01 Anagrams (5:23)
02 Kalenda Maya (5:04)
03 Instructions Not Included (3:11)
04 Telepathy (2:05)
05 I Love You Very Much (3:40)
06 Bone Connections (4:13)
07 Du Boxe (1:00)
08 Nummus (1:46)
09 Boxers vs Wrestlers (2:27)
10 Maria’s Song (2:02)
11 We All Sat Watching The Same Film (4:01)
12 Dogface (2:02)
13 Mick Hobbs Interview (1:05)
Total time 40:00
Cassette released on AYAA, France, 1985
Personel:
Felix Fiedorowicz: bassoon, recorder, flute, voice
Mick Hobbs: bass, guitar, drums, keyboards, voice
Patrick Q. Wright: violin, keyboards
Marie-Jeanne: voice
An Officer! live recording from France, possibly during one of Reims’ avant rock festivals where so many post-RIO bands appeared (and home of A.Y.A.A. label). It seems Mick Hobbs left Great Britain for France in 1984, possibly fed up with harsh Thatcherism (and not because he was banned from England like the Gong leader, Daevid Allen). On ‘Cough’, the Offier! band plays tracks from their A.Y.A.A. LP ‘Ossification’, published the year before. The latter included a shift toward Medieval and Troubadours songs, itself a departure from their first cassette ‘8 New Songs By Mick Hobbs’ (see previous post). Singer Marie-Jeanne take the lead vocals on 2 Medieval songs here (tr.#2 & 10), while the rest is infused by a communal and juggler spirit, so to speak. The set is pure avant-rock pleasure with prominent violin and recorder. Patrick Q. Wright was the violin player in The Legendary Pink Dots. 1985 was a busy year for him, as he took part to various great records, namely Edward Ka-Spel’s ‘Chyekk, China Doll’ (Torso) or Look De Bouk’s ‘Lacrimae Rerum’ (on AYAA).
Officer! discography (all on AYAA):
- ‘8 new songs by Mick Hobbs’, cassette, 1984
- ‘Ossification’, LP, 1984
- ‘Cough’, cassette, 1985
- ‘Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes’, LP, 1988
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Thanks,.This is quite the zany musical group from what I remember of other material you’ve posted. Cool that they had an LPD connection.
thank you some much.
I love thier LP ‘ossification’ and I’m curious to hear how it sounds live.
I’ve been waiting for this cassette for years…
Thank you both for commenting. The cassette is really good.
How weird to find this cassette being talked about so many years later………I’d practically forgotten about it all but now the memories come flooding back…………..a very weird tour that one but musically it did have some highlights. Mick Hobbs fell ill after the tour and I havn’t seen him since but would really like to make contact………..any clues?
Glad you like the music
Best wishes Patrick Q
Hi Patrick, thanks for dropping by. I don’t think I can help you with getting in touch with Mick Hobbs. You should possibly send an email to Chris Cutler from Recommended Records.