no speak

I worked in a record store for awhile back in the 80s and, along with spending most of my salary on store product, I got to hear all the new stuff coming out.  I first heard Midnight Oil there (just saw, by the way, that Peter Garrett has become part of the new Aussie government – about time) and Paul Kelly (those two are worth the price of admission alone).   A raft of others.  Some really bad (this was the 80s after all). 

An interesting idea back then was I.R.S. Records’ No Speak series.  Miles Copeland (of Sting-management and Stewart-brother fame), head of the label, commissioned a series of albums that were instrument-only and had a rock sensibility.  I remember that there was talk of folks who grew up with rock wanting to be able to have something to play in their offices, etc. that was a bit less intrusive than the hair-band wails that were then the vogue.  I thought it was a great idea.  Alas, as mentioned, this was the 80s. I remember most of them as being pretty marginal (I’d have to dig out my old LPs to verify that) – too many synths, drum machines, etc. I think there was a Stewart Copland set that was decent. Anyway, great idea (and nice logo).

This came to mind the other day because I was talking to someone about how I’d been listening to all these great instrumental pieces on Pandora (mentioned previously).  This is what No Speak should have been (maybe could have been if it had stuck around).  Some really inventive, meditative, quirky, driving tunes and improvisations from bands like Barky, Kinski, Major Stars, Don Caballero and Red Stars Theory.  Great stuff.  The Music Genome is a great idea.  I’m using it to create my own ‘No Speak’ threads but it could as easily be 80s hair-band wailing (though not with me in the room).