ClockDVA - C/D? RFD

DJ Martian to thread!

Paul Widger!

'Thirst' *IS* classic, especially the trio Blue Tone/North Loop/4 Hours. There's a deeply buried thread of dark humour running through the grimness.

I've never heard anything else, although several people I trust really rate the follow-up 'Advantage'.

Do you know him too, Dr.C?

No - I just remembered his name.

they made a brief comeback in the late 80's early 90's with a series of 12"s on interfisch (which later became tresor). the best one was 'the hacker'. since then no word from adi newton and co although i think one member now makes trance records in germany.

there was also t.a.g.c (the anti group). same line up, different sound who released albums and singles on sweatbox and interfisch. the 'digitaria' album is thee one.

i guess however, they'll always be best remembered for the classic '4 hours'.

I have the cassette of "Man Amplified" (1991) in front of me right now. I've only listened to a bit recently but I was planning to give it a propper go again any day now. It's a kind of well done atmospheric, slow, doomy, industrial. With a lot of serious discussion about cybernetics etc.

Track listing credits Adi Newton, Dean Dennis and Robert Baker. No guitarists.

The atmospheres are good, but I'll hold judgement on whether the beats hold up or sound dated.

My limited experience of Clock Dva is on a freebie tape given away with Underground magazine in 1987, [Dr C use to read said magazine too] and a few times over the years Peel has played a few tracks.

At the moment both THIRST (1981) and ADVANTAGE (1983) are unavailable. There have been unavailable for years, they deserve to be reissued ala 23 Skidoo.

Official Clock Dva website, indeed Clock DVa have been involved in music in the 90s - but their profile in the UK has been underground ala Zoviet France, virtually zero press, small obscure labels, no radio play.

By the way, According to the official website the following people played on THIRST: Adi Newton, Charlie Collins, Turner, Paul Widger, Roger Quail.

Advantage album in 1983 was well received - appearing on a number of end of year critic lists.

Simon Reynolds should be covering Clock Dva in his post punk book due to be published late 2003.

'Thirst' is indeed the album to track down. Exudes menace and tension and passion - the stand-out track '4 Hours' is as strong as even A Certain Ratio's 'All Night Party" (and I don't bandy that comparison around lightly). Similar in sound and texture, too. Unrelenting darkness, gothic but not in the sense of a musical movement with bad hair. Vaguely in the region of Throbbing Gristle, but with structure (Genesis P-Orridge contributed sleeve notes to the album).

Can't recall percisely, but I think Clock DVA had a change of personel shortly after this 1980 album that weakened their sound considerably. Yes, they did. Saxophonist Charlie Collins and guitarist Paul Widger went off to form the stunning, albeit more funk influenced (a la The Pop Group), The Box - released a brace of records on Go! Discs, and played some great shows too. Same area as Blurt, with my main man Uncle Ted, sort of.

Some fucker swiped my copy of '4 Hours', the seven-inch, years ago. But it was one of my favourite songs of the era, without a doubt - strong, driving beat helped along by the chilling, wailing saxophone.

So

Classic: everything before those two musicians' departure.

Dud(ish): everything after.

Bollocks!

all of Thirst (1981) IS ace, especially "North Loop"
but also Search:
Advantage (1983), their best - a move into pulp/pop noir
hilarious, deliberately pretentious lyrics, Adi Newton in Orson Welles (Touch Of Evil) mode
over-the-top music ranging from blitzkrieg stadium postpunk to filmnoir background jazz
as a gonzoid experimental pop album it's almost on the order of 154
Advantage is the real Pulp Fiction

Buried Dreams (1990), their take on Ministry/Front 242 style brutalist industrial paranoia
"Hide" is one of the best cyberpunk/horror tunes evah!

Destroy?: nothing for me, Clock DVA are so exceptional
even cassette-only debut White Souls In Black Suits (1980) sounds good these days
some other later & related stuff (Anti-Group, The Box, etc) grabbed me less
but wouldn't mind spending more time with it

Viva Adi Newton for keeping it unreal!

Adi Newton has been rumoured to be making a new record for years.. But last i heard he had skipped from one country to another after getting some advance from some record company and doing a runner...

Seems like he's not the most reliable... A friend of mine was at Judd's (founder member) funeral and told me that Adi didn't even bother to turn up as he had a meeting with Polydor that day... Maybe Jeff can ask Paul if that's really true........

I think me and Paul are going to have to agree to disagree. I really did feel Clock DVA lost something when those two members left - I didn't like the intrusion of irony into the sound, much preferred the earlier, bitter, dark humour.

Good call on the "White Souls In Black Suits" tape, though. Thanks for reminding me of that: I'm going to have to go search my copy. It was mighty fine indeed, perhaps even superior to the album. (Again, a parallel to A Certain Ratio - arguably the "Graveyard And The Ballroom" tape was their finest ever moment. And while we're here, could I put in some props for The Transmitters? Another great cassette releasing band of same era. New American outfit Ink sound remarkably similar.)

I dated Paul Widger 1980 - 81 during the height of thirst mania. Small world isn't it?

i really dig the Anti Group live thing I have: *The Delivery*. Live from The Atonal Festival in Berlin 1985. Long groovy freeform electronics and sax and guitars and tapes and machines and such. i think i even like it more than most of the clock dva stuff i have heard. but i haven't heard much. i do like that first album with the baby doll on the cover.

anyway, if you are into experimental stuff, *The Delivery* is pretty cool.

Maybe along with 23 Skidoo my favorite band of the Sheffield axis that included Cabaret Voltaire, early Human League etc. Later got lumped in with Genesis's industrial mob, but didn't really fit since they were more sincere in their cynicism. They were far better than Gristle in the early days too. Thirst is great, would love to hear more. But their other stuff was nearly impossible to find on this side of the Atlantic. The first LP came out on Fetish records. One of the great lost British indies that should be as well remembered as Factory, Mute etc. The back catalog needs re-issued ASAP. James Nice needs to get on the case.

Agreed about the Fetish reissues - that 8-Eyed Spy studio LP has been on my want list for twenty years!

I just played a cut off of Black Souls on the radio the other day and it sounded great. I agree with the recommendations upthread, Thirst is definitely the best moment.

Scott, check out TAG's Digitaria album and the ShT EP if you're looking for more sounds like The Delivery.

cool, if i see them i will check them out.

the 8-eyed spy is on cd, no? it has to be. it's only half studio though. one side is live stuff. i bought my copy at the swansea mall in swansea massachusetts in 1984. for a dollar in the dollar bin of one of those chain stores. the admissions director at the private school i was going to at the time urged me to buy it. he got one too. he was very cool.

one of the more interesting musician arcs is Nick Sanderson - (personal) highlights:

Clock DVA - Advantage
Gun Club - Mother Juno
World Of Twist - Quality Street
Earl Brutus - Tonight You Are The Special One (the preferred 2nd album)

Yeah, ClockDVA's John Carruthers went on to do some great stuff with Siouxsie.

Scott, I'd be very surprised if that 8-Eyed Spy album was on CD. I don't think anything from Fetish ever got released in that format. ROIR put out the live one on CD but the only studio track I ever heard of theirs is the one on Fetish's Last Testament compilation LP - which also has two superb ClockDVA tracks that aren't on albums ("The Opening" and "Remain-Remain").

Doublevision reissued Thirst sometime in the late 80's which is the copy I have.

i think this has all the studio tracks on it, i'd have to check my copy to be sure:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000001B7C/sr=8-2/qid=1146332091/ref=sr_1_2/103-3133859-1494215?%5Fencoding=UTF8

okay, that cd is the first side of the album and then some bonus stuff. i would try and find a copy of the vinyl. they aren't that expensive. plus, you are missing the live version of white rabbit on that cd!

yeah, looks like Atavistic fucked up another reissue (one of the reviews says the track are reordered as well). Good to know it's out there though - thanks!