Abecedarians were an American, Los Angeles-based
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
trio, active in the mid to late 1980s. The lineup consisted of Chris Manecke (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Kevin Dolan (drums) and John Blake (bass). They specialized in sparse, guitar-driven post-punk, though their most well-known song, "Smiling Monarchs", is
alternative dance
Alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance in the U.S.) is a musical genre that mixes alternative rock with electronic dance music. Although largely confined to the British Isles, it has gained American and worldwide expos ...
in the vein of
New Order, and was in fact mixed by that band's guitar player and vocalist,
Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner (born 4 January 1956) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is a founding member of the bands Joy Division, New Order, and Electronic. Sumner was an early force in several areas, including the post ...
.
Discography
Singles
*"Smiling Monarchs" (6:34) / "Benway's Carnival" (5:08) (12", Factory UK FAC-117, April 1985)
Albums
*''Eureka'' (mini-LP, Southwest Audio Reproductions 7-PV-50772, 1986)
**Ghosts / Soil / Beneath The City Of The Hedonistic Bohemians // I Glide/ Mice & Coconut Tree / The Misery Of Cities
**Reissued by Caroline (CAROL-1342, 1987) with different sleeve and "The Other Side Of The Fence" replacing "Beneath The City Of The Hedonistic Bohemians"
**Reissued by Pylon (2012), CD and 2×LP: Ghosts / Soil / Beneath The City Of The Hedonistic Bohemians // I Glide / Mice & Coconut Tree / Misery Of Cities /// Smiling Monarchs / Benway's Carnival / Switch / Other Side Of The Fence // They Said Tomorrow / Wildflower / John's Pop / Spaghetti Western
* ''Resin'' (LP, Caroline CAROL-1343, 1988)
** Dinner / Spaghetti Western / Where Whitie Ain't Allowed / Wild Flowers Grow From The Trash // Press Escape / Laugh At Yourself / Sufferin' Tarnation / Panic In Needle Park
* ''AB-CD'' (CD, Caroline CAROL-CD-1343, 1988)
** Ghosts (6:42) / Soil (7:00) / The Other Side Of The Fence (4:09) / I Glide (7:32) / Mice & Coconut Tree (4:59) / Smiling Monarchs (6:48) / Dinner (4:49) / Spaghetti Western (6:25) / Where Whitie Ain't Allowed (3:54) / Press Escape (5:01) / Laugh At Yourself (3:37) / Surf Western (3:17) / Panic In Needle Park (6:55)
**CD version of ''Resin'' with previously released tracks
*''The Other Side Of The Fence'' (2×10", Independent Project Records IP-031/032, 1990)
** Beneath The City Of The Hedonistic Bohemians / Ghosts / John's Pop // Come Out / Classic / Spaghetti Western /// Switch / Where's Karen / Soil // The Other Side Of The Fence / Wildflower / They Said Tomorrow
** early recordings, from 1983 to 1985
Compilation albums
* "They Said Tomorrow" - ''L.A. Mantra II'' (cassette, Trance Port Tapes, 1984)
** reissued
Calypso Now
Calypso Now was part of the cassette culture movement. Calypso Now was founded in 1983 by the Swiss musician and concert promoter Hotcha (alias Rudi Tüscher), located in Biel/Bienne. Up to 1989, about 200 cassette releases were produced, mainly fr ...
1985
* "They Said Tomorrow" - ''Scream: The Compilation'' LP, Geffen Records, 1987)
* "Smiling Monarchs" - ''Hardest Hits Volume Two'' (CD, SPG Music Productions Ltd., 1992)
* "Smiling Monarchs" - ''Voices In The Air'' (CD, Wavestation, 1993)
* "Smiling Monarchs" - ''Too Young To Know, Too Wild To Care...1978–1992 The Factory Story Part One'' (CD, London, 1997)
* "Smiling Monarchs" - ''Auteur Labels: Factory Records 1984'' (CD, Les Temps Modernes, 2009)
* "Benway's Carnival" - ''Auteur Labels: Independent Project Records'' (CD, Les Temps Modernes, 2010)
Appearances
* "Soil" (instrumental edit) - Appears as a track accompanying the 'Waimea Bay' bigwave contest (Billabong Pro) section of the surf film ''Billabong: Surf Into Summer'' (1986/87) at approx 19:48 mins in. (Other artists included in the film include TSOL and Agent Orange)
References
External links
Abecedarians at MySpace
{{Authority control
Factory Records artists
American experimental musical groups
American post-punk music groups
American new wave musical groups
Caroline Records artists
Musical groups established in 1983