Blue In Heaven - Explicit Material

Blue in Heaven released Explicit Material in 1986 as their second and final studio album under Island Records. Shifting away from the lush, gothic post-punk production of their 1985 debut All the God's Men, the Dublin-based quartet opted for a rawer, more aggressive guitar-driven alternative rock sound. The band recorded the album at the legendary Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, working alongside engineer Eric "ET" Thorngren and Island Records founder Chris Blackwell. This change in sonic direction successfully captured the energy of their live performances, yielding their most famous college radio and MTV hit, "I Just Wanna."
Despite earning widespread critical acclaim and scoring high-profile opening slots on tour with U2 and New Order, the album did not achieve major commercial success. This lack of mainstream breakthrough led to the band parting ways with Island Records shortly after the promotional cycle. Today, Explicit Material remains a highly regarded, hidden gem of mid-1980s Irish indie rock, capturing a pivotal moment right before the band members later re-emerged in the 1990s as the alternative rock group The Blue Angels.

Blue In Heaven - All The Gods' Men

Blue In Heaven were perhaps one of the more interesting Irish groups of the early to mid-1980s. Founded in 1982 in Churchtown, Dublin, they lasted just seven years and released only two albums, an EP and a number of singles. The debut album from Blue In Heaven comes with a dark indie-pop atmosphere that provokes thoughts of Joy Division, The Horrors and other titans of new wave and post punk leanings. All The Gods Men, was a tinny artefact from the dying embers of post punk with much to recommend it, not least the proto-goth guitars, Martin Hannett’s just so production and singer Shane O’Neill’s voice, which didn’t so much sing the songs as wander hither and yon above the instrumentation. But what instrumentation! Remarkably over-emphatic bass lines two steps removed from Joy Division or ‘Movement’ era New Order underpin the tracks; but heavier, much much heavier (I’d dearly love to know how they achieved that), sheets of guitar sound fade in and out, martial drum beats predominate. And then there were the lyrics themselves which when not moodily enigmatic appeared to be mostly concerned with sex. One has to wonder how much of this was Hannett’s doing and how much theirs; and while similar thoughts are raised by many groups he produced the overall effect here was fascinating. It was no masterpiece; let’s be clear, but it was different and that was no small thing in the context of Irish music of the period. Drowned in reverb and almost indecipherable at times, All The Gods Men is a challenge, but a rewarding one.

Blue In Heaven - 3x12" Singles

Julie Cries 12" / Across My Heart 12" / I Just Wanna 12"

Blue in Heaven came out of the ashes of a band called 'Amuse'. Amuse consisted of Shane O'Neill, Dave Clarke, Declan Jones and Dave Long and disbanded in 1981/82. Hailing from Churchtown, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. They formed in 1982, and were signed to Island Records in 1983. Their debut album All The Gods' Men was produced by the legendary Martin Hannett, and was released on 25 Aug 1985. Their second album "Explicit Material" was met with critical acclaim, and they played at the Self-Aid concert on 17 May 1986. Following a tour with The Cramps in America, they were dropped by Island Records. They released the "Rock 'n' Roll R.I.P" EP in 1988 on Solid Records, and shortly after Kieran Kennedy joined the band, Blue in Heaven disbanded in 1989 while recording for an album with a brass section. They later reformed as The Blue Angels.

Blue In Heaven - Rock 'N Roll R.I.P 12''

Blue in Heaven were an Irish rock group from Churchtown, Dublin, formed in 1982, and lead by singer Shane O’Neill. They released their first album in 1985, but before that they went through a number of demo recordings, including their first in 1983, produced by The Edge. On November 13, 1987, just prior to the band splitting, a five track EP was issued on Solid Records, titled “Rock ‘N’ Roll R.I.P.” This featured a number of tracks recorded in 1987, but the final song on the EP was “On And On” one of the tracks recorded with The Edge in August 1983. Only The Edge is mentioned on the release as participating on the song. The song was recorded at Windmill Lane in August 1983. The track was produced by The Edge and engineered by Kevin Kileen. As on their 2nd album Explicit Material the weakest cuts are when they go straight forward rock, as on Swinging and Feel So Good, where they just end up sounding like a version of Electric era Cult.

Blue In Heaven - The Fanning Session

 

Blue In Heaven - Live RTE Studios Dublin 1985

This Blue in Heaven concert was recorded in RTE studio 1 in November 1985 and broadcast by Dave Fanning on his RTE Radio 2 (now 2fm) show over two nights. The concert was recorded by Paddy McBreen and produced by Julian Vignoles.