Allegory and Self | |
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Studio album by | |
Released | 1988 |
Genre | Psychedelic pop, Jangle pop, Post-punk, Experimental rock |
Label | Temple Records |
Producer | Genesis P-Orridge |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Allegory and Self: Illustrations in Sound is a studio album released by Psychic TV in 1988.
Several versions have appeared, including the original picture disc (TOPY 035) and black vinyl (TOPY 038) versions in 1988 on Temple Records, Fundamental Records (SPIN 1006) and on pink marbled vinyl (666 copies). It has also appeared on CD in at least two versions, on Spin and Cleopatra (CLEO94912 - with 3 bonus remixed tracks). It has also been reissued in Russia.
The cover graphics feature Austin Osman Spare's General Allegory and other illustrations from his Automatic Drawings and Book Of Satyrs. In the original release there was included a book of what seems to be P-Orridge's own Book of Satyrs, with very Spare-ish pen-and-ink drawings and illuminations and key lyrics, handwritten.
The track The Starlit Mire takes its title from the book of epigrams of the same title (written by two doctors, James Bertram and F. Russell), illustrated by Spare around 1910, in which his illustrations once more displayed his interest in the abnormal and the grotesque.
Track 6, Caresse Song, is a recording of Orridge's young mom daughter Caresse singing as she toys around with a keyboard.
The line-up for this recording included long-time PTV friend and collaborator Monte Cazazza. According to allmusic.com, all compositions were co-written by Genesis P. Orridge and Alex Fergusson.
Trouser Press described "Godstar" (which is about musician Brian Jones) as "a catchy pop single". [2]
Side One:
Side Two:
Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initially a blend of avant-garde electronics experiments and punk provocation". The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by members of Throbbing Gristle and Monte Cazazza. While the genre name originated with Throbbing Gristle's emergence in the United Kingdom, artists and labels vital to the genre also emerged in the United States and other countries.
Throbbing Gristle were an English music and visual arts group formed in 1975 in Kingston upon Hull by Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Peter Christopherson, and Chris Carter. They are widely regarded as pioneers of industrial music. Evolving from the experimental performance art group COUM Transmissions, Throbbing Gristle made their public debut in October 1976 on COUM exhibition Prostitution, and released their debut single "United/Zyklon B Zombie" and debut album The Second Annual Report the following year. Lyrical themes mainly revolved around mysticism, extremist political ideologies, sexuality, dark or underground aspects of society, and idiosyncratic manipulation of language.
Austin Osman Spare was an English artist and occultist who worked as both a draughtsman and a painter. Influenced by symbolism and art nouveau his art was known for its clear use of line, and its depiction of monstrous and sexual imagery. In an occult capacity, he developed magical techniques including automatic writing, automatic drawing and sigilization based on his theories of the relationship between the conscious and unconscious self.
Chaos magic, also spelled chaos magick, is a modern tradition of magic. Emerging in England in the 1970s as part of the wider neo-pagan and esotericist subculture, it drew heavily from the occult beliefs of artist Austin Osman Spare, expressed several decades earlier. It has been characterised as an invented religion, with some commentators drawing similarities between the movement and Discordianism. Magical organizations within this tradition include the Illuminates of Thanateros and Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth.
Genesis Breyer P-Orridge was an English singer-songwriter, musician, poet, performance artist, visual artist, and occultist who rose to notoriety as the founder of the COUM Transmissions artistic collective and lead vocalist of seminal industrial band Throbbing Gristle. P-Orridge was also a founding member of Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth occult group, and fronted the experimental pop rock band Psychic TV.
Psychic TV were an English experimental video art and music group, formed by performance artist Genesis P-Orridge and Scottish musician Alex Fergusson in 1981 after the break-up of Throbbing Gristle.
Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth, abbreviated as TOPY, was a British magical organization, fellowship and chaos magic network founded in 1981 by Genesis P-Orridge, lead member of multimedia group Psychic TV. The network, including later members of Coil and Current 93, was a loosely federated organization of members and initiates operating as an order of ceremonial magic and sex magic, as well as an experimental artistic collective.
Monte Cazazza was an American artist and composer best known for his seminal role in helping shape industrial music through recordings with the London-based Industrial Records in the mid-1970s.
Trip Reset is a 1996 album credited to Genesis P-Orridge and Psychic TV featuring The Angels of Light.
Heathen Earth is a live album by the English industrial band Throbbing Gristle, released in 1980 through Industrial Records.
Force the Hand of Chance is the debut studio album by English experimental group Psychic TV, released in 1982 by record label Some Bizzare. The first 5,000 pressings came with a bonus album, Themes.
Dreams Less Sweet is the second studio album by English experimental band Psychic TV, released in 1983. It was the last Psychic TV album to feature co-founder Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson.
Themes 2, also referred to as Themes, Vol. 2, is a studio album by a multimedia collective Psychic TV, released by Temple Records in 1985. It is the second album in the Themes series, predeced by Themes – initially an accompanying release to Force the Hand of Chance – and followed up by Themes 3, and was recorded as a soundtrack for videos by a British filmmaker Derek Jarman.
Thee Majesty was a British industrial music group.
Pagan Day (originally released as A Pagan Day (Pages From a Notebook)) is a 1984 album by English experimental band Psychic TV. The cover photograph is of Caresse P-Orridge taken by Andrew Rawling.
Jack the Tab/Tekno Acid Beat is an album of material by Psychic TV released under the guise of a various artists compilation album. The album is compiled from the releases Jack the Tab – Acid Tablets Volume One and Tekno Acid Beat.
Towards Thee Infinite Beat is an album by Psychic TV. It was followed by the remix album Beyond Thee Infinite Beat.
Slow Death, an EP, is the debut release by Swedish rockers The Leather Nun.
"Roman P" is a song by Psychic TV about director Roman Polanski.
Peak Hour is an album by the English band Psychic TV, released in 1993.