House Of Love

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spzretent
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House Of Love

Post by spzretent »

Been on a bit of a House Of Love bender the past few days.
Amazing they get very little mention these days.
It was pretty clear in Upside Down how much Creation valued them.
Those first 3 records plus A Spy In The House Of Love are so good.
First one being that German only comp of the early singles since reissued with Destroy The Heart + B Sides. Second the S/T first LP proper and then the Fontana/Butterfly lp.
Not sure what is gonna knock them off the stereo right now.
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Kurious Oranj
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Re: House Of Love

Post by Kurious Oranj »

i was just listening to live @ the bbc the other day

what a fantastic live band if that's any indication

bickers and chadwick were a fierce combo
ononist
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Re: House Of Love

Post by ononist »

Fantastic band and my musical life would have been v different without them. When I was 12 years old or thereabouts I was big into the Housemartins (and still am come to that). Couple of years later I heard a I liked song on the radio and it was by the House Of Love. Forgot all about it until I saw their tape (yes tape) in the racks in HMV next to the Housemartins. From there it went House Of Love>Levitation>Cardiacs>many many more. A seperate line of musical intrigue from Spacemen 3 etc which I got into reading a review of Recurring. Anyway - god bless the House Of Love.
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Re: House Of Love

Post by runcible »

Something of an enigma for me - the good bits are amazing but I found quite a bit that was dull. That early comp is generally very good - the German one? And on the debut there are a few excellent songs - Salome is one of the greatest fast-paced indie songs I have ever heard in my life - utterly mind-blowing. But I kept getting bogged down in the softer stuff. So I remain largely non-plussed bar a few moments.
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Re: House Of Love

Post by spzretent »

Hmmmpfff.
The softer monents can be sublime.
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olan
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Re: House Of Love

Post by olan »

spzretent wrote:Hmmmpfff.
The softer monents can be sublime.
You've got that right. My Love In A Car is sublime.

Anybody who got to see the Chadwick/ Bickers HOL lineup live was really lucky. I saw them twice, once in Bristol where they were great but played about six songs and were done in under half an hour. About a year later I saw them in McGonigles (not sure of the spelling) in Dublin where they played a proper set and were astonishing. Bickers was clearly out there, but he could really play.

TBH I lost interest in them after the Butterfly album both as recording artists and as a live band.
Sim
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Re: House Of Love

Post by Sim »

It really was all about that Chadwick/Bickers partnership wasn't it?

Simon Walker managed replicate a lot of Bickers' guitar parts live (as heard on many of those Live at the BBC tracks; I don't think any of those feature Bickers, all 1990 & on) but the real test came with the Babe Rainbow album which just didn't have that same spark about it - although I still think Chadwick's songwriting is good on that.

Loved House of Love but for me Levitation were a much better outlet for Bickers - shame he couldn't see that at the time either..

And yes, Salome & Love in a Car - sublime pairing on the first (proper) album!
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Broc
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Re: House Of Love

Post by Broc »

I loved the debut and the second was excellent in places but a bit patchy really. Much prefer some of the German album versions of songs from the second (Fontana/Butterfly/House Of Love) album. A mate always said the later albums were very good as well though my interst had waned by then.

I only saw them once, about 4 years ago when they were touring for the debut's 20 year anniversary. The debut sounded great though they also played songs from their new album and it didn't leave much of an impression.

The slower ones on the debut are essential, Love in A Car, Man To Child..
spzretent
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Re: House Of Love

Post by spzretent »

Unfortunately for folks on this side of the river we never got the Chadwick/Bickers gigs.
i saw that incarnation at the Escape Club in Brighton. It was white hot. Blinding.
I then saw Terry Bickers front Levitiation twice in two nights during the New Music Seminar. He is/was one amazing guitarrorist wasnt he?
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Ian
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Re: House Of Love

Post by Ian »

spzretent wrote:Unfortunately for folks on this side of the river we never got the Chadwick/Bickers gigs.
i saw that incarnation at the Escape Club in Brighton. It was white hot. Blinding.
I think I might have been there! Was it around the time of Destroy the Heart?

Loved this band so much in their early days. German compilation is fantastic (Plastic may be their best moment), first album is acr, second has its moments but is a bit dull on occasion, and then I stopped caring. I finally got hold of Babe Rainbow a few years ago, and it's not too bad.

Around the time of the second album, I got Chadwick to sign a copy of I Don't Know Why I Love You, and he agreed to my request, signing "My face is a foregin food, Guy." He could come up with a truly crap lyric from time to time!

The turning point for me was when I bought what felt like 37 different formats of The Beatles and the Stones, only for them to be collected (along with a handful of "new" tracks) a month or so later. I did feel like I had been personally slighted for my fan loyalty.
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angelsighs
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Re: House Of Love

Post by angelsighs »

I've only got the 'Butterfly album'.. I think i'm with runcible on this... some of the songs are really great but some seem a bit generic indie rock..
they were almost designed to be on Creation...trad songwriting but with a slight trippiness around the edges.. I did enjoy reading about them in the Creation biography.. Chadwick seemed like a bit of a character
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Re: House Of Love

Post by stegraham »

I think "Rainbow Babe", their third, is a great album and probably my favorite one. It features great tracks such as "Crush Me", "Girl with the Loneliest Eyes", "Burn Down the World" and "Philly Phile". I'm not keen at all on "Audience with the Mind", their last one before the original split. I do like "Days Run Away" through, especially the wonderful title track. I never had the fortune to see that live - shame. Does anyone know if they are still together?

Ste
spzretent
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Re: House Of Love

Post by spzretent »

I think the Butterfly album is very underrated. Particlarly 32nd Floor and In A Room. Plus the newer, beefed up, versions of the previously released songs. By Babe Rainbow it seemed like the law of diminishing returns for me. I have bought all the others but sold them off. Including the Chadwick solo stuff.
Those first three lps, including the German comp as #1, are essential imho.
That Escape club gig was August 30th, 1988. I peeled a poster of the wall in the pub upstairs. Its sits in a frame here.
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Kurious Oranj
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Re: House Of Love

Post by Kurious Oranj »

Sim wrote: Simon Walker managed replicate a lot of Bickers' guitar parts live (as heard on many of those Live at the BBC tracks; I don't think any of those feature Bickers, all 1990 & on)
damn you're right.. i had thought he was on most of them.

either way it sounds really good.. better than the album cuts i must say

http://thequietus.com/articles/01138-th ... bum-review

and yeah the "your face is a foreign food" line is pretty cringeworthy in an otherwise fantastic song
Kurious Oranj
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Re: House Of Love

Post by Kurious Oranj »

i wanted to share this cut from the peel sessions not on any of their albums afaik

http://www.mediafire.com/?b1tc2f69n2mhcy0

11 minute "into the tunnel" from '91

edit: it's on audience of the mind.. this might be an earlier version.. i recommend it though.

i should stop posting :oops:
Last edited by Kurious Oranj on Tue Feb 21, 2012 9:30 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Minky
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Re: House Of Love

Post by Minky »

I used to be a big fan back then. Before they came to the States in '90, Chadwick came over by himself just to do press for the album. I knew their A&R guy at Mercury so I got to go to the interview/performance at WHTG in Asbury Park, Matt Pinfield was the DJ/interviewer. Chadwick was really sick but the acoustic performances were still pretty good. Afterwards everyone, including Chadwick, went for dinner. By the time we got back to the station, we had cassettes of the show in hand. Not a bad day for a cold dreary Sunday afternoon.
niamhm
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Re: House Of Love

Post by niamhm »

saw them just after the first album came out and was blown away ,Bickers/Chadwick could really kick up a f8cking wall of sound.
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Re: House Of Love

Post by MODLAB »

Love The House of Love — The German >>>> The Butterfly

Great stuff and actually listening to the Butterfly album ATM.

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endlessriver
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Re: House Of Love

Post by endlessriver »

Smile, by Levitation, is quite an amazing track too, I love it ....
~ and I don't know where I'm going ~ let it flow ~
~ makes me feel like i'm a child ~ let it flow ~
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Re: House Of Love

Post by sunray »

Nineteen...Nineteen...Six Five
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Re: House Of Love

Post by natty »

I'm a huge fan of Terry Bickers, he's one of my favourite guitarists. Never too over the top, his tone is unique and instantly recognisable, and he brings the magic to anything he plays on. He should be rated up there with the likes of Johnny Marr, John Squire, Bernard Butler, Nick McCabe etc.

The HoL stuff he plays on is fantastic, it's some of the only music me and my wife both love.
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Re: House Of Love

Post by angel-sighs »

Can anyone advise if the band are any good live these days? Was thinking of going to see them (need to get out to more gigs) but the ticket price is pretty steep
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Re: House Of Love

Post by spzretent »

No one really knows as it is Guy Chadwick and three new members. The single they released sounds very promising.


The more time marches on the more I appreciate The House Of Love. Of all the bands of that era I play them the most except Spacemen 3/Spiritualized/Sonic Boom/Spectrum et al. Definitely more than any of the Creation bands of that golden era.
In fact I am still working my way through that new 8 CD box set Burn Down The World which is utterly fantastic.

I scheduled a visit to Leeds/Manchester around the 2018 Leeds show. The 30th Anniversary of their first album tour. Complete with Terry Bickers.
They played the entire first album and played several deep tracks and b-sides. It was an HOL fan's dream.
I distinctly remember as Love In A Car exploded Runcible and I just looked at each other and smiled. One of "those" moments.

I feel fortunate to have seen them twice with TB though Simon Walker was a pretty good replacement. His only fault is he was no Terry Bickers.
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angel-sighs
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Re: House Of Love

Post by angel-sighs »

Ah okay thanks. It's a shame Bickers isn't still with them. That new song is definitely pretty good though.

I might be tempted to take a punt and go and see them, but more of a casual fan of the band really and the ticket price isn't really conducive to taking a chance!
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