It is released on CD format only and is a 2 CD set with CD #2 being a bonus collection of outtakes, demos, alternate versions and extra tracks.
Strange Aeons is available from Rainfall Records, 28 Churchill Close, Calne, Wiltshire. SN11 8EN. U.K. for £12.00 (including postage and packing).
Praise for STRANGE AEONS:"Thanks for the CD Strange Aeons. It looks fantastic and from the little I've heard sounds fantastic too, including Ramsey's hilarious Telegram. I'm just listening to Midnight Sun and definitely these sound your best songs yet. I prefer the simpler, and slower approach. Excellent, and good luck with the album. I'm proud to be a part of it." Simon Clark 11.08.01
"Thanks very much for the HPL CD. Most impressed....... Great music - and poems by people with voices strong enough to do them justice." Brian Tawn 14.08.01
"This is the best Mythos CD I've heard! A really nice mix of music and truly FAB readings by All!! Steve should be very PROUD!" Joseph S. Pulver Sr. 16.08.01
"I am very impressed with the quality of this production (particularly Susan's reading of "The Shore of Madness"!) & your incredible artwork throughout. My husband also commented on the art, asking me who did it as it was some of the best Mythos stuff he'd seen recently.I've listened to most of this (not all of Disc, 2 alas) & am fascinated by the variety of works and people involved. This is something I'm very proud to have been a part of." Ann K. Schwader 16.08.01
"I'm getting a great kick out of it. It's truly a rich, dark feast for the necromantically inclined. I'm especially glad, too, for the booklet detailing the lyrics which came with the album, as some of those lyrics would have been hard to understand without it. I'm very glad to see all those Lovecraftian themes available in such a variety of sonic renderings. The artwork on the booklet was great too." Richard L. Tierney 1.09.01
"It's a deep vault of strange words and music: scary, evocative, comic and nihilistic. Melanie Townsend's voice is really haunting. I like the mixture of musical styles, particularly the more Goth-tinged material. Of the prose, I particularly appreciated the contributions from Ramsey Campbell and Thomas Ligotti. Some of the song lyrics are excellent as well - of yours I particularly liked "Call of the Whippoorwills". Joel Lane 20.09.01
"Quite simply, a real gem of a disc, pop pickers. First impressions, what a great cover. The slimy green aura made me feel quite queasy - smell the seaweed! Inhale the noxious stench of the Old Ones! The spoken intro reminded me briefly of the old Moody Blues albums (Lost Chord etc.) where Graeme Edge would intone some profound lines of wisdom before the music came crashing in - no insult intended of course. I found my own performance deeply embarrassing, needless to say. The backing FX were brilliant but I have managed so far to ensure that no family or friends actually hear it......thanks anyway. A really good contrast in styles. Fireaxe and The Petals are about as far apart in sound as you can get but it all fits. Picking out a favourite is hard, no bad tracks at all and I'm hearing things differently each time I play it. The Childe Roland track "Mountains of Madness" was a surprise, not what I would have expected from him. Cthulhu meets Kraftwerk? An Autobahn journey across the Night Land? The track which has left the biggest impression so far is a spoken one, "Eclipse" by Joel Lane. When it comes to dark fiction the word "disturbing" is over-used but in this case it fits exactly. A very chilling piece of prose. Excellent. Overall a stunning package which I hope gets reviewed and distributed to as wide an audience as possible." Kevin Broxton 2.10.01
The bulk of Strange Aeons was recorded and mixed at Thunderhead Studios and Cloudbase Studios, Calne, Wiltshire, UK and at Aeon 7 Studios, Bath, Avon, UK. The album was directed and produced by Steve Lines and engineered by Ken Flynn, Childe Roland and Steve Lines. It was mastered at Burnsite Studios, Chippenham, Wiltshire by Steve Lines and Clive Jones on June 17th 2001.
The poetry readings and many of the songs were recorded by the authors/musicians involved on a strange array of 2, 4 and 8 track machines in various 'nightmariums' and studios across the world - consequently recording quality will vary slightly from track to track. For recording information see specific band biographies.
Disc 1 is the album proper while disc 2 is a bonus collection of outtakes, demos, alternate mixes and extra tracks. Hopefully though it will give listeners an insight as to how some of the songs on this album evolved. It also includes several tracks which would have been included on disc 1 if there had been enough room so their inclusion here should not infer that they are in any way inferior to those recordings on disc 1. I have tried to pack in as much material as the two disc format will allow. Hopefully there will be something here for everyone to enjoy!
The album cover artwork, design and layout was by Steve Lines.
Here's the running order for STRANGE AEONS:
Disc One
Strange Aeons - Steve Lines
The Necronomicon - Childe Roland
The Telegram - Ramsey Campbell
Midnight Sun - Stormclouds
Tindalos - Brian Lumley
The Hounds of Tindalos - Childe Roland
The Shore of Madness - Susan McAdam
Dreamhound - Fireaxe
Home - Simon Clark
Call of the Whippoorwills - Stormclouds
Daoloth - Ramsey Campbell
The Maze of Maal Dweb - The Petals
The Manuscript of Emily Zann - The Zoogs
Brown Jenkin - Childe Roland
Down to a Sunless Sea - Rod Goodway
The Midnight Sister - Stormclouds
Pickman's Painting - Kevin Broxton
The Black Pharaoh - Astral Weeks
Innsmouth Jewellery - Lorretta Mansell
At the Mountains of Madness - Childe Roland
The Black Litany of Nug and Yeb - Robert M. Price
What Do They Say? - Stormclouds
The Stormclouds of Their Return - Joseph S. Pulver Sr.
Disc Two
(Bonus disc with outtakes, demos, rough mixes and extra material)
Strange Aeons (demo) - Steve Lines
The Necronomicon (demo) - Childe Roland
Invocation to the Void - Thomas Ligotti/John B. Ford
Dunwich Town - Childe Roland
The Whisperer in Darkness - -Steve Lines
The Ghooric Zone (demo) - The Gugs
Home (different mix) - Simon Clark
Beyond the Fields We Know (demo) - Stormclouds
The Ghosts of Cydonia - John B. Ford
The House on the Borderland (demo) - Childe Roland
Eclipse - Joel Lane
Midnight Sun - Childe Roland
Petition: To Tsathoggua - Robert M. Price
The Thousand Young - Black Monolith
E'ch Pi El - Spawn of Chaos
Y'golonac - Ramsey Campbell
Lizzy (demo) - Thunderhead
Rats in the Walls - Steve Lines
Brown Jenkin (demo) - Childe Roland
Vacant Souls - Tim Lebbon
Dreamhound (demo) - Fireaxe
The City Out of Time - Brian Lumley
At the Mountains of Madness (demo) - Childe Roland
The Night Music of Oakdeene - Michael Cisco
What Do They Say? (acoustic) - Childe Roland
When They Return - Steve Lines
Bands and musicians involved:
Astral Weeks
Lodovico Ellena: Vocals, lead and rhythm guitars. Max Mussetti: Guitar. Mauro Coda: Bass. Aldo Casciano: Drums. Sandro Sam Pietro: Background vocals.
Lodovico Ellena is a prolific Italian musician and has released a huge number of albums both as a solo artist and with various bands. His first band, the highly acclaimed Effervescent Elephants played a high powered brand of rock psychedelia. He has also been a member of The Arcanes and The Mirrors, two Italian rock bands heavily influenced by late 60's and early 70's rock. He is also the author of a book on the Italian Psychedelic scene. Astral Weeks is his latest project. Recorded in Vercelli on April 1st, 2001 by Carlo Roffinengo.
Black Monolith:
Randolph Evans: Tape manipulation, guitars, keyboards, feedback and vocals.
Black Monolith released one album, "Dwellers in Darkness" on Aten Records in 1985. It sank without trace. The recording here is taken from their even more elusive bootleg release of demos and live recordings titled "Dark Awakening". Black Monolith's contribution was recorded at Acheron Studios, Wiltshire, UK. March 1985. Produced mixed and engineered by Randolph Evans.
Childe Roland:
Childe Roland: Vocals, electric lead and rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, bass.
Childe Roland has had several album cassettes released on the Acid Tapes label and has contributed his excellent lead guitar work to Stormclouds' most recent album "Sleep No More". He was also the driving force behind the band X-Machina (who also have three albums available on Acid Tapes). He has no solo CDs available yet, but hopefully this will change in the near future. All Childe Roland material was recorded, produced, engineered and mixed by Childe Roland at Aeon 7 Studios, Bath, Avon, UK.
Fireaxe:
Brian Voth: Vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, bass.
Fireaxe is one man, Brian Voth, who sings and plays all instruments himself. Fireaxe has released one CD album, "Lovecraftian Nightmares" which is a re-recording of several songs originally released on cassette tape. Most of the material is original H. P. Lovecraft poetry which Brian has put to music but there are two compositions by Octavio Ramos. Fireaxe recorded their contribution at Fireaxe Studios, Lake Forest, CA. USA.
Rod Goodway:
Rod Goodway: Vocals, vocal FX, lead and rhythm guitars, guitar FX.
"Rustic" Rod Goodway boasts a rock 'n' roll career which spans over 40 years and takes in such bands as The Pack, White Rabbit, Magic Muscle, The Doctor's Pond, The Jellyclouds, The Bevis Frond and Ethereal Counterbalance. He is in semi-retirement at the moment and this recording of "Down to a Sunless Sea" features his most recent guitar work and was recorded at Uncle Glitch Studios, Calne, Wiltshire. UK. Produced, mixed and engineered by Rod Goodway.
The Gugs:
Mark Phillips: Voice. Ken Malone: Guitars and bass. Lewis Carter: Vocal FX. Lucy Francis: Keyboards.
A recording band only. The Gugs managed to split up before recording a finished version of The Ghooric Zone, so this demo version is all we have. Other titles in demo form include The Return, Nightgaunts, Hero of Dreams and (Legend Haunted) Arkham.
The Petals
Cary Wolf: Lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, pro-one synthesiser. Laurie Kern: Backing vocals, flute. Tim Kern: Bass. J. W. Tessier: Drums. John Frankovic: Sitar. Dan Mullen: Electric guitar. Bobby Friedman: Backing vocals.
The Petals have recorded several fine singles and two marvellous albums, all released on their own November Rain label. They have recorded this song especially for "Strange Aeons". The Petals recorded their contribution at Sound Sound Studio, Milwaukee, WI. USA. Engineered by Bobby Friedman, Produced by Cary Wolf with production assistance by Julia L. Anderson-Wolf.
Stormclouds
Melanie Townsend: Vocals. Steve Lines: Instruments. Ken Flynn: Instruments & backing vocals. with: Childe Roland: Guitars.
Stormclouds were put together by Steve Lines in 1986 as a duo. The original line up of Louise Allen & Steve Lines (augmented through the years by several friends, most notably Ken Flynn) recorded over ten album length cassettes for various tape labels and had a handful of songs on compilation albums and singles. They released two singles "Lost in Space" (Rainfall Records) and "The 2D Man EP" (Elefant Records) and an album "Not of This Earth" (Elefant Records), before Louise Allen parted company with the band in October 1993. The second incarnation of Stormclouds rose, phoenix-like, from the ashes of the first line-up. Their debut album (and Stormclouds' second) was released in November 1996 on Rainfall Records and was titled "Nightmares in the Sky". Their latest album "Sleep No More" was released on Rainfall Records in a vinyl edition (September 2000) and a CD version (December 2000). They have also just had a song included on the recent Elefant Records Galaxie 500 tribute album. Melanie Townsend parted company with the band in June 2000. Stormclouds recorded their contributions at Thunderhead Studios, Calne, Wiltshire, UK. Produced and mixed by Steve Lines and engineered by Ken Flynn.
Spawn of Chaos:
Mike Humphreys: Lead vocals. Steve Lines: Rhythm and lead guitars, bass.
An offshoot of The Chaos Brothers, a punk band led by the elusive and enigmatic Mike Humphreys. The Chaos Brothers have been performing their wild sets of 70's punk rock covers around Wiltshire for over fifteen years. Mike was also lead vocalist in The Doctor's Pond, which was led by Steve Lines and in which he replaced original vocalist Rod Goodway. He also sang with Calne band Skysaw who released a six track cassette "Cosmic Butcher" on their own label. The Spawn of Chaos recorded their contribution at Cloudbase Studios, Calne, Wiltshire, UK. November 2000. Produced, mixed and engineered by Steve Lines and Ken Flynn.
Thunderhead:
Holly Hudson: Lead vocals. Steve Lines: Acoustic guitars, harmonics.
Thunderhead were a short lived duo which preceded Steve's more familiar duo Stormclouds. This is one of the few demos remaining and was recorded on 4 track in December 1985 at Cloudbase Studios, Avebury, Wiltshire. UK. Produced and mixed by Steve Lines.
The Zoogs:
Emily Zann: Backwards violin. Steven Zann: Tape manipulation, FX.
A recording band only: Their only previous recordings are two contributions to compilation albums: "I Dream of Dylath-Leen" and "Waiting for the White Ship". Their contribution was recorded at John Maltravers Studio, Avebury, Wiltshire. UK. December 2000.
Writers and poets featured on the album:
Ramsey Campbell: e-mail: CRamseyJen@aol.com
website: www.herebedragons.co.uk/campbell
Michael Cisco: c/o www.terrortales.co.uk
Simon Clark: e-mail: simon@teebeehell.freeserve.co.uk
website: www.bbronline.com/nailed
John B. Ford: e-mail: john.b.ford@btinternet.com
website: www.terrortales.co.uk
Joel Lane: c/o Rainfall Records.
Tim Lebbon: e-mail: tim@lebbon.freeserve.co.uk
website: http//xxx.geocities.com/SoHo/6859/lebbon.htm.
Thomas Ligotti: c/o John B. Ford.
Brian Lumley: e-mail: Brian@BrianLumley.com
website: www.Brianlumley.com
Susan McAdam: e-mail: sdmcadam@att.net
Robert M. Price: e-mail: Criticus@aol.com
Joseph Pulver Sr.: e-mail: jspulver@albany.net
Ann K. Schwader: e-mail: akschwader@juno.com
Richard L. Tierney: e-mail: rtierney@jumpgate.net
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