The Free Zone – Mammon (30 Year Expanded Edition)

The Free Zone
Mammon (30 Year Expanded Edition)
1990 Cheep Records (original release)
Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Pete Scarlett – Drums
Tim Thwaites – Other instruments, vocals

1. Let Them Eat Progress
2. Some Of The Things They’re Now Saying
3. Ghost Of A Smile
4. Sweet Liberty
5. Sartre In Sunglasses
6. He Still Walks
7. Crocodile Street
8. Common Purpose
9. Happy Now
10. Good Intentions
11. Surrender
12. And I Have Mine
13. The Happening World (bonus track)
14. Antidote (bonus track)
15. Back from the Dead (piano version) (bonus track)

I bought this one recently and forgot to write about it. I have the original 1990 release on vinyl, but the band put out a newly remastered version on BandCamp so I decided to upgrade my vinyl rip. The new version also has three bonus tracks and a new cover. The sound is a British indie rock / alternative rock sound that was popular in the late 80s / early 90s. As you know by now, I’m a fan of 80s alt rock. The Free Zone brought in a bit of quirky angle. You can check it out on BandCamp, but make sure to click the “info” link that appears next to each song to read about each song. This was at least their fourth album (released after 1987’s Large as Life and Political Asylum), and I believe their last. Will their earlier albums appear on BandCamp? I think I heard that they will not, but I’m still hoping.

Return of the Beat Menace

Return of the Beat Menace
1989 Cheep Records
Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Side 1:

1. Big Sur – Catch Me I’m Falling
2. Big Sur – Caught in the Motion
3. GoGo Street – Uncrossable Miles
4. GoGo Street – Cross My Heart
5. GoGo Street – Dreaming of a Neverland
6. Ben Okafor – Wake Up
7. Ben Okafor – Oke Na Ngwele

Side 2:

1. Ben Okafor – Living In a Suitcase
2. The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus – Man of Sorrows
3. The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus – Shadowlands
4. The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus – Hymn to Dionysus
5. The Free Zone – Let Them Eat Progress
6. The Free Zone – Antidote
7. The Free Zone – When the Countdown Starts

This compilation is a collection of bands from the United Kingdom that were on Cheep Records, as well as a few others. Big Sur features Andy Thornton formerly of Rattling the Cage. They apparently signed with Chrysalis Records and released a single called “Please Stay” before breaking up in 1989, when Thornton joined the Late Late Service alternative worship movement. They play a sophisticated  alternative / new wave sound. Both of these songs were on their 1988 cassette Doing the Rounds. GoGo Street had at least one release on Cheep Records. The three songs here are from their 1988 self-titled Cheep Records full length tape. They also play a sophisticated alternative rock sound, like Big Sur but still distinctly different as well. Ben Okafor is a well known and respected Reggae artist. The first two songs here are from his 1989 album Nkiru, while the third was probably unreleased at the time, but was later released in 1992 on Generation. The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus is an avant-garde / experimental band. The three songs here were later released by them in 1991 on Mirror. The Free Zone is an alternative electronic new wave band that was basically the main band on Cheep Records. The first song on here also appeared on their 1990 album Mammon, but the other two appear to be only on this compilation.

The Free Zone – Political Asylum

The Free Zone
Political Asylum
1987 Cheep Records (CHEEP 004)
Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Pete Scarlett – Drums
Tim Thwaites – Other instruments, vocals

Side 1:

1. Nothing Less
2. Not the Only One
3. Showdown
4. Benefit of Hindsight

Side 2:

1. Rather Say Goodbye
2. Promise
3. I Saw Your Face

This demo is a lo-fi alternative music effort by a duo – one drummer and one multi-instrumentalist. Or maybe one keyboard player? I’m not sure if I hear much guitar on here. Maybe some buried in the background, but it seems that Thwaites did a lot on keyboard, especially the bass. That is an interesting combination – usually these underground one-man efforts would have programmed drums and maybe a friend joining on guitar. But live drums is a different twist. Some might not get the DIY sound here, but I have always liked to listen to people that basically put together a whole tape with just one or two people. They called their record label “Cheep” for a reason :). One review of the band referred to them as “techno punk” – not so much punk music style as punk attitude, but is seems to be a good description. This was the second of three projects – the first was called Larger Than Life (same year but earlier), and the follow-up to this one was Mammon in 1990.