RELEASES

Big Outdoor Type – Blue Eyed Boy ’80-’84

Released on Limited Edition Black Vinyl (200 Copies only) and Digital – 10th April 2026 via Bristol Archive Records

The name of Neil Davidge is more familiar for his seminal work with Massive Attack, the link with the dance grooves and adjustments of DNA and for film and TV music credits. By contrast the first half of the 1980’s Bristol band Big Outdoor Type was an earlier pop-tinged project with a planet of rhythm thrown in.

Neil and his writing partner, vocalist Tracey Fuller, had managed to come up with something a little more sophisticated than much of the local fare usually on offer. Music journalist Dave Massey picked up on the band and reviewed them to a national readership for Sounds. After that, well nothing much happened. Fast forward some four decades and Massey was able to compile the ‘Blue Eyed Boy’ album for Bristol Archive Records, saying:

‘I was hearing terrific tracks I’d not come across before. The overall quality was so high it was too good not to see the light of day. These tracks, along with a whole mass of home, four-track and Bristol demo studio produced works, have come together in a rather wonderful collection that was a delight to compile.’

Opening track ‘Don’t be a Stranger’ is a beautiful blast of summery warmth that easily breezes into the ears from the off. It’s a song and arrangement that can keep you guessing as it rolls along sweetly into a place that’s a bit more dramatic but still uplifting.

The next tracks are a blissful cross between Swing Out Sister’s ‘Breakout’ and the woozy sway of Associates in ‘Sulk’ mode on ‘Winters Cold’, the jive swing of ‘The Spell’, while the haunting ‘Incredible Shrinking Girl’ and the later ‘Follow Love’ are songs that echo the classic Postcard era of Sound of Young Scotland with some southern sweetening.

The camera’s lens is never out of focus and the image can always be altered. That comes into view in The Secret, a magical merging of 1967 era romanticism and explorations with that sorry for laughing sensibility from our Caledonian cousins.

Fun is on the agenda too. The frisky detour that is ’Casseybottom Stomp’ is followed by the wildness of ‘Giants’. The band tune right into the early 80‘s jazz-punk-funk heritage that came through via the likes of Bristol favourites, Pigbag, Animal Magic and Maximum Joy.

The more jangly angles of ‘City of Hell’ and spacious, sub psychedelic Latin lusciousness of ‘Our Last Man in Brazil’ – the latter to be found on the digital release – take that process several dance steps further. There is also a hint of the filmic element that would later inform Neil Davidge’s future career.

The spread of options is tribute to the core band during the 80’s of Tracey, Neil (swapping between guitar and bass), drummer Steve Dew and guitarist Phil Willmott. At differing stages, the group was refreshed by a second backing singer and live keyboard player Dianne Woodward; brass and, on demos, the keyboard contributions of Phil Andrews and Dave Patterson.

Steve would go on to play with the later Davey Woodward (Brilliant Corners) band The Winter Orphans, as well as contributing to albums by several other local acts. Bassist, Reg Shaw, is in the leading The Clash tribute band, London Calling!

This album collection was for so long a lost possible classic that never was. That’s not the case any longer. Dive right in, breathe the refreshing air, enjoy the view and feel the benefit of the great outdoors.

Zion Band – “Freedom City”

Released on Limited Edition Black Vinyl with a replica of the original insert (300 Copies only) 27th March 2026 via Bristol Archive Records

The beginning of the 1980s wasn’t a great time to be young, between
1979 and 1981 youth unemployment more than doubled to over 900,000.
Many approaches were tried to tackle the problem and one of the more
innovative was the Arts Opportunity Theatre a charity founded in Bristol
by Reynold Duncan and Yvonne Deutschman. Financed by assorted public
bodies, it aimed to train young people in a range of performing arts as
well as the multiple skills needed to produce, organise and put on
shows.

Over a seven year period the Arts Opportunity Theatre put on a
succession of shows not only locally, but travelling as far as the
Continent and trained hundreds of young people in everything from
music to book keeping. People who passed through the collective would go on to form the core of many local bands and be involved in a large proportion of Bristol music releases, especially reggae.
The first show put on in 1981 and 1982 was “Freedom City” which
prominently featured Zion Band. In May 1982 the Zion Band musicians
from the show went into Right Track Studio in Bristol and recorded four
vocals and two dubs that would be released the following January on a
12” single.
Back in 2011 Bristol Archive Records included “Twelve Tribes” on a
compilation and would later also compile “Babylon Fire/Babylon Dub”,
but the other three tracks could only be found on the scarce original 12”
which in recent years has rocketed in price fetching in excess of £150.
We believe music should be affordable and available so 2026 will see
Bristol Archive Records reissue the Zion Band “Freedom City” 12” in it’s
Entirety, complete with its original picture sleeve and insert with a limited pressing
of 300 copies on black vinyl.
This release is dedicated to the late Reynold Duncan RIP.

Fear of Darkness – Phobia ’1986-1988′

‘When you’re growing up in a small town….you say ‘no-one famous ever came from here.’ There’s only one good thing about a small town…..you know you want to get out……you hate it and you’ll have to leave.’

Lou Reed and John Cale (Songs for Drella – a fictional drama about Andy Warhol)

Living in the satellite town of Yate, a few miles from Bristol, was the equivalent to the Warhol situation for the members of the young indie/Goth band, Fear of Darkness. If you didn’t get out, the options for your future life were limited, personally and professionally. It was the proverbial dead end street, a wasteland in terms of fulfilling any potential you had.

Kindred spirits did. A precedent had been set shortly before by Wayne Hussey, front man and leader of The Mission. His band was aptly named given his parents strong religious beliefs. Another musician of note, Angelo Bruschini, used his talents to go on to play with local Bristol legends Massive Attack, with earlier work with Blue Aeroplanes and his own post-punk band, The Numbers.

It would by amplified by a name checking for Yate (‘the kind of a town referees come from’) by Half Man, Half Biscuit and then the literary phenomenon of J K Rowling and her Harry Potter novels!

This small town back-drop gave Fear of Darkness the motivation and opportunity to make their bid for freedom and expression. The first attempt was with initial singer Dave Mac where the band attempted a fusion of The Alarm and The Clash, all rebel rousing punk attitude cries of despair and rage against the climate of the times in the mid 1980’s. Songs from this period can be heard on The Virgin Land album that was released on Bristol Archive Records.

Phase two saw the introduction of Rich Hulands and a shift towards a darker, more Goth tuned approach. It was supplemented by the addition of Angela Huggins to their ranks providing a gender and textual counter point to Huland’s edgier vibe. This preceded the similar vocal contrasts used in the mid 1990’s by Leeds gloomsters, Sisters of Mercy after Hussey’s period spent in the band.

The newly released ‘Phobia’ album contains eleven songs recorded from 1986 to 1988. A first statement of intent with this new direction is in the opening track ‘Lay Me Down’. This was originally released as a single in 1987. The song is a straight into the heart and ears classic, with sonic twisting and turning leading to an epic but economical Darby guitar solo. The track exits in bright, heads-up blaze of positivity.

‘She Said’ has guitar pyrotechnics blasting out great shards of sound before the band show the heavier dimension to their palette. There was always a brave battle to add further ingredients into a genre that had many adherents in this time period. Fear of Darkness sometimes succeeded and sometimes fell short. But that didn’t stop them trying again.

A potential lost anthem follows later in the tale that is ‘True’. It could be a story of the make me special modern age where everyone struggles with how they feel and how they are, either about themselves or someone they care about. This version of Fear of Darkness could be tough or tender, both in terms of content and conclusions.

Rise above any phobia as not for love nor money should you pass on enjoying this album.

“The Famous Five Session” – 25th Anniversary – Crashland

Released on Limited Edition Trans Red Vinyl (200 Copies only) and Digital 30th January 2026 via Bristol Archive Records/Sugar Shack Arkive

Some bands come and go, others leave an impression so strong that even decades later, their songs feel like old friends you’ve just rediscovered. Crashland are one of those bands.
Formed in the mid – 90s and quickly touted by NME as “Britain’s best new band,” Crashland had everything: killer songs, a compelling live energy, and a frontman in Alex Troup whose melodic instincts and lyrical heart made him one of the most quietly gifted songwriters of his generation.
This release, The Famous Five Session, brings together five never-before-heard demos recorded in 2001 as the band regrouped after their deal with Independiente fell apart, together with the bonus of the four tracks from The Devoted ep, never before released on vinyl. Mastered and released for the first time, the five tracks on Side A represent the “lost chapter” of a band that in another timeline would have been huge.

But let’s rewind.
A formative version of the band began in Monmouth, South Wales where Alex Troup and drummer Marc Childs met at school, bonding over AC/DC, Iron Maiden, and a shared love for making noise. But the real magic began to take shape in the mid 90s when the sound shifted, shorter songs, sharper hooks, bigger choruses. With a new name ‘Crashland’ and a new purpose, they set out with a mission: “to offer a wake-up call you won’t be able to ignore.”
In 1997, they recorded a demo for EMI. It didn’t land a deal, but it did start circulating around London, catching ears and turning heads. That buzz led them to Independiente home of Travis, who signed the band on June 4, 1999. And from there, things started to move fast.

Crashland released three stand-out singles, New Perfume, Standard Love Affair, and Modern Animal each filled with punch, melody, and subtle lyrical detail. Modern Animal was even hailed by NME as “The Jam for the 21st Century.” Live, the band were electric, tight, frantic, full of passion and completed the 2000 NME Tour with Coldplay and My Vitriol. NME again: “Their live set is an explosion of wired, unbridled energy.”
Then came Glued, their debut album. Released in 2000, it was full of infectious, radio-friendly indie anthems that could stand proudly alongside the era’s best. But timing wasn’t on their side. Britpop’s moment had passed, and the UK was shifting toward the garage-rock revival spearheaded by The Strokes and The White Stripes. Glued peaking at 125 in the UK album chart, a heartbreakingly low number for an album so full of quality. From the title track to deeper cuts, Glued never had a weak moment. It was and remains an overlooked gem. Crashland left Independiente Records, undeterred and the band carried on.

In 2001 with a new line-up they released the The Devoted EP on Sugar Shack Records and began work on new material, including the demos presented here. After charting at #2 on the U.S Alternative Radio Airplay Chart in 2002, talks with American major labels offered flickers of hope… but ultimately, the momentum faded. Crashland drifted apart, and Alex Troup moved to Los Angeles, where he has continued to write, record, and perform under the name Troup.

But now, to mark the silver anniversary of the tracks being committed live to 2” tape at Famous Studios in Cardiff, the story isn’t quite finished. “The Famous Five Session” is released by Bristol Archive Records/Sugar Shack Arkive on 30th January 2026, distributed by Shellshock/Proper and available from good retailers worldwide.

Men of Stone – Glaxo Babies

Released on Limited Edition Black Vinyl (200 Copies only) and digital – 14^th November 2025 via Bristol Archive Records and Liberated Sound Development

In the annals of Bristol music history Glaxo Babies could have a book and a zone of greatness all of their own. Singles and EP’s such as ‘Christine Keeler’ and ‘This Is Your Life’, along with the seminal ‘Avon Calling’ compilation John Peel recorded session version of ‘It’s Irrational’, stormed the zeitgeist of late 70’s, early 80’s UK post punk. 

Four decades on, in 2025, another great leap forward brings the story to a stunning new destination with the vinyl and digital release on Bristol Archive Records in conjunction with their own imprint Liberated Sound Development of ‘Men of Stone’, the band’s first new album in some forty years.

It’s a major chapter telling of reinvention, restructuring and in no way taking stock. For this missive the Glaxo’s use not one, but two new vocalists adding their own voice to a collection of songs mainly written by long-time Glaxonian and original guitarist, Dan Catsis. Dan was also a massive part of nationally recognised Bristol luminaries, The Pop Group and Maximum Joy. 

Other Bristol notables come into the new material’s mix with Steve Bush, main-man of former NME faves Essential Bop, contributing lyrics to the darkness descends vibe ofsecond side opener ‘I Don’t Want to be Loved’, while Massive Attack producer and collaborator Neil Davidge adds a sonic sound-bed sheen to the track. 

Two of the new band members have an important Bristol back story. Bassist Steve Street was a centre-piece of studio recording at his SAM set-up in the city, and drummer Jamie Hill played with early Nellee Hooper/later Roni Size drummer linked percussion powerhouse outfit Mouth and later with ex Pop Group/Cortinas/Clash driven Virgin 80’s act Head.

‘Men of Stone’ is a record that nestles right in there with Glaxo’s earlier classics. It distils their past and present with plenty of other new goodies and angles to appreciate. You know it’s going to play a blinder from the full on, visceral thrill guitar attack of opening track ‘Living the Dream’. This is side-bar alt-rock heaven, a heady blend of classic LA howling blackout in a red room street love and hate meeting grunge in a dark alleyway.

There’s no time to recover. Next up, ‘Waiting for Something’ throws an edgy set of questions that will have a problem getting answers. This 2025 version of the Glaxo’s throws curveballs in every direction.  Something is always happening. Vox Number One, Jim Johnson ex Monk and Canatella, has well and truly introduced himself too.

The more reflective ‘Give Me’ and ‘Anymore’ are the chance of Vox 2, Adam Tongue, to speak some truths. The many guitar colourings that Catsis has in his repertoire palette are well on show to hear, on this pairing and the atmospherically powerful side closer Drifting.

The second side of the album ploughs some group brand and ‘Bristol Sound’ terrain going back in time a little. ‘I Don’t Want to be Loved’ sets the scene garnished by very on-point swirly trumpet, followed by the harem scarem, watching the detectives, kaleidoscope glory that is ‘Stop Me Now’. This is a ride that no-one wants to get off from.

As a title track ‘Men of Stone’ does what it says on the proverbial tin. The moving finger points at the black hole of shallowness and stubbornness. The chiming roar of Catsis’ guitar meshes with a band on fire. Album closer, the dramatic ‘Change is Forever’, pursues a film before your eyes and ears vendetta against anyone refusing to sign up to the maxim. This is Glaxo Babies at their most cinematic and it’s nothing short of magnificent. Chaos and Order wrapped up into a complete One.

This album is so relevant that the pleasure of it almost hurts. Let it bleed into you.

“Men of Stone” is released by Bristol Archive Records and Liberated Sound Development 14^th November 2025, distributed by Shellshock/Proper and available from good retailers worldwide.

“Three Stripe One” Smith & Mighty

Released on Limited Edition White Vinyl (500 Copies only)– 31st October 2025 via Bristol Archive Records 

This album is pure, concentrated, 100% vintage Bristol Sound at its best, so much so that we considered adding a health warning about consuming too much of it in one session, after all, bass lines can be very dangerous things. For those of us who were here, and even for those who weren’t it’s a time portal back to those lazy days of late eighties Bristol when this music was radical and new, and we had the joy of hearing each of these tunes for the very first time.

You reach a certain age and it’s easy to reminisce through rose-tinted glasses, that’s not the case here, we knew these were special the first time we heard them, nearly forty years later, many, many people have followed their blueprint, and these originals have only grown in stature.

It’s now six decades since Dionne Warwick went into a New York studio to record her million-selling versions of “Anyone Who Had A Heart” and “Walk On By” and as they’ve faded with time, it’s easy to forget that back in 1988, pretty much everybody was familiar with the originals, they were still part of the background soundscape of our lives.

Demonstrating admirable confidence, our Bristolian heroes tackled the brace of Bacharach and David classics only instead of the luxury surrounding of New York’s Bell Sound Studios; populated with the cream of New York session musicians, they had a tiny studio on Ashley Road with basic equipment and no budget. They may have been short of funds and equipment, but they had an abundance of ideas and talent. “Walk On” starts off pretty straight, Jackie Jackson singing the hook over for 22 seconds then everything changes as the beats and bass line usher in the future of Bristol music. Just listen to all the ideas that are crammed into just over four minutes as Dionne’s beloved pop/soul classic, is turned inside out and reinvented as cutting-edge dance music.

The first of the pair that was released is even more direct, “Anyone” jumps straight into reshaping expectations and the future of music with an instant assault of beats and bass line. The use of samples is relatively restrained and Jackie Jackson’s vocal is allowed enough space to carry the track on its own merits, although for the last 90 seconds, you can hear the duo increasingly having fun exploring the possibilities of the track and the bass line coming to the fore.

“This Is The Time” takes “Anyone” and turns it into a raw hip hop outing, hip hop with a British, Bristolian twist whilst most UK contemporaries were still mimicking the accents coming from the States rather than forging a British take on the genre, Krissy Kris adds an authentic Bristol voice.

We close out Side A with “Mix Me Down Maestro” another more polished hip hop outing showcasing the lyrical talents of M.C. Kelz and the scratching talents of Lynx, it also features the reggae influence, so synonymous with Bristol’s music.

If side A focuses on vocals, Side B kicks off all about the beats, and bass with vocals reduced to snippets and samples, sharp, hard repetitive beats with bass lines that will swallow you up like a tsunami depositing you on a strange new shore a few minutes later. “Clash Of The Beats,” Killa,” and “Different Chapter”, tough tunes then and tough tunes now.

Rob’s former bandmate in Restriction, Eric “The General” McCarthy gives us the most obviously reggae-influenced selection, complete with “No, No, No” vocal sample with “Time To Rhyme”, a nice change of pace before rounding things off and travelling almost full circle with the always popular “Walk On (Mellow Mix)”.

With money tight Three Stripe focussed on releasing singles that could recoup costs quickly to allow follow-up releases and make enough impact to lead to a major deal, yet both this title and our previous album of unreleased material “Connected Sequences” amply demonstrate how easily Smith and Mighty could have pre-empted both their peers and the many who followed in their footsteps with a strong, coherent, and cutting-edge album as early as 1989. It’s intriguing to speculate what may have happened if that path had been taken, for now we present this as both a compilation of essential singles that have more than stood the test of time and a what if album that could have been released in 1989.

“Sound Clash Vol 2” Apartment vs The Escape

It takes something special to change someone’s life and plot a course for it. It was a new age for an 18 year old Alan Griffiths when he experienced the Television and Blondie gig at Bristol’s then Colston Hall in 1978. He even gave his first ‘serious’ band an American style name – Apartment. 

It would link into the motives behind this and his second group, also based in Bristol. This was to be The Escape. That escape through his music was away from suburban mundanity and that of his day job.

Bristol Archive Records have decided to celebrate his musical life, seven years on from his death in 2017. This is in the form of a Sound Clash between the two bands which shows an artistic journey starting in the era of punk, through new Wave and into the early 80’s post-punk period.

In keeping with the punk/New Wave ethos that drove the three-piece Apartment, their featured tracks on the Clash have some rawness and edge. All of the songs show off a lyrical directness and vivacity which is backed up by the playing. New Age blasts out of the blocks in a flurry of angled attack that viscerally thrills. Living Like This has that similar energy, in this case from the adrenalin of a scorching live show. This is a glorious snapshot in time of a band on very much top form. 

Alan’s absorption of the Nuggets anthologies of late 60’s and early 70’s American psychedelia and general out there weirdness found their way into a song like Distractions. This fused with a shot by both sides shake of New York explorations of the likes of Television, as the ringing guitar lines zing their way into your ears. Poison is a narcotic dream but without the drug taking – the band was never into that. But there is a lysergic launch that hits when the mid-section soars away taking the listener with it. 

Broken Glass is a true epic and one of the centre-pieces of an Apartment gig. Alan recorded more than one version of this song, but this take replete with slashing Verlaine and Lloyd flavoured guitar, the Billy Ficca feel drumming and the full range of teenage angst in Alan’s voice tells the full melodrama brilliantly. The whole vibe is of CBGB’s in New York, a club that Alan had never been to and would only get to visit many years later. But he had been there ‘in his head’. Broken Glass was Apartment’s very own Marquee Moon.

If a musical genre’s or group’s period of prominence could be a matter of months or a couple of years, then the chance to make an impact could be less than 24 Hours. This London recorded attempt by The Escape at laying down their Comsat Angels/Killing Joke driven groove works a treat. Bassist Stuart Morgan and drummer Emil, who had followed Alan from Apartment into this new trio, lock everything down, as they do on the follow-up, Truth Drug. 

Eden and Relapse Collapse were more London session productions and also songs toured extensively. The band used this recording as the backing for making a video of Eden, appropriately filmed at Ashton Court mansion, to the west of Bristol, for the BBC ‘yoof’ programme The Oxford Show in 1982/3. The later Bath superstars Tears for Fears were on the same edition and would become Phonogram label mates as well as a future working option for Alan. Stuart would later go on to work with U2.

Relapse and another meat grinder of a tune Flowers in the Dark were typically set in the darker corners that the Escape loved to explore. The muscular Difference Between is the one home recorded Escape offering, highlighting how much Alan’s prowess at nailing a demo had moved on. Difference was one of the quartet of songs that comprised the collection that secured an eventual recording deal with Phonogram.

That pre major label period has however been captured perfectly in the sizzling sextet of goodies on this side. The band’s sizeable recorded legacy of demos and sessions is one that stands tall and stands proud, as does that of Apartment.

 “Sound Clash Vol 2” is released by Bristol Archive Records 10^th October 2025, distributed by Shellshock/Proper and available from good retailers worldwide.

“The Bristol Post Punk Explosion Vol 3 – (1979-1985)” Various Artists

Released on Limited Edition Clear with Black Smoke Vinyl (200 copies) on 6th June 2025 via Bristol Archive Records

In the beginning there was rhythm. And that is the driving force of the third epic edition of the Bristol Post Punk Explosion, a vinyl volume that focuses even more on the groove as well as a cutting edge. This Explosion has a blend of local notables and lesser lights, with stories linking the likes of Stiff Records, Smith & Mighty, John Peel, Massive Attack, mega producer Nellee Hooper, Pigbag, The Pop Group, Roni Size, Vice Squad and even the owner of Bristol Archive Records!

To get some rhythm you need some sweat and it is Sweat that set the scene. Their never previously released track ‘Crufter’ is an outlier for the later work of much acclaimed and influential Smith & Mighty. Third in an opening trio salvo of hit those skins and pull those strings, the post departure of later mega producer Paul ‘Nellee’ Hooper version of Mouth, powered by eventual Roni Size drummer Rob Merrill, fizz and trumpet their way through a short and sweet ‘Take Your Coat Off’.

Between these tracks the artier Stiff Records signings Electric Guitars had their own take on skewed, contorted danceability of percussive power mixed with big, fat choruses. ‘Genghis Khan’ rampages its way into the ears taking no prisoners, with Andy Saunders’ giddy-up guitar driving progress forward. Cold had a less common sight in the Bristol terrain at the time being fronted by a female singer/guitarist, Lucy Ray. ‘Sectarian Killing’ is a no holds barred, punchy assault on events in Northern Ireland and elsewhere. Vice Squad’s drummer Shane Baldwin featured with the band as Lucy’s song writing partner Tim Clench had been in an early version of the Squad with Shane and Dave Bateman.

Animal Magic add further to the gender balance through trumpeter Gill’s notable contributions to the slip and slide of ‘Get it Right,’ one of several tracks recorded for John Peel’s BBC Radio One programme. The Rimshots were fronted by Archive label head Mike Darby and ‘A Way with Words’ is a swirly flash back trip of heavenly getting to the world on time.

On side two there is a big mood shift in the push me/ pull you insistence within the Glaxo Babies classic ‘Who Killed Bruce Lee?.’ Forget who shot JR and any old detective story, the band home in on the mystery like a dog searching for a bone. There is no let-up next in ‘Dry Ice Hot’ from Birth of Sharon, a gang of pin-stripes mash-up of Gang of Four, early Talking Heads and Captain Beefheart. The economically, on point Creature Beat give us the short, snappy, garage band feel-good corker that is ‘Snob Tax.’ The song’s hook stays in your head like an HMRC tax return or payment deadline that cannot be avoided.

The Escape then brings you back to earth as they scan the possibilities within ‘24 Hours’. This song was one of four later recorded for the BBC Radio One show hosted by Peter Powell. Incongruous heard on drive-time radio, The Escape always knew how to get into the farthest, as well as darkest, corners. The Numbers sported the hugely inventive guitarist Angelo Bruschini, who went on to make major inputs to the long- standing Blue Aeroplanes and Massive Attack. ‘Cross Slide’ provides a delicious amalgam of classic Bowie and early Dirk period Adam and the Ants.

Finally, the sharp lyrics and supersonic guitar work in the Royal Assassins hits the target in ‘Song of a Bullet.’ On demos they blended punk funk, juddering juicy bass synth stabs to a dub consciousness and tribal warfare of sound. Live as a full band they were unstoppable, stretching out the grooves and firing on all cylinders.

Sadly, some of the Explosion album artists are no longer with us. But their music, shock wave pulses and wordsmithery as well as those other’s lives on, getting stronger and more significant with each year.

“Sound Clash Vol One” Lovetrain vs Distant Cousins

Released on Limited Edition Vinyl (100 copies) – 25th April 2025 via Bristol Archive Records

There have always been rivalries, competitiveness and soundings off between post Elvis era acts. In the 60’s it was The Beatles v The Rolling Stones. During Britpop, Blur v Oasis, with the Mancunian sibling rivalry thrown in. However, at Bristol Archive Records we are rather more gentlemanly in our contests. We put Cousins up against Love – Distant Cousins v Lovetrain.

This is the first in a prospective series of compilations that will compare and contrast the merits and outputs of two Bristol acts who may, or may not, have connected with a wider audience in their time. It may also be one of the first of its type since the infamous Track Records early 70’s offerings that set The Who up against Jimi Hendrix!

Private Dicks were a 1970’s punk/new wave era forerunner to the Cousins for the singer Gavin King. They had been rather cruelly referred to as ‘reclaimed pub rockers with skinny trousers and ties’ but had at least had seen tracks on the original and subsequent seminal John Peel acclaimed early 1980’s Avon Calling compilation and a later 00’s double pack.

King was part of the 80’s revamp with new members as a fresh entity, Distant Cousins – not to be confused with several later bands of that name – where they shed any connections to shoddy couture. Now there was a full-on attack – alive, direct, disciplined, with economy, coming four-fifths out of Bath with tracks recorded at SAM studio in the centre of Bristol.

The Cousins knew which buttons to push. The first of the on offer sizzling songs ‘The Search’ taps into the Foxx era of Ultravox, skin deep flow motion systems of romance, all snippy, jagged edges. ‘You Lied to Me’ ties the band to an angst laden, Seagulls style Nightmares cross-buzz banner, well nailed down and Fixxed.

In trying to keep ‘down’ moments (in) check the DC’s hit a real pop moment with…. ‘Check’. This was a full-throated, chorus-driven, amphetamine gazelle assault on Duran Duran’s castle of supremacy in this zone. But if there is a track that sums up the essence of this, on its merits, Bristol/Bath variant of a Distant Cousins it is ‘Red Oasis’ – tough, muscular, sweating in bullets, an empire of dance. It is a true statement of searching and intent, exotic, other worldly, an enticement to follow.

Lovetrain’s focal point, brothers Jon-Jo and Robin Key, were major contributors to Art Objects, Various Artists and Robin had a stint with Blue Aeroplanes, all noted acts in 70’s onwards hipster Bristol. But within Jon-Jo and Robin was a muse that could blend classic song writing voiced with passion and panache, allied to classy musicianship that could fill a stadium.

It tips the hat to the spirit of America that can be found in the widescreen epic that is ‘Dreamworld’ and in the throwaway intonation and occasional quick-fire delivery found via ‘Jackie’. But the guiding force is always intrinsically bittersweet British, nay English, wry observational in many respects. Lloyd Cole, Paddy McAloon and Elvis Costello swirl into the overall lyrical lexicon.
Lovetrain got signed in the 80’s by the Virgin label imprint Siren, which was seeing huge sales achieved by Cutting Crew and T’Pau in that big hair part of the decade. Sadly, the band put out a strong album that got some what lost in the morass of the other, rather too similar white bread/AOR type acts on their roster.

In this sound-clash both acts play out a dazzling score draw. Neither of them lost out, other than not fully getting the recognition they deserved from the big, bad world at the time this great music was produced. This compilation makes a start at righting that wrong. The chance to delve into their respective oeuvres is too good to miss. Just don’t be too competitive!

“Sound Clash Vol One” is released by Bristol Archive Records on Limited Edition Vinyl (100 copies) on 25th April 2025, distributed by Shellshock and available from good retailers worldwide.

“Connected Sequences” – Smith & Mighty

Released on Limited Edition Black Smoke Vinyl (200 copies) on 18th April 2025 via Bristol Archive Records

Although other acts would be the ones to see huge worldwide success with the Bristol Sound the combination of reggae infused basslines, elements of hip hop, female and male vocals and a laid-back tempo were pioneered on Ashley Road, St. Paul’s at the Three Stripe studio by Rob Smith and Ray Mighty. “We started out in the 80’s. A couple of young guys on the dole with a bit of a knack for making original DIY, Lo-Fi beats, and basslines. with just one ambition, to make a record. Everything else was a bonus and to be frank, came as a complete surprise.” – Rob Smith

One of Bristol Archive’s earliest and most satisfying releases “The Three Stripe Collection 1985-1990” did a great job of covering those first records, the period before Smith and Mighty signed a major deal with London FFRR and includes many important and now classic tracks that helped inspire so many artists and producers both locally and further afield. Unfortunately, that major deal didn’t work out, “Perhaps we weren’t ready for the attention or the new demands that followed, but we forged ahead, desperately trying to keep to our original vision. What happened after is another story.”

“This collection here though, represents moments from those early days and hopefully reflects some of the joy of being free to do anything we wanted, with only ourselves to please.” In the mid-eighties and early nineties their Ashley Road studio was a hive of activity and their open-door approach to collaboration as well as nurturing talent, would see them record with numerous local singers and musicians as well as directly inspire future members of Massive Attack, Full Cycle and Way Out West among others, Ashley Road was ground zero for the Bristol Sound.

With so much collaboration and experimentation, only a fraction of the finished tracks could be pressed up and released, leaving a library of unreleased music that adds an additional layer to the story. “Compiled from salvaged DAT tapes and cassettes, these are some of the lesser-known beats and pieces we were making at the time.” In proper Bristolian style we have taken our time to continue documenting the Smith and Mighty and Three Stripe Story with this our follow up album, “Connected Sequences.”

The new album was recorded between 1985 and 1992 and features a few names familiar to fans of both Smith and Mighty and Bristol Archive Records. Side A is a mixture of hip hop and reggae influenced tracks kicking off with local hip hop pioneers Kelz and Lynx on “Rock U Boom Kick” already demonstrating, all involved had mastered the genre and given it a Bristol spin. “Feeling Alright” is a perfect fusion of Dan Ratchet’s sweet reggae-tinged vocals with an addictive bassline and hip hop influenced backing. The reggae hip hop fusion continues more explicitly with Rudy Lee’s catchy vocal providing the counter to Kelz’s rap in “Danger.”

The first side is rounded off with a brace of reggae influenced tracks, the sample driven “Step Forward” rides a fine line between dance and reggae, sounding like it could veer off into a dancehall friendly heavy steppers dub at any moment whilst always staying just inside the dance music line, the reggae melodica and vocal sample never quite overwhelming the dance friendly backing track. “Evolve Dub” is another attempt to reconcile a reggae vocal sample and bassline with then current dance music.

“Hardly Wait” kicks offside two with the classic Smith and Mighty sound and a collaboration with Gina Foster, with Gina’s voice and a relentless bassline propelling it, this would surely have been a potential hit if released at the time. Regular Three Stripe contributor Jackie Jackson is joined by Jessica George on the upbeat and joyful “Save Us” while another regular Smith and mighty collaborator Marilyn McFarlane rounds off the trio of female vocals with her strong performance featuring on “Dub Reasons”.
With a couple of simple vocal hooks and driving beats combined with what would pass for discarded soundtrack elements “Stupid Dope Rock” hints at an unfulfilled career composing film soundtracks, if only. The album is rounded off by “Piano Twist” a dark and heavy instrumental that blends various elements to good effect.

“Connected Sequences” an album of lost, unreleased Smith and Mighty – Three Stripe productions is released on limited edition clear vinyl, (300 copies), and digital download by Bristol Archive Records on 7th March 2025, distributed by Shellshock Distribution.

“Inventing Massive Attack, Soul II Soul, Tricky, Portishead, Bjork, Mo’Wax, trip hop, The Bristol Sound, Roni Size and just about every British dance record since 1988 that has attempted to meld dub, ambient and hip-hop beats. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Smith & Mighty.” Garry Mulholland, from ‘The 500 Greatest Singles Since Punk and Disco’

“Though most people will think of Massive Attack, Portishead or even Roni Size when asked about Bristol’s influence on UK music in the late 80s and 90s, really none of them have had anywhere near as much of an impact as Smith & Mighty. With a hand in the development of jungle, dubstep and the particular of – Bristol-ness that so defined the aforementioned artists, their influence is comparable to that of the city itself.” Crack

“Smith & Mighty are producers and originators. From 1985 onwards they took lovers rock, mixed it with heavier modern beats and came up with a new sound. All you needed was the drums, the voice and that spatial dub awareness to create something special.” Test Pressing

“As ever with their productions, it’s all about the separation of sounds – the sense of size and distance between that massively present bass and the far distant subliminal instrumentation gives a sense of immersion, plunging you into an opiated dream of future cities”. – Joe Muggs