Various - Bethel

Rare experimental, industrial, post-punk tape from the early 80's.

The artists :

David J : A founding member of Bauhaus, one of the most influential British bands of the 1980's. Following their termination in '83, David J joined up with The Jazz Butcher for a brief stint, producing and playing in the group. Then came Love and Rockets. He has also collaborated with various other artists, such as celebrated graphic novelist, Alan Moore, renowned author, Hubert Selby Jnr., producer, musician, T Bone Burnett, MC5 founder, Wayne Kramer, producer, Hal Wilner, poet, painter, broadcaster, Rene Halkett, poet, Jeremy Reed and Mexico's innovative electronic pioneers, the Nortec Collective.

Pure : Pure was a power electronics trio comprised of Matthew Bower, Alex Binnie, and Alex Winsor. Like their friends Ramleh, they used guitars instead of synthesizers, as favored by Whitehouse, to create their confrontational wall of noise. According to the members of the band, there were never any official releases of music by Pure, aside from a handful of compilation appearances. After the break up of the group, Matthew Bower formed the new project Total, and Alex Binnie joined Zos Kia. During this time, Mark Durgan of Birthbiter asked Matthew if he could release material by Pure. Matthew did send him some solo material (basically Total recordings) which were then issued under the Pure. However, these were not representative of the original group or its sound, and is a Pure release in name only. Matthew Bower is also the founding member of Skullflower.

Nurse With Wound : See here.

Coil : See here or here.

The Meat Puppets : The Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980, in Paradise Valley, Arizona. The group's classic lineup was Curt Kirkwood (guitar/vocals), his brother Cris Kirkwood (bass guitar), and Derrick Bostrom (drums). One of the more notable groups on the roster of SST Records (who released most of their early albums), the Meat Puppets could be broadly classified as punk rock, but like most of their SST peers, the Meat Puppets established their own unique style, blending punk with country and psychedelic rock, and featuring Curt's warbling vocals.

The Virgin Prunes : Formed in mid-1977 in Dublin, for a time the Virgin Prunes were "the most overtly subversive rock group ever to come out of the genre" (Mark Prendergast, "Irish Rock"). Their reputation was built on their outrageous stage performances and supported by a wayward and individual collection of record releases. Singers Gavin Friday and Guggi, along with third vocalist Dave-iD Busaras, guitarist Dik Evans, bassist Strongman and drummer Pod, released their first single in 1980. Pod soon left to be replaced by Haa-Lacka Binttii, who left around a year later, to be replaced in turn by Mary D'Nellon. In 1984, both Guggi and Dik left the band and the music business. Mary D'Nellon took over guitar duties and Pod returned as the band's drummer. The Virgin Prunes started to record the album Sons Find Devils, which has never been released. 1985 saw the release of a retrospective video (confusingly titled Sons Find Devils, despite having no connection with the still unreleased album) and a compilation album of rarities (Over the Rainbow). The band toured as a four-piece and finally released a new album, The Moon Looked Down and Laughed, in the summer of 1986. Gavin Friday left the group in November 1986 to pursue a solo career, effectively ending the group. This was formally confirmed by a short comment at the bottom of the sleeve of a live album, The Hidden Lie, released in 1987. D'Nellon, Strongman and Busaras went on to record as The Prunes.

You've Got Foetus On Your Breath : See here.

Romans : Are Juan Gomez : Juan was born on a Caribbean isle but was relocated to the USA at the age of 5. In 1976 he formed The Monitors [not to be confused with Monitor] with Dennis Duck. From here, he was a regular contributor to various Los Angeles Free Music Society bands. He stills plays with the recently reformed Human Hands. Keith Mitchell and Michael Uhlenkott from Monitor and Pat Delaney from Bpeople.

Boyd Rice : See here.

Doo-Dooettes : The origins of the the Doo-Dooettes trace back to a duo, the Two Who Do Duets, formed in March 1975 by electronic keyboardists Tom Recchion and Harold Schroeder. Expanded with the addition of Juan Gomez, the group was re-christened the Doo-Dooettes. Although they continued to grow, adding bassist Fredrick Nilsen and drummer Dennis Duck, their inability to break through commercially resulted in the loss of Schroeder, who relocated to Santa Monica. By the time they performed their final concert in the spring of 1984, they had been reduced to a duo featuring Recchion and Nilsen. The Doo-Dooettes were founding members of the Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS), a collective of experimental musicians that they formed with Le Forte Four. Their performance at an LAFMS concert shared with Le Forte Four at the Brand Liberty Recital Hall on July 8, 1976, was recorded and released on the album Live at the Brand.

23 Skidoo : Formed in London, England, in 1979 around the Turnbull brothers, percussionists who studied Burundi and Kodo drumming and were martial arts experts, and Catlin, 23 Skidoocliche's. They named themselves after the obscure American phrase "23 skidoo," one that appeared in the works of Aleister Crowley, William Burroughs, and filmmaker Julian Biggs. A sense of mystery surrounded the band as well. On their early records, no names were listed (incidentally, enabling many phonies to claim linkage to the band), and their cover art was created by Neville Brody. This artwork is now documented as a part of graphic art history in The Graphic Language of Neville Brody, in which a whole chapter is reserved for 23 Skidoo.

Bethel was released in 1983 by ?. 1st edition packaged in a 6"x8" box with booklet. 2nd edition package in different cover with no booklet. 500 copies total were made. Released simultaneously in England and West Germany. This is the second edition alas without the booklet.


Tracks :


1. David J - The Gospel According To Fear
2. Pure - No Future
3. Nurse With Wound - Summertime Belongs To Me
4. Coil - Red Weather
5. Meat Puppets - Soup
6. Virgin Prunes - Live Untitled
7. You've Got Foetus On Your Breath - Piano Piece
8. You've Got Foetus On Your Breath - Te Deum
9. Romans - Membrum Lucis
10. Boyd Rice - Black Light District
11. Boyd Rice - Tourist Trap
12. Doo-Dooettes - Jesus Theme
13. 23 Skidoo - Maccay Serasse (Live In Sheffield)


Bethel


enjoy.