måndag 13 Jul 2009, 19:16

Well now, I am boxing up records in anticip…

…ation of moving house in three weeks (even though I have, as late, nowhere to go) - and I find an EP by Appliance which I stick on and it's pretty cool. A bit stereolab, a bit krautrock. It has groove, in a white boys from Devon kinda groove.

But but but but but - it's from waaaaaay back in 98 - and there's a website address on the sleeve;

http://www.virtual-pc.com/tangent/appliance/index.html

and you know that's old old old. And of course, it's dead. But there's a certain fascination that these dead band web pages hold for me - there's a charming naivety to the complicated address and a nostalgia for the days when only a handful of people you knew could get on-line anyway. 98 was after those times I suppose, but only by a few years.

In 98 Most bands were probably setting up some website somewhere as an afterthought to the whole marketing thing - they were still reliant upon postcards in CD's and vinyl sleeves which were prepaid if you were on a major - attach a stamp if the label was an indie. Postcards isn't maybe the best description… they were about 3" square white cards to fill yr address and age on and send back to the label or band who would then send you postcards and paper catalogues a few times a year.

I loved those band send-outs. Still have a few kept in boxes. I wonder when that stopped? Sometimes you would get a free flexidisk too - cheers to Cast for one of those! - A live version of one of their first songs which is in a box somewhere now awaiting the move…

Anyway - let me know any weird old websites for bands - the more complicated a name the better!

Oh, and R.I.P. geocities