The Great Lost Band of Manchester: The Distractions

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by manicpopthrill, Nov 14, 2012.

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  1. manicpopthrill

    manicpopthrill Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    ICT, Kansas
    Great article about their return:

    Distractions singer Mike Finney stood - literally - at the end of the pier. It was August 1983 and the location? Unlikely Skegness. Finney was choosing to escape the urban traumas of Stockport and the vulturous critical circle that hovered menacingly above the convoluted demise of the band… a band that flickered so brilliantly amid the debris of post punk Manchester before crumbling beneath the weight of expectation. What had happened here? Finney knew that the ungovernable gods of luck and timing had fled the scene. He knew too, that something special had been allowed to drift from the spotlight. The game was up. That evening, in the 50s-throwback town of Mablethorpe, Finney and co-singer Julie entered a talent show in the hall of a downbeat caravan park swilling with noisily inebriated Nottingham miners. They sang 'This Old Heart of Mine' and finished closely behind a rotund Elvis impersonator. Lost in the symbolism of the moment, Finney dropped his guard for once and submitted to beery banter. "I have reached the end of the pier," he joked. Soon he would leave his musical memories behind and escape to a welcoming family life in Pennine Yorkshire.

    cont'd:
    http://thequietus.com/articles/09669-the-distractions-the-end-of-the-pier-review

    write-up on their 2010 ep's:
    http://thequietus.com/articles/05378-the-distractions-come-home-black-velvet

    website:
    http://www.thedistractions.co.uk/home.html
     
    NOS300B and Dave Decadent like this.
  2. Dave Decadent

    Dave Decadent Forum Resident

    Location:
    Birmingham UK
    Cool band, I still have a 12" of You're Not Going Out Dressed Like That.
     
    douglas mcclenaghan likes this.
  3. ralphb

    ralphb "First they came for..."

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    Thank you for this post. Haven't had a chance to read this, but Nobody's Perfect is one of the great lost albums of the era. A pop/punk album with musical roots in 50's and girl group and mid 60's radio pop, this is a truly wonderful album that I've always loved. And the single "Time Goes By So Slow" is just sublime, a perfect pop song if there ever was one. My copy of You're Not Going... went missing years ago, and I wish someone would just put out a cd of all their stuff. A lost band that deserved a much better fate.
     
    manicpopthrill likes this.
  4. manicpopthrill

    manicpopthrill Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    ICT, Kansas
    Ralph, you just might get your wish yet! A double disc set if all goes well.

    Check this out: http://www.hiddenmasters.net/the-distractions.html
     
  5. ralphb

    ralphb "First they came for..."

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    This would be fantastic! Now if only people could be convinced about how worthy this band is.
     
  6. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

    Location:
    Bretagne
    I have the 12" maxi single "You're Not Going Out Dressed Like That" also. I saw the band perform at Rafters, Manchester in 1978/79. They were a good little band.
     
  7. Witney Devil

    Witney Devil Well-Known Member

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    I missed the two reunion shows earlier this year but have enjoyed the new album and the couple of ep's I missed over the past few years.

    The first album is long overdue a CD release so hopefully we won;t have to wait too much longer .
     
  8. manicpopthrill

    manicpopthrill Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    ICT, Kansas
  9. Mike Finney

    Mike Finney New Member

    You're all very kind. There is a retrospective coming out late this, or early next year. It's from Hidden Masters, the sleeve being put together as I write. The people from HM are friends of the band, both old and new, so have known us since 1979...Neil from HM has found a lot of demos and unreleased stuff in Universal's archives, so I have no idea what is to be on it...Unfortunately, the Art of Noise track - Close to the Edit, where I became the edit - is unlikely to be there.
    Steve has been writing songs recently and it is intended to record another album next year. We went for a 2 year gap this time, not 32....Cheers, Mike
     
  10. manicpopthrill

    manicpopthrill Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    ICT, Kansas
    Great news! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. It's wonderful to hear there will be a follow-up to The End of the Pier!
     
  11. manicpopthrill

    manicpopthrill Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    ICT, Kansas
    Monday morning bump for Ralph, Dave, Witney, and Jim. Look who joined yesterday. ^^ :thumbsup:
     
  12. ralphb

    ralphb "First they came for..."

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    I hope he keeps in touch with updates, and I hope it's got the entire album, the "You're Not Going Out..." ep, and the stone classic "Time Goes By So Slow" 45. I'm excited about this, just so more people get to hear them.
     
    Mike Finney and manicpopthrill like this.
  13. Mike Finney

    Mike Finney New Member

    Yes Ralph, it has all the old singles, the eps and album. Including the Rough Trade one, "...And then There's..." It's said to have things I don't remember, which isn't too much of a shock! Look at the website, www.hiddenmasters.net
    Steve is over in the UK next year, so there may be another gig or two, but we're not sure, so planning hasn't changed much in 30-odd years.
    I will keep signing in...and thanks again...
     
    Dudley Morris likes this.
  14. ralphb

    ralphb "First they came for..."

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    Thank you for the wonderful songs, Mike.:thumbsup:
     
  15. EasterEverywhere

    EasterEverywhere Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque
    Couldn't agree more! Unfortunately I never found a copy of Nobody's Perfect.Took me years to track down a copy of Time Goes By S Slow.
     
  16. ralphb

    ralphb "First they came for..."

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    I'm pretty sure Nobody's Perfect never got a U.S. release, which might account for it's scarcity, but it does show up every now and then. Moot point once the comp cd comes out, which is a good thing.:)
     
  17. Mike Finney

    Mike Finney New Member

    Hi Ralph, yep, only on import for the US, but I believe was available in Brazil and Argentina! I am informed that the anthology is to be called Parabolically Yours...I don't know whether it refers to 'like a parable' or the shape of the flight of an arrow, either way, it will be nice to hear it again...
    Cheers, slainte, prost, salut, Mike
     
    ralphb likes this.
  18. HiddenMasters

    HiddenMasters Forum Resident

    Crikey, just picked up a Tweet suggesting the cat is out of the bag..?! Actually, I don't think the cat's ever been in the bag as rumour and conjecture on The Distractions project has been fairly public for quite some while... even so, this seems as good and friendly a place to confirm what we can right now!

    The set – and it is a set, not just a reissue of Nobody's Perfect – is now at a fairly advanced level of preparation. Preparation..? Yep... we've been working on this for approximately two years now; 'cos to get 'em right takes time... a lot of time.

    Much of the analog / digital work is complete; although there is probably just another day, maybe two days worth of that still to do. And, what remains are the live tape transfers – live tapes? Oh yes... we've foh desk tapes from places like The Venue and Dingwalls (in London); a show in Newcastle + others.

    A couple of things simply don't exist on analog reel(s)... they've either been lost, skipped or maybe even taped over. Annoying but hardly the first time this has occurred. One example is the original reel that should contain the 4 tracks from You're Not... the tape box exists and there is a 1/4" reel inside it... but, what's on that reel doesn't correspond to... anything that it should. There's just the one track on that reel and it isn't The Distractions. Quite what happened (all those years back) is anyone's guess... perhaps one reel got substituted for another, who knows? But, we do have a virgin vinyl copy and, if needs finally must, needs must. We're still quite a ways away from mastering so, the missing reels may turn up in time... maybe.

    Oh... and IF anyone who comes by this page knows of where a copy of the one and only BBC session (three tracks / Autumn 1980) I really would like to know! (It doesn't exist in the BBC archive and is presumed to have been taped over – grrrr).

    Anyhow, the artwork – as Mike has confirmed elsewhere here – is now at an advanced stage. And, yes the set will be titled Parabolically Yours.

    The whole package will be contained in a 12" casebound hard-back volume and the inside booklet is currently running at 80 pages. Substantial... yes! Also, the first edition will also be strictly limited – 500 copies only, worldwide.

    Release date? There is a strong possibility that we'll be starting the pre-order process before Christmas. From which, my best guess right now is that we'll have finished copies probably May (or thereabouts) 2014.

    Neil.
    www.HiddenMasters.net
     
  19. ralphb

    ralphb "First they came for..."

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    Reviving this thread just to find out if anybody has word about the planned reissue.
     
  20. manicpopthrill

    manicpopthrill Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    ICT, Kansas
    Hope this hasn't been canceled. We are well beyond May. :confused:
     
  21. granata

    granata Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manchester
    'Parabolically Yours' has not been cancelled, but is delayed due to frustrating legal back and forths with Universal. The tracks are all there (more than you could ever hope for; running order TBC). The artwork, photos, scans, interviews, essays, layout etc are all in place. Just need the legalities sorting. www.thedistractions.co.uk
     
  22. Beholdentonoone

    Beholdentonoone Forum Resident

    "frustrating legal back and forths with Universal." Gee who would have ever expected that?! :doh:
     
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  23. granata

    granata Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manchester
    Some progress behind the scenes - looks like 1 vinyl, a number of CDs plus book set is now on. More from HiddenMasters as soon as...
     
  24. granata

    granata Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manchester
  25. manicpopthrill

    manicpopthrill Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    ICT, Kansas
    I'll be listening to the Distractions all day in celebration. I'm hoping the lp is just an added bonus and doesn't contain exclusive material not on the cd's .
     
    granata likes this.
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