Tuesday 11 July 2017

Biting Tongues ‎– "Don't Heal" (Situation Two ‎– SITU 1)



Hey weren't that bloke from 808 State in Biting Tongues?.......who gives a shit?....unless it's the same bloke who was in the immortal 'Danny and the Dressmakers', which it is, so this album must be incredible, right?
Graham Massey was indeed in both truly awful baggy-rave hitmakers 808 State, and bag-o-shite shitkickers,and truly wonderful,DIY legends Danny and the Dressmakers. How could this dichotomy exist? And now we find him in Improv Progressive-Jazz-art post-punkers Biting Tongues, whose very presence seems to make the cop-out musical category of ,'experimental', seem to be invented just for them.....well,not quite,but it sounded good.
As do they!
I always suspected that Danny and the Dressmakers contained proper musicians with prog leanings within their ranks,and this is the proof. If you played music like this in 1978 you would have risked a lynching. So it was highly advisable to hide any musical ability,and/or intelligence, behind a fog of incompetence and 'gob'.
After repressing your real IQ was becoming tiresome by 1979, interesting music started to reappear under the Post-Punk epithet,and Progressive music was cool again....well, I say 'again ' advisedly;maybe it made Prog cool for the first time in fact?
Biting Tongues were a truly uncompromising 'experimental' prog-punk outfit, but there was a hint,or a stench, of accessibility that so much 'experimental' music lacks. You can really play this more than once, maybe even dance to it?.......or maybe not?

Tracklist:

Face Up - The White Valise


A1 Blue Traces 4:38
A2 Dog Face 5:50
A3 Heart Disease 4:20
A4 Or With Eyes Closed 5:56

Face Down - Darkroom Skin Transfers

B1 Stabbing Soft Ice 5:06
B2 You Can Choke Like That 3:51
B3 Walkaway 1:59
B4 Coil 4:40
B5 R.R.O.R. 1:48
B6 Give Diamonds / You Can't 6:40

7 comments:

rex said...

thanks for posting, but i am curious, where is track 2: "dog face"? Funny, been listening to and humming mick hobbs officer! cut, "dogface" for two weeks

Jonny Zchivago said...

Whoops, it does happen sometimes....I will re-up the complete album asap!

Jonny Zchivago said...

Re-upped ,hopefully including 'Dog face'.

rev.b said...

This is a good 'un Jonny, well worth snagging again tonight for the missing track. Ya done good mate, thanks yet again.

Anonymous said...

The irrepressible Massey was also behind the Beach Surgeons to be found on Snatch 2 which you posted aeons ago. I believe they made a couple of tapes as well but never seen them on any blogs or indeed Discogs
Bongo Bill

Jonny Zchivago said...

You are indeed correct.....i too have never heard or seen these missing Beach Surgeon tapes.....but if anyone out there knows better,don't hesitate to fill this gaping hole in our lives.

E Craig said...

Well well I've just discovered some great diy. Thanks.