RAMLEH

Started by HongKongGoolagong, December 16, 2011, 08:30:04 PM

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HongKongGoolagong

As there is a dedicated thread for Whitehouse now, here's one for the other major early PE band, even though a lot of the later rock-styled stuff falls out of the scope of this site. My opinions:

1982-84: After a pretty crude and amateurish first tape Ramleh developed a more psychedelic yet dejected-sounding take on the influence of Come Org output. Probably the best is 'The Hand Of Glory', the Harbinger remastered 12" of this sounds amazing.

1986-88: Some more recognisable traditional instrumentation but this music is difficult to categorise: cosmic? industrial? Krautrock-influenced? Strange sounds for trips inside the inner psyche.

1989-92: Bizarre start for this era with the album for Juntaro's Vis A Vis label 'Grudge For Life' which is a kind of outsider art classic - Best and Mundy take turns on vocals and sound equally insane and disturbed, no drums, crude rock riffs, wild psych production. Later recordings of this era are much more conventional noise-rock with drum machine, similar to contemporary bands such as Splintered.

1993-97: Full rock band with heavily conceptual stylings, completely unique output. Amazing albums Homeless and Be Careful What You Wish For are some of my favourite music ever. Hardly anyone seems to have heard the Elite Gymnastics tape which has some great sounds on it.

2004-present: Another version of a rock band, this time more in the style of the best output of Hawkwind: the 'Switch Hitter' single although I loved it isn't really representative of the sound that will appear on the album due next year. Simultaneously:

2007- present: Ramleh as power electronics duo tribute band to themselves circa 1983! Valediction is a good record with some serious and introspective lyrics.       

FreakAnimalFinland

I had not heard Ramleh until PURE/RRR issued the discs. I joined the "scene" when PE Ramleh was long gone and at first I was really not into the rock era at all. I kept trying to sell the pure discs to Finnish audience and always remembered to tell "fuck that guitar rock era stuff".. hah.
Their delay drenched vocals were among main influences of my own works in mid 90's, along with Masonna screams.

Eventually, I actually like a lot the guitar rock era. From the new stuff, I think that new rock 10" beats easily the new PE CD.

There is just released limited mCD for Japanese gig. Getting few copies for sale soon, but it appears to be little pricey. Still curious how it will sound like!


One could perhaps also mention in the topic Ramleh related bands/groups.  Kleistwahr, which did great stuff early on. Supposedly very limited LP reissues on its way. Horrid comeback album can be forgotten. S.P.I.T.E. also great raw PE/noise. LP is just as simple reissues as good PE can be! His contributions in Skullflower, Toll, Male Rape Group and such would be of course worth to check out. MRG in VOD box, Toll reissued by Cold Spring. Skullflower easy to find as 2nd hand copies I guess.

Ethic Acid was long time Ramleh member Anthony Di Franco's solo. Brilliant stuff. There is several tapes. I released 2xCD kind of best-of release on Industrial Recollections, but there is also more vocal heavy PE type of stuff. Great stuff on many tapes what in my opinion would deserve to be issued in their full glory. I consider all those early works better than AX or Novatron, etc. JFK has very good  7"s though!
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HongKongGoolagong

Quote from: FreakAnimalFinland on December 16, 2011, 10:33:48 PM
Kleistwahr, which did great stuff early on. Supposedly very limited LP reissues on its way. Horrid comeback album can be forgotten.
I may be one of the very few people who liked that Kleistwahr 'The Return' album - Gary told me he had more complaints over the record than anything else he'd ever done...

Lyrics to Switch Hitter were by Di Franco. Bitter revenge style words relating the UK response to 7/7 with WW2. Cover photo is a Lancaster Bomber as used over Germany by both his and my grandfathers. But most of the new rock Ramleh material I've heard through live shows is instrumental.

I bought Ramleh '104 Weeks' cassette age 15 in 1984, immediately loved it and still have the tape.

ironfistofthesun

my first experience with ramleh was the guitar noise looser patrol 7" in the early 90's..at the time i was hungry for more electronic sounds and filed to the back of my collection unaware of the bands massive PE past back catalogue ! Fast forward a few decades next encounter was the rrr cd set..and since then trying to get as much as I can get my hands on! I enjoy seeing them live a in both their rock/pe guises....i just love the very english trait of the bitter almost cruel lyrical delivery! And the no fuss anti - macho performances ..like two bitter school headmasters venting their frustrations ! brilliant!!!

tiny_tove

I have grown up with the awake boxset, and that period really still gives me hardons.
Lost interest in the guitar oriented stuff.
Latest stuff is interesting.
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RyanWreck

My favorite material is 31/5/1962 - 1982, The Hand of Glory and A Return to Slavery / Slaughter at Random (I actually enjoy Best's side a lot more than Ramleh's). The most interesting thing on Broken Flag, besides Male Rape Group for me, was Kleistwahr and the compilations. I really haven't heard too much Ramleh after the 1985 stuff. What would you guys recommend?

bitewerksMTB

Guitar-oriented  Ramleh I liked "Careful what you wish for" & "Works III" 2cd. I use to have a bunch of the 7"'s (always found'em cheap/discounted in Austin) & a handful of the cd's. Liked'em but never really pulled them for relistens.


RG

I've only been listening to & collecting pe/noise for a couple years and I'm somewhat ashamed to admit I've never really given Ramleh much ear time. I think I must have read some negative reviews of their recent "comeback" material and it scared me away from further investigation.

Saw this thread and decided to check some out, mostly on Youtube. I can definitely now see their importance, influencing a lot of stuff that I currently enjoy (like Lust Vessel releases). I love those murky lo-fi soundscapes. I think I need to give them some serious, attentive listening.

I remember seeing an ad in ALAP for the Awake! CD boxset, but from what I've gathered poking around the net, it hasn't been released yet? Anyone have news on that?

bitewerksMTB

Some seem to think the boxset will be released at or around the time of the big Broken Flag reunion next year.

Not 100% positive but I'm thinking my fave Ramleh tracks are on the WHITE POWER comp (god, that comp is great!). I like the 7" too. I'll grab the boxset, can't see it selling out really fast. I have mp3s of the entire tape set but never listened to it completely since alot of the same songs are repeated (live performances). Wish I'd gotten the 12" reiss of "Hand of Glory" but it was too pricey and I like the sound of the 7".

HongKongGoolagong

Just received my copy of the Japanese 'Guidelines' CDEP, more Ramleh in PE mode. It is as physically impressive an item as you would expect for the pricetag, really faultless presentation.

Musically it's fine, walls of analogue noise rush with the usual anguished wails, yet I do think this era of Ramleh self-tribute is the first time they have ever played it safe in a way and done what many would expect or want. At least there is no failed SJ/MO/MB style reinvention and after 25 years of playing to crowds of 40 people in UK pubs if this has enabled the band to play all over the world, who can begrudge them?

Tommy Carlsson

Quote from: HongKongGoolagong on January 17, 2012, 04:19:45 PMif this has enabled the band to play all over the world, who can begrudge them?

I know I'm in the minority, but I'd be first in line actually.

But if people are eager to indulge in all this ridiculous nostalgia, and bands being cover versions of themselves, you have plenty to choose from.

FreakAnimalFinland

I don't think Guidelines mCD really is THAT much what I'd rate "what people want". It has the kind of old Ramleh idea - like was said: high pitched feedbacks, wailing vocals, heavy duty low end... theoretically one could said it is the old. But not really. Infact, if someone said, this was actually NOVATRON project, with follow-up material for the "New Rising Sun" CD, I would have believed in blink of an eye. I don't think Ramleh has ever done stuff what sounds like this. On theoretical level one could rate it to repeating the old ideas or doing what's expected, but simply the sound quality alone set it's far away from "old days", very accurately to our times.

For those who don't know Anthony's Novatron project, check:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c46KFAdn5bs

Both have the similarity of ultra high pitched nearly white noise on top, heavy solid low end rumble bass, but actually very little in middle.

I have listened this new Ramleh so far 3 times, and I would say it is good. If you wait "Return To Slavery" or some early BF style PE, it will not be this. This is the new, sharp and crispy and pretty high fidelity Ramleh. I would suspect that saying "wall of analogue noise" is misleading. Isn't it both guys in photos with... ehm.. chaos pads..? With all sorts of USB ports or whatever showing clearly. Sound itself appears very digital, very smooth, yet not in same way as for example with SJ or Whitehouse works.
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GEWALTMONOPOL

Quote from: Tommy Carlsson on January 17, 2012, 09:17:41 PM
Quote from: HongKongGoolagong on January 17, 2012, 04:19:45 PMif this has enabled the band to play all over the world, who can begrudge them?

I know I'm in the minority, but I'd be first in line actually.

But if people are eager to indulge in all this ridiculous nostalgia, and bands being cover versions of themselves, you have plenty to choose from.

I'm tired of banging heads with people over why nostalgia sucks a big hairy fat one and how depressing it is that it takes a group of quitters to generate slightly broader interest in the genre so I decided to keep my oar housed. Seeing as you put your head above the parapet and pretty much captured how I feel about it I'll stick it right in and agree. With that hopefully said, done and out of the way I will get back to running my label and project which is of the here and now as opposed to those feeding off their past glories.
Först när du blottar strupen ska du få nåd, ditt as...

Brad

I've actually never listened to an album by these guys.  Would it be ridiculous for me to hear new Ramleh before old Ramleh?

Nyodene D

Quote from: Brad on January 18, 2012, 01:43:14 AM
I've actually never listened to an album by these guys.  Would it be ridiculous for me to hear new Ramleh before old Ramleh?

probably.  I think it'd be weird because there's a ton of their OOP stuff for download