Eight-X (41)

Hello, another Eight-X post and some new names today..first up are Grauzone a swiss band that made just the one album, in a sense an accidental hit ruined their career as it was more a bit of fun for a swiss wave collection album..their first recording btw..Oh well Eisbaer...times have changed still a good song but the lyrics off set it a little and today even most icebears don't want to be icebears anymore...the ice is melting..the polar aint that cold anymore ...great album rereleased with their remaining material as the sunrise tapes in 98..... What's in a name Altered Images proved once more there's a lot to be found in a name, after a well recieved start they got into the hands of the wrong people(musicindustry) they ruined their music and image until by the time they released their 3rd album theyd become irrelevant and dissolved'..The Cult needs little introduction after some preliminairies as (southern)death cult they choose to keep it simple and released their first album Dreamtime as The Cult. On their full-length debut, they were pretty much on their way. Duffy's dramatic, spaghetti Western-tinged, dark psychedelic guitar and Astbury's passionate semi-wailing set off against the tribal/goth feeling of Jamie Stewart/Nigel Preston rhythm section .....as it happens i share the first edition which came with a live album recorded shortly after the Dreamtime recording sessions..

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Grauzone - Die Sunrise Tapes (81/98  383mb)

End 1979 Marco Repetto (drums) and GT (Bass) left the Punk-Band Glueams, to form a new band with Martin Eicher (Gitar, voice) . March 1980 they performed for the first time as „Grauzone“ in Club Spex in Bern. They were joined by Martins brother Stephan Eicher (Gitar) and Claudine Chirac (Sax) for liveshows and studiorecording. After recording Eisbaer for a Swiss Wave compilation album the track caught on and reached the hitparade in Switserland and Germany.

The band resisted the commercial pressures after their hitsuccess and concentrated on film- und studiowork. Winter 1980 they returned to the Sunrise Studios, where „Moskau“, Tanz“ and „Ich lieb sie“ were recorded. July and August 1981 Martin und Stephan Eicher joined by Marco Repetto returned to the Sunrise-Studio and recorded their one and only album. After a final studiosession, where „Ich und Du“ was recorded, the band split. After just 10 concerts, 4 singles and one album Grauzone was no more.

Stephan Eicher (60) was musically trained at the academy of art in Zurich, where he and others also learned how to use the computer for composing music. Unsurpprising then that he started a solo career after grauzone's demise. He became interested in French songs by Jacques Dutronc, Georges Brassens, and Serge Gainsbourg, and these influences resulted in him creating the album Les Chansons Bleues. With hit songs such as "Combien de Temps" and "Oh Ironie", his popularity spread Europe-wide with various albums, tours, and chart success in France and Switzerland. His largest commercial success came in 1991 with the album "Engelberg", which spent five weeks at number one in Switzerland and 46 weeks on the charts in total. The song "Dejeuner En Paix" was also number two in France.



01 - Film 2 (3:35)
02 - Eisbär (4:47)
03 - Hinter Der Bergen (2:27)
04 - Maikäfer Flieg (3:59)
05 - Marmelade Und Himbeereis (3:18)
06 - Wütendes Glas (3:19)
07 - Kälte Kriecht (3:17)
08 - Kunstgewerbe (1:04)
09 - Der Weg Zu Zweit (3:22)
10 - In Der Nacht (4:52)

11 - Träume Mit Mir (3:58)
12 - Ich Und Du (3:35)
13 - Moskau (4:04)
14 - Ich Lieb Sie (3:19)
15 - Schlachtet! (3:21)
16 - Raum (3:47)

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Altered Images - Happy Birthday ...Plus (81/04 ^ 381mb)

Ex-school friends with an equal interest in the UK post punk scene, Clare Grogan (vocals), Caesar (guitar), Michael 'Tich' Anderson (drums), Tony McDaid (guitar) and Johnny McElhone (bass guitar), sent a demo tape to Siouxsie and the Banshees, who soon gave the band a support slot on their Kaleidoscope tour of 1980. After being championed by legendary DJ John Peel, they quickly garnered enough attention to be offered a deal with Epic Records, but mainstream success was not immediate; their first two singles, "Dead Pop Stars" and "A Day's Wait", failed to reach the top 40. "Dead Pop Stars" was particularly controversial at the time, sung at the viewpoint of a "has-been" icon with much irony, perhaps badly timed in its release shortly after John Lennon's death, even though it was recorded earlier. After these two singles and their first two sessions for John Peel, Caesar left and formed The Wake.

With additional guitarist Jim McKinven, they recorded their debut LP, Happy Birthday (1981) seeing them continue their link with Siouxsie and the Banshees, as the band's bassist Steve Severin produced several tracks on it besides the title track, which became their third single and biggest hit. "Happy Birthday" saw them be catapulted to fame with Grogan standing centre, quirky voice and bubbly character sending the band to number 2 in the singles chart in the summer of that year. After a successful headlining tour they released Pinky Blue (1982) a more pop album, many critics who supported them previously began to turn sour, despite 2 more hits. Meanwhile, after McKinven and Anderson left to be replaced by multi-instrumentalist Steve Lironi they began to work with pop producer Mike Chapman, providing them with another hit, "Don't Talk To Me About Love" This continued collaboration was seen with Bite (1983), a severe departure from their former dream punk to a studio based sound. After the album's brief commercial spell, the band went out of the spotlight and became another statistic on the the musicindustry's wiseguys hitlist.

After the break up of the band, Grogan attempted a solo career, signing to London Records and releasing a single and recording an unreleased album in 1987 called Love Bomb. She also became a film and television actress, appearing in productions such as Gregory's Girl, Red Dwarf (in which she originated the role of Kristine Kochanski), EastEnders, and Father Ted. In recent years she has also become a presenter on UK television.



01 - Intro: Happy Birthday (0:49)
02 - Love And Kisses (2:22)
03 - Real Toys (3:25)
04 - Idols (2:40)
05 - Legionnaire (3:33)
06 - Faithless (3:53)
07 - Beckoning Strings (3:09)
08 - Happy Birthday (3:02)
09 - Midnight (3:42)
10 - A Day's Wait (4:19)
11 - Leave Me Alone (4:10)
12 - Insects (3:33)
13 - Outro: Happy Birthday (0:48)
 Bonus Tracks
14 - Dead Pop Stars (Single A-Side) (3:20)
15 - Sentimental (B-Side Of "Dead Pop Stars") (3:27)
16 - Who Cares? (B-Side Of "A Day's Wait") (3:04)
17 - Happy Birthday (Dance Mix) (12" A-Side) (7:07)
18 - So We Go Whispering (B-Side Of "Happy Birthday") (3:50)
19 - Jeepster (12" B-Side Of "Happy Birthday") (2:29)

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The Cult - Dreamtime (84 ^ 241mb)

The origins of the Cult lie in the Southern Death Cult, a goth rock outfit formed by vocalist Ian Astbury (born May 14, 1962) in 1981. In December 1982, the Southern Death Cult released their first single -- the double A-side "Moya"/"Fatman" -- and the following month, they supported Bauhaus on tour. Though the group's future was looking bright, Astbury pulled the plug. Following the disbandment of the Southern Death Cult, Astbury shortened the name of the group to Death Cult and recruited guitarist Billy Duffy -- who had previously played with Theatre of Hate -- and drummer Ray Mondo and bassist Jamie Stewart, who had previously played with Ritual. Death Cult released an eponymous EP in the summer of 1983.In early 1984, the band shed "Death" from the title, fearing that the word gave them the misleading appearance of being a goth band.

Where both Southern Death Cult and Death Cult had been overtly influenced by post-punk, the Cult was a heavy hard rock band with slight psychedelic flourishes. Dreamtime, the group's first album, was released in the fall of 1984. It's loaded with a variety of moody, energetic joys. Preston's rolling drums and Duffy's epic, crystalline guitar, add in Astbury's explosive singing, and it's a definite treat through and through. Strong tracks include Spiritwalker, the title effort, tripping on the shamanic vibes, and the who-else-but-the-Cult invocations of mythic America in "Go West," "Horse Nation," and "A Flower in the Desert." For the group's summer (85) single, "She Sells Sanctuary," the band was joined by Big Country's drummer, Mark Brzezicki. "She Sells Sanctuary" became a major U.K. hit, peaking at number 15. During the recording of the group's second album, drummer Les Warner joined the group. Love, released in the fall of 1985, displayed a marked improvement over the Cult's early material, and though it remains underappreciated in America, this exceptional record has actually aged better than the band's more notorious later releases: Electric and Sonic Temple.

For their third album, the Cult shuffled its lineup -- Stewart moved to rhythm guitar, while former Zodiac Mindwarp bassist Kid Chaos joined the lineup -- and hired Rick Rubin as producer and the result, Electric, was their hardest, heaviest record to date. In 1988, the group fired Chaos and Warner, replacing the latter with Matt Sorum; the band failed to hire another bassist. The new lineup released Sonic Temple, which would prove to be the band's most successful album. Though the group was experiencing its best sales, it was fraying behind the scenes, due to infighting and substance abuse. By the time they recorded their follow-up to Sonic Temple, Sorum had left to join Guns n' Roses and Stewart had quit; they were replaced by drummer Mickey Curry and bassist Charlie Drayton. The resulting album, Ceremony, was released in the fall of 1991 to weak reviews and disappointing sales.

By summer 1993, the Cult had a new rhythm section, featuring former Mission bassist Craig Adams and drummer Scott Garrett. This lineup recorded The Cult, which was released in late 1994 to poor reviews and sales. In spring 1995, the Cult disbanded, with Ian Astbury forming the Holy Barbarians later in the year. A new Cult with Matt Sorum and Martyn LeNoble joining Astbury and Duffy made their debut in June 1999 at the Tibetan Freedom Festival. This band produced the 2001 album Beyond Good and Evil before the Cult was retired again, as Astbury joined former Doors members Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek in the Doors of the 21st Century (later renamed Riders on the Storm). In 2007, it was announced that Astbury had left the band to rejoin Duffy in a new version of the Cult, with Chris Wyse on bass and John Tempesta on drums. They signed to Roadrunner and released "Born Into This" later that year.



01 - Horse Nation (3:40)
02 - Spiritwalker (3:39)
03 - 83rd Dream (3:40)
04 - Butterflies (2:59)
05 - Go West (3:56)

06 - Gimmick (3:34)
07 - A Flower In The Desert (3:42)
08 - Dreamtime (2:47)
09 - Rider In The Snow (3:11)
10 - Bad Medicine Waltz (5:54)

The Cult - Dreamtime Live At The Lyceum ( 05/20/84) ( 372mb)

11 - 83rd Dream (4:39)
12 - God's Zoo (3:36)
13 - Bad Medicine (3:57)
14 - A Flower In The Desert (3:52)
15 - Dreamtime (2:54)

16 - Christians (3:50)
17 - Horse Nation (3:21)
18 - Bone Bag (4:14)
19 - Ghost Dance (3:32)
20 - Moya (4:39)

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