Let's Active

Now, if my extra unopened copy of Velvet Elvis would just become collectable, i'd dish that turd off

Let's Active stuff is piss easy to find on vinyl.. the pressing I've got of Cypress is pretty good too..

I used to love Cypress but I haven't played it in a decade or so.

http://www.ccmusic.com/search.cfm?searchkey=LET%27S%20ACTIVE&bounce=y&searchType=artist

Cypress/Afoot is like the original IRS issue. Big Plans... has two bonus tracks, "Invisible Hills" and an alternate version of "Horizon." Every Dog... also has two bonus tracks, alternate versions of "Bad Machinery" and "Sweepstakes Winner." Hmmm, I'd really like to hear that alt. version of "Horizon"...

Uh oh - is that a general statement, or have you specifically heard the Let's Active re-issues? The Faust reissue they did sounded great.

as for the Faust i haven heard it -- i have the recommended records reish so i dont know if they both used the same thing or what.

my main beef with Easter is his "production"

Recorded 6/82...nice.

Not at all. The only disappointment you'll feel is that you didn't pick this up earlier.

(I just discovered that this tuning allows mere mortals to play "Route 67" which is really really insanely fun to play...)

For the love of Jesus Christ H. himself, does anyone remember the album "Big Plans For Everybody"? I tried so hard to find it on s1sk but I couldn't so I'm going to have to annoy my neighbors with the vinyl. That is a chestnut of old, let me tell you.

You can't leave alone your early REM without that album. I won't allow it.

"LITTLE WAYS" YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN WITH THE PIANO THAT TAKES MY SOUL

For the love of Jesus Christ H. himself, does anyone remember the album "Big Plans For Everybody"? I tried so hard to find it on s1sk but I couldn't so I'm going to have to annoy my neighbors with the vinyl.

Ask and ye shall receive. Check the ILM room on s1sk in a couple days.

Is there really an ILM room? I know nothing of this. I will shall have to be indoctrinated.

How can people dislike Cypress and Afoot? Paisley powerpop? Dear god, it's some amazing jangly pre-twee power pop bullshit. (except Mitch Easter's previous REM stuff). Anyone who disses this truly has no soul, nor ears. "blah blah blah productin", screw you technical nerds. you have no soul, you just love machines and ugly poor fitting t-shirts of stuff noenes ever heard of

Coincidentally, Mitch Easter is playing some shows around NC and Georgia as Gravel Truck - an all Let's Active cover band. Details at: http://www.myspace.com/mitcheasterband

That Gravel Truck show in Atlanta--I'm there.

Apropos of not much since it's been reissued I was told the general reason that Cypress/Afoot was so damned expensive was that it was released back when the labels had to manufacture everything in three formats--LP/cassette/CD. It was still the early days of the compact disc so far fewer of them were manufactured in comparison to the other configs. And since it was just little old Let's Active we're talking about, never really a big group as good as they were, the CD was never re-pressed. Total copies, then, on CD between '84 and '04: 3,000 and maybe fewer if those all didn't sell. There're still a ton of CDs like that from the mid- to late-80s never re-pressed and never reissued that get ridiculous money on auction sites. A couple others I made three figures on before they were reissued were the first Kenny Chesney CD on Capricorn and Jack Bruce's Songs For a Tailor.Lots of Paisley Park titles like that too.

Pity Bimble's gone, I'd have liked to tell him a) YES Big Plans is a fuckin classic, and b) Robert Plant is one of its biggest fans

Um it's also a huge pity cos of obv reasons, but y'know, it's the little things sometimes that remind you

went to a concrete blonde show in 1986 in nyc and jack rabid was deejaying before the show and he played this and i never heard it again. i asked him who it was, but i forgot. cuz i, of course, thought it was just a let's active song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7toUH-gdo3g

RIP Faye

this is sad. what happened? tell me it isn't another suicide

Fell has worked itself into one of the most important songs in my life. Sad to hear she's gone.

Afraid it is: http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2013/07/21/faye-hunter-lets-active-suicide-dies-age-59/

Wow.

Sad. I know some folks who are good friends with Mitch Easter and all his fellow travelers, and this on top of Scott Miller's death has really shaken them up.

And both suicides, right?

Yeah, I don't know if that was ever publicly confirmed in Miller's case but that was the general supposition.

It's shaken me up.

I never met Faye Hunter. By all accounts, she was a kind and generous person. I never even got to see the Mitch/Faye/Sara version of Let's Active. The one chance I had (1983, opening for REM), I couldn't get a ride to the show. Stupid but typical teenage story. However, it's impossible to overestimate how much those records meant to me and still do. I still remember hearing "Room With A View" for the first time, the way the wistful verses crashed into the choruses.

So along with Scott Miller, that's two musicians from the same general circle, both gone too soon, both likely unaware or unwilling to accept how loved they were by people they never even met. If anyone out there is thinking about suicide, they might want to consider this.

You got inside knowledge on Miller? Dudes his age do keel over from heart stuff, y'know.

Scott Miller was not confirmed as such, but it's always a bit conspicuous when someone relatively young dies suddenly with no cause of death listed. He had been openly battling depression, and I believe in the first few hours suicide was mentioned on a few Miller forums, but apparently taken down either at the request of or out of respect for the family. Given how rampant the rumor, and the absence of clarification, one can only sadly surmise at this point.

My friends who knew him know the details, but it was clear nobody wanted it talked about and I haven't asked.

OK, will file under "very strong rumor".

Scott Miller committed suicide, it was confirmed by friends to me at least.

Was also confirmed to me by someone who was in contact with him.

Never saw the Mitch/Faye/Sara version of Let's Active either, but love those albums so much.

Here's a nice song written by Faye Hunter, with her on harmony vox: https://soundcloud.com/jason-cohen-15/tim-lee-back-in-september.

So if you're in Chapel Hill tomorrow...

http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/08/07/4052640/lets-active-reunites-to-play-for.html

RIP Sara Romweber

https://www.journalnow.com/news/let-s-active-drummer-has-died/article_e08f6f1f-b56d-517d-b0dd-f1b5562afb44.html

Haven't listened to them in years, but I used to like a couple of songs on Cypress.

I really got a lot of mileage out of the first two Snatches of Pink albums back in the day. Like the early Let's Active stuff she was on too. Mostly I've just liked reading all the remembrances of her. By every account, a wonderful person.

:(

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

That's awesome, thanks for posting!

Yeah very cool! I wish they showed the rest of the band because I wanted to see if my friend Tim was there, but I think he only toured with them 84-85.

https://postpunkmonk.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/lets-active-2025-showposter.jpg

I'd go to this if I was there

i really loved cypress, tho i always feel guilty that i enjoy big plans more for different reasons.

the other day i realized that while i was a fan at the time i never saw them. so i watched a couple 84 live youtubes, i was really surprised by how great he played live in the "huh, that's effective playing." they got more with 4 players than i'd expected.