Has anyone heard of the band Felt?

Felt are one of my favorite bands. Sublime lyrics and gorgeous guitar work. Does anyone else listen to these guys?

 

THought I was the only one here who even knew about Felt! I got into them around 1984, when "The Splendour of Fear" was released, and I've loved everything they did right up to the end. By far the greatest group to come out of Britain in the 1980s, and they sadly never received the attention they were due.

Prix, you do know about the upcoming Felt DVD, yes?

 

Yes, I'm surprised more forum members haven't heard of them. The DVD is import only isn't it?

 

UK only, yes. Info here:

http://www.cherryred.co.uk/dvd/crdvd25_felt.htm

 

I remember reading reviews of their albums, but to this day, I still confuse them with Welt and the Veldt.

 

Cherry Red (first four lps), Creation (the next 5) and El (their final lp).

If you look at the link I provided above, Cherry Red is reissuing their entire catalog.

 

They rip. These guys are fantastic. The lyrics are wonderful. The guitars are even better. Some of the finest guitar work that exists on record, I would say. Their music could be described as Television meets Cocteau Twins meets Lou Reed meets the Smiths. There also reissues of all their albums that are coming out, as well as the DVD mentioned above. I wonder, will the import DVD play in US players? I'm pretty ignorant about DVD. I'm still running VHS. I think a good place to start with Felt is "Strange Idols Pattern And Other Short Stories / Ignite The Seven Cannons", which represents their best material in my opinion. Here is a link with a couple of audio samples from other albums, although I wouldn't say they are the best examples:

http://www.cherryred.co.uk/cherryred/felt.htm

 

I guess the Felt revival starts here. Here is a new article from Tangents - http://www.tangents.co.uk. There is no direct link to the piece, so I'll post it here.

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STAINS ON A DECADE

In the early 1980’s Paul Morley once wrote how in an ideal world ‘Ambition’ by Subway Sect would be recognised as the greatest number one single of all time, and that groups inspired by the Sect, like Edinburgh’s Fire Engines, would be more famous than Duran Duran. In this ideal world, Felt would have been bigger than U2.

Lawrence was always the key to Felt. Lawrence made all the decisions about his band, even down to what plectrums they could and could not use. Lawrence understood the importance of detail in the place of Pop mythology, understood the importance of mythology in the place of Pop, period. And like Buddy Holly, Vic Godard, Kevin Rowland, Kurt Wagner and Joel Gibb, he understood the importance of the bandleader. So Felt was a shifting entity, a troupe of odd characters beautifully colouring in Lawrence’s songs, or at the very least his song titles. It was Lawrence who famously proclaimed the plan to release ten singles and ten albums in ten years and then split. It was Lawrence who carried through on the plan. Because knowing when to stop is the key to the best Pop mythology.

Like any great Pop group Felt were a masterful singles band. Each of the songs on those ten singles that peppered the 1980’s were like be-jewelled hand-grenades of Pop poise. Nothing can top them. Now finally Lawrence has collected fifteen of those gems on one CD, away from the album tracks with which they were never intended to rest. Of course it’s the greatest Pop collection ever. With typical deadpan Lawrence humour the collection is titled Stains On A Decade. That the stains are those of the most vibrant colour and delicate hue, are arranged in the most delicious of patterns, should go without saying.

It was always important to the mythology of Felt that singles and albums should be treated in different ways. Felt always gave the impression of being a beautifully crafted Modernist band: everything had its own particular form, function and place in the wider scheme of things. So whilst the singles were wonderful crystal vessels filled with bubblegum perfume, the albums tended to explore other avenues: for Cherry Red in the first half of the decade there were ghostly poetics infused with rivulets of classical guitar; heartbeat drums and the twinkling sunlight of Spain; carrouselling skirls of organ, voyages of illumination and dying of boredom. Then later, for Creation records, a fifteen minute album of instrumentals; an album with one side of infectious Beat Polaroid’s and the other of delicate piano reflections; then more instrumental evocations of New York, hanging out with the vibesmen on Weegee’s sidewalks. Until finally, back on Cherry Red off-shoot El records, an album of feathercuts, the New York new-wave, new days dawning and songs later covered by strange pub bands in the Scottish Highlands. As a friend of mine was once fond of saying, it was all naturally strange, and strangely natural.

2003 sees those ten albums finally all available on CD, their releases spread over five months and overseen by Lawrence so that they emerge just the way they should. No albums being doubled up, no bonus tracks (Lawrence was so determined that there should be no ‘archive’ material available for later release that he once cut up demo tapes with scissors), and no singles tracks being tacked on the end: That was never the way it was meant to be. Minimalism and obsessive attention to detail were always cornerstones in the Felt story. It had to be pure. It had to be special.

And so it was. And so it is again.

- Alistair Fitchett
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It's a pity that there are so few Felt fans on the forum. I guess there isn't much point posting a thread about the remastered cds vs the originals. It will be interesting to compare them, but it's hard for me to get excited about remasters anymore period.

 

I agree, prix. I have the original vinyl and CD issues of the Felt catalog and I'm satisfied with them. The original CDs were done right the first time (at least sonically). From what I've heard, the new reissues don't sound much different. Let's at least give Lawrence credit for not remixing and/or adding bonus tracks in order to entice fans to buy them all over again, etc. I'm pretty much fed up with a music industry that continually recycles product (remasters) and there are very few things I'd consider buying again at this point. The Felt reissues are simply restoring a catalog that had gradually fallen out of print, so it's a good thing that they are at least available for those who are interested.

I'm also not surprised that there is not much knowledge about groups like Felt at this forum. Most of the forum contributors tend to be on the commercial/conservative side of things and show little knowledge or interest in adventurous music past a certain date. I don't mean this as a criticsim, just an observation based on spending a lot of time looking through these threads since last November.

 

Actually, I've found the opposite. On the surface it seems that way, but the other forum members always shock me with their knowledge of obscurities and most of us have incredibly diverse musical taste. I'd say we're in good company for sure. I've found out about some incredible music directly from other members here. If it was all apple pie and hamburgers, I wouldn't even waste my time here. Check out Gary's previous post. He, for one, is not afraid to go where no man has gone before!

 

I guess I was being a bit harsh. I hope that you let us know what you think of Felt, Gary. Which cd do you plan to start with? I'd suggest 'The Splendour of Fear', but I think any willl do. All 10 albums are quite different from each other - each monolithic in its own deliberate way.

 

No way dude. Gary should get "Strange Idols Pattern And Other Short Stories / Ignite The Seven Cannons" or "Absolute Classic Masterpieces Vol. 1" if he's just starting out. Those are the most easily digested albums for a new fan, don't you think? Plus he'll be getting "Primitive Painters", their biggest single. I was listening to Felt tonight. Holy god, Maurice Deebank is an incredible guitarist!

 

Gary,

Glad you like it! Prix is referring to the first Cherry Red 2-fer CD issue of 'The Strange Idols Pattern...' (the third Felt lp) that also included 'Ignite the Seven Cannons' (their 4th lp) on the same disc. The new CD reissues once again divide the two albums onto their own discs.

If 'The Splendour of Fear' (the second Felt lp) is available near you on vinyl - grab it! Cherry Red had very nice vinyl pressings (done in France, for some reason) - quiet and dynamic. Plus the cover is fantastic - and is, BTW, a slightly altered adaptation of the original film poster for Andy Warhol's 'Chelsea Girls'. 'The Splendour of Fear' is a much more brooding (and more instrumental) album than 'The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories'.

 

I used to have a Felt cassette.... can't remember the name now. I may even have it down in the basement. Thanks for bringing them up! I'll have to dig that out and listen to it again.

 

Just played "Ignite The Seven Cannons" for the first time and really loved it, sounds enchanted and swirling. Strange how rarely one comes across Felt vinyl when hitting the bins. In the last five years I managed to find "Forever Breathes", "Poem", "Me & A Monkey", "The Pictorial" and on Friday "Ignite". I think these are all excellent to outstanding, time has been very kind to them. Are their other records just as good or is it safe to say that I heard their essential stuff?

Saw "Train Above The City" several times but passed. Let's see how long it will take to find the rest, of course I could hunt online but with a band like Felt I love the idea of discovering an album of theirs in a second hand store or a fleamarket. I'm in no hurry

 

I have "Absolute Classic Masterpieces," which covers the first half of their career in reverse chronological order. As it turns out, I like their earliest stuff the most. I was surprised to find some long guitar soundscapes in their ouvre. Consider the eight minute "Dance of Deliverance." I had it on my mp3 player and a friend of mine thought it was Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond." Fans of John Martyn and The Durutti Column would definitely dig the sparseness of it.

As for their more well known work, its alright

 

I've got a copy of Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty mini-LP bought when it was released. I saw them live too, though for some reason i never got round to buying any more albums. The early ones are all excellent though, really must try and locate the 2xCD mentioned above...

 

My favourite Felt album is "Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death". Its one of the shortest albums ever released too. 19 minutes long.
But the snippets of melody on the ten tracks are sublime.

 

of course i have even seen them live in paris!! great band and the next one denim too!

 

I'm on the lookout for a reasonably-priced copy of their Cherry Red box set. "Primitive Painters" is pretty fab, too. Lawrence is a pretty odd character, and I'm looking fwd to seeing Lawrence of Belgravia whenever it gets a home video release.