2008 Download Festival - July 19 & 20

Two true classic alternative bands...the Jesus and Mary Chain and Gang Of Four are headlining this year's Download Festival - July 19 and 20. Grab your tickets soon!!
http://www.downloadfestival.com

Notes From The 80s Underground

Chameleons UK Mark Burgess Releases Autobiography
Chameleons UK frontman and legendary wordsmith Mark Burgess has finally released his autobiography "View From a Hill" for U.S Distribution. The book offers a fascinating and detailed retrospective on England's post-punk explosion in the early 80s...and The Chameleons' ascension into that scene. Info and ordering online: http://www.guardian-angel-media.com/View_From_A_Hill_Pre-Order/Ordering_Information.html

Camper Van Beethoven 25th Anniversary Show & Greatest Hits Comp
Legendary stoner/psych/pop/punk and all around 80s underground vets Camper Van Beethoven recently resurfaced for a 25th Anniversary show at San Francisco's revered Fillmore Theater on June 28th. The band will also be releasing a long-overdue greatest hits compilation later this summer. Read more here: http://www.campervanbeethoven.com/

The Cure...New Album Due in September
The Cure is planning to release their 13th studio album on September 13, 2008. The album was originally planned to be a double album, but Robert Smith confirmed in recent interviews that the album will be a single album, despite the fact that 33 songs have been recorded. No tracklisting has been confirmed, but Smith has also said that the album will mostly comprise of the upbeat songs they recorded, while the darker songs may be released on another album.

Echo Keep It Going.....New Album Due in late 2008
The Fountain is the forthcoming eleventh studio album from Echo & The Bunnymen. The album is being produced by John McLaughlin, and Coldplay singer/Gwyneth BabyDaddy Chris Martin has collaborated with the band on one of the album's tracks. The first single from the album, "Think I Need It Too", is due to be released in August 2008, with the album being released later in the year.

Taking a break...

With summer in full swing, those so-called children of mine are under the impression that they deserve to be taken out to the park, swimming, etc. I haven't gotten a chance to post today, and the rest of the week is looking pretty full already, so I'm going to beg off for a few days. I'll be back soon, and I even have a pretty good mullet in mind for next Monday.

My apologies for any lameness...

Briefly...

From Billboard:

• Stories on Freebass, The Jesus and Mary Chain, & Boy George.
  

From NME:

• News on Iggy Pop and and The Stooges, Crowded House, Björk, & Devo.
  

From Rolling Stone:

• Items on a Devo/Tom Tom Club double bill, Liz Phair, & My Bloody Valentine.
  

New Mullet on Monday - David Bowie

Yes, it's about time that David Bowie was featured on New Mullet on Monday, his early '70s hairstyle having been called ...one of the first benchmark mullets of rock history. Bowie is featured in the book The Mullet: Hairstyle of the Gods, the Amazon.com review of which says, ...little did anyone know that David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust look would begin a mullet-mania which was destined to reach its pinnacle in the 1980's--anyone who was anyone in the world of rock music, sport and fashion wore a mullet of some kind and this book contains ample (damning) photographic proof of its popularity.

Thank you, David Bowie!

By the late '70s, Bowie's mullet had been tamed, but was still around. Here's the video for D.J., from the 1979 album Lodger.

Links:
DavidBowie.com
The David Bowie Official MySpace Page

Briefly...

From Billboard:

• Stories on R.E.M., and Paul Weller.
  

From NME:

• News on R.E.M. (a different topic than the Billboard story), Bono & Bob Geldof, John Lydon, Frank Black, Björk, the Sex Pistols, & New York Dolls.
  

From Pitchfork:

• An interview with Peter Hook, and an item on a 24 hour Tony Wilson tribute, just finishing up in Manchester.

New Mullet on Tuesday - The Woodentops

All apologies for the lack of mullet yesterday. I took a long weekend to visit family in the Intermountain West, and didn't even get a chance to post a note about my absence.

But we do have a mullet today, and it belonged to Rolo McGinty of The Woodentops, a critically acclaimed British band, originally active from 1983-1992.

From the 1986 album Giant, this is It Will Come.

The Woodentops were revived in in 2006, and have been touring ever since. The current line-up includes McGinty, as well as guitarist Simon Mawby, who was also an original member. They have a show coming up in August at The 100 Club in London.

Links:
The Woodentops Official Website
The Woodentops on MySpace

New Mullet on Monday - Wire Train

Kevin Hunter, lead singer and guitarist of Wire Train, had a mullet, and in the video for I'll Do You, is even seen primping it...

I'll Do You (1984)

Wire Train originally formed in San Fransisco under the name The Renegades, and was active from 1983-1993. The band released five albums and, in the eighties, toured with, among others, Big Country, INXS, The Alarm, and The Waterboys. Around 1990, the band opened for Bob Dylan.

The band played a reunion show in 2003 for an episode of VH1's Bands Reunited series that never aired. According to Hunter, the reason is that there was originally a different host (apparently before Aamer Haleem) who was fired after the taping of the Wire Train episode.

Wiretrain.co.uk, a fan site, has a detailed biography and also has a page detailing the exploits of the band members post break-up.

Links:
Wire Train on MySpace - fan run, but apparently with the approval of Kevin Hunter.
Kevin Hunter Interview
The Links Page at Wiretrain.co.uk

Lost and Found VideoS - The Housemartins & The Beautiful South

Since it has been at least a couple of weeks since the last Lost and Found Video was posted, it is only appropriate to bring you a couple of videos this week. Rest assured that I am feeling a tremendous amount of shame.

The Housemartins formed in 1983 in Hull, England. According to Wikipedia, The band often referred to themselves as "the 4th best band in Hull". (The three bands that were "better" were Red Guitars, Everything but the Girl, and The Gargoyles.) The band officially achieved success in the summer of 1986, when the single Happy Hour charted at #3 in the U.K. Subsequently, the album London 0 Hull 4 climbed to #3 on the U.K. album charts.

Here's the video for Happy Hour, complete with a cameo by U.K. comedian Phil Jupitus, who toured with the band as Porky the Poet.

The Housemartins split in 1988, but are said to have remained on good terms. Bassist Norman Cook went on to greater fame as Fatboy Slim. Vocalist Paul Heaton and drummer Dave Hemingway went on to form The Beautiful South.

From the 1990 album Choke, this is The Beautiful South, with My Book.

The Beautiful South disbanded early last year, releasing a statement in which they joked their reasons for splitting were "musical similarities" - an ironic reference to "musical differences" which are often cited as the reason for a band's split. (Wikipedia)

Links!
TheHousemartins.com - a fan site.
The Housemartins at the All Music Guide
The Housemartins Fan Club on MySpace
The Beautiful South Official Website
The Beautiful South at the All Music Guide
The Beautiful South on MySpace
Paul Heaton on MySpace (includes Paul Heaton tour dates).
Fatboy Slim on MySpace

Sources: All Music Guide, Wikipedia, Paul (thanks).

History Revisited...

Props to Mel for allowing me to be part of the CAB team! I hope to contribute timely tidbits on all the comings and goings of our fave 80s indie artists. While hardly an encyclopedic resource on the genre, I do have an unyielding fondness for the era. I also host a weekly radio show called the 80s Underground. For a little more history and perspective, please visit my Blog...

cheers for now,
Jeff

New Mullet on Monday - The Police

This weeks recovering-mullet-wearers are Sting and Andy Summers of The Police, who, in the Synchronicity years, unabashedly wore mullets. At times, Stewart Copeland may have come close, but his ears were normally not visible, so he gets a pass.

From the 1978 album Outlandous D'amour, this is So Lonely.

You may have heard that The Police reunited and embarked on a world tour last year. Last month, the band announced that, after touring through the summer, they will play a final show in New York City in August 2008. Sting has commented that ...there will be no new album, no big new tour, once we're done with our reunion tour, that's it for the Police.

From said reunion tour, here's Message in a Bottle, performed on December 8, 2007, in Rio de Janeiro.

Links:
The Police Official Website
The Police on MySpace
PoliceWiki

Briefly...

From Billboard:

• Stories on Morrissey (who has completed a new album), Smashing Pumpkins, Elvis Costello, the now-in-production Bob Marley documentary, The Happy Mondays, and Sonic Youth.
  

From NME:

• News on Paul Weller, R.E.M., James, and Bono.
  

From Pitchfork:

• Items on Robyn Hitchcock, Patti Smith, Liz Phair, Wire, The Sex Pistols, and R.E.M.

From Rolling Stone:

• News on and Photos from an upcoming Sonic Youth biography.