The Elephant Table Album
Encyclopedia
The Elephant Table Album: a compilation of difficult music was a 1983 compilation album
, released on Xtract Records. The double album
was compiled by music journalist Dave Henderson following a series of articles by him in Sounds
, the British music paper. It was reissued on CD by the same label in 1989, but with the tracks sourced from the vinyl
release rather than the master tape
, and the number of tracks reduced from 21 to 17. The tracks consisted of a selection by lesser-known experimental
, industrial
and electronic
artists of the period.
Side 2
Side 3
Side 4
of Nurse with Wound also did the artwork for the album, and was sufficiently impressed by David Jackman's track that he invited him to collaborate on a series of music projects.
The album has been cited as an influence on the EBM
genre.
Despite the "difficult" nature of the music, one band on the album, 400 Blows, hit the British charts in 1985 with "Movin'", a cover version
of a Brass Construction
song.
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, released on Xtract Records. The double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
was compiled by music journalist Dave Henderson following a series of articles by him in Sounds
Sounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
, the British music paper. It was reissued on CD by the same label in 1989, but with the tracks sourced from the vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
release rather than the master tape
Master recording
A multitrack recording master tape, disk or computer files on which productions are developed for later mixing, is known as the multi-track master, while the tape, disk or computer files holding a mix is called a mixed master.It is standard practice to make a copy of a master recording, known as...
, and the number of tracks reduced from 21 to 17. The tracks consisted of a selection by lesser-known experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
, industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
and electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
artists of the period.
Track listing
Side 1- Portion Control - Chew You To Bits
- Chris and CoseyChris and CoseyChris & Cosey, now performing as Carter Tutti, are a band formed in 1981, consisting of partners Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti, both previously members of industrial music pioneers Throbbing Gristle.- History :...
- Raining Tears Of Blood - Metamorphosis - Musak From Hawthorne Court
- CoilCoil (band)Coil were an English cross-genre, experimental music group formed in 1982 by John Balance—later credited as "Jhonn Balance"—and his partner Peter Christopherson, aka "Sleazy". The duo worked together on a series of releases before Balance chose the name Coil, which he claimed to be...
- S Is For Sleep - Nurse With WoundNurse with WoundNurse with Wound is the main recording name for British musician Steven Stapleton. Nurse with Wound was originally a band, formed in 1978 by Stapleton, John Fothergill and Heman Pathak...
- Nana Or A Thing Of Uncertain Nonsense
Side 2
- 400 Blows400 Blows (British band)400 Blows were a British industrial/post punk band founded in 1981.-History:400 Blows were formed in Croydon, South London by Edward Beer in 1981 along with two friends, Alexander Fraser and Rob. Their debut single was released on their own Concrete Productions record label in 1982...
- Beat The Devil - KonstruktivitsKonstruktivitsKonstruktivits is a British industrial band. Formed in 1982, they were mostly active in the 1980s, with recording activity continuing until today....
- Andropov '84 - LustmordLustmordBrian Williams is a British electronic musician often credited for creating the dark ambient genre with albums recorded under the name Lustmord.- History :Williams started recording as Lustmord in 1980 before joining SPK in 1982...
- The Boning Of Men - MuslimgauzeMuslimgauzeMuslimgauze was a music project of Bryn Jones , a prolific British ethnic electronica and experimental musician, influenced by conflicts in the Muslim world with an emphasis on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...
- Milena Jelenska - David JackmanDavid JackmanDavid Jackman is a British musician and visual artist with an extensive catalogue of drone works, mostly as the principal — and often sole — member of Organum....
- Edge of Nothing
Side 3
- SPKSPK (band)SPK, formed in 1978 in Sydney, Australia, was a 1980s and early 1990s industrial music and noise music group. One member, Graeme Revell, would later go on to become a successful Hollywood movie composer.-History:...
- Despair - MFH - Vox Humana
- Nocturnal EmissionsNocturnal EmissionsNocturnal Emissions is a sound art project that has released numerous records and CDs in music styles ranging from electro-acoustic, musique concrète, hybridised beats, sound collage, post-industrial music, ambient and noise music....
- Suffering Stinks - AttritionAttrition (band)Attrition are an electronic music band, formed in Coventry, England in 1980 by Martin Bowes and Julia Niblock. The band emerged from the experimental post-punk scene of the early 1980s and, along with other groups such as Throbbing Gristle, Coil, Einstürzende Neubauten, and In the Nursery, greatly...
- Dream Sleep - Legendary Pink Dots - Surprise, Surprise
- Paul Kelday - Birth of Planetesimals
Side 4
- Bourbonese QualkBourbonese QualkBourbonese Qualk are an Experimental Music group which existed from 1980 to 2003.Bourbonese Qualk's credentials as early and important contributors to the Industrial scene is born out by their presence on the seminal Elephant Table compilation from 1983. Up until 1987, they were essentially a...
- Under The City - Sirius B - Build Your Children
- New 7th Music - New Human Switchbaord (Extract)
- We Be Echo - Alleycat
- Bushido - Modelwerk
Release details
- Catalogue number: Xx001
- Format: Double Vinyl LP (5 September 1983), single CD (1989)
- The CD version lacks the tracks by Paul Kelday, We Be Echo, New 7th Music and Muslimgauze.
Influence
Steven StapletonSteven Stapleton
Steven Peter Stapleton is a British musician and the only constant member of experimental improv outfit Nurse with Wound...
of Nurse with Wound also did the artwork for the album, and was sufficiently impressed by David Jackman's track that he invited him to collaborate on a series of music projects.
The album has been cited as an influence on the EBM
Electronic body music
Electronic body music or industrial dance is a music genre that combines elements of industrial music and electronic dance music...
genre.
Despite the "difficult" nature of the music, one band on the album, 400 Blows, hit the British charts in 1985 with "Movin'", a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of a Brass Construction
Brass Construction
Brass Construction was an American funk group formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1968. They were originally known as Dynamic Soul, and went on to record a string of hit singles and albums through to 1985.-Career:...
song.
Three Minute Symphony
A second album, Three Minute Symphony (XTract XX002), was released in 1984; again it was a double LP compiled by Dave Henderson. Each artist was invited to provide a track of approximately three minutes' duration. In contrast to The Elephant Table Albums emphasis on British-based music, many of the featured artists were from other countries, including the USA, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Japan.- Side 1
- Kill Ugly Pop Let's Get Real Gone
- Ptôse - Waiting For My Soul
- Trax (band)Trax - Trax Co Mix 1
- Die Tödliche DorisDie Tödliche DorisDie Tödliche Doris was a German performance art and music group based in Berlin from 1980 to 1987. It was founded by band members Wolfgang Müller and Nikolaus Utermöhlen and later joined by Chris Dreier, Dagmar Dimitroff, Tabea Blumenschein and Käthe Kruse .Die Tödliche Doris was part of the...
- Maria - Van Kaye And Ignit - A Slice Of The Action
- Bene Gesserit - White Men
- Side 2
- Colin Potter - The State
- Human Flesh - L'Ultima Storia
- DDAA - Your Mother With A Cake
- Point of Collapse - When Worlds Collide
- David JackmanDavid JackmanDavid Jackman is a British musician and visual artist with an extensive catalogue of drone works, mostly as the principal — and often sole — member of Organum....
- Wolf - Sema - Untitled
- Side 3
- Hunting Lodge - Tribal Warning Shot (instrumental)
- Roll Kommando - Die Romantik Ist Tot
- Stratis - I Fotia
- MerzbowMerzbowis the main recording name of the Japanese noise musician , born in 1956. Since 1979 he has released in excess of 350 recordings.The name "Merzbow" comes from German artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork, "Merzbau”. This was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic...
- Xa-Bungle - Philip Johnson - Always Behind You
- Conrad SchnitzlerConrad SchnitzlerConrad Schnitzler was a prolific German experimental musician.Schnitzler was born in Düsseldorf. He was an early member of Tangerine Dream and a founder of the band Kluster. He left Kluster in 1971, first working with his group Eruption and then focusing on solo works...
- Three Minute Symphony No 1
- Side 4
- Magamatzu - Bird, Spider, Fly
- HurtHurt (band)Hurt is a rock band formed in 2000 in Virginia, now located in Los Angeles, California, United States. Currently in partnership with their manager's independent record label, Amusement, the band has put out three major label albums. The group consists of lead singer J...
- Money Matters - Nurse With WoundNurse with WoundNurse with Wound is the main recording name for British musician Steven Stapleton. Nurse with Wound was originally a band, formed in 1978 by Stapleton, John Fothergill and Heman Pathak...
- Antacid Cocamotive 93 - Legendary Pink Dots - No Bell, No Prize
- Asmus TietchensAsmus TietchensAsmus Tietchens , who also records under the monikers Hematic Sunsets and Club of Rome, is a German composer of avant-garde music....
- Dahinter Industriegelande - SmegmaSmegma (band)Smegma is an American experimental noise group formed in Pasadena, California in 1973 and currently based in Portland, Oregon. Originally part of the Los Angeles Free Music Society movement of the 1970s, Smegma is one of the few music collectives of that era still active today. Author Richard...
- The Breathing Method