Straight Out Of The Jacket

Paul Roland - Happy Families

For appreciators of the bizarre everywhere! I promised this back when I upped the Danse Macabre album. This was the follow-up and takes Roland's unusual baroque psychedelic folk even further back in time. Whereas Danse Macabre crossed over into rock, Happy Families features just Roland's very English vocals and acoustic guitar backed with harpsichord, horns, strings and organ from The Windham Hill Wind And String Ensemble. More charming eccentricity from a very unique songwriter released on French punk label New Rose.

Ripped from a vinyl album released on New Rose Records (ROSE 163) in 1988 to high quality lossless flac audio.

A1. The Curate Of Cheltenham
A2. Journey To The Pole
A3. Nursery Crimes
A4. Cousin Emilia
B1. Builder Of Follys
B2. The Best Years Of Our Lives
B3. Aunty
B4. Animal Crackers

Howl At The Moon

Midnight Rags - The Werewolf Of London

I promised my vinyl rip of this 1980 goth-psych classic a few months ago after the Paul Roland Bam-Caruso post. This record remains impossible to classify or pigeon-hole - the teenage Roland dabbles in a multitude of influences and styles to produce a crazy, enjoyable cocktail of horror b-movie nostalgia, Numanesque synthpop, early Stranglers-style pub rock, acoustic English folk and Bolan'ised glam. If only nineteen year old songwriters today were as good as Roland, music in the modern era could be credible. Blades Of Battenberg and Public Enemy were singles and Peel favourites, so Roland began to build on a small worldwide following as a solo artist in his own right.

I used to be a werewolf, but I'm alright noooooooooooooow!

Ripped from a vinyl album released on Ace Records (ACE 013) in 1980 to high quality lossless flac audio.
A1 Blades Of Battenberg
A2 Brain Police
A3 Oscar Automobile
A4 Flying Ace
A5 The Cars That Ate New York
B1 Public Enemy
B2 Werewolves Of London
B3 The Witching Hour
B4 Lon Chaney (1883-1930)
B5 Alcatraz
B6 Girls

Weird Folk

Paul Roland - Danse Macabre

Here's a fine record by accomplished British solo artist Paul Roland, released on Bam-Caruso in 1987. I bought this off the back of one of the label's contemporary samplers and loved It. Danse Macabre constitutes a weird blend of gothic folk, English eccentricity and dark baroque rock. Roland has a very unique and at times gentle voice, much like Neil Tennant. But when you contemplate that his lyrical writing is more akin Nick Cave, you can see where we are going with this.

The darker gothic folk edges like Witchfinder General are more like early Black Sabbath than Fairport Convention, however there are delightful semi-acoustic melodies on The Great Edwardian Air Raid, Still Falls The Snow and Requiem. Buccaneers is a fine tribute to historic English drinking songs whereas In The Opium Den is a synth-washed dreamy number with subtle sitars. Upbeat and more accessible (make that more commercial) tracks like Gabrielle and Twilight Of The Gods bookend side two to form an album compiled from a very unique blend of styles and influences. Roland went onto record more albums for New Rose Records and built a large following in Germany and France, but strangely not the UK. I have the (even) more eccentric follow-up album, Happy Families, and if there is demand I will add it to the list of stuff to be ripped.

Ripped from a vinyl album released on Bam-Caruso Records (KIRI 052) in 1987 to high quality lossless flac audio.

A1. Witchfinder General
A2. Madam Guillotine
A3. The Great Edwardian Air Raid
A4. The Hanging Judge
A5. Still Falls The Snow
A6. Matilda Mother
B1. Gabrielle
B2. Requiem
B3. Buccaneers
B4. In The Opium Den
B5. Twilight Of The Gods