The Comsat Angels

Biography

Erroneously seen as a synth pop band — and, once in a while, being a band that peaked using a song put into a scene of True Genius — the Comsat Angels were among the best bands from the post-punk/fresh wave era. Frequently simply because moody if much less dramatic than Pleasure Department, their first and greatest albums — 1980’s Looking forward to a Magic, 1981’s Sleep FORGET ABOUT, and 1982’s Fiction — highlighted abstract pop tracks with sparse instrumentation, a lot of that have been bleak and filled up with some type of heartache. The albums had been nearly unrelentingly sullen, however they had been often transfixing. The music group then fell victim to various industrial pressures for quite some time. Within the ’90s they resurfaced with a set of effective albums that resembled reasonable extensions of the earliest work, and they vanished once again. After many incarnations and name adjustments, the Sheffield-based Radio Globe — guitarist and vocalist Stephen Fellows, drummer Mik Glaisher, keyboardist Andy Peake, bassist Kevin Bacon — discovered themselves starting for Pere Ubu in Newcastle. Following the gig, the quartet noticed that that they had been blown from the stage and intimidated by the headliners’ feeling of concentrate and capability to confuse. Carrying out a rethink, they returned as the much less self-conscious Comsat Angels (the name referenced a brief tale by J.G. Ballard). They required financing from Glaisher’s dad to record and launch the Red World EP in 1979; BBC DJ John Peel off, who was delivered a copy, loved what he noticed, requested some more copies and booked the music group for just one of his popular Peel Classes. An unintrusive cope with Polydor allowed the music group to create three spectacular albums and repay Mr. Glaisher, however the label didn’t learn how to deal with the music group and the even more important music journalists shied aside for reasons uknown, though the protection the music group do receive tended to become glowing. Just “Independence Day time,” from your 1st album, were able to chart within the U.K. The albums weren’t distributed in the us, but the music group do support Gang of Four during some 1982 times and had been shocked in the reception they received — the consequence of spins on university r / c. The Comsats remaining Polydor for Jive, and 1983’s Property, made by Mike Howlett, was a designated departure along with a conscious shoot for the top from the graphs. It backfired, but 1985’s 7 Day time Weekend, made by Kilometers Davis associate and funk-pop maker extraordinaire Wayne Mtume, fared worse. (A parallel: imagine a 4th Cable recording that resembles Level 42 a lot more than Cable.) Released on Isle in 1986, Chasing Shadows found existence with some help from high-profile lover Robert Palmer; it as well was second-rate set alongside the 1st three albums, despite becoming much less compromised, as well as the Comsats had been pleased more than enough to make reference to it as their 4th album. Fire for the Moon, completed the following season rather than released until 1990, was the band’s most affordable point, an extremely bland hard rock and roll album acknowledged to Dream Order. At this time, the Comsat Angels found a complete realization that their initiatives at satisfying others — label minds and consumers as well — have been fruitless. They agreed upon with RPM/Thunderbird within the U.K. and Caroline in the us, and released 1992’s My Mind’s Eyesight, a toughened up to date from the 1979-1982 period. Unsurprisingly, it had been met with industrial indifference and spotty important compliment. Kevin Bacon, who got started to make other artists, still left the music group after its discharge. Terry Todd emerged in as Bacon’s substitute on bass, and Simon Anderson was added as second guitarist. In 1995, the Comsats released The Glamour, their hardest record. It could also end up being their last. Fellows released an record of ambient electric guitar instrumentals in 1997 and in addition maintained Gomez. Bacon created additional works (Finley Quaye, Longpigs, Ziggy Marley) and come up with a few of his very own electronic materials. Glaisher and Peake continuing to interact sporadically. In ’09 2009, the music group briefly reconvened for a small number of gigs. Through the mid-’90s with the mid-2010s, all their albums had been either released or reissued on Compact disc. Looking forward to a Miracle, Rest FORGET ABOUT, and Fiction only had been extended by RPM (1995), Renascent (2006), and Edsel (2015). The final of those brands also mixed Chasing Shadows and Open fire around the Moon.

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