Blue Orchids Awefull

No Blue Orchids releases have ever been reissued in vinyl, despite much of their material having been including on CD comps for Playtime, Cherry Red and LTM. This album rectifies that and marks the first time this material has been released in America. Originating from the smouldering ashes of the first line-up of The Fall, guitarist/vocalist Martin Bramah, keyboardist Una Baines and bassist Eric McGann joined forces with a new drummer and second guitarist and quickly signed with Rough Trade. Their goal was to follow The Fall’s original psychedelic vision. Steeped in drugs and mysticism, the band quickly released their debut album, produced by Red Crayola maestro Mayo Thompson and Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis, a session which saw Mayo break down in tears at the end of it due to the band’s intense rendition of both songs! “The Flood” and “Disney Boys” came out as a double a-side and quickly made the indie charts. This was quickly followed up with another session featuring Mayo and Geoff, as well as kid genius Adam Kidron, handling production and engineering. “Work” and “The House That Faded Out” bettered the debut, and in fact “Work” easily remains the band’s most often compiled song, appearing on two dozen officially released various artists collections. Following their debut album, “The Greatest Hit (Money Mountain),” a subtly psychedelic scathing attack on, well, everything, Blue Orchids acted as Nico’s back-up band and recorded a number of songs perhaps originally intended for her. Four of them were released on the “Agents Of Change” 12” EP, which in a rare bit of heavy Rough Trade promotion, came in a colour sleeve with a free full-colour poster and plastic carrier bag! Those tracks are compiled here on vinyl for the first time with two previously unreleased tracks. “The Unknown” comes from around the same time as the “Agents Of Change” EP, and “Sleepy Town” is an early version of a song which was later a well-loved 12” 45 side. Despite promises, Rough Trade US, in a period of chaos and confusion, somehow failed to release any of this material in America. So for the first time ever, Blue Orchids offer an actual domestic release, with cover art by acclaimed artist Leka Mladenovic, whose work with Vic Godard of Subway Sect has been the subject of several gallery exhibitions.