the psychedelic furs

The Psychedelic Furs made it crawl and made it bleed with the sarcastic storm of their anodyne imitation of punk.  The group had formed in 1977 around the core of brothers Richard and Tim Butler.  Duncan Kilburn, Paul Wilson, and Roger Morris completed the original lineup, which started out as RKO and then became Radio before choosing The Psychedelic Furs over The Europeans.  By the time they secured a record deal, Wilson had left to be replaced by Vince Ely, and John Ashton joined as well.  



Tim Butler tells:  "I can remember when we first started they had what they thought was a psychedelic bill in the London Lyceum - you had the new psychedelic explosion. There was us, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes and A Certain Ratio. The only band there that was remotely psychedelic was A Teardrop Explodes. We put the "Psychedelic" in there just to show we like some psychedelic bands, because everybody at the time had been putting down the '60s and psychedelia being a waste of time, but some great music came out of that period. We just wanted to show our allegiance and that we enjoyed some of that music. Plus, at the time if you put "psychedelic" on the announcement, you were bound to get some kind of a reaction, and we did. We never professed to be psychedelic." 

Richard Butler relates:  "Punk was very influential. Coming out of how staid it had all been – you could love music, but there was no way of getting 'there' from where you were as a young man. Then it became - steal a guitar and write a song with three chords and people were up and doing it and the walls came down. We were like, 'we can do that too, we don't want all that old shit'...There were so many punk bands doing a very similar, faux-nihilistic take on things. We wanted to be ourselves. It was an undeniably huge influence. Punk rock, absolutely, enabled us to make music and get signed by record companies. They didn't know what the hell was going on once punk rock came along."



'The Psychedelic Furs' was primarily produced by Steve Lillywhite and featured Richard Butler on vocals;  John Ashton and Roger Morris on guitar;  Duncan Kilburn on saxophones;  Tim Butler on bass guitar;  and Vince Ely on drums.   'The Psychedelic Furs' reached one hundred and forty in the US and eighteen in the UK.  








http://www.thepsychedelicfurs.com/








"India"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKZyJng2p1U



"Sister Europe"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYBHe3HHouY




"Imitation of Christ" 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s73JbZY3LWU




"We Love You"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1os7STqxNE




"Flowers"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS54I4Xh234








'The Psychedelic Furs'
full album:

https://myspace.com/psychedelicfurs/music/album/the-psychedelic-furs-8104762




All songs written by The Psychedelic Furs, and produced by Steve Lillywhite, except where noted.

"India" – 6:21
"Sister Europe" – 5:38
"Imitation of Christ" – 5:28
"Fall" – 2:40
"Pulse" – 2:37 (produced by Howard Thompson, Ian Taylor and The Psychedelic Furs)
"We Love You" – 3:26 (produced by Howard Thompson, Ian Taylor and The Psychedelic Furs)
"Wedding Song" – 4:19
"Blacks/Radio" – 6:56
"Flowers" – 4:10 (produced by Howard Thompson, Ian Taylor and The Psychedelic Furs)
"Susan's Strange" – 3:13 (produced by Martin Hannett)
"Soap Commercial" – 2:53 (produced by Martin Hannett)
"Mack the Knife" (Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, Marc Blitzstein) – 4:18 (produced by The Psychedelic Furs)
"Flowers" (Demo) – 5:36 (produced by The Psychedelic Furs)

mirror moves

 The Psychedelic Furs found the whole of a heart in these heavenly highwire reflections.  Drummer Vince Ely left the band after the recording of 'Forever Now' to be replaced by Phill Calvert for the subsequent tour.  He would leave before they began work on the followup.   'Mirror Moves' was recorded at Westlake Audio in Los Angeles, California;  and Electric Lady Studios and Record Plant Studios in New York with Producer Keith Forsey.  The album features Richard Butler on vocals;  John Ashton on guitar;  Tim Butler on bass guitar;  and Keith Forsey on drum machine, drums, and percussion;  with Tommy Price playing drums on tracks 2 & 3;  and Mars Williams on saxophone.  

Richard Butler considered 'Mirror Moves'  "a romantic album, ... "We never made records to become massively commercial or anything like that. [For] a lot of bands, being in a pop band and being famous is the reason that they 're doing it, whereas I don't think for us it is. But you know, I don't think we're alone in that—I wouldn't be that big-headed about it. There are a few bands that I have a lot of respect for, like Talking Heads, Velvet Underground and Lou Reed, and David Bowie. ... I want it to be understood but then again I want it to make people think. To do both, you end up in quite a complicated position. The thing about music in England is that a lot of people are considered poets who are working in the rock field, like Morrissey of the Smiths, and Echo and the Bunnymen. To me, not that I'm putting them down, it always sounds like they're making poetry sort of noisy; they string words and images together to look like poetry, but in fact don't have the essence of poetry, and it's a dangerous sort of thing. They claim to be influenced by Rimbaud and Mallarmé and Beaudelaire, and I think they're just hooking up the words and making it look like poetry. It's like somebody getting a brush and some paint and painting a lot of boxes and calling it cubism, without actually looking at what cubism was supposed to do, that it was supposed to be one object in three dimensions, portrayed in a series of planes, not somebody who can draw lots of straight lines, and make them look like boxes, and calling it cubism. ... [I] made the lyrics simpler on purpose, clearer. Thinking back, for me some of the best lyrics are on Talk, Talk, Talk. I couldn't write lyrics as good as Talk Talk Talk again, just because I don't have the inclination to write in that confident style. On that album, you can get a visceral understanding of the song without knowing what it's about. But on these new ones, I feel it's quite easy to get a narrative idea of what the songs are about."

'Mirror Moves' went to ninety-seven in Australia, forty-three in the US, twenty-six in Sweden, sixteen in Canada, fifteen in the UK, and number five in New Zealand.  







http://www.thepsychedelicfurs.com/

The Ghost In You

Richard:  "On the first album, I had a thing with the word "stupid." I had to edit it out. And then with Mirror Moves it was "star." And "rain" is always there, it's like "Come on Richard..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T87u5yuUVi8

Heaven was a hit in New Zealand and the UK; but for some reason was not released in the US as a single.  

Tim:  "The lyrics to "Heaven" are pretty heavy lyrics and they're not about anything spiritual. It's about planes flying over ready to drop bombs, nuclear bombs: "And I'm standing on ice when I say that I don't hear planes." It's sort of strange that people would dance to it and stuff with a happy vibe, when it's quite a heavy song."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G_CAYf-itw

Heartbeat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHx5QUpfjVQ

Here Come Cowboys

Ricard:   "[President Reagan is] obviously the most famous [cowboy] but it's also an attack on TV heroes...I think it's fair enough, but I also think its ineffectual. I respect them for it but you take a band like The Clash, who go around espousing political views. But people who buy Clash records, probably almost 100% of the time, espouse such views anyway, and people who don't hold those views wouldn't buy a Clash record. My attitude is that I like music that helps me understand myself, because when I understand myself I can understand the world outside a bit better. I think that when people come shouting slogans, it really doesn't help you understand [anything] other than there's some war going on in some corner of the world. It doesn't help you come to terms with yourself and how you can relate to other people. Communication is kind of minimal. It comes out of a speaker at you and it stops at your head, and that's about as far as it goes."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9ou8zehFo0

'Mirror Moves'

full album:

A1 - (0:20) - The Ghost In You   (R. Butler, T. Butler)

A2 - (4:30) - Here Come Cowboys   (R. Butler, T. Butler)

A3 - (8:22) - Heaven   (R. Butler, T. Butler)

A4 - (11:44) - Heartbeat  (Ashton, R. Butler)

B1 - (17:35) - My Time  (Ashton, R. Butler)

B2 - (21:54) - Like A Stranger   (R. Butler, T. Butler)

B3 - (25:50) - Alice's House  (Psychedelic Furs)

B4 - (29:39) - Only A Game  (Ashton, R. Butler)

B5 - (33:48) - Highwire Days  (Ashton, R. Butler)

forever now

The Psychedelic Furs dealt with the loss of two members by going into the studio with Todd Rundgren to create the slick and synthesized sophistication of this transitional pop classic. With the departure of saxophonist Duncan Kilburn and guitarist Roger Morris, the remaining quartet went to Woodstock, New York to record with Todd Rundgren at Bearsville Studios.

Richard recalls: "I think it was a suggestion of Vince's, our drummer. He was a big Todd Rundgren fan, and though I wasn't a fan, I did like the Patti Smith album and the New York Dolls album he had done. And the idea of recording in America was pretty appealing. And also, Steve Lillywhite had said at that point he would do two albums but he wouldn't do three. So we were at that point looking elsewhere. And also because we wanted to put cellos and things in. It was a lso to do a lot with the mood in England at the time. After the big punk rock thing - the purity of guitars and everything - music was starting to have more synthesizers in it. People like Soft Cell were interesting, so it was like, Okay, let's try and get somebody with a synthesizer to do some stuff. With 'Forever Now', everyone said Todd Rundgren is the sort of person who'll sneak in and play things himself and he'll push you in this direction and he's very dictatorial in the studio, and we went in and everyone said 'Look what Todd Rundgren's done to the Psychedelic Furs, he's done this and this'. . .But when you listen to the demos we did for the album back in London before we even met him, there were cellos on it and marimbas. It wasn't that he pushed us in that direction, it was rather that we chose him because we needed up going in that direction and we thought,' Ah, Todd's a good person to use for that.'"

Rundgren played keyboards and saxophone and brought in the in-house horn section of Gary Windo and Donn Adams, cellist Ann Sheldon, as well as vocal duo Flo & Eddie (Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan). Richard Butler sang lead vocals, John Ashton played guitar, with Tim Butler on bass, and Vince Ely on drums.

Tim Butler considers: "My personal favourite is 'Forever Now'. Musically I think those songs have extremely interesting arrangements and use both horns and strings very inventively, while still maintaining the energy and attitude of the earlier albums. And the lyrics are the best, from the best...The reduction in members had its good points and bad points. Less members meant less arguments, and also decisions could be made quicker and easier. Although arguments can sometimes be constructive, for us, it was becoming less and less the case. Having less permanent members also meant more space for more inventive arrangement and instrumentation."

'Forever Now' went to number eighty-three in Canada, sixty-one in the US, forty-nine in Australia, thirty-five in Sweden, twenty in the UK, and number four in New Zealand.

Richard reflects: "I sometimes wonder what would have happened or how we would have sounded if we had been the same group of people. I don't think there would have been the radical change that there was with 'Forever Now'."











http://www.thepsychedelicfurs.com/













"Love My Way" was the only single from the album to chart, going to forty-four in the US, forty-two in the UK, twenty-three in Australia, and number nine in New Zealand.

Richard: "I wasn't that keen on the idea at first. He wanted to use Flo and Eddie who had worked with Frank Zappa and also done a bunch of stuff with T Rex. He was only bringing them in for a couple of days; he said 'They're very quick workers, if you don't like it, don't use it,' and it's hard to argue with that. So we tried it and liked it. They're on 'Love My Way' most noticeably. As soon as Todd heard 'Love My Way,' he saw that as being the single...John and I were working together, and not wanting to go round to his place with no ideas - I'd supposed to have been working on a song which I hadn't done - so on the morning I was going round to his house I had one of those stylophone things and I had this 'dadadadadadananananananan' just those two changes, I think I'd been listening to 'Scary Monsters', that must have informed it a bit, and came up with this vocal melody and all the words within the space of about an hour, and he absolutely hated it and didn't get it. We put it down and then Ed Bueller, a friend of ours, came round with his keyboard a and put the marimba part on, it by which time John went 'wow, this sounds great now' and we sent it off to Todd who said 'well the vocals sound a little bit angry, why don't you try singing a little bit more,' and having been through that already with Sister Europe I was like, Yeah, okay."

There's an army on the dance floor

It's a fashion with a gun my love

In a room without a door

A kiss is not enough in

Love my way, it's a new road

I follow where my mind goes

They'd put us on a railroad

They'd dearly make us pay

For laughing in their faces

And making it our way

There's emptiness behind their eyes

There's dust in all their hearts

They just want to steal us all

And take us all apart

But not in

Love my way, it's a new road

I follow where my mind goes

"Forever Now" 

a banker in a tired suit

is counting in his head

he's standing in your overcoat

he's lying on your bed

president gas is tap dancing

for the banker he's a thief

he isn't very honest

but he's obvious at least

you and i are walking past yeah

having lost our way

we don't count our money

we are giving it away

yeah giving it away

this policeman is just sitting down

in sunglasses and dirt

undercover now at least

so nobody gets hurt

they go through this pantomime

they do it everyday

they'll be back again tomorrow

but they don't play for free

you and i are walking past yeah

having lost our way

we don't count our paper

we are giving it away

yeah giving it away

doesn't this remind you

of these things we've done before

like counting all the times

we've seen ourselves in other scenes

everybody's busy

listening and pulling blinds

this is all so stupid

we're just shouting i want you

you and i are walking past yeah

having lost our way

we don't count our money

we are giving it away

yeah giving it away

let it stay forever now

live








'Forever Now' 
full album:

All songs written by Richard Butler, John Ashton, Tim Butler and Vince Ely

Side A:

"Forever Now" – 5:35

"Love My Way" – 3:33

"Goodbye" – 3:55

"Only You and I" – 4:24

"Sleep Comes Down" – 3:51

Side B:

"President Gas" – 5:35

"Run and Run" – 3:48

"Danger" – 2:37

"No Easy Street" – 4:04

"Yes I Do" – 3:54

talk talk talk

The Psychedelic Furs channelled their nihilistic fury into the snarling and bittersweet wall of noise of their second album. 'Talk Talk Talk' was produced by Steve Lillywhite and he brought a clarity to the din so you can make out the dynamic, interweaving twin guitars of John Ashton and Roger Morris; Duncan Kilburn on synths and saxophone; the propulsive rhythm section of Tim Butler and Vince Ely; and every savage, stylistic, sarcastic rasp of frontman Richard Butler. The album broke them on the US chart and was a top ten hit in New Zealand.

Richard Butler muses, “People say it's influential. The record doesn’t sound dated. In any given time, there are always different tricks that producers use. Steve Lilywhite thankfully didn’t use many of those so it didn’t have anything particularly to date it.”

According to Tim Butler: "I recollect... going to the pub around the corner from the rehearsal studio about 11 o'clock; we'd get drunk until the pub closed, and we'd grab a six-pack and go to the rehearsal studio and jam. And then at 5:30 when the pub opened, we'd be back there. I remember a lot of fights, a lot of energy and aggression — everybody was trying to get their input in. It just happened to all click."

http://www.thepsychedelicfurs.com/

'Pretty In Pink' didn't even crack the top forty when the album was on the charts; but it went on to inspire John Hughes to produce a film around it. The band re-recorded the song for the movie soundtrack and that version became their highest charting single in the UK.

"Caroline's on the table screaming

confidence is in the sea

all her favorite rags are worn and other kinds of uniform

they kid you you're really free

a case of individuality

you know what you want to be

until tomorrow

and everything you are

you see

in pure shiny buttons

doorbell sings it chimes it plays

anything goes

bells toll in rhyme"

movie version:

'Mr. Jones' updates the square protagonist from Dylan's 'Ballad Of A Thin Man'.

"So good so far

Slow down ha ha

Movie stars and ads

And radio define romance

Don't turn it on

I don't want to dance"

'No Tears' refuses to fall prey to all of the talk, talk, talk.

"There's conversation

And conversation

Talk about yourself again

Talk about the rain again

Another lie for you

Another point of view

How can you believe in them?

Don't believe in anything"

The misanthropic 'Dumbwaiters' was the band's first single to chart in the UK, peaking at fifty nine. Somehow, it hit number twenty seven on the US dance chart.

"Give me all your paper ma

So i can buy a train

They just wanna suck you into being one of them

Tell her that I'm not in here

Tell her I'm a freak

Tell her that I fall around every time I speak

She has got in for me

Yeah I mean it honestly

I just scream"

'She Is Mine' betrays real emotion behind the facade.

"Some people are dancing

And some fall in love

To the music of military tunes

You have to be crazy to stay in this place

You just have to laugh at it all

I didn't want to put you on

Or tape you down at all

Or leave you here so all alone

Or put you in this room"

The drone of 'All Of This And Nothing' provides a moody backdrop to the scattered remains of a love gone wrong.

"You didn't leave me anything

That I can understand

Now I'm left with all of this

A room full of your trash"

'Talk Talk Talk'
full album:


All songs written by Richard Butler, John Ashton, Roger Morris, Tim Butler, Duncan Kilburn and Vince Ely.

Side one
"Pretty in Pink" – 3:59
"Mr. Jones" – 4:03
"No Tears" – 3:14
"Dumb Waiters" – 5:09
"She Is Mine" – 3:51
Side two
"Into You Like a Train" – 4:35
"It Goes On" – 3:52
"So Run Down" – 2:51
"I Wanna Sleep with You" – 3:17
"All of This and Nothing" – 6:25