Magazine ‎– "The Complete John Peel Sessions 1978-1980"

Post-prog leviathans Magazine became a little too slick for these pages around the turn of the eighties. Mainly due to the horrendous over-production of Martin Hannett, who ironed out every crease in Devoto's wish to be a post-punk 'Genesis'......which was futile because Genesis actually became a post-punk Genesis around this time.
Luckily, some of these later tunes were saved by the BBC production team at Maida Vale studio's for their Peel Sessions.A high achievement despite the heavy impediments of Adamson's Fretless chorused Bass, and Dave Formula's insistence on playing several keyboards all the way through certain tracks(no-one likes a show-off).  So here's an album that's nearly as good as "Secondhand daylight"

DOWNLOAD from under the floorboards HERE!

Magazine - "Definitive Gaze (Demos and Live 1977)" (Bootleg)

OK, who were the first 'Post-Punk' band anyway?

Some say it was Magazine, the band formed by DIY pioneer and ex-Buzzcock Howard Devoto? But I reckon they were more straight forward punk stained sneery prog, and not at all Post-Punk, which was a style I would ascribe to groups like Siouxsie and the Banshees,PiL,Joy Division,Gang Of Four,or even The Pop Group? Absolutely zero prog influences there?

Magazine just sounded like the trad stuff that had gone before but updated with a Devotian sneer.They even had a keyboard player who played two keyboards at the same time.....very Keith Emerson.

Some reckon 'Television' were post-punk before punk? Maybe style-wise, but musically they were absolutely late sixties/1970; Quicksilver Messenger Service has been touted as a comparison, not that i've ever heard them. From the Noo Yawk angle, Talking Heads have the best,and only, american claim for the title in my humble opinion.

Magazine were without doubt first out of the blocks for the rebirth of Prog,and were definitively the first Prog-Punk band, as these Demos from the end of the summer of hate in 1977 testify.

The Live tracks were rejects from the 'Live at the Electric Circus' ten incher on Virgin. Probably spotted as not 'punk' enough by the prog experts at Virgin; the home of Faust and Mike Oldfield among other progressive rock legends......and they'd be right.

Tracklist:

1.Shot By Both Sides (4:32)
2.Sandwiches(3:08)
3.The Light Pours Out Of Me (4:56)
4.Motorcade (5:51)
5.Touch And Go (2:59)
6.Burst (3:56)
7.Shot By Both Sides (4:26)
8.The Light Pours Out Of Me (4:30)
9.I Love You You Big Dummy (4:58)

Tracks 1-6 demos, Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham September 1977
Tracks 7-9 Live at The Electric Circus, Manchester 2nd November 1977

DOWNLOAD both sides HERE!