Very High Frequencies

Very High Frequencies Ep 184: Ministry Live '86 vs '89

VHF-184 (Ministry - Live ‘86 vs ‘89) pits the four piece lineup of Ministry touring behind the release of their second full length album, Twitch, with the three ring circus that toured the band’s fourth album, The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste. 
The Ministry 1986 era Twitch lineup was very influenced by European Synth Pop. There’s no guitarist at all; keyboards, samplers, synths and programmed drums meshed with live drums along with Paul Barker’s bass being the only stringed instrument. Uncle Al was still singing much of his vocals in a faux English accent. Nonetheless the music had grown much darker and less dance oriented than the first album, With Sympathy, and the various club singles such as Everyday Is Halloween.
In 1988 Ministry put out their third album, The Land Of Rape And Honey. A major shift in musical styles had occurred. Gone was the faux accent as well as the obvious synth pop influences. Electric guitar featured prominently. Movie soundbites punctuated the percussion. The increasing fanbase largely embraced the more radical new music, which sounded unique, fresh and exciting. Industrial and goth fans alike found the sound and image to be highly influential. 
As Uncle Al had became something of a recording studio fixture, so much music was being created that multiple side projects became necessary to differentiate the various bands and their guest players.
By 1989’s The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste, Ministry was a large gang of musicians. A wall of electric guitars blasted over two dueling drummers. A rotating six pack of singers took turns at the mic. Keyboards carried the melody while programmed percussion pounded out the groove. Chaos seemed to be right around the corner at every moment the band performed. Volume was as high as any Motörhead concert. Surely no band could keep up with this level of musical madness! VHF-184 (Ministry - Live ‘86 vs ‘89) demonstrates the relatively quick evolution of one of Alternative Music’s groundbreaking groups. As a testament to the band’s gravitas, longevity and tenacity Not Dead Yet Mike is thrilled that the band has a brand new album coming out very soon and has two different North American tours scheduled. Interestingly, Ministry has some big festival dates coming up in which the group will be focusing primarily on their early synth pop era! The circle has been completed…

Very High Frequencies Episode 183: Funeral Party

VHF-183 (VHF Funeral Party) this week with Not Dead Yet Mike. Yes, that’s right, everyone’s invited … you just don’t know when you’ll get the invitation!
A who’s who of alternative music artists performing songs about the very last thing any of us will do. The history of Rock music is seeped with tunes about death and  dying. New Wave and especially Goth bands took the concept to a whole new level. It’s a VHF Funeral Party. We’re dancing in the dark with The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, The Sisters Of Mercy, Bauhaus, Duran Duran, Echo & The Bunnymen, Skinny Puppy, David Bowie, The Black Angels, Ministry, Jesu, Alien Sex Fiend, Joy Division, Peter Murphy, Oingo Boingo, Ramones, The Cramps , Christian Death, Type O Negative and a bunch of like minded  (dead) souls pontificating life’s fleeting nature. This episode  is packed wall to wall with powerful songs acknowledging that we should live today for surely we all go kibbutz in the end.

VHF Epsiode: 182 Raymond Watts / Pig

VHF-182 (Raymond Watts / PIG) is an exploration of London musician Raymond Watts and his project PIG. Industrial music from the late Eighties onward has morphed into various permutations of genre bending sounds. Ambient keyboard instrumental pieces butt up to very produced dance tracks. At 6’3” Raymond Watts has released most of his catalog in Japan where he is quite popular. So he is truly big in Japan. He has had much more success with his collaborations with German band KMFDM. PIG is less designed for the dance floor and more for the headphone. Occasionally lyrics can be of a violent or disturbing nature with recurring themes of government control and religious supplication. Nearly every album also has a song about heroin addiction. Indeed, there is a song on this episode called Junky in which Raymond repeatedly proclaims utter exasperation. The words seem true as he laments about his hopelessly strung out existence, struggling and navigating the agony of life with a very hungry monkey on one’s back. Alternative music legend Trent Reznor released an album of PIG material on his Nothing imprint and took Raymond out on tour opening for NIN. No doubt a very young Trent spent his teenage days getting wasted and listening to a band that inspired him to create his own music. That band is PIG. All caps, dig!

VHF Episode: 181

VHF-181 (Edward Ka-Spel Pt 2 is a companion episode to VHF-87. This show features  just one song each representing several solo albums as well as his long running band Legendary Pink Dots. We also have a song from his side project with Skinny Puppy maestro cEvin Key, The Tear Garden. Not Dead Yet Mike digs deep into the vault to resurrect early Eighties analog recordings - originally released on cassette - to the most recent release by LPD’s, last year’s highly imaginative album The Museum of Human Happiness. Psychedelic music is not for everyone but if you can handle the trip check out the Prophet Ka-Spel and his fellow madcap musicians on this episode of Very High Frequencies. Sing While You May!

Very High Frequencies Episode: 180 Marc Bloan & T Rex

VHF - 180 (Marc Bolan & T. Rex) is a non stop electric boogie! Tracks from ‘67 - ‘70 highlight the psychedelic acoustic duo Tyrannosaurus Rex. Like his hero Bob Dylan by 1970 Marc was switching to electric guitar. He bought a psychedelicly painted electric guitar from his friend Syd Barrett. He got some basic lessons from a very young Jimmy Page. Bolan proceeded to blow the minds of his  hippie fanbase with his electric guitar mayhem of later incarnation outfit, the abbreviated monikered T. Rex. From ‘70 to ‘73 Marc Bolan had about a dozen top ten radio hits in England. Sadly in the US the band was a one hit wonder with the tune “Bang A Gong) Get It On”. This show will surely rectify that slight. By 1977 Marc was struggling to find an audience for his album, Dandy In The Underground. Shortly after its release his long time girlfriend crashed their car in London after a night out on the town, which resulted in the death of rock star Marc Bolan at age 29. Hit songs, deep cuts, one off singles and obscure bizarre rockers all get their due this episode of Very High Frequencies. Find out why David Bowie, Syd Barrett, Ringo Starr and many others praised the unique poetry and music created by the English artist Marc Bolan.

Very High Frequencies Episode: 179 UFO ’74-’79

(UFO - ‘74 - ‘79) is a hard rock onslaught from start to finish. Starting out as a space rock band with 26 minute long jam songs in their repertoire, UFO ditched their guitarist and hired 18 year old German Flying V axe god Michael Schenkner, formerly of brother Rudolf’s outfit Scorpions. Shorter songs developed, with lyrics the kids could relate to. Powerhouse  anthems were propelled by melodic guitar soloing. Keyboards were fairly commonplace. Love songs for the ladies became part of the live set. Like most successful bands of the 1970’s UFO released an album every year and toured behind it. Booze, coke and language barriers led to the inevitable implosion as UFO lost orbit. Perhaps unable to adapt to the changing sounds of the Eighties,their live album Strangers In The Night, released in 1979 was the nadir of the most successful incarnation of legendary English/ German hard rock band UFO. Many metal bands, such as Metallica, cite the impact of the group. Beam down VHF-179 UFO - ‘74 -‘79 and get on with the action!

Very High Frequencies Epsiode 177: Yardbirds

Very High Frequencies 177 (The Yardbirds) is a stereophonic Psychedelic Rave Up. From ‘65 to ‘68 three top tier English guitar hero’s blew speakers as well as minds. Jeff Beck influenced none other than Jimi Hendrix to amply the distortion and manipulate the feedback. Jimmy Page battled with band mate Beck for the twin lead guitar of Happenings Ten Years Time Ago. Besides the known hits the band recorded several amazing songs that didn’t get released until fairly recently. Jimmy Page has compiled a couple releases that chronicle the lost year of 1968. Lots of touring but no music was released after 1967’s Little Games didn’t chart. Many songs we identify as Led Zeppelin tracks were being performed in various incarnations live from ‘67 to ‘68. Dazed and Confused is very heavy although the lyrics are quite different, musically it’s pretty much the same other than Keith Relf playing counterpoint harmonica in places Robert Plant wailed away vocally. Besides Roger The Engineer we will be hearing BBC recordings, Live in Sweden in ‘67, Yardbirds ‘68, (both featuring Jimmy Page) and a few other compilations and live cuts. This week’s episode might make you reevaluate just how important The Yardbirds are to Alternative Music. The 10:18 live version of I’m A Man recorded in 1968 is absolutely mind blowing, featuring a truly psychedelic mid section with Page doing the violin bow thing over Keith Relfs Jim Morrison like mojo poetry. Tune in for the hits, stay for the deep cuts on VHF-177 (The Yardbirds).

Very High Frequencies Episode: 176 Killing Joke (R.I.P. Geordie)

Very High Frequencies 176 (Killing Joke - RIP Kevin Geordie Walker)  is a 21 song salute to the recently departed guitarist. Along with Jaz Coleman, Geordie played on every single Killing Joke album. We will nearly play a song from all fifteen full length KJ albums as well as some deep cuts from EP’s and even a track from 1992 spin off project Murder Inc. From 1980’s self titled release right up to last year’s Lords Of Chaos single, Geordie never stopped coming up with powerhouse riffing that avoided any wanky guitar solos. This allowed the bass & drums plenty of breathing room to pulverize sound waves and create a tribal rhythm that propelled the band into a frenzy. On top of that slithering snakepit stands a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Too much knowledge can be a burden. Dark eyes speak volumes. Listen to the man’s words. Heed the prophetic poetry of Jaz Coleman; commenting on mankind’s race to extinction. Is it possible we can change our ways before it’s too late? It’s time to Honour The Fire with a Requiem for another fallen KJ brother. Following  Raven’s untimely demise we lament the legendary Post punk guitar icon Geordie Walker, for he has left this moral realm. Mournful with tragedy we find some comfort and solace knowing he has left behind an amazing legacy of music which will live on. Help celebrate his life’s work this week on Very High Frequencies 21 Song Salute to Kevin “Geordie” Walker.

Very High Frequencies Episode: 175 Damsels Of Doom

Very High Frequencies 175 (Damsels Of Doom) invites you to light the Magical Black Candle. The witchy women are casting an incantation. Heed the Siren song and contemplate thy Doom! It’s a decade of female fronted Occult Metal bands on this episode of Very High Frequencies. Sisters all over the world are taking an axe to smash the glass ceiling of metal conformity. We’re checking out some of the branches of a very big tree. Artists and bands featured this week include Windhand & Dorthia Cottrell solo, Avatarium, Death Penalty, The Oath, Lucifer, Blood Ceremony, Mount Salem, and Witch Mountain. Magical black candle is optional but highly recommended. 

Very High Frequencies Episode: 174 - Fear Factory

Very High Frequencies 174 (Fear Factory) is an all out auditory assault. Since their first release in 1992 the group in various permutations have put out ten full length albums as well as club remixes of much of their catalog. With last year’s remix album Recoded the band celebrated thirty years of collaborating with Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly, Delerium and Conjure One fame adding programming and keyboards. The L.A. Industrial metal four piece has earned a reputation as futuristic techno anarchists. With a death metal growl and a melodic counterpart, vocalist Burton C. Bell influenced a whole generation of nu metal mosh pit madness. Lyrically he warns of a depersonalized dystopian surveillance state in which we are all in one big maximum security prison. Be assured it is time to heed Fear Factory’s clarion call to reject the authoritarian’s crushing overreach. How about free thinking and striving for living in peaceful harmony with all humans and the natural world? Do we embrace technology or do we fear it? What will happen to us if we become half human and half machine? Fear Factory have much to say and often it’s dealing with the here and now. The frightening future the band imagined twenty five years ago is sadly quite accurate. Remember, Fear Is The  Mindkiller. Be afraid. Be very afraid, with this week’s episode of Very High Frequencies FEAR FACTORY show.