Here are the original sleeve notes from 1986... (with annotations and the spelling corrected) If magnetic tape had been invented two hundred years ago, Vincent Van Gough would have spent all his time recording experimental music instead of painting pictures. He would have been rejected by all the major record companies and he would have ended upon on Obscure Independent Classics. Then he would have gone mad, cut his ear off and killed himself. Thus here we are on the back of Obscure Independent Classics Volume Three, another haven for crazy genii who have been rejected by major record companies because they are too creative, imaginative, and revolutionary. Well, that's the way I see it . oh shut up. If you are in a record shop at the moment you will now buy this record; you will take it home and play it and you will enjoy it more than almost any other record you've heard recently. Otherwise you should flush your brain down the toilet. So....let's see now....what can one say about the people on this record?.... THE DISNEY RAZORS need absolutely no introduction whatsoever. None. This group are so self explanatory that there is very little point in writing anything at all about them. It would be a complete waste of time to say anything at all by way of explanation. No explanation in respect of this is group would convey any information at all which isn't totally obvious in any case. An explanation here would be superfluous and unnecessary and perfidious. No, not perfidious...wait a minute...er...there's a forthcoming Cordelia L.P. (not the last time you're going to hear that). Jesus Christ [Note: The Disney Razors were a band from London, Mick Bunnage of The Deep Freeze Mice played bass with them later on although not on this recording. Their album "750kg maximum breakdown" eventually came out on a different label.] R STEVIE MOORE is one of the most talented people in the world ever. He writes brilliant songs and he's an incredibly good singer and guitarist. No I don't owe him money. This segment comes from a forthcoming Cordelia L.P. He's made about 200 cassettes over the last 30 years and you can buy them all if you want to. Calm Down. Whenever someone puts out an L.P. for him he compiles it from the best of his cassettes. The Cordelia one will make seven. They are all brilliant. Let's talk about something else, this is becoming embarrassing..... [Note: that's true and his L.P. was released on Cordelia in 1986] YUTAKA TANAKA is the man behind S.CORE. A Japanese experimental music person. He's released three cassettes on his "Afflict" label. At this very moment Yutaka is compiling "Obscure Independent Classics Volume Four", which is going to made up entirely of Japanese bands. This will be Japan's finest contribution to world culture since Pearl Harbour. Ha Ha. Sorry about this Zoogz + Laura We now have an exclusive item by YEAH YEAH NOH, an interesting 60's type group who unfortunately gave up just as they were learning to put a decent song together because John Peel didn't like their debut L.P. But I'll let John Grayland (their guitarist) carry on in his own words...."Trini Lopez was probably the first thing we ever wrote. The riff was thought up by Alan Jenkins (Hello-ed) Get lost. , Graham Summers and me when we tried to come up with 7 songs in an hour in a rehearsal studio so Derek could write some words. It doesn't really have a tune and I think Derek's a bit embarrassed by the words now, but at the time In Tape wanted to release it as our first single instead of "Cottage Industry" which shows what abysmal taste they've got." YEAH YEAH NOH are currently suing In Tape - but then they were always influenced by the Beatles. I don't know anything about WHITE BOY. This track got on because Trev Faull gave it a rave review in his "Outlet" magazine. Trev Faull is one of the people behind THE LUNATIC FRINGE. You should write to him to get a copy of "Outlet" which is a totally fascinating magazine . It has a much better perspective on music than anything else I've ever read, even this ? and it always has nice things in it about Cordelia Records. Anyway, WHITE BOY are Mr. Ott and Jake Whipp. This was their single. WEBCORE come from Cornwall. They run a label called "A Real Kavoom". This is one of their less commercial tracks. They're gigging in London a lot at the moment. Write for their catalogue and their sampler tape. RITCHIE HASS and the BEATNIKS live in Los Angelese. They've made some cassettes. Ritchie Hass is also the drummer in Zoogz Rift's band (see OIC 1). This stuff is Zappa influenced only a bit more garage band like. It's a pity they can't play live in Britain, the live tape sounds good. JESUS COULDN'T DRUM have just changed their name to THREE ORANGE KISSES. This is their theme tune. Jonathan Staines, who wrote this song, told me that it was influenced by a song called "God" by the Deep Freeze Mice (See OIC 1). This JCD, not DFM group will shortly be too famous to be on this L.P. and you will have to scrape this track off with a razor blade when this happens. If you are smart you will write to find out how to obtain their L.P. "Er....something about cows" which is really jolly good. PUSH BUTTON PLEASURE's track is from a forthcoming L.P. on Hamster Records (See OIC 2). PBP are Yukio Yung (of whom more later) and Melvyn Z. Pad (who was the first man to ride from Land's End to John O'Groats on a unicycle). There are about oh...2 or 3 PBP L.P's out on Hamster. You can get these. If you don't have the intelligence to do this then we don't want you listening to music of this quality in any case etc etc etc etc.... ALGEBRA SUICIDE have been on every L.P. of this kind that's ever been made. Also they have made two e.p.s which contain four tracks each much like this one. They are a husband (the music) and wife (the words) team. FRITZ GOSH and the GOSHBROKERS (alias J. Ashurst and his portastudio) sent in one of the best demo tapes we've ever had, of which this is a sample. I don't think he's ever released a tape commercially but it might be worth writing if you want to hear some more. RICK CUEVAS is a Lennon influenced Californian, (although this one sounds a bit like Elvis Costello). This is a track from one of his solo L.P.s. He's also made L.P.s. with Zru Vogue. What else ? Joy Crick is on backing vocals and the producer is Doug Hopping (at Suite 17 studios, Sunnyvale, California in 1984.) I wrote about THE WIMPS on OIC 2. So I won't do it again. Hell. Who do you think I am ? This track was their second and final single. Its a pity they didn't make any more records - although they did mention something about some unreleased material dating back to the late 70s. Who knows. Perhaps it'll surface. Perhaps I'll surface it. Perhaps I'll send a metaphorical ferret down its hole and drive it to the surface, bleeding and Get on with it. muddy and expose it to the light of day. Perhaps the centuries of..... er........to get back to the present record... [Note: Cordelia didn't get round to releasing anything else by The Wimps]. ROBERT COX is the man behind Rimarimba. He is producing the most interesting computer music currently being made. Here's some of it now. Brilliant isn't it ? Should be more famous than Philip Glass. There are three Rimarimba L.P.s. available from Cordelia. Also see OIC 1. Also watch out for his masterpiece "Chicago Excretion Death Geometry", a forthcoming Cordelia release. [Note: "Chicago Excretion Death Geometry" came out on Hamster Records in the end.] PAUL JOHNSON is a 60's surfing legend. (He wrote Mr. Moto). Now, however, he runs a label which is specialises in high quality cassettes of instrumental music. This track, for instance, he played entirely by himself accompanied by a linn drum. You should write for a brochure full of fascinating historical details, - he turned down an opportunity to join the Beach Boys. There's lots of other interesting things to say about this track. But I won't. I'm beginning to get bored with this sleeve note business. If I wanted to be a writer I would have been born Ernest Hemmingway wouldn't I ? Sorry about that Paul I made a bit of a mess of your bit. YUKIO YUNG hasn't even recorded his track yet, let alone sent it in. God knows what he's going to come up with. If there isn't a track by him at all - then he didn't make the deadline. Anyway. What can I tell you about YUKIO YUNG ? Buy his Cordelia Records L.P. "The tree climbing goats", it's lots of fun. Oh yes - he once became King of Estonia due to a clerical error. It says here. THE LUNATIC FRINGE is Trev Faul (see above) and someone else who's name escapes me. what??? This is an extract from one of his cassettes. I refuse to write anything else I'm going home now. ?? [Note: I spoke to Trev Faul recently and he's currently playing keyboards in a Tornadoes tribute band.] L.J. TREANOR is a violin player from Leamington Spa who's interested in textures. He arrived at this kind of music after playing every other kind of music first apparently. This was part of another of our best ever demo-tapes. He has supplied a quotation which he says is appropriate to this work "See deep enough and you see musically; the heart of nature being everywhere music." (Carlyle.) ah. THE SWIMMING MANNEQUINS may easily be the best Swiss punk band (if they're a punk band at all). I think they may have broken up by now, or at least changed their line up, or something like that. This is a very good song. Don't think there is anything else I can tell you about them. Oh well. There - I think I managed to exclude any bits of actual information which may have otherwise crept in A.J. Alan Jenkins September 1986