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Book
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SWELL 001BK
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$30.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 4/7/2023
Paperback with download code. First-ever official biography of Swell Maps, Swell Maps 1972-1980 penned by band member and co-founder Jowe Head. Swell Maps were formed in Jowe's home town of Solihull, England with various school friends in 1972. The group, also featuring the late Nikki Sudden and Nikki's brother, the late Epic Soundtracks, along with Phones Sportsman, John Cockrill, and Richard Earl emerged in the late 1970s, and are now known as legendary pioneers of what is now referred to as "alternative rock" or "post-punk" with their blend of punk rock mixed with experimental and psychedelic sounds. Together they released four 7" singles, the first in 1977 on their own Rather Records and two critically acclaimed albums in a brief but dramatic career, that led to them topping the UK independent charts, and influencing bands such as Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and Blur. After Swell Maps broke up in 1980, Jowe joined the Television Personalities. Ten years with the TVPs saw Jowe making more influential records, touring Europe regularly, and playing in Japan and the USA. Today he still regularly releases recordings, solo and with multiple groups, and is the steward of the Swell Maps legacy. In this 155-page biography of the band, Jowe takes us to each members' formative years and reveals what made them experiment with challenging music and eventually come together to form Swell Maps. Through his own recollections and utilizing interviews with former members, he explores the early days of the band, and details stories that bring the reader into the inner workings of the band as they traveled through the late '70s cultural scene in Europe. The last section of the book updates the whereabouts of all the key players. The book includes dozens of full-color images of band memorabilia from the author's personal collection, including photos, posters, flyers, artwork, original lyrics, and more. Contains download card for the six exclusive tracks that appeared on the single that came with the hardback version. Full-color, 152-page paperback book, approximately 297mm (H) x 210mm (W); edition of 500.
"The first Swell Maps single I bought still to this day gives me a soul scorched buzz'n'rush... The Swell Maps had a lot to do with my upbringing." --Thurston Moore
"A cartography of the... punk pioneers that's as much about laughter lines as fault lines. This sharp, breezy bio sent me racing back to the classic recordings, while also providing a guide to the more obscure corners of an endlessly thrilling collection of music." --The Wire
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LP
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GLAM 031LP
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Jowe Head's first post-Swell Maps recordings from 1980 and a further session from 1982 after his first LP Pincer Movement was released in 1981. Six tracks from these recordings were released on Constrictor in Germany in 1986 alongside tracks from Pincer Movement as Strawberry Deutschmark but the other 13 here are previously unreleased. Completely remixed by Jowe Head in 2020 for Glass Modern. "I recorded these tracks in my home at Londesborough Road, Stoke Newington, between 1980-1982, using a TEAC 4-track reel-to-reel tape recorder. All instruments played by me: electric guitar, fretless bass, electric fire, typewriter, sticks, a battered trumpet and an old harmonium. Overdubs recorded at GWBB in 1983. Remixed at Perch Street in 2020. Words and music composed by me." --Jowe Head, November 2020. Deep red vinyl.
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2LP
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MR 370LP
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2021 restock. Cabinet Of Curios is the first ever career-spanning compilation of the solo work of Jowe Head, an essential name in the birth and development of the UK's underground scene. From 1981 debut album Pincer Movement up to 2014 recordings by Jowe Head and The Demi-Monde, plus previously unreleased tracks, these 20 cuts present Head's wonderful mixture of off-kilter pop and avant-garde weirdness, like a noise party attended by Joe Meek, Burt Bacharach and Sun Ra. "If one looks at the galaxy of stars that can be attributed as source material for today's musical DIY/lo-fi generation, Jowe Head shines as a true iconoclast. His 1973 addition to the avant-garage godfathers Swell Maps added an impressionistic edge to their psychedelic punk pastiche that drew of Max Ernst as ably as Can. Later on in The Television Personalities and his Househunters and Palookas projects, not to mention a sprawling solo discography, Jowe's persona injected color and livelihood into an often-too-cool-for-school post-punk scene around Britain while still delivering transportative sounds and open-to-the-listener interpretations. This compendium is in itself a galaxy of sounds that will never fail to deliver." --Brian Turner, WFMU Music Director
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