+ JOHN COSTELLO - Electronics, Synths, Percussion, Vox. +
+ 'TRACKING' recorded at Rhythm Studio, Leamington Spa, 1986. Produced & engineered by Paul Johnston. +
+ '030' 'METRO MRX' and 'THE BOX' recorded at Alien Six studio, Brighton, 2006. Produced & engineered by Geoff Pinckney. +
+ All instrumentation & vocals for each track was recorded in a ten-hour day or less. 'THE BOX' is the result of just six hours intensive work - a great testament to the boundless production talents of Mr Pinckney. +
Influences
+ See/hear a lot more on my original music page: www.myspace.com/costellojohn and my personal page: www.myspace.com/john_cost +
O SUPERMAN - LAURIE ANDERSON, original promo from 82
RICKY'S HAND - FAD GADGET, from Belgian TV 1980
SEX DWARF - SOFT CELL, live 1980
CIRCUS OF DEATH - HUMAN LEAGUE, circa 79
JOCKO HOMO - DEVO, 1977 promo. So far ahead they were in a different universe
DEMOCRATIC DANCEBEAT - VICE VERSA, live at Futurama festival, Leeds 1980
CELEBRATE - SIMPLE MINDS, live 1981
FROM THE FLAGSTONES - COCTEAU TWINS, live on The Tube 1983
LIVING ON VIDEO - TRANS-X, OTT live appearance
MEA CULPA - BRIAN ENO & DAVID BYRNE, rare promo from the album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
METAL DANCE - SPK, live on The Tube
Sounds Like
+ The best of new wave/post-punk/electro, 1978-1983 +
+ THIS PROJECT IS AN affectionate tribute to the pioneers of electronic rock; my own cover versions of some of my favourite post-punk / new wave / electro tracks from the Golden years 1978-1982. +
+ THE TIMESCALE/WORK ETHIC of these recordings is important - each track should take no longer than one day of studio time to record, creating a spontaneous response to, and reworking of, the original material. Of course I arrive at the studio with plenty of ideas, but no actual music is created until the day of the session. The ethos is to retain the essence of the original work that made me love it in the first place, but also to filter it through my own musical sensibility to make it a genuinely new artefact with its own reason for being, capturing both essences as purely as possible. +
+ THE TRACKS ARE: '030' by JOHN FOXX, from the album METAMATIC.
'METRO MRX' by SOFT CELL, an early demo that appeared on the MUTANT MOMENTS ep.
'THE BOX' by FAD GADGET, a version that incorporates elements of the 7-inch B-side of BACK TO NATURE, the album version from FIRESIDE FAVOURITES, plus elements from the track COITUS INTERRUPTUS, from the same album.
'TRACKING' by MINNY POPS, from the album SPARKS IN A DARK ROOM. +
+ RIP FRANK TOVEY, aka Fad Gadget. You are sorely missed.
+ SOFT APOLOGIES to Marc Almond & Dave Ball for adding extra verse lyrics to 'Metro MRX', mainly to take it over three minutes. +
+ THESE RECORDINGS DATE from late 2006, except 'Tracking' - the first cover version I ever created, way back in 1986! A 20-year musical timewarp. +
+ AS I SAID, this is my affectionate tribute to music I love, from a unique musical period I am certain will prove to be the most vibrant, exciting and innovative I'll ever encounter. If you love it too, and you like what I'm trying to do, then please send comments and messages of encouragement. It's always nice to know there are people out there who are switched on to the same vibe. +
+ I HAVE DISCUSSED the project with some of the artists whose material I intend to cover and some, like Thomas Leer and Stephen Singleton of VICE VERSA, are happy for me to interpret their work. +
+ PLEASE NOTE that this project is not intended as a commercial venture, and will never become one without full copyright being obtained in every case. I will never release a track for which I do not have clearance. However, if any of the artists or their official representatives are unhappy with their music being on here, they can send a message and I will remove it. +
+ JOHN COSTELLO +
JOHN COSTELLO COVERS PROJECT's Friend Space (Top 40)
Hi JOHN COSTELLO COVERS PROJECT, thanks for continuing to be a friend of Electroflex.
Some important news!
Electroflex have been back in the studio following a break from gigging and recording with new track ‘Computer Virus’.
This is the first of a series of new releases for 2009, and what better day to start on than Liz’s Birthday!
‘Computer Virus’ is a live favourite. Anyone forced to work with computers will know how evil they are and this track is Electroflex’s response to Kraftwerk’s ‘Its More Fun to Compute’. It is a bouncy number with a serious bassline, sing-along chorus and a selection of curious samples.
The track will only be up on Myspace in full for a short time. Alternatively, visit our Facebook and iLike pages where you can add the song to you playlists
I don't think there's enough stuff on your page, John. At any rate, there's new stuff on the page,i ncluding BBC/Demo(?) versions of: Babalon Let's Get Married
Details in Bulletin. Stop by for a listen! Best, Richard
You wrote: I'm now seriously considering doing a PuniLux cover for the project, trouble is... WHICH ONE? GREAT. Why don't you post a bulletin, John, asking all yer friends that very question - or are you simply thinking out loud? At any rate, I'd love to hear it, whatever you do. BTW, seeing The Passage up there on your friends list, I'm reminded that I finally am replacing my For 'All and None' vinyl with a CD. Best, Richard Now Playing: New Bomb Turks - '!!Destroy-Oh-Boy!!' Genius...
John - Thank you for your comments about "Observations" by The loved One on The Some Bizarre Album.
We have recently re-mastered that version of "Observations" for the re-release of The Some Bizarre Album which Stevo assures me is some time later this year.
You are doing an amazing thing with these cover versions . . . .
Great idea and great work. I could do with a bit of that ethic around here!! Loved the MLBG video which I'd never seen.
Good luck with everything and please be sure to promote your music on my site
