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November 2007

John Lever has announced on the Chameleons´ Official Forum he is working with a band called BUSHART, and a new album from them is due for early next year. They are right now on the mixing process, and meanwhile some songs can be listened to in http://www.myspace.com/clubchameleon. The album will be called Time, It´s always Time and the cover will made by... Reg Smithies!!! We include the messages John has sent to the Official Site:

Monday, 3rd September 2007: Hello all!! First of all apologies for the lack of gigs, news lately!! This has been due to me recording a new album with my new band "bushart" hope fully to be released later this year or early next year, because we’re still in the mixing process, I personally think it sounds great, the working title is "Time, It’s Always Time" because there seems to be a lack of it these days!! I’ve put four new tracks up on my site www.myspace.com/clubchameleon, give us a shout let me know what you think!!! , next Club Chameleon gig is at the Witchwood Sat 29th Sept, try n make it down! Will keep you all updated, ta John

Saturday, 10th November 2007: Hello all!!Great news!!Reg has agreed to do the artwork for my new album "time, it’s always time"This as you all know is a Chameleons trademark!!Onward and very much upward I think!!The album is still due for release early next year, through the usual channels, The feedback I’ve received so far about the tracks on myspace is phenomenalA big thank you to all!!!!The best is still yet to come I believe!!! Ta. John.x WWW.MYSPACE.COM/CLUBCHAMELEON John

(Thanks John)

June 2007

Mark Burgess has announced on his web site and on the The Chameleons official site that a 25th Anniversary Special Edition for Script Of The Bridge is being prepared. This special release will come out this December and there will be a DeLuxe edition with 2CDs with a lot of extra material and another standard edition, with just one CD. They are considering different options for remastering the original tapes. The DeLuxe edition will be sold only through internet and both formats will feature an updated sleeve by Reg along with re-vamped inserts. We show here a computer-aided modification of SOTB, witha couple of Photoshop standard effects. We really hope the final release will have a little more of manual art.

Mark has also announced his autobiographic book,View From a Hill, is finished and now he is considering different publishing options. There will be a limited number of First Editions and it will be possible to pre-order a copy. All pre-orders will be signed. Remaining copies will then be sold off via traditional outlets. You can mail him directly - chameleonsmark@mac.com - and your e-mail address will be added to the pre-order list. When the pre-orders will start to take place, Mark will contact you. Please put BOOK PREORDER in the subject heading of the mail to ensure that your address is added to the database. More info on his web site.

(Thanks Mark)

 

Pedro Vila, has published on his web site a very interesting interview to Gary Lavery, singer of The Reegs, the band Dave Fielding and Reg Smithies founded after the first demise of The Chameleons in 1987.

(Thanks Pedro)

 

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Andy Clegg has released a second Volume of The SUN & The MOON demos through his label Going Nowhere Records. This second volume contain instrumental and vocal demos, in a very advanced stage, just before they were recorded for their debut album in 1988, and it ends with an radio interview of 10 minutes to Andy Whitaker and Andy Clegg. This CD is only available through Going Nowhere Records and the price is £5.00 including p+p. For ordering details, please contact Going Nowhere Records .

This is the Track list of Rough Sketches Vol II; the instrumental recordings are remarked as so:

01-Bagpipes of India (Instrumental)
02-What Do Angels Look Like?
03-Kaptain Kool
04-(the end of) Death of Imagination (Instrumental)
05-The Speed of Life (Instrumental)
06-Peace In Our Time (Instrumental)
07-A Matter of Conscience (Instrumental)
08-Dolphin
09-The Price of Grain (Instrumental)
10-House on Fire (Instrumental)
11-Limboland (Instrumental)
12-A Picture of England
13-Interview

These recordings have an excellent sound quality, and in many cases these versions surpass the final version of their debut album: The bass sounds excellent and gives depth to the fantastic guitar melodies of both Andys. With no doubt one of the highlights of these collection of demos is the instrumental (the end of) Death of Imagination, an alternate ending of 2 minutes long for the mentioned song, which was sadly edited in the final version for their debut album. Now we realize how much of The Sun and The Moon we have been missing. Although some songs appear in both Volumes, it has to be remarked that the versions are not the same. These recordings belong to different sessions from those in Volume I, and it can bee seen that they have evolved from the first recording.

(Thanks Andy)

 

February 2007

Fantastic news from Andy Clegg and his label Going Nowhere Records. It has been released through this label a collection of instrumental demos from The SUN and The MOON. These demos belong to the period just before the songs were re-recorded for the final release of the debut album. At this stage the vocals hadn´t been added and the songs are even more powerful without the postproduction and the effects they were added at the end. This collection of demos is called Rough Sketches, and although what the title may say, the songs are quite finished and the quality of sound is, at least, impressive. This collection of demos include three outtakes from the album: What Do Angels Look Like?, I Love You, You Bastard, and Gagged. This is in fact a must have for all the fans of the SUN&MOON, and all we can say is that some of the songs sound here even better than in the official album. This CD is available only through Going Nowhere Records and the price is £10.00 including p+p. For ordering details, please contact Going Nowhere Records.

Andy Clegg has kindly given us permission to post a free mp3 to listen to. Due to limitations of storage we are only able to include a excerpt of a song with low quality (mp3,stereo, 64kbps). Please bear in mind this excerpt doesn´t reflect the sound quality of the whole CD. Excerpt to Download: Gagged

Going Nowhere Records has also released a new collection of songs recorded by MUSIC for ABORIGINES (Colin Smith, Dave Booth, Andy Whitaker and Andy Clegg) in the 80´s (1983, 1984, 1986 and 1987). This CD, which is called The Lost Improvisation Tapes, is the perfect companion to The John Lever Session CD, which was released the last year through the same label. Although this CD hasn´t got the same sound quality of the JL Session CD, it shows like it never has seen before how this project worked. MUSIC for ABORIGINES was founded by Andy Whitaker and Andy Clegg, whose main aim was to let the music flow directly from their hearts in the form of improvisations. In Andy Clegg´s words: "all musicians mistakes and recorded depreciations created atmosphere". If you want to explore the soundscapes this group in the 80´s created, and if you want to see for yourself how much of the SUN&MOON sound comes from MUSIC for ABORIGINES, this is your album. This CD, which has a more alternative sound than The John Lever Session, is also released through Going Nowhere Records and the price is £5.00 including p+p. For ordering details, please contact Going Nowhere Records .

Andy Clegg has kindly given us permission to post a free mp3 to listen to. Due to limitations of storage we are only able to include a excerpt of a song with low quality (mp3,stereo, 64kbps). Please bear in mind this excerpt doesn´t reflect the sound quality of the CD. Excerpt to Download: Never
Andy Clegg talking about this release: 'The Lost Improvisation Tapes' by Music for Aborigines have been found. The album was meant to be released in autumn or winter period. It is a dark album in many ways. It is the album the band never wanted you to hear. Maybe it's the lyrical content. Nearly every song is about the evil forces of the human spirit. 'Why?' is about abusive relationships. 'Washing Line' - suicide. 'Jonathan Insane- insanity. 'You'll Be Sorry'- deep guilt complex. 'Pathetical Twat'-violent thugs. 'Kill Yourself'- self-explanatory. 'Didn't I Tell You'- more deep guilt complex. Some of the songs were recorded in the in an old police station where the infamous 'moors murderers' were taken the night they were caught. Maybe they didn't want you to hear it because of the production values. All songs made up on the spot through a two-track cassette machine recorded in someone's front room. All mistakes and noises retained. Maybe it was the fact that some of the songs already exist in another form on an album released by Geffen Records from 'The Sun and the Moon' and some of the musical ideas actually belonged to Col Smith and Dave Booth, original members and songwriters for Music for Aborigines. Whatever the reason, the album has now been released for your listening pleasure. I would personally like to welcome you into the sound of the mind of 'Music for Aborigines'. Andy Clegg

And finally, it is also available through Going Nowhere Records the last solo project of Andy Clegg. Under the name of Tiny Scientist, Andy Clegg has released this CD which includes some of the songs that were originally released on the So You Think You´re a Grown Up CD. The new CD is called Man Made Monsters and includes up to 23 home made recordings, most of them instrumentals in a very intimistic mood. Andy explores with the collaboration of a couple of clasical guitarists diferent styles. The instrumental song Man Made Monsters builds a fantastic landscape with the guitars, reminding us of SUN&MOON and MUSIC for ABORIGINES. Distortion Campaign is a calm and minimalist instrumental, with echoes of Brian Eno. Other songs like Philip Glass I and II are a tribute to this great compositor. There are other songs like Casiotronics 3 and 666, or even The Planet Meldek which are just funny entertainments. There is also place on this CD for catchy pop songs like Head on The Ground, Try or Two Songs(this one was available on the So You Think You´re a Grown Up). The album is very eclectic and contains some fantastic jewels. This CD is released through Going Nowhere Records and the price is £5.00 including p+p. For ordering details, please contact Going Nowhere Records .

Andy Clegg has kindly given us permission to post a free mp3 to listen to. The song has been codified in mp3,stereo, 64kbps. Please bear in mind this excerpt doesn´t reflect the sound quality of the CD. Song to Download: Head on the Ground

More info about Tiny Scientist at http://www.myspace.com/tinyscientist. There you have the opportunity to listen to more songs from Andy Clegg. Soon we will have here Andy Clegg talking about these releases.

(Thanks Andy)

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Still don´t know what the Chameleons´sound is about? Now you can listen to excerpts of their songs in Lastfm and in www.myspace.com/chameleonsuk.

Lastfm	myspace

 

January 2007