). Had a ton of singles and EPs as well around that time.
is their other stuff that good?
Depends on what you're after -- earlier is some pretty goddamned violent music, up through the Taste album, while the s/t is them finding a balance between that and the pretty side of things. You'd want to find all the Creation era singles for the B-sides, at least.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 18 November 2004 15:34 (nineteen years ago) link
Sat 20 NovThe Spitz and Penny Black Music present... Vibracathedral Orchestra + The Telescopes + Sunshine Valley Dance Band + Heist + Leo Avanti (Kosmische Club) and Olga Pennyblack > 1amAnother excellent night from Penny Black. This time will feature The Telescopes who'll perform their cross between early John Cale era Velvets and a noisy Jesus and Mary Chain. Also appearing are Vibracathedral Orchestra who combine compulsive rhythms and debased ragged raga. Heist's music of sixties spy film scores and Ex- Ultrasound and Spacemen 3. Sunshine Valley Dance Band also perform.
I'm quite tempted to go, but I'm skint and actually still feeling quite rough.
― The Grain of Sand in Lambeth That Satan Cannot Find (kate), Saturday, 20 November 2004 12:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Horse of Babylon (the pirate king), Saturday, 20 November 2004 16:05 (nineteen years ago) link
I was on Bravecaptain web site and came across this by Joe Foster via www.poptones.co.uk:
What is the next reissue of Creation for Revola?
The next reissue is up for it are The Telescopes. They have one album that they said was never released. I don't know how a released album can never be released but it is a very long and complicated story with a lot of facts and I had to take a nap afterwards. The facts are that it is an excellent album, and should be out there....
FIRST POST EVER!
― Boo Radleys (BeeOK), Saturday, 20 November 2004 16:37 (nineteen years ago) link
― BeeOK (BeeOK), Saturday, 20 November 2004 16:42 (nineteen years ago) link
As it turned out, I ended up not going. I stayed home and watched _Quills_ on C4 which probably wasn't the best thing for my state of mind. Ah well.
― The Grain of Sand in Lambeth That Satan Cannot Find (kate), Sunday, 21 November 2004 16:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 21 November 2004 16:38 (nineteen years ago) link
As things usually are. It's all fun and games till someone gets their eye poked out or their tongue cut out or drowned in lye or something.
Wait, this is not the thread to be discussing this, sorry.
― The Grain of Sand in Lambeth That Satan Cannot Find (kate), Sunday, 21 November 2004 16:43 (nineteen years ago) link
stephen dropped me a mp3 for the mp3 blog - you can download it here.
www.poptones.co.uk/webcast.htm
― hey look ma i got esp, now! (jimmy the sainted kid of death), Thursday, 25 November 2004 11:19 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 29 November 2004 19:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― sacred pijin, Tuesday, 29 November 2005 14:04 (eighteen years ago) link
― Teh HoBB (the pirate king), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 21:33 (eighteen years ago) link
Still love the Telescopes but only the stuff they put out on Creation Records, with those four or five EP’s being their best stuff. I played Unisex’s Stratosfear about three months ago and really enjoyed it. This year the Telescopes put out an album called #4 but still doesn’t do much for me, though very spacey.
― BeeOK (boo radley), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 03:10 (eighteen years ago) link
i like these guys ...
― Eisbaer, Tuesday, 4 March 2008 21:56 (sixteen years ago) link
Some news:
Textile Rds is proud to announce the release of the new Telescopes album called Infinite Suns. This release is a vinyl only release and is strictly limited. The release date is June 24th. You can pre order this LP in our shop for a cool price untill june 10th. All orders will be dispatched early june...Infinite Suns begins a new era of change in the Telescopes music field.This LP is very much number one, the introduction to a serie of release (2 new albums and one live recording)This new LP is a selection of analogue tape recordings taken between 2006 and 2007, using a multi directional mic to capture environmental response. Recording levels were set close to saturation, allowing for interaction with the tape machine itself.Side one closes with a piece centered around a lock-groove from the run-out of The Telescopes first album and is lock-grooved again to play endlessly.The recording took place in a room used by a deep trance medium to hold investigative seances. The album ends with The Telescopes channelling out on each others instruments.The sound of earthquakes dreaming, where black holes reveal infinite suns.Side 1--Static Charge/Thought Loops/Northumberland side 2--Tidal Bandwidth/Chrome GullsFor pre- orders visit- http://textilerec.free.fr/index.php
Infinite Suns begins a new era of change in the Telescopes music field.
This LP is very much number one, the introduction to a serie of release (2 new albums and one live recording)
This new LP is a selection of analogue tape recordings taken between 2006 and 2007, using a multi directional mic to capture environmental response. Recording levels were set close to saturation, allowing for interaction with the tape machine itself.
Side one closes with a piece centered around a lock-groove from the run-out of The Telescopes first album and is lock-grooved again to play endlessly.
The recording took place in a room used by a deep trance medium to hold investigative seances. The album ends with The Telescopes channelling out on each others instruments.
The sound of earthquakes dreaming, where black holes reveal infinite suns.
Side 1--Static Charge/Thought Loops/Northumberland side 2--Tidal Bandwidth/Chrome Gulls
For pre- orders visit- http://textilerec.free.fr/index.php
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 22 May 2008 15:44 (fifteen years ago) link
I'm curious but I'll be honest, the 5th sentence above (lock-groove) is the only one that's doing it for me...
― henry s, Thursday, 22 May 2008 16:36 (fifteen years ago) link
just downloaded some new singles compilation by them. never heard their "first-wave" stuff (Shc burn, Kill a Slow Girl Walking, Precious Little, etc.). It's actually not bad. It feels like their transition from the old days to the creation days parallels a change from dirty to clean highs.
― Spectrum, Tuesday, 8 December 2009 21:35 (fourteen years ago) link
> Shc burn
took me about 5 years and talking to one m sinker to realise that shc stands for Spontaneous Human Combustion
what compilation is this? does it go back as far as Kick The Wall and 7th Sharp Disaster? (on Cheree?)
― koogs, Wednesday, 9 December 2009 11:05 (fourteen years ago) link
i assume it's http://www.discogs.com/Telescopes-Singles-Compilation-1989-1991/release/1656613 and no it doesn't
― ❝♪♬♩❞ (electricsound), Wednesday, 9 December 2009 11:08 (fourteen years ago) link
for some reason i thought the really early stuff had been comp'd but then i remembered i'd actually gotten hold of a couple of the early 45s which is why i was familiar with them
― ❝♪♬♩❞ (electricsound), Wednesday, 9 December 2009 11:09 (fourteen years ago) link
I have some sort of live comp that has '7th# Disaster' on it AFAIR. But yeah, bought the 12" when it came out too.
― The bugger in the short sleeves (NickB), Wednesday, 9 December 2009 11:18 (fourteen years ago) link
Was thinking of this:
Trade Mark Of Quality (1990)UK LP/CD (Fierce, Fright 039, Fright 039CD)Recorded Live at Harlow Square Club. -:-- There Is No Floor -:-- Sadness Pale -:-- The Perfect Needle -:-- 7th# Disaster -:-- Threadbare -:-- Violence -:-- Anticipating Nowhere -:-- Please, Before You Go -:-- Suicide
― The bugger in the short sleeves (NickB), Wednesday, 9 December 2009 11:24 (fourteen years ago) link
this
http://www.thetelescopes.com/news/index.html
mentions a couple of compilations released a couple of months apart, but neither go back to the beginning (not that the really old stuff is as good as the later stuff, is a bit shouty). and there's one on space age from 4 years before that.
(it also talks about the creation album as if it's 'lost'. it was on bloody creation. EVERYBODY i knew at the time had a copy (one friend ended up with three as he was a big fan and it was out the same week as his birthday). but hey...)
saw them quite a few times at the time (20 years ago...). supporting the mary chain and at reading festival in particular. leaving the stage and letting the whalesong continue for 10 more minutes.
(ah, yes, trademark, one of the fierce bootlegs...)
― koogs, Wednesday, 9 December 2009 11:27 (fourteen years ago) link
lol @ "lost", that shit was pretty heavily promoted and was licensed in multiple countries, at one stage i had two copies which were free promos..
very good album though and i'd definitely agree that it deserved to do better than it did
― ❝♪♬♩❞ (electricsound), Wednesday, 9 December 2009 11:29 (fourteen years ago) link
These guys are touring again in Feb
http://www.myspace.com/thetelescopes
― We should have called Suzie and Bobby (NickB), Friday, 15 January 2010 13:14 (fourteen years ago) link
So I always said I was going to write about the Telescopes and now I have...
https://agoldfishcalledregret.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/pure-sweetest-ocean/
― Rob M Revisited, Friday, 17 May 2013 20:50 (ten years ago) link
A+, that.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 17 May 2013 20:51 (ten years ago) link
Thanks Ned!
― Rob M Revisited, Friday, 17 May 2013 21:51 (ten years ago) link
Nice, Rob. I still cringe every time I read the first post of this thread, though.
― emil.y, Saturday, 18 May 2013 00:48 (ten years ago) link
did you go out?
― glycemic index joe (electricsound), Saturday, 18 May 2013 01:41 (ten years ago) link
The bits on Taste that sound like Halo of Flies or some AmRep band are really jarring.
― get in yr plastic FEMA coffin & stop asking questions (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Monday, 5 August 2013 10:11 (ten years ago) link
they have a new album out soon!
― sleepingsignal, Monday, 5 August 2013 12:45 (ten years ago) link
ok i'll give 'em another listen
― OutdoorFish, Monday, 5 August 2013 14:03 (ten years ago) link
the three lps i have (Taste, the creation one, 3rd Wave) are all completely different.
― koogs, Monday, 5 August 2013 14:36 (ten years ago) link
but all good. they are playing london in september and i am tempted.
― koogs, Monday, 5 August 2013 14:37 (ten years ago) link
nope, still shit
― OutdoorFish, Wednesday, 9 October 2013 20:23 (ten years ago) link
i was ill and didn't get to the gig in islington. still kinda curious but wasn't that keen on the new stuff i've heard on bandcamp.
rob m's long blog post doens't mention their version of "Candy Says" which is worth a listen. (although the version on amazon sounds like a chipmunk singing)
― koogs, Wednesday, 9 October 2013 21:05 (ten years ago) link
I didn't even know about their version of "Candy says" until I found it on Spotify the other day, and that sounds like the Chipmunks. I'm not sure if I mentioned they did a stunning version of "Morning Dew" on an indie conp in 1990 which is worth seeking out too.
― Rob M Revisited, Sunday, 13 October 2013 19:56 (ten years ago) link
Sorry couldn't listen to that version of "Candy Says," nor the Beth Gibbons version. This one is much better:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcgd35_zd4k
― Gallucci Time (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 13 October 2013 20:06 (ten years ago) link
caught stephen last night in SF; when he plays the US he mostly tours with lsd and the search of god backing him up. I'm impressed that they spend one day practicing and have the set down although to be fair a lot of it is feedback at maximum volume and stephen lays on the floor screaming into a mic. still worth checking out though. great version of the perfect needle.
― akm, Saturday, 2 April 2016 23:47 (eight years ago) link
free gig at the shacklewell arms last night.
played in front of the stage, 3 guitars and a wasp synth, all turned up loud, and all seemingly doing their own droney thing (the combined volume meaning that no-one could influence the overall sound that much). played for about 60 minutes and then left the instruments 'playing' as they went to the bar. that continued for at least another 20 minutes... (the sound guy seemed into it and happy to just leave it going)
― koogs, Friday, 25 August 2017 09:53 (six years ago) link
(no songs as such, just one long noise)
Heroes still.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 25 August 2017 13:28 (six years ago) link
hmm, sounds like a very interesting one-off night. i know i would like to see them do some of their old songs.
i will vote their self titled Creation album very high on my Shoegazer albums poll that i will be opening in about two months or October 2017. exciting about running it.
― Bee OK, Saturday, 26 August 2017 02:00 (six years ago) link
oh wow
[w]More classic than dude as I loved their debut on Creation Records along with those singles. I bought Taste around the same time but never got into like the debut on Creation. Years later I bought Unisex but never got into like Bravecaptain (because of Boo Radleys), or Mojave 3( because of Slowdive). Was really excited when I heard Third Wave was going to come out in 2002. I bought it, played a few times and have never revisited.I was on Bravecaptain web site and came across this by Joe Foster via www.poptones.co.uk:
― Boo Radleys (BeeOK), Saturday, November 20, 2004 8:37 AM (twelve years ago)[/q]
― Bee OK, Saturday, 26 August 2017 02:01 (six years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcGWPpoIf4A
― Bee OK, Saturday, 26 August 2017 02:07 (six years ago) link
the anomaly that is Bee OK
― Bee OK, Saturday, 26 August 2017 02:11 (six years ago) link
listening to taste tonight. it would be such a classic if it wasn't produced so horribly. still love it though.
― dynamicinterface, Friday, 1 September 2017 23:08 (six years ago) link
Quoting AKM two years back:
caught stephen last night in SF; when he plays the US he mostly tours with lsd and the search of god backing him up. I'm impressed that they spend one day practicing and have the set down although to be fair a lot of it is feedback at maximum volume and stephen lays on the floor screaming into a mic. still worth checking out though.
Had never seen them or LSD before and...that's pretty much what happened last night! In a good way but it was almost an endurance test. Lineup this time around was most of LSD, Stephen and two other veteran guitarist looking types, hell of a racket on stage, and yes some screaming. Didn't immediately recognize any songs in the murk but it was all about the experience.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 16 May 2018 13:08 (five years ago) link
Documentary about the making of Taste on the way this June for the 30th anniversary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJTR5rM3am0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqvG99sfDZg
― Elvis Telecom, Sunday, 13 January 2019 22:48 (five years ago) link
Oh nice!
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 14 January 2019 01:04 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSMD2ynHjfM
― MaresNest, Thursday, 27 October 2022 20:51 (one year ago) link