Missing Presumed Dead - Say It With Flowers 7" EP, 1979
I've had this for awhile and didn't post it because it's on someone else's blog or other. Basically this band's whole discography is on blogs already, and I did mention them before here, but what the hell. Well, they were obviously British but I don't know where they were from exactly and I'm too tired to try and look it up right now. They are dark at times but also delightfully boppy/tuneful at others. "Driving Home", the 3rd track on this, finally brings the synth to the fore. This song is definitely in the "goth" vein, as it was meant to be in the old days before it was even called goth and before all the silly poseurs raped the genre of it's pure meaning. There is echoing sax at the end of the song that is just excellent. Music that isn't British just can't be as good as this band, sorry. No way. "Family Tree", the last track, is truly post-punk at its finest, but I could say that about this entire record, really.
4 comments:
MPD were based in Ealing and recorded on sequel, which was formed by the band's guitarist Mikel Ikon (alias Michael Lee), who had been a founder member of the Transmitters. Other contemporaries in Ealing/Acton were the Satellites, the Decorators and Furniture. Other bands on Sequel were Misspent Youth and Fish Turned Human, whose EP Turkeys in China was a Sounds single of the week.
In this first incarnation MPD's singer was Peter Paul Hartnett, the drummer was Jim Chase (also of the Transmitters), bass was Ian 'Mog' Hawkridge, lead guitar was Vince Cutcliffe and sax was Dave Baby. This superb EP was recorded at Mike Kemp's legendary Spaceward studio in Cambridge, haunt of Syd Barrett and Robyn Hitchcock.
This band also recorded the fine album 'How's Your Bum For Cracking Walnuts?', then broke up.
MPD later reformed with Ikon (gtr), Tim Whelan (of Furniture and later Transglobal Underground gtr, vox), Hawkridge (bass) and Julian Treasure (of Fish Turned Human and the Transmitters and author of this post) on drums. This band played live and recorded a John Peel Session including a powerful version of the old Transmitters song '0.5 Alive' with a guest appearance by Cutcliffe on lead.
Later, MPD and Transmitters personnel merged into a fairly random gigging unit called TPD - check the Transmitters MySpace page for more on that.
Wow, now that's quite a history lesson! Thank you! I wouldn't have known there was a Transmitters connection. I used to have a Transmitters 12" at some point and I recall it was on the Step Forward label (same label as the first album by The Fall) but alas, it didn't quite grab me. Same with all I heard by the Decorators. Furniture had about three really great songs, two of which were on their first single if memory serves. The Fish Turned Human EP sounds familiar but I don't know if I've heard it.
However, you seem to have omitted mention of a second LP I know of by MPD called "Revenge". I don't know what lineup that had on it, though.
Anyway, this is all great info. Thanks again!
Am trying to track down a copy of 'Seventeen For Ever' by Misspent Youth from Ealing circa 1979 (any format will do would just like to hear it again)
Ooh...that one looks to be very expensive to purchase and not easy to find online either. :( Wish I could help you. I'll keep an eye out for it, though.
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