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Thread: Doctors Of Madness anyone??

  1. #1
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Doctors Of Madness anyone??

    A rather obscure UK band from the mid-70’s that mixed a form of Glam Rock, Prog Rock, Art Rock with many seeds of Punk Rock, DOCTORS OF MADNESS certainly had an unusual line-up that included a blue-haired giant frontman Richard “Kid” Strange that sung, played wind instruments and sang. Just behind him are violinist-guitarist and “low-budget-orchestra” player Urban Blitz, bassist Colin “Stoner” Brown and drummer and vocalist Peter Di Lemma. Despite the impressive musicianship of the band, the band was the first shot for all four members but Kid Strange was previously an actor, writer and journalist. He would later found the legendary and art-mixing Cabaret Futura in the 80’s. Urban Blitz is reputed to have created the “skeleton violin” in the early 70’s. Apparently, on stage, their show was fairly theatrical as well.

    Their first album Late Night at the movies, All night Brainstorm appeared in early 76, a troubled time were the Punk wave was about to become tsunami, and was a savant mélange of Glam rock (ala Bowie or Velvet Underground) with some very proggy elements, notably because of Blitz’s violin, which reminded Dave Arbus of East Of Eden or Grahame Smith (Sring Driven Thing and Van Der Graaf), Comus’ Colin Pearson or even John Cale (Velvet Underground and solo). Main songwriter Kid Strange’s composition ranged from the calm and introspective to the raging fury that reached punk levels, but the level of musicianship was never below some similar bands like The Cardiacs or The Stranglers, but had Blitz’s unusual talents to make an otherwise standard guitar-fronted line-up. Their second album Fogments Of Emancipation appeared later that year and was just as impressive, (but more compact as no tracks lasted more than 7 minutes) , despite a proggier artwork and title that would’ve announced the opposite, despite Kid also playing some keyboards.

    Sadly the band’s failure to “catch” either the prog or the punk camp didn’t play them a favour and both their first albums went largely unnoticed and by next year’s inaptly-titled and disappointing (but punkier) Sons Of Survival, the band was on its last leg.

    http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/doctors_of_madness
    (RYM has the order of release of the first two mixed up, btw)


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJJJf9UOR5M
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66jH-9nT_aA
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmEtYO1ek3I
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yG2xiYP0xQ
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pT98QZ4z4s
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJJJf9UOR5M
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  2. #2
    G'Day Hughes!

    Excellent band, highly underrated due their short existance. Fans of bands like Magazine and Ultravox! Would like this band.
    Be a loyal plastic robot for a world that doesn't care... Frank Zappa

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    Another act who might have come to the fore if it hadn't been for the wretched Sex Pistols.

    I've got Richard aka Kid Strange's Virgin album of 1981, The Phenomenal Rise of Richard Strange. It's not bad. But I went off him when I saw him contrive to say 'fuck' on an early evening BBC TV show around that time - this came across as very affected, it didn't work at all.

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    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/doctors_of_madness
    (RYM has the order of release of the first two mixed up, btw)
    When albums have the same year of release, RYM lists them alphabetically. It's the way the site is written. They're not actually saying that that's the order of release, though it certainly appears to be the case if you take it at face value.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by moecurlythanu View Post
    When albums have the same year of release, RYM lists them alphabetically. It's the way the site is written. They're not actually saying that that's the order of release, though it certainly appears to be the case if you take it at face value.
    I certainly did anyway...
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  6. #6
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    I certainly did anyway...
    If you look at other different albums by the same artist in the same year, you'll see it's a default setting in their programming, apparently. Whether that will get corrected in RYM 3.0, who knows?

  7. #7
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by moecurlythanu View Post
    If you look at other different albums by the same artist in the same year, you'll see it's a default setting in their programming, apparently. Whether that will get corrected in RYM 3.0, who knows?
    Well, ProgArchives came around that problem, by creating in the site's software another field after the date release that featured an alphabetical ornumerical order
    >> they did this circa 2006, but PA's database dates from 04, while RYM's software is somewhat more ancient, so they probably don't have that flexibility...

    For their 3.0, I'd be happy if the line-ups on album pages were visible too (never cared for the catalogue number of the Indonesian pressing of Automatic For The People)
    Last edited by Trane; 02-13-2013 at 05:02 AM.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  8. #8
    Saw this band live back in the day...had a kinda cult following if I remember.

  9. #9
    Their debut was absolutely phenomenal, somewhere between Peter Hammill and Steve Harley with a really raucous edge but with great dynamics. They sadly never rose to that level again, but I was listening to Sons of Survival recently and while it’s definitely the weakest of the three, it’s still mighty fine. The later discs seem to find them trying to fit into punk orthodoxy and they lose some of their “specialness” as a result. But that debut was a firecracker, definitely couldn’t imagine Ultravox, Japan and their ilk without it existing.

    Quote Originally Posted by moecurlythanu View Post
    When albums have the same year of release, RYM lists them alphabetically. It's the way the site is written. They're not actually saying that that's the order of release, though it certainly appears to be the case if you take it at face value.
    Unless they have a specific release date (i.e.: month/day) for each release. Clearly not the case with this example.

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    MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

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  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by moecurlythanu View Post
    If you look at other different albums by the same artist in the same year, you'll see it's a default setting in their programming, apparently. Whether that will get corrected in RYM 3.0, who knows?
    One thing I definitely would like to be upgraded (maybe I should mention this over there): sort name. I find it aggravating that when I examine my collection in list form, 10cc appears before A, and not under T like it should.

    -------------
    MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

    "'Thin Thighs For Your Man.' But I don't *like* men with thin thighs" --Daria

    N.P.:“Children of the Moon”-Tzlil Mechuvan (Tuned Tone)

  11. #11
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post

    Unless they have a specific release date (i.e.: month/day) for each release. Clearly not the case with this example.
    Correct. Thanks for clarifying that. (That complete date won't show in the overall list of an artist's releases, but will on the individual release page.)

  12. #12
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    One thing I definitely would like to be upgraded (maybe I should mention this over there): sort name. I find it aggravating that when I examine my collection in list form, 10cc appears before A, and not under T like it should.
    A lot of dealers will list records like that as well. I don't think there's any consensus on it, but like you, I tend to put them under the heading of their first letter.

  13. #13
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Well, Despite Kid Strange's stage antics and songwriting, it's mostly Urban Blitz's violin, somewhere between G Smith (VdG and SDT) and Colin Pearson (Comus), that gives it a "prog edge" and much of the band's interest... Colin Stoner is also a good bassist
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  14. #14
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    bump
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    bump
    I've been on a Doctors Of Madness kick lately especially after going through Ultravox on Facebook.
    Be a loyal plastic robot for a world that doesn't care... Frank Zappa

  16. #16
    Saw an NBC documentary on them in 1976, (there sure wasn't much on TV like this at the time) and was struck by how their big time manager was berating them for not cutting it right after they played some pretty mind blowing stuff...a real William Burroughs meets Clockwork Orange train wreck w/ a lot of great electric violin. Got the first album asap. Got the second and third too, but the first one really stuck in the head and seemed to have more going for it. The track -Out- was maybe the only thing from the last two albums that could stand next to their first one. Apparently they opened for Van der Graaf Generator a few times and had the Sex Pistols open for them, which was the beginning of the end according to Kid Strange. There's a pretty good article on their history in the Guardian that should turn up w/ a Google search.

  17. #17
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    I'd forgotten I opened this thread some 5 years ago

    When I listen to DoM, I can't help of thinking of this

    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

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