I'm So Hollow - "Demos and Live Rarities (1978-80)" (a Die or DIY? Compilation)

Joy Division is a hard act to follow,
So i'll stay in their era with 'I'm So Hollow. 

The tenuous link connecting these two acts to segue from Joy Division to Sheffield's 'I'm So Hollow', is that they both played the Futurama Festival in Leeds; albeit 'I'm So Hollow did Futurama 2 and JD did the first one.
However, apart from the PiL and Joy Division recordings from Futurama 1, the only other I have is one track from I'm So Hollow's set at Futurama 2 in 1980.

Having already featured their lone album "Emotion/Sound/Motion" HERE!...and their Peel Session HERE!......naturally it's time to put all their errant rare Demo's and Live appearances together in one of Die or DIY?'s crypto-compilations.

Love this group, everything about them actually.Music aside(previously described by your scribe as 'Wobbly Sci-Fi Rock'), i admire the way they stopped as soon as they had achieved their ambitions,and never did anything ever again.In fact they split up before the album was released.If only a lot more bands did that? 

Tracklist:

01.Number One (Demo 6/10/1979)
02.I'm So Hollow (Demo 6/10/1979)
03.Fashion (Demo 6/10/1979)
04.I Don't Know (Demo 6/10/1979)
05.Touch (Demo 6/10/1979)
06.Which Way (Demo 6/10/1979)
07.I'm So Hollow#2 (Demo 6/10/1979)
08.Days (Live Weston Park Festival 05/08/1979)
09.Mistake (Live Weston Park Festival 05/08/1979)
10.Dreams to fill the Vacuum (Live Weston Park Festival 05/08/1979)
11.I Don't Know (Live Weston Park Festival 05/08/1979)
12.Monotony (Live Weston Park Festival 05/08/1979)
13.Mistake (Live at the Blitz 11/03/1980)
14.Unknown 1 (Live Now Society,Sheffield 02/10/1978)
15.Unknown 2 (Live Now Society,Sheffield 02/10/1978)
16.Monotony (Live Now Society,Sheffield 02/10/1978)
17.Touch (Leeds Futurama 2 Festival 13/09/1980)

DOWNLOAD to fill the vacuum HERE!

Various Artists - "Bouquet Of Steel" (Aardvark ‎– STEAL 2) 1980

The infamous compilation from the Sheffield area of Great Britain,released during Sheffields golden era as a leading light in forward looking pop forms.The city was primarily known for its massive steelworks,and giving the world Stainless Steel; but, as has happened in pop music, cheap,lower quality imports,destroyed what made this place special. As the Bessemer Converters are turned into shopping malls,and the steel mills are converted into Loft apartments for the new elite,let us not forget that this is the place that invented Industrial Music.Its only a matter of time before there's an Industrial music museum and theme park financed by taxing the poor and selling them scratchcards at the Job centre.
When this compilation was made,times were hard,but they look positively rosey compared to today,where the population seem to be on the drug of consumerism that helps them readily accept their slavery. Even Thatcher never made noises such as that made recently by Eton cum dump, Dave Cameron:
" For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'?????
Then this mealy mouthed secret government puppet,is presenting legislation to cut off the funding of the opposition,and further crack down on workers rights,and opt out of the European Human Rights charter; tantamount to an Enabling Act for the 21st century?!(Cunt)

Back to the music, and here we have a menu littered with the lesser lights of the steel city,and its grim satellite towns,and the odd higher profile group, Comsat Angels, Artery,and I'm So Hollow. 
(If you're interested you can get all the first 3 Comsat angels Peel Sessions here).
Its all fairly accessible light post punk/proto indie pop,but good fairly accessible light post punk/proto indie pop. One of the better provincial compilations from the early eighties.


Tracklisting:

A1 Artery - The Slide

A2 B Troop - Peroxide Romance

A3 Comsat Angels- The Ju Ju Money
A4 Disease - Psychobin

A5 Flying Alphonso Brothers - Video Date
A6 I'm So Hollow - Touch

A7 Musical Janeens (And Other Party Games) - Glen Miller
B1 Negatives - Was It The Night?

B2 Repulsive Alien - Say And Do
B3 Scarborough Antelopes - Here We Go In Indigo

B4 Shy Tots - Robot Maid
B5 Veiled Threat - Torch

B6 Vendino Pact - Secret Thinking
B7 De Tian - Chorale

B8 Y? - End Of Act One

DOWNLOAD a bouquet of almost stainless steel HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "1980: The First Fifteen Minutes" (Neutron Records ‎– NT 003) 1979

The first fifteen minutes of 1980 from.....er......1979?.....is a mini compilation of four Sheffield bands from that city's golden period, on Vice Versa's own Neutron Records.
Naturally it features Vice Versa, with their classic minimal electronica,along with Clock DVA in early (ie Good) mode, the fantastic I'm So Hollow, and the very shit Stunt Kites.
Worth it for the I'm So Hollow track alone,even though it was also featured on "Hicks From The Sticks"; this band,for me, represents the perfect pop group formula,intelligent and memorable tunes with an experimental edge;a total lack of ambition,and split up before they even released their debut LP. Leave 'em wanting more,as the old showbiz rule states so wisely. I want more, but there ain't gonna be any more;and that's fine by me.

Tracklist:

A1 Clock DVA - Brigade
A2 Stunt Kites - Beautiful People
B1 Vice Versa - Genetic WarFare
B2 I'm So Hollow - I Don't Know

DOWNLOAD the last fifteen minutes of 1979 HERE!

I'm So Hollow ‎– "Emotion / Sound / Motion" (Illuminated Records ‎– JAMS 5) 1981, "Dreams To Fill The Vacuum" single and the Peel session 1980

Not many nearly famous pop groups follow the DIY principle of stopping once you've achieved your goals; even if the spectre of moderate sucess is luring your soul onto the rocks. The very Great I'm So Hollow, from Sheffield, did this as soon as they recorded their debut LP; stopping even before it was released. This, I say, is very admirable indeed. They first appeared on the superb DIY compilation LP's "Hicks from the Sticks", and Sheffield comp "Bouquet of Steel" in 1980, winning them a chance to record a Peel Session (included in the download); and as alternative chart popularity beckoned appeared at the legendary Futurama Festival with the likes of PiL and Joy Division, made an album and split up....for good. What they have left is a legacy of superbly wobbly urban sci-fi rock, that stands up with the best from an era full of wobbly sci-fi rock. I loved it then and its even better now; especially with the knowledge that they didn't do it to become famous.Especially great was the debut single, "Dreams to fill the Vacuum", pressed on lovely fuzzy sounding clear vinyl,and the lovely Jane Wilson was on synthesizer too! Post punk puritans. 

Track Listing:  

1- "Emotion/Sound/Motion" 
 A1 Entrance 
 A2 Which Way..? 
 A3 Unbroken Line 
 A4 Touch 
 A5 Collisions 
 B1 Excitement = Change 
 B2 The Triangular Hour 
 B3 Emotion / Sound / Motion 
 B4 Nosferatu 
 B5 Distraction

DOWNLOAD the opposite of a bowel motion HERE! 

2- Peel session, 1980 a- Fashion b- Monotony c-Which Way? d- Dreams to fill the Vacuum 

DOWNLOAD a very a-peeling session HERE! 

3- "Dreams To Fill The Vacuum" (Hollogram Records 7" ,1980) 

a- "Dreams to fill the Vacuum) 
b- "Distraction  

DOWNLOAD some dreams to fill 7 inches of the vacuum HERE!

Various Artists - "Hicks From The Sticks" (Rockburgh ROC 11) 1980

A very influential compilation, compiled by music journalist Des Moines. His aim was to uncover 'talent' in the musical underground of the UK's provinces.There was even an artist on here that scored a number one single, namely Wah! Heat.(see 'story of the Blues' by Wah!).
A lot of this could have been released in the 'noughties' by one of those multitudes of hideous drainpipe and cardigan wearing bands who had parents with record collections with "Hicks from the Sticks" in it.Except that this is the real stuff.
Stand out tracks are Clock DVA "You're Without Sound", Section 25 "After Image" and the brilliant I'm So Hollow's "I Don't Know". 

Track Listing:
1. Airkraft - Move In Rhythm
2. Expelaires - Sympathy (Don't Be Taken In)
3. Clock DVA - You're Without Sound
4. Music For Pleasure - The Human Factor
5. Nightmares In Wax - Shangri-La
6. Ada Wilson & Keeping Dark - Head In The Clouds
7. Modern Eon - Choreography
8. Medium Medium - Them Or Me
9. Radio 5 - True Colours
10. They Must Be Russians - Where Have I Seen You
11. Section 25 - After Image
12. Art Failure - Gimmick
13. I'm So Hollow - I Don't Know
14. Wah! Heat - Hey Disco Joe
15. Stranger Than Fiction - Immortal In Mirrors
16. The Distributors - TV Me

DOWNLOAD some hicks from various northern English conurbations HERE!