Music Glue | UK | CD | 2020
Gary Daly: Luna Landings UK CD [2020]
- Odysseas
- Celestial Body
- Jody You’re On Dope, So Just Shut The F**K Up
- Technics Arpeggio
- Luna Bop
- Dummkopf
- And When Did You Give Up . . . And Why?
- Yellow Magic
- JP8
- JP8 2
- 80’s Electro 2
- Space Bastard
- Guitar Instrumental 1
- Pipes Of The Man Ray Times
- Evángelos
- Guitar Instrumental 3
- Magnifique Lune
- The Highest Heist
- ’78
- A Once Great And Harmonious Place
- Very Nice Barbara
- Shopping For Excuses
- Swimming With Kevin
- Festivus
It seemed like only yesterday [cue harp run…] when I was picking Gary Daly’s “Gone From Here” as my favorite album of 2019 and today I just found out that the restless Mr. Daly has another album coming our way on the Music Glue platform. Due out on February 20, 2020 will see “Luna Landings” reach our grateful ears. In answer to the obvious question, no. Mr. Daly has not found a stash of amphetamines. No black beauties were consumed in the making of this album. This time he’s raided the demo archives to hand pick a selection of demos written and recorded for China Crisis from 1981 to 1987. So this album is sort of like a Prince Vault collection but for China Crisis, and best of all, Daly’s still with us!
The two dozen songs were recorded on TASCAM Portastudios from the late 70s and early 80s and thus will probably be lower fi than China Crisis’ fantastic 80s era B-sides. But I fully expect this collection to be filled to the brim with the same sort of inventive and melodic material that could be as truly world class as China Crisis’ B-side material was! Anything that gets vintage China Crisis to our hungry ears is a total win in this already messed up year. Here’s the list of mouthwatering vintage gear that went into these songs here.
The TASCAM 244 had dbX NR and reverb built in
Portastudios were extremely nice pieces of equipment that exploded the creation of demos and lo-fi recordings once they came onto the scene. Four tracks per cassette tape could do a lot of damage, if you wanted to bounce tracks. It was the Garage Band of its day [minus the loops]. I once borrowed Mr. Ware’s Portastudio to compose a theme for the TV news at my college back in the mid 80s. It was fun but I’m not really a musician and my interests don’t lie in that direction. One could do some tidy damage with one of these units and I’m happy that the decision was made to revisit these demos. It will help to tide us over until the next move by either China Crisis or Mr. Daly in a solo aspect once again. The album is CD only right now and available for pre-order at the nice price of £11.99/$17.36.
– 30 –
![Chris Cross: 1952-2024 [part 2]](https://postpunkmonk.files.wordpress.com/2024/04/ultravox-cross.jpg?w=200&h=200&crop=1)
Post-Punk Monk 
Well done on finding a track listing as there isn’t one on his website. Personally I’m not getting too excited as one of the biggest disappointments of the deluxe China Crisis first 3 albums were that none of the demos, except a pre recording contract African & White, have any vocals. I found out that Daly just didn’t like recording his vocals on the demos so never did them, so I assume all of these are instrumentals even though some may have had lyrics written for them. I may be proved wrong but I’m going to wait and hear some of the tracks on Spotify before I decide.
LikeLike
Richard Anvil – I am happy for instrumentals! China Crisis had some great instro B-sides…wait. Web site? Are you telling me that Gary Daly has a website? WHERE, fr’gosh sakes!? I’ve only been waiting two decades for a website to see whats going on with this guy/China Crisis! I got the track listing off of the Music Glue site for the album.
LikeLike
The album is reviewed in-depth here: http://www.electricityclub.co.uk/gary-daly-luna-landings/ :)
LikeLike
I will be purchasing this.CC B-sides were always strong. Most were instrumentals. If you have the 2 CD Collection compilation, it has all or most of their B-sides of that era. I expect most tracks to be short in length and will include all those lovely analog machines of the day. I think Gary wrote most of those, not Eddie. I actually enjoyed the demos on the Flaunt Deluxe version without the vocals. Changed the atmosphere of the song.
LikeLike
Jordan – I also found the demos on FTI interesting to hear. I agree with your B-side thesis. Those instrumentals were fantastic. China Crisis were a band with top quality B-sides. I remember being gutted when the “King In A Catholic Style” 12” had an LP track for a B-side. Remind me to do a China Crisis Rock G.P.A. one day. Or at least review the DLX RMs of everything. But I still need “Working With Fire + Steel!”
LikeLike
As those punk kids on the Book of Face say … 👍🏻
LikeLike
Gosh-he kept that quiet!
What amazing news.I will order it for sure.great instrument/equipment list-I still use my old Yamaha cassette multitrack occasionally in my studio and his synth list looks swoonsome.Hopefully there will be an audio sample shortly.
After seeing China Crisis live on the last date of their tour a few weeks ago,I have become a much bigger fan.Met both Gary and Ed and the whole evening was spectacularly good.
LikeLike
Oh…i just found a review of the album by The Electricity Club and there is a sample from the recordings on Gary’s Instagram page!sounds amazing.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6dmO0JpPM-/
LikeLike
Gavin – Yes, with the press he got for “Gone From Here” he alluded to making another solo album but he kept mum about this archival project. That was a sweet tech list wasn’t it? In interviews he alluded to his moving away from synths and drum machines once “proper players” had joined China Crisis for their live tours and I can’t help but think that maybe that was our loss? No wonder they turned into Steely Dan! [not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I’m just observing]
LikeLike
Pingback: Gary Daly’s “Luna Landings” Was Every Bit As Wonderful As I’d Anticipated! | Post-Punk Monk