Mars
Rehearsal Tapes And Alt-Takes NYC 1976-1978
*Limited edition of 344 copies.* Before No wave there was China and after China there was Mars. For the first time on vinyl the complete 'Rehearsal Tapes and Alt-Takes NYC 1976-1978', an incredible document from this era. The rehearsal tapes are a chronological record of the 3 years of Mars' existence, the first year of which was spent forming their sound and musical identity, starting out with a lineup of upright piano, bass, acoustic guitar and percussion before going electric with guitars…
3 E / 11,000 Volts
"The group later known as Mars came together in late 1975 through a chance meeting of those involved. Common obsessions led directly to the music. "We started out jamming on Velvet Underground songs in a loft with Sumner Crane on piano, China Burg on acoustic guitar, myself on bass and Nancy Arlen on paper bags. This rapidly led to abstract expression far from the source. China and Nancy started playing their instruments at the first rehearsal. Sumner and I were self-taught. We all were ready fo…
Mars Archives Volume Three: N.N. End
** 500 copies ** "Barring some miraculous discovery (never out of the question!), "Mars Archives Volume Three: N.N. End" is the final LP in our series of LPs documenting the music of New York's most amazing combo of the No Wave era, Mars. From their more-quotidian beginnings as China, whose sound was influenced by The Velvet Underground and Television, Mars mutated and grew in a variety of nearly unchartable directions. "N.N. End" documents the latter, immaculate stages of the band's destruction…
Mars Archives Volume Two: 11000 Volts to Tunnel
"The second amazing volume (of three), compiled by Mark Cunningham after culling every known live tape of Mars, documents the band in its first fully-matured form. Recorded at CBGB and Max's in the early months of 1978, this captures the sound of Mars around the time their first single, '3E/11000 Volts,' was released by the French Rebel label (a precursor of ZE). They're still playing their early songs, and working out the material that would be on No New York (LR 102CD/LP). Two of the trac…
Mars Archives Volume One: China to Mars
**shipping on Friday**"Following the success of the two live LPs bookending Mars's trajectory through the skies of NYC, Mark Cunningham was convinced to return to his legendary box of cassettes. Even he was surprised to discover the band's earliest shows (done under the name China) were there, amidst a tumble of other tapes. Thus, the idea was born for a trilogy of LPs tracing Mars's development from their first audition gig at CBGB through the shows following their 1980 Lust/Unlust EP. Chin…
Rehearsal tapes and alt. Takes NYC 1976-1978
"Connie Burg and I met Sumner Crane and Nancy Arlen in late 1975 and quickly decided to start a band. Sumner had been playing piano since he was a kid and I trumpet, guitar and more recently bass, but we were for the most part self taught. Connie decided to pick up a guitar and we started jamming in Nancy’s loft on Broadway and Duane St. where Sumner lived downstairs. For the first few months it was just piano, bass and acoustic guitar, with some paper bag percussion from Nancy. Our biggest rock…
Live at Irving Plaza
The second volume of live Mars recordings from Feeding Tube. This one was recorded at the band's penultimate show, August 4, 1978, with spectral help from Rudolph Grey on the side-long take of "NN End." The quartet is at the full height of their power here, manipulating the language of tongue explosions both instrumentally and vocally. Recorded by Brian Eno, the sound is an advance from the galacto-fidelity of the Artists Space LP, and the performance is a staggering example of Mars in their…
The Complete Studio Recordings NYC 1977 to 1978
The complete recordings of Mars -- one of the lesser-known groups of the New York no wave scene, but a razor-sharp combo with some especially great guitars! The CD pulls together material from the group's first single, their following EP, and the famous No New York compilation -- all of it nicely tied up in a flurry of fast, edgey guitars -- as stark as they are dark -- propelled with fast, muddy rhythms that occasionally get a bit dubby -- and some vocals that are often at their most comfortabl…