Neil Campbell (musician)

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Neil Campbell is a British musician, notable for his vast catalogue and his many collaborations. In 2005, The Wire declared that he, Richard Youngs and Matthew Bower had "provided the map co-ordinates for much of what passed for a post-punk UK underground during most of the 80s and 90s".

1 Early years
2 From the "A" Band to Vibracathedral Orchestra
3 Astral Social Club
4 Discography
5 External links

[edit] Early years

Born on May 19th 1966 in Scotland, he began making music in 1979 using whatever came to hand, having already developed a firm belief in improvisation, and that virtuosity would negatively impact upon the results.

In 1984, he first made contact with Richard Youngs when his Kettering-based group ESP Kinetic applied to appear on a cassette compilation on Youngs' Jabberwok label. Although unsuccessful, he persevered for a while with ESP Kinetic and its successor, Redemption Inc, before extending his range outside the rock band format. Initially and indeed, typically for the period, much of Campbell's work was released on small tape labels or by Campbell himself and it is nigh-on impossible to document all of his releases.

[edit] From the "A" Band to Vibracathedral Orchestra

However, it was as a constant member of Nottingham's A Band that he met several future collaborators and first came to the attention of the international underground with an album "Artex/A Lot" being issued on Siltbreeze in the US. One reason for the A Band's growth in numbers is that, for each of their performances, he refused to appear onstage unless there was a new member.

As well as this, he collaborated with UK noise/art unit Smell and Quim under the alias D. Foist whilst also recording with Scottish DIY punk-improv duo Prick Decay on several occasions.

Towards the end of the 1990s campbell hooked up with Julian Bradley to record 5 cassettes and an LP before they asked Mick Flower to join them, adding Bridget Hayden and Adam Davenport to form Vibracathedral Orchestra, who record and release prolifically, with many self-released items joining their US CD releases on VHF and Giardia. Campbell, of course, still found time to guest with Matthew Bower's groups Total and Sunroof!, work with people like Stewart Walden (especially as SWANC - the name taken from their initials), Rob Hayler, Phil Todd, Universal Indians and (perhaps inevitably) Campbell Kneale and to record solo albums such as These Premises Are No Longer Bugged and Sol Powr. He also finally made a duo album with Richard Youngs, How The Garden Is. He took to the CDR medium as enthusiastically as he did the cassette and many limited releases appeared on labels in the UK, USA, New Zealand and Australia.

[edit] Astral Social Club

Campbell left Vibracathedral Orchestra in 2006 and now concentrates on his Astral Social Club project with a "best of" compilation culled from the first 7 volumes of self-released CDRs due on VHF this year. He has also performed live under this name, securing the services of his friends Richard Youngs and Tirath Singh Nirmala for a performance in Glasgow in April 2006, and Arttu Partinen for a performance in Manchester.

[edit] Discography

As stated above, a complete discography would be impossible to compile. Perhaps even Neil himself doesn't know the full list of his work. Having said that, a select discography appears in the Perfect Sound forever interview (see link), and the list here is based on that.

Solo work

Mundanity split w/Richard Youngs TC (Cakehole)
track on Gooseweek comp 7" (Oska)
Is Not Here TC (Union Pole)
Face of Scurf TC (Union Pole)
split w/Jazz Buffoon TC (Scum)
"Wheel Ramble/Real Scramble" 10" (no label)
Boomerang is Love TC (no label)
Casio Rapman and Electric Guitar TC (Matching Head)
The Singing Pubis TC (no label)
These Premises Are No Longer Bugged LP (Giardia/Fusetron)
"Pan Wagon Oasis" on split w/Campbell Kneale 7" (Celebrate Psi Phenomenon)
String Quartets, Loops, Garden Talk CDR (no label)
Itinerant String Section CDR (Freedom From)
"Paint Everything White/Blip Pneumonia" 7" (Giardia)
Excerpt from the Never-Ending Bowed Metal Song CDR (Fencing Flatworm)
"Mizzlefield Ploof Kingdom/Muttertown Birdsong Cindy" 7" (no label)
The Hearing Force of the Humanverse CDR (Fencing Flatworm)
SOL POWR LP (Lal Lal Lal)

Vibracathedral Orchestra

Mothing CDR (no label)
Copse CDR (no label)
"Falling Free You and Me/Filling Sacks With Coloured Scraps" 10" (no label)
The Vibracathedral String Quartet CDR (no label)
Lino Hi CD (Giardia)
Hollin CDR (no label)
Music for Red Breath CDR (no label)
String Quartet/Drum Troupe 7" (Freedom From)
My Gate's Open, Tremble by My Side LP (Roaratorio)
Versatile Arab Chord Chart CD (VHF)
Their Spines Crumble For A Hug TC (no label)
Long Live the Weeds CDR (no label)
Hot Booty - Live 1999 CDR (VHF)
Live in Newcastle and Leeds 1999 TC (Matching Head)
"Live Glasgow 28 July 2000" on Freak On! CDR (VHF)
"The One You Call Ghost Train/Oblong Two" 7" (Tonschacht)
Dabbling With Gravity and Who You Are CD (VHF)
Textile Vinyle Serie 3 split w/Jackie-O Motherfucker 12" (Textile)
"Stole Some Sentimental Jewellery" on split w/Low 7" (Misplaced Music) MMICD CDR (no label)

ESP Kinetic/Redemption Inc: These 1980s bands recorded several tapes but it is doubtful that any will be found without searching Ebay. Campbell placed a boxed set of ESP Kinetic cassettes on the shelves of Kettering Library when he worked there; it is doubtful that it is still there.

A Band

untitled 7" (no label)
Artex/A Lot LP (Siltbreeze)
untitled CD (no label)

Neil/Richard/Simon/Stewart

Durian Durian LP (Forced Exposure)

Julian Bradley/Neil Campbell

First TC (no label)
2 TC (no label)
Bradley Campbell Three TC (no label)
V TC (no label)
untitled LP (American Tapes)
"Untitled" on Scenes From Ringing Isle 2CD (Rural Electrification Program/Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers/[K-RAA-K]3/Giardia/Swill Radio/Ecstatic Peace!/Freedom From/Polyamory)

Julian bradley/Neil campbell/Sticky Foster

The Lift, Brighton,14th March 1998 CDR (The Rhizome Label)

Total

Buffin' the Celestial Muffin CD (Rural Electrification Program) Eternity's Beautiful Frontispiece CD (VHF)

Sunroof!

Delicate Autobahn Under Construction 2CD (VHF) Slipstream CDR (Giardia; reissued by Rural Electrification Program)
Found Star Sound CD (VHF)
Temple Music Vols. 1&2 2CDR (Rural Electrification Program) Bliss 2CD (VHF)

Neil Campbell/ Richard Youngs

How the Garden is LP (HP Cycle)

Richard Youngs/Stephen Todd

Plays on one track, "Bananas'n'Muffins", on Georgians CD (VHF)

Neil Campbell/Stewart Walden

Here Comes Fun CDR (Slippytown)

As SWANC

Mouldy Roll TC and 2CDR (PUMF) (1992)

Neil Campbell/Spykes

untitled CDR (American Tapes)

Neil Campbell & Decaer pinga

Strobelights to Boston CDR (Chocolate Monk)

Decaer pinga

Electronic Honky TC (Polyamory)

Prick Decay

!!!Cuba.Planet Cuba!!! TC (Union Pole)
"Vachement Click with Turntable Editions" on Studies For Postal Orgies TC (Chocolate Monk)
Rate of CHB is in TC (Union Pole) Big Band Xerox TC (Chocolate Monk)
"He'll Look Like Moses" on Studies For Postal Orgies Vol. 2 CDR (Chocolate Monk)

Paekong mae