Love and Rockets 'New Tales to Tell' album

“Admittedly it was their history with Bauhaus that ?rst brought our attention to Love and Rockets but we immediately realized that they were a band of their own merit. Their addition of pop structures and TRex cool to their dark art rock foundation had us totally hooked as a new wave enamored youth that, and the fact that they looked really fucking cool. Who didn’t want hair like Ash?

Plus, we can’t deny that, though confused by their presence in the video, we always loved the bubblemen.

They were a fantastic band and it’s only ?tting that their songs still move the dance?oors. I personally still wear my old Motorcycle shirt to this day.”—Blaqk Audio

It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since one of the most celebrated, and influential bands of our generation, Love and Rockets formed. In 1985 Daniel Ash (guitars, saxophone, and vocals), David J (bass and vocals) and Kevin Haskins (drums, synthesizers) departed from being gothic rock icons with the highly coveted Bauhaus and merged sparkling new wave disco dust influenced T Rex boogie, rockabilly, punk, folk, proto-rave, and psychedelia into one big ball of confusion. Their electric and eclectic blends, makes them cross over from far left to extreme right in one quick swoop which not only leaves their music timeless and classic but most memorable and to be shared, listened to and indulged in any decade.

“The attraction of Love and Rockets lies in their very commercial uncommerciality. The band have a whole host of smart tunes lurking in their material, but it takes some concentrated aural inspection to derive maximum benefit from them… Kerrang Magazine

Shaking the ghost of Bauhaus, Love and Rockets first single, ironically a cover, “Ball of Confusion” launched their career in 1985 which successfully disassociated them from being pigeonholed into any particular genre.

So it’s only natural that eventually similar minded multi-facted artists including both legends such as Frank Black, Flaming Lips, Stephen Perkins (Janes Addiction) Dandy Warhols, Snowden, and newer buzzworthy acts A Place to Bury Strangers, War Tapes, and Blakq Audio pay their respect to a band whom had influenced their style. Indeed, it all does circle back into one big ball of confusion.

“The creativity and production that has been put in to these tracks is quite impressive. I feel honored that these artists have taken the time to craft such excellent versions and its also really interesting to hear contemporary renderings of these songs. “ Kevin Haskins

“New Tales To Tell, A Tribute To Love and Rockets” is produced by Phil Jaurigui and Christopher The Minister who after almost 20 years in the music biz in Commercial Alternative Radio/Record Promotion/ Management and Satellite Radio in February of 2008 decided it was time to pay tribute to a band that was a huge part of his life and career and a band that had influenced so many other great bands. While for most of us, Bauhaus, Tones on Tail and Love and Rockets flourished In an era when cassettes ruled our car stereos and vinyl flooded our clubs, but no matter what age, everyone seems to have a Love and Rockets tale to tell. This Christopher discovered when he started contacting musicians to participate. And through various legwork and word of mouth, talks soon flourished with the likes of Stephen Perkins who recalls when “Janes addiction was on tour with Love and Rockets - 1988- I remember fog machines, strobe lights, glow in the dark drum sticks and me, an 18 year old punk from LA with my jaw dropped”. He Adds, “When I listen to Jane's Addiction's Mountain Song, I hear a rethink of Love and Rockets “The Light”, which is performed exquisitely by NYC’s A Place To Bury Strangers who comment, “Love and Rockets were one of the bands we all grew up too. ”So Alive” and “No New Tale to Tell” were part of the soundtrack of our high school years and Express sounds as good now as it did then. We are honored to be a part of this tribute record.” Jason Ruck, keyboardist From Film School agrees “We feel really lucky to be able to cover this song. One of the great things about “An American Dream” is the picked twelve-string – classic Daniel Ash style!” No Doubt’s Adrian Young was 15 when he bought “Mirror People” on vinyl and still owns it to this day. He teams ups with Morning Wood's Chantal Claret who rip up a snarling strip tease rendition containing a nasty ass beat on their take of “Lazy”.

In addition to musicians going on record for New Tales To Tell, supergroups were being formed with Christopher at the producer’s helm:

Dance-techno meets cabaret-goth on “Yin and Yang and the Flowerpot Man” provided by Halloween Jack, which includes members of Janes Addiction (Stephen Perkins), Guns and Roses (Gilby Clarke) and Alice Cooper (Eric Dover), and Garbage (Daniel Shulman). While the other supergroup features M J Keenan- Puscifer, Maynard from Tool/ A Perfect Circle/Puscifer along with Thomas Froggatt of She Wants Revenge on Bass and guitarist Mark Chaussee- formerly of Marilyn Manson-Danzig & Fight performing “Holiday on the Moon” from their beyond platinum selling album released in 1986, Express.

Another dark industrial electro delight is delivered from Blaqk Audio who glam it up darkly on “No New Tale To Tell”, while on “Inside the Outside”, Dandy Warhols rave it up a notch.

David J comments, “We have been knocked out by the response to this. So many of these interpretations are quite inspired. We should have done it like that!"

New Tales To Tell recalls classic vintage Love and Rockets undertones as heard on the T Rex inspired “So Alive” from their self titled album, which marked their most successful single (Top 5 US Billboard Charts).New Tales to Tell offers two unique versions that are as addictive as the original and just like Love and Rockets, Flaming Lips expose their passion for the Beatles more psychedelic moments as best noted with their trippy warped rendition of “Khundalini Express”. They twist it up even further with their minimal electro vocoder chorus, maintaining the distinctive hook just like the original. 1989 saw yet another dimension for Love and Rockets as they flirted with dance, best heard on their EP “Motorcycle” and their self titled album, so it’s only fit that Dubfire lends his futuristic take on “I Feel Speed” from this era.

Influences appear in every artform on New Tales To Tell: Lending their talents is artist Shepard Fairey who designed the album art and who’s most recent work became more widely known in the 2008 United States Presidential Election, specifically his Barack Obama "HOPE" poster.

Bonus tracks are made available on each version of this release and are made exclusive for Rhapsody, Amazon, iTunes, indie retail, (featuring The Morlocks), Physical formats and Limited Blue and Red Vinyl (featuring 8mm).

New Tales to Tell is a multi-facted album covering a variety of different styles,a perfect compliment to the originators, Love and Rockets.

“The power isn't in the velocity or volume, but the content itself” (James Hall).

““When Bauhaus closed one door, Love And Rockets opened another~
Both doors lead to a dark, desolate place for Lovers, Heartbreakers, and the Heartbroken. We are all one, two or all of the 3” Charlie Overbey, Charlie & The Valentine Killers

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Love and Rockets - New Tales to Tell