We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Clifford Darling Please Don't Live in the Past

by Severed Heads

supported by
stevendl
stevendl thumbnail
stevendl I missed out on the Vinyl release back when it first came out (poor student) .. but I managed to get the CD release when Sevcom was a thing and Tom was releasing hand made CD's on CD-R's (CD-R's really don't last forever). Favorite track is actually the trilogy of An American in Paris, Tarzan's Grip and That That Revolves. Favorite track: An American In Paris.
Cory Tucker
Cory Tucker thumbnail
Cory Tucker Do you like when Severed Heads gets weird and freaky with it? well, look no further, because this compilation is certainly a trip and a half of sonic wobbling Favorite track: Prototype Pop.
Bart Furp
Bart Furp thumbnail
Bart Furp A Loop/Sample Masterpiece!

"Never Fall in Love" contains the title sample "Clifford, Darling, Please Don't Live in the Past"....

"I'm NOT living in the past, Mom!" Favorite track: An American In Paris.
Christian Olson
Christian Olson thumbnail
Christian Olson Oh, you like that? Want me to do it again? I'll do it again. Favorite track: Alaskan Polar Bear Heater.
Lake Mistake
Lake Mistake thumbnail
Lake Mistake In my view, it's no exaggeration to call this one of the best and most innovative pieces of Australian cultural production in the 20th century, in any medium.
more...
/
  • Streaming + Download

    Immediate download of this album as lossless, ogg or mp3 format. Plus sleeve.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD  or more

     

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Umbrella 04:18
9.
10.
Blame 03:07
11.
12.
Dance 05:35
13.
14.
Man Dat Hip 01:34
15.
16.
17.
18.
Special Day 03:44
19.
Malt Duck 01:46
20.
21.
22.
23.
Tiny Fingers 02:59
24.
25.
26.
27.
Nightsong 07:11
28.
Car Ad 01:57

about

Severed Heads are one of the longest surviving bands to emerge from the Australian post-punk independent music scene. They began in Sydney in 1979, incorporating elements of ‘industrial’ noise-generation, tape cutting & looping and electronic sound synthesis. As the project developed song-structures and vocals were employed in a more-or-less recognizable mutant electro pop style. After many line-up changes featuring Garry Bradbury and psychedelic guitarist Simon Knuckey, Severed Heads was the vehicle for composer Tom Ellard.

In 1985 their record label asked them to release a retrospective, so they dragged out bits that we had lying around from 1979 up til 1983. The compilation was titled “Clifford Darling Please Don’t Live In The Past”, spread out into a montage over four sides of vinyl. Bradbury and Ellard would fuss each bit and sling it on their new digital recorder, and since they still have the digital recorder, this reissue is made directly from the bits assembled twenty years ago. This compilation includes live recordings, raw demos, unreleased studio recordings and solo pieces from each member of the band during from the first five years. Their early music was characterized by the use of tape loops, noisy arrangements of synthesizers and other dissonant sound sources in the general category of industrial music. After several releases in that vein, Severed Heads began incorporating various popular music tropes, such as a consistent 4/4 rhythm, strong melodic lines, resolving chord arrangements and the occasional vocal. This move was underscored by the incorporation of mimetic devices, such as drum machines and bass synthesizers. The result was a striking hybrid of the avant-garde industrial and pop.

All songs are remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Housed in a jacket featuring brightly colored, distorted, VHS graphics output by Stephen Jones' video synthesizer created by Tom Ellard video piece “Kato Gets The Girl” in 1985, designed by Eloise Leigh. Each copy includes a fold-out poster with a color video still photo on one side and liner notes and credits on the other. 30 years later Severed Heads’ perverse creativity is still paving the way for powerful imaginative challenging music far and wide.

credits

released January 23, 2011

SEVERED HEADS present CLIFFORD DARLING, PLEASE DON’T LIVE IN THE PAST.
OBSCURE SNIPPETS recorded 1979 to 1983.

Side A
Advertisement (GB 82)
Prototype Pop (TE 81)
Exiles Excerpt (TE, RF, JL) RECORDED LIVE at EXILES 7.8.81
A Day In The Country (TE 81)
Elephant Decibels (GB, TE) RECORDED LIVE at STRANDED 4.7.82
Power Circles (TE 83)

SIDE B
Alaskan Polar Bear Heater (GB, TE 82)
Umbrella (GB, TE 82)
J. Edgar Hoover (GB, TE) RECORDED LIVE at KILAYONI CLUB MARCH 82
Blame (TE 83)
Meanwhile, Back at Exiles... (TE, RF, JL)
Dance (TE 79)

SIDE C
Saturday Night (TE 82)
Man Dat Hip (TE 82)
An American in Paris (GB, TE 82)
Tarzan's Grip (GB, TE 82)
That That Revolves (GB, TE 82)
Special Day (GB, TE 82)

SIDE D
Malt Duck (RF 82)
Never Fall In Love (RF 82)
Nazi Beach Party (RF, TE) RECORDED LIVE at I.C.E. 17.9.80
A Relic Of The Empire No. 2 (RF 82)
Tiny Fingers (TE 81)
Sydney Quads & The Megascope Space Probe (GB 79)
Play It Again (RF 79)
Carry My Books (RF 79)
Nightsong (RF, TE) RECORDED LIVE at I.C.E. 3.1.81
Car Ad (TE 80)

Richard Fielding: Loops, Toy Instruments, Turntables, Synthesizers
Tom Ellard: Home Computer, Rhythm Machines, Keyboards, 4 & 8 Track Loops, Radio, Turntables, Toy Piano, Noise Gates, Voice
John Laidler: Guitar on Exiles
Garry Bradbury: Loops, Turntables, Noise Generators, Sequencers, Voice, 4 & 8 Track Loops, F111 Fighter/Bomber

Source Tapes reprocessed onto digital master at Terse Tapes by Tom Ellard, Bradbury and Keevil September 1985.
Remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios, June 2015.

Sleeve Image: Tom Ellard and Stephen Jones from Kato Gets The Girl VHS
Design and Layout: Eloise Leigh


What a funny thing - our label decided we needed to release a retrospective in 1985. After all, the band was going to disappear soon after right? So we dragged out bits that we had lying around from 1979 up til 1983 and crammed them into a montage over 4 sides of vinyl. Bradbury and Ellard would fuss each bit and sling it on our wonderful new digital recorder, although back then they still had to cut the records from tape.

Thing is, we still have the digital recorder, so this reissue is made directly from the bits assembled twenty years ago. That's kind of cryogenic don't you think? This album has lots of bits, live bits, studio bits, bits that appear on other albums. It's a trip, as the kids say.
Tom Ellard, 2013

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Severed Heads Sydney, Australia

Severed Heads was an Australian electronic group that ran from 1979 - 2019. As well as their classic albums we have new splinter groups for you to enjoy.

contact / help

Contact Severed Heads

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this album or account

Severed Heads recommends:

If you like Severed Heads, you may also like: