Telepathic Fish LPs arrive

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LP inside
Bundle back
LP+booklet
The LPs are here at last, over a year in the making, gatefold double album with silk smooth finish, spot varnish details and 20 page full colour booklet. Also Mindfood #5 fanzine, 1 hour mystery mix ‘Float III’ cassette and enamel pin badge.

Badge
Float front
Float A
Float B
Float back
Float inside
These all form the deluxe bundle that sold out very quickly on the FF Bandcamp pre-order page. The LP is very much still available but if you missed out on the bundle then we will have a limited number for sale at the launch party next Sunday, August 31st in Brixton at Arch555 – ticket link here.

MF5 cover
MF5 inside 1
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MF5 inside 4

Telepathic Fish in Electronic Sound

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The current issue of Electronic Sound has a six page feature on Telepathic Fish by Ben Willmott, someone who was around when we did these parties and certainly came to several. Aside from interviewing the three of us, he’s pulled in quotes from Matt Black, Robin Rimbaud and Daniel Pemberton – all people in our orbit back in the day who have first hand experience of the Fish too. I’ve not included the text of course, you’ll have to buy the mag but later in the issue is a review of the forthcoming compilation by Ben Murphy and nestling next to it is none other than the guvnor, Brian Eno.
If you can’t get the mag or don’t do physical then you can read the feature online if you become a premium member.

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ES mag 5 web
ES mag review web

It’s just two weeks away from the launch party in Brixton on August 31st and there’s still much to do, the LPs are in the UK, the cassettes are made although we now have to assemble 150 acetate inlays, the badges and fanzines are delivered and a very special liquid wheel has been custom made by Bubblevision for the night. There’s more press to come and several guest mixes which I’ll post about in the coming weeks, lots in the pipeline still and new things bubbling to the surface daily it seems… Launch party tickets: https://ra.co/events/2218194

Telepathic Fish front
Telepathic Fish - Star Fish back2

Mick Jones’ Rock’n’Roll Public Library

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I visited Mick JonesRRPL exhibition at the Farsight Gallery on Friday courtesy of Stephen Coates (seen above at the magazine kiosk inside the venue). For anyone who doesn’t know, Mick is a collector, an understatement when you realise that the amount of ephemera, memorabilia and esoteria on display is possibly only 5% of his archive. Although I can’t claim to be a huge Clash or B.A.D. fan there’s no denying that the collection on display is impressive and wide-ranging. From toys, games, comics, magazines, records, tapes, clothes to art, posters, projection equipment, videos, music gear and pop culture artifacts, it seems there is very little that Mick doesn’t collect.

Ft2 cover
Ft2 label
Primarily of interest to me were his pieces of hip hop ephemera including several by Futura from the early 80s when he and Mick wrote ‘The Escapes of Futura 2000’ with The Clash as backing band. Inside one of the glass cabinets I noticed Futura’s handwritten lyrics to the song, beautifully enscribed in his recognisable style. In another was a customised boombox with drawings by Dondi and Zephyr, a Rammellzee flyer and Beastie Boys tour pass – what a time to be in New York!

Futura lyrics
Futura boombox
Dondi
zephyr
Clash canvas
Of course there is loads of Clash-related memorabilia too, from equipment to tapes, toys to merchandise, press coverage to what appears to be a Futura-sprayed canvas.

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T shirt 1
mickey model
Clash toys
Clash case
Punk fanzine
Fanzines were a huge part of the punk movement and there are plenty here although most have been photocopied and pasted up as wallpaper at various points to aid ease of display.

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Ted vs Punks
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Forbidden planet
There are also a number of huge colour-themed collages of all manner of ephemera, an ingenious way to display many of the items that were found without an obvious home.

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And it goes on and on… there’s even the first in a projected series of magazines devoted to highlights from the collection on sale inside. I highly recommend you try and visit if you’re in the centre of London with an hour or two to spare. It’s free, open daily from midday – 7pm and the gallery is at the end of Denmark St. tucked round the corner by St. Giles church, nearest tube, Tottenham Court Road. Be quick though as it’s only on until March 16th – more info here www.rocknrollpl.com and on Instagram @rocknrollpl

Toys
projectors
electric guitar
dread
Ampro
badges

Rock Circus’

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A rare poster for a festival in Amsterdam at the Olympic stadium in 1972. Note Sgt. Pepper’s Band – was there a Beatles tribute band that early on?

Rock Circus advert
Even though there was no actual circus involved in the above concert there’s a link between that festival and Chipperfield’s Circus that took place in the UK around Christmas that year. Joe’s Lights – a legendary light show crew that evolved out of the Joshua Light Show – performed at both the Dutch gig and an actual circus at the Rainbow Theatre in London. Thanks to the ever-diligent Neil Rice for the poster image on this one.

Chipperfields Circus poster web
Circus imagery was popular in the sixties, most obivously from the inspiration John Lennon took from Pablo Fanque’s Circus Royal poster for the lyrics to ‘Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite’.

Benefit of Mr Kite poster
razz revue cover Rare 1972 RAZZ REVUE Magazine (Phoenix AZ Underground Press) V.1 #1
The Rolling Stones also got on the bandwagon with their ill-fated Rock n Roll Circus which was recorded for a TV special but remained unofficially released until the mid 90s. Above and below; the front and back cover of Razz Revue magazine featuring Jagger in ringmaster garb from 1972. The Revue originated from Phoenix, Arizona, ran for 16 issues and took a satirical look at pop and rock culture, via interviews and comics. The cover image is probably by Bob Boze Bell, the mag’s resident cartoonist, and the redneck character attacking Jagger is the Roper-Doper, his regular strip in the mag.
Razz Revue back
Rolling Stones 3D 1967
While we’re talking about the Stones here’s two adverts I found on my travels round the web too. The first advertising their ‘3D’ (actually lenticular) Their Satanic Majesties Request album and the second plugging a 1990 Steel Wheels concert broadcast in actual 3D.

Rolling Stones 3D 1990

Freak in, Freak Out, Freak Off in the LA Free Press

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Newly discovered ads featuring Zappa and The Mothers of Invention from the LA Free Press. Some, if not all of these, were designed by Zappa in his spindly lettered, collage style. I’ve featured some of these before but they are generally better quality and some crazy person has gone through all the magazines at the link above, scanning the Zappa/Mothers appearances.

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1966-10-07 LA Free Press v3n40i116 11

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1966-09-23 Los Angeles Free Press v3n38 03-topaz-text-shapes-2x-faceai v1

Fanzine covers

Blast 4 SavX
I’ve just finished Matthew Worley‘s excellent Zerox Machine book about UK fanzines from punk into the late 80’s. It’s opened up a hidden world and had me going down several rabbit holes online.

Above – Irish fanzine Blast #4 with a Savage Pencil cover, below the three covers of Juniper Beri Beri, a Scottish fanzine by Annabel, Peter McArthur, Jill Bryson and Stephen from The Pastels.

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Juniper Beri Beri 2
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Hand-painted cover of Jungleland #9 – produced by Mike Scott of the Waterboys

Jungleland #9
A collage page from Adventures In Reality – issue G by Alan Rider

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An Ian Wright illustration for 80s magazine The Catalogue

The Catalogue Ian Swift

Posted in Art, Design, Magazines, Music. | No Comments | Tags:

Record Shop Stories – The Book & Record Bar

PL 1
It’s been a vinyl kind of weekend, starting on Friday with a visit to Deptford where the hardcore diggers descended on new shop Perfect Lives for their opening. Run by Danny and Bruno, it’s a countercultural wonderland of books, magazines, fanzines and records, the likes of you which rarely see or have never seen before. It’s a small spot at 6a Florence Road, London, SE14 6TW and they’re open Wednesday to Sunday, not cheap but you don’t see some of this stuff every day unless it’s in a museum or a book.

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PL 6 Deptford’s really becoming a spot now with Upside Down Records on the high street and new vinyl listening bar, Jazu down the other end. In the arches on Resolution Way across from the train station you have The Shop which sells music gear and records and further up, the Villages bar where we went to hear Huw from Mr Bongos play a Halloween-themed set.

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Saturday was the Groovy Record Fayre at the Mildmay Club on Newington Green for as much of a social catch up with a million friends as a dig for the black crack. Despite finding a few bits and pieces I actually managed to leave a clutch of 45s behind at the end because I was nattering.

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Groovy Fayre 5

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Sunday was a day of rest but Rich Headland‘s Record Shop Stories has just published the jaunt to the Book & Record Bar in West Norwood that we took a few weeks back. Read it here, give Rich’s substack a follow and pay the shop a visit if this piece piques your interest.

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It’s not all records around here though, next week is all about light shows and painting one of my son’s bedroom, then the print fair in Leicester at the Print Workshop next weekend.

More illustrated book and magazine covers found on the web

1968 Original “Buck Danny” Pop-Art_Psychedelic Poster From “Spirou” Magazine
Beautiful poster by Victor Hubinon from Spirou magazine in 1968

Bryan Talbot
A Bryan Talbot cover for Zig Zag in 1976

Ian Wright cover_
Ian Wright does the Damned for Zig Zag in 1981

ZigZag Stones
Unknown artist for another Zig Zag cover of the Stones from 1977

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One of Andy DOG Johnson’s first commissions – think I’ve shown this before but this is possibly better quality – Kraftwerk for Record Mirror in 1978

Sun Dial poster
Savage Pencil covering Sun Dial, this poster was from 1995 I believe

Whole Earth Supplement
Robert Crumb illustrates the Whole Earth Catalog’s Last Supplement – see what he did there?

Posted in Art, Books, Comics, Magazines. | 2 Comments |

Oddities: Desktop Image dump

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Wheeling around the internet (as I do) you pick up all sorts of interesting things, here are some that have been cluttering up the desktop with nowhere to go this month. Above is a promo badge – or button as they call them in the States – for the opening of The Kaleidoscope club in 1967, apparently the Grateful Dead played – taken from a RockPosters.com post.

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The cover of the Sexedelic LP, most of which became one half of the Vampyros Lesbos Psychedelic Dance Party compilation on Crippled Dick Hot Wax. Despite owning said comp since the 90s I’d never seen this cover.

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International Times newsagents poster, sent to me by Drew Mulholland

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Robert Williams illustrated header card for a bag of weed! Not sure the year but looks 70s.

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Gorgeous box design for a Philips projector lens.

Alex Nino Star Reach #6
Original art for an Alex Nino spread from Star Reach magazine no.6 from Heritage Auctions

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Beautiful Odyssey computer box design plus computer inside, look at those huge chips! Seen on Facebook Marketplace.

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New Warrington Runcorn New Town Development Plan LP cover – possibly by Nick Taylor? Out next week…

State 51 Singularity series

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Gorgeous designs by Louise Mason for the State 51 Singularity series of lathe cuts, made in conjunction with The Quietus website. Patrons on the highest tier of The Quietus’ subscription service get regular digital releases from various bands championed by the website and these are starting to be made available as limited lathe cut singles via State 51. Each edition (of 50) comes in an embossed box with hand-finished details and features a 20 minute disc of exclusive music from each artist.

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Talking of The Quietus, they desperately need more subscribers to survive so if you want to support good, independent journalism you can sign up to three different options with the site, each of which unlocks more content. Subscribe here.

Posted in Magazines, Music, Records. | No Comments |

When Hip Hop Came To Town article

ES spread
I spoke to Tom Ellen at ES Magazine a few weeks back about attending the Def Jam tour with Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim and LL Cool J back in 1987. The piece is primarily with Chuck D in reference to the new documentary Fight The Power: How Hip Hop Changed The World on BBC 3 which started last week and is on iPlayer now. I was being asked for my take on the first appearance on a London stage by PE back in 1987 and how the gig was a seismic event in the history of hip hop in the UK. Tom was led to me by the photos I posted on my blog a few years back, some of which were used in the article and are apparently in the documentary at some point. The article is online here to read too.

ES PE
ES LL

Moonbuilding issue 2 out today

Moonbuilding vol.2

The new edition of Moonbuilding, the quarterly magazine by ex-Electronic Sound writer Neil Mason, published by Castles In Space, is out today. It features a 2 page interview with me about my new book, Wheels of Light, and the mag also comes with a free CD of CiS artists appearing at the label’s Levitation festival next month.

You can order it here and there is also an option to get issue 1 or a bundle of both issues.

Moonbundle

Moonbuilding magazine issue 1

MB cover CD

The first issue of Moonbuilding is here! Put together by Neil Mason (ex of Electronic Sound magazine) and published quarterly by Castles In Space, it features guest design work from Nick Taylor, a column by Alex Paterson of The Orb and the return of Steven Appleby’s Captain Star comic strip. Also comes with a 13 track CD
Order via the Castles In Space Bandcamp page

MB CD back

MB Books

MB DH 1

MB DH 2

MB Capt Star

MB Howl

MB Levi

Record Mirror illustrated covers

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I’m mildly fascinated by these rock illustrations from Record Mirror magazines circa 1978-1981 when artists were asked to interpret pop idols of the day for covers and the odd poster. This was back when Record Mirror was a newspaper of the same size as NME, Melody Maker and Sounds before downsizing to magazine format.

RM Blondie 2

RM Blondie
They LOVED Blondie, she was constantly on the cover, probably because a beautiful woman sold copies. Not sure what to make of the suggestive poster at the top!

RM Bruce

RM BS

RM centre poster

RM Chrisse
Ivor Sexton, Alan Alder, David Street, Bob Zammarchi, Bush Hollyhead, Peter Watson, Mark (Zodiac Mindwarp) Manning, Conny Jude, Chris Chaisty, Chris Preistley and Graham Stevens are just some of the names I can see credited, some are familiar, some not.

RM Clash

RM Elvis 2

RM Elvis 3

RM Elvis

RM Grease

RM Led Zep

RM Linda

RM Marley

RM Metal
There was a trend for this kind of caricature around this time with a whole raft of posters released in similar styles (one of which – the Siouxsie centre spread – is featured here). I’ve posted about them before and there’s more to come…
RM Nick Lowe

RM PIL

RM Sexism

RM Siouxsie 2

RM Siouxsie

RM Stevie

RM Who

RM Springsteen 2

Posted in Art, Magazines, Music. | No Comments | Tags:

Punch covers by Geoffrey Dickinson

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I was alerted to the Punch cover above by the excellent Instagram account ephemeramablog and it sent me down a rabbit hole to find more. Geoffrey Dickinson did a fair bit of work for Punch over the years as far as I can ascertain as well as numerous other magazines. From the blog:
Geoffrey Dickinson (1933-1988) created these two cover illustrations for Punch magazine. Born in Liverpool, Dickinson studied at the Royal Academy Schools with the intention of becoming a landscape painter. He became a teacher while also freelancing, producing graphics and animations for BBC TV. Dickinson began contributing to Punch in 1963 and produced numerous covers. He took the position of Deputy Art Editor at Punch while continuing to freelance, working for Reader’s Digest, Which?, Esquire, Highlife, Hallmark Cards and more. In 1966, he also created the notable “Swinging Sixties” cover for Time Magazine. In 1984, Dickinson left Punch and joined the Financial Times, producing a daily pocket cartoon and illustrations for the weekend supplement.

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Food in the press

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There have been a couple of articles about the Kaleidoscope reissue/companion album in actual physical magazines recently – a 4 page article in DJ Mag (Todd Edwards cover) and a 6 page interview with not only PC and myself but Matt & Jon from Coldcut/Food too in the current issue of Electronic Sound (Drive cover). There was also a 2 page lead review of the album(s) in the previous issue of ES (Field Recording cover) too. Lots of rarely or never before seen pics too.DJ 2 DJ Kal review ES Food 1 ES Food 2 ES Food 3 ES Food 4 ES Food 5 Kal review ES

East Village Other covers pt.2 – Underground Comix edition

p15932coll8_56807_full More pages from the Wisconsin Historical Society G.I. Press Collection of The East Village Other papers I came across, all scanned in high res, (much higher than here). As the 60s heading to a close The Other started featuring a selection of the underground cartoonists of the day, namely Robert Crumb, Vaughn Bodé, Susan Morris, Spain Rodriguez, Kim Dietch and Charles Francis Winans. As well as striking covers, several artists did comic strip ads for Douglas Records and a lot of this art – save for some of the Crumb works – I’ve never seen reprinted elsewhere before.

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East Village Other covers pt.1

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Perusing the Wisconsin Historical Society G.I. Press Collection I came across a stash of East Village Other papers, all scanned in high res, (much higher than here) and started going through them. Here’s a selection of things that caught my eye from the covers and back pages.

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Possibly Susan Morris‘ work above?

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Is that an early Spain Rodriguez inking the figure above? The clouds don’t look like his work but the darker ink work doesp15932coll8_57300_full p15932coll8_57353_fullp15932coll8_18538_full

Grunt Free Press

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I was sent a link to the Wisconsin Historical Society G.I. Press Collection online which is a treasure trove of alternative and free press publications surrounding the US military 1964-1977. One of the best finds was a monthly paper called the Grunt Free Press, full of counterculture news and graphics from the hippy years including colour double page spread posters in the psychedelic style. Here are some of my favourite details.

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