I'm one of the miniscule minority on this planet who dig The Monochrome Set, or their early stuff at least. Wasn't too keen on anything after 1980 ("Jacob's Ladder" sounds hideous and dated) but I think "Alphaville", "Eine Symphonie des Grauens", "405 Lines", "Monochrome Set" and "Strange Boutique" were some of the best UK 'post-punk' (God, I hate that term!) 7"s released - they sound so unique and out there, even now.
I was thinking of them after the other thread kicked off about authenticity and posing. Seemed most 'punks' and new-wavers disliked them cos the singer claimed to be descended from Indian royalty and had this really mannered vocal style (the B-side of '405 Lines' has an excerpt of a gig and some drunk yelling in the audience, before this clipped tone comes over the mic, "Can we have a bit of decorum please?"). Don't know if it was true or a wind-up, but back in '79, admitting something like that (while The Clash were doing their Westway hooligan stance) was considered totally unacceptable by the likes of Sounds, etc
But whatever, those 5 7"s are all fucking brilliant - Alphaville is probably the best, love that spikey angular guitar. (By the way, if anyone's got a copy of their first, privately pressed 7", any chance of a rip please? I can't find it anywhere)
Anyone else like TMS? If not, feel free to talk about why people who go on holiday to Japan, spend a week on an island, and then come back moaning about Tokyo being 'so tacky' and burbling about 'the death of the real Japan' are genuinely irritating gits. Or whatever Barthes thought about it.
I was thinking of them after the other thread kicked off about authenticity and posing. Seemed most 'punks' and new-wavers disliked them cos the singer claimed to be descended from Indian royalty and had this really mannered vocal style (the B-side of '405 Lines' has an excerpt of a gig and some drunk yelling in the audience, before this clipped tone comes over the mic, "Can we have a bit of decorum please?"). Don't know if it was true or a wind-up, but back in '79, admitting something like that (while The Clash were doing their Westway hooligan stance) was considered totally unacceptable by the likes of Sounds, etc
But whatever, those 5 7"s are all fucking brilliant - Alphaville is probably the best, love that spikey angular guitar. (By the way, if anyone's got a copy of their first, privately pressed 7", any chance of a rip please? I can't find it anywhere)
Anyone else like TMS? If not, feel free to talk about why people who go on holiday to Japan, spend a week on an island, and then come back moaning about Tokyo being 'so tacky' and burbling about 'the death of the real Japan' are genuinely irritating gits. Or whatever Barthes thought about it.
Last edited: