Formed by Bee (aka: Paul
Hampshire) and Barry Jepson escaping from the short-lived Getting the Fear (in
itself formed from the ashes of Southern Death Cult) in 1985, Into a Circle
never really attained the recognition they deserved. Sometimes known as In Two
a Circle, or even In2a0, Assassins was the only full length album they ever
recorded, ostensibly released in 1988 but in actuality, most of the material on
here was recorded several years earlier. The re-released CD on Cherry Red’s
Goth Collectors Series is worth owning as it includes all the duo’s singles as
bonus tracks and so apart from a few B-sides effectively represents everything
Into a Circle ever officially released. The often extremely frank liner notes
on the re-release are also worthwhile, providing detailed and often explicit
insights into the motivations underlying the pair’s music.
The topics that fascinated Into a Circle orbited largely around the philosophies and writings of Brion Gysin & William Burroughs, incorporating alternative sexualities (“Under Mikhail”, “Flow”), S&M (“Tender Skin”, “Rise”), drugs ("O’Siren", "And In Flames") and religion (“Allah Akhbar” – itself originally a song from the Getting the Fear period). A heady mix that in less talented hands could easily have produced a sensationalist and bombastic assault. In the hands of Into a Circle however, Assassins emerges as a beautiful and highly introspective piece of hugely under-rated Goth with backing vocals provided by Rose McDowall of Strawberry Switchblade.
Things couldn’t be sustained however; drugs and an already difficult relationship with Abstract Records exacerbated by the duo insisting on total control over all aspects of music, production and artwork saw Into a Circle implode. Barry now works as a tour manager in the UK and Bee relocated to Thailand where he works in various electro bands including Futon & Goo with former Suede drummer Simon Gilbert.
The topics that fascinated Into a Circle orbited largely around the philosophies and writings of Brion Gysin & William Burroughs, incorporating alternative sexualities (“Under Mikhail”, “Flow”), S&M (“Tender Skin”, “Rise”), drugs ("O’Siren", "And In Flames") and religion (“Allah Akhbar” – itself originally a song from the Getting the Fear period). A heady mix that in less talented hands could easily have produced a sensationalist and bombastic assault. In the hands of Into a Circle however, Assassins emerges as a beautiful and highly introspective piece of hugely under-rated Goth with backing vocals provided by Rose McDowall of Strawberry Switchblade.
Things couldn’t be sustained however; drugs and an already difficult relationship with Abstract Records exacerbated by the duo insisting on total control over all aspects of music, production and artwork saw Into a Circle implode. Barry now works as a tour manager in the UK and Bee relocated to Thailand where he works in various electro bands including Futon & Goo with former Suede drummer Simon Gilbert.
Posted by James Von Sutekh
Ripped by some kind soul
out there in the interweb to MP3 @ 320kbps
1. Beneath Mikhail
Very interesting.I'll give it a try. The mention of Burroughs-Gysin snapped my attention so i'll dive into it.
ReplyDeleteHope you're feeling better and glad to have you around.
Thanks a lot.