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Compilation

Out of order

Off the hook

One two blow

Olive's Army

Ooer Missus

Onion Fresh

Obvious

15 Minutes

Oh gosh

Ouch

...Off

Little White Knickers

Single Artist

Red Ash

Curious Oyster

The Holsteins

Onion Fresh

I love getting unsolicited records sent to me as you never know what delights you'll discover this way. Like this little gem of a CD. Twenty tracks of diverse but tuneful pop from 20 different bands.

The track listing.

1. Curious Oyster: Opium
2. Honeygun: All in white
3. Jade: Love left
4. Spotless: If you weren’t so ugly
5. Choker: Webswerver
6. Red Ash and the Love Commandos: Neurotic
7. Godboy: Check out my lava lamp
8. Monkey boy: It came from mars
9. Magic Music: Friday night at the bookclub
10. The Hamptons: Tell the hangman
11. The Hamptons: The best thing about London Town
12. Robert Beven-Jones: 35 Miles
13. Norman Collins: To start with
14. Michael Eric Dowey: Turnaround
15. Michael Eric Dowey: I don’t believe
16. Forget the down: Giving up the ghost
17. Blue Monkey: For love
18. Dave Sexy: Touched (by the hand of God)
19. Inhaler: Fishkill Correctional
20. Morph: Conscience

A few words about each band.

Curious Oyster: Taken from the CD Horse Feathers, released on 25 Records, Curious Oyster are back on form.

Honeygun: Came alive 2 years ago. We are from Brighton and write melodic pop-rock songs. Our next demo should be out soon - Watch this space!

Jade: Events long past - although the memory lasts Yet lingers far away From today Distance crushes through the empty shell around me Within around - I can't see Love has gone - far from me Love has died.

Spotless: Guildford based 4 piece, been together about a year and a half. Considerable live experience. One of the top live bands in the area.

Choker: We've been together about 2 years in our present form. We are currently gigging in and around Surrey & Hampshire building a local following with a view to attacking London later in the year. We are seeking a management deal at present.

Red Ash and the Love Commandos: In a world of pain and suffering, we praise god and count our blessings, then out of the blue; some bitch turns up and fucks with your head.

Godboy: Godboy is like a wedding between Ween + Guided by voices with Gibby Haynes performing the ceremony and Gwar as the wedding band.

Monkey boy: Compensating for our lack of guitars are inventive bass players Mark and Stuart. This is a perfect backdrop for Paul to go into frenzy on the drums and provide the vocals.

Magic Music: By chance, 30 years ago on a cold winter's night in the great northern plains, Frank and Neil met in a two guitar environment. Frank said it should be called Magic Music and thus, it began…

The Hamptons: A bunch of 30 something's based in London playing catchy British tunes about squalid London living and getting into trouble with the opposite sex.

Robert Beven-Jones: 35 miles was first recorded in 1996. Paul Brittain produced this recording in late 1997 in Hertfordshire.

Norman Collins: We have been performing in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 2 years. We have played festivals, local TV shows and clubs.

Michael Eric Dowey: I am a singer/songwriter working on my own and recording my songs at home on a hard disc recorder I am however in the early stages of planning for some live work.

Forget the down: It's the sound of a tear gas explosion being frog-marched on to CD, giving up the ghost is the title track from the new arse kickin' album.

Blue Monkey: It's just one of many indie classics that this young, talented band have to offer. This particular track shows the milder side to their energetic and refreshing music. Enjoy!

Dave Sexy: Is best listened to whilst sitting on the roof of an open-top car navigating its way through the twists and spikes of Parkstone's wildest terrain while the sun beats down.

Inhaler: Taken from fourth coming album 'Chang', available soon from Saucer Records

Morph: Formed in late 1996, playing their own brand of progressive indie music. The current line up was established in mid 97. Morph's main priority is to write well-crafted songs.

'Onion Fresh'

(the story)

'If you weren't so ugly', as you stand there 'all in white', I would say that you would be 'the best thing about London Town'. But there was such a 'turnaround' as if we were 'touched (by the hand of God)'. I spent my 'Friday nights at the bookclub' whilst you stayed at home to 'check out my lava lamp'. You became so 'neurotic' and interfered with my 'conscience'.

Then 'it came from Mars', but only felt like '35 Miles'. I had to 'tell the hangman'. Just as I was 'giving up the ghost', some sort of 'fishkill correction' it came to me. 'To start with' I did everything 'for love' but then 'love left'. 'I don't believe' it, what a 'webswerver'. All I have left now is 'opium'.

on to the reviews

Modern Dance

Another cracking collection of artists from 25 Records. 1 onus privileged in the last issue to get my hands (and cars) on their last collection, and it looks like Lady Luck's on my side again! Onion Fresh arrives with 20 tracks featuring bands and artists such as Godboy, Michael Erie Dowey, Inhaler, Norman Collins, Red Ash And The Love Commandos, Forget The Down, Dave Sexy, Blue Monkey, The Hamptons and Choker. As with the previous collection, the overall level of production, skill and musicianship is surprisingly high. There's also a good degree of lyrical prowess, especially on songs such as Tell The Hangman, For Love, Cheek Out My Lava Lamp, and Friday Night At The Bookclub. One or three of the artists appear more than once - which is proof of their talent, and there's quite a healthy cross section of styles, although nothing is too heavy or out of place. Like 1 say, another bloody fine collection of songs - worth checking out. Reviewed by Dave W in issue 26 of Modern Dance, 12 Blakestones Road, Slaithwaite, Huddersfield, HD7 5UQ

Flawed is Beautiful

Another top compilation of indie pop from the people at 25 Records. It veers from the pub rock of The Hamptons (no relation) to the gorgeously melodic Honeygun to the just plain strange Magic Music.

With 20 tracks featuring 18 different bands, this is certainly value for money. The titles alone are surely enough to recommend it; "It came from Mars", "Check out my Lava Lamp" and Spotless giving it to you straight with "If you weren't so Ugly".

What the material may lack in musical originality, it makes up for in passion and lyrical strangeness. If you like your guitar music with balls and emotion, but slightly kooky, then this is definitely for you! Other highlights include up and coming band Blue Monkey with "For Love" and the wistful sounds of Morph's "Conscience". And, coz you lucky and highly discerning people read FIB, Mark at 25 Records is offering you the CD at the discounted price of £5, if you mention where you heard about it!

Reviewed by Jenny in Flawed is Beautiful, spring 1999, 46 Margaret Street, Hull, HU31ST,  England

Caustic Truths

This compilation is chocked full of unknown, undiscovered bands from England. Check out this band description for Godboy: ...a wedding between Ween and Guided by Voices with Gibby Haynes performing the ceremony and Gwar as the wedding band. Note: I didn't detect any signs of Gwar on Godboy's track. And this description of a band called Forget the Down: It's the sound of a tear gas explosion being frog-marched on to CD. Note: Forget the Down sound like the Cure. Smashing, baby. (!!!) Reviewed by Fern in the 66.6 issue of Caustic Truths, PO Box 92548, 152 Carton Street, Toronto, Ont, M5A 2K0, Canada.

Fluoxetuna

20 tracce di pop music nelle sue varie sfacettature, una compilation davvergo carina e untile x conscere dei buoni gruppi underground inglesi, alcuni di questi nomi potrebero diventare famousi in futuro.se scrivete alla 25 records a nome di ‘fluoxetuna’ potrete una copia della compilation al prezzo speciale di 5 sterline 9comprese le spese postali0: ain’t that kool!

Reviewed in the December 98 issue of Fluoxetuna, Jessy, via dei Vescovi, 37 35038 Torreglia [PD] Italy

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Gospel according to Luke

The latest compilation from 25 Records is an interesting collection of accessible bands and artists, who range in diversity from the Californian singer-songwriter Norman Collins to Curious Oyster’s ethereal pop dance, to Minkey Boy’s inventive guitar free shudder pop to the Hampton’s London boy, ‘80s style stright up indie rock. Actually both their tracks, Tell the hang man, and The best thing about London Town, are cool in a cockney Sparks sort of way. They’re not the only highlight by any means, but it’s such a eclectic collection, it’s difficult when a band has only 3 minutes to make a lasting impression.

Review by LR in Luke, December 98, PO Box 655, Leicester LE3 0ZG, UK.

Ebus

Auch in England zeiht der Sommer ein. Die Girlies machen wieder Pop, man verwendet wieder innovative Samples, macht progreeiven Noise Trash, oder pflegt das Singer- Songwitertum. Und selbst wenn der Brit-pop nach banalem Schlager klingt, will man die Welt umarmen, den alles ist sooo geil! Wer dabei – ach ja: Curious Oyster, Honeygun, Choker, Red Ash and the Love Commandos, Monkey Boy, Magic Music, The Hamptons, nur um mal die Highlights unter den 20 tracks zu nennen. Mennsch – hat sich dieser Sampler im Verleich zum Vorlaufer Oh gosh gesteigeet!!!!!

Review in issue #9 of Ebus Music News, Arne Schneider, Postfach 9005 49, Frankfurt/M, Germany

Here be monsters

Another cool Comp from 25 Records featuring new bods from here, there and every fucking where!!! Nice to hear a lot more girlies on this one – stand up Curious Oyster, Jade and Choker – and apart from these I guess The Hamptons and Monkey Boy win tracks of the day. Twenty tracks for just five pounds.

Reviewed by Clive in Here be monsters, 36 Folly Fields, Wheathampstead, Herts, AL4 8HL

The IndiePendent

This CD release from 25 Records includes 20 top tunes all from spanking new bands. A run down of the best goes like this...Godboy: Check Out My Lava Lamp is a bizarre song that lives up to its bizarre name. Very funky. Magic Music: Friday Night At The Bookshop. Another very groovy little tune with sounds of clinking chinaware and glasses in the background and a fine interesting voice over the top of all the commotion. The Hamptons sound far too much like Meatloaf on Tell The Hangman, but on The Best Thing About London Town they redeem themselves entirely with a pumpin' jumpin' smashin' toon that could have hopped straight out of Grease the movie.
This CD comes highly recommended as it's not full of your average two guitar-band bops, but full to the brim with a whole truckload of original, well-produced, individual songs. Anna

reviewed by Anna in The IndiePendent, The Cottage, Nightingale Place, High Road, Cookham, SL6 9HY, UK.

Astroturf

There is a mixture of styles on this record with variably sized portions of talent per band

Honeygun: All In White - infectious, folky rock sung by Tori Amos's vocal twin.

Jade: Love Left - atmospheric, rousing vocals, though the tune is rather unstructured.

Spotless: If You Weren't So Ugly - very Blondie influenced this one, but a unified splendid noise.

Godboy: Check Out My Lava Lamp - I just like the title of this song and its wayward funky beat.

The Hamptons: The Best Thing About London Town - this one resurrects the Punk sensibilities of The Vibrators, a catchy, solar drenched record.

Robert Beven-Jones: 35 Miles - it's Saint Bob, a bleak, cynical tune for the road.

Michael Eric Dowey: Turnaround - Coffee table kitsch, gruff and infectious. A 30 inch waist classic.

Blue Monkey: For Love - a spirited at peace indie ballad.

Dave Sexy: Touched (by the hand of God) - you just have to admire the audacity of this man, plus it is a fine electronic tune.

Morph: Conscience - This is a marvellous song. It has an indulgent tune that searches inward. A withdrawn, perfect, acoustic-coated final track.

Reviewed by Nic Wood in Astroturf, autumn 98, you can contract Nic at FLAT C, 313 CAMBERWELL ROAD, LONDON, SE5 0HQ

Lick

Various Artists "Onion Fresh" (25 Records)

Opens with the Cranberries-esque "Opium," stops for some Red Ash and the Love Commandos techno garage "neurotica" and finishes with some spacey Morph on their track "Consciense." Good collection with a wide spectrum of styles represented. (4)

Reviewed by Paul Hanson of IA, USA.

Beats E-Zine

Years ago, there was a radio station I used to listen to in New York, WLIR 92.7 which is now DRE. This station had a good format in the 80's and this CD reminds me of those times because the music is rockish imports and is new; not like the weird stuff we hear today. Some of these bands are playing in London clubs trying to get a deal with some management. Others have been around a couple of years and have one or two CD's! There are 20 tracks on this CD and only five did not make the grade. However, every track has a talented band behind him.

Track #1 gets you rocking with some superb bass & drum rhythms and vocals. Track #2 sounds like a pop, rock song, while #4 is a good song that rocks mildly. Track #9 sounds like Bowie and David Byrne crossed with Paul Simon's band. Nice! Track #10 is good listening music, while #14 has good music but the vocals kill it. Track #16 is great song with an interesting beat and arrangement. And #20 ends the CD with a nice song to sit back to and listen called "Conscience," a very well written song by Morph. Those tracks that I left out are also good; have your own pick and listen. Onion Fresh is full of talented bands that are coming up and staying in our lives for a long time. If you've ever listened to WLIR, NY in the 80's, you'll love this CD!

Reviewed by Holly in Beats E-Zine, Sept 98

Cream of the crop

20 tracks from 25 Records, the home of quality sounds, first up is Curious Oyster, and some dizzy and impressive beats with 'Opium', the girl vocals are whirled delights and take you to a state of well being. My fave track is by Honeygun, 'all in white', which I suppose is a lovely mix of the Cranberries come Echobelly, just love the licks coming in and out of the chorus, melodic indie pop but it has got a great guitar edge and vocals to cream to. Spotless give you 'if you weren't so ugly', a good all round song but perhaps it me, there ix seems a bit low, a little more power in the instruments department. Red Ash and the Love Commandos have a keyboard delight going on with danced indie riffs, it's fresh and has brilliant lyrics, that's 'Neurotic'. Onto Magic Music and 'Friday night at the bookclub', is a kind of Paul Simon affair, with it's ever so similar beats and vocals, it is easy sounds, and catchy as hell. Foreget the down, start with impressive drums, with their song 'giving up the ghost', it picks with guitar and then builds to an almighty high, then releasing easy paced vocals, great stuff, and great song focus. My real fave must be Inhaler, and they're not just awesome, they are special. An all round very good compilation.

Reviewed by Colin, in Cream of the crop, August 98, 13 Coronation Street, Pontymister, Risca, Gwent, NP1 6BD, South Wales.

Aquamarine

Brand new compilation from 25 Records. As usual with 25, most stuff here is indie-pop, some tracks noisier than others, with a bit of indie-rock thrown in, as well as a few other types of music ranging from Monkey Boy's frenzied noise chaos to the middle-of-the-road pop with a tiny hint of folk from Magic Music. Also features Curious Oyster, Honeygun, Jade, Spotless, Choker, Red Ash & the Love Commandos, Godboy, The Hamptons, Robert Beven-Jones, Norman Collins, Michael Eric Dowey, Forget the Down, Blue Monkey, Dave Sexy, Inhaler, and Morph. I'm not blown away by everything on here, some is a bit too middle-of-the-road for me, but you can't expect to like everything on most compilations, and this is worth getting for the good tracks.

Reviewed by Kim Harten at Aquamarine, 68 Barlich Way, Lodge Park, Redditch, Wores B98 7JP, UK.

The Original Sin

Regular zine readers aware of the existence of 25 Records which is a label releasing several upcoming bands all spread on compilation CD's. Call it The Original Sin on CD-format if you want... 25 records has an own style which results in a sort of mixture from quality indie bands, more serious rock and singer songwriter stuff. Just like on any other compilation you can't love everything... there are 18 bands on this CD all of them having a total different style. On "Onion Fresh" you'll get two bands we have already written lots of things about, Curious Oyster who are still sounding as The Cocteau Twins and Honeygun who once again come up with brilliant. indie rock. But this time Red Ash and the Love Commandos succeed in making the best track on "Neurotic" they sound a lot like the mighty Field Mice!!! Also thumbs up for Monkeyboy who start their song with the same drums Adam and the Ants was using on "Antmusic" but after a while it explodes in encore with fuzzy guitars and it just leaves you hungry for more! Other excellent things were Spotless who was sounding like.. . Sleeper, do I need to explain why I adore this? Magic Music sounds as good as Orange Juice used to and Forget The Down probably he been influenced by Catherine Wheel in their shoegazing years... Being honest as I am, I have to add that there were 3 or 4 songs I didn't like, but that' only because it's just not my style but other people nay love it. "Onion Fresh is so much more important than a million other compilation albums cos it's the perfect way to discover new bands. some of them may end up being stars cos after all 25 Records i.e. the label who brought you .Shadowboxers, Fuzzbird, Th Holsteins and Velma...not that they are stars, but in my eyed they are...

review by Didier Becu, in issue 16 of The Original Sin, Jozef Guisainstraat 6, 9000 Gent, Belgium.

Various, Onion fresh

Compilations are very personal things, so here's my personal highlights of the latest 20-tracker from 25. Curious Oyster peddle us "Opium", sung by a Bjork-a-like and backed by a swirling synthy noise, simple bass and more interesting beats than these attempts usually manage. Godboy piledrive into a distorto-vocal blues experiment with touches of the almighty Eat and a bit of Beck on "Check out my lava lamp". Monkeyboy seek aliens in their off-tune Fall chugger "It came from Mars" that morphs into theremin whine and back before ending in dual bass hardcore. Lastly, Inhaler let rip with stuttering riffs galore, fuzzed up metal with urine extraction and no chorus. The best on the disc.

reprinted from: opps I forgot!

The Excluise Fanzine

I love getting unsolicited records sent to me as you never know what delights you'll discover this way. Like this little gem of a CD. Twenty tracks of diverse but tuneful pop from 18 different bands. With twenty tracks I obviously can't go into details of every track as I'd be here all day, but I'd like to. The hi-lights for me were Curious Oyster's 'Opium' which reminded me of a faster, less paranoid Massive Attack with Liz Frasier on vocals, Choker's lovely Throwing Muses sound-a-like track, 'Webswerver', and Godboy's classic 'Check Out My Lava Lamp' which had me thixiring of American obscure pop with Gibby Haines ('Jesus Built My hotrod period) on distorted vocals. Other standout songs were by Monkey Boy (Man or Astroman.. popped into my head here), Magic Music (A higher voiced, sleazier, Strart Staples fronting the Divine Comedy), and Morph (Dark, delicate and acoustic with a lovely voice). I don't like every track on here (a couple sounded a bit too easy listening or Simple Minds-ish for me) which is only to be expected with so many bands but on the whole, it's a really good listen and a great way to hear some new music. If you write to 25 Records at P0 Box 3006, Poole, BH12 2HU and say you saw this review in The Exclusive you can get this for only £5 (inc. P&P) and that's got to be worth it' hasn't it?

reviewed by Matt Tee in The Excluise Fanzine, 53 Birches Head Road, Hanley, Stoke on Trent, ST1 6LH

String of hits?

Intrepid Parkstone based label, 25 Records has released its umteenth compilation of unsigned talent.

Complete with bizarre cover concept and title, Onion Fresh brings together 18 acts and includes offerings from such local notaries as (natch) Red Ash & the Love Commandos (the ugly pop- fastic Neurotic), Inhaler with the deeply noisy Fishkill Correctional, a taster from their forthcoming C an album - and unsung hero, Dave Sexy, whose Touched By the Hand of God is a strange mix of Roger McGuinn and Vince Clark.

Elsewhere there are notable offerings from Brighton folk-popsters Honeygun, the relentless stomp of Choker's Webswerver, San Francisco's Norman Collins who play a brand of plaid shirted country rock and Forget The Down's Giving Up the Ghost - a maelstrom of wild drums and guitar punk rock of the old school. As ever, there is much to attract the open minded. Go on, take a chance buy one from 25 Records, P0 Box 3006, Poole, BH12 2HU.

Review taken from The Bournemouth and Poole Advertiser, July 98.

mass murder . . . on line

i’m gonna be horrible about this i’m very sorry but i genuanly don’t like most of the tracks on this most are pure 80’s cheese or the cranberries with various bits added. i think there are 4 on here i like so’ll tell yo about them and stuff choker has a catchy bassline and some thing to get yr teeth into, red ash and the love commandos have a well cheesy start and just as i went to skip track it erupted into glorious triphoppy gutairs and stuff, godboy have a very becky feel to them which is nice and to complete the listenable tracks inhaler are a pretty standard rawk type thing so if you want this say my fanzines name and you’ll get it for just a fiver (4) over all but for these trax (8)

reviewed on the mass murder on... line web site July 98.

quirk

Unsigned bands, promoted to the masses by the traditional unsigned cd. Most bands on comps like Snakebite City and Abuse have no delusions of grandeur and would rather sound alternative and quirky than "sell out" by sounding like chart bands. The majority of bands on this cd, however, desperately want to be famous. Watered down guitar pop that sounds like you've heard it before. Well crafted guitar work. This means that although the experience is nice it won't get you jumping up and down with excitement. Curious Oyster, sound like the Cranberries and, Spotless, are billed as "One of the top live bands in the Guilford area", strange I've never heard of them, and I doubt I ever will. Still worth getting though as it's only a fiver!  STASH

Reviewed by Stash at quirk, 211 Park Barn Drive, Guilford, Surrey, GU2 6EX

VANGUARD

There's good music and then there's music that would be good if the people had the right amount of money and equipment, then there's music that sounds pretty rubbish but there's probably a niche for it somewhere and then there's 25 Records. Who the hell buys it (apart from those who make it and secondary school Geography teachers?). There are certain record companies that cause bewilderment when their unending desire to find the next Oasis or (quite often) Portishead makes the blind to mediocrity. But it takes genuine talent to scour the British Isles for the 25 worse bands in the country and then make a compilation album with them. Sorry, I'm going a bit too far there. But you really have to wade through the twenty tracks on Onion Fresh to find anything half worth listening to. The first moment of solace comes when Spotless, fronted by a sweet Sarah records style vocalist from the Home Counties does enough to complement an 'out of the ordinary' (for this album) indie guitar tune. Actually sounds quite decent. Then later on up the track list, there's a couple of tracks from the nervous Michael Eric Dowey, the traditional jobman on 25 compilations. His first track Turnaround is an interesting early eighties American rock out. His second track I don't believe, provides Dowey the opportunity to exhibit the deepest growls from his vocal engine. The backing music is a combination between supermarket and Roxy music. Dowy'd go far on the Scunthorpe pub circuit. A track on and Forget the Down provide a real emotional swervedriver: the kind of track that would seem appropriate in a movie about a bald headed thirty year old shelf stacker who overcomes all the odds to become the heavyweight champion of the world. I don't know. But otherwise the album is just a bunch of amateurs doing an amateurish job on what sounds like an early eighties phenomenon. 25 records, it's time for a Quantum Leap! To order a copy of this album send a £5 cheque made payable to 25 records and sent to PO Box, 3006, Poole, BH12 2HH, UK

Review by Mike Williams on the VANGUARD WORLDWIDE Web Site, hate mail to: SOA94MW@sheffield.ac.uk