StrangE TimeS. A Chameleons UK blog

The Chameleons in 80´s Catalonian TV Programme

2012-02-09T20:31:00.009+01:00

This is not really "new". In fact, this is old, very old news, but it´s very interesting:

There was in the 80´s a Catalonian TV (TV3) Programme about music called ARSENAL. One of the Broadcasts (Porgramme number 10) was dedicated to The Chameleons, where the fans from that time could enjoy some excerpts from a gig in Barcelona, an interview to Mark and John, and some reviews from a Catalonian Journalist (Guillem Castaño), discussing how important The Chameleons was for him.

That TV3 Broadcast is available through the following Dailymotion video:

Arsenal 10: Temps estranys, The Chameleons por manuelhuerga

The link to the ARSENAL Web Site, where this broadcast appears is:
http://manuelhuerga.com/arsenal/article/programas-1-10

Thanks a lot for this to Daniel

SOTB: REMASTERED DOUBLE VINYL EDITION?

2012-02-07T21:00:00.000+01:00

Contrary to the news (published on ChameleonsVOX Site) announcing a VINYL Special Edition for 2011 of The Chameleons Debut Album, the truth is that we have heard nothing new about this for months.

It´s very probable that due to some problems, this release had to be postponed. We hope this can all be fixed, so that all fans can enjoy this new edition. As soon as any news regarding this is confirmed, we will post it here

This Special Edition of The Script of The Bridge was going to be remastered by Guy Massey, who was in charge of the remastered editions of The Beatles Discography.

As Mark Burgess explains on his ChameleonsVOX Web Site, this edition was beyond Chameleons members while preparing the 25th Anniversary edition, but now it is possible.

As all of you know, the sound recording of the original pressing of SOTB vinyl had to be compressed due to the running time (almost an hour). This new edition of SOTB, will not have such limitation as it will be released as a DOUBLE VINYL, with 3 songs per side.

ChameleonsVOX 2012 Tour Dates

2012-02-06T20:02:00.007+01:00

This is an update of the already confirmed ChameleonsVOX live dates for April, May and June 2012:

April 6th @Rewind Easter Fest Vooruit Gent - Belgium
April 7th @Kulturbunker - Köln (Support Dead Guitars)
April 8th @Noels Ballroom - Leipzig (Germany)
April 14th @HMV Institute - Birmingham
April 15th @Club Academy - Manchester
April 21st @O2 Academy Islington - London
April 22nd @Tunnels - Bristol

May 5th @Left Bank - Leeds

June 1st @San Miguel Primavera Sound Festival - Barcelona

More info:
ChameleonsVOX Facebook Site
San Miguel Primavera Sound Web Site (they are mistakenly named as The Chameleons)

The SUN & The MOON: Rare & Unreleased Recordings

2011-10-28T23:23:00.006+02:00

Andy Clegg (Music for Aborigines, The Sun & The Moon, Weaveworld) has announced the release through his Record Label Going Nowhere Records some Rare and Unreleased Recordings from The SUN & The MOON era.

They have been released as cd-r copies from the master recordings

Rough Sketches Vol I

1.The Speed of Life 2.Death of Imagination 3.A Matter of Conscience 4.Peace in our Time 5.House on Fire 6.Price of Grain 7.Limboland 8. A Picture of England 9. This Passionate Breed 10.What Do Angels Look Like 11. I Love You, You Bastard 12.The Chills 13. The Healer

Rough Sketches Vol II

1.What Do Angels Look Like 2.Kaptain kool 3.(The End of) Death of Imagination 4. The Speed of Life 5.Peace in our Time 6. A Matter of Conscience 7.Dolphin 8.House on Fire 9.The Price of Grain 10.Limboland 11.A Picture of England 12. The Chills 13.Interview

If you want to order any of these CDs, just write an email to Andy to the following email address: gnrecords@gmail.com

More info in this Facebook link.

ChameleonsVOX Tour Dates & SOTB Live Performances

2011-10-22T21:51:00.001+02:00

This is an update of the ChameleonsVOX live dates for the USA & UK Tour for November and December 2011. More info about tickets on ChameleonsVOX Web Site new dates in November for their US Tour:

USA

Nov 11th - Austin TX - Elyseum
Nov 12th - Dallas TX - Trees
Nov 13th - Albuquerque NM - Burt’s Tikki Bar (To be confirmed)
Nov 14th - Phoenix AR - The Rythm Room
Nov 15th - Los Angeles CA - The Troubadour
Nov 16th - Oakland CA- The New Parish *
Nov 17th - San Francisco CA - Cafe du Nord
Nov 20th - Chicago ILL - Bottom Lounge
Nov 21th - Rochester NY - Water Street Music Hall
Nov 22th - Boston MA - TT The Bears
Nov 23rd - Manhattan - Home Sweet Home *
Nov 25th - Brooklyn NY - Littlefield
Nov 26th - Manhattan NY - Delancey’s
Nov 27th - Hoboken NJ - Maxwell’s
Nov 28th - Washington DC - The Black Cat
Nov 30th - Atlanta GA - The Shelter

UK
Nov 5th - Whitby Goth Weekend
Dec 12th - London - Dingwalls
Dec 22th - Manchester - Ruby Lounge *

* Special Live performance of Chameleons´ debut album: The Script of the Bridge

It won´t be the same as watching the original band playing together, but it will be for sure a unique opportinity to listen to good these old tunes being played live. So, enjoy!

MUSIC FOR ABORIGINES Live

2011-10-05T11:33:00.007+02:00

An update of the Music for Aborigines gig t Night & Day Cafe (Manchester-UK) on 10th October 2011:

Colin Smith, member of the band, has published on his Facebook profile some pictures from the show.

Thanks Colin for sharing them

News from YVES ALTANA

2011-08-04T23:26:00.009+02:00

Yves Altana, talented multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer and producer, who worked in the past with Mark Burgess in different projects/bands (Mark Burgess&Yves Altana, Invincible, Bird) is setting up a new band based in Manchester. Although this new project hasn´t got a name yet, we hope to be able to listen soon to the new compositions of this great artist.

During last year Yves has been touring with I am Kloot, and he also has been composing the soundtrack for the game Hydrophobia.

He also worked as engineer/producer of Gabrielle´s Wish.

Yves was contacted by Mark Burgess some time ago to join him on his Chameleons covers band ChameleonsVOX, but he kindly declined the offer as he was more interested in challenging new projects.

You can follow Yves on Facebook with the following profiles: Yves Altana, Wonky Alice. Wonky Alice is an early 90´s alternative/indie manchester band in which Yves played guitars.

You can also listen to some songs froms his past projects on the following myspace links:

http://www.myspace.com/alchemized
http://www.myspace.com/wonkyalice

Summer Gigs: ChameleonsVOX & Coconut DF

2011-08-03T23:05:00.004+02:00

A reminder for all Chams fans about the upcoming summer gigs.

Mark Burgess will be playing with his band ChameleonsVOX on 12th August @The Ruby Lounge. They will be supported by The Numbers and BUSHART, the band of John Lever. More info here.

On the other side, Dave Fielding will be playing with his new band Coconut DF on 13th August @Star Fest in Rotherham. More info here.

MUSIC FOR ABORIGINES, KIZILOK & Cornelius Crane Concert

2011-08-01T21:00:00.004+02:00

An update of the gig MUSIC FOR ABORIGINES played last 29th July in Manchester (UK) @Night&Day Cafe:

This is the set list of the MFA gig. The played some songs of Black Swan Lane & Weaveworld:

Tidal Wave (Black Swan Lane)
Pathetical Twat
An Individual Mind (Black Swan Lane)
Hydraulic Bottlejacks
Singing September Songs
Kink in your Plan (song from early band "The Neighbours", Col Smith & Andy Whit were in 1980 before forming MFA)
Sitting on a Biscuit
Perfect Day
Out and Down (Weaveworld)
Open up my Eyes (Weaveworld)
Davy Jones (Weaveworld)
Faith

(Thanks Col for the set list)

We have also collected some pics of the event and we have included them in the MFA Photo Album, available here and at the side bar of this blog. Mark Burgess and John Lever attended the show, as part of the audience.

Hope you like the pics. Special thanks to Col & Izzy Wizzy for sharing them.

Background: As all of you may know, MUSIC FOR ABORIGINES was founded many, many years ago by Colin Smith, Andy Clegg & Andy Whitaker, and then two Andys created the SUN & MOON band with John Lever and Mark Burgess from the Chameleons.

MFA was supported in the gig by KIZILOK and CORNELIUS CRANE. If you want to know how these bands sound like, just take a look at the following links:

MUSIC FOR ABORIGINES:
www.myspace.com/whitakerandy
http://www.myspace.com/weaveworld
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0A_iXFF_gQ&feature=related

KIZILOK:
http://www.youtube.com/user/kizilok1

THECORNELIUS CRANE:
http://www.myspace.com/captainsofindustry31
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001967923438

All the info on this Facebook Link.

New Photo Albums: THE REEGS&DAVE FIELDING; WEAVEWORLD; MARK BURGESS&FRIENDS

2011-07-24T14:15:00.012+02:00

We have created new photo albums dedicated to The Reegs and other bands Dave Fielding has been involved, WeaveWorld and all the different Projects Mark Burgess has been involved (apart from SUN&MOON which has its own dedicated photo album) : MB solo, MB & Sons of God,MB & Yves Altana, Invincible, Bird, The Sound of Adrian Borland & ChameleonsVOX. You can view them right here or at the side bar of the blog:
THE REEGS & DAVE FIELDING

WEAVEWORLD

MARK BURGESS & FRIENDS

Rare Pictures of MUSIC FOR ABORIGINES AND SUN&MOON

2011-07-10T08:47:00.013+02:00

Colin Smith, member of MUSIC FOR ABORIGINES, has published on his Facebook profile a collection of MUSIC FOR ABORIGINES AND SUN&MOON eighthies pictures.

The whole set of pictures can be viewed on this Facebook link

Here we post some of them:

MUSIC FOR ABORIGINES Pictures

Members: Colin Smith, Dave Booth, Andy Clegg & Andy Whitaker

We have also added them to the following MUSIC FOR ABORIGINES Photo album, which can be viewed here, or at the side-bar of this blog. Hope you like it.

THE SUN & THE MOON Pictures

Members: Andy Clegg, Andy Whitaker, John Lever & Mark Burgess

Thanks a lot Colin, for sharing this good old memories with all your fans.

We have also added them to our SUN&MOON Photo album which can ve viewed below and on the side bar of this blog

News from KIZILOK

2011-07-02T09:09:00.006+02:00

If you want to be updated with all new compositions KIZILOK, the group where Andy Clegg is involved, just take a look at Youtube.

Here is series of wonderful atmospheric guitar Improvs.

Enjoy them

Conversations with...(Part I)

Conversations with...(Part II)

Conversations with...(Part III)

If you like this band, you can also subscribe to their Youtube Channel... and support them in all their events, of course. News about them available in this blog and also in FaceBook

DAVE FIELDING: Original Artwork & Prints

2011-07-02T08:06:00.007+02:00

Dave Fielding (founder member of The Chameleons, The Reegs, & Coconut DF) & Rebecca Amis have created website http://www.dragonfliesandbutterflies.co.uk/ where you can find and buy all their artwork and prints.

On this page you will also find the paitining that was used for the single Singing Rule Britannia de The Chameleons:

Enjoy them!

ChameleonsVOX: New 2011 Tour Dates

2011-05-15T07:30:00.013+02:00

This is an update of the 2011 tour dates for ChameleonsVOX, the new band of Mark Burgess, reinterpreting classic songs from The Chameleons:

May 19th - Edinburgh - The Queen’s Hall (supporting Mercury Rev)
May 20th - Manchester- Bridgewater Hall (supporting Mercury Rev)
May 21th - London - Roundhouse (supporting Mercury Rev)
May 27th & 29th - Manchester - Strummercamp

June 12th - Zuiddijk (Netherlands) - Pop & Dancepodium De Kade

June 13th - Bremen - The Tower
June 15th - Muenster - Glea 22
June 16th - Cologne - Underground
June 17th - Bochum - TBA
June 18th - Hamburg - Funbuerau

This is the actual ChameleonsVOX line-up:
Mark Burgess - Vox
Justin Lomery - Guitar
Stephen Foxcroft - Guitar
Chris Oliver - Guitar
Ray Bowles - Bass
Dug McLeod - Drums

Other Musics: TOUNDRA

2011-04-30T10:16:00.012+02:00

It´s about time we dedicated a post to one of the best but (yet) unknown rock spanish bands. They are called TOUNDRA and they have released two albums of Instrumental Rock.

They have been described as a Post-Rock band, and although we do not like to use labels. TOUNDRA are really skilled in combining a powerful sound with beatiful atmospheres. If you have heard the most powerful songs of Porcupine Tree, you could have an idea of what this band is about.

The truth is that we cannot stop listening to their 2nd album called simply (II). We are in love of these marvelous architects of sound, who are able to build such powerful soundscapes.

If you haven´t listened to their music yet, just take a look at this video of Zanzíbar, one of the finest songs included in their 2nd album:

Youtube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFgeVROsqnU

If you want to listen to more songs from Toundra, just go to the Online Player of Aloud Music, their Record Label:

http://aloudmusic.com/toundrard/

Aloud Music even allows legal free downloads, because they know the first and most important thing is to promote their bands.

Legal download from Aloud Music - "(II)" by Toundra:

Nevertheless, as Aloud Music states on their Web Site, they NEED to SELL CDs, so if you really like TOUNDRA music, please support the band and their record label, by ordering it directly on their Online Store.

Update on COCONUT DF 2011 Gig Dates

2011-04-30T06:35:00.000+02:00

Coconut DF, the band of Dave Fielding, has confirmed more live dates for 2011 in the UK. This is the actual schedule:

@ Soundhouse, 7th May 2011
Globe Mill, Ash St.
Bolton, United Kingdom
http://www.thesoundhouse.co.uk/
email: info@thesoundhouse.co.uk

@ 1:22 Bar, 13th May 2011
120 New Street
Castlegate
Huddersfield
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
http://122live.com/?page_id=179
email: info@122.live.com

@ The Star & Garter, 9th June 2011

18-20 Fairfield Street
Manchester, United Kingdom
http://www.starandgarter.co.uk/

Phone : 0161 273 6726

@The Suninn Pinxton, 10th June 2011
Nottingham, United Kingdom
email:suninnpinxton@hotmail.co.uk

@The Stereo YORK, 24th June 2011

@ Star Festival Rotheham, 13th Aug 2011

Other Musics: THE NATIONAL

2011-03-05T11:55:00.013+01:00

It´s about time we dedicated a post to The National, a band from Ohio now based on Brooklyn, which has obtained during last years the acclaim of critics and general public. Their tunes are unpretentious but elegant odes to sadness, melancholy, isolation and obscurity. The low voice of the singer wraps the listener in a dense atmosphere, which is difficult to escape from. Perfect sounds for atumn rainy days.

With their latest album, High Violet, The National has evolved their style towards calmer and quieter shores.

If you look for a definition of their sound, you´ll find in internet epithets like indie-folk, alternative & minimalist. We don´t care about labels; they are what they are, and you may like them or not. The only thing we can say is we see them like magnific architects of sound.

Will you dare cross the gate to their world? Be aware there´s no turning back... you´re warned.

Here is a link to a live performance of Sorrow, one of the saddest but most beautiful songs I´ve ever heard. A gem included in High Violet

Here is a very intimate & beautiful performance of Start a War a tune from Boxer, their album from 2007, which is considered by many people as their best work. This video is available in http://www.blogotheque.net

Enjoy...

Backwards Message in Fan & Fellows Vinyl Edition

2011-03-02T22:21:00.009+01:00

Did you know that the vinyl of The Fan & Bellows. A Collection of Classic Early Recording released by Dead Dead Good Records contains a backwards message at the end of Side-B, after Nathan´s Phase song?

The message is, in fact, a small excerpt of the lyrics of Nostalgia sung by Mark Burgess.

The excerpt does not appear in the CD edition.

Here you can listen to the original excerptand then the reversed version:

Original Excerpt:

Reversed version:

Other Musics: STOFFER & MASKINEN

2011-02-27T10:08:00.011+01:00

Don´t you believe in casualities? Visiting last summer Copenhagen, I was strolling around Nyhavn and then bumped into a band which was playing live as part of some summer cultural friday events in the danish county town.

From the first chords I heard I got shocked. They are quite a new band called Stoffer & Maskinen (Drugs & Machines, in danish), but their sound is as if they were from the 80´s. Strong bass lines and razor edge guitars, and they could be easily labelled as a dream-pop or shoegaze band, but you will also notice some eletronic and even progressive influences, sung with melancholic beauty.

Although they are quite static on the stage, intentionally avoiding the visual contact with the audience (no wonder why someone labelled a music style as shoegaze, although it´s more related to an attitude on stage rather than to a proper music style), Stoffer & Maskinen have without any doubt great magnetism.

They have released their debut self-titled album, which we recommend to all of you without any doubt. All songs are sung in danish, and that gives them a distinction from all those european bands which adopt english as a must for expressing themselves. Perhaps the less interesting song from the album is the opener, a catchy and instant song called Flader mod Flader, which is too comercial for me, but the album is full with gems like the Indeni, a magnific song with a fantastic guitar line. Here is the youtube video from this song:

After that amazing concert I was lucky enough to find by casuality, I rushed into the nearest record store to look for their album and since them, Stoffer & Maskinen has turned into one of my favourites band, and I´m looking forward to listening to new material from these young guys.

I have to mention that their Live sound is much better than theirs in studio, perhaps due to an excess of post-production. Good things are better without condiments,a nd if you are a fan of bands from the 80´s like The Chameleons, The Sound and bands like Editors, Interpol, The Boxer Rebellion are in your list of favourites, you won´t be deceived with this danish group.

Good luck Stoffer & Maskinen! You´ve got a magnific sound, so keep on the good path, and for sure you will be recognized outside Denmark. From our blog, we´ll do our best to try and spread the word, so that your songs are listened from all over the world.

For those interested on this band you can visit their following websites:
http://www.myspace.com/stofferogmaskinen
http://stofferogmaskinen.dk/

... and if you like them we encourage you support them by buying their album

Want Wishville back?

2011-02-02T23:59:00.002+01:00

Wishville, the official Chameleons forum was shut down indefinitely.

Wishville was a pretty extended database of Chameleons related threads worked and supported with the collaboration, hard work and contribution of their fans since 2001.

Wishville, like the Chameleons, exists no more, but you can join the facebook group "Bring Back Wishville", where Cham related discussions are still alive

Interview to Mark Burgess in [sic]magazine

2011-02-02T23:42:00.005+01:00

The online Magazine [sic]Magazine, administered by Brett Spaceman, has published an interesting and quite long interview with Mark Burgess.

Burgess talks about past, present and past of his musical career, included his recent Chameleons Tribute Band: ChameleonsVOX. He also gives his point of view to the split of The Chameleons and his differences with Dave Fielding.

The interview can be read on [sic]Magazine Web-Site.

Note:The other side of the story can be read on the Bring Back Wishville Facebook Group

Other Musics: NOSOUND

2011-02-02T22:14:00.000+01:00

This is a recommendation for all of you, who visit every now and then this lonely island.

In search of new atmospheric & introspective sounds, looking for bands not related to The Chameleons, I came up with this fantastic group called NOSOUND who could be labelled somewhere between Pink Floyd & Sigur Ros. Their long and melancholic compositions are their highlights on their albums.

Spend some minutes of your life to let the music of this song called Constant Contrast, included on their album A Sense of Loss, transport your soul to other world

More information about this group on their Official Website: http://www.nosound.net

ChameleonsVOX in BCN

2011-01-22T21:22:00.023+01:00

Last 15th of January Mark Burgess and friends arrived in Barcelona to play some Chameleons classics songs. The venue was Bikini and the name of the band: ChameleonsVOX. Caution! Not to be confused with Chameleons. Some might say "What difference does it make? Meanwhile the sound remains as close as possible to the original it doesn´t matter", but some others will think Chameleons songs are too good to be played by other people than the original members Fielding/Lever/Burgess/Smithies.

The truth is that The Chameleons are (and will be) no more, so the only real possibility of listening live those beloved songs again is without the original band. In fact, it is right now the singer Mark Burgess the only remaining original member. John Lever joined him for some months, but he is not anymore. This is the actual line-up of ChameleonsVOX:

Mark Burgess - Vox
Justin Lomery - Guitar
Stephen Foxcroft - Guitar
Chris Oliver - Guitar
Ray Bowles - Bass
Dug McLeod - Drums

This is not the first time Mark Burgess plays Chameleons songs without the rest of the band (remember Mark Burgess & The Sons of God & Invincible), but we have to recognize this is the first time the guitars sound as close as possible to the original band. If you close your eyes you can almost pretend it´s Dave and Reg... almost, although you will notice three guitars are required to reproduce a similar atmosphere.

The venue was a bit small for the amount of fans who attended the show. Both the venue and band offered a fantastic sound quality. Mark´s voice was into shape, although I prefer it when he sings and plays bass at the same time. The rest of the musicians demostrated the love and respect they have for Chameleons songs. No one attending the show (knowing beforehand it was not the original Chameleons) would be upset. It´s always a pleasure to listen to these magnific tunes, when being recreated with professionalism and respect to the spirit of the original band.

Video of Tears

Video of Second Skin

The band of Mark Burgess focused on songs from Script of The Bridge and Strange Times albums, although a devoted audience was surprised with gems like Singing Rule Britannia or In Shreds. Second Skin, Monkeyland, Seriocity & In Answer were also some of the highlights of the show, which took almost two hours. Only a couple of songs, one of them Soul in Isolation sounded a bit strange and forced. The new millenium album Why Call it Anything? was ignored by the band, surely because it lacks the magic of the three classic albums.

Mark was very happy and warm during all the show, and he mentioned the possibility of coming back in summer.

ChameleonsVOX will have for sure a successful european tour, because die-hard fans are always eager to listen to Chameleons songs. But one question remains in the air: Would it be the same if the name of the band was simply Mark Burgess & Friends? Surely not, because a product always needs good marketing to be sold, even in The Chameleons world. And one thing is for sure: the word "Chameleons" and references to Reg´s original art will always attract more people.

I won´t begin a discussion if it´s fair or not the usage of Chameleons imagery when the original band is not involved, but I have to confess I personally miss new material from Mr Burgess both live and in studio.

I know people always ask on his concerts for Chameleons songs, but I guess it has to be a bit frustrating for the artist to be recognized only for songs created a quarter century ago.

I really hope this look to the past is only temporal, although it is evident on the shows he enjoys a lot playing with his new band. I hope this period will help Mark embrace the future with renovated efforts. We still have for sure a lot of new songs from this fantastic artist to enjoy. Let´s hope people will encourage him to move one step forward, leaving behind once and for all the Chameleons era, which should not be necessary for sold-outs.

It´s about time all chameleons fans recognized Mark Burgess for what he is, not only for what he was.

Don´t Fall Intro: Mistery Solved

2011-01-01T13:17:00.008+01:00

Ever wondered which was the origin of the misterious words "In his autumn before the winter comes man´s last mad surge of youth" which appear in the Intro for Don´t Fall, the opener of Chameleon´s debut album Script of the Bridge?

Thanks to Yvo & GriefTourist, two Chameleons fans, the mistery is finally solved.

The words belong to musical comedy film Two Sisters from Boston, directed in 1946 by Henry Koster and starring Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Lauritz Melchior, Jimmy Durante and Peter Lawford.

The excerpt where the famous words appear has been uploaded in Youtube by both Chameleons fans, so that we can enjoy the finding:

Thanks Yvo & GriefTourist for this.

Andy Clegg & Andy Whitaker with KIZILOK

2010-12-30T12:18:00.014+01:00

It´s been a long time, since we haven´t talked in this blog about Andy Clegg & Andy Whitaker, founder members of MUSIC for ABORIGINES & The SUN & The MOON.

During last years both Andys, apart from resurrecting SUN & MOON Project for some live shows and performing the MIDLIFE DEMENTIA SHOW, have been collaborating with KIZILOK, another brilliant Manchester Musician, who is sadly totally underated.

The band is called KIZILOK& The Strange Times and is formed by:
Kizilok - songwriter, guitars and vocals
Andy Clegg - guitars, strange noises
Mark Mills - bass, drum machines, synths and other instrumentation
Andy Whitaker - guitars
Suzy Mills - backing vocals, piano, glockenspiel, photos, video

The Chameleons are one of the many influences of this eclectic & alternative band, who is always exploring new ways of understanding and feeling the music.

More information about KIZILOK on:

KIZILOK FACEBOOK
KIZILOK MYSPACE

Take a listen to this fantastic song called Say Goodbye at the Door, and dive into its melancholic atmosphere. The perfect song for a winter rainy day:

If you like it, join them in facebook to help them spread the word and if interested you can contact directly the artist to purchase their works.

MARK BURGESS collaborates with POCKET

2010-11-07T09:52:00.004+01:00

We know this is old news, but as we missed this when it was released, we will comment it now.

On 2009, Mark Burgess collaborated with producer/mixer Richard Jankovich (aka POCKET) singing A Force of Nature, a single release by POCKET. Mark sings both on A-side and B-side, called Heaven.

Since last years, POCKET has been releasing many electro-pop "pocket mixes" featuring guest singers like Robyn Hitchcock, Craig Wedren (Shudder To Think), Steve Kilbey (The Church), Danny Seim (Menomena), Mark Burgess (The Chameleons).

More information about this project of Richard Jankovich, on his website.

This single is available in iTunes and you can also listen to it on Pocket MySpace Web Site.

Enjoy it!

Remastered CHAMELEONS Acoustic Sessions

2010-10-30T09:24:00.005+02:00

The Acoustic Albums Strip and This Never Ending Now originally released in 2000 & 2002 will be soon compiled into one Remastered 2CD set + KEXP Radio Seattle Sessions as bonus tracks. This compilation will be simply called Acoustic Sessions.

The cover of this new Chameleons Album will be a variation of the original This Never Ending Now.

This is the Track List of this new 2CD set:

Disc One: This Never Ending Now (re-mastered)

1. The Fan and the Bellows
2. Tears
3. Intrigue in Tangiers
4. Is It Any Wonder?
5. Seriocity
6. Swamp Thing
7. All Around
8. Second Skin
9. Home is Where the Heart Is
10 Miracles and Wonders
11. View From A Hill
12. Moonage Daydream

Disc Two: Strip (re-mastered)

1. Less Than Human
2. Nathan’s Phase
3. Here Today
4. Soul in Isolation
5. Pleasure and Pain
6. Paradiso
7. Caution
8. On the Beach
9. Road to San Remo
10. Indian

Bonus Tracks

11. Nathan’s Phase (Live @ KEXP)
12. On the Beach (Live @ KEXP)
13. Tears (Live @ KEXP)
14. Miracles and Wonders (Live @ KEXP)

The first 500 people to order the album direct from Blue Apple Music will also receive an exclusive Chameleons lanyard. The lanyard is printed in full colour and features the iconic WDAMB image. More information: Blue Apple Music

CHAMELEONSVOX 2010/2011 LIVE DATES

2010-10-27T11:30:00.003+02:00

New ChameleonsVOX dates for 2010/2011:

22.12.2011 UK - MIDDLETON (MANCHESTER), CARSONS
08.01.2011 UK - YORK, DUCHESS
14.01.2011 SP - MADRID, LA BOITE
15.01.2011 SP - BARCELONA, BIKINI
25.01.2011 DE - BIELEFELD, FORUM
26.01.2011 DE - BERLIN, MAGNET CLUB
27.01.2011 DE - HAGEN, WERKHOF
28.01.2011 NL-APELDOORN, GIGANT
29.01.2011 NL -HERLEEN, NIEUWE NOR
30.01.2011 NL -ROTTERDAM, BAROEG
12.02.2011 UK - LONDON, O2 ISLINGTON

Actual ChameleonsVOX Line-up:
Mark Burgess - Vox
John Lever - Drums
Justin Lomery - Guitar
Andru Aesthetik - Guitar
Jessica Espeleta - Bass

Here is a link to a Youtube video of ChameleonsVOX playing Second Skin live.

Past Tour Dates (US Tour without John Lever, who was substituted by Glenn Maryansky):
Aug 4 Home Sweet Home New York, NY
Aug 7 Manhattan Room Philadelphia, PA
Aug 11 The Ottobar Baltimore, MD
Sep 4 The Troubadour West Hollywood, CA
Sep 21 The Crocodile Seattle, Washington
Sep 21 The Crocodile Seattle, WA
Sep 24 The East End Portland, OR
Sep 28 Cafe Du Nord San Francisco, CA
Oct 11, Band on the Wall, Manchester, UK

More info about this Project from Mark and John in http://www.myspace.com/chameleonsvox. On this site you can also listen to new songs from ChameleonsVox. New songs in acoustic format, are also available. "Another You" is one of the highlights. Listen to them, you won´t be disappointed.

ChameleonsVOX in KEXP 90.3FM

2010-10-01T12:27:00.004+02:00

Seattle KEXP Radio has published on their Web Site a Live Session Mark Burgess, with full band under the name of ChameleonsVOX, performed last September, during the US Tour.

On this Live Session, the following classic Chameleons songs were played:

In Answer
In Shreds
Monkeyland
Up The Down Escalator

ChameleonsVOX for US Tour Line-up:
Mark Burgess - Vox
Justin Lomery - Guitar
Andru Aesthetik - Guitar
Jessica Espeleta - Bass
Glenn Maryansky - Drums

You can listen to the full performance on the following link:

http://kexp.org/live/liveperformance.aspx?rID=32281

The performance was also recorded in video and are available in Youtube videos:

Stills of this KEXP Session were taken by Jackie Canchola. They are available on this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kexp/sets/72157625008889134/

CHAMELEONS Book & Merchandising

2010-09-16T00:30:00.000+02:00

If you haven´t bought the Chameleons Biography yet, you can do it now through ChameleonsBook Website.

The book is entitled "View from a Hill" and it is written by Mark Burgess. The available edition is a soft cover one, and it includes two signed guitar picks.

Visit the ChameleonsBook Website for more information about the book, all the available merchandising and the latest information from the latest projects of Mark Burgess.

Other Musics: THE BOXER REBELLION

2010-04-26T22:41:00.004+02:00

I discovered this band in an Editors show. The Boxer Rebellion were the supporters, and they instantly moved me with their sharp guitars and their melancholic voice.

With a style similar to Interpol & Editors, The Boxer Rebellion have found their own place in the music business. They have released two albums from the time being, and we wish them the best on their musical career.

Here is a link to a video of the single Evacuate of their second album, called UNION.

Take a listen; you won´t be disappointed.

More information about this group on their web site: http://theboxerrebellion.com

COCONUT DF: Live Dates

2009-12-20T15:47:00.001+01:00

Dave Fielding has played live at Library Bar 5th Dec09 in Licoln (UK) with his band Coconut Dog Fuck.

For a complete review of the gig, please visit the fantastic Coconut DF Fan Web Site, our friend Pedro runs.

WDAMB Remastered Edition

2009-11-21T14:54:00.009+01:00

The Chameleons´Classic Album What Does Anyhting Mean? Basically is going to be re-released in a Remastered Edition, with 2 CDs. The 2nd CD will contain unreleased demo recordings.

According to the Official Site, it will also contian new artwork from Reg Smithies, and it will be available as of January 2010.

You can preorder it on the Official Site.

More info on the Official Site and on Blue Apple Music.

Update on CHAMELEONS Covers

2009-07-31T09:45:00.010+02:00

Since The Chameleons released their debut album in 1983, many artists have decided to make a tribute to this band from Middleton performing different covers; some of them have been included on their albums, some others are on compilations, and in some cases these covers are only available through their web sites. This section intends to compile all the information regarding these covers: artist or band involved, year of the release of the cover, a short description and the album where you can find the mentioned song.

Jon Auer

Song: Tears
Author: Jon Auer (The Posies)

Comments: Jon Auer, leader of The Posies, includes in his covers EP called 6 1/2 an electric cover of Tears, which The Chameleons recorded for Strange Times. Although it is slightly stronger, there isn´t much change on this cover from the original version.

The song is available for downloading on his official site: http://www.pattern25.com/MP3s/tears.mp3

Robert Hakalski & David P. Wyat

Song: The Fan And The Bellows
Author: Robert Hakalski & David P. Wyat

Comments: Robert Hakalski, professional photographer who has taken some photographs to Dave Fielding (they are available on the Chameleons official site), recorded some time ago a cover of The Fan And The Bellows with David P. Wyat. This is a much more quiet, intimate and delicate version than the original, with the piano as the main instrument. The song is available through their official site Visual Machinery.

The Jealous Type

Song: Love Is
Author: The Jealous Type

Comments: The Jealous Type has recorded a cover of Love Is, increasing its punk feeling. It has been done for a compilation project of skipping discs record company.

Skimos & Egypt

Song: Swamp Thing
Author: Skimos And Egypt

Comments:
Dance cover for the clubs the one this band has performed, although the guitar riff remains almost unchanged. Tech effects and femenine chorus in contrast to the low voice of the singer, very similar to Burgess´s one. This song can be found on their debut album The Rest Is Silence from 1996.

The Pernice Brothers

Song: Up The Down Escalator
Author: The Pernice Brothers

Comments: The Pernice Brothers dare to perform an acoustic cover of Up The Down Escalator. The rythmical section is substituted by an acoustic guitar and a keyboard. The choruses in a duet with melancholic voices give the song a special atmosphere. This song can be found on the CDSingle
7:30 belonging to the album The World Won´t End from 2001.

The Bates

Song: Up The Down Escalator
Author: The Bates

Comments: The Bates on their covers´album Second Skin (in a clear reference to the Chameleons´ classic and to the fact of playing songs from other ones) perform cover which is very close to the original, without adding anything new.

The Convent

Song: Less Than Human (live)
Author: The Convent

Comments: Great live cover of Less Than Human,the one included on their live album For A Fistful of Deustchmarks from 1998, which is almost better than the original, with a more paused rythm and a more acoustic sound.The Melancholy and sadness rule this song. More info on their web site: http://www.theconvent.de/

The Faith And The Muse

Song: Soul In Isolation (live)
Author: The Faith And The Muse.

Comments: Live cover the one performed by this gothic band, which is included in their double album from 2001 named Vera Causa:Night And Morning. More info on their web site http://www.mercyground.com/disc/FMDisc.html

Elliott

Song: The Fan & The Bellows
Author: Elliott

Comments: The alternative rock band Elliott includes on its single called Will You a cover of The Fan and The Bellows. The single is an introduction for the album False Cathedrals, and contains Calvary Song as the main title. More info in: http://www.revelationrecords.com/releases/88.html

Sim Stim

Song: Swamp Thing (instrumental)
Author: Sim Stim

Comments: The techno-electronic duet Sim Stim in their album Jack In - Log On - Nod Off, makes an instrumental cover of Swamp Thing in a very original way. Due to the electronic arrangements, the song is almost unrecognizable. More info in:http://www.egbt.com/simstim/

Zarths

Song: The Fan and The Bellows
Author: Zarths

Comments: The german pop-punk group Zarths, has done a cover of The Fan and The Bellows, with many similarities to the original one. This song has been released in a compilation album called UNITED-Music for Compilations.

Jesus on Extasy

Song: Second Skin
Author: Jesus on Extasy

Comments: This german Gothik Band made a quite personal cover of Second Skin on their album from 2007, called Holy Beauty. Very Gothik-like. Not sure if the die hard Chameleons fans will like this one. Think about HIM singing Second Skin and you´ll have a close idea about what it looks like. More info about Jesus on Extasy here.

The Mirror Reveals

Song: Swamp Thing
Author: The Mirror Reveals

Comments: This NYC band made a cover of Swamp Thing on their EP Cover Your Bets from 2003. This band recognizes to be influenced by The Chameleons (apart from other artists like Killing Joke or even Roxy Music). James Babbo, the guitarrist, has mentioned in an interview that his favourite piece of art is the Artwork from Reg Smithies of What Does Anything Mean? Basically, and that he blew it up to poster size to have it on his wall. You can listen to some tunes of this band on their MySpace Website.

Vendemmian

Song: Don´t Fall
Author: Vendemmian

Comments: Another Gothik band performing a cover of a Chameleons song on their album One Eye Open from 1996. More info about them on their MySpace Website.

Misfortune500

Song: Don´t Fall
Author: Misfortune500

Comments: Another cover of the same song but this time performed by Misfortune500, and which is included on their album from 2007 Before This Winter Ends. The song is very similar to the original one and can be listened to on their MySpace Website.

(thanks for this one, Pedro MC)

BUSHART and SECOND SKIN Project

2009-07-31T09:06:00.001+02:00

John Lever will be playing live with his band a set of Chameleons classics (songs from the period 1981 to 1987) on 19th September 2009 at the Manchester Academy. Project name: Second Skin. It won´t be like the real Chameleons, but it will surely be a fantastic experience for the artists and the audience.

More info in Second Skin Myspace Website and in the Chameleons Official Site.

On the following video, taken from Youtube, you can watch BUSHART performing a version of Soul in Isolation. The sound and video capture is from audience.

We also remember you BUSHART released last year Yesterday is History, their debut album. Yesterday is History is full of energy and tension, mainly due to the fantastic guitar work and the strength of the vocals. This is one of the best and most interesting albums of the side projects of the Chameleons members. Don´t miss it.

On the following video, which is also available on BUSHART MySpace Web Site, you can listen to Fear, one of the highlights of their debut album. Enyoy it!

Update: According to a recent post of John Lever in the Chameleons Official Site, Mark Burgess is joining the Second Skin Project for the show of Sept, the 19th at the Academy. So, this will be the only opportunity to be as closer as possible to the original Chameleons´sound. This won´t be like having the four members of The Chameleons playing together again, but still a fantastic experience. Don´t miss it!

Tickets are available here.

The MIDLIFE DEMENTIA SHOW

2009-07-03T17:34:00.005+02:00

From left to right: Andy Clegg, Andy Whitaker & Colin SMith

Andy Clegg, Andy Whitaker and Colin Smith (the three of them were members of Music for Aborigines in the 80´s and the two Andys also founded The Sun and The Moon with the help of Mark Burgess and John Lever) have a Comedy Show in Manchester Radio, called The Midlife Dementia Show.

Andy Whitaker has his own career as an actor (under the alias of of Andy Moore) and has appeared on some TV programmes like THE BILL, CORONATION STREET, EMMERDALE, THE ROYAL and THE ROYAL TODAY). For more details about Andy´s TV appearances, visit this link.

Colin Smith is also an actor who has appeared in over 70 plays; he has also directed some plays and he has recently written his own play called "Heaven Knows I´m Misserable Now", to be performed at The Lyceum next year.

If you want to watch/listen to any of the Midlife Dementia Show, which is aired the first Tuesday of every month from 7pm until 10pm on MANCHESTER RADIO ONLINE, please visit these links:

http://themidlifedementiashow.mypodcast.com/
http://www.myspace.com/dementiashow

Script of The Bridge Merchandising

2009-06-27T01:13:00.005+02:00

According to John in a post on the Official Site, there is now available in www.regoid.com a limited edition of 250 copies of prints of Script of The Bridge in A2 format, signed and numbered by Reg Smithies.

The printing has been made on 120 gsm paper.

More info in www.regoid.com

As you may see from the picture, the rework of the art of The Script of the Bridge is slightly different from the original one, with darker colours and the child´s face is sadder.

Which one do you prefer?

Above: new rework of the SOTB Cover
Below: the original art

THE REEGS Definitive Compilation

2009-06-20T00:29:00.018+02:00

The Reegs will release this summer a definitive compilation with all their tracks from their previous albums ‘Return of the Sea Monkeys’ and ‘Rock The Magic Rock’ plus b-sides and alternative versions. Artwork by Reg Smithies.

This is a good oportunity to have all their discography if you weren´t able to buy their previous albums and singles.

The double CD contains 29 tracks and can be ordered through Blue Apple Music or Red Sun Records:

Disc 1
01. See My Friends
02. Is There A Mother-In-Law In The Club
03. Savage Garden
04. Chorus Of The Lost
05. Pond Life
06. Start To See
07. These Days
08. Turn It Up
09. All Tomorrows Parties
10. Jesus Came To Manchester
11. Snooker Hooligan
12. In Disbelief
13. Oil And Water
14. As You Leave
15. Out Of Body Experience

Disc 2
01. JJ180
02. Blind Denial
03. Goodbye World
04. The Dream Police
05. The Nasty Side
06. The Dolphins Enemy
07. In Disbelief (Radio Session)
08. Oil And Water (Radio Session)
09. Running To A Standstill
10. The Nasty Side Instrumental
11. You Told Me Before
12. Bosnia 2009
13. Subject To Status
14. The Last Time

The Reegs were formed by guitarrists Dave Fielding and Reg Smithies after the first demise of The Chameleons in 1987, with the aim to explore new sounds. They recruited Gary Lavery and decided to have a drum machine instead of a real drummer. Their first release is a version of The Kinks´ See My Friends edited in a tribute compilation to this band and as a curiosity, it features Reg Smithies singing.

The band was named after an Alien race which appear in the book Now Wait for Last Year by Sci-Fi writer Philip K. Dick, the author of works like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner), Minority Report, Total Recall and Paycheck.

More info on The Reegs Myspace.

BLACK SWAN LANE New Album

2009-05-03T20:51:00.001+02:00

Black Swan Lane, the project founded by Jack Sobel, originally of The Messengers, and which groups members of many different bands (like Mark Burgess, Andy Whitaker and Andy Clegg) has released a second album called The Sun and The Moon Sessions.

According to Black Swan Lane MySpace Web Site: "In November of 2008, Sobel joined the original members of the Post Punk band, The Sun and the Moon to play the first US date. Before and after the concert, some magic happened and Black Swan Lane will be releasing a new 18 track album in early 2009 entitled The Sun and the Moon Sessions. Featured on the new album are band members: Mark Burgess, Jack Sobel, Andy Clegg, Andy Whitaker, Kwasi Asante, John Kolbeck & Jimmy Oakes."

The new album and their previous one, A long Way from Home can be purchased on BSL Official Site or in Red Sun Records.

On the following link you can watch a video of Age End, the end title of the new album by BSL

And this is for all Chameleons fans. BSL playing Live Perfume Garden with Mark Burgess at the bass and vocals. Enjoy!

Perfume Garden

CHAMELEONS Autobiography

2008-06-20T08:49:00.006+02:00

The Chameleons´ Biography written by Mark Burgess himself, has been released in a hard back book of 782 pages. The title is View From a Hill, and there are still autographed copies, which can be ordered from Mark Burgess Site. You can also order it through Red Sun Records and Amazon.

BUSHART debut Album

2008-05-20T02:07:00.006+02:00

The debut album by BUSHART, the new band of John Lever, has been finally released. It´s called Yesterday is History. BUSHART will be playing live in October, the 10th at the Manchester Academy. For further details, please see the note below by John Lever himself which can be also found on the Chameleons Official Web Site.

On that note, John also mentions he is not able to join the Gig the reunited SUN & MOON is playing at The Ritz

Wednesday, 14th May 2008: YESTERDAY is HISTORY IS HERE!!

YES ITS FINALLY HERE!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ORDER A COPY OF MY NEW ALBUM
SIMPLY LOGON TO WWW.MYSPACE.COM/CLUBCHAMELEON OR WWW.MYSPACE.COM/BUSHARTMUSIC AND CLICK ON THE BUY NOW BUTTON, IT WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH THE PAYMENT PROCESS, EASY! ALSO BUSHART`S DEBUT GIG WILL BE AT MCR ACADEMY 3 (HOP & GRAPE) ON FRIDAY 10TH OF OCTOBER, TICKETS ARE GOING TO BE £5 FROM PICCADILLY BOX OFFICE AND MCR ACADEMY, ALSO YOU WILL BE ABLE TO BUY TICKETS VIA THE MYSPACE SITES FROM THIS WEEK, THE TICKETS WILL BE £5 +£1.50 P+P!!

ALSO ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE, AS SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW I WAS ASKED TO DO THE MCR V CANCER GIG AT THE RITZ WITH THE SUN AND THE MOON, BUT I HAVE TO DECLINE THE OFFER, DOWN TO BAND POLITICS I SUPPOSE, BUT AS A RESULT CAN`T DO THE GIG, MANY APOLOGIES TO THE PEOPLE WHO WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS, BUT IT REALLY IS A NO GO, APOLOGIES ONCE AGAIN!
JOHN.X

To listen to some songs of the debut album by BUSHART, please visit the BUSHART MySpace Site

SOTB 25th Anniversary Remastered Edition

2008-04-15T01:44:00.005+02:00

The 25th Anniversary Remastered Edition of Script Of the Bridge, which includes in a 2nd Disc a Live Performance in Bremen 1983, has been finally released on April 2008 by Blue Apple Music.

This is the Track List:

Disc: 1 (Remastered)
01. Don’t Fall
02. Here Today
03. Monkeyland
04. Second Skin
05. Up The Down Escalator
06. Less Than Human
07. Pleasure and Pain
08. Thursday’s Child
09. As High As You Can Go
10. A Person Isn’t Safe Anywhere These Days
11. Paper Tigers
12. View From A Hill

Disc: 2 (Live 1983)
01. In Shreds (previously unreleased version)
02. Dear Dead Days (previously unreleased version)
03. Things I Wish I’d Said (previously unreleased version)
04. Don’t Fall (live, Bremen 1983)
05. Here Today (live, Bremen 1983)
06. Thursday’s Child (live, Bremen 1983)
07. A Person Isn’t Safe Anywhere These Days (live, Bremen 1983)
08. Less Than Human (live, Bremen 1983)
09. Pleasure and Pain (live, Bremen 1983)
10. Second Skin (live, Bremen 1983)
11. Paper Tigers (live, Bremen 1983)
12. Monkeyland (live, Bremen 1983)
13. Singing Rule Britannia (live, Bremen 1983)
14. Up The Down Escalator (live, Bremen 1983)
15. View From A Hill (live, Bremen 1983)

THE SUN & THE MOON Reunion

2008-04-01T01:58:00.005+02:00

Fantastic news for all the SUN & MOON fans. April 2008 sees the reunion of three of the four original members for a set of acoustic gigs. Mark Burgess, Andy Clegg & Andy Whitaker join hands again and the magic will surely flow...

Dates and Venues:

- 20 April with a short set at The Legendary Manchester Busker 20th Anniversary night (1)

-14 May at the Retro Bar in Manchester

-16 The LGM Music Venue, Earlestown (between Manchester and Liverpool)

(1)For a couple of videos (Picture of England and Arabs&Americans) of S&M playing Live at LMB, please visit the The Legendary Manchester Busker Web Site.

Unluckily John Lever will not be able to join them so Achim Faerber will be playing drums. Is it possible the future will bring new compositions by these great artist working together again? Who knows...

Stefan, a fan from The Chameleons UK and related projects informed us that on the following link there are available in mp3 format the Manchester Radio Online Sessions of The Sun and The Moon.

ASCENSION Live DVD

2006-06-03T02:06:00.003+02:00

Ascension DVD will be released on June, the 26th. This Chameleons official double DVD release presents live footage from The Chameleons playing Live at The Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, in 2002. This is the track list:

DISC 1:Swamp Thing / A Person Isn’t Safe Anywhere These Days / Pleasure and Pain / Here Today / Less Than Human / Dangerous Land / Intrigue in Tangiers / Anyone Alive? / Indiana / Tears / Soul In Isolation / Perfume Garden / Miracles and Wonders / Caution / Second Skin / View From A Hill / One Flesh / Don’t Fall / Splitting In Two

DISC 2:The Healer / Nathan’s Phase / Pleasure and Pain / Less Than Human / Intrigue In Tangiers / Seriocity / Soul In isolation / On The Beach / Is It Any Wonder / Thursday’s Child / All Around / Second Skin / Moonage Daydream / View From A Hill / Bonus Track: One Flesh.

Total Running Time: 3h 30 min aprox.

The DVD is NTSC region 0 Format, and it can be ordered directly through Paypal in Blue Apple Music Web Site.

BIRD - Alive 05 CD

2005-11-15T20:32:00.001+01:00

After the second demise of The Chameleons in 2003, Mark Burgess joins efforts again with his old friend Yves Altana.

Some gigs in 2005 result in the recordings of a rehearsal in October of 2005 in front of a specially invited audience. No new material is played on this gig; just a brief look at the past with live versions of tunes belongig to The Chameleons, The Sun and the Moon, MB & The Sons of God and Invincible.

This rehearsal, recorded in a 8 Track Equipment has been edited in a CD which is called Alive '05, and shows the live sound of the band as it is, without further postproductions. This is the tracklist

Spooks / Gethsemene / Looking Inwardly / Happy New Life / Perfume Garden / Kinks / Elected / Second Skin / Only You Could Save Me / Think (it’s gonna happen) / Dangerous / This Passionate Breed

BIRD is formed by

Mark Burgess - Bass guitar and vocals
Yves Altana - Guitarras and synths
Achim Färber - Drums

On the following note, Mark hilmself tells us about the reasons to record this rehearsal, and points out that all the benefits from the sellings of this CD will we invested in the tour they want to perform in a very independent way, without the aid of tour managements:

“Hello,

I've been asked to write a few words regarding the latest CD 'Alive 05. Originally we did plan to record a live album at a venue in the UK as a prelude to a national tour supporting the New Model Army during October 2005. However the logistics were rather complicated due to timing and finance and so in the end I hit upon the idea of inviting a number of our regular audience to one of the band's rehearsal sessions in Manchester and recording that instead.

I thought it might be interesting for people to see and hear how a band prepares for a major tour and at the same time hear the material performed in as raw a way as possible. The event was a total success and we found ourselves rehearsing in front of around 40 or so people. What was interesting for me was that I found the live rehearsal to be a completely new and unique experience and after 25 years of performing live, new and unique experiences tend to be quite rare.

What was also interesting was the manner in which we chose to record the session, totally live to 8-track equipment, no overdubs. Recording in this manner is also very rare these days, in fact bands haven't generally made a record that way since the early sixties and the result is a tension in the recordings that one doesn't generally come across, harkening back to the early days of the John Peel Sessions at the old 8-track recording studio at Langham House, where I recorded my first BBC session with the Chameleons back in 81.

We were so impressed actually that we went back to the studio the following day to record a few additional tracks, which is why you can only hear applause on around half of the tracks presented here. One other thing I'd like to mention, by buying this CD you're not only getting something special in terms of what has been captured, but you're also helping support my work in a very vital and practical way. I'm trying to remain as independent of the mainstream music business as possible. I was about to embark on a major tour without the usual kinds of help that record labels and such like are apt to provide, such as tour support. The entire tour was personally financed and the production of Alive 05 is meant to subsidise these costs. Therefore by purchasing it you are directly aiding the artists, another rarity in this business. So for that, you have my profound thanks.

Hope to see you on the road somewhere, in the meantime, take care.”

Mark Burgess November 1, 2005, Hamburg Germany..

Guaranteed not a bootleg, but a genuine, unplayed CD obtained direct from the band.

COCONUT DOG FUCK: New Project from D.Fielding

2005-08-19T15:13:00.002+02:00

Dave Fielding, one of the guitarrists of The Chameleons, has recently created a new band called Coconut Dog Fuck.

They have released a new EP called Northern Stars, with 4 instrumental songs, which can only be bought at their gigs. They mix electric sound with trance techno rythms.

The band is formed by:
Dave Fielding - Guitars,Keyboards, Dulcimer,
Paul Didge - Didgeridoo
Ralph Harris - Percussion

Some pics from their Summer05 gigs are available in the Photoalbum by Blackout.

More information about Coconut Dog Fuck and the rest of projects by Dave Fielding on The Reegs Fan Web Site, which is managed by our friend Pedro.

MUSIC FOR ABORIGINES Biography

2005-07-13T02:49:00.017+02:00

Andy Clegg has sent us an interesting biography of MUSIC for ABORIGINES, and some photos we proudly present here. For too long there has been a lack of information regarding this fantastic group, which was (like The Chameleons) totally underated by the entire world. Although too many years have passed since this group disbanded, let´s try to do some justice. Here is all the info for those who will be interested in knowing more about MUSIC for ABORIGINES:

In November 1979 Andy Whitaker and Andy Clegg who were friends from school, decided to get together and record improvisations in song form with verse, chorus etc. Guitar parts vocal melodies and lyrics were all improvised and recorded live on to a tape deck with no overdubs etc. The ideas were the length a typical song and were given titles and an album title. They would treat the improvisations as a finished product and would enjoy listening to them later, as if it was a new album by a new band. Gradually other instruments would be used, drum machine, keyboards, and bass.

In 1983, Dave Booth a friend of Andy Whit would join on guitar. It was at this time that they decided to give themselves a band name. Andy W came up with the name Music for Aborigines and began to choose a selection of songs from the improvised albums to play live.

They played a few local gigs using a drum machine then decided to look for a venue in Manchester for which they could sell tickets and create a live venue for bands. They discovered The Star and Garter and the venue is still hosting live music today. Their first gig at the Star and Garter was very successful. It was at this gig that Chameleons drummer John Lever who had been friends with both Andy's, advertised the gig on a Chameleons radio interview and Mark, Reg and Dave had all agreed they would help out, by collecting the tickets on the door.

In 1986 a mutual school friend of both Andy's Col Smith joined MFA on keyboards. Their next gig would be at a local pub for charity and John Lever would join on drums. As John was officially with the Chameleons, MFA needed a permanent drummer and Mike Simms who was the drummer for Manchester band BFG (who supported New Order) became MFA drummer. After many gigs, some being supported by Eskimos and Egypt and with the Chameleons at Middleton Civic Hall the band decided to go in the studio to record some demos. "When You Were A Child" and "Ragbone Man" were the first demos to be recorded in Didsbury M/C and were used to get a record deal.

Later, Col, Dave and Mike departed from the band and John Lever introduced the 2 Andys to guitarist Aky who was a member of a local punk band The Hoax that featured Mike Joyce of The Smiths on drums. Then they decided to go in suite 16 studios owned by Peter Hook of New Order where Script of the Bridge was recorded. They chose more songs to record from the improvised albums and purposely wrote new material with the intention of releasing a 3 track 12 inch single. They asked John Lever to play drums for them. Due to Aky only just joining, he only played guitar on "Sitting on a Biscuit" and came up with the idea for "The End of Tracey Smith". The 2 Andy's played all of Col and Dave's parts, initially written for the songs. The 10 songs were recorded in 2 days and 3 of the songs were chosen for the single. The majority of the songs were taken and reworked from the improvised albums created by Andy W, Andy C, Dave Booth and Col Smith.A 12" single was released. Chris Cundy (a local artist and friend of the band) created the artwork. Chris also became the creator of the visuals the band used in their live sets.

Sadly for MFA, John rejoined the Chameleons. Later when the Chameleons eventually disbanded Mark and John approached Andy W and Andy C to form The Sun and the Moon, which Aky also would be involved with. The track "Faith" would become a regular live feature in the SATM concerts and many ideas that were created through the improvisation albums became SATM album tracks.

(Thanks a lot for this biography to Andy Clegg)

New Release from DAVE FIELDING

2003-12-20T14:59:00.000+01:00

Dave Fielding, one of the guitarrists of The Chameleons, releases a limited EP under the name of DF118. The EP is called Dragonfly´s and Butterfly´s and this is the track list:

Betrayal (Glastonbury Mix)
Stone (Hamburg Mix)
Bosnia (Middleton Mix)
Snooker Hooligan (Rochdale Mix)

It can only be purchased directly from the artist himself. The first two songs are new, but the rest of them belong to when he was in The Reegs, and they have been re-created for this occassion.

Betrayal, opens the EP with jungle ambience meanwhile Stone has hypnotic-trance rythms with a little aftertaste of Kraftwerk. The instrumental version of Bosnia explores calmer soundscapes, and Snooker Hooligan is the only rock song, with electric guitars. A work that escapes from the past and explores new ways of creating music for this artist.

THE CHAMELEONS SPLIT UP (again)

2003-04-22T20:09:00.000+02:00

Very bad news for this Easter: The internal frictions among some members of the band, far from being solved have been growing up since the Athens Show, a Show that at first was going to be a Chameleons Show and it ended being a Mark Burgess solo gig . It seems due to different points of view in the evolution of the band and perhaps to misunderstandings and a lack of communication during the last months, Dave Fielding has taken the decission to give up the band, as he himself has estated in the official forum on April , the 18th of 2003. Acording to his words, the same resolution has been taken by Reg and John, altough they have not yet confirmed this nor deny. It is clear The Chameleons is not able to survive if any of its members is not in, so today we can assure The Chameleons have split up (again).

This is not the end The Chameleons deserve -according to many of their fans, their best album is yet to come-; nevertheless the destiny is playing tricks again with The Chameleons, a band who never got the acknoledgement they deserved from the music business. A truncated end which does not either do justice to their discography, but an end we respect very deeply, because above everything the members of The Chameleons have to feel good inside the band, and if this does not happen for whatever reason, perhaps the best decision to take is to close chapter and begin new projects.

Mark, by his side and due to other kind of problems is closing his public email address, so he won´t be reachable anymore by the general public. As he has estated on the official forum, he will pass Mik - the webmaster of the official site- all the news concerning his musical career whenever there is something to be said . We hope the storm will soon pass, but nowadays it seems the Chameleons are badly hurt, and being very optimistic, it will take a very long time to hail their injuries. Will we have to wait for another 14 years?.

Perhaps this time is forever ...

From our side, we will be right here on this lonely island, as a tribute to one of the most special bands from the Manchester of the 80´s, and hoping this small fire will give light enough to let people know, what has been, what is and what will always be the magic and evocking sound of The Chameleons.

Another Acoustic Album from THE CHAMELEONS

2002-10-26T00:13:00.004+02:00

New Acoustic Album from The Chameleons revisiting their songs in unplugged mood. The album is called This Never Ending Now and it has been released through their own record label and it also contains a cover from a David Bowie´s song.

This is the Track List:

The Fan and the Bellows
Tears
Intrigue In Tangiers
Is It Any Wonder?
Seriocity
Swamp Thing
All Around
Second Skin
Home Is Where The Heart Is
Miracles And Wonders
View From A Hill
Moonage Daydream

Comments by Mark Burgess
Did you know that according to modern thinking in the field of quantum physics, everything that has ever happened, everything that is happening, and everything that will happen from this point on, is in fact happening in the same cosmic instant? No, neither did I, and it makes you think doesn't it? Or perhaps not. The thing is, It supports quite a few notions that I'd been arriving at for some time, and I'm not going to mention any of them, save one, the notion of the infinite moment. The dimension of space time, like all dimensions in the physical realm, is subject to the laws of gravity. We can see the effects of passing time obviously, one only has to observe the shifting seasons or the wrinkles under one's eyes, but the natural processes in motion here can actually be affected upon by tinkering around with physics, as anyone even vaguely familiar with Einstein will tell you.
What bearing this has on consciousness and its survival of physical death is another matter and one which I don't have time to go into right now. My tea's ready. But it struck me how music is a metaphor for capturing the infinite moment, how music seems to capture time as perfectly as any quantum event, metaphorically speaking. Of course, like when dealing with one's perception of reality in order to capture the kind of infinite moments we would wish to spend infinity in, one has to make the emotional connection. I know for a fact that a number of people have already connected with the material presented here, and that when they hear these moments expressed once more in a fresh, original way, by the very souls that created these expressions in the first place, they'll connect again. Perhaps you will too. It worked for me kiddo..

Mark Burgess Four O'clock in the afternoon. Where the heart is.

THE CHAMELEONS Live Performance on KEXP 90.3 FM

2002-10-15T22:57:00.004+02:00

The Chameleons have performed during their US Tour on October, the 15th of 2009 a Radio Session in KEXP Radio (Seattle). On this session they have performed live 4 songs:

Nathan´s Phase
On The Beach
Tears
Miracles And Wonders

On the following link of KEXP you can listen to the songs and the corresponding interview

KEXP 90.3 FM - Live Performance: Chameleons, The on 10/15/2002

CHAMELEONS Live DVD Release

2002-08-19T19:24:00.002+02:00

Cherry Red Records has released in DVD format the classic videos from the 80´s Live at the Gallery Club & Live at the Hacienda.

This is the track list from both concerts:

LIVE AT THE GALLERY CLUB:
Paper Tigers / Nathan's Phase / Don't Fall / Pleasure And Pain / Here Today / In Shreds / Up The Down Escalator / Second Skin / Monkeyland / As High As You Can Go / Things I Wish I'd Said / View From A Hill

LIVE AT THE HACIENDA:
Paper Tiger / Pleasure & Pain / Men Of Steel / Years Ago / In Shreds / Don't Fall / Second Skin

The DVD can be purchased directly on the CherryRed Web Site.

This is an excerpt available also on Cherry Red TV Channel of the highlights of Hacienda concert

Live Album from MarkBurgess & Yves Altana

2002-06-26T00:48:00.001+02:00

Recently it has been released a new Live CD of Mark Burgess & Yves Altana called Paradyning Live In Frankfurt '96 and it contains the following songs from the previous studio work Paradyning:

1. Sin
2. Silver
3. Money Won't Save Your Soul
4. You Opened My Mind (And The Acid Kicked In)
5. Always Want
6. Home Is Where The Heart Is
7. Inhaling
8. World Without End
9. This Passionate Breed
10. Hi Joe 11.
Is It Any Wonder

Home Is Where The Heart Is and Is It Any Wonder belong to The Chamelons era, and This Passionate Breed to The Sun And The Moon; the rest of the songs are from the Paradyning album from Mark Burgess & Yves Altana.

New Live Double Album from THE CHAMELEONS

2002-03-03T00:29:00.004+01:00

It has been confirmed by Simon Lawlor, the manager of The Chameleons, that the release date for the new album will be the 25th of March.It will be called simply The Chameleons Live and it will have more than 100 minutes of music with the following track list:

Disc One
01-A Person Isn't Safe Anywhere 02-Pleasure and Pain 03-Perfumed Garden 04-Anyone Alive? 05-Indiana 06-Caution 08-Up The Down Escalator 09-Lufthansa

Disc Two
01- Dangerous Land 02-Second Skin 03-Miracles and Wonders 04-Shades 05-Swamp Thing 06-Monkeyland 07-Splitting In Two

The first copies will have at the end of the second CD three bonus tracks recorded live in Munster:

08-Tears 09-Seriocity 10- Soul In Isolation

This work will be distributed by Universal, so it is likely it will be easily available. The catalog number is Paradiso CD002. The cover design will be made by Reg Smithies.

These are the comments from Mark Burgess included on the album:

Hello

Welcome to "The Chameleons-Live", the first definitive live album to be released since the retrospective "Live In Toronto" some years ago. The Chameleons reformation began over five nights at a small venue called The Witchwood, during the month of May 2000. At the time this was all that had been planned, but on witnessing the invasion of this small north of England town by armies of Chameleons devotees from all over the country, and indeed the world, turning our five night stand into something more remisniscent of a Chameleons festival, we quickly realised that we also owed a debt to those that hadn´t been able to take part and yet had contributed so much to keeping the spirit and the music of the band alive over the years. So we decided to go out and play a few more shows, with the ensuing momentum resulting in the band performing waht at the close of the year 2001 totalled around 67 shows: in England, Scotland, Shetland, Germany, France, Spain, Holland and the state of California in the U.S.A.

From the outset we told ourselves that a properly produced live album documenting the reformation of the band would be a worthwhile addtion to our catalogue of releases. But from the first gig until the last the group´s performances were improving and it seemed we were never quite satisfied with the results when reviewing the tapes. The Witchwood shows had been mad, frantic affairs and a period better captured on the live video "Resurrection", which we felt, coming so close on the heels of the band´s initial reformation reflects the entire spirit of the time. The audio soundtrack left something to be desired however and doesn´t really have the quality of ambience we were looking for in a live record. In addition, following the recording of "Why Call It Anything", the first Chameleons studio album in fifteen years, we eventually began adding brand new material to the sets and so we had wanted to document this too. The new songs were also evolving and improving with every performance and we felt that by attempting to capture this we would be able to offer a live album that took a step beyond the usual collection of past classics.

Recording a live album is a tricky business however especially when it´s The Chameleons because every single gig can be totally different and we weren´t able to carry a mobile recording unit with us every night. One approach was to contact Alex Staszko, Andreas Ott and others who regularly archive the band´s performances (on a none-profit making basis I should add) in the hope of compiling tracks that spanned the whole period of the reformation. Although we were very grateful for the response and the results were interesting, from a technical viewpoint the recordings were a little too disjointed and unpredictable and in the end we were forced to abandon the idea. Finally, thanks to Simon Moran of SJM Concerts we were invited to return a second time to the Manchester Academy and we were able to nail the live album to our satisfaction with the help of Alan Leach from Shed 7, who recorded and mixed the tracks alongside Ollie King at their Studio Seven in York, and John Delf our regular "Front of House" sound engineer, who alongside John Slater at "TheShed" studio in Stockport, was on hand to master the recordings. They all did a great job in presenting what I personally feel is the best live recording of the band to date and we´re very grateful.
The night wasn´t without its problems, not least when the bridge on Dave´s guitar went flying into the audience mid-way through Soul In Isolation thereby rendering the guitar totally out of tune. Sadly for this reason the song had to be omitted, but by way of recompense we´ve added a few bonus tracks at the end, which also represents an attempt to present the band in a slightly different context. As always there are some people that we feel we deserve a special mention: the band´s manager Simon Lawlor, Booma, Dougie, Will and Stan for keeping the wheels rolling, Big Tony Miller (Mr Fish) for all his running around, Shan Hira for all his help early on, Andy Moore for the lighting, and Daniela Haug, who stood in lots of drafty corridors selling merchandise on our behalf and answering a thousand and one questions from eager supporters. It is to them and to you that we wish to express our highest appreciation for making it all possible and giving us so many special nights over the last eighteen months or so.

Mark Burgess, midday, Hamburg.Germany.

P.S. Noch eine fantastische Illustrierung von Reg, oder?

New Album from THE CHAMELEONS

2001-07-19T19:55:00.002+02:00

After some delays, the new album from The Chameleons containing new songs has been finally released through Artful Records. This is the first album in 15 years containing new songs from the band from Middleton. The album is called Why Call it Anything and here is the track list:

1 Shades
2 Anyone Alive?
3 Indiana
4 Lufthansa
5 Truth Isn't Truth Anymore
6 All Around
7 Dangerous Land
8 Music In The Womb
9 Miracles and Wonders
10 Are You Still There?

On this Amazon link you can listen to some excerps from the songs.

Album technical data:

Mark Burgess: Bass, voices, lyrics
Dave Fielding: Guitar, keyboards and backing vocals
Reg Smithies: Guitar and backing vocals
John Lever: Guitar and backing vocals

All songs written and performed by The Chameleons with additional vocals, lyrics and percussion by Kwasi Asante
Produced by David M. Allen and The Chameleons
Engineers: David M. Allen, John Rivers and Ewan Davies.
Mixed by John Rivers and David M. Allen
Recorded at Chapel, ARC and Woodbine Studios between September 2000 and May 2001.

MarK Burgess Comments about the album:
Mark E. Smith once said, while discussing his band 'The Fall', that regardless of what critics might tell you a band doesn't survive for ten years in this business if what they produce is crap. Around the same time Pete Shelley from 'Buzzcocks' said that no matter how hard the struggle to establish oneself might become, if an artist makes a truly great record it will be heard. Both statements struck a chord with me at the time and now here I am, some twenty four years later, a member of The Chameleons, writing the sleeve notes to our fifth album (all the others were retrospectives and therefore don't really count). Not a prolific output compared to some I grant you but significant never the less. The fact that a few records made by four scruffy lads from Middleton, Manchester (no, that's not fair, John could never be described as 'scruffy' and besides, he comes from Tameside) could touch so many hearts and minds the world over amazes me. Especially as Dave seems to be the only universally attractive one, but they did, so there we are. I say 'amazes me' because I'm the only member of the group that wastes time thinking about stuff like that, at least openly. If you were to ask us outright (and many have tried), what lies at the core of The Chameleons all you'd probably get would be a giggle and a bewildered glance. The truth is we don't know. One might as well ask why, from all of the millions of people in the world, only a handful emerge to capture our hearts so completely. Why do we cry when we see them born? Or cry when we lose them? We can label it 'this' or call it 'that' but in the final analysis why call it anything? It just happens. In order to make things happen though, one sometimes needs help. So! Thanks to Dave Allen for all the fun and frolics; and to John down at Woodbine for helping mix the sonics. To 'Arc' and 'The Chapel' who provide the electronics; To Stany Stan the man who can for all the Rolling Rockets; To Boomer, Dougie, Will and Shan for nursing alcholics; to Simon Lawlor management for all the Gin and Tonics; and to you and others like for reaching for your pockets. Finally a very big thanks to our special guest and close friend Kwasi Asanti who provided additional percussion and some great vocals, Raster Master!

Mark Burgess, Six o'clock in the morning, Corfu, 2001

A Race Commodity

P.S...Reg! What a face! Nice one nutcase!

THE CHAMELEONS Spanish Gig

2000-10-20T09:18:00.001+02:00

The Chameleons will be touring Spain on the following dates:

Nov. 02. Girona, Teatre de Salt
Nov. 03. Valencia, Ku Manises
Nov. 04. Palma De Mallorca, Sonotone
Nov. 08. Madrid, Moby Dick
Nov. 09. Bilbao, Kafe Antzokia
Nov. 10. Zaragoza, La Casa del Loco
Nov. 11. Barcelona, Sala Bikini

Update1: According to what Mark told us in the Spanish Tour, a brand new album will be edited by The Chameleons next year, and it will be produced by Dave Allen, the same produced as Strange Times album.

Update2: This is a review of the show in Bilbao:

Last November the 9th The Chameleons came for the first time to Bilbao, a County Town in the North of Spain. The concert, included in their European Resurrection Tour, was performed before a nostalgic and devoted audience; people in their thirties,most of them expecting to see for the first time one of the most important bands of the Alternative British Pop of the eighties. Nevertheless, the local mass media didn´t focus on the event, not even the music radio channels, in which this kind of music is almost completely absent. This and the fact that their brand new acoustic cd in 14 years, Strip, has been marketed with almost no promotion, ended in a very reduced audience; no more than 250 people attended the concert. There will be, surely, more than one fan who, unfortunately, didn´t realize that their favourite band had silently reached our town to perform one of the best concerts of the year in our country.

The building of the old Theatre Cafe Antzokia, remodelled as a pub, with capacity for 350 people where concerts are performed regularly, was the perfect place for a Chameleons concert and its acoustic and atmosphere resulted as perfect as ever. At 11:45 pm appeared The Chameleons on stage before an impatient audience which was slowly coming closer to the stage. The warm and enthusiastic welcome with which Dave Fielding,Reg smithies,Mark Burgess and John Lever were received is only comparable with the years The Chamaleons have been absent from the stages.

Without any intro and between the cheers of the audience, Reg started playing the first chords of Swamp Thing. One by one, the rest of The Chameleons joined Reg and the song grew stronger and powerful. The sound was so fluid it seemed like The Chameleons had never stopped playing together during the last 14 years. And so, one by one, with Mark Burgess in the middle,Reg and Dave by his side and John at the back, songs like "A Person Isn´t Safe ...", "Here Today", "Perfurme Garden", etc were emerging from the hearts and instruments of The Chameleons. The 105 minutes the concert took were enough to revisit the scarce repertoire The Chameleons produced in the 80´s. Their first album, Script Of The Bridge, was the work whose songs were played most. Songs like Don´t Fall, Second Skin - one of the most demanded songs -, A Person Isn´t Safe Anywhere These Days, Here Today, View From A Hill, MonkeyLand, Pleasure and Pain and Less Than Human - one of the highlights of the concert:the song fading out and the chorus of the audience emerging slowly from behind -. From their second album we could enjoy melodies like Perfume Garden, On The Beach - Strip version whose beauty is even greater than the original one - and One Flesh - the song derived towards caribean rythms -. From Strange Time, they played Soul In Isolation - John is the Boss -, Caution and Swamp Thing - the one which opened the concert. Remembering their beginnings, The Chameleons played In Shreds and Splitting In Two, song with a Punk Style closing their concerts where Mark is helped by the audience to sing and Reg takes the drums and John does the same with Reg´s guitar -.

At 1:30 am the concert ended, a magic night in which we could see how The Chameleons are still able to reproduce live all the magic their studio songs have. Those fans who didn´t want the night to end like this, could enjoy the best moments of the concert: to meet all of the members of the chameleons. Just a few minutes after the end of the show, Mark, John, Reg and Dave appeared from the backstage and talked, and signed autographs to all the fans who thanked them for their music. In short, no less than excellent for a band that has constructed like no one else landscapes of sound with the help of the guitars and lyrics and, keeping during all their works a personal style.

New Acoustic Album from THE CHAMELEONS

2000-06-20T23:34:00.003+02:00

The Chameleons have released on June 2000 a brand new album. These are the very first studio recordings of the band after their split up in 1987.

The album is called Strip and it contains acoustic versions of early songs plus two new songs: an instrumental called Road To San Remo and an electric one called Indian.

This is the complete Track Listing of the album:

Less Than Human
Nathan's Phase
Here Today
Soul In Isolation
Pleasure and Pain
Paradiso
Caution
On The Beach
Road To San Remo (instrumental)
Indian

This CD is a torch after fourteen years of darkness to welcome the return of The Chameleons. An atypical Second Coming, because this is not the case of a mainstream group which returns only for economic interests. It is more the consecution of events which were unchained by the death of Adrian Borland, the 26th of April of 1999, personal friend of Mark and leader of The Sound, another cult group of the 80´s.

In this CD, The Chameleons re-encounter themselves as a band and set the basis for the second birth of the band. The acoustic versions have nothing to do with this unplugged fashion which wrapped the whole planet by the 90´s. The essence of their sound is still there in these strip melodies. We have to pay attention to the delicate beauty of On The Beach, the only acoustic version which was performed live in the Resurrection Tour on 2000 all over Europe.

As a prelude of what the future of The Chameleons can be, Strip includes an instrumental short song called Road To San Remo and Indian, a more conventional and electric song.

In short, not a must have CD from The Chameleons if you are not a devoted fan, but at last a fire has been lit to see the end of the tunnel for those people who have been treasuring The Chameleons trilogy as a present from God.

The following are the notes Mark Burgess has included in the sleeve of the album:

Hello
What Is It?
Well it's an album of acoustic arrangements of some earlier songs along with one or two new tunes...
But, What is it?
Well it began as a way for Dave, Reg and myself to keep busy until John could join us for rehearsals for some gigs we'd arranged to play in May, but we soon realised that what we were doing here was something rather special...
But, what is it?
Well it' a group of songwriters getting back together after a ten-year lay-off, rediscovering their own music and redefining themselves as a band...
Yes, but what is it?
Er... It's a new album by The Chameleons.... Basically! We are The Chameleons. Is this album number four? I'm not sure. Mark Burgess, 3.25 p.m., Reg's flat

Ps Additional didjeridu by traditional Didjeri Dave...

Hello again
Well here I am writing sleeve notes for another fresh Chameleons record. It started with the decision in February to play a few gigs together in May 2000. For valid reasons I won't go into here it was impossible for John to come aboard until mid April, so rather than hang around waiting until then to start something the possibility of a few acoustic shows evolved into recording an acoustic album, which is the essence of what we have here. Our friend and advisor Simon Lawlor put up the money to make and press the record and it was originally envisioned that 'Strip' as it came to be called, would be a DIY project recorded on some equipment I have a 50% share in. As it turned out though, Shan Hira at Suite Sixteen, Rochdale, offered us the use of the studio over ten days at cost and we were able to return to the studio in which we'd made our name. Shan and another regular engineer at the studio, Jonathan Barrett, then worked with us for no fee over the period in order to finish the record in time. we can't thank them enough for making it possible for us to work at S16 and for working hard to ensure that the CD sounds so great.... Nice one! We'd also like t say a big thanks to Paul Fallon of Johnny Roadhouse Music, Manchester, for the practical help and encouragement he gave us during the pre-production stages of making this record.

mark burgess