"Alternative Sounds": Coventry & Warwickshire compilation album
News
Between 1979 & 1981, Martin Bowes created & published eighteen copies of the highly influential fanzine "Alternative Sounds" which chronicled the local punk & post punk music scene, including the whole Two Tone adventure. Towards the end of this period, he also put together the legendary "Sent From Coventry" compilation which is essential to understanding what was going on at that moment. Martin then moved on: to his internationally successful & immensely influential band ATTRITION, his own studio, The Cage & his own record label Two Gods. However Martin always felt that a nineteenth "Alternative Sounds" might be an idea: hence instead of a pure fanzine, the idea of a Coventry Music Museum record label to put out a series of albums under that banner, not just capturing the Coventry & Warwickshire music scene of today plus, emerging new local talent but bringing back into the light unreleased & not well known gems from our musical heritage, with an accompanying booklet to explain who all the artists are/were & what they are/were all about.
Since "Alternative Sounds Volume One", to be released on December 12th 2017 features material written, performed & recorded by Coventry & Warwickshire writers & performers from between 1601 & 2017, with participants who range from people involved in four UK Number One singles, countless international hits to a local school & emerging artists including recent BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Introducing Artists of the Month, that aim of diversity, breadth & depth has been well met already.
The album (which was preceded by a limited edition 7" vinyl EP a couple of months ago to whet people's appetites) is not only in aid of the Museum, but brings to light many previously unknown tracks, gives a shop window to people who will be stars for years to come & tells some perhaps little known stories of much admired musicians. By luck, three tracks featured the late Steve Edgson, (a member of Analog, ENS, the Reluctant Stereotypes, the Pink Umbrellas, Crocodile Tears, the Giraffes and Two Giraffes.) so we decided to dedicate the album to him (future volumes will also have dedications): a really moving media piece relating to this aspect may be found here:
Advance copies of the album can be bought here:
https://cmmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/alternative-sounds-volume-1
and there are still a few copies of the EP (which features the same tracks by Roddy Radiation & the Skabilly Rebels: ("Heartbreak City") and The Primitives: ("Never Kill A Secret") plus different tracks by ATTRITION ("Two Gods") and Crokodile Tears ("Trains (2017 remix")) (the eagle eyed will note the variation in spelling between ‘Crocodile' and ‘Crokodile' on the two records: that's not my error: the spelling changed over the years due to lineup changes) and are available from the Museum, ‘Head' in Leamington, ‘Seismic Sounds' in Leamington, ‘Just for the Record ‘ in Rugby, ‘Vinyl Destination' in Coventry Market and via Bandcamp
https://cmmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-alternative-sounds-ep
Once the album is released, copies will be available via the same outlets too.
The tracks on Volume One are:
- Roddy Radiation & the Skabilly Rebels: "Heartbreak City"
- The Shapes: "We're Not Very Famous"
- Satsangi: "Sixty Four-Seven"
- Ak Band: "8-3-12"
- The Primitives: "Never Kill A Secret"
- Crocodile Tears: "Chinese Whispers "
- Reluctant Stereotypes: "Radical World"
- ATTRITION: "A Girl Called Harmony"
- Lieutenant Pigeon: "The Boots of the Rosewood Brigade"
- Skeet: "Brief Call"
- The Giraffes: "Come In Out Of The Rain"
- Furious Apples: "Habit of Hate"
- Human Cabbages: "Lemon Tea"
- Prole Position: "You Will Never Own Us"
- Izzie: "Give Me A Reason To Stay"
- Filthy Cake: "Hit"
- Gods Toys: "Package Tours to Heaven"
- The Rude Mechanicals Band: "Oh Mistress Mine"
- Fall Girl: "Maybe"
- Huffy: "Don't Speak Out"
- Grangehurst Primary School: "PsycheDelia"
