[Astroinvader]

I always liked that song of theirs called "Go!". It's on the soundtrack for both Grosse Pointe Blank and Career Opportunities.

Anyway, I sampled some of their songs and as it turns out I really like a few of them, especially "Performance" and "Christian Says".

From what I understand most of the cd's available are compilations
as they only made one album.
There is one called "Everything!" which looks like it covers most of their stuff.

But if I'm after good sound, which one should I get?
I'm fearing that they might fall into the same poorly mastered niche together with most other early-eighties bands that have not yet been remastered...

 

[markl]

Good Lord, Astro, you're trapped in a mid-80's vortex!

As far as I am aware (and I was there, man!) there was only one album by TOT, not enough for a compilation, but who knows. These guys were originally in Bauhaus before Peter Murphy split (I have the PM best of remastered and I enjoy it, it's worth checking out), and later became Love and Rockets who had a hit with "So Alive". Maybe a L&R comp would be more worth while?

When I was 19, I went to a Peter Murphy gig in San Diego where I was living. Cocteau Twins opened, but we only arrived in time to hear a few of their songs. Murphy was a surprisingly good live act at the time. There were lots of "Goths" there (I was never a goth, and never dressed "funny", for the record

), and there was this one goth-guy who was hunched up in a corner, just outside the venue, looking poignantly miserable, scribbling madly away in his journal, what we can only assume was some really awful poetry! Me and my friend busted up laughing at the poor sap.... Paid all that money to see his idol and then sat outside, posing miserably for the folks who were on their way to take a piss!

Wow man, was that guy DEEP!

He became an object of fun between and my friend for years to come. Maybe you had to be there. All those folks so desperate to be "different" and yet they're all "different" in exactly the same stereotypical way!

God I love being superior!

markl

 

[MacDEF]

Tones on Tail only had one full album, but had three releases. The first release was an EP with just Daniel Ash (from Bauhaus) and Glenn Campling (Tones on Tail, 1982). The second release, after Bauhaus broke up, was Burning Skies, another EP, in 1983. Kevin Haskins had joined the band for this one. The third was a full album, Pop, in 1984 (this is the one that had "Go!" on it).

The next year Ash and Haskins reunited with David J from Bauhaus to form Love and Rockets. In the US you can get the 17-track compilation "Tones on Tail."

Like Mark said, you might also like the Love and Rockets and Peter Murphy stuff. I like Peter Murphy's first album (Love Hysteria) the best. As for Love and Rockets, if you like Tones on Tail, my guess is you'd like "Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven" or "Express" the best.

 

[DarkAngel]

Thanks for the history lesson Mac, I have both:
-Tones on Tail (17 tracks)
-Everything (25 tracks)

"Everything" is a 2 CD set, 1st CD is the album "pop" and 2nd CD is everything else. Sound quality is a bit better vs "tones on tail" also.

However I kept TOT CD because it is handy to have all the good stuff on one CD vs 2 CDs, none of the extra tracks on "everything" CD are essential.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by DarkAngel Thanks for the history lesson Mac, I have both: -Tones on Tail (17 tracks) -Everything (25 tracks) "Everything" is a 2 CD set, 1st CD is the album "pop" and 2nd CD is everything else. Sound quality is a bit better vs "tones on tail" also. However I kept TOT CD because it is handy to have all the good stuff on one CD vs 2 CDs, none of the extra tracks on "everything" CD are essential.

Cool I hadn't seen that one. How's the sound quality compared to "Tones on Tail"?

P.S. I worked for BMG for a couple years when I was in college; I actually met David J once -- in an elevator at their LA building

I got to go to a private (40-50 people) show that night at a tiny LA guitar shop. It was a very cool show, just David J and two backup musicians.

 

[Astroinvader]

Yup, that vortex have a good solid grip on me...

The cool thing is that I started listening to (my own style of) music when I was about ten (around '83) so I am sort of grown up on eighties stuff. Back then I was mainly interested in electronic music such as DM, Kraftwerk, early Simple Minds, Front 242... Skinny Puppy.

That all mean that I have the eighties "feel" inprinted in my cortex, and now years later I am blessed to be able to explore all those other great bands that I never listened to back then but that also have that eighties sound.

Mind you I also listen to a lot of new music...

Thanks for the info - but I got most of that through AMG...

Dark Angel - I would love it if you could tell me more about the sonic differencies between the two cd's you have - that's why I started this thread in the first place.

 

[DarkAngel]

Quote:

Originally posted by Astroinvader Dark Angel - I would love it if you could tell me more about the sonic differencies between the two cd's you have - that's why I started this thread in the first place.

Just your typical remaster improvements, sounds like they cleaned the sonic window allowing greater overall detail retreival,
old CD sounds somewhat murky by comparison. I am not a huge TOT fan but they do have 5-6 really good cuts.

 

[TimSchirmer]

just go for the album "everything" it's got go, and my personal fav "Christian Says"

If you like them, you should also check out specimen, which is another awesome spooky band

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Just wanted to pipe in with my thoughts here -- go with Everything. I believe they retail for the same price (in the US -- Night Music is now only available on import, domestic issue is OOP, not sure what they're doing on half.com, though). Besides, Night Music doesn't contain "Performance", easily my favourite song by them. That synthesizer rocks!

Trivia about me: I discovered Tones On Tail before I discovered Bauhaus! But fortunately one quickly lead to the other.