Thomas Leer - 4 Movements (Full EP)

Thomas Leer - 4 Movements (Full EP)
Label: Cherry Red
Country: UK
Original Year: July 1981
Electronic, Synth-Pop
Member:
Thomas Wishart
Tracklist:
00:00 - Don't
05:32 - Letter From America
09:35 - Tight As A Drum
14:13 - West End
www.discogs.com...

[@morganfisherart]

Truly excellent music - layers of rich sound, way beyond most of what was happening at the time. If I remember right, I lent Thomas my 8-track TEAC to record this on.

[@OrlandoPraag]

He did it with an 8 track, by himself?

[@OrlandoPraag]

He did this on an 8 track? Did he do "Control Yourself"in the same way? And do yo have the lyrics?! I am such a fan... COntrol Yourself is in y 80's top 5, I roked int in a set often, but never enough.

[@trevorbarre5616]

Morgan Fisher of 'Miniatures' fame? You were another part of this most wonderful period of leftfield British post-rock. Slainte!!

[@davids736]

Yeah I remember he did this at home on 8 track...wonderful stuff!

[@ChromosomeSyndicate]

Waw ! I'm curious how Thomas is in person . Just bought The Bridge album with Robert Rental once again on vinyl .

[@alexandregenereux5024]

1981 Pure eternal Sonic freshness 🌊🌊!

[@wildzeromusic]

Magnificent. People need more Thomas Leer in their lives.

[@hexyko4850]

One of the best

[@rogersachs9]

This is so good, I can't stop listening to it.

[@damschijven]

I really like 'Contradictions'. One of the best 80's records!

[@rogersachs9]

Letter From America is fantastic. But all the songs here are great. "...one from Chicago, too..." hopefully from me, since I live there. Brilliance.

[@fanfahrenheit22]

so good

[@ChromosomeSyndicate]

Happy sounding post punk . The first track reminds me a bit on the Belgian band A Noh Rodeo from Trixie Whitley's dad Chris and her mother and uncle .

[@fairypenguinos]

I became the 10,000th view wahoo. But anyways had to check out this dude's stuff after hearing Act. Letter from America is really cool, silly and groovy sounding. Great piece.

[@Nordboy27]

genius

[@stinkfoot9776]

Pillows and prayers

[@phos808]

wow! at times very YMO/Sakamoto-like!

[@trevorbarre5616]

I loved this EP when I bought it in 1981 or whenever. But I can't help thinking how weedy it sounds now. Compare this (and the following 33 rpm 'Contradictions', which I also treasured) to the recently released retrospective by Leer, '1979', which is/was DIY Electronica at its very best (its a great shame that he didn't release it then, to be sure). Not at all dated, unlike this recording, which is interesting in itself. This definitely goes into my 'disappointed on re-hearing after 30 years' list. Or is that just 'dated'? I can't listen to this with a 1981 pair of ears, but I do remember really liking it. at the time Even Haircut 100 and ABC (contemporary would-be blue-eyed funksters) sounded like Chic compared to this bloodless stuff. Never mind, Leer had already made his footprint in that fantastic period's still-setting concrete, with 'Private Plane''/International', still one of the greatest self-released 45s in history.

[@blahblah606]

Trevor Barre Bloodless? Really? Synthpop at it's absolute best. It's all here, worldbeat, progish in a Can kinda way, and deeply funky. It's everything the Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club could have dreamed to be. I feel like it's the godfather of the low fi movement. Like Ariel Pink's wettest of dreams.

[@trevorbarre5616]

@@blahblah606 As I said, I loved this and Contradictions at the time. But I just can't 'feel it' anymore. I've blogged about Leer recently, and am the first to acknowledge what a great musician he is. The 1978-9 recordings remain, for me, his best. Thanks for your response, by the way, sorry it took me so long to respond!!

[@lumanchu3386]

Post Punk D-I-Y Greatness

[@TrevorBarre]

Thinking back to this period (1981-2) - funk was a 'thing', white funk in particular, replacing the more angular trends of bands like Joy Division and The Pop Group.. Think 'Remain in Light', Haircut 100, ABC, James Chance, A Certain Ratio, etc., etc. Leer was obviously jumping on this wagon. I reckon that his fellow Scotsman, Robert Rental, remained more dedicated to more ''avant analog post-punk electronica. His meager output backs this notion up, much of it only released long after his death.

[@TrevorBarre]

For example, Rental's posthumously-released LP with Glen Wallis (2017) and the 1979 'Mental Detention' demos. Far darker than Leer, and a foretaste of the many electronic post-punk explorations across 1979-81, before we all got seduced by the likes of Wham!, Spandau Ballet, Culture Club and Adam & the Ants (all fine artists btw, imho, and including Thomas Leer). Rental remains an unacknowledged national treasure, with a very meager discography, unfortunately, which only perpetuates his relative obscurity.

[@TrevorBarre]

Leer moved with the times. Rental, for good or bad, didn't. Neither, unfortunately, have made a real name for themselves. Such a shame.

[@TheFpCassini]

Visit Gag-bit Vinyl, Bushwick NYC

[@TrevorBarre]

Why?