One record at a time: 151. Gatto Fritto - Gatto Fritto

Sometime in 2011 I walked into a record store in Soho where the most amazing music was playing. After a few minutes perusing the racks of vinyl, I walked up to the counter and asked if I could buy a copy the record that was playing. 

At this point the guy behind the counter rolled his eyes, turned to his colleague and said with a sigh, "Can I have the Gatto Fritto out of the CD player again please?"

The guy plonked the CD on the counter and explained that this record was difficult to source and every time they acquired a copy, someone bought it. This was the first time I'd heard of a shop that was upset at having to sell records, but I have encountered this phenomenon subsiquently. If people are so upset by the idea of selling goods for a profit, I can't help wonder why they don't open museums rather than shops.

Anyway, I took my CD home and enjoyed it. In fact, I liked it so much I bought this double vinyl of the album in 2014 from a seller on Discogs. The vinyl is in near mint condition and is one of about 500 that were pressed. As far as I know, Gatto Fritto's eponymously titled debut is their only album and according to Discogs there have been no further releases attributed to them. I know almost nothing about Ben Williams the guy behind the music and, to be honest, I like it that way. I prefer that Gatto Fritto remain enigmatic and enchanting.

The first track on the album is titled "The Curse" and features an airy falsetto vocal that is accompanied by discordant guitars and superb analogue synth textures. "Hex" is a more laid back and funky affair with its disco inspired bass guitar and plodding groove. Things take a different direction with "Grinding of the Brakes" which is an instrumental that sandwiches ambient textures with Aphex Twin style loops. "Solar Flares Burn for You" moves us even deeper into ambient territory and ends up sounding a bit like Tangerine Dream. The LinnDrum returns for "Lucifer Morning Star" which has a dreamy melody and vocoder processed vocals. 

"Invisible College" is the song that I heard in that record shop in London. As the acoustic guitar riff begins you could be forgiven for thinking this was going to be a naff disco record. Yet it soon becomes clear that the guitar is a loop and as additional layers are drip fed in, the majesty of this record begins to reveal itself. This is a long track and the first breakdown doesn't arrive until we're four minutes in; but it doesn't really matter as there are so many ideas in here that it is impossible to be bored. By the time you reach the ten minute mark you realise you are listening to a completely different piece of music but have no idea how you arrived there.

"My Etheric Body" continues in the retro electro vibe whilst the final track "Beachy Head" provides an ambient ending. The music on this record is hard to describe and is best heard to be understood. I find it a little frustrating that there isn't more music by Gatto Fritto but at the same time I enjoy the fact that this album is a one off. 3.5/5

One record at a time: 150. Front 242 - Front By Front

"Front by Front" was released in 1988 and here I am playing a copy of the original European vinyl I bought from eBay about six months ago.

"Until Death (Us Do Part)" is driven by a Yamaha DX7 bassline and riffs played on the classic 12 String preset that would be used later by The KLF on "3 A.M. Eternal". The mix of samples and FM synthesis continues on the fantastic "Circling Overland" and "In Rhythmus Bleiben" which keep the bar high.

Things fall off a bit with "Felines" and its annoying reverse vocal sample, but the pure EBM of "First In/First Out" soon banishes these doldrums.

"Blend the Strengths" is an instrumental that fills time before the centre piece of the album "Headhunter" kicks in. This song has a catchy chorus and beats clearly designed for the dance floor. Whilst you could never call this a conventional pop song, it does bear some sonic resemblance to bands like Depeche Mode and even had a video directed Anton Cobijn.

"Work 01" is another instrumental augmented with samples culled from films that feels a bit like album filler. Due to its positioning on the album the next track "Terminal State" is a bit overlooked but this is a fun track with an almost funky groove and great lyrics: "We're in the doldrums!"

Things close out with the classic "Welcome to Paradise". The concept of sampling American TV evangelists was first used on "Angst" from the previous album but on this track everything gets turned up to eleven. 4/5

One record at a time: 149. Front 242 - Official Version

"Official Version" is the album in which Front 242 honed their sound and delivered a hit single in the form of "Masterhit".

Here I am playing a copy of the original UK LP which I bought from the same shop in Hull where I acquired "No Comment".

Things kick off with the epic "W.Y.H.I.W.H.G." which has always been one of my favourite 242 tracks. I love the samples on this song and everything seems to gel perfectly. "They're coming down! They're coming down! They're coming down for you!"

"Rerun Time" is another example of a track that seems to flow effortlessly and has plenty of tricks to keep the listener interested. "Television Station" completes the opening trilogy of perfect brooding EDM with its pounding rhythms and dark vocals. I've never been a big fan of "Aggresiva Due" simply because of the distorted electric guitar that features through out, but it is still very interesting. 

The single "Masterhit Parts 1 and 2" will be well known to anyone with even a passing interest in EBM or industrial music. This track is catchy and has a good melody under the burbling synths and deadpan vocals. After about five minutes the track moves into "Part 2" which is a more instrumental section that builds into a swirling cacophony before ending abruptly.

The title of the album is derived from the lyrics to "Slaughter" which features some fantastic Emulator marcato strings alongside the usual driving rhythms. My favourite track on here is "Quite Unusual" which is a new version of the track released on the "Inception" E.P. the year before. "Red Team" is a beat driven instrumental that trundles along quite nicely before the television evangelism of "Angst" sees us out. 4/5

One record at a time: 148. Front 242 - No Comment

Front 242 released their second album "No Comment" in 1984. Whilst this vinyl is a reissued version from 1989, it is still fairly difficult to come by. I bought my copy at a second hand record shop in Hull earlier this year and it is in great condition. I also need to point out that this LP has a different sleeve to the original and features a running order which is different to CD or digital version of the album.

It is worth noting immediately that this album is quite a departure from its predecessor. The analogue synths of "Geography" have been jettisoned and the sounds of a Drumulator, FM synths and a sampler dominate. There has also been a change of personnel with Dirk Bergen departing to be replaced by a second vocalist Richard 23. 

Things open with the nine and a half minute long "Commando (Mix)" which revolves around a distinctive DX7 bassline. Band member Daniel Bressanutti layers atmospheric samples on the top and tweaks the drums with some fills here and there. I've noticed this track gets a lot of love amongst Front 242 fans and some even regard it as their best. Personally I think it is OK, but definitely not their best.

Next up is "S. Fr Nomenklatura (Part I & II)" which I have never liked much as it has a really annoying sample that is repeated throughout. All of these instrumental tracks tend to wander down a bit of a musical cul-de-sac and aren't developed a great deal. The next track "Deceit" does feature some vocals from Jean-Luc and Richard 23 but they sound like overdubs thrown down to add a little texture rather than being the centrepiece.

The flip side kicks off with "Lovely Day" which offers the first flash of the sound the band would come to fine tune on later albums. The highlight of the album for me is "No Shuffle" which is a rambling ode to the North Pole with a groove ready for the right dance floor. Things finish off with "Special Forces" which samples a line from "Apocalypse Now" and turns it into a relentless slice of EMB. To me this album sounds like a band trying to master new technology: sometimes they get it right and sometimes things misfire. This album is interesting, but it only offers us a glimpse of the heights they would go on to achieve. 2.5/5

One record at a time: 147. Front 242 - Geography

Front 242 are true pioneers of electronic music. In fact, they were such visionaries that a new genre had to be invented just to describe their sound. Today, anyone who creates music that even vaguely resembles that of the Belgian masters will labelled as Electronic Body Music (EBM).

I first became aware of Front 242 in 1990 when a friend made me a 'best of' cassette using some CDs he had borrowed. I loved almost every track on that tape and was most intrigued by the material taken from their debut LP "Geography".

Here I am playing a remastered red vinyl from 2016 which came with a free CD and was supposedly limited to 242 copies.

Things kick off with one of the best cuts the band ever produced: "Operating Tracks". The bass on this track pulses from ear to ear as Jean-Luc's growls his largely incomprehensible lyrics. When I first got access to the internet in the late nineties I began looking up the lyrics of many Front 242 songs and realised that the real words bore little resemblance to my interpretation. Sometimes the romance of a misheard lyric is much more valuable that being precise; so I still sing along with my version and accuracy be damned.

The next three tracks are largely instrumental affairs composed of distorted white noise snares and distinctly analogue synth patches that remind me of The Future and early recordings by The Human League. Things kick up again with the excellent "U-Men" which has an irresistible bassline and a great hook. As there are only two repeated verses this track is done and dusted in a little over three minutes 

"Dialogues" is more analogue instrumental fun but "Least Inkling" resurrects the pulsating bass sequences and brooding vocals. The next track "GVDT" feels brighter due to its melodic vocal but the chorus becomes chaotic and transforms the song into something more daring. "Geography I" is a strange track as it has no kick drum and the vocals are mere mumbles. "Black White Blue" is a fast paced and strangely hypnotic instrumental that must have been pushing the boundaries in 1982. 

Strangely the closing track "Kampfbereit" plods along at 97 beats per minute and is sung in German. The TR-808 seems to emerge more prominently for this closing number and, as good as this song is, it feels a bit out of place on here. 

Still, this is an enjoyable album for anyone who has even a passing interest in early eighties electronic music. Despite its relatively experimental nature, this record somehow remains accessible and even in its quirkiest moments it still has the ability to make people dance. 4/5

One record at a time: 146. Fad Gadget - The Best Of

When I originally bought the CD of this compilation in 2001, I hadn't really heard any of Fad Gadget's music. I think my interest must have purely stemmed from their links to Mute records and Daniel Miller.

However when I did listen to the CD, I liked a lot of what I heard and I decided to buy this silver coloured vinyl pressing when it was released in 2019.

This album is something of a strange pot-pourri of post punk noise, new wave innovation and unrefined synth-pop. Tracks flow in a roughly chronological order and Daniel Miller's familiar ARP 2600 drum sounds punch through some of the early cuts. Other influences are exposed by the extended "Handshake" which serves as the "Metal on Metal" to the "Trans Europe Express" of "Ricky's Hand".

As the band's sound began to diversify we find an increasing use of acoustic or traditional rock instruments and its impossible not to notice Alison Moyet singing backing vocals on "For Whom The Bells Toll". There is prominent use of bass guitar on songs like "Make Room" and "King of the Flies" meaning synth purest have to take refuge in b-sides such as the excellent "Ladyshave" and "4M". The inclusion of the outstanding "Luxury" is curious as it was released under Frank Tovey's own name when he elected to leave the Fad Gadget moniker behind.

In terms of electronic music, Frank eventually moved on and by the time he was releasing "Bridge St Shuffle" and "Sam Hall" there was no way back. Frank seemed to stop releasing records in the late eighties and this compilation serves as an excellent summary of his work in the field of electronic music. 3/5

Trevor Horn book

I like the work of Trevor Horn. I don't regard him as a 'production god' or the new messiah, but there are quite a few records in my collection that bear his name. As a result, I took a great interest in his recently published autobiography. 

The book is generally quite good and is full of interesting stories. However, there are some aspects of the book that contradict other people's accounts and whole chunks of Horn's career seem to be omitted.

In the book Trevor repeats the story that the lady who says "Goodbye" in ABC's "Look of Love" is the actual girl Martin is singing about in the song. However, in a podcast first broadcast in April this year, engineer Gary Langan tells us the lady in question was actually the receptionist at SARM studios who happened to be his girlfriend and not Martin's. Who to believe?

Trevor recites a tale of meeting Michael Mertens in the canteen at Townhouse Studios following Propaganda's defection to Virgin Records. In the book Mertens approaches Horn and gets short shrift. In Mertens' version published on Facebook he merely says hello to Horn and receives an angry tirade in return.

I am not a Frankie Goes to Hollywood fan so I don't really know their history; but Horn's account of the band's demise and the subsequent court case seems relatively cursory to me. Maybe this is because Trevor regards this as a less interesting aspect of his career and he doesn't want to dwell on it. Maybe he doesn't go into detail because ZTT lost the court case. Either way, those looking for more information about the whole Frankie saga will be left a little wanting. 

There is no mention of recording "It's Alright" with the Pet Shop Boys and only some vague references to the creation of the album "Fundamental". Disappointingly there is no room for Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells II" and the chapter dedicated to Seal only discusses "Crazy".

I acknowledge you can fit everything into one book and at no point does Trevor state this is a definitive version of events; but I still felt a little short changed. Hell, the only production tip I got from the whole book is that tweaking a mix to get a good stereo field can be a waste of time: just pan some things hard left and others hard right. Easy. 

So whilst it is an interesting book, it is not perfect. This is clearly one man's recollection of events and as Winston Churchill wrote, "History is written by the victors."