Swell Maps

Product Details

* Audio CD (October 19, 2004)
* Label: Secretly Canadian
* ASIN: B0002ZDWSA
* Average Customer Review: 5 out of 5 stars Based on 2 reviews. Write a review.
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #58,089 in Music

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Listen to Samples
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Music Music
1. H.S. Art ListenMusic ListenMusic
2. Another Song ListenMusic ListenMusic
3. Vertical Slum ListenMusic ListenMusic
4. Spitfire Parade ListenMusic ListenMusic
5. Harmony In Your Bathroom ListenMusic ListenMusic
6. Don't Throw Ashtrays At Me! ListenMusic ListenMusic
7. Midget Submarine ListenMusic ListenMusic
8. Bridge Head (Pt. 9) ListenMusic ListenMusic
9. Full Moon In My Pocket ListenMusic ListenMusic
10. Blam!! ListenMusic ListenMusic
11. Full Moon (Reprise) ListenMusic ListenMusic
12. Gunboats ListenMusic ListenMusic
13. Adventuring Into Basketry ListenMusic ListenMusic
14. My Lil' Shoppes 'Round The Corner ListenMusic ListenMusic
15. Loin Of The Surf ListenMusic ListenMusic
16. Doctor At Cake ListenMusic ListenMusic
17. Steven Does ListenMusic ListenMusic
18. Bronze And Baby Shoes ListenMusic ListenMusic

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Noisy and experimental, Britain's Swell Maps experienced little commercial success during the course of their chaotic career, but in hindsight they stand as one of the pivotal acts of the new wave: not only was the group an acknowledged inspiration to the likes of Sonic Youth and Pavement, but their alumni – most notably brothers Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks – continued on as key players in the underground music community.

Although Sudden (vocals/guitar) and Soundtracks (piano/drums) formed the first incarnation of the Swell Maps as far back as 1972, the group did not begin to truly take shape until 1976, when the siblings enlisted bassist Jowe Head and guitarist Richard Earl. In the spirit of punk's "do-it-yourself" mentality, they formed their own label, Rather Records, and issued their debut single – the brief, jarring Read About Seymour – in the early weeks of 1978. Local media support soon won the group a distribution pact with – but they did not resurface until over a year later with the single Dresden Style.

In mid-1979, the Swell Maps released their full-length debut A Trip To Marineville, a crazy quilt of punk energy and Krautrock-influenced clatter. After the release of the speaker-shredding single "Let's Build A Car," the group recorded one final studio LP, Jane From Occupied Europe, before breaking up. Each of the members followed their own career paths, playing solo and forming bands: Sudden formed the Jacobites, Soundtracks joined Crime & The City Solution and Head played with the Television Personalities.

Each disc contains bonus tracks not available on previous versions of these albums.

All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 5 out of 5 stars
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5 out of 5 stars Early Post Punk Classic, May 9, 2005

Reviewer: Eraserhead (Twin Peaks) - See all my reviews
The debut album from Britain's Swell Maps was completely different from anything being recorded in the late 70's. Swell Maps had been around for quite some time before actually going into the studio to record their debut, but you can't really tell since the album is a chaotic mess from beginning to end (in a good way). But it does feature two distinct halves. The first side consists mostly of short punk songs that match up considerbly well with pretty much any of the other pre-eminate punk bands of the era. This is where you will find very catchy numbers like 'Another Song' and 'Midget Submarine'.

But the second side is where you get to the seminal and groundbreaking Swell Map style that influenced countless bands including Sonic Youth and DNA (not to mention the entire no-wave genre). The music on the second half can basically be described as sprawling, feedback-laden jams, especially the two 8 minute centerpieces 'Gunboats' and 'Adventuring Into Basketry', both of which reveal Swell Maps' obsession with Krautrockers Can. By the end of the album, it is difficult to beleive that these songs came from the same band that kicked out the 1 minute punk blast 'Vertical Slum' just 40 minutes earlier. Yet therein lies the greatness of not only this album, but of this band. They were simply not content with churning out the same old 3 minute punk song (which they do quite well). They continued to push the envelope as far as they could and ended up creating brand new avenues for not only themselves, but for others to explore.

As bonus tracks, Secretly Canadian has included the entire 4 track EP that accumpanied the original 'Marineville' LP. Swell Maps second (and final) album, 'Jane From Occupied Europe' is equally brilliant and no less essential, but I recommend beginning with 'A Trip to Marineville' for the originality and sheer influence it has left in its wake.… (mehr)

Product Details

* Audio CD (October 19, 2004)
* Label: Secretly Canadian
* Format: Enhanced
* ASIN: B0002ZDWSK
* Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars Based on 2 reviews. Write a review.
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,716 in Music



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Jane from Occupied Europe [ENHANCED]
Swell Maps

Jane from Occupied Europe
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Better Together
Buy this album with A Trip to Marineville ~ Swell Maps today!
Jane from Occupied Europe [Enhanced] plus A Trip to Marineville
Buy Together Today: $31.96

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Product Details

* Audio CD (October 19, 2004)
* Label: Secretly Canadian
* Format: Enhanced
* ASIN: B0002ZDWSK
* Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars Based on 2 reviews. Write a review.
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,716 in Music

Customers interested in Swell Maps may also be interested in
Sponsored Links ( What's this? ) Feedback

* Swell
Your Core Surf Store - Find Rusty, Billabong, Roxy, Quiksilver & More.
www.swell.com

* Swell Maps
Music, Videos, Bios, Concert Info Online Radio and More at AOL Music!
Music.AOL.com

* Swell Maps Music
Hear all the Swell Maps hits. Get cool exclusives & downloads!
music.yahoo.com

Listen to Samples
To hear a song sample, click on the "Listen Music." Visit our audio help page for more information.

Music Music
1. Robot Factory ListenMusic ListenMusic
2. Let's Buy A Bridge ListenMusic ListenMusic
3. Border Country ListenMusic ListenMusic
4. Cake Shop Girl ListenMusic ListenMusic
5. The Helicopter Spies ListenMusic ListenMusic
6. Big Maz In The Desert ListenMusic ListenMusic
7. Big Empty Field ListenMusic ListenMusic
8. Mining Villages ListenMusic ListenMusic
9. Collision With A Frogman ListenMusic ListenMusic
10. ...VS. The Mangrove Delta Plan ListenMusic ListenMusic
11. Secret Island ListenMusic ListenMusic
12. Whatever Happens Next... ListenMusic ListenMusic
13. Blenheim Shots ListenMusic ListenMusic
14. A Raincoat's Room ListenMusic ListenMusic
15. The Stairs Are Like An Avalanche ListenMusic ListenMusic
16. New York ListenMusic ListenMusic

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Noisy and experimental, Britain's Swell Maps experienced little commercial success during the course of their chaotic career, but in hindsight they stand as one of the pivotal acts of the new wave: not only was the group an acknowledged inspiration to the likes of Sonic Youth and Pavement, but their alumni – most notably brothers Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks – continued on as key players in the underground music community.

Although Sudden (vocals/guitar) and Soundtracks(piano/drums) formed the first incarnation of the Swell Maps as far back as 1972, the group did not begin to truly take shape until 1976, when the siblings enlisted bassist Jowe Head and guitarist Richard Earl. In the spirit of punk's "do-it-yourself" mentality, they formed their own label, Rather Records, and issued their debut single – the brief, jarring Read About Seymour – in the early weeks of 1978. Local media support soon won the group a distribution pact with – but they did not resurface until over a year later with the single Dresden Style.

In mid-1979, the Swell Maps released their full-length debut A Trip To Marineville, a crazy quilt of punk energy and Krautrock-influenced clatter. After the release of the speaker-shredding single "Let's Build A Car," the group recorded one final studio LP, Jane From Occupied Europe, before breaking up. Each of the members followed their own career paths, playing solo and forming bands: Sudden formed the Jacobites, Soundtracks joined Crime & The City Solution and Head played with the Television Personalities.

Each disc contains bonus tracks not available on previous versions of these albums.

All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

4 out of 5 stars Thank you Swell Maps, July 30, 2005

Reviewer: roan22 (Ridley Park, PA United States) - See all my reviews
I recently bought this severly unknown (I have never read a single review in which Swell Maps are name-checked, and I read a ton of music reviews monthly) band's album, Jane from Occupied Europe, at a record store somewhere in NYC's village.

This album is one of a kind. I believe this album is a major source of influence for Sonic Youth, Brian Jonestown Massacre and Thom Yorke.

The drumming and rhythm section in general, is incredible and really showcases the talent of Swell Maps. Check out "Robot Factory", "Helicopter Spies" (very post-punk), and "Big Empty Field". (On an unrelated note, I wonder if Carlos D and Sam Fogarino have heard it and like it). :)

The album is a bit noisy and experimental but still coherent. It sounds like they use a lot of weird objects to play their instruments with and like to jam, but the songs don't go on forever and they don't get boring. I read in the liner notes that the singing is kept to a minimum because nobody in the band really wanted to be a frontman.

This is another great album that probably none of your hipster friends will know yet so go ahead and "one-up" them with it.

This is a English band, in the rhythm-driven, post-punk sense but this album is way more experimental than most for the time. Swell Maps released two albums and broke up in 1980.… (mehr)