Blue In Heaven

Trouser Press: profile Blue In Heaven
http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=blue_in_heaven

There was another band that impressed me: Connargarf [spelling?] but they never reached beyond demo level. They were similar to Blue In Heaven mixed in with early The Damned and The Skids - powerful intense rock.

Ahouse, Light a Big Fire, Backwards Into Paradise, Tuesday Blue, In Tua Nua and Cactus World News, The Fountainhead..loads of bands.

I have a Colenso Parade single that's OK.

The Fountainhead [they were more experimental and electronic]
A-House [the 85/86 tracks were far superior to their debut 88 album]
Backwards into Paradise [who later became Into Paradise]

These bands were featured in a Irish rock special by Melody Maker in February 86 - at the time Melody Maker was edited by an Irish man, Barry McIlheney.

http://www.netsoundsmusic.com

http://www.gemm.com/

Cactus World News
http://www.cactusworldnews.com/purchase.htm
Urban Beaches
No Shelter

Alex I have a question for you have you heard the first single by Blue In Heaven "Across My Heart"? I am head over heels in love with the Martin Hannett produced version. Boy do those guitars sound uncannily Joy Divisionish in their sound! But yet, even without Hannett, it's a very well-written song in and of itself. I have had the "All The God's Men" LP since it came out, and I think it's pretty excellent overall, but "Across Your Heart" is new to me, and I am in awe at it's perfection.

Stars of Heaven were a country-rock band (with an ear for catchy Day Tripper style riffs and a touch of Go-Betweens charm) who were poised for greatness at the time (and oodles of critical acclaim on both sides of the pond). I'm too young to remember them when they were around but this is going on what my older brother told me. They are
also a band that never turns up on crappy Irish rock comps. They played a few gigs with Blue in Heaven as well. 'Speak Slowly' (1988) is highly rated but I prefer 'Rain on the sea' (its an Irish record I would dig out even more than 'Loveless'or Thin Lizzy), which was made up of Peel sessions and stuff that never appeared on any other albums. Someone on ILM referred to The Thrills as a Stars Of Heaven tribute band. 'One Horse Town' maybe, but their sound wasnt as Americanised and you could tell they were Irish (not because they were shit, haha) from the moment you heard Stephen Ryan sing. Lots of Irish references in their songs too. They split in '89 and from the notes in 'Unfinished Daydreaming', it seems they never really took it all that seriously (they had a track called 'Michael Stipe's Bottom') in the first place and are very self depreciating about it all. Stephen Ryan formed pub-rocky The Revenants in the early 90's with an album called 'Horse of a different colour' and then became a computer programmer although he re-formed the band and released an album two years ago. Co-songwriter Stan Erraught formed the Great Western Squares (more of an out and out country band), from what I heard of the album it's mostly Gram Parsons covers and there's a rip-roaring bluegrass versh of 'Ace of Spades'.

Fave songs:

3 O' Clock Waltz
Sacred heart hotel
Never saw you
You only say what any one could say
Wheels

Unfinished Dreaming is definitely worth hearing, the only omission I can think of is a song I remember from a Peel Session called "Paradise of Lies", I think, which was one of my favourites.

ive never been able to locate any of the blue angels stuff either.

newwavepop@hotmail.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOyVkoxI10s

there are also live videos from 1986 self aid

Anyway yes, right, Blue In Heaven, I've pulled out their album PRODUCED BY THE GODLIKE MARTIN HANNETT "All The Gods' Men" oh god. I mean they were so set to be this footnote in my existence, but oh no. This album is fucking amazing in a way it never ever sounded to me in 1985 when I bought it at a chain store stupid enough to carry it. (for who would have bought it but me?) I used to only like part of the record, now I absolutely love the whole thing. Hannett's genius in every piece of groove, baby. Not to discount the band, but...

Also their first 12" "Across My Heart" also features Hannett (make sure you've got the correct version of that song though - there is a Hannett version and a non-Hannett version). Yeah I just gotta say Blue In Heaven never sounded so good.