Another Spark
A few words on Another Spark taking in: The Go-Betweens, Microdisney, Five Go Down to the Sea?, The Moodists, Billy Bragg, Andy White, The Jazz Butcher, Eyeless in Gaza, The Box and Roger Quail’s My Life in the Mosh of Ghosts.
The last post looked at 1986’s Skin and Bone compilation cassette. Five Go Down to the Sea? contributed a song called ‘Another Spark’ to Skin and Bone and this post goes back two years and focuses on another cassette compilation that the Five contributed to - 1984’s Another Spark.
Another Spark is a 27 track compilation that was accompanied by a 32 page A5 booklet/fanzine housed in a plastic ziplock bag. Three bands from Another Spark also feature on Skin and Bone: The Mekons, The Membranes and the aforementioned Five Go Down to the Sea? Another Spark was produced in a run of 1300 copies and the beautiful A5 booklet devotes at least a page to each band and includes loads of information, discographies, photographs, artwork and lyrics.
Another Spark was produced and published by Chris Heath and Steve Xerri. Heath went on to write for Smash Hits, and has written for GQ, The Atlantic, Esquire and Vanity Fair. He has also written biographies of Pet Shop Boys and Robbie Williams. Xerri’s band Perfect Vision contribute ‘Empires and Ashes’ to the compilation.
In an October 1984 feature - “How to Release Your Own Cassettes (so that people can actually hear them)” - for Home & Studio Recording magazine Heath wrote that: “Our aim was to release a high quality, long, very good value for money (£3 for 90 mins) compilation tape of unreleased tracks by exciting independent bands.”
“Getting the bands involved literally days of phone calls chasing contacts, gently coercing artists, tracking down tapes that had supposedly been 'in the post' 4 times already etc! In the end our roster included names like Billy Bragg, Red Guitars, The Box, The Mekons, The Three Johns, The Go-Betweens, 1000 Mexicans and 20 others, intentionally also including unknowns who we had faith in, including Tinytown, Perfect Vision, Ege Bam Yase, and the Ghost of Electricity.”
Heath explains that they produced, “a black and white A5 booklet including a manifesto of sorts, information, discographies, and artwork/photos/text/lyrics contributed by the artists involved - enclosing this and the loose cassette in a tight fitting sealable plastic bag. Hopefully this makes Another Spark 1 a more attractive and complete package.”
In the booklet’s introduction/manifesto Heath and Xerri explain that: “At the time of writing, all but The Box, Billy Bragg and Five Go Down to the Sea? have managed to get their contribution to us in time.” Alongside Microdisney’s discography is a short story entitled “The Pitiful Legend of Sam’s Banjo Urine”. The story’s uncredited but I’ve often wondered was it penned by the late Cathal Coughlan.
Another Spark is a real eclectic mix of unknown bands, and post-punk and indie heroes.
Easily the biggest name on the tape is The Go-Betweens who contribute ‘Newton Told Me’. The track was the second b-side on the 12” of their 1984 single ‘Part Company’. The track eventually turned up on the expanded 2002 reissue of Spring Hill Fair. Fellow Australians The Moodists (featuring future Dirty Three guitarist Mick Turner) contribute ‘Do the Door, Friend’ which later appeared on the Melbourne band’s second album, Thirsty's Calling (1984)
Post-punk luminaries Inca Babies, Red Guitars and 1000 Mexicans all contribute tracks.
Eyeless in Gaza, using the moniker Full Sail, contribute ‘Lovers Spit & Kiss’ and ‘Red Letter Day’, two incredible songs.
Andy White, the Belfast singer-songwriter/punk-poet turns up under his early moniker The Ghost of Electricity and contributes ‘The Rain Dance’, one of my favourite tracks on the tape. He performed the song on Whistle Test the following year. His debut album, Rave On Andy White was released in 1986.
Another highlight of the compilation is The Jazz Butcher’s take on The Velvet Underground’s ‘Temptation Inside Your Heart’. It’s a great version by Pat Fish and co. The recording comes from a 1983 session when The Jazz Butcher were planning an album of cover versions.
Another Spark is billed as “a C-90 tape of previously unreleased music” but in their introduction Heath and Xerri write that, “3 of the tracks we acquired thus tend to stretch a little the ‘unreleased’ category we were aiming for.”
They continue, “The Microdisney song we were given by the ever-helpful Garreth Ryan of Kabuki, it has appeared as a b-side but was not widely available. We think it’s so good we’re happy to help make it available again.”
The Microdisney song is, the John Peel favourite, ‘Helicopter of the Holy Ghost’, the b-side of their 1982 debut single ‘Hello Rascals’. ‘Helicopter of the Holy Ghost’ would appear on Microdisney’s 82-84 We Hate You South African Bastards album and on page 30 of Another Spark’s booklet the album is called: We Hate Those White South African Bastards. Garrett Ryan of Kabuki discussed why the word “white” was added to the album’s title by the NME and other publications (including Another Spark) in my documentary, Iron Fist in Velvet Glove - the story of Microdisney.
Fellow Corkonians Five Go Down to the Sea? contribute ‘Kelly From Killeen’, a track exclusive to this tape.
The Three Johns contribute a live version of ‘Windowlene’, the original version was a b-side to their 1983 single ‘Men Like Monkeys’ and The Mekons contribute a live cover version of Link Wray’s ‘Is This the Way?’
Billy Bragg contributes a live version of ‘Island of No Return’, the original is on his second album, Brewing Up With Billy Bragg. Bragg’s Go! Discs labelmates The Box contribute a demo version of ‘The Flatstone’, a track that appeared on their second album Great Moments In Big Slam released later in 1984.
The Box were formed by former Clock DVA members Paul Widger (guitar), Charlie Collins (saxophone and percussion) and Roger Quail (drums). They were joined by Peter Hope on vocals and Terry Todd on bass. The Sheffield band’s 1983 debut album Secrets Out was the first full-length album released on Go! Discs. The Box released a third album third - Live, Muscle Out - in 1985 on Cabaret Voltaire’s Doublevision imprint before disbanding.
Roger Quail has been documenting a lifetime of gig-going on his podcast My Life in the Mosh of Ghosts. He describes the podcast as: “Every gig I have ever seen. Forty-odd years of thud, sweat and beers” and there are plenty of episodes about gigs with The Box, Clock DVA and other Sheffield bands of the late 70s. It’s one of my favourite podcasts - an essential listen.
Quail spent 18 years working with Rubyworks in Dublin before retiring in 2023. To go from playing drums with the industrial/post-punk Clock DVA to being part of the team behind Hozier’s international success is some unbelievable journey.
Below I’ve reproduced the 32 pages of Another Spark’s A5 booklet.
