Chapterhouse – Chronology: Albums, Singles, B-Sides Remixes and Demos
Chapterhouse – Chronology: Albums, Singles, B-Sides Remixes and Demos
Cherry Red Records
Release Date: 26/05/23
Running Time: Over 6 hours!
Review by Dark Juan
10/10
Buckle up, dear friends, because this is likely to be an epic review being as I am listening to a six CD retrospective of 90s Shoegaze legends Chapterhouse. Mrs Dark Juan has exiled herself to the exercise yard of Crow Cottage to bung seeds in soil to see what happens as Dark Juan has settled in to be listening to these records for quite some time. This being the day after we relieved ourselves of over £100 at the local B&M. For our international readers – B&M is a chain of stores in the UK where you go in for a potato peeler and come out with an entire stock for a reasonably sized bar and a full bathroom suite without QUITE KNOWING HOW THIS HAPPENED. We had only gone in there for some tablets for the washing machine…
As usual, this has absolutely nothing to do with what I am supposed to be writing about, and Dark Juan feels that, after his entirely off the cuff (and off the scale) rant last time about Nazis, that he should share some gentler tales about just what happens in his life beyond wrangling recalcitrant youngsters, rampant misanthropy and incipient alcoholism (Dark Juan went off the rails last night and is a little delicate after a night of beer with added Jim Beam chasers and is now feeling all the benefits of this). Plus, it means that Rory doesn’t have to take any nerve medication when he proofreads this. The good Laura of team Ever-Metal.com also does the proofreading but she’s made of sterner stuff and just laughed when I recounted the tale of a Chilean band called Flesh Hunter and The Analassaulters (sic) and the hatchet job they ended up being on the receiving end of when Dark Juan discovered that the stage name of the singer was Vaginal Rapist. This was intolerable for very obvious reasons and Dark Juan does not take that sort of thing lying down.
Anyway, Dark Juan has divested himself of his 3rd Invocation Robes (Winter Weight) in favour of some ratty denim cutoff shorts and an old Church Of The Cosmic Skull t-shirt in flagrant disregard of the old adage that one should “Ne’er cast a clout till May is out” and is baking himself beneath the baleful eye of Sauron that is radiating upon him, and has fired up the solar-powered Platter Of Splatter™ to play this extensive and extraordinarily complete history of Chapterhouse, released by the most estimable Cherry Red Records, who appear to have become something like specialists in the rediscovery of fine artists’ back catalogues and rarities. I shall dispense with my usual verbosity, if that’s even possible for me, and will merely have a description of the highlights of each disc, beginning with (unsurprisingly) Disc One, entitled “Freefall, Sunburst & Whirlpool”, being the titles of the first three records Chapterhouse released.
Opening with the utterly fuzztastic ‘Ecstasy II’, this CD is a masterfully curated (by the band themselves) trawl through the early days of Chapterhouse (hailing from Reading in the UK and first formed in 1987) incorporating their debut recorded releases. Chapterhouse have always been a very amorphous band, sound wise, and have incorporated everything from jangly Guitar Pop (‘Rain’ being Chapterhouse’s version of the Beatles song), Gothic Rock (‘Need (Somebody)’ and ‘Breather’) and full-on Pixies-esque Alt-Rock (‘Sixteen Years’). This diversity of sound is always underpinned by a heartbroken emotional edge which anchors the band and gives them that je ne sais quoi that lifts a band from merely good to absolutely staggering. There is an epic expansiveness on these first three releases that has really been brought to the fore by the engineers who have remastered these songs. They have even included the 12” version of ‘Pearl’ for the delectation of the listener. Revisiting these Shoegaze classics has also caused Dark Juan to revisit (in his memories, anyway) the times as a teen where he spent nights dying of alcohol poisoning in fields and by the side of the Bury-Bolton canal in the company of friends who have all grown up to a point where Dark Juan hasn’t. ‘Autosleeper’ juxtaposes swirling, minor key synth work with a droning, looping guitar and a languid, liquid vocal that gets under the skin with the mellifluous delivery of the singer. And then also goes absolutely batshit insane on the break and the last minute of the song where there is an orgasmic wall of noise that is eventually faded out into the afterglow of gentle synth until that too fades away.
Disc two is composed of the demo sessions and the output thereof from ‘Pearl’ and ‘Mesmerise’ and unreleased demos from other recording sessions and this is where you can really hear the band expanding their sound and their understanding of their peculiar brand of emotional Shoegaze – ‘Come Heaven’ having an almost classical arrangement with the electric guitar approximating the sound of strings while twin acoustic guitar lines intertwine and tangle together underneath a soft, introspective vocal. The Acid-Rock beginnings of their sound have metamorphosed on this second selection of Chapterhouse’s recordings and a stronger sense of identity appears to be coming forth – the heavier arrangements and heavily fuzzed-up and distorted guitars giving way to acoustic guitars and the keyboard becoming much more of a lead instrument. The bass is also much more prominent than on the first three releases described on Disc One – the band now being able to emote much more effectively rather than just relying on a wall of effects drenched sound, and this marks the adaptation of the band’s sound to more of a Dream Pop sound. This doesn’t mean that Chapterhouse had forgotten their roots – ‘Mesmerise’ still has some chunky-as-fuck guitar on it, and ‘Precious One’ melds an almost Calypso beat with detached, non-confrontational, emotional singing and multi-layered guitar work that builds up slowly to an emotional peak that is as heart-rending as it is enjoyable. ‘Summer Chill’ is especially ethereal – waves of synth break gently on the shore of light-touch percussion and the tempo is slower than the metabolism of a sloth at rest. The whole effect is of music washing softly over you and it is rather reminiscent of Swans’ more gentle moments, Drone leading to extreme relaxation and hypnotising the listener into the world of the band. The demo tracks obviously have a slightly rawer sound than the finished studio productions, but they still charm and beguile in equal measure, ‘For What It’s Worth’ having a Neo-Psychedelic edge to it that is refreshing after the Dream Pop of the previous songs on the second disc, and ‘Confusion Trip’ having three tracks of guitar work overlaying a fluid, sinuous bassline and a surprising guitar sound that explodes out of the mix in what you might consider the “wrong” place, but adds to the ambience of the song.
The third disc of this extraordinarily complete collection is comprised of B-Sides to single releases and the “Blood Music” album. I shan’t comment too much on “Blood Music” as it is a classic of the Shoegaze genre and if you are not aware of it and the odd fusion of Shoegaze and Pop Rock that it is, I suggest you go and pick up a copy (or buy this package I am reviewing and get the whole kit and caboodle) and subsume yourself in aural nirvana. Interestingly, “Blood Music” birthed the whole Britpop scene in my opinion – the music showing a clear link to the explosion of mop-topped jangly guitar bands that proliferated in the UK at the end of the 90s and into the 2000s and in a peculiar irony, moving away from the emotional, highly effects driven sound of their past that showed a direct link to Grunge music, particularly the heartrending emotion and the slick bass work that predominated in that style of music. “Blood Music” runs the gamut from overdrive-smothered walls of noise (‘We Are The Beautiful’) to unsettling, out-of-kilter Psychedelic explorations of the music, ‘There’s Still Life’ amply demonstrating the left-field Psychedelia that forms one of the footprints of Chapterhouse’s music.
The fourth disc of this six-disc offering is a remix of “Blood Music” (a “re-translation”) by Global Communication entitled “Pentamerous Metamorphosis”. Instead of songs there are five movements (phases) based upon the music of Chapterhouse in the form of samples and the analogue work of the band melded into the electronic ether of Global Communication. Instead of dreamy, droning shoegaze, there is much more Electronic Ambient on display as ‘Alpha Phase’ slowly builds from wispy electronic whooshing to almost Jean-Michel Jarre like atmospherics, slowly repeating motifs fading in and out of the music over a mid-paced percussive beat. Then there are laser beams. Or at least the noise they make. It is a sci-fi retelling of a classic record. Whereas Chapterhouse are a band from a Berkshire town of bricks and mortar, this Global Communication retranslation of the music paints a picture of immaculately painted and polished mass transportation, and gleaming steel and glass spires piercing the azure heavens in a triumph of man’s achievements. The whole record has a lush, almost-tropical feeling wash of soft electronics and hypnotic beats and absolutely fucktons of ambience. It really needs to be listened to in a dark room, your nervous system hyped by some chemical intervention, with headphones on. To hear this music when you are deprived of most other sensation is, well, sensational. See what I did there?
The fifth disc is composed of rarities and remixes and opens with a demo recording of ‘Ecstasy I’ which shows the Punk edge of shoegaze – a quick-march rhythm and tempo propelling some very visceral, full-tilt guitar work. The whole CD is a wild trip through the different ages of Chapterhouse – from snotty Punk influence through to the chiming, almost Britpop of later releases via the sneering indolence of Post-Punk and snarling Hard Rock elements and trippy Psychedelic stuff as well – there are times (‘Losing Touch With My Mind’) where you can really hear the influence that Chapterhouse were and are to the likes of Blur – the vocal delivery having been copied pretty much wholly by Damon Albarn at times. Highlight of this CD for me is the nasty, viperous 11 minutes of ‘Die Die Die’ where Chapterhouse really bare their fangs and attack the listener with an extraordinary, unstoppable wall of overwhelming sound. There is no pretension to art on this song – just sheer bloody violence.
Finally, disc six is where the bulk of the twenty previously unreleased tracks on this collection are, being a disc of demos from 1994-1995. It is instructive to the listener to hear Chapterhouse songs in their raw, embryonic form. The demos offer a febrile, twitchy emotional experience as the music crawls out, still covered in glistening amniotic fluid and blinking in the unaccustomed light. There’s missteps, dodgy notes and unusual arrangements that were obviously tidied up if the songs were going to go forward to recording. It offers an exciting insight into the band and the artistic process of this most important of British bands – Chapterhouse were a band who always managed to be in the right place at the wrong time. They were Acid-Rockers as Acid House hit; they were Shoegazers when Grunge germinated; they were experimental Dance-rockers as Britpop broke.
They were, and still are, utterly irreplaceable – even Dark Juan’s very early recordings when he played in The Theatre Upstairs show the pervasive influence of Chapterhouse; using guitars as noisemakers as well as an instrument, and layering wall upon wall of effects until the melodies are hidden underneath a roaring tsunami of sound. All of this was because of Chapterhouse.
The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System once again offers Cherry Red Records much appreciation for another sumptuous set of records from a band that truly deserves to be revered. It is full marks for a retrospective that covers all bases of Chapterhouse from spotty teenage noiseniks to smooth elder statesmen of Shoegaze – 10/10.
TRACKLISTING:
DISC ONE – FREEFALL, SUNBURST & WHIRLPOOL
01. ECSTASY II
02. NEED (SOMEBODY)
03. INSIDE OF ME
04. SIXTEEN YEARS
05. SOMETHING MORE (SUNBURST)
06. SATIN SAFE
07. RAIN
08. FEEL THE SAME
09. BREATHER
10. PEARL
11. AUTOSLEEPER
12. TREASURE
13. FALLING DOWN
14. APRIL
15. GUILT
16. IF YOU WANT ME
17. SOMETHING MORE
DISC TWO – PEARL, MESMERISE AND COURTYARD DEMOS
01. COME HEAVEN
02. IN MY ARMS
03. MESMERISE
04. PRECIOUS ONE
05. SUMMER CHILL
06. THEN WE’LL RISE
07. FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH (DEMO)
08. CONFUSION TRIP (DEMO)*
09. RAISED FROM INSIDE (DEMO)*
10. GET TO ME (DEMO)*
11. DREAM ON (DEMO)
12. NEVER ENOUGH (DEMO)*
13. IN THE WAY (DEMO)*
14. IF YOU TRY (DEMO)*
15. UNTIL YOU TRY (DEMO)
16. WALK WATER (DEMO)*
DISC THREE – BLOOD MUSIC AND B-SIDES
01. DON’T LOOK NOW
02. THERE’S STILL LIFE
03. WE ARE THE BEAUTIFUL
04. SUMMER’S GONE
05. EVERYTIME
06. DELI
07. ON THE WAY TO FLY
08. SHE’S A VISION
09. GREATER POWER
10. CONFUSION TRIP
11. LOVE FOREVER
12. PICNIC (NEW EDIT)
13. AGE
14. FROST
DISC FOUR – PENTAMEROUS METAMORPHOSIS (BLOOD MUSIC RETRANSLATED BY GLOBAL COMMUNICATION)
01. ALPHA PHASE
02. BETA PHASE
03. GAMMA PHASE
04. DELTA PHASE
05. EPSILON PHASE
DISC FIVE – RARITIES AND REMIXES
01. ECSTASY I (DEMO)
02. FALLING DOWN (FREEFALL)
03. IT WON’T BE WRONG
04. LOSING TOUCH WITH MY MIND
05. DIE, DIE, DIE
06. MESMERISE (EXTENDED REMIX)
07. PRECIOUS ONE (EXTENDED REMIX)
08. WE ARE THE BEAUTIFUL (SPOOKY EXTRAVAGANJA MIX)
09. WE ARE THE BEAUTIFUL (SPOOKY’S UGLY AS SIN MIX NEW EDIT)
10. DON’T LOOK NOW (DRUM CLUB’S SITAR MIX)
DISC SIX – DEMOS 1994-1995
01. TOO LATE (DEMO)*
02. OCEAN ARMS (ACOUSTIC DEMO)*
03. HELP YOURSELF (DEMO)*
04. MORE THAN I CAN TAKE (DEMO)
05. LET THE SUNSHINE IN (DEMO)*
06. EVERY GIFT (DEMO)*
07. FEEL (DEMO)
08. WE CAN FLY (DEMO)*
09. ANOTHER LIFE (DEMO)*
10. MEDUSA (DEMO)*
11. I SAW YOU (DEMO)*
12. BRIGHTER (DEMO)
13. MAKE A WISH (DEMO)*
14. ZERODOWN (DEMO)*
15. LOOKING BACK (DEMO)*
16. CRAZY KANE (DEMO)
*Previously unreleased
LINE-UP:
Andrew Sherriff – vocals, guitar
Stephen Patman- vocals, guitar
Simon Rowe – guitar
Russell Barrett – bass
Ashley Bates – drums
LINKS:
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