MUSIC BLOG OF SALTYKA AND HIS FRIENDS: June 2008

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

THE DARKSIDE

Country:
UK
Genre:
Rock
Style:
Space Rock, Indie Rock

Members:
Stewart "Rosco" Roswell (ex Spaceman 3) - Drums, Guitar, Organ

Pete "Bassman" Baines (ex Spaceman 3) - bass, guitar, vocals
Craig Wagstaff (91-) - Drums

Nick Hayden (-90) - Guitar and Vocals
Kevin Cowan (-92) - Guitar

VIDEO:
"Waiting for the Angels"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2UOplqVNDg&feature=related

ALL THAT NOISE (1990)

Credits:
Artwork By [Design] - Stiff Weapon /Mastered By - Jacko
Keyboards - Darren Windsor
Photography [Cover] - George Kilroy
Producer - John A. Rivers (also : Dead Can Dance,Eyeless In gaza etc. (tracks: 10) , Richard Waghorn
Performer, Written-by, Artwork By [Design], Producer - Darkside, The
Photography [Cover] - George Kilroy

Notes:
Recorded August 1990 at The Abbatoir, Birmingham. Mastered at Tape One.

Tracklist:

01 Guitar Voodoo (6:18)
02 Found Love (2:53)
03 She Don't Come (2:27)
04 Good For Me (2:38)
05 Love In A Burning Universe (6:09)
06 All That Noise (1:44)
07 Spend Some Time (3:11)
08 Don't Stop The Rain (3:24)
09 Soul Deep (7:00)
10 Waiting For The Angels (5:15)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/123062805/daalno.rar.html

"Somehow finding their way to getting a debut album down despite chronic lineup instability, the three members of the Darkside this time around create a good but honestly not great record in All That Noise. Essentially the problem is one of differing inspirations and what one can do with them. While Pete "Bassman" Baines' later work with the Darkside and on his own as Alpha Stone is much more distinct, here he and his bandmates coast in comparison, especially considering what his Spacemen 3 cohorts Sonic Boom and Jason Pearce were doing. Treat the album as a joyfully derivative diversion, though, and one will be in good hands. All three players know their psych/noise/folk-rock roots and how to work with them to skillful effect. Opening number "Guitar Voodoo" makes for a perfect intro, with a slow drum shuffle, a simple but quietly addicting bassline, and Kevin Cowan's guitar filigrees turning into heavy zoned and stoned glory. Followed immediately by the brief, snarling "Found Love," something of a Spacemen 3 slamming into the Jesus and Mary Chain effort, it makes for a great start to things, if at the same time showing the relative limits of what they can do. It's all fantastic mood music without question, but as the album continues it's also clear nearly everything starts calling back more memories of Spacemen 3 and that band's astonishing sense of reach and flow. Meanwhile, the Darkside are mostly content to pastiche the past instead of extending what's already there. Baines makes for a reasonable enough lead singer, but All That Noise still suffers in comparison, reaching an embarrassing low point with "Soul Deep," which tries to be Stax/James Brown-funky and ends up just stinking. The Byrdsy ring of "Good for Me" and "Waiting for the Angels" help things out, if only just." ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

"Amazing psychedelia from the blistering opening track to the closer..this album is amazing, and was correctly heralded when it came out. too bad for these guys that it all came to a close early on...still this album is pretty amazing in its guitar work and drenched psychedelic, acid musings..Great Melomania is not worth getting its a piss poor album full of partial sloppy tunes."
"An overlooked gem of an album, this first (and best) effort by The Darkside will go down a treat with all those who like mellow and sultry 60's influenced psychedelia. From the moody instrumental opener "Guitar voodoo" this album doesn't put a foot wrong, moving from upbeat surf-psyche such as "She don't come", via warped Memphis soul ("Soul deep") to psychedelic epics like "Waiting for the angels"."

"This is Psychedelic music at it's very best. When I first heard this release I though to myself that Jimi Hendrix really wasn't gone, that he'd just stepped off the road for awhile and was now back for the flat out ride. The album builds slowly and takes you completely to the other side of the universe, but without all of the pretense and filler of so many other bands who try going this route without much success.
Ah yes, the reason for the success of The Darkside and their release “All That Noise,” with some of the best and most blinding cover artwork, can be summed up in two words, well actually a word and a number ... Spacemen 3. Yes, this is yet another of the splinter groups formed from the ashes of Spacemen 3. I think it would be a whole lot of fun to get all of these splinter / family groups together, in all of their incarnations, as one big band, for one big night of Psychedelic Music ... what a momentous event that would be. I’m sure I’d be dealing with the consequences for the rest of my life.
But, until that day, or night comes, we’re got The Darkside to shift us into hypre-drive and jettison our ears to the third ring of Saturn."

HIGH RISE LOVE (12") (1990)

Credits:
Photography - George Kilroy
Producer - Darkside, The , John A. Rivers
Written By, Artwork By [Sleeve Design] - Darkside, The

Notes:
Recorded at Woodbine Street Studio, 30/01/1990.

Tracklist:

01 High Rise Love (5:20)
02 The Killing Time (4:29)
03 Can't Think Straight (2:13)

WAITING FOR ANGELS (12") (1990)

Credits:
Producer - Darkside, The , John A. Rivers*
Written By - Darkside, The
Keyboards - Darren Windsor (track 01)

Notes:
Recorded at Woodbine Street Studio, June 1990

Tracklist:

01 Waiting For The Angels (5:11)
02 Sweet Vibrations (6:08)

Link to these two maxis:
http://rapidshare.com/files/123067736/daep.rar.html

"The first Darkside release was its most atypical, if only because the original Highrise Love EP is the only recording featuring the band's actual founder, Nick Hadyn, on vocals. He's a more forward singer than Pete Bassman turned out to be, with just enough of a rasp in his vocals to lend some bite, but the same sort of bliss-tinged atmosphere that seems endemic to Rugby-based vocalists crops up here as well. Call him the more distinct Tim Burgess if one wants, though there's no attempt at Madchester grooves here -- it's charging feedback stuff up top with the Spacemen 3 refugees bringing their own expertise to the bottom end. "Highrise Love" duly snarls and kicks along, with an attractive guitar break in the middle that hints at the band's greater powers, but it's the blasting "Killing Time," with pounding, tribal-touched drumming and a huge main riff, that's the real standout here. Hadyn's so good with his delivery it's regrettable he gave up music after this, while the concluding band blast is a total trip, loud and searing. "Can't Think Straight" makes for an equally fun, gripping track to wrap things up." ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

"A good conclusion to the All That Noise album, "Waiting for the Angels" arguably works even better as a single, its good feeling and gentle surge giving the band a chance to create something just distinct enough from Spacemen 3 to count. The combination of Cowan's ringing, endlessly rising guitar and Hammond keyboard float -- especially when the former breaks into a great solo halfway through the song -- makes everything work wonders, while the rhythm section is no slouch either. The CD version includes a shorter edit while also appending, in a slightly curious move, the original version of "Highrise Love" with Haydn's vocals. There's one other new track as well -- the perhaps too obviously titled "Sweet Vibrations." It actually isn't a blissful Brian Wilson tribute per se, with a quick but not too speedy beat and some fine, fluid bass work from Bassman to recommend it. Cowan's equally fine guitar work, especially in the concluding, slow fade-and-return section make this a "should-have-been" candidate for All That Noise in place of some less distinguished songs." ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

PSYCHEDELICISE SUBURBIA (1991)

Notes:
Tracks 01-05: Live at Moles Club, Bath, England on 19th January 1991
Tracks 06-10: Live at Dolce Vita, Lausanne, Switzerland on 19th April 1991

Tracklist:

01 Guitar Voodoo
02 She Don't Come
03 Are You For Real
04 Spend Some Time
05 Love In A Burning Universe
06 Highrise Love
07 Good For Me
08 Sweet Vibrations
09 Soul Deep
10 Theme 91

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/123062190/dapsysu.rar.html

"Taken from two separate dates in early 1991, the wonderfully titled Psychedelicise Suburbia only appeared in a limited edition run -- and on vinyl only, no less -- making it possibly the obscurest of the Darkside's major releases. Material from both All That Noise and the upcoming Melomania gets featured, along with some rarer numbers here and there, including a blast through the band's debut, "Highrise Love," here gamely sung by Pete Bassman in place of the long-departed Hadyn in a much lower pitch. While the earlier songs from All That Noise still betray their influences as much as develop them, Cowan in particular sounds really fantastic here, taking the tunes to a stronger level than before. The opening "Guitar Voodoo" sounds really nasty and attractive all at once, and from there things just burn right along as they should. Bassman's frontman role sounds perfectly comfortable for him -- his playing suffers not a jot -- and as a whole the slightly rejigged band, with Roswell moved over into organ and guitar work while new recruit Wagstaff handled drums, makes for an entertaining and often thrilling release. "Love in a Burning Universe" is one particular beneficiary, its combination of guitar bite and sweetly tripped out keyboard given heft both by Wagstaff's solid playing, especially when everything speeds up at the end, and Bassman's direct, effective sing/speaking. Another highlight, the B-side "Sweet Vibrations," gets a well-deserved showcase, sounding even more upfront and edgy than the studio take. "Good for Me" is the absolute business, starting as a pleasant psych-chimer before Wagstaff starts really pounding away and the whole band just takes off. Finally, the hyper-rare "Theme 91" closes things out, a Chocolate Watch Band-inspired instrumental that just plain shreds everything in sight. If there was any justice in the world, this album and the band's lost studio album would appear without hesitation." ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

LIVE IN ITALY - Pata Mata's, Milano (04.25.1991)

Tracklist:

01 Instrumental
02 I Found Love
03 Enemy
04 Vibrations
05 Don't Call
06 Fever
07 Wait For Me
08 Baby
09 Waiting For The Angels
10 Burning Universe
11 I Did Not Come
12 Trying To Tell Me
13 Bright Light, Big City
14 Instrumental

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/123073426/dalimi.rar.html

Many thanks to my friend who sent this to me!!

Pete Bassman:
"When did you become disillusioned with what the music media was offering you?
There was a turning point. I think Spaceman were at a time when a lot of stuff was changing. First, the economic situation of this country and the whole of Europe was changing dramatically. From the time that Spacemen started touring we noticed that everything seemed to be getting more austere. Second, the press. Spaceman had a lot of good press, plenty of features.

It was different with The Darkside. I think the press had got to a point where they knew that they could mould what people listen to, they could influence them very directly. Sometimes we'd play bad gigs and get great reviews and sometimes we'd play great gigs and get terrible reviews, and we couldn't understand it. But we were the kind of band that you could pick on quite easily because we weren't bothered about trying to be mainstream. In fact, we felt awful about it, and it felt like the wrong thing to do, going from Spaceman 3 who'd always existed as a non-conformist band to The Darkside which was propelled into the spotlight. Some of the reviewers just trashed us without any thought and showed themselves to be shallow and not particularly good writers.

They were doing it all the time: knocking a band down, building a band up, it all depended on who they liked that particular week. They were playing God. But NME, for example, could be entertaining and factual. Look back to the late 70s, Joy Division period, there was a lot of intellectual stuff, it was very dense and coming from a much weightier angle. "

(http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/backstage/1472/alphastone-fogey.html)

MAYHEM TO MEDITATE (12") (1992)

Credits:
Drums - Craig* /Guitar, Organ [Hammond] - Rosco
Producer - Darkside
Vocals, Bass - Pete* /Remix - Darkside, The , Paul Doyle (tracks 04-06)

Notes:
Original versions of tracks 4, 5, and 6 appeared on the album "Melomania" (SITU 34 CD).

Tracklist:

01 Straighest Shot (5:45)
02 This Time Is Mine (6:09)
03 Heart Of The Sun (7:40)
04 This Mystic Morning (Remix) (5:31)
05 This Mystic Morning (Dub) (5:31)
06 Cry For Me (2:55)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/123068009/damame.rar.html

"The band's final release on Beggars Banquet and its associate labels, Mayhem to Meditate found the Darkside going through a notable change as Cowan departed, to be replaced by the increasingly assertive (from some points of view to a fault) Roswell. Roswell having played some guitar already on Melomania, it wasn't a complete culture shock, but the fact remains that Roswell's not quite as accomplished. He's good enough, though, and his general brusquer approach has high points, like the sudden feedback burst that leads into his brief solo on the psych/R&B combo "Straightest Shot" which leads off the disc. Two other full originals appear -- "This Time Is Mine," a slower number with a nice lazy strut to the rhythm and appropriately zony guitar leads, and the garage/go-go grooves of "Heart of the Sun." Any suspicions about Pink Floyd connections might be confirmed by a prominent mention about a "dark side" in the lyrics! The second half of the disc includes one number brought over unchanged from Melomania, "Cry for Me," and two dancier remixes of that album's "This Mystic Morning."" ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

MELOMANIA (1992)

Credits:
Drums - Craig*
Engineer - Richard Waghorn (tracks: 1, 3, 6) , Stuart MacMillan (tracks: 2, 4, 5, 7 to 9) /Engineer [Assistant] - Adrian Kavanagh (tracks: 2, 4, 5, 7 to 9)
Guitar, Bass, Organ - Kevin Cowden*
Mastered By - Jacko*
Organ, Guitar, Percussion - Rosco
Producer - Darkside, The
Vocals, Bass - Pete Bassman

Tracklist:

01 Always Pleasure (3:44)
02 Feeling Flow (3:58)
03 Tornado (3:54)
04 This Mystic Morning (5:26)
05 Someday (3:00)
06 Are You For Real (4:41)
07 24 Hours (3:37)
08 Cry For Me (2:59)
09 Rise (9:52)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/123055009/damelom.rar.html

"The band's second and seemingly final album -- though a third is still stuck somewhere in record company vaults -- expands on the best points of All That Noise with considerably less of the drawbacks, making for a much better effort all around. Part of it could be the new lineup, with Roswell concentrating on keyboards and Wagstaff being a fine replacement for him on drums, but in general there seems to be an effort to be less one-note. While All That Noise did touch on a variety of styles, it seemed more like a cloning on them rather than an attempt to do anything with them. Melomania, on the other hand, takes that variety to create a more distinct sound, one that doesn't call to mind Spacemen 3 as much. Bain still has the lazy drawl singing from before, but he sounds more like his own man, while the group as a whole aims for something a little more complex and individual. Consider the subtle arrangements on "Feelings Flow," which almost sounds like a full horn section and orchestration at points, concluding with a brilliant, lovely solo from Cowan before a quieter coda. Then there's the just aggressive enough "Are You for Real," riding a more joyful rock kick than anything else, a rave-up for the heck of it that sounds downright fun, despite the sentiments of the lyrics. Some songs, like "This Mystic Morning," unsurprisingly call the mood from All That Noise to mind in its slow, dreamy shuffle, but the additional keyboards from Roswell, Cowan's semi-twangy guitar, and more help transform the song into something more. Concluding with a fantastic one-two punch -- the anthemic "Cry for Me" and the lengthy slow build burn "Rise" -- Melomania is a lost early-'90s pleasure." ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

""Melomania" by The Darkside(not to be confused with Darkside), who was born out of the ashes of Spaceman 3, would quite simply be the best recording of the 90's even if it just contained one track: "Rise". "Rise" is a nearly 10 minute masterpiece of guitar virtuosity. Every other song on this recording is superb. Especially "Tornado". The bands first recording "All that Noise" is also outstanding. While "All that Noise" was more atmospheric, "Melomania" is hard driving guitar music. The Darkside disbanded years ago. So grab this CD while you can. It's almost impossible to find. Beggar's Banquet would do well to re-release it (along with "All that Noise"). I would love to know whatever happened to the members of The Darkside. Surely talented artist like these continued to make great music after breaking up."

"The Darkside's second and last album, this continues in the vein of 60's influenced psychedelia where their previous release left off. This has a greater proportion of more upbeat, "poppy" songs which is a shame; it is the slow-burning epics that they really shine on. The sinuous guitar line on "Tornado" is a treat, and the prolonged freak-out on "Rise" is quite simply superb. On the downside Pete Bassman's vocals may grate on some ears, but don't let that put you off investigating this excellent album."

"This is the third offering by The Darkside, and they continue to ride the Psychedelic Wave of some distant planet, bringing back a taste of mystery and splendor for us to sample ... leaving me to wonder what they actually hear in their own heads. They've progressed by bringing up the voices and smoothing things out a bit, but there's nothing repeated, redundant or even reminiscent of their previous releases ... other then more of the finest Psychedelic Music you are ever going to hear on this side of the galaxie."

Biography:
The Darkside was one of several bands to emerge following the break-up of Spacemen 3 and adhered to a dark psychedelic yet more overtly pop-orientated template than their progenitor. The band formed in the Spacemen's hometown of Rugby and was led by Pete Bain (AKA Bassman), who had left Spacemen 3 just before their 1989 LP Playing With Fire. Bain was then joined in the new outfit by his former bandmate, drummer Sterling Roswell (AKA Rosco). Vocals were initially handled by Nick Hayden but his departure forced Bain to assume them. The group were signed to Beggars Banquet Records offshoot Situation Two throughout their existence.
The group debuted in 1990 with the single 'Highrise Love' and this was followed by an LP, All That Noise. With Rosco moving to keyboards, the group recruited Craig Wagstaff, whom they had known while in Spacemen 3. The Melomania LP then followed in 1992. With the departure of guitarist Kevin Cowen following the LP's release, Bain then assumed guitar duties for the EP Mayhem to Meditate. When Situation Two rejected the demos cut for a third LP, the band disintegrated.
Since the band's split, Bain has recorded several albums under the Alpha Stone name and guested on several of former bandmate Peter Kember's E.A.R albums. Rosco recently issued the well-received solo LP Ubik under his real name Sterling Roswell.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Darkside)

Rosco and Pete Bassman (né Baines), the original rhythm section of England's extraordinary Spacemen 3, formed the Darkside as a side band in 1986, devoting themselves to it several years later. On All That Noise, the Rugby trio has the Doors' old rainy-night bass/drums sound down cold, but that dubious achievement is the album's best feature. The other notable elements on this atmospheric but underwhelming record — Bassman's lazy artless-pop vocals, Rosco's wheedly organ, and guitar work that ranges from a translucent pop drizzle to floods of pseudo-psychedelic distortion — don't amount to much. Other than "Good for Me," the songwriting is too weak to carry the load. Lacking the obsessive intensity of the Spacemen or a strong personality of its own, the Darkside's candle flickers without shedding any light.Recorded as a quartet, the self-produced Melomania (for those without access to an OED, the title means "a mania for music") documents Bassman's second futile try at singing consistently in tune, accompanied by a narrowed dynamic range of stylish quiet and ragged loud, all slathered ineffectually in '60s ambience. With no sign of the first album's Doors fixation, "This Mystic Morning" does ape some of that group's Los Angeles folk-rock contemporaries reasonably well. Ultimately, the Darkside's incoherence, lack of conviction and threadbare compositional ideas go to show that a mania for music is nothing like a talent for it. [Ira Robbins]
(http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=darkside)

Pete 'Bassman' Bain
was a member of Noise on Independant Street (1980),The Spacemen(1982),The Push (1984),Spacemen 3 (1986-1989,see:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacemen_3),The Darkside (1989-1992),Supernova/The Supernova Quartet (1993),The Banana Spliffs (1994),Alphastone (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=232875997) etc.

"The Darkside was not really me, sure I was a member of the band and wrote all the lyrics and a large proportion of the music, but I felt little empathy with the other members. I felt like my direction as a musician was compromised. That band taught me some hard lessons. It was the first and last time I was signed to a major label, a great opportunity thrown away. Every member was guilty in their own way of dragging it down; egos, squabbles and fragmentation until the band didn't so much split up as fade away. When I telephoned the label to tell them the group had finished and maybe they would want to do a press release I was told it was not worth it, nobody was interested.Life's a motorway. Particularly when you're in the slow lane..

...I felt that The Darkside was traumatic, it was everybody's failings that it never worked out for us whereas Spaceman was for me a very uncomplicated band and I enjoyed it.
The Darkside was a terrible mistake and I've got to live that down. It's a skeleton in the closet and I thought I'd better drag it out and make people aware of it. I basically felt let down by a lot of people and the whole thing was very ugly. Alphastone was a reaction that."

(http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/backstage/1472/alphastone-int.html)

"...The Darkside was a lot more money but a lot more money was embezzled and stolen. The split between the members was unfair too. I began to resent the fact that I wasn't getting paid for writing any songs, so I stopped writing songs for the band.

Also, when it's all over you go from earning.. well, in The Darkside we never really earned much more than £100 a week, but that was at a time when The Stone Roses were getting about £60 a week from Silvertone. But you go from that to the dole and once people shut the doors in the music industry they never open again. It's funny how people will talk to you one week and then not talk to you the next week. That's what made me cynical about doing this again.

Record companies are stupid. They just hoover up cocaine and spend money like fools. We had a bit of that in Alphastone 'cos we'd been asked to go to Chrysalis to talk about publishing so we got our hopes up really high. The guy put out some really confusing signals - he said that he liked us and really wanted to see us but at the same time he'd put us on hold for weeks on end and kept saying the same things. We got to the point where we thought he was trying to let us down, but why couldn't he just tell us? And we had some interest from Interscope, they were all over us like a rash and then next minute they couldn't do anything for us.
It got to the point where I thought that if someone comes up to us after a gig and says "hey guys, great gig, do you fancy signing a contract?" I'd probably just say "not really." [laughs out loud] I'd be really defensive and I'm not sure how I could deal with any speculative interest."

(http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/backstage/1472/alphastone-fogey.html)

Pete can currently be seen playing with 'The Birdmen 3' and recording as 'Bassman'. He has also been guesting with 'The Meek' and 'Uberfuzz'. Andy plays with successful garage Rn'B outfit 'Auntie Alfie's Medicinal Cabinet'...

(http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=232875997)

Craig Wagstaff
The only info i found is he took part on Richard Ashcroft's Human Conditions CD (2003)

Sterling Roswell
is more commonly known as 'Rosco' and most known as a member of the legendary Spacemen 3 from age just 18, recording three albums. When they eventually split, he joined the 3's Pete Bassman in Darkside, producing two albums for Beggars Banquet. Later he came back to music and made some demos while living in Rome. These led to him being signed by Mint/Jungle, Mercury Rev's original label where he released his album ‘Psychedelic Ubik’ in 2004.(http://www.jungle-records.demon.co.uk/mint/mint16.htm and http://www.jungle-records.demon.co.uk/mint/mintcd16.htm)

Nick Hayden

many thanks to Nick for these messages!

Hi Salty,Its Nick Hayden here.I was the former vocalist with The Darkside,and sang on the Highrise Love 12inch,released in 1990.as you can probably pick out from the lyrics on Cant Think Straight and Highrise Love,i was gradually losing the plot somewhat around that time...Due to various addictions and unwanted police attention.I left the band in May1990,and turned up a while later in Oxford.I formed Flite 118,and played local gigs including support to Spiritualised at the Oxford Poly that summer,and a support slot with Ride at the town and Country Club(London).After this ended i moved to Australia with my then wife.I surfaced back in Oxford a few years later and sang with my next project the Red Bamboo.We recorded tracks with a very middle eastern flavour.Nothing really came of this and i took some time out in Cairo Egypt.This only increased my appetite or all things Arabic.And i am just about to start my forth year on a university course,learning to speak and write Arabic.Am also heavily into the U.F.O thing,Alien Base on moon sensation,studying Horned Human Skulls that have been found!!! and all those other exciting things like Rods shooting around the skies.Anyway keep an eye out for those Alien craft...They are out there for sure..Nick

Hi again Salty.I havent got anything on my space or any other site yet.I am working on a compilation at the moment to be called Missing links....it will be a 12 track cd.Made up of live tracks and studio recordings.. covering material from 1991 onwards.the first seven tracks are live recordings from Flite118.Tracks 1-4 were recorded at the Town and Country Club (London)when we supported Oxford band RIDE.Tracks 5-7 are live at the Jericho Tavern (OXFORD)These 7 songs are pretty good quality and have layed in the archives untouched and unheard for many years.Tracks 8-12 are studio out- takes.And very good quality recordings.In my opinion these are the best songs ive written.most have a very Middle Eastern flavour,with some very good solid beats.I am in the middle of transfering the taped tracks into mp3s.With help from the Red Bamboo percussionist/keyboard wizzard Phil West.Hoping to sought the art work out soon,and make a very presentable little package.Will perhaps do a limited edition run of 100.I just feel it would be nice to let people hear these Missing Links..I would love to get a band together and get back to playing again.or perhaps play live using backing tracks..who knows.I have had a lot of interest concerning the recordings ive made since leaving the Darkside.I Will keep in touch,and keep you up to date with the project.Thanks for showing an interest...There are also a lot of Darkside tracks from earlier Demos right back to 1986 floating around.I think Pete bassman is planning to release them in the future.Im not in contact with any of the Darkside guys anymore.I spoke to Kev Cowan(my cousin)a few years ago about joining me for a recording or two.But have since lost touch.Due to me keep on moving around and losing mobiles.Take care,enjoy the rest of the summer....cheers Nick H.

More info about The Darkside:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_Roswell

http://sterlingroswell.com/ (it doesen't work now)

http://www.myspace.com/theepsychedelicubik

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=121335364

http://www.myspace.com/sterlingroswell

http://www.aaamusic.co.uk/News.asp?id=2032

http://spacemen-3.com/

ALBUMS
All That Noise (1990)
Psychedelicise Suburbia (1991)
Melomania (1992)

More info:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=43773933

http://www.scaruffi.com/vol6/darkside.html

REPOSTED

MAMA BUBO - Planeta Haj (1985)

http://rapidshare.com/files/123111097/mb_a.rar.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/123112140/mb_b.rar.html

HAROUMI HOSONO

Cochin moon

http://rapidshare.com/files/123518569/hhcochin.rar.html

Good Sport

http://rapidshare.com/files/123520326/hhgospo.rar.html

N.D.E

http://rapidshare.com/files/123525170/hhn.d.e.rar.html

Naga Jokil

http://rapidshare.com/files/123526632/hhnaga.rar.html

Paraiso

http://rapidshare.com/files/123528847/hhpar.rar.html

Mercuric Dance

http://rapidshare.com/files/123531835/hhmer.rar.html

The Tale Of Genji Dadi

http://rapidshare.com/files/123537015/hhtal.rar.html

EAST

A Szerelem Sivataga

http://rapidshare.com/files/123393705/ea-szesza.rar.html

Játékok

http://rapidshare.com/files/123400389/ea-_jat.rar.html

Rádio Bábel

http://rapidshare.com/files/123394582/ea-raba.rar.html

Hűség

http://rapidshare.com/files/123409703/ea-hus.rar.html

Rések A Falon

http://rapidshare.com/files/123404892/ea-refa.rar.html

Az Áldozat

http://rapidshare.com/files/123414559/ea-azald.rar.html

OMD - Lost Mixes

Vol.1

http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=b471457c16ff1559898d3acc9ba2ac29

http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=1c83e4aa4dcb7bb7f2ea5725db42fa13

Vol 2.

http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=163499c262168747e8b53ce47eb4b257

http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=5f9f61816e77bb26be0f66f83df695d4

Vol 3.

http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=fa435ade50be181c6dda2cda11658c98

http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=81377e8e49613bafd786ad9a7a572cdf

K.B. CAPS - Dancing In The Dark (1986)

http://rapidshare.com/files/123513059/kb_caps_a.rar.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/123511735/kb_caps_b.rar.html

I can't promise the next post sooner than the end of august , so be your summer very nice and see you in september!

saltyka

Check this brilliant site of Bob for rare live 80's recordings (Featuring: - Everything But The Girl, Prefab Sprout, Fashion, The Bureau, Gina X, The Kane Gang and the never released extra live tracks fromThat Petrol Emotion’s last ever shows.)!!:

http://live80.webs.com/

SECOND IMAGE

Country:
UK
Genre:
Electronic,Funk / Soul, Jazz
Style:
Electro, Disco,Jazz-Funk

Members:
Weston Foster - Drums,Vocal
Lloyd Dwyer - Sax
Mark Fisher - Keyboard
Junior Bromfield - Bass
Simon Eyre - Guitar
George Bromfield - Vocals,Bass
Frank Burke - Trumpet,Flugelhorn,Vocals

VIDEO:
"Starting Again"
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2avl3_second-image-starting-again_music

SECOND IMAGE (1982)

Credits:
Bass - Junior Bromfield
Drums, Vocals - Weston Foster
Electric Piano - Carol Isaacs (from Savage Progress) (tracks: 07 to 09)
Electric Piano [Rhodes, Grand Piano, Jupiter 8, Obxa, Moog Prodigy] - Mark Fisher (from Matt Bianco)
Engineer - Bad Brad
Flugelhorn, Trumpet, Vocals - Frank Burke
Guitar - Simon Eyre
Keyboards - Pete Wingfield (tracks: 01, 08, 09)
Mastered By - Geoff Pesche
Percussion, Vocals - George Bromfield
Producer - Pete Wingfield (tracks: 02-06,08,09) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Wingfield) , Roy Carter (tracks: 01, 07)
Saxophone [Alto, Soprano] - Lloyd Dwyer

Tracklist:

01 Can't Keep Holding On ´83
02 Special Lady

03 It's All Been Said And Done
04 Life Is What You Make It
05 Is It Me?
06 Better Take Time
07 Star
08 Love Turns Me Upside Down
09 What's Happening?
Bonus:
10 Can't Keep Holding On ´81
11 Dance,Dance,Dance
12 Star (U.S. Remix)
13 Fall In Love

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/123039232/sisi.rar.html

STRANGE REFLECTIONS (1985)

Produced by: Christopher Heaton (from Landscape)

Tracklist:

01 Starting Again
02 Only Lover
03 Strange Reflections
04 Satisfies Your Life
05 Sing And Shout
06 Ovo Mexico
07 Don't You (New Mix)
08 Paradise
09 Lights Out
Bonus:
10 Searching But Not Finding

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/123037713/sisr.rar.html

Their second album is much better than the first one and loaded with very good songs. Some of them are slightly similar to Imagination (also was a great band in the early '80's) and Incognito, so if you like these bands,you will also like Second Image! "Lights Out" was written by Rod Temperton (also wrote Michael Jackson's Thriller etc.)

SOME SINGLES

Tracklist:

01 Take A Trip (Dance Mix)(1982)
02 Fly Away (1982)
03 What's Happening (Instrumental) (1982)
04 Special Lady (Instrumental) (1983)
05 Don't You (The Big Version) (1983)
06 Special Lady (Vocal) (Extended Version)(1983)
07 Starting Again (Extended Version)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/123585642/sis.rar.html

Biography:
This septet of musicians included drummer and vocalist Weston Foster, saxophonist Lloyd Dwyer, keyboardist Mark Fisher, bassist Junior Bromfield, guitarist Simon Eyre, percussionist George Bromfield, and trumpeter cum vocalist Frank Burke. Their name bore a striking resemblence, to a chain of clothing stores that were situated in the London area. As is the norm with most bands, for years they honed their craft through the gigs that they performed, and eventually issued a number of singles such as Fall In Love and Dance Dance Dance.
They entered the Freddie Starr Showcase talent competition, which like New Faces and Opportunity Knocks was one of the many predecessors to Fame Academy and X Factor to appear on British television. They surprised all concerned by reaching the show’s final, and eventually went on to win the contest in 1983. The pioneering radio DJ Robbie Vincent became their manager, and they joined Polydor's roster which at the time included Level 42. That same year saw the release of their Better Take Time LP, which included the singles Special Lady, Can’t Keep Holding On written by David Grant, What's Happening, the very vibrant Star, the truly sublime Love Turns Me Upside Down, and the titular track. They were produced by Roy Carter and then Pete Wingfield, both of whom were members of Olympic Runners.
Their next LP Strange Reflections came two years hence, after they moved onto the MCA record label, and featured Don’t You, Sing And Shout, and Lights Out a track written by former Heatwave member Rod Temperton, who also wrote hits for Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson. Although their singles received good airplay especially on pirate stations, unfortunately the group did not attain the commercial success in the charts that they so readily deserved, and were unable to fulfil their potential. Their fragmentation was inevitable, and among the first signs was Mark Fisher’s departure to a solo deal with DJ Steve Walsh’s Total Control label, which was distributed through EMI. Fisher went on to join the latin influenced band Matt Bianco.
In recent years, Junior Bromfield has co-created a house and garage production team, under the studio moniker of Ruff & Tumble.
(http://www.britfunkheaven.org.uk/second-image.htm)

ALBUMS:
Second Image (1982)
Strange Reflections (1985)

George Bromfield:
"If you want to know about my influences you have to go way back to 1980 In North London England when as a starry eyed 17 year old singer/percussionist I started a Jazz Funk band called Second Image (with my brother Junior Bromfield and friend Frank Burke).Our influences were Earth Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson’s, Tom Browne, The Ojays, Teddy Pendergrass, Luther Vandross, Jeff Lorber Fusion, Cameo......Things progressed rapidly and before we knew it a seven piece band (with brass section) was in full swing gigging the London pubs/clubs. A demo was soon produced and we were picked up by Polydor records. After one album and several successful UK dance/R&B chart releases we then moved onto MCA records in 1983.
Things took of for us from there and we were guests on many UK TV shows such as Saturday Superstore, The Lenny Henry Show, The Old Grey Whistle Test, Rod Hull & Emu, Three of a Kind, The Freddie Star Showcase, The Malibu Disco dancing Championships not to mention the many many national radio interviews.
Our biggest R&B chart hit was “Don’t You” which stayed at No1 in the charts for many weeks. We also had the opportunity to visit and gig in Spain where our music was hitting the main stream charts in a big way. We stayed with MCA for three years and I suppose after six years of living in each others pockets we all wanted to try something new so we went our separate ways." (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bromfield )

UPDATED (05.19.2010.) New mesage from Junior Bromfield:

"Well it's amazing how history can be changed! Just for the record My name is Hugh Samuel Bromfield (http://www.facebook.com/people/Sam-Junior-Bromfield/675969687

) some people know me a Sam and some know me as Junior.In the late 70s I worked with a band called Light of the world and decided. I wanted to start my own band I met a keyboard player named Remo Fiore (A keyboard player, see: http://www.myspace.com/remfiore)and we hit it off straight away! Who also had a friend called Dave Dindole who became our first manager?

Back then my brother George Bromfield was the drummer and I had a friend who I used to skateboard with Called Frank Burk who knew a drummer called Weston Foster who joined and George went on to play percussion, sing BV and lead vocals! At this time we were still called the name rem and I started which was 'Stateside' later after sending some demos to a big R&B radio DJ Robbie Vincent (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Vincent)he showed interest in working with us and we eventually change the bands name and 2nd Image.

The rest of the biog is true. Thank you for bringing back some fond memories and some good times. Ever since 2nd Image split, I have never stopped working from production to writing and remixing for people like Jamiroquai, Angie brown, Shut up and dance, Yazz and the plastic population, Shola Amar, Randy Crawford, Angie Brown many many more! I now run a club called Live on Delancey street at the Forge in Camden (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Live-On-Delancey-Street/112399365442828#!/pages/Live-On-Delancey-Street/112399365442828?v=info) where alongside another brit funker from the band(Central Line)Steve salvary we run one of the best live venues in town with the best in poetry,R&B and funk nights in the heart of London.

But I must say because of people like you Brit funk lives on.

With the upmost respect,

Junior Bromfield

Frank Burke
joined Liberty "one of the funkiest R&B bands in the UK.":
http://www.geocities.com/libertyfunk/
Did you know that a very young Frank Burke (Liberty's lead vocalist and frontman) was in Second Image, the London based jazz-funk band of the eighties. He played trumpet, flugelhorn and performed background vocals."

Simon Eyre
had worked with ABC,Robert Palmer,Style Council,Womack and Womac,The Christians,Matt Bianco etc.Currently working on follow up singles and album tracks for Friday Hill.

More info:
http://www.simoneyre.com/page2fam.htm

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=178757597

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=67898512

Mark Fisher
is a member of Matt Bianco (1985-2004,and again since 2007)
in 2007 Mark Fisher and Mark Reilly are back together, working on Matt Bianco’s next album.

More info:
http://www.mattbianco.com/

Weston Foster
International Singer toured with Heather Small (M.People) Mat Bianco (Half A Minute) and more :had played as a guest singer with Pet Shop Boys,Kamasutra,Taka Boom,The Groovelines,Morcheeba,Sunburst Band

More info:
????

Lloyd Dwyer
also played with The Redskins in the early 80's (http://www.redskins.co.uk/)

More info:
http://www.bible-holiness-movement.com/Lloyd-and-Dorothy-Dwyer.html

More info for Second Image :
http://www.secondimage.org/ (offline now)

http://www.britfunkheaven.org.uk/second-image.htm

http://www.google.com/custom?hl=en&client=pub-6425472760241401&channel=5834469509&cof=FORID%3A1%3BGL%3A1%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.discomusic.com%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.discomusic.com%2Fimages%2Fsite%2Fdisco-logo-or-left.jpg%3BLH%3A50%3BLW%3A200%3BLBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLC%3A%23000033%3BVLC%3A%23666666%3BGALT%3A%23FF6600%3BGFNT%3A%23666666%3BGIMP%3A%23666666%3BDIV%3A%23FF6600%3B&domains=www.discomusic.com&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&q=second+image&btnG=Search&sitesearch=www.discomusic.com

Country:
France
Genre:
Electronic, Pop
Style:
Synth-pop,Experimental, Ambient, Modern Classical

TRANSPARENCES (1977)

Credits:
Acoustic Guitar - Raymond Gimenes (tracks: 01, 03)
Arranged By - Ph. Pages* (tracks: 01 to 11) , R. Vimal* (tracks: 01 to 11), Claude Pavi(track 12) Artwork By [Cover Design, Illustration] - Maxime Benaim
Engineer [Assistant] - Yves Medvesky
Lyrics By, Music By, Guitar, Other [Bottleneck], Synthesizer - Richard Vimal
Acoustic Guitar, Other [Bottleneck] - Gérard Kawczynsky (track 07)
Photography [Lyrics Sheet] - Alain Marouani
Piano, Organ, Synthesizer [Moog] - Philippe Pages
Producer [Artistic Direction, Realisation] - Michel Elmosnino (from Kisrokos)
Recorded By, Mixed By - Jehol Van Bay

Tracklist:

01 Transparence (2:58)
02 Âme Sour (2:50)
03 De L'Autre Côté Du Miroir (4:30)
04 Métamorphose (2:05)
05 Transparence (Interlude) (1:00)
06 Léa (3:07)
07 L'Ange Des Terres Brulées (3:46)
08 De Ce Côté Du Miroir (3:59)
09 Tu Es Douce Comme Un Fruit (2:45)
10 La Clé Des Songes (2:56)
11 Transparence (2eme) (3:03)
12 Derriere Moi (3:30)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/123047875/rv-tra.rar.html

AQUARHYTHMIES/MIGRATIONS (2001)

Credits for "Migrations":
Arranged By, Composed By, Guitar, Synthesizer - Richard Vimal
Arranged By, Keyboards, Synthesizer - Philippe Pages
Artwork By [Illustration And Concept] - Philippe Huart
Engineer - Didier Perrier /Engineer [Assistant] - Thierry
Guitar, Guitar [Electric], Effects [Voice-box] - René Lebhar (http://renelebhar.free.fr/)
Mixed By - Jehol Van Bay Mixed By [Assistant] - O. Santo*
Photography - Marie-Laure Besançon
Producer - Michel Elmosnino

Credits for "Aquarhythmies":
Mastered By [Gravure] - André Perriat /Mixed By - Henri Lousteau
Performer, Composed By, Arranged By, Artwork By [Illustration], Other [Concept By] - Richard Vimal
Producer [Réalisation] - Michel Elmosnino
Recorded By, Mixed By [Assistant] - Yves Saby

Notes:
Titles 1-8 originally released in 1980 as "Aquarhythmies"
Titles 9-16 originally released in 1978 as "Migrations"
Title 17 taken from "Transparences", 1977
Track 18 additional, unreleased bonus track.

Tracklist:

01 Elixir (3:04)
02 Aquarhythmies (5:11)
03 Arcanes (7:55)
04 Pavane (4:47)
05 Itineraire (4:20)
06 Les Yeux Cardenasses (3:47)
07 A Cloche-Pied (2:56)
08 Pavane (Reprise) (1:20)
09 Migration (5:17)
10 Nuance (2:54)
11 Evanescence (3:26)
12 Septentrion (3:43)
13 Les Litanies Des Animaux Cybernetiques (5:16)
14 Lunatisme (1:24)
15 Infinitude (4:03)
16 Onirie (3:06)
17 De Ce Cote Du Miroir (3:53)
18 Metamorphose D'Un Bal (7:07)

Links to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/123046568/rv-am_a.rar.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/123055498/rv-am_b.rar.html

Very rare! A must have for all electronic music fans!

"This is actually a compilation of two complete albums by French electronic musician Richard Vimal. Aquarythmies was originally released in 1980, and Migrations in 1978. Included also is one track from his rare 1977 album Transparencies (an album that, unlike his later work, was more pop oriented and included vocals - though the track culled for this compilation is instrumental), and one new track recorded in 2001. Vimal's music is of its age, and can be compared often to other popular electronic artists of the time, especially fellow countryman Jean-Michel Jarre, and Vangelis. The analog synths at the time were still fairly primitive, and required a bit of experimentation to get the kinds of sounds the musician was looking for. While Vimal's sound never gets quite as daring or far out as the other artists mentioned, he does create a soothing kind of music that perhaps presages the new age music boom of the 80's. Some of his pieces have an almost classical feel (in more of a chamber sense than a symphonic one) like the lovely Arcanes, the gentle Pavane, and the melancholy and mysterious Metaporphose D'un Bal (the new track recorded in 2001). But he does get a little more rhythmic and spacey, experimenting with sequences on pieces like Elixir and Itineraire, and the weirdly futuristic Les Litanies des Animaux Cybernetiques. He even includes some nice acoustic guitar on several pieces, including the plaintive A Cloche-Pied and the bright and airy Nuance. If you're looking for some relaxing and enjoyable instrumental electronic music, that's not too challenging, but isn't cloying either, Vimal's album may be your ticket. It's been very nicely digitally remastered for pristine clear sound and features the original Aquarythmies cover art. I should add that it's also fascinating to listen to this music from a historical perspective. As a long time fan of electronic music, this was an intriguing "piece of the puzzle" to put into place. Apparently, Vimal is recording a new album for release this year. It will be interesting to see how he puts all the new technology that has been made available in the intervening years to use."

"When it comes to French E.M. artists, immediately Jarre & Pinhas come to mind. But now the classic album Aquarythmies by Richard Vimal has seen the light of day after 21 years from it's original release. Which includes the album 'Migrations', one track from 'Transparences' and a bonus un-released piece, Richard musical career started in 1970 when he was only 18 with his first privately recorded single, a typical French 'Chanson' affair with drums, guitar, bass etc. Then in 1973 a second single appeared on the "Barclay Label' the A side 'je vous Salue leu France' was a satirical glance at French history. A quite uptempo piece which received many airplays on French radio but commercially was a flop. Between 1973 and 76 where lean years for Richard living for short spells in Madrid, London & Paris, working in vineyards, selling wine and as a travelling salesman for a short period of time.Then came the big break in 1976, getting a contract with Polydor.

His first album 'Transparences' came out in early 1977, it never sold well, around 800 copies. possibly because it was only distributed in France. The albums 10 tracks were very laid back ,romantic and melodic. Most were songs with French lyrics, with restrained synth arrangements.The following year saw 'Migrations' a completely instrumental album more electronic with guitar and drums on one track. This time the album was distributed in 19 countries and sold 6-7000 copies, an amount newer EM artists would die for. 1980 saw the best from Richard with 'Aquarythmies' which was recorded at his home on a mobile studio and mixed later in Paris. Another totally instrumental album with infectious sounds. The rhythmic tracks such as 'Elixir' and 'Itinerarire' are free-flowing, the later has Jarre type rhythms, it's hard to believe that the sequences were played by hand. 'Pavane' has quite strong classical overtones, with a romantic touch. Then there's the 3 parter called 'Arcanes' with stirring church organ chords, again showing classical tendencies.

Considering the limited equipment at his disposal the Korg polyphonic PS3300 and Roland Monophonic keyboards, echo box guitars and 4 -track Teac tape recorder, the music flows like a good wine. Funny enough in an interview in the early eighties Richard described the album as flowing, all down to healthy consumption of wine at that time, jokingly saying it could have been called Vinerythmies. The bonus track Metamorphose recorded in 2001 on the album reminds me of electronic chamber/ classical music, if you can image that, and certainly doesn't sound out of place with the older stuff.

After this classic release nothing was heard from Richard, although on the sleeve notes of this re-release it mentions that over the last twenty years he has made music for 100+ film & TV productions and is currently at the early stages of producing a symphony in 4 movements for synths & orchestra.Expect other releases in the future from a musician whose music in the 70/80ąs was like a breath of fresh air.Welcome back Richard."

"Today Richard Vimal works as a composer of music for movies and television as well as advertisements for companies like Peugeot, Michelin and Shell, to name but a few.After having played piano and guitar for some time, Vimal first discovered the synthesizer in 1974. Fascinated by its seemingly unlimited sonic possibilities he acquired a Roland SH3. A period of fanatic experimentation finally led to a recording contract with Polydor and the release of his first album entitled Transparences in 1977 (on which he also took over the lead vocals).However his first effort did not prove to be a success. His second, entirely instrumental album Migration fared slightly better.In 1980 he released Aquarythmies, which delighted fans everywhere. However, as Polydor and Vimal could not reach an agreement about a follow-up project, Vimal cancelled the contract and began to focus on working for the film industry (in 1981 he composed his first soundtrack for a short film for Aeronava).Now both instrumental studio albums have been released on one CD, which also includes one track from Transparences (certainly not too bad a choice) as well as a brand new and previously unreleased bonus track (with some classical overtones). Vimal’s current activities include the composition of a symphony in four movements for Synths and Orchestra. For the future other releases of Vimal’s music are in preparation.
The liner notes mention composers like Bach or Schubert as sources for his inspiration (amongst others) and particularly stress the fact that Vimal only listens to the works of ‘classical’ composers as this strictly prevents him from inadvertently copying contemporary musical styles, thereby following the example of fellow musicians like Vangelis, Tomita and Larry Fast. However, upon listening to this album I cannot shake off the feeling that a certain Jean-Michel Jarre did bring his influence to bear. As a matter of fact Jarre released his Oxygene a little earlier, he also had a record deal with Polydor at the time and is said to be French too….Anyway, these 73+ minutes of music are definitely worth a listen after all these years. Anyone who likes music of contemporaries like Jarre, Baffo Banfi and Michael Cretu should listen to this CD or just buy it right away!
By referring to ‘Electronic Classics’ Deimos Music seems to refer to future releases. I for one am looking forward to that!"
(http://www.groove.nl/cd/8/87514.html)

More review:
http://www.aural-innovations.com/issues/issue19/rvimal01.html

http://musea.musearecords.com/boutique/anglais/fiche_produit.php?ref=4656&artiste=Richard%20VIMAL&refp=16984%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&titre=Aquarythmies&format=CD&duree=&date=1980&prix=17,90&dispo=0&rformat=6

http://www.progressive-newsletter.de/cd38_65.htm (German)

http://usuarios.lycos.es/audionautas/Ecos/richardvimal_aquarythmies.htm (Spanish)

Biography:
A classic of French electronic scene, Richard Vimal started in the earlly 1970's, doing typical French Chanson stuff. He released several singles but these were not particularly successful. After a period of silence he got in touch with Polydor, which, surprisingly, offered him a contract. A change in musical direction followed (Richard discovered the synthesizer in 1974), and the first full-length album was released, featuring Richard on vocals and subtle synth arrangements. He then released two more, completely instrumental albums, the second of which had considerable success.
(http://www.pugachov.ru/eem/vfram.html)

and:
http://usuarios.lycos.es/audionautas/Audiografias/V_artistas.htm)

ALBUMS:
Transparences (1977)
Migrations (1978)
Aquarythmies (1980)
Aquarythmies-Compilation (2001)

More info:
??????