Felt -- Classic or dud??

Not so much classic or dud as real or imaginary, for me. I'd have to say DEFINITELY imaginary.

-- "KKN = Korruption Kollusion Nepotism"

I've got the 2 ACS compilations. There are some great tracks scattered across them, but also some dreary and pointless meandering. I don't think anything they did was lyrically or musically outstanding, and it's clear from their followers that a lot of the attraction depends on the image of the band as detached outsiders, speaking to their own cult, rather than the work they did.

Denim are better.

'forever breathes...' is ace.
they should do a traditional 'best of' maybe.
his best quote is when he says that, despite
being totally broke that
'if i can't do things my way i'm not interested'.

he's like the polar opposite of moby that fella.

not 'genius' or anything but not a disaster either.

from mojo :

all the felt albums and a live dvd - heads up, world.

...for years the indie legends' back catalogue has only been available on a series of undignified twofers (all in the same grey sleeve). now they are to reissue their entire recorded works through cherry red. the process begins with 'stains on a decade' on may 26, which compiles material from the 10 felt singles released on the cherry red and creation labels, with the original 10 albums released two per month until november. 'the albums were never available as we wanted them' says felt frontman lawrence 'so we've got them back to what they originally were - there's no demos or extras, none of that. they're totally minimal, just like we were.'

most intriguing to fans however is the june 23 release of the concert dvd 'a declaration'. 'that was a concert we did at ulu in february 1987...there's songs off poem of the river, forever breathes the lonely word, we do primitive painters, ballad of the band, a good cross section. and it means that people who never saw us can see what we looked like. there's no extras at all just the concert. there'll be
a whole year's worth of felt so the kids can buy something new every month.'

woo hoo !!

Glad to see Lawrence (who I assume is the author of this quote) hasn't changed much...

he's about to speak !
i have my tape recorder running !!

but i suspect they wont.

...and has nearly finished the second Go-Kart Mozart album, to be released in the Autumn

Felt Re-issues

From the latest Cherry Red newsletter [via e-mail] the first two Felt albums are re-issued [on June 16th]:

Felt
Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty
CDMRED 25
This seminal album is to be released in a limited edition digi-pack and was Felt’s first studio album. This album was a critical and indie chart success, and has been long sought after in its original format. This is the beginning of a major Felt re-issue campaign with all ten studio albums being released over the coming months, including the long deleted but much sought after Creation albums. Felt are a very influential band around the world with many of today’s bands paying homage to the genius of Lawrence, who contrary to rumors is alive and well and has nearly finished the second Go-Kart Mozart album, to be released in the Autumn.

Felt
The Splendor Of Fear
CDMRED 57
This, Felt’s second studio album was deemed another success for them by both the critics and public alike. A special limited edition digi-pack, this release is part of the Felt re-issue campaign which will see all ten of Felt’s studio albums – including the Creation Records recordings, re-issued by Cherry Red.

also:

Felt
A Declaration
CRDVD 25

The first ever DVD to feature one of the most influential and enduringly popular alternative bands of all time, Felt. Felt were formed in 1980 by their enigmatic leader Lawrence, and went on to achieve huge critical acclaim and a hardcore following of devoted fans. They went on to record ten albums (one a year) through the 1980’s. The albums are being reissued in full by Cherry Red Records over the course of the next few months, so interest in the band will be very strong. “A Declaration” is therefore the perfect accompaniment to the album releases. It features a full length concert, filmed at ULU in 1987, with the band, and Lawrence’s songwriting, at the peak of their powers. Amongst the tracks featured are the Indie Chart top twenty hit “Ballad Of The Band”, and, possibly their most recognised track, the Indie Chart number one “Primitive Painters”. The cover artwork was specially designed by Lawrence, and the DVD also features an extremely rare promotional video shot by Danny Weinstein, who also produced the ULU film.

It's grown on me a lot over the years but I'd still say it's one of my least favourite Felt records. It is much more enjoyable than Train Above the City.

For me, the melodies and arrangements really evokes a really heavy/'fragrant' wood-y/manicured forest atmosphere, kind of similar to the clientele (although the clientele are more straight up 'forest-y', imo). one of those 'album hits you at an intensely vulnerable part of your life' thing probably

The slower, bluesier stuff I've heard from Train is good (one for the out of context thread). There's definitely a zillion jazz solo piano albums that run circles around it, obviously

I'm going to have to go back to it now you've compared it to The Clientele.

They're a really hard band to rank. Right now I think I'd put their albums in this order. The top two are set in stone and Train will always be my least favourite but I'm always changing my mind about the others.

1. The Strange Idol Patterns
2. Forever Breathes the Lonely Word
3. Poem of the River
4. The Splendour of Fear
5. Me & a Monkey on the Moon
6. Ignite the Seven Cannons
7. The Pictorial Jackson Review
8. Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty
9. Let the Snakes Crinkle
10. Train Above the City

the first two albums are my favorite. That grey twofer "changed my life" or whatever back in high school

it was like "oh wow, a band decided to make albums based on that penultimate track on joy division's closer. And they added beautiful heart-stopping guitar playing, and the singing is by a fey Tom Verlaine, I am So down, These are my guys!"

ya know i thought seven cannons was my favorite album until i realized just now that the album i was listening to on spotify was a twofer and that all my favorites were actually on strange idols

Anyone know the back story behind Liz and Robin backing Lawrence on "Primitive Painters"?

umm because guthrie produced the album?

wtf happened to those reissues? surely Lawrence needs some more heroin. he should be reissuing everything.

The Cocteau Twins were fans of Felt and invited us to tour with them in 1984. We became friends and Robin Guthrie said he'd like to produce us.

this interview is pretty exhaustive on how Guthrie came to produce Ignite, and the recording of Primitive Painters:

http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/the-view-from-here/an-interview-with-lawrence-primitive-painters-was-this-great-big-statement-felt-were-going-to-be-massive-69839

Over the years I’ve collected some of the master tapes and on the reissues that are coming out, I’ve tried to extract the Cocteau Twins from my record

hmmm...

i emailed cherry red about the reissues 6 months ago and they said it was looking like sometime in 2017, then i tweeted at them the other week and they said they had no news

Just checked earlier in the thread and it was last July when they first posted those tweets suggesting the reissues were on their way. I'm sure they even put up pictures of Lawrence signing them.

When the last Go-Kart album came out, my first order of the vinyl seemed to get lost in the post. When I contacted Cherry Red about it they said Lawrence would happily send out a replacement copy but "it might be a while to get it signed as Lawrence has disappeared on us again". I'm guessing that he's behind the delays.

Thanks for that Uncut link, exactly what I was looking for!

There are some days "Primitive Painters" is the most perfect song ever.

https://www.mixcloud.com/WEEKEND_Festival/weekend-mixtape5-lawrence/

Many of the songs in this podcast, which Lawrence recorded exclusively for Week-End, will only be known to aficionados, yet they lay bare the foundations on which indie and Britpop was built. An unusual history lesson by an indie icon who rarely talks, but who turns out to be a very eloquent speaker.

Listened to Felt all day today. Perfect for a rainy winter day.

just browsing France Castle's Instagram (love Clay Pipe & her artwork), and check out this post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNR-vtbhaw8/

https://mobile.twitter.com/wrongsreversed/status/802558977020198916

Another view of that incident, this one from a camera behind the goal.

christ Lawrence Of Belgravia is really boring and awful-looking and depressing as all hell. if they showed it in schools to young musicians they'd all go off and do accountancy or something.

Totally agree. I thought it was a massive letdown after the long wait to see it. It really didn't seem as interesting as it could have been.

"Felt reissues, sweet!"
Oh... $40 LPs and $45 CD+7" boxes... no extra tracks... ok so downloads it is.

Felt's entire discography in one place.

no singles *thumbs down*

Yeah, weird

nah, just lazy

Why did they change the name of Crinkle, I wonder?

Lawrence hated the name

I can think of at least a dozen other Laurence-related songs/band names that are more worthy of "hate"

Let the Snakes Eat Crinkle-Cut Fries

there's a bit that really stuck with me in the David Cavanagh book about Creation records where Lawrence talks about Bobby Gillespie asking him if the forthcoming Felt album had a title yet, Lawrence replying that it was going to be called 'Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death' and Gillespie responding with incredulity - "Crinkle? What sort of word's that?"

that's a bit rich coming from a Scottish dude

https://assets.fontsinuse.com/static/use-media-items/91/90112/full-1080x1350/5d48314c/60455432_2492647757656739_3307904735600062668_n.jpeg?resolution=0

Never forget
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/63/Primal_Scream_-_Chaosmosis.png

.

he changed the name and before that he cropped the cover art. was he embarrassed at his headwear?

maybe just realized it was totally un-felt like to have an actual band photo for a cover

or ended hating one of the former members

RIP Martin Duffy

Aww man RIP teenage genius.

Awww, creator of some of the most beautiful music. Waaaaay too young.

Incredibly sad. Martin's playing sparkled over Felt's best records and added a lustre to every musical situation he was involved in. a true keyboard wizard.

Totally agree with that. The Felt albums he played on are the best. He was also one of the people responsible for bringing back keyboards as a "rock" instrument. There hadn't really been any fresh & distinctive keyboard players outside of synth-pop since maybe Una Baines.

I mean, come on!
Here's the link to the song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulTQW6oFoTs

Whoops wrong ling. I mean this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-9bv1FO72A

Ling link whatevs. Ok I'm going to bed. RIP Mr. Duffy. A great keyboard player!

How rare was it for that generation of musicians to use organ rather than synth in the mid-80s? I can only think of Talk Talk as an example.

It wasn’t super-common but also by no means unheard-of, most often involving acts who were more or less 60s / beat inspired - off the top of my head you can expect to hear organ on records by the likes of the Prisoners, Makin’ Time, TVPs, Jasmine Minks, bit later on the Sea Urchins, Inspiral Carpets.

Interesting, though if Duffy was using a Hammond, that's a lot more trouble to take on the road than a more compact "garage-rock" style organ.

Identify the keyboard, nerds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuXIMylGQKo