VINTAGE 1986 COMPILATION OF SONG DEMOS

In the early to mid 1980s I was in Melbourne band Strange Silence. The local industry at the time was frustratingly hostile to electronic bands, especially live, but we persevered doing what we loved and gigged as often as opportunity permitted.

The songs I present on this compilation album were recorded on a rudimentary 4 track cassette recorder in singer Stephen Beckett's lounge room on a very hot Melbourne summer evening in 1986. The vocals are all one take, no overdubs or production. The sole plan for the recording was to test song arrangements before performing them live.

Sound quality varies as the source tape I used is many generations removed from the original (which no longer exists) so please excuse any issues relating to this. The only manipulation I have done is to master the stereo tracks to better sonically glue them as a whole.

Strange Silence was originally a 4 piece, on this recording there are 3 of us: on vocals is Stephen Beckett now a theatre director in Tasmania; guitar: John Benevoli now lost in his own playtime somewhere and myself on electronics & production.

If you're interested in what I was doing musically around this period then this is an excellent example. If you enjoy the album please grab a copy, it's a nostalgic piece of my history going back over 30 years.

I'd like to think that back in 1986 you'd come and watch us play:)

CREDITS
01 Modesty Blaise (Beckett)
02 Perfect Christchild (Beckett)
03 Things I Love (Pappas)
04 Miracle is Over (Beckett)
05 Fields of Europe (Pappas)
06 Slowly Down the Drain(Beckett-Benevoli)
07 For a Moment (Benevoli)
08 Writing from the Top of My Head (Pappas-Beckett)
09 Some Kind of Joy (Beckett)
10 No Ideal (Benevoli)
11 Walk on Water (Pappas)
12 Slaughter (Beckett)

Produced by G Pappas
Assistant Producer J Benevoli

There's a whole bunch of live videos of Strange Silence from 1986 available as well on the Alien Skin website.
~gp