Legendary Pink Dots

they are playing as a trio with former guitarist Erik Drost, who was on Poppy Variations and The Whispering Wall. should be interesting, I've always seen them with at least four members.

Wow, that is a change. I'm actually v. intrigued for that reason, I always enjoyed the recent sets but there was a certain familiarity over time. Something to ask after in the interview!

(Well, assuming I get one, obv.)

the new album is very mellow

"No Star Too Far" ain't that mellow but on the whole yeah... really like the reworking of golden oldie "Hauptbahnhof".

Loving the new album and, as usual, this started a major rediscovery of my (too many?) LPD albums that got me thinking about how Edward Ka-spel is clearly one of the most underrated lyric writer ever.

There's also just the sense of inspiration coming from him -- he (and the Silverman of course) are just so constantly dedicated to keeping the partnership continuing but also to continue exploring the possibilities in their chosen approach. It's almost like the only English language band I could compare them to is the Fall, and even then it's the difference between one core figure and what surrounds him and, here, a duo.

Yes, I love the way they keep going endlessly, undeterred, oblivious to every fashion, somehow still amateurish 30 years after their inception, so single-mindedly devouted to their unseizable muse.
I hope someday a magazine like The Wire will dedicate them some attention, but I guess they're too pop, too weird, too peculiar.

Well said - really, the only difference between now and 1980 is the quality/sophistication of their gear (and a few different band members). Their entire aesthetic has barely changed at all.

Anyone seen this tour yet? Press photos have four members, I'm wondering who the 4th person is...

Also any setlist spoilers are welcome.

I saw them in Atlanta but they were just a trio!

highlight: killer version of "Cubic Caesar"

still pissed i couldnt make this show. stupid me.

hmm maybe the venue I am going to is just using old stock photos?

I don't even remember that song! Gotta look it up.

(xp)

it's the closing track on Plutonium Blonde

Still hoping to be there tomorrow night, should be good...

ty Crutis

and there is a live version as a bonus track on the vinyl of the new LP!

which I plan on buying from them on Monday.

they were on WFMU a few weeks back. Interviewed and performed some songs. Should be in the FMU archives.

Show tonight killed. Was wondering how they'd do without Van Hoorn and while it's a different beast on the one hand on the other it's still Ka-Spel and the Silverman (and guitarist Ed in this case) and it ruled.

Erik rather than Ed. Still, why not Ed?

I'm diving into Ka-Spel's solo catalogue.
Scarlet Cross from The Blue Room is a great little vampire pop song.

"Press photos have four members, I'm wondering who the 4th person is..."

I think it's Raymond, their sound engineer/factotum guy.

Hahah for a second I thought that quote was a lyric. I can hear him singing it!

Saw my first Legendary Pink Dots live experience in SF last night: set was over two hours and started off with me thinking "oh too bad they play well but they're old and don't have much presence on stage...I clearly missed their prime", and then about mid-set it was "huh these guys haven't played a bad song yet and some of this stuff is getting increasingly psychedelic and disturbing", and after the last encore song it was "I feel like someone may have slipped acid in my ginger ale earlier"....

I have no idea as to their set list (wish I did), because they're frankly one of those bands I've filed over the years under "I'd support you if I could afford it", ala Sun City Girls and Death in June, so I only have like four of their albums, but the live show has committed me to foregoing newer stuff in favor of mining their back catalog a bit. For what it's worth, I saw a totally Satanic psychedelic black metal band from Sweden not four nights prior that didn't do a single thing more disturbing than LPD's encore closer "Lent", and this delivered with the stage lights on from a jowly and rounding 56 year old Brit who looks exactly like his Wikipedia page, which ain't exactly goat skulls, blood, and corpse paint. Legendary Pink Dots live were fucking awesome.

Sounds about right. And you nailed a lot of the appeal right there -- all the threat and sense of collapse is strictly audio, not visual, but that's honed to an incredible point. Glad you liked it!

A sort of review of the show I did for Foxy Digitalis:

http://www.foxydigitalis.com/foxyd/?p=3577

"the live show has committed me to foregoing newer stuff in favor of mining their back catalog a bit"

good luck! :)
(and maybe I'm just a bit too committed fan, but I think they have dozens of songs as good as "lent" in their catalogue).

Be forewarned, their back catalog is scarily deep. I've got dozens of albums by them and I don't think I even have a quarter of it, if you count all the chemical playschools, live stuff and solo albums.

Not many votes in the albums poll, but it's good for basic recommendations:

Legendary Pink Dots poll

I also highly recommend all the Chemical Playschools and the Under Triple Moons comp of early stuff, Malachai, Brighter Now, Crushed Velvet Apocalypse, and Curse.

For Edward Ka-Spel oh hey look I started a thread:

This is the Edward Ka-Spel thread

12 hours to go before I am in Portland, damn I am excited about seeing a two hour set.

That was lovely... really liked hearing "Third Secret", "New Tomorrow", and especially "Choke". New/old guitarist was doing lots of stuff I dug, dense barbed sound with teeth and claws but still restrained within the overall mix, bubbling menacingly underneath it all.

so there is a new album? only just found out about this from the Spotify thread - it's called The Gethsemane Option. anyone heard it? I bought the next-most-recent release Taos Hum off of their Bandcamp and really liked it. also that new Silverman is great, the Brainwashed review was possibly the stupidest thing I have ever read on that site.

I didn't actually play it despite seeing it on my spotify feed. I dont really know anything about them. My industrial days were like 20 years ago and I never checked em out.

I honestly have no idea what you would think of them, but they are definitely worth a listen. they don't really have much in common with stereotypical industrial bands.

The more guitar-y bands I have no use for now except I'll still check out the young gods and FLA, so if it steers clear of that then i'd prob dig em

I've only got Maria Dimension, Asylum and Any Day Now, but nothing I've heard sounds industrial, or at least not consistently. They are a weird mixture of things. I'm really daunted by their discography and not sure how far I'll take it because I really love some of their songs.

LPD are decidedly not industrial. they were by far the most psychedelic band i saw play last year.

haha i knew you would show up!

hi stir!

I stand by my recommendations upthread as far as my favorites. Robert, you have 3 of the best imo, if you like longer weirder stuff then try the Chemical Playschool series, they diverge quite a bit.

Things like "Belladonna", "Cheraderama", "The Hill" and "The Gallery" are my faves so far. So perhaps I like the ballads more than anything. I actually got Any Day Now based on your recommendation above. Thankyou.

Even though I'm in awe of them at times and think this is exactly the sort of stuff that keeps me looking for music, I do think the albums are a tad too long. And as with many super prolific bands, you wonder what their albums might have been like if they halved their output.

haha i knew you would show up!

like the proverbial bad penny.

hi sleeve!

allegedly dj shadow sampled this early LPD track but i don't know his music well enough to know on which track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SUuJrGZRNk

Robert if you go for the more song-oriented stuff then check out the 1st 4 LPs - Brighter Now, Curse, The Tower, Faces In The Fire (which includes the track stirmonster just posted). Asylum was my first LPD experience and it hooked me, but those are the ones that made me love the band unconditionally. The length and volume of output are just how they roll, both core members seem pretty driven to create.

Thanks again.

Like Robert Pollard/Guided By Voices, I don't think LPD have any crap filler, but I still have the nagging feeling ruthlessly selected fewer tracks would mean more classic albums. But I do respect the variation of the sheer amount of music they make.

really seriously great side-long early collage work from a split cassette with Big City Orchestra, pay what you want Bandcamp release:

https://legendarypinkdots1.bandcamp.com/album/how-to-promote-a-live-grenade

I'm really behind on this band, but I'm fairly sure I'll never have the majority of their output. Need to catch up on that list of priority albums you suggested.

so 'the crushed velvet apocalypse' and 'the maria dimension' are kind of wondrous

weirdly the tracks i'm probably drawn to the most are the sweet fairytale ones that occupy the first bonus track positions on both records, although the towering psych epics are amazing too and 'the safe way' is everything that was good about the 1970s

but yeah 'princess coldheart' i mean wow

I think you'll like this band a lot (and there's a lot to like), those albums are two of the best for sure

check out any of the Chemical Playschools, but esp 3/4, 8/9, 10, and 11/12/13

thanks :)

'the grain kings' is also phenomenal, searched it on here, found it on a list you did of top ten 90's tracks - might have to listen to the rest of the list now (what i've heard is great - a thighpaulsandra coil song!)

i described them on first listen as 'if einstuerzende neubauten were fairies' fwiw, but there's all sorts else in here

for anybody who wants to catch up on their back catalog and has around $900 to spare:

http://legendarypinkdots1.bandcamp.com/album/five-days#buyFullDiscography

Was startled by the sight of Any Day Now and Shadow Weaver in the metal section of Fopp this week. They were £17 each (ouch). I already have Any Day Now and I'm not buying it again for this extra track "Neon Gladiators (Version Apocalypse)". But I might just go back in and get Shadow Weaver and pay the steep price just for the novelty of buying such a niche band in such a store in these times and out of my respect for the band.

I assume those are the new 2LP reissues on Metropolis?

ok! thanks.

so pleased that Ned and stir got those last two copies of the book! I am ridiculously excited for it, apparently it is done oral history style

Hey that's pretty cool -- Edward K has put up the actual first ever LPD home recorded tape on Bandcamp, with full liner notes:

https://legendarypinkdots1.bandcamp.com/album/only-dreaming

A lot of familiar tracks from compilations and reissues but here's the actual thing.