dont mess around with feelings -there are people on the end of them....
Influences
many, many, many, many.....too many to mention! not enough roooom for them all but we sound like none of 'em. Go to the MySpace of karl blake for further enlightenment or confusion.
SO ANYWAY, ABOUT THE TRACKS - ATTENTION !! NEW ONES UP!
1. SAY NO TO FUNK.
The riffs were originally written during the later Lemon Kittens days [1982?] on a 4 track with a roland tr808 as percussion. Ashley is resplendent on harmonica in the middle - this features Diana Rogerson under her requested nom de plume Crystalle Quim - she does the 'SAY no to funk!' buts in the middle. She didn't like this track. She was also the voice on the end section of 'MISERABLE WORM' on the same album ['NOT BORN BEAUTIFUL'] - a performance that very much interested Lydia Lunch - she asked who it was. Oddly, Diana is very american on 'MW' - even though shes not. She also misread 'tongue' - tung - gez - unless she meant to do that. I don't think so.
But thats another track...
2. BARREN.
This track was originally played by the last line-up that preceded the break-up of SHP in 1987 [before coming back as a 2 piece in 1990 partly as a result of interest shown by the producer Stephen Street [who had produced 'i, Bloodbrother Be']. It was then taken on by British Racing Green as a live piece [we only did 3 gigs 4 years] and also demo'ed [we only ever demo'ed - not released] - then SHP had it back again when 'SEVERAL HEADED ENEMY' was recorded.
The intro riff was pilferred from an unreleased track by Lemon Kittens called 'TEDIODOMESTIC' - well, it DID get used on a demo called 'THE NEW ICE AGE' that Miles Copeland said could come out as an album - but i said no, and 'spoonfed and writhing' ep was the result [idiot karl].
3. SON OF THUMBS OF A MURDERER.
The musical 'son' [an idea got from Frank Zappa - ie. 'Son of Monster Magnet' - which he in turn got from horror movies] of the track 'THUMBS OF A MURDERER'. The original track was an experimental free-formish piece that wouldn't have been out of place on a Lemon Kittens album. It had a 'disco' beat added and was re-done and was the 'b-side' to the planned 'i, bloodbrother, be' single that was mastered by Porky when he was up near the BBC but on the way back to the tube Michael Alway decided to "make it big" - he did occasionally get things right. Ashley and I don't like Mike, though - with very good reason[s]. And we hate 'el records and think it a whimsical joke...Anyway, the melody and lyrics are the same as the 'father' - the music totally different. This is the second version from 'FEAR ENGINE II: ...almost as if it had never happened..' cd of 1993 - the track originally appeared on 'LIFE EXTINGUISHER' - which was a 4 track ep. from 1985. The intro guitar was again played by Paul Levett [see below] who wrote and arranged that bit also - this time Dave Knight forgot to take a tuner with him when recording Paul and it is out of tune with the main body of the track - so we had to fade out before anything tonal came in - but you can hear its 'out' on the coda. Danielle Dax also plays keys at the start of this and sings the intro - later on the voice is me [including the high 'with a small voice crying'] plus Die Cheerleaders Sam Ireland supplying backing vox. On the 1985 original the end solo was played by ex-King Crimson violinist David Cross and me on wah guitar [David also played beautifully and movingly on the track 'Scorch']; this solo is just me.
4. KATABOLISM.
a large part of the music was written by Ashley Wales in the closing stages of his previous band, 5 or 6 - and was performed in some form probably very different to what we have here. This version is a faithful but 'beefier' version of the original SHP song that appeared with two other tracks on the second side of the 'proper' 12" version of 'I, Bloodbrother Be [£4000 love letter] - this is from the 'revisionist tract' that is 'FEAR ENGINE II; almost as if it had never happened...' , a cd. that came out in 1993 and featured as guests the wholly unholy trinity of Danielle Dax, Lydia Lunch and Sam Ireland [of Die Cheerleader] as guest vocalists. Apart from a brief flamenco flurry by Paul Levett all else on the cd was played by Blake and Knight and the drums at times forgot they were a machine.
A brief note on the lyrics-
the 'sugar cube' referred to was the one that could be seen for a long time on sugar packets in England - rather like square pants sponge bob in appearance but with a sharper nose. 'Columbo' is of course the 70s shambolic and tatty private eye character created by Peter Falk [another shock headed peter?].
5. NOT SO GREEN [AS I'M CABBAGE-LOOKING].
Soon after writing these words i saw a pastiche in the Melody Maker of Morrisseys lyrics - one was called by the same title. This is from the album 'TENDERCIDE' of 1995/6 - it uses lots of obsolete [criminal and other] slang and colloquialisms - as do the rest of the tracks on this album. I have forgotten the meaning of nearly all - but a lot are very rude.
6. PARABOLA.
This one is belatedly added at the behest of a chap that i've not met with yet. It is from 1985s NOT BORN BEAUTIFUL again - it is his favourite track - i like the music - which was one of the only truly group compositions of SHPs first line-up [blake, glover, knight, rowlatt, wales] - the words were the only ones to not be included on the lyric sheet as i disapproved of them - i am glad that they had an antidote elsewhere in the form of [particularly] 'MR. VERY BIG' [not on the album] and 'WHEEL IN THE BAIT' [see below]. Blue Oyster Cults long version of 'Don't Fear [The Reaper]' influenced the music.
AND NOW, THE STUFF YOU MISSED IF YOU HAVE JUST COME HERE:
[removed] COMPLICATED LIFE - this track started by accident when a drum programme played a loop sample and was then arranged into what it is now, complete with ezrin-on-alice cooper brass ending.
Lyrically this is another in the style of 'Oath' on the second Lemon Kittens album which was entitled -'those that bite the hand that feeds them sooner or later must meet... THE BIG DENTIST'.
[removed] WHEEL IN THE BAIT - erroneously titled - should've been 'Reel' not 'Wheel' -
in common with 'Katabolism' it pursues the self-loathing theme again, this time as a kind-of riposte to the track 'Bring on the Nubiles' by the Stranglers - which was percieved by the author as a sort-of risque cock rock nonsense [i did in fact really like some of their music, however - in particular 'Goodbye Toulouse', 'Golden Brown', and the riff to 'peaches' - j.j. burnels bass sound was hugely influential on me - together with that of john wetton of King Crimson.
[removed] SUBLIME PRINCE OF THE ROYAL SECRET - a title taken from a makeshift palm notebook i found on a train when i was a guard [or more specifically a 'train man'] in the late 80s/ early 90s. It is a masonic title of rank - the lyric - life under the scalpel in a relationship - compares the ritual punishment said to be metered out to traitors in the masons to the agonies of an emotionally abusive relationship. [this particular punishment was partially what caused suspicion to fall on a masonic plot in relationship the the 19th century Jack the Ripper murders]. This track was from our last album to date [over 10 years old now] which, because of its use of wind and string instruments [played by guests Matt Howden on violin and Charlie Collins [ex- Clock Dva and The Box] on flute and saxes, and Sally Doherty on folk/jazz tinged backing vocals] lead to the album being compared favourably with the first album - 'NOT BORN BEAUTIFUL' which also had violin [by Christine Gorman] and flute and saxes [by sometime Eddie Prevost [AMM] band member Geoff Hawkins] [but also trumpet [Willy Algar] and trombone [andrew Lawrence] ].
This meant that the flakey 'oohh-its-too-loud-and-rocky' crowd liked it more because of the ballads - but i grew up listening to contrasting styles and subsequently won't be boxed and will be open to many different styles; because they are in me and are all natural to me - if i can sing or play them that is, which is a moot point...
[a fine band, Moot Point - grey folk at its most honed and concise]
fol-de-rol and fiddle-de-de - now f* off dorkfolkers -this is not in yr box
and yr not in mine....
hope you find that all very interesting.
Sounds Like
...a lot of the time - Rock music - sometimes very heavy Hard Rock- especially when live - sometimes metal-y - sometimes left-field experimental - lyrics are very important [to the writer,anyway!!] and deal with hatred for people who think it o.k. to lie and cheat in the field of emotions [unfortunately the sociopathic shits are often completely oblivious to the damage they do or worse, 'get off' on it]. Also self-hate, world-weariness, misanthropy, sexual conundrums, contemplation of suicide, etc. Sometimes there are 'ballads' for want of a better word. The 4 tracks to be found here cannot show the full range of material and they are over 10 years old![one is over 20!]. The last 2 ,songs recorded by SHP, for example, were both over 10 minutes long, and had different 'movements' [one, 'Oblivion Extract' was released on a compilation - the other not yet released]. We are, [well, in Blake head, at least!] probably moving more towards a heavy progressive sound. Here comes the necessary electronic link if you like these we like 'em too! /Blue Oyster Cult / Black Sabbath (they had tunes - geddit? you metal-by-numbers lunkheads - TUNES! AND dynamics and textures!) / King Crimson (up until 1975) / Scott Walker/ Faust / Family / Henry Cow / Radiohead (at times sans vox - 'a spell in the army' etc. 'head straight ,chest out, shoulders back, man!' sensitive - yes! whimpering? no!) / Pram / Miles Davis / James Blood Ulmer / Jimi Hendrix / Mountain / Psychedelic (music - YES!! but drugs - NO!!)/ Progressive / experimental / poetry / Electric Food / Birth Control / Joni Mitchell / Vertigo bands / Led Zeppelin / Motown / Vanilla Fudge / Chrome / Comets On Fire / like bits of 'em all but sound like none of 'em *****READ THIS*****READ THIS*****READ THIS*****
IMPORTANT NOTE - WE DO NOT LIKE RIGHT-WING BANDS/INDIVIDUALS OR MISOGYNISTIC POWER-ELECTRONIC BANDS, WITH EX-MEMBERS WHO ALSO WRITE 'PROSE' - ANYONE WRITING TO US TO BE FRIENDS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT IF THEY FIT THAT BILL [THEN FUCK YOU!] OR HAVE SUCH PEOPLE LISTED AS FRIENDS WE MAY WELL
REJECT THEM - THIS IS OUR 'INTOLERANCE' AND IT HAS PROBABLY TAKEN TOO LONG FOR US TO GET TO TO THE POINT OF HAVING THIS STANCE BUT NO MORE WILL WE PUT UP WITH ARSEHOLES OR PEOPLE WHO GO TOO FAR IN TOLERATING ARSEHOLES AND THEIR IDIOT SCHOOLBOY POSES AND POISONS. AND ALSO BANDS AND MORE PARTICULARLY INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE RIGHT-WING AND ACTIVELY INVOLVED BUT HIDE IT - YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE - AND ALSO YOUR SPINELESS QUISLING ASSOCIATES...[I guess this is a royal 'we']. YOU THINK YOU ARE IN THE CLEAR - NO, YOU ARE NOT.
*****IF YOU HAVE OVER 1000 FRIENDS YOU ARE UNLIKELY TO BE ACCEPTED UNLESS YOU CONVINCE ME THAT YOU AREN'T JUST A 'SCALP-HUNTER'*****
*****PRIVATE PROFILES WON'T HELP YOU TO BE ACCEPTED - QUITE THE OPPOSITE***
*****AND******
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT - I HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO EXCISE PEOPLE FROM MY 'FRIENDS' LIST WHO I LIKE A LOT BUT WHO ARE NOT SHOWING THE SAME DILIGENCE AS ME WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO 'KEEPING THE CRAP OUT' [SEE ELSEWHERE] - IT MIGHT JUST BE SEEN AS KARL WITH A BEE [OR A WHOLE SWARM OF THEM] IN HIS BONNET BUT I REFUSE TO BE AN ELECTRONIC ADVERTISING HOARDING FOR RUBBISH
THAT THEY MIGHT TOLERATE BUT I DON'T - Shock Headed Peters [NB. it is not written shockheaded peters!] was formed by Karl Blake, 'Lord' Ashley Wales and David 'Cadbury' Knight in 1982. They were joined by Mark Rowlatt and Clive 'Tigger' Glover to make the full first line-up of the band who recorded two eps [I, Bloodbrother Be [£4000 love letter]' and 'The Kissing of Gods'] and an album 'Not Born Beautiful'.
Blake had previously featured in Lemon Kittens, Wales in 5 or 6, Knight in 5 or 6 and the Fast Set and Rowlatt in Metabolist.
By mid-85 Rowlatt, Glover and Wales had gone ( one, Wales - to SPRING HEELED JACK- and Rowlatt briefly to LUXURIA (i think so, anyway) and then on to travelling the world - which he does to this day). About a year later Knight went too (getting reverse deja vu here... :-}) -
[but continued to play for Blakes best friend and Lemon Kittens partner Danielle Dax] - at this time Blake recorded an ep. and an album ['Imp of the Perverse' and 'Lunatic Dawn of the Dismantler' respectively] under the name The Underneath - in october 1987, not long after a european tour and half live/half studio album the Peters ground to a halt, Blake at that time being the sole remaining member [as he is now].
After forming British Racing Green, Evil Twin and the short-lived The Greater Good - [all immediately after the peters demise] Blake was rejoined by Knight in 1990 for a new and maybe [!] still-continuing two-piece version of Shock Headed Peters, who recorded three cds; 'Several Headed Enemy', 'Fear Engine 2; ...almost as if it had never happened', and finally [to date 2006] the now ten-years-old 'Tendercide'.
Blake has also been a sideman/guest throughout the end of the 80s up to the near present for a 'number of different and varying projects by other people - 'some better known than others' [eg. The Reflections, Alternative T.V., The Invisible Band, The Folk Devils [RIP, Ian] , Pinky McClure & the Puritans, Left Hand Right Hand , Joolie Wood etc. all of whom i still talk to civilly, and some even in a friendly way], the most recent of these being Eric Rogers Gae Bolg as bassist and The Long Decline as drummer [album out - blake on 2 tracks ], as well as having performed spoken word concerts of his own material. Blake is also part of the improvising combo Amal Gamal - that comprises Steven Thrower (ex- coil, cyclobe) David Knight (ex-SHP, Arkkon, Danielle Dax), Orlando Harrison (Alabama 3), Gavin Mitchell (enlighten me!) and Dave Smith (Guapo , Miasma) and Ms. Dax herself, on occasion. New to this [2007] is a little bit of work on the album by Simon Finn, 'Pass the Distance' - and some live performances too [played briefly with him in Paris, 2006], and two concerts much later in autumn/winter, in Coventry and Colchester.
Shock Headed Peters had been dormant since 2002 [BUT SEE LATER] owing to the pressures of having to work with a bunch of people [live band] that unfortunately included a couple of idiots and as a result took an entropic toll.[one of these I still talk to on the rare occasions when i see them, but just won't ever play with them again - they are nice sometimes - the other on the fortunately few times I see him i shout at in liu of legally being able to 'set about him'; I am not fond of pathalogical liars and self-aggrandising creeps - and when they happen to be one and the same person, well....) BUT are up and running in a fluid manner contracting and expanding to suit with a fine bunch of fellows in tow - NOT AN A°°HOLE AMONGST THEM - (some flakes, but no a°hles.. ;-} ) - which is more than can be said about SOME of the bands I have had/been in....we all make mistakes and misjudge people SOMETIMES ABOUT SOME THINGS - but abuse of trust is to be punished one way or another. However...SORRY ABOUT THE 2ND PERSON/ 3RD PERSON SHIFT IN GRAMMAR - BUT I CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO CHANGE IT NOW.anyway the chap below wrote this in between whistling...
Dian Tiansay, Nov. 2005/ mar. 2006/ NOV. 2006/ sept.2007
Pleased to virtually meet you! Thank you for joining my circle of cyber friends, for excepting the add and for sharing your Awesome Music with me. K E E P * O N * P R O G I N'!! Take care and have yourselves an inspiring Friday and a relaxing weekend. Warm Regards from Toronto, Canada.
Thanks Shock Headed Peters for being a friend of ProgRock Records, make sure to come by our site at www. progrockrecords. com and check out all our brand new releases and various CD's on special.
