Adrian Borland RIP

I would have posted a longer reply to try and put The Sound into context, pick out the best tracks and mention some of my own experiences of The Sound live. Having read arrow core's post and cockney red's response I can't be bothered though. I'd rather stay away from ILM - it's getting ugly. Might be my last post for a while. See you.

is there nothing the ILM moderator can do about bad tempered adolescents? Other than delete their worst messages after the event? or do these things eventually go away?

Apparently he committed suicide in April 1999.

The first 3 albums are essential - Jeopardy and From The Lion's Mouth are conventional in song-structure, with lots of blazing guitar from AB, and a bit in most songs where he simply explodes with passion. All Fall Down, the third album has more experimentation which AB brought in from his other projects - odd percussion, squelching keys, - and should have been the album to get them real recognition. Sadly it flopped horribly, and led to a watering down of the real essence of the band from then on.

dwh!!!!!!

Is this the article? I need to read it.

still so so classic. the songs kind of remind me of janice galloway's writing: that 'i watch myself from the corner of the room' crumbling state of mind coupled with 'i don't really like the way the world sits but i don't want to die' (kinda like the main character in jean rhys' 'good morning, midnight'). just the songs are so claustrophobic.

RIP. Ten years ago today.

I've kind of stumbled into this guy's discography via The Outsiders, who were pretty awesome, and I've been listening to Honolulu Mountain Daffodils (weird psych-tribute project) and Second Layer. I guess next it'll be The Sound. I have no idea how I didn't hear any of these bands until fucking 2010.

there is a lot to listen to. i still haven't heard the outsiders or solo stuff. just the sound stuff via those nice reissues a few years back.

This is my favorite Outsiders song so far. It's the only one that sounds vaguely Hawkwindish, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p_AV2XWp68

This is a good one, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN6KAFnA0Qs

Ohhh, you're just discovering The Sound. Wonderful, wonderful. They're not as outright punk as The Outsiders but they build this web of feeling that's inescapable. I hope it meets your expectations!

Almost everything Adrian played on is fantastic - don't forget the first two White Rose Transmission albums and the Witch Trials EP with Jello Biafra. I was just hyping Honolulu Mountain Daffodils a few months back, so weird and good!

If you need anything, send me a message and I'll hook you up. Always thrilled to spread Adrian's message.

Just listened to "Beautiful Ammunition" for the first time in years. I didn't know Adrian personally but I've heard some of the stories - that there was this one woman he had an on-again-off-again relationship with and he just PINED for her - the lyrics to this album become that much more striking. Poor lonely bastard.

Just found out Dark Entries is doing a 2LP of all of the Second Layer stuff.

http://www.darkentriesrecords.com/store/dark-entries/second-layer-world-of-rubber-2xlp/

Love that record, almost more Joy Division than Joy Division!

5 bonus lp only tracks. Boo, hope they're available digitally.

Had never seen this one before - Annabel Lamb's cover of 'Heartland' with Adrian playing some typically incendiary guitar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=QY8o-XQpE9Q#t=249

Amazon currently has the mp3s of Heads and Hearts, In the Hothouse, Propaganda and Shock of Daylight for $3.99 each.

A bargain at twice the price!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x13lIPL1ffI

It'll be 20 years gone this April, I still miss his musical presence.

Listened to "Last Days Of The Rain Machine" for the first time since, probably, it came out, which was the year following his death. It was too hard to listen to this and the other posthumous work at the time. Now it just sounds glorious with its stripped down voice and guitar demos.

Gerald, the only post-Sound stuff of Adrian's I have is Alexandria and Cinematic — what else would you recommend?

"Beautiful Ammunition" and "5:00 AM" are fantastic, the former is devastating at times as Adrian can be, but the latter is quite hopeful and uplifting.

You also need the first two White Rose Transmission albums he did with Carlo Van Putten of The Convent ("White Rose Transmission" and "700 Miles Of Desert"). Adrian wrote most of the music and added backing vocals while Carlo handled the main vocals but it's all in the same vein as the rest of his work.

Brilliant. Thank you.👍🏽

I'll plug the three Honolulu Mountain Daffodils albums - some of Adrian's best feedlback/blasting guitar.

Adrian's famously bootlegged Lovefield demos from 1993 got a proper release this year on Record Store day! It's on Amazon and other places, well worth hearing.

somehow i'd made it this long without ever listening to the sound's peel sessions. oh my

So urgent sounding, just crackling with the electricity of being alive

Btw the Borland documentary is now available to rent online:

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/adrianborland

Haven't quite plucked up the courage to see it yet, have heard its quite a hard watch

I will watch it one day when I'm ready to be devastated. So maybe 2022?

yo how did I not know until now that dude produced Felt‘s last album and almost produced their first album?!?!? mind kinda blown