The Eternal - The Far Away Play 12"

Here's another recording from Lo Spettro Di Se Stesso.
I found out about The Eternal not so long ago. I was very curious about this band and now I have the chance to give it a listen. The Eternal were from The Netherlands and this 12" is their only release. Dark sounding postpunk/cold wave recorded in 1985.
Wolfgang who provided the sleeve pictures (thank you once again!) wrote me that there were only 500 copies pressed but most of them were destroyed. There are about 100 copies around in this world! So I gave up the idea to find myself one. It must be a miracle to find a decent copy of the record for a fair price.
So thanks to Lo Spettro Di Se Stesso we can all have a listen to this obscurity.

The Far Away Play 12" (Paladyn-PLD 501-1985)
1. Wait
2. I'll Jump And I'll Go
3. In The Rosegarden
4. The Far-Away Play

The Eternal (320)

The Eternal (FLAC)

Mercenary Skank - No More Dancing 12"

This one is for Nuzz at Nuzz Prowling Wolf. I know he requested some Mercenary Skank months ago and finally I got around ripping this one.
This post is a bit different than the last ones as Mercenary Skank is more of a punk band but of the melodic kind. Mercenary Skank were formed in the early 80's in Rhyl, Wales but moved to London. They were inspired by The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers and The Ruts. Here's the rest of what I found on the band on Link2Wales:
Orig line-up; Tudor Parry (gtr/voc), Mark Jordan (gtr), Graham Bevins (bass) (later of Mal de Mer, PSST) and Chris Turner (drums) (later of Frightened By Strangers). When the band moved to London Chris and Tudor split to be replaced by Andrew Tunnicliffe (guitar)- (see also Grids, Vicious Circle), Scratch (vocals) who worked at Kavern Records, Mike Crees (drums), Mark Perkins (sax) (also played in Open Channel D and Mystery Girls). Rel - No More Dancing 12" EP (No More Dancing/The Pull and The Push/Down Among The Deadmen/Dancing Dub)-Criminal Damage Records - CRI12-122. - Work Of Giants 12" EP (Somewhere/Endurance Highway/Willy Tears/Dub) - Backs Records(Norwich)-Storm 1. A CD of the above and another 6-10 tracks may be in the offing. Also billed on the CND benefit festival at the Queens in Rhyl 21.2.1981. Band moved to London to seek fame and fortune and very nearly did it. Managed by Caroline Reed who also managed the Stone Roses who supported Mercenary Skank in 1984. Andrew Tunnicliffe went on to play in Hammersmith based Ironic High Style in mid-80s. Neale Parry (ex Shop and brother of Iwan of Pinhead Recs) the band’s roadie/photographer/artwork designer who moved to London with them in the early 80's still lives in Surrey.

Here's the band's first release. The 'Work Of Giants' 12" is much harder to find.

No More Dancing 12" (Criminal Damage-CRI 12-122-1984)
1. No More Dancing
2. Dancing Dub
3. Pull & The Push
4. Deadmen

No More Dancing

The Factory - Hold Out 7" & 12"

Here's another contribution by Lo Spettro Di Se Stesso. Great UK mid-80's goth and very rare. No further info, sorry. Here you get both versions as the title track has an extended version on the 12".
You can find cover scans of the 7" on 7"s From The Underground blog. But if anyone could contribute a scan of the 12" sleeve, I would be grateful.

Hold Out 7" (Strike Back Records-SBR 10-1986)
1. Hold Out
2. Burn Me Up

Hold Out 12"
1. Hold Out (Extended Version)
2. Burn Me Up
3. Outcast

Hold Out

Sovjet War - s/t 7"

Another Belgian band I know next to nothing about. Two decent punkwave (or wavepunk?) tunes here. This was their only release although another track appears on the 'No Big Business Vol. 2' comp. album on Anything But Records. Don't have this one (but I have the 1st volume on Kleo Records). This label also released more electronic stuff like The Neon Judgement, Aimless Device and Company Of State.

Sovjet War 7" (Anything But Records-ABR 004-1983)
1. It Became A Problem
2. Guns For Fun

Sovjet War

Day After - Recourse 12"

Got a lot of interesting recordings from Lo Spettro Di Se Stesso which I'm free to share with you all.
First one is from Day After from Belgium. As being from Belgium myself, I've never heard of this band before. Decent cold wave sounds recorded in 1983, similar to De Brassers, The Cultural Decay,...

Thanks to Wolfgang for providing the cover pix. Much appreciated!

Recourse 12" (New Music Records-NMR 001-1983)
1. Ticking Away
2. Inner Voice
3. Civilization
4. Day After
5. The Virgin
6. Desert Of Time

Day After

Feud - To Load But Once MLP

Fritz Die Spinne once sent me the rip on soulseek of this record and I was immediately impressed. No info on Feud to be found. They were from Bristol and probably listened to UK Decay and it's offshoots In Excelsis and Furyo day in day out. Even the style of the frontsleeve reminds me of Furyo. Although Feud doesn't sound very original at all, the song material is very strong and therefore one can say that this record is a minor classic. Too bad that it's very rare.
Here you have a far superior rip at bitrate 256, without sound drops and the correct track order.
Producer Steve Street seems to be Stephen Street who would later produce The Smiths!
Enjoy!

To Load But Once MLP (Feud Records-Feud 1-1984)
1. The Litter
2. Bo Bo Dolly
3. Suffer
4. Buildings
5. Witchtrial

Feud

Vex - Live

Got these 2 live recordings of Vex from Keith who's running the great Running Riot In 2007 blog. So go thank him for it.
First one is Vex live in Camden, Electric Ballroom 3.3.84. The quality is quite good on this one.
Tracks are:
1. Pain
2. Shadow Of Beauty
3. World In Action
4. Pressure
5. Relative Sadness
6. It's No Crime

Get it here

Second one is undefined and the quality is so-so but die-hard fans will need to hear it.
Track are:
1. Tonight
2. Shadow Of Beauty
3. Pain
4. Pressure
5. ??
6. ??
7. World In Action
8. Relative Sadness
9. It's No Crime (cut off)

Get it here

Thanks Keith!!

Eton Crop - Yes Please Bob MLP

Ok, here's another Eton Crop post. The 'Yes Please Bob' mini album is a nice follow-up of the 'It's My Dog, Maestro' LP (which I will post later). This one released on UK indie label Ediesta. Front sleeve artwork by Jon Langford.
The song titles have some liner notes by other people.
1. "That's all television is, my dear, nothing but auditions" (George Sanders)
2. "He's playing daffodil from dopeyville" (William Demarest)
3. "Drinking is the joy of the Rus" (The Grand Duke of Kiev-11th century)
4. "Oh I realize it's a penny here and there, but look at me: I've worked myself up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty" (Groucho Marx)
5. "Chessplayers are good blokes" (P.A.M Verschueren)
6. "Where's the rest of me?" (Ronald Reagan)
7. "Leave death to the professionals" (Trevor Howard)

Yes Please Bob MLP (Ediesta Records-CALCMLP 13-1986)
1. Yes Please, Bob
2. Down In The Puzzlehouse
3. When The Bottle Gets Uncorked
4. Poverty Is Not Hip
5. Chessplayers Are Good Blokes
6. Pink Walter Christo
7. A Billy Bobo Funeral

Yes Please Bob