Stereolab: Classic or Dud

Watching this concert from 1994, when they were at the peak of their rock phase, and thinking about how cool Mary Hansen was and how much I miss her. Remarkably good video quality for such an early show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGEbvWltruE&t=2732s

Take 2

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

Gah! It sucks that I'm getting so paranoid that when a band I love gets bumped up on ILX I fear that it's because a member has fallen ill.

Just a heads-up, I know we love our physical media but in the current Bleep sale, the Stereolab expanded editions are included in their very cheap digital deal. If you buy 10 albums (mp3, lossless, 24 bit even for some) you get them for £30 / €35 / $US35, I picked up all 7 EEs and some Broadcast / LoneLady (OK I did two ten-fer deals and got a bunch of other stuff too).
But for me, who bought all the OG releases and was unsure if the extras on the new versions were worth it, it's the right price to satisfy my curiosity without piracy.

imo the sound alone on the new ones is worth it, but yeah I get the rebuying reluctance

in other news, the bonus 7" of demos is fantastic, lots of Mary vocals

i read that david pajo was briefly in stereolab, got me very curious. anyone know further details or know of video? guessing he wasn't on any studio material

apparently it was for a few months in 1996 between eTK and fluorescences, from after duncan brown left until richard harrison joined

I recently saw a classic group pic of the 'Lab circa Pajo's tenure (1995):

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBBv9MoCttA/

Must have been very brief because Richard Harrison was with them on the ETK tour.

Full show video with Pajo on bass here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnW7EyTnFmA

oh hey i was at that show, pretty amazing setlist

Martin’s posted an image of a new Duophonic Super 45s release on Instagram - he’s such a tease

That must've been an epic tour, they didn't make it to Boston until 8 months later. Can't find any info about exactly how long Pajo played with them.

usenet groups probably had all the info on this (times like this is where i miss the old internet).

I thought maybe koly would, but no dice.

i am aghast that you didn't know just off the top of your head

(this was not a zing; i feel like you are our stereolab subject matter expert)

I didn't even know he played with them at all until just recently

sorry man, I'm gonna have to ask you to hand in your Clif badge until we review this incident

I had a good run

I would venture to say after looking at Koly and David's credits on discogs that Duncan Brown left Stereolab after ETK recording sessions and that David replaced him for the European tour that took place in the second half of 1995. There are 2 live performances on youtube from this tour as well as a radio session that show Dave in the band during this stretch.

But he was super busy in the first half of 1995, he performed on both The For Carnation & King Kong records as well as launched his solo career (as "M"). His 2nd release in early 1996 was a split with Monade (Laetitia's solo project) and he also played on her side of the split.

Give Al the badge, sleeve

Meantime I'm just waiting on those two new Switched On volumes...

Pretty sure Duncan was kicked out because he couldn't play the more fiddly ETK stuff.

xxp sorry, not my call, it has to go to ILX committee decision

I sometimes think 'Three Dee Melodie' is my favorite opening song to any album. It's got Mary singing, Laetitia singing, Tim's incredible guitar sound, a fantastic organ drone. It sets up the world of MAQ so perfectly.

otmfm

And yet Tone Burst, Metronomic Underground, and Brakhage are also amazing opening songs in their own ways.

Yep. They do good openings. Super Falling Star, too.

bursting through our buh-rears

vonal declosion, esp on headphones

Fuses, Harmonium and Outer Bongolia are also brilliant openers.

@stereolabgroop release Electrically Possessed - Switched On Vol. 4 on February 26th 2021 via Duophonic UHF Disks and Warp. Pre-order now https://t.co/mAUHbe9Eqe and also take a look out our new items of merchandise. pic.twitter.com/5UBVut7IwC

— Stereolab (@stereolabgroop) January 14, 2021

Looks like it is First of the Microbe Hunters plus tour singles and various odds and ends.

Great news, finally!

Ooh, nice. First of the Microbe Hunters disappeared from Spotify a couple of years ago--I wonder if this had anything to do with it.

WHERE IS "LO FI" GOD DAMN IT

(great news, obv)

Pre-ordered!

Nice to see a couple of unreleased tunes on there as well as previously unavailable alternate versions. Wasn’t expecting that.

Also good to see a few format options. But if you want the multicoloured vinyl edition (which does look amazing) with your name on it, it’s via the Duophonic ochre store only I think.

Also good to see a few format options. But if you want the multicoloured vinyl edition (which does look amazing) with your name on it, it’s via the Duophonic ochre store only I think.

WHERE IS "LO FI" GOD DAMN IT

I gotta wonder. Supposedly there was a vol. 5 in the works as well. Maybe one last everything-and-the-kitchen-sink comp to go?

Still quite a bit missing from the Switched On series across all eras, so hopefully Volume 5!

Yeah I think Simple Headphone Mind / Trippin With the Birds remain uncompiled too. Is it sad that I kind of regret unsealing my CD?

oh also this is the Lab's worst cover art by a *huge* margin

Since I'm assuming the Mirri board version (that means it's shiny, right?) will end up in brick and mortar indie retailers, I think I'll skip the preorder this time around.

PRE-ORDER: Stereolab - Electrically Possessed (Switched On Volume 4)
LOCAL & REGULAR CUSTOMERS - there is a very ltd ed of this with "mirrorboard sleeve". If you order this, we'll put names in a hat and a few lucky ones will get the ltd ed upgrade

Oscillons from the Anti-Sun still has a lot of stuff that's not collected here? Or does this round up all of that?

Yes I thought Oscillions was basically the stand in for SO volume 4

Duophonic don't own Low Fi so they aren't in control of remastering/rereleasing/compiling it. Too Pure still owns it, and they did put remastered versions of Peng! and Space Age Batchelor Pad Music in the last few years so hopefully they'll put Low Fi out again. And Duophonic was somehow able to license the Super-Electric EP from Too Pure so they could put Switched On out again (at least on vinyl), so maybe they'll work together on something.

I love Low Fi and wish they'd actually put out that entire session as an LP. As best I can tell these were all recorded in one June 1992 session:
Low Fi
(Varoom!)
Laisser-Faire
Elektro
Mountain
Revox
John Cage Bubblegum
Sadistic

I went to duophonic pretty much as soon as this was announced and the colored vinyl was already sold out.

xps amazing and very helpful info, yeah that might be my fave Lab session ever!

kind of a bummer about the Too Pure rights, though

My sense was that the colored vinyl was super-limited (and only available from Duophonic) while the Mirri board version was less limited and available from indie retailers (similar proportions to the clear vinyl with tape obi vs. without tape obi last time).