Simple Headphone Mind | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | 1997 | |||
Genre | Experimental rock | |||
Length | 31:40 | |||
Label | Duophonic (UK) | |||
Producer | Steven Stapleton | |||
Stereolab & Nurse With Wound chronology | ||||
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Stereolab chronology | ||||
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Simple Headphone Mind is the second collaboration between Stereolab and Nurse With Wound. As with their first release, Crumb Duck , Stereolab recorded the basic track and then handed it over to Steven Stapleton to do with as he pleased. Unlike with Crumb Duck, listeners can hear the original Stereolab recording, as it was issued under the title The Long Hair Of Death on a split single with Yo La Tengo; this version was also featured on Stereolab's Aluminum Tunes compilation album.
Again, as with Crumb Duck, the release was a limited edition. There were between 800 and 1000 compact discs (the NWW and Stereolab websites disagree on numbers) and 4000 vinyl records, around 1000 of which were on yellow vinyl. All copies came in a sealed metallic sleeve.
"Simple Headphone Mind" was named after the song by krautrock group Alcatraz from the album Vampire State Building. "Trippin' With The Birds" was named in reference to a song by krautrock group Exmagma. Both bands also appear on the Nurse With Wound list.
(Despite having completely different titles, both tracks are based around the same Stereolab recording.)
Stereolab are an Anglo-French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's sound features influences from krautrock and 1960s French pop music, often incorporating a repetitive motorik beat with the use of vintage electronic keyboards and female vocals sung in English and French. Their lyrics have political and philosophical themes influenced by the Surrealist and Situationist art movements. While performing, they play in a more feedback-driven and guitar-oriented style. From the mid-1990s, the band began to draw from funk, jazz and Brazilian music.
Faust are a German rock band from Hamburg. Formed in 1971 by producer and former music journalist Uwe Nettelbeck, the group was originally composed of Werner "Zappi" Diermaier (b.1949), Hans Joachim Irmler (b.1950), Arnulf Meifert, Jean-Hervé Péron (b.1949), Rudolf Sosna and Gunther Wüsthoff, working with engineer Kurt Graupner. Their work was oriented around dissonance, improvisation, and experimental electronic approaches, and would influence subsequent ambient and industrial music. They are considered a central act of West Germany's 1970s krautrock movement.
Nurse with Wound is the main recording name for British musician Steven Stapleton. Nurse with Wound was originally a band, formed in 1978 by Stapleton, John Fothergill and Heman Pathak. The band's work has explored genres such as industrial, noise, dark ambient, and drone.
Switched On is a compilation of Stereolab's first three releases, and was originally released in 1992. The album's name is in tribute to Switched-On Bach and other similar titles from the late 1960s to 1970s that feature Moog synthesizers as the primary instrument. Switched On was later licensed to Slumberland Records for a US release, and Rough Trade Germany, for that country, both in 1992.
Aluminum Tunes is a double album collection of EPs and rarities from Stereolab, released in 1998. It is the third compilation in a series of rarities collections following Switched On and Refried Ectoplasm, and was stickered with the subtitle "Switched On, Volume 3".
Refried Ectoplasm , released in July 1995, is a compilation by Stereolab of singles and rarities.
Music for the Amorphous Body Study Center is an EP by Stereolab, created in collaboration with New York sculptor Charles Long. The songs became part of Long's exhibit, complementing each of his sculptures. The album was initially available only at the exhibit in a pressing of 1500; another limited pressing was later released in stores but it is now out of print. All tracks were included in the compilation album Aluminum Tunes: Switched On, Vol. 3.
Steven Peter Stapleton is an English musician who is best known as the only constant member of experimental improv outfit Nurse with Wound. He is often seen as one of the pioneers of the British industrial music scene, alongside bands such as Throbbing Gristle, Monte Cazazza and Cabaret Voltaire, although in his music he has explored a wide range of styles, including free-form improvisation, folk, and even Latin American dance rhythms.
For the companion album by Current 93, see Thunder Perfect Mind.
Crumb Duck is the first collaboration between Anglo-French indie band Stereolab and cult avant-garde unit Nurse With Wound, first released on 10" vinyl on the Clawfist label in 1993.
Chance Meeting on a Dissecting Table of a Sewing Machine and an Umbrella is the debut album by British industrial music group Nurse With Wound, released on their own United Dairies label in 1979. An unusual record which blends noise and jamming, it is described by AllMusic as "one of the more glowing examples of late-70s industrial noise" and defunct UK music magazine Sounds summed up their response by abandoning their usual star rating system to award the album a full 5 question marks. FACT magazine ranked the album at #51 on their list of "The 100 best albums of the 1970s". The album's artwork includes the Nurse with Wound list, an insert which lists several dozen avant-garde, rock, krautrock and other "weird" recording artists who influenced the group. Further, the album's back cover bears the dedication: "This album is dedicated to LUIGI RUSSOLO." Russolo was himself a pioneering noise music artist of the early 20th century.
To the Quiet Men from a Tiny Girl is the second album by Nurse With Wound and the last to be made by the founding trio of Steven Stapleton, John Fothergill, and Heman Pathak. The album also features contributions from French avant-garde musician Jacques Berrocal. It was recorded by The Bombay Ducks, an alias for Nicky Rogers and Vic Ball, the former of whom had facilitated the recording of the group's first album, Chance Meeting on a Dissecting Table of a Sewing Machine and an Umbrella. The album's title comes from Tolerance's album Anonymlink
Merzbild Schwet is the third album by British industrial band Nurse With Wound.
Insect and Individual Silenced was the fourth album by Nurse With Wound.
Homotopy to Marie is the fifth album by Nurse with Wound, released in 1982.
Wow and Flutter is an EP by the post-rock band Stereolab, which served as the second single from their 1994 album Mars Audiac Quintet. A limited edition of 3,000 7" copies was released with hand-painted covers. The EP was also released on CD and 10" vinyl.
Ping Pong is a 1994 EP by the English-French avant-pop band Stereolab. It served as the lead single from their third full-length album Mars Audiac Quintet. Three limited 7" runs were released in green, black, and pink colors. It was also released on CD and 10" vinyl.
Jenny Ondioline is a 1993 EP by the Anglo-French band Stereolab, which served as the lead single from the album Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements. It was released on CD and 10" vinyl. Its tracks were later re-released on the Oscillons from the Anti-Sun compilation.
Direction of the Heart is the nineteenth studio album by Scottish rock band Simple Minds, released on 21 October 2022 by BMG.
Pulse of the Early Brain is a compilation album by the English-French avant-pop band Stereolab, released on 2 September 2022 under Duophonic Records and Warp Records. It is the fifth installment of the band's "Switched-On" series which collects the band's rarities, such as the EPs Simple Headphone Mind (1997) and Low Fi (1992); bonus and exclusive tracks from Chemical Chords (2008); and individual tracks from other albums, split singles and flexi discs. Unlike previous "Switched-On" releases, which compiled each of the band's eras in chronological order, Pulse of the Early Brain covers rarities from all over their career.