Compilation of compilation tracks

Liner Notes:
'A tent is a soft house'
Lamargi

For many years we avoided participation in compilation projects, although opportunities were frequently presented to us. We have developed our music in such a way that it is most appropriately experienced in isolation. Therefore, allowing it to be presented in a form where it could be preceded and succeeded by other recordings, over which we would have no control, was alien to our intention. It also seemed (and in many cases still does) that compilation projects serve little purpose other than to fulfil the collector or editorial aspirations of the originator. In such circumstances the listener becomes little more than the end-user.

In 1984, following an approach from Jon Wozencroft of Touch seeking a contribution to Lands End, we revised our policy: we inverted the criticisms outlined above and sought to exaggerate them so that they became a positive technique in their own right. We encouraged the active and overt participation of the compiler so that the project would become more than the sum of its parts. In practice this required us to produce music akin to the incidental music produced for film and television soundtracks, music that could be cut up, manipulated and re-worked into new contexts, yet still retain its inherent characteristics. Now, with the general availability of sampling technology, the appropriation and translocation of music in this way is widespread, elevating the end user to a position of experiental collusion.

More recently, we have adopted a more closely defined stance, working only with those projects behind which we can perceive a unifying concept, either of form or purpose. Most of the recordings on this CD were created in this context and therefore represent a degree of creative input on the part of the labels concerned – Prometheans all!

Soviet France
Newcastle, June 1992

1 Ram
Recorded 9-10 September 1984. First released 1985 on the Cassette 'Lands End' produced by Touch (Touch T33.4). Now deleted.
Touch: 13 Oswald Road, London, UK, SW17 7SS
2 Sprey
Recorded July 1983. First released in 1986 on the magazine/cassette compilation 'Bad Alchemy Nr 4' produced by Bad Alchemy. Now deleted.
Bad Alchemy: Franz Ludwig Strasse 11, D-8700 Würzburg, Germany
3 Le Mur Mûr Nu
Recorded 19 September 1986. First released in 1986 on the LP 'Fight!' produced by Cathexis Recordings (CRL 14), now deleted. Subsequently released in 1989 on the CD 'Absolute' produced by Soleilmoon Recordings and Parade Amoureuse.
Cathexis: contact Total: PO Box 284, Glasgow, UK, G12 9AW
4 First Vigil
Recorded 17-18 August 1987. First released in 1988 on the CD 'A Classic Guide to No Man's Land' produced by No Man's Land (nml8813cd).
No Man's Land: Postfach 84, D-8700 Würzburg 11, Germany
5 White Dusk
Recorded 1987. First released in 1989 on the LP 'A Bead To A Small Mouth' produced by Barooni (BAR 001). Subsequently released in 1991 in CD format by Barooni and Soleilmoon Recordings (BAR 001 CD).
Barooni: Postbus 12012, 3501 AA Utrecht, Netherlands
Soleilmoon Recordings: PO Box 83296, Portland, Oregon 97283, USA
6 Something This Beautiful
Recorded March 1990. First released in 1990 on the CD 'Mouvements' produced by La Légende Des Voix (LDV 003). Now deleted.
La Légende Des Voix: 21 rue du 8 Mai, 37270 Montlouis, France
7 Fugitive
Recorded 1990. First released in 1991 (shortened version) on the CD 'Death Of Vinyl' produced by DOVentertainment (DOVECD22)
DOVentertainment: 2 Bloor Street West #100-159, Toronto, Canada, M4W 3E2

Additional information: Track 3, 5 and 6 have different durations as their original compilation appearances. "Le Mur Mûr Nu" is 35" longer, "White Dusk" is 36" longer and "Something This Beautiful" is 2' 23" shorter on this release!


First Edition 1992
℗ 1992 The Grey Area in Collusion with Charrm ©1992 Frost Eviance Music
The Grey Area of Mute Records, 429 Harrow Road, London, UK, W10 4RE
:zoviet*france:/Charrm, 5 Wingrove Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, NE4 9BP
SION 1
Barcode:7 5390-75502 1