Ramleh (90s version with guitars)

john eden

male pale and stale
I dug out the Blowhole LP last night and bar one track it is bloody excellent driving droning sinister ROCK!

I was doing the ironing, and yet also simultaneously confronting the darker recesses of my consciousness and THAT OF ALL HUMANITY.

It was ace.

Can anyone recommend any other Ramleh for me? Not really the power electronics stuff though, unless you really have to.
 

bassbeyondreason

Chtonic Fatigue Syndrome
The 2 7"s on Dying Earth Records (Loser Patrol and Say Fuck) are probably my favourite Ramleh rock stuff I've heard.

I assume you're familiar with the Skullflower stuff?
 

john eden

male pale and stale
Yeah I had a bunch of Skullflower on tape at the time but I always liked Ramleh more for some reason...

I actually saw them both live at this festival in Northampton around 1992 (or possibly it was just Ramleh - very good anyway).

(also Total or Sunroof some years later, upstairs at the Garage, they were really awful).

Thanks for the tip offs on the sevens - there's a comp I will have to check out.
 

BSquires

Well-known member
John, I was at the Northampton Festival as well! Skullflower and Ramleh played with Headbutt, Splintered and a few others if memory serves. Ramleh were the stars of the show. Skullflower were never the same without Stefan Jaworzyn and this gig was after he'd left...

As for the Ramleh stuff apart from the Blowhole LP, the previous LP 'Grudge for Life' is similar i.e. guitar-based, but there aren't any drums/drum machines on it for I guess it fits inbetween the PE and the later rock stuff. The split LP with MMT (Crystal Revenge) has one-side of Blowhole style-stuff (alternate takes perhaps), they were then due to release another LP in a similar style on Shock called 'Shooter's Hill'. This eventually turned up as one disc in a 2CD package called 'Works III' which I also think you may enjoy... I've not listened to this stuff for a while though... from memory later releases like 'Homeless', 'Be Careful What You Wish For' and 'Boeing' are all pretty good. Most use drums, not the drum machine of Blowhole and I remember 'BCWYWF' being quite arty. The singles comp is generally more in this later style (I think). The strangest thing is they put at a 10" early this year after many years away and it is also excellent driving noise rock...
 

john eden

male pale and stale
Thanks B - all helpful stuff!

I used to knock about a fair bit with Justin who put on that show (and also did the Shrine comp which was similar stuff)

Ramleh were excellent and I assume Headbutt were also (because they always were). Can't remember much about the rest of it.
 

BSquires

Well-known member
No worries - it all makes sense...

Without wanting to sound like a stalker I was also into Marillion in the Fish days and was also at the Milton Keynes Garden Party... Jethro Tull were surprisingly good I thought and like you I also hated Gary Moore... Mama's Boys were an irish(?) hard rock band with the immortal lyric, 'she really likes to move when the needle's in the groove'... very poor... I also enjoyed Marillion but I was soon to 'move on' to thrash metal and US hardcore plus some british indie/goth and eventually post-hardcore/industrial and beyond... I've really enjoyed your 'first 23 gigs' on the blog...

I also was into The Mission during a particularly 'lost' period and had a ticket for a gig a Rock City but in the end couldn't go - thank god as they were an awful outfit...
 

john eden

male pale and stale
No worries - it all makes sense...

Without wanting to sound like a stalker I was also into Marillion in the Fish days and was also at the Milton Keynes Garden Party... Jethro Tull were surprisingly good I thought and like you I also hated Gary Moore... Mama's Boys were an irish(?) hard rock band with the immortal lyric, 'she really likes to move when the needle's in the groove'... very poor... I also enjoyed Marillion but I was soon to 'move on' to thrash metal and US hardcore plus some british indie/goth and eventually post-hardcore/industrial and beyond... I've really enjoyed your 'first 23 gigs' on the blog...

I also was into The Mission during a particularly 'lost' period and had a ticket for a gig a Rock City but in the end couldn't go - thank god as they were an awful outfit...

Ha ha, this is great! I guess we're of a similar age, very funny.

I must get back to that series - there is a bit of a tail off as my music taste got better, but still some gems in there....

I've now got hold of Boeing and Switch Hitter courtesy of the nice people at Second Layer. The 10" is pretty great but Boeing is a surprisingly mainstream, still OK - will have to give it all due attention over time.
 

martin

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I saw Ramleh play live in London in '07, supported by Unit, with Jim Bunnyhouse and the foxy chick who edits / used to edit Plan B mag. Wasn't really into it tho everyone else went apeshit. Never been a big fan of their extended guitar workouts, I wish they'd stick to stuff like this -
Sadly no hurling beer glasses at the audience or sig-heiling beneath Manson 'RISE' banners... guess hitting 40 and having kids takes its toll...
 

bunnnnnn

Well-known member
yeah, i don't think ramleh weren't really up to much that evening were they? i seem to recall i was erroneously expecting them to do a one-off power-electronics set for the occasion (maybe i thought that cos they'd just re-released all the broken flag stuff?)

anyway, i think i was just upset cos we missed unit so my mood was soured from thereon. i seem to remember there was another support band who were immeasurably worse than ramleh, too. vocalist spouting some embarrasingly bad sub penny rimbaud drivel. memories of that night are a bit hazy...
 

martin

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And, as if by magic:

Ramleh will play a power electronics set to celebrate the release of "Valediction" their new power electronics album

When:
Friday, 11 Dec 2009, 19:30

Where:
The Grosvenor
17 Sidney Road, Stockwell
London
London and South East
SW9 0TP
 

STN

sou'wester
That is a good pub, it is full of people who look like they have probably mailed things to John Eden. Stay off the real ale though, in favour of the Stowford Press.

I know none of you were planning to invite me, but no, I don't want to see Ramleh.
 

martin

----
It's too complex to explain fully to a commoner like you, but basically it's to do with kicking the Arabs and Israelis out of the Middle East and re-establishing the Panion as the region's cultural and spiritual epicentre.
 

STN

sou'wester
do you actually have to kick them out, or do you just sit around really really hoping they'll go?
 

martin

----
Er...invoke Pan and scare them out. I think? Actually, I think the UN should declare a nation swap, say, every 2 years. I'd like England to swap with Germany for a while, cos I've become addicted to Pauliner and bratwursts of late. Spurs can play at Kaiserslautern's stadium. It'll be a logistical fuck-up when the entire population of India has to move to Ireland, but at least we'll all get to see the world.
 
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