Turn to Red

Last updated
Turn to Red (7-inch)
Turn to Red 1979.jpg
EP by
Killing Joke
Released26 October 1979
RecordedAugust 1979
Studio Gooseberry Sound (London)
Genre
Length13:10
Label Malicious Damage
Producer Killing Joke
Killing Joke chronology
Turn to Red (7-inch)
(1979)		 Killing Joke
(1980)
Singles from Turn to Red
  1. "Nervous System"
    Released: December 1979
Turn To Red (12-inch)
Almost Red 1979.jpg
EP by
Killing Joke
Released14 December 1979
Genre Post-punk
Length16:58
Label Island
Killing Joke chronology
Turn To Red (12-inch)
(1979)		 Killing Joke
(1980)

Turn to Red (sometimes known as Almost Red or Nervous System) is an EP and the debut release by English post-punk band Killing Joke. It was released as a 7-inch EP on 26 October 1979 by Malicious Damage and re-released as a 12-inch EP on 14 December by Island Records.

Contents

History

In 1978, Jaz Coleman and Paul Ferguson left Mat Stagger Band to form Killing Joke. In February 1979, they placed an advertisement in the music press which attracted guitarist Kevin "Geordie" Walker and bass guitarist Martin "Youth" Glover. According to Coleman, their manifesto was to "define the exquisite beauty of the atomic age in terms of style, sound and form." [1] The band was formed in June. The first song the band composed was "Are You Receiving?". [2]

In late 1979, they began the Malicious Damage record label with graphic artist Mike Coles as a way to press and sell their music. [3]

An advance of the EP was sent to legendary DJ John Peel, who was keen to champion the band's urgent new sound, and the release received extensive airplay. The band was immediately invited to record a John Peel Session for the BBC on 17 October 1979, which was aired on 29 October. [2]

Release

On 26 October 1979, [4] the EP was officially released in 10" format by Malicious Damage. Melody Maker made it Single of the Week on 10 November 1979. [5] A supportive namecheck by John Lydon in NME [6] secured more interest in the new band.

On 14 December 1979, [7] it was re-released in 7" and 12" format by Island Records, now with "Almost Red" added, a dub remix of the title track.

The Turn to Red release became a collectable for the four scarce "art cards" that were included with the disc in its clear plastic sleeve.[ citation needed ] The track "Turn to Red" featured a locked groove, repeating the word 'red' infinitely. The building featured on the sleeve is Centre Point in New Oxford Street, London.

Killing Joke quickly developed this sound into something denser, more aggressive and more akin to heavy metal with their debut studio album, Killing Joke . [1]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Killing Joke (Jaz Coleman, Kevin "Geordie" Walker, Martin "Youth" Glover, Paul Ferguson).

Original 7" Release

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Turn to Red"4:10
2."Nervous System"4:10
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Are You Receiving"4:50

12" Release

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Almost Red"3:48
2."Nervous System"4:10
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Are You Receiving"4:50
2."Turn to Red"4:10

Personnel

Killing Joke
Technical

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing Joke</span> English post-punk band

Killing Joke are an English rock band formed in Cheltenham, England in 1979 by Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (bass).

<i>Killing Joke</i> (1980 album) 1980 studio album by Killing Joke

Killing Joke is the debut studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in October 1980 by E.G. via Polydor Records. It debuted at number 41 on the UK Albums Chart on 25 October 1980 and later peaked at number 39.

<i>Night Time</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Killing Joke

Night Time is the fifth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in February 1985 by E.G. through Polydor Records and produced by Chris Kimsey.

<i>Whats THIS For...!</i> 1981 studio album by Killing Joke

What's THIS For...! is the second studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in June 1981 by E.G. via Polydor Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder, Inc. (band)</span> American industrial music group

Murder, Inc. was an American industrial music supergroup formed in 1991, featuring vocalist Chris Connelly, Killing Joke members Geordie Walker, Paul Raven, "Big Paul" Ferguson, John Bechdel, and former Public Image Ltd drummer Martin Atkins.

<i>Revelations</i> (Killing Joke album) 1982 studio album by Killing Joke

Revelations is the third studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in July 1982 by E.G. via Polydor Records. It was recorded in Cologne, Germany and produced by Conny Plank, making it their first album not to be self-produced. Since bassist Youth departed from the band after the album's release, Revelations was the band's last album to feature the original line-up.

<i>Fire Dances</i> 1983 studio album by Killing Joke

Fire Dances is the fourth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in July 1983 by E.G. via Polydor Records. It was the band's first album to feature new bass player Paul Raven, recorded at Basing Street Studios in London between February and March 1983. According to Paul Ferguson the band's drug use contributed to the original mix of the album being "tinny".

<i>Brighter Than a Thousand Suns</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Killing Joke

Brighter Than a Thousand Suns is the sixth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in November 1986 by E.G. Records. It was their first album to be distributed through Virgin Records. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 54 on 22 November 1986, staying for one week. It was produced by Chris Kimsey, who had produced the band's 1985 album, Night Time.

<i>Outside the Gate</i> 1988 studio album by Killing Joke

Outside the Gate is the seventh studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in June 1988 by E.G. via Virgin Records worldwide. It was a significant stylistic departure for the band, with complex synthesised arrangements and less prominent guitar. Tensions within the band surfaced during pre-production. Drummer Paul Ferguson was dismissed at the beginning of the sessions and replaced by a studio musician while bassist Paul Raven took part to the recording but ultimately asked his name to be withdrawn from the credits for major disagreement over artistic content. The lead single was "America".

<i>Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions</i> 1990 studio album by Killing Joke

Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions is the eighth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in November 1990 by Noise Records. After the commercial failure of their previous album Outside the Gate in 1988, singer Jaz Coleman and guitarist Geordie Walker were the last remaining members of the group. In December 1988, they recruited new musicians to perform a one-off concert in Porchester and premiered new songs, including early versions of "Extremities" and "The Beautiful Dead". The band didn't have any support of a record company anymore: Virgin had fired them and their label E.G. sued them. Coleman stated that it was a very stressful period of time for him and Walker. The new material was more intense, the band performed it live during a US tour in 1989. Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions was recorded in 1990 for a German independent label: bassist Paul Raven was called back before entering into the studio. Drummer Martin Atkins, formerly of Public Image Ltd and Ministry, had joined the band in 1988 and co-composed the songs with Coleman and Walker.

<i>Democracy</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Killing Joke

Democracy is the tenth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released on 1 April 1996 by Butterfly Records and Big Life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geordie Walker</span> British guitarist (1958–2023)

Kevin Walker, known professionally as Geordie Walker, was an English rock musician, songwriter and producer. He was best known as the guitarist of post-punk group Killing Joke. He joined the band in March 1979; his first recording was released in December of that year. Their debut self-titled album came out in October 1980. Walker recorded 15 studio albums with Killing Joke and also took part in various side-projects. His unorthodox style of electric guitar playing was widely acclaimed.

<i>Ha</i> (Killing Joke album) 1982 live album by Killing Joke

"Ha" or "Ha": Killing Joke Live is the first commercially distributed live recording by English post-punk band Killing Joke. It was recorded at Larry's Hideaway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on 9 and 10 August 1982 by producer Conny Plank, and released on 4 November by E.G. Records. Rob O'Connor did the artwork for the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Requiem (Killing Joke song)</span> Song by Killing Joke

"Requiem" is a song by the English post-punk band Killing Joke. It was released in September 1980 by E.G. Records as the second single from their first studio album, Killing Joke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire Song</span> Song by Killing Joke

Empire Song is a song by English post-punk band Killing Joke. It was released in 1982 by E.G. Records as the first single from their third studio album, Revelations.

<i>The Peel Sessions 1979–1981</i> 2008 live album by Killing Joke

The Peel Sessions 1979–1981 is a compilation album collecting the first four sessions recorded by the English post-punk band Killing Joke for the legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, plus a session recorded for his colleague Richard Skinner's programme. The sessions had been previously available as bootlegs, but are presented here in pristine sound quality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing Joke discography</span> List of recordings by English band Killing Joke

The discography of Killing Joke, a British rock band, consists of 15 studio albums, seven live albums, 14 compilation albums, five extended plays (EPs), 31 singles and four video albums. The band formed in late 1978–early 1979 in Notting Hill, London, England.

<i>Absolute Dissent</i> 2010 studio album by Killing Joke

Absolute Dissent is the thirteenth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released on 27 September 2010 by Spinefarm Records, distributed worldwide by Universal Music Group.

<i>MMXII</i> (Killing Joke album) 2012 studio album by Killing Joke

MMXII is the fourteenth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released on 2 April 2012 by Spinefarm Records, distributed worldwide by Universal Music Group.

<i>Pylon</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Killing Joke

Pylon is the fifteenth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released on 23 October 2015 by Spinefarm Records, distributed worldwide by Universal Music Group. The album was recorded in the UK and the Czech Republic and co-produced by the band and Tom Dalgety. It was preceded by the release of "I Am the Virus" and "Euphoria" was subsequently released as the album's second single. Jaz told biographer Jyrki "Spider" Hämäläinen that it was their Cold War album.

References

  1. 1 2 Hightower, Laura; DeRemer, Leigh Ann (2001). "Killing Joke". Contemporary Musicians. Profiles of the People in Music / Volume 30 . Detroit, Michigan, United States: Gale Research. ISBN   0-7876-4641-5.
  2. 1 2 Hämäläinen, Jyrki "Spider" (2020). Killing Joke: Are You Receiving?, pp. 19. Milton Keynes: New Haven Publishing. ISBN   978-1912587407.
  3. ↑ "The Label". maliciousdamage.biz. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  4. ↑ Adverts in New Musical Express Saturday, 27 October 1979 (pages 4, 28, 50 and 73)
  5. ↑ Bohn, Chris (10 November 1979). "Singles Reviewed by Chris Bohn". Melody Maker : 30.
  6. ↑ Goldman, Vivien (8 December 1979). "The Meaning Behind the Moaning". New Musical Express .
  7. ↑ Adverts in New Musical Express Saturday, 15 December 1979 (page 38) and Melody Maker (page 22)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.