C/D: The Darkside "All That Noise" (1991)

Alphastone reactivates! New material on the way:
http://www.myspace.com/alphastoned

Some rumblings from a couple of months back:

It became immensely frustrating trying to find a way to legitimately re-release the recordings I have of The Darkside, but I feel over the past year that some advances have been made, in that I now can talk to most of the ex members, maybe something positive will still happen in time, negotiations are still in progress to some extent.

This may be a premature announcement but I have nearly finished compiling the first in the Darkdaze series. The first issue is two cds, one comprising the unfinished 3rd lp session recorded in Walsall early 93, and the other a live concert recorded in Frankfurt.

Although this is the latter end of The Darkside it is in my opinion a good documentation of this band which had evolved into a hard rocking three piece garage band, I still need approval from ex band members, as regards Universal I doubt if they will ever cooperate or show any interest unless it is to issue an injunction on me.

I am very grateful for the patience and understanding I get from Gareth, he has enabled me to keep my music alive and as the tired old saying goes we hope to get out there and do some shows, our music is uncompromising and unorthodox, individual and unique and has been during the past six years or so, whatever the chosen name at the time and there has been at least four we have always tried to push our sound to the limits but confined within a decaying town well past it’s prime has had an extreme isolating effect on myself, I appreciate any contact and apologise for my inconsistency.

I refuse to disappear into the ether neither to be beaten down by apathy, I was a founder member of the Rugby Psychedelic scene and despite the long lasting legacy of negativity that emanates from those times I try to remain upbeat .

Thanks to Jack Trevillion I have one last chance to record an lp, I appreciate Jack’s offer and I sincerely hope that what I come up with will be of sufficient quality to be released. I hope to be able to play gigs with the new Alphastone set, in previous years we did as many as we could afford to do, with the impending recession I think it will be especially hard for me to fund future gigs outside our locality but I remain hopeful. Thanks for all the support from myspace friends, I really appreciate it.

I just pulled this album out last week.

Funny, yeah, I too just dusted off "Waiting For the Angels" the other day, for the first time in many moons. For the most part, I like the album as a whole sort of OK (really, it doesn't make much of an argument for itself when one can simply reach for Soul Kiss or Laser Guided Melodies when in the mood for such things), but I looooooove "Waiting for the Angels." That bassline, those Hammond B3 drones & then the super-flange climax just fit together so nicely.

As an album, I dig Mello Mania a bit more, but not by much.

The news section on the Acid Ray site seems to have gone bust, though the site itself is still up. Hmmm.

On a related note, though -- if you read through the comments on this blog entry, you'll find comments from the very first Darkside singer Nick Hayden about what his path was after leaving early on, plus follow up comments from Spiral 25 member Joe Chapman, who played with Hayden in the latter's post-Darkside band Flite 118.

From 2011. I hope Bassman gets around to making an album of this. Always like the electronic + psych guitar sound he was doing in Alpha Stone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iKNzwb4Bk8

Bassman writes about making the album. It's a great record - I wish it could have been better.
https://petespacemanbassman.wordpress.com/2015/12/10/all-that-noise/

Dispiriting read but starcrossed seems to be the nature of everything in the orbit of Sp3 that's not the two main guys (and even then).

So did the Acid Ray shop restart?

Maybe a Bandcamp page, Pete, if you're reading.

Yeah I was thinking that as a logical backup.

That would be awesome if he put all the demos and unreleased Darkside stuff on Bandcamp!

Check it out! https://www.discogs.com/The-Darkside-Complete-Studio-Masters/release/10876635

I ordered my copy from Rosco direct (msg him on Facebook). Can't wait!

wow, that looks great! is there a non-facebook method of buying a copy?

So great! Will look into it for sure.

And per Facebook seems like he's chilling in Mexico right now

Is disc 2 the alternate version of All That Noise he talked about in 2007? wowee

Anyone get this box yet? Wondering if the extras make it a worthwhile purchase if one already has the albums and Mayhem EP.

I just got it in the mail yesterday! Haven't had a chance to open it yet.

Kept trying to order it from the man himself but apparently he had trouble with PayPal.

kinda disappointing they didn't put the Highrise Love 12" on there, there's plenty of room on disc 4

I think the Nick Hayden-sung tracks are non grata at this point.

ah, didn't know that 12" was a sore point for the band

Maybe less sore point and more, uh... different band. Sorta how MBV sees their early stuff.

that aside, I've been listening to the "alt mix" of All That Noise that comprises most of disc 2, and it's pretty damn good. warmer, more guitar forward and fuzzed out. has a nice galaxie 500 vibe. also cuts out don't stop the rain and sweet vibrations, which knocks the length down to a nicer 36 minutes. I bet it sounds amazing on headphones.

also while most of the tracks are called alt mixes, they seem to be different recordings. there's no information in the liner notes (there aren't any liner notes) so I dunno

eight years later (see above), waiting for the angels is still A JAM.

https://petespacemanbassman.wordpress.com/2018/07/13/psyk-fest-memories-the-return-of-the-darkside-rugby-rock-scene-reprise/

I am the bass player of The Darkside again and God willing we will make a new album and play live.

woohoo! the remixed All That Noise is glorious