Young Marble Giants - " Collossal Youth " ( Rough Trade- Rough8 ) 1980

Accidently, there were DIY supergroups. Young Marble Giants got snapped up by the rising power of Rough Trade, after hearing them on a cardiff compilation LP. They may be one of the odius Kurt Cobain's "favourite" groops, but they couldn't be more diametrically opposite to the awful, awful Nirvana. Little tin pot organists drum machine, cheep organ, acoustically dead vocals that sound like Alison Stratton is singoing next to your ear; muted guitar, and twangy bass, all recorded with zero special effects, save a bit of spring reverb. This is classic DIY art pop on a hollywood budget (allegedly £1000 quid to record), when everyone was trying to be funky or punky, YMG were unfunky and unpunky, sending a very quiet middle finger to all the "punkers" who played it safe.
read their wikipedia entry here

Tracklist:

Searching for Mr. Right

Include Me Out

The Taxi

Eating Noddemix

Constantly Changing

N.I.T.A.

Colossal Youth

Music For Evenings

The Man Amplifier

Choci Loni

Wurlitzer Jukebox

Salad Days

Credit in the Straight World

Brand - New - Life

Wind In The Rigging

This Way

Posed by Models

Clock

Clicktalk

Zebra Trucks

Sporting Life

Final Day

Radio Silents

Cake Walking

Ode to Booker T

DOWNLOAD this colossal giant HERE!

The Normal - " Warm Leatherette / TVOD " (Mute Records Stumm 1) 1978

This was the tubular bells of DIY. Sold in shed loads from the Rough Trade shop, where Daniel Millar (aka The Normal) had his first Mute Office. In excess of 20,000 copies sold very quickly, and paved the way for one of the most sucessfull independant record labels of the last 30 years.
The fact that he never attempted to follow this classic up is a testament to its perfection,-musically and ideologically. One of the few DIY tunes to be given the mainstream treatment, when Grace Jones covered it and was a big hit. Perfect!

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Thomas Leer - " Private Plane " (Oblique Records) 1978

Another influential slice of diy electronics ,tape loops, and hushed vocals (hushed,because his girlfriend was asleep in their bedsit when he recorded it).
Cut and paste music in a cut and paste sleeve.
Along with the other two of the diy triumvirate of Rental and the normal, this was a record that launched a thousand bedroom dwellers into varying degrees of action.

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Robert Rental - " Paralysis " (7" Regular Records) 1978

The DIY world of bedroom electronics was unleashed in the open climate of 1978 with a clutch of self released singles by such as Thomas Leer, The Normal, and this early stab at electronica from Robert Rental. Distributed through the Rough Trade shop and by mail order, the initial pressing of 500 sold out quickly.
"Paralysis" was recorded at home on a 4 track Tascam tape recorder which he hired in collaboration with Leer. The single features the distorted sound of a Stylophone. Another distinctive sound that Rental used was that of the EDP Wasp Synthesizer, which he introduced to Chris Carter of Throbbing Gristle and William Bennett of Whitehouse.
He also made an acclaimed album with Thomas Leer called The Bridge which was released on Throbbing Gristle's Industrial Records^[3]. The album reached number 9 on the Independent Chart in 1980.
His other two official releases were the 1980 single "Double Heart/On Location", released on Daniel Miller's Mute Records, and Live At The West Runton Pavilion, recorded with Miller in 1979, and released via Rough Trade in 1980.
Robert Rental died in 2000.


DOWNLOADABLE paralysis HERE!

Patrik Fitzgerald - " The Paranoid Ward " (small wonder 1978)

"Punk died the day Patrik Fitzgerald signed to Polydor" (unknown pundit 1978).
This statement is true, forget the clash and CBS, although a reject from the London SS auditions, Fitzgerald was the real deal. Performing acoustic Protest songs was NOT what the kids wanted to hear, even though its anti rock sound was what punk was about......wasn't it?
This ep/mini lp was Patriks swansong for small wonder, and its the second side that reveals patrik to be one of the precursors of DIY, with the cassette recordings made in his squat that won him the support of small wonder records.
After this, he succombed to the temptations of a major label, desperate to sign as many "punk" acts as possible, following the theory that if one throws as much mud at the wall as one can, some will stick. In this case Patrik Fitzgerald missed the wall totally, and his Polydor album(Grubby Stories) sunk without trace. Following which he returned to the underground, carrying on regardless releasing records through the 80's(Gifts and Telegrams) and 90's(Pillow Tension) and still records and performs today. A tribute album, "All Sewn Up" was released recently, (Buy it here).....and a new album is due superbly titled "Subliminal Alienation". One day he will be as huge as he is in Norway!
Now based in New Zealand, you can visit his website here.

Side A - The Paranoid Ward

Babysitter
Irrelevant Battles
Cruellest Crime
The Paranoid Ward
The Bingo Crowd

Side B - The Bedroom Tapes

Life at the Top
Ragged Generation For Real
Live Out My Stars
George

"Patrik Fitzgerald is an important figure of the punk generation. The distinctive way he sings his poetic lyrics along with the minimal rattling of an acoustic guitar is enough for him to develop the full core dynamics of the genre. Instead of meaningless slogans, epidemicaly spread nihilistic cliches and an emptiness hidden behide electric noise, Patrik opposes against the sense for no future an ability to turn sad findings & bitter feelings into penetrating words. Beside ironic, sarcastic social criticism, he wants to understand deeper what causes him pain and where it comes from. He is a romantic, a lyrical. The intellectual and the lover of punk phenomenon ("...i ve got a safety pin stuck in my heart for you..."). Whenever words "punk" & "poetry", comes together, it is him, instinctly, they recall."

Bendle - " Tattered Tongues " (Self release/ download ) 2009

We love Bendle......any chance of a Door and the Window reunion?
This is Bendles latest solo album, sanctioned for free download by the man himself, still sticking to the rules of DIY. No sell out.
See Bendles Myspace site here.
See Bendles Website here.
download tattered tongues here.

Dustdevil & Crow - " While Walking Slowly, you can see the grasses grow " (self release cd-r/download) 2009

Bendle, the legend from The Door and the Window ,has resurfaced as of late. Still sticking by the principles of DIY has made this new album available for free download.Give it a listen and let Bendle know what you think ....his myspace site is here.
The following quote from the man himself explains it all "I've done an album of music with Michael Duane as "dustdevil & crow" and its free here:"

Danny and the Dressmakers - " 39 Golden Grates " (Fuck off Records 1980)

To begin a new decade (the Teenies), one can only start with the unbelievably GRATE (sic) Danny and the Dressmakers. The godz of stream of consciousness d.i.y unter-punk. Another fine example of the dressmakers unique fifth generation cassette white noise style, which in another time and place(probably germany in the 1920's) would be called Avant Garde.
Contains all their gratest hits...."Ernie Bishops Dead Body", "Mr Rickenbacker" ," Come on baby Lite My Shite!"and "If the kids were united they'd throw bricks at Jimmy Pursey".

Containing future members of Crispy Ambulance and 808 State,(How could they go so wrong?.....although i quite like crispy ambulance!)
The official Dressmakers were:
Sister Maura - Vocals
Frank Sinatrar - Guitar
Shrimp Butty - Bass
Danny Allen - Drums

01 - eggs on legs
02 - space oddity
03 - he's washing the posts
04 - danny and the dressmakers going down the road
05 - dynamite
06 - lennons supermarket tango
07 - song chocolate
08 - jesus christ you're so anaemic
09 - ernie bishops dead body
10 - whats your blood group and how does a dog digest its food
11 - rubber plants
12 - night fever
13 - alfie winbush
14 - what the world needs now
15 - whats a girl like you doing in a...
16 - drying out my rained on rizlas
17 - buddha the crab
18 - we're crossing the pelican crossing
19 - you're gonna get a rollockin'
20 - don't put your bernard pokery on stage mrs eric clapton
21 dont make another bass guitar mt rickenbacker
22 - rolf harris stylophones
23 - tree
24 - rubber plants and i left my gall bladder in moss side
25 - fuckin' bleedin' einstein
26 - edward exposes her mammary glands
27 - tv boredom on the dole
28 - drop dead
29 - iron lung funk
30 - 69
31 - lapsang do da tea
32 - test card girls
33 - going down the sperm bank four quid a wank
34 - donna summer
35 - you're no doctor
36 - god puts a stop to the silver paper eating three legged monster
37 - how hot is a match
38 - hey ho hey ho my cholesterol level is low
39 - cathy and claire
40 - talking clock
41 - legalise vimto
42 - can't you make your mind up
43 - 2001 c'est un odesy de space
44 - come on baby lite my shite
45 - if the kids are united they'd throw bricks at jimmy pursey
46 - los endos

Danny and the Dressmakers - 39 Golden Grates