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Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

I have no knowledge of "The Absoute Felt". If this is pre-Felt 1, then I cannot imagine what it consists of. When I started imparting my "True Felt History" last year, I was examining what Mr. D told me about a long time age, and this included the "Loz and Moz the all starts with two guitars" period which was in 1978 when they first met. I have heard material from that period, but any recordings which exist (I know that Mr. D has some) then they are only of the two of the Felters playing at Haybaler's home, and I cannot believe for a single moment that they have found their way to the rest of the world. I have heard them, but I know that MD would not hand them over to anyone, and Haybaler had a clause written into their Cherry Red contracts that NO live recordings would ever be released. Both the main Felt men were absolutely against live recordings of any type.
Back in a moment.

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

Who is it that issued the "Absolute Felt"? And why is there doubt about the authenticity of the music on it?

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

Very well, I understand now. I know exactly what this is after having reserached the matter. I do not have time now, but I will explain to you the story behind this, and it is both good and bad news.

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

Ok Nigel, great.
All the info I have on this bootleg is posted on the Discography section>Bootlegs.

Sounds like Felt...

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

I have not been able to locate the information on your Felt site Rui. I have looked at the discography section, but I have not found anything. There must be a misunderstanding somewehere. Neverthelsess, if the following is of any use to you, then please let me know.

As far as my understanding goes, the "Absolute Felt" consists of Felt's performance at the Futurama Festival III, Stafford, from September 5, 1981. This was a very large concert venue that was once a trading centre for farm animals. It held 8,000 (humans, not pigs) and was only for very big bands like Deep Purple and Yes in the 1970s.

What happended was that Felt got offered a spot in the Futurama festival at Stafford Bingley Hall and they accepted. However, as you know, Mr. D left Felt on a number of occasions and it was just before the Stafford concert that he told Hayward that he was leaving. The latter tried to convince him to go the show, but D declined. Haybaler then tried to hire D as a session player for the show (talk about clutching at straws)and Deebank asked for hundreds of pounds! Haybaler offered him something like £10.00p, and Deebank refused. What happened then was a bad mistake by Haybaler. He went ahead with the show (just him and Ainge on hand percussion) and improvised everything from start to finish. They just made the entire set up there and then. The result was that the music papers lablelled Felt as "a disgrace"; and the entire sound can only reasonably be described as an horrisonant cacophonic din. Therefore one can only say that they are authentic Felt compositions if one qualifies them as such by the fact that they were played by Felt but never written, and never used again. I do not think under such circumstances that they can be considered to be true Felt tracks; they were a silly effort in order to get through a concert that should never have been undertaken.

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

Amazing story Nigel!!
Like I said, it sounds like Felt, but I only heard this album once because it really sounds crapy. Ok, the sound quality doesn't help really, but anyway, in a way it's Felt history, good or bad, right or wrong and we must accept that. And it's not good, no sir.

Your post gave sense to this recording and if you don't mind Nigel, I'll paste the explanation in the proper place.
By the way it's in Discography section, then click (right on the top) Bootlegs. If you prefer here's the direct link:
http://felt-tribute.webs.com/discography/bootlegs.htm#taf

Many thanks for the enlightment

Rui

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

Did anyone else have a problem with this download - I abandoned it when it said it would take 13 hours! Can anyone put it on a link that doesn't take so long?

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

lee mcfadden
Did anyone else have a problem with this download - I abandoned it when it said it would take 13 hours! Can anyone put it on a link that doesn't take so long?


Can anyone point me in the direction of the download, or is part of the large pack of live shows I have just picked up via the link Col3man kindly put up on Hotfile?

I'd love to get my hands on this one, not least because at the same Futurama The Sisters of Mercy did one of their earliest gigs ... regular readers of this board may have seen my previous post regarding both bands

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

It's part of the hotline link - although the hotline ran a bit cold for me!

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

Hi Lee

Did you get it in the end? It was a longer download than usual for me as well (over an hour), but did work ok - may be worth trying again. I'm listening to it now!

Matt

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

Hi Matt

No - it was still saying it would take an obscenely long time (3 days!!!) - and this was after I wasted money on a hotline account

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

Hi Lee

That sounds odd - I managed it off a free account, but don't have a fancy internet set up. Maybe give it one more go, if it doesn't work still, let me know your email address (I'm fairly sure I've seen it as part of your previous messages, but can't find it in this thread) and I'll drop you a line, I'm sure I can put the shows onto a couple of CD-Rs for you & stick them in the post.

Further to Nigel's query as to what instruments you play, am I correct in thinking that you have played shows in some capacity with Lawrence in the past?

Cheers, Matt

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

I wished! No - I conducted the interview with Lawrence for Perfect Sound Forever in 2003 that there is a link to on Rui's site - I've known Lawrence since '87 - although he is notoriously hard to get hold of. I play in Alternative TV and Jowe Head & the Demi-Monde - and sometimes help out with TV Personalities and Rude Mechanicals - though I haven't been called upon with either for a while. T'other link with Felt is a label one - I was the singer/instrumentalist with Counterfeit in 1989 - we had a 12" single released on Creation called "The Good Samaritan".

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

can't see on here where private PM's are managed and don't want my address all over the shop - I'll email Rui

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

I think bearing in mind the circumstances the gig took place in, it all sounds really good!! And the quality of the recording nowhere near as bad as I'd feared. It might lack some of the musicicanship that Maurice would have brought along, but is an important document of early Felt, capturing the spirit of those formative if nothing else.

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

Even though as Rui rightly says on his website "The World Is As Soft As Lace" is not included, I feel that there are a couple of tracks where Lawrence revisited their musical sections to finish composing "World....."

Re: The absolute Felt - a challenge for Nigel Silver

Thank you very much for your kind comments Mr. Kalda. I am very pleased that you have found this unknown piece of Felt history interesting. I also impart my gratitude to you for the appropriate link apropos of Felt bootlegs. I have seen the relevant page now.

By all means post my textual contribution wherever you wish.

Perhaps while I am on the site I can give to you another little slice of Felt history.

Please proceed to the next new post for a Haybaler fact.