"All I wanted was your time; all you ever gave me was tomorrow."
Led by Vini Reilly, arguably the most subtle and gifted guitarist of the Post-Punk era, The Durutti Column dispensed with conventional notions of what guitar-based alternative music could sound like, and in doing so, played a big role in laying the groundwork for a more experimental, less structured form of rock composition, perhaps best embodied in the later work of Mark Hollis' Talk Talk. Circuses and Bread is fairly typical of The Durutti Column's early eighties work, in that it is dominated by Reilly's deft, electric arpeggios, which at times take on Jazz-oriented inflections, but more often than not, spin beautifully ornate, crisp melodies that may shine on the surface but also reverberate with regret and despair. For example, on "Royal Infirmary," Reilly's lovely, melodic guitar work is joined by piano and trumpet, creating a spaciously dark and moody soundscape that is hard to shake once the song ends. While primarily an instrumental album, Circuses and Bread does contain one of Reilly's better-known vocal turns on "Tomorrow," a gloomy ode to a love that dies on the vine; this is a song deserving of a far better fate than the relative obscurity it now wallows in. Truly one of the most distinctive bands of the eighties.
Circuses and Bread (2007 Remastered Edition)
1. Pauline (2:47)
2. Tomorrow (4:05)
3. Dance II (5:39)
4. Hilary (3:15)
5. Street Fight (4:04)
6. Royal Infirmary (4:20
7. Black Horses (8:31)
8. Dance I (5:00)
9. Blind Elevator Girl (Osaka) (10:19)
-Bonus Tracks-
10. All That Love and Maths Can Do (3:37)
11. I Get Along Without You Very Well (3:39)
12. Verbier (For Patti) (2:40)
13. The Aftermath (4:26)
14. A Silence (4:43)
15. Cocktail (2:07)
16. Telephone Call (1:43)
17. Mirror A (2:10)
18. Mirror B (3:44)
Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteThis has reminded me of Without Mercy which I haven't heard in ages ...
Thank you for this - I didn't know this band at all! Amazingly beautiful tracks!
ReplyDeleteIssi, glad you liked this! The Durutti Column's first five or six albums are really amazing, so unlike anything else from that era. I will post some of these in the future ~ voixautre
ReplyDeleteAnon, thanks for reminding me about "Without Mercy." Turns out, I don't have that one, so I'll seek it out and post it at some point
ReplyDeleteOne more good choice voixautre!It seems i would need an extra drive if you continue this way.
ReplyDeleteCount me in also for "without mercy"
ranxerox, I found "Without Mercy" and will have it up in remastered glory sometime this week. About the harddrive issue, you better go buy a bigger one because I've got a huge amount of material to post; this has barely been the tip of the iceberg
ReplyDeleteVini Reilly plays on Morrissey's first album.
ReplyDeletemars, on "Viva Hate"?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response! Looking forward to Without Mercy. I remember it as an uneven record - half of it going nowhere much but the other half gently hypnotic and enchanting. I loved the LP cover with it's grey unbleached card.
ReplyDeleteThis has reminded of two other melodic guitar records - Blackouts & Dream Desire by our friend Manuel G. My suspicion is that Ashra's early stuff was quite an influence on Dave Gavurin (The Sundays).
Something quite different but still with a instrumental focus: Mark Springer (ex Rip Rig & Panic).
Some of his piano / compositional stuff from the last 10 years is quite amazing but very hard to find. (Hope you don't mind the extra request here).
Anon. not a lot of Springer's stuff to be found out in the cold corridors of cyberspace at the moment, but I will post some Rip Rig & Panic either here or on We Like It Lossless! in the near future
ReplyDeleteGreat mate news in RRP! Sure bet that someone in Japan has all Springer's stuff. It's just case of convincing them ... oh, never mind ...
ReplyDeleteBtw, I urge fans (new and old) to visit the official Durutti site and make any purchases there - e.g A Paean To Wilson.
It seems Vini is trying to raise money for a new project and is actually selling his Rolex, Grado headphones etc.
Fair enough to explore, listen and enjoy but even better to remember the artists here really do need our direct support as well. ;)
Anon. thanks for the comment; I completely agree
ReplyDeletewish I had a Rolex to sell to help pay off these crippling school loans I have ;)
ReplyDeleteJust now playing this one, which I have never heard before. It's really outstanding. Very distinctive, especially for its time. Nice remastering, too.
ReplyDeletet-ador, yes, I agree; one of my favorites from this band
ReplyDeleteSomething mangled my words there - Mate, great news on RRP! (but you got that).
ReplyDeleteMaybe you and Vini could do a deal? You book him for a campus gig and he gives you the watch?
Anon., very interesting idea! I could also sell some Killing Moon t-shirts at the gig. Maybe black with the Raven on it
ReplyDeletealso, I may just post the Rip Rig and Panic on We Like It Lossless! because I noticed someone had requested those albums over there in January
ReplyDeleteThank you! Have been looking for this for ages to have a good digital copy of "I Get Along Without You Very Well" (I have the 45 but it is quite dusty sounding by now—that's Tony Wilson's girlfriend singing on it BTW). Have been listening to Vini for over 30 years (and have purchased almost all of the releases) since picking up "LC" on a whim. Great blog; reminds me of my vinyl collecting days! Have any Peter Blegvad?
ReplyDeleteMajus, thank you for the comment and for visiting the blog. The only Blegvad I've posted here is Slapp Happy: http://killingmoonmusic.blogspot.com/search/label/Slapp%20Happy
ReplyDeleteIs there one in particular that you're looking for? Also, please hit the 'follow' button if you haven't already done so, thanks again!
Voixautre, the Blegvad items I'm looking for are "King Strut" (I have a scratchy LP) and "Hangman's Hill". Should you know of anywhere they would be available let me know! Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteMajus, I'll look around for those in FLAC
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Durutti album, without a doubt. Thanks for the remastered/expanded version.
ReplyDeleteMAZE, you're welcome!
ReplyDeletereally beautiful album and thanks for this gold mine that you are sharing!
ReplyDeleteAnon., my pleasure :)
ReplyDeleteEspers do a really beautiful cover of "Tomorrow" on their album The Weed Tree. Try to find it if you can!
ReplyDelete