Formed in Leeds in 1984 by Phil Morris (vocals), Paul
James Berry (guitar) and Alan Davis (bass), The Rose Of Avalanche came to
prominence following heavy airplay of their debut single, the “apocalyptic
epic” ‘L.A. Rain’, by John Peel. BBC Sessions with Peel and Janice Long
followed and ‘L.A. Rain’ sat proudly at number 26 in Peel’s 1985 Festive Fifty,
above songs by The Cure, The Smiths and The Sisters of Mercy although it was
released before the band had performed live. Glenn Schultz (guitar) was added
to the line-up on the follow-up, ‘Goddess’. The band continued to dominate the
indie scene of the period, with singles, ‘Too Many Castles in the Sky’, ‘Velveteen’
and ‘Always There’, all topping the indie charts. Drummer Mark Thompson was drafted
into the line-up following ‘Goddess’ allowing The Rose Of Avalanche to move
away from the strictures of using a drum machine. Their third single ‘Too Many
Castles In The Sky’ originated from overhearing a man in a pub asking a girl if
she wanted to “See my castle in the sky?” Following this release bass player
Alan Davis was replaced by Nicole McKay. The next single ‘Velveteen’, a tribute
to Nico, gained further exposure after the band accompanied the Mission on a
European tour. Support slots with David Bowie followed, but just as the band
looked set for mainstream success, their meteoric rise was halted by a series
of legal wrangles with their record label, leading to the eventual dissolution
of the band.
Magnificently raw, beautiful and loud, The Rose of
Avalanche is here to reclaim their rightful place at the top table of
alternative/goth music.
A whole bunch of blistering 12” singles sit waiting for
you to open and bliss out on in one MP3 @ 320kbps folder.
The Rose Of Avalanche; L A Rain 12”
A. L
A Rain
B1. Rise
To The Groove
B2. Conceal
Me
Goddess 12”
A. Goddess
B1. A Thousand
Landscapes
B2. Gimme
Some Lovin’
Too Many Castles In The Sky/Velveteen 12”EP
A1. Too Many
Castles In The Sky
A2. Dizzy
Miss Lizzy
A3. Assassin
B1. Velveteen
B2. Who Cares
B3. Just
Like Yesterday
Always There 12”
A. Always
There
B1. Waiting
For The Sun
B2. Majesty
Always There (The Mainline Mix) 12”
A1. Always
There (The Mainline Mix)
A2. The Mainline
Man
B1. Waiting
For The Sun
B2. Majesty
Great stuff! always used to see the EP's in the bins at record stores here in Boston in the 80s, but never investigated....Thanks!!!!
ReplyDeleteI’m happy that you’ve finally found the time to enjoy
DeleteFabulous stuff, thank you. I used to go and see them play in Leicester in the late 1980s, always a great night. I believe they are touring again this year.
ReplyDeleteA band that knew how to enjoy themselves Iain.
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