Day 43. All domestic orders for the fanzine have been shipped. Some international too. Another batch will be posted next week. There are issues with mailing to Spain, the US postal service says that there are some disruptions there, that we could mail at our own risk, that packages may be returned. Should I mail them? What do my Spanish friends think of that? Would be good to know your thoughts.
New music for this upcoming weekend:
Melenas: the amazing Pamplona band has released a new video for their song “Primer Tiempo”. How great it is to have more Melenas songs available! Now I really need a copy of the album at home! The video was shot while the band members have been at home during the Covid-19 quarantine. I have a curious question, what book is the one shown at 0:24 seconds?
Kiwis: another Spanish band that has a new video is Kiwis. It is for their song “Cambiaran las Tornas” which will be part of their album “Vida Exterior” that the very fine Snap Clap! Club will be releasing this year! Great vocals, terrific pop!
Low Key Crush: the Melbourne band is back with a very fine single called “When You Were Leaving”. It was a long time since we featured in the blog, so it is interesting to know what they are up to. Will this song be included in a bigger project? In the meantime we can listen to these duo’s song on repeat.
The Reds, Pinks & Purples: for sure the band that has been featured the most in this section. The California band has two new jangly and poppy songs up on their Bandcamp, “Sex, Lies & Therapy” and “Worst Side of Town”.
The National Honor Society: this Seattle band sounds amazing really. Their latest two songs are “First Among the Last” and a cover of The Stone Roses’ “Mersey Paradise”. Previously, in 2017, they had released an EP called “All Change” which sounds a bit different, much rockier. The new songs are a true surprise then, with a sound that captured me immediately. Not sure if both or just one of these songs will be part of the “To all the Glory We Never Had” album that is to be released on May 29 by Chien Lunatique Records.
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I have been trying to get a copy of The Tainted Children’s sole 7″ for years now. Since my friend Andreas showed it to me last time I visited Hamburg. A few years then. I remember him playing it for me, and me thinking “this is fantastic, I need this one in my collection!”.
Andreas Van Der Wingen on bass and vocals, Matej Havranek on drums and Max Stamm on electric guitar and vocals were The Tainted Children. On these recordings they did have help from Marc Ashmann on backing vocals and Tommy Mayer on guitar and backing vocals. Stamm and Van Der Wingen are credited to both songs on the record.
Which songs? Well, the A side had “Roll My Stone” and the B side had the sublime “If Julia Ever Knows”. This record was released in 1988 by the German label Smarten Up! (START 7), the same label that released fine bands like The Birdy Num Nums, Die Tanzenden Herzen or Die Profis.
The cover art is particular, the front has illustrations of the three members and a naked woman (who is she?) printed in black and white over a blue crayon-like painted background. The back of the sleeve has a band photo as well as a photo for each of the band members. From the sleeve I learn that the songs were recorded at Grundfunk Studio in November 1988. Now, it doesn’t say where the band was from? Who’d know? I’d make a guess, Düsseldorf. Tell me if I am wrong.
Aside from this 7″ the band only appeared on a compilation. It was also on Smarten Up! and was the 1991 LP comp “Smarten-Up Compilation” (BIGSTART 16). On it the band contributes the song “D.O.W.N.” which is credited to Maximilian Stamm. I believe the inner sleeve of the compilation had a small bio of the band, but I don’t own the record, so can’t say what it says. I need your help here.
So I look into bands the band members had been involved. Andreas Van Der Wingen had been in Kiesgroup, Oiro, Subterfuge and the J, Erwin Blues Explosion. Matej Havranek has played on Sally Blue, Orange, Family*5, The Beatlesons and Asmodi Bizarr. Max Stamm played in Bo Hatzfeld & the Headhunters, Kiesgroup, Bo & Bodo, Sonic Dolls, DeCornelius, and more. He has also played with Marc Ashmann who was also on Bo Hatzfeld & the Headhunters. Ashmann was also on The Beathoovers. Lastly Tommy Mayer who helped on the record as well as Marc, had been in Dortmund, Mardi Gras Band and The Digitals.
Not much more info about the band online. Did they record more songs? Why were there no other releases? Did they play live much? Will they be included in the next German version of The Sound Leamington Spa series by Firestation Records? Many questions that I hope get answerd!
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