crispy ambulance
the aural drug


scissorgun:
alan hempsall
dave clarkson


crispy ambulance:
alan hempsall (vocals)
robert davenport (guitar)
keith darbyshire (bass)
gary madeley (drums)

"Later I insist that they're a pop group.
Alan was outraged.
'I don't see our music as pop at all.
It's in fact very devoid of pop.
I'd call it more a mind music,
an aural drug.'"

~ "Crispy SomnAmbulance"
by Dave McCullough
Sounds February 21, 1981


annotation by harry young
images & contents ©
frank brinkhuis


september 22, 2023

fin + frozen blood
singles, radio sessions + live 1980 - 82
fbn 18 CD

Disc 01 Fin (71:33)
01. Rainforest Ritual
02. United
03. Choral
04. Green Light / White Shirt (Deaf)
05. Brutal
06. The Plateau Phase
07. Nightfall Ends The Ceasefire
08. Bardo Plane
09. At The Sounding Of The Klaxon
10. Chill
11. I Talking / You Talking Pts. 1+ 2
12. Lucifer Rising
13. Black Death (Life Is Knife) (12”)
14. From The Cradle To The Grave (7”)
15. Four Minutes From The Frontline (7”)

Disc 02 Frozen Blood (73:02)
01. Not What I Expected (10”)
02. Deaf (10”)
03. Come On (Peel session)
04. Drug User / Drug Pusher (Peel session)
05. October 31st (Peel session)
06. Egypt (Peel session)
07. A Sense Of Reason (Piccadilly session)
08. The Eastern Bloc (Piccadilly session)
09. Concorde Square (Piccadilly session)
10. The Presence (Piccadilly session)
11. Headhunters
12. Frozen Blood
13. Turnbuckle
14. The Gift Of Danger
15. Hollow Points
16. The Grind
17. Cult


may 27, 2022

ReFabricated: vol I
cue dot 013

Moth Effect
When The Bloom Is Off The Rose
(Scissorgun Remix)

Scissorgun
Sybarite
(SAD MAN Remix)

Scissorgun
Tangie Biscotti
(Graham Massey Mix)


oct 29, 2021

scissorgun
psychological colouring book
cue dot 010

The Grind
Deep Six Your Wristwatch
The Tandamy Man
Tangie Biscotti
Seasick
Significant Gesture
Sybarite
Norris's Head
Honeymoon Guy
Coercion
Wheels Turn
Histories Yet To Be Revealed


april 27, 2020

scissorgun
all you love is need
aural assault aar 003 cd

spotify

bandcamp

From mechanical stomps to creepy-crawly dubs to foreboding soundscapes,
this is electronics-battered post-punk with 2020 vision.
~ Electronic Sound
Issue 67


april 13, 2019

crispy ambulance
the plateau phase
fbn 12

Are You Ready?
Travel Time
The Force And The Wisdom
The Wind Season
Death From Above
We Move Through The Plateau Phase
Bardo Plane
Chill
Federation
Simon's Ghost

The Presence
Concorde Square
Come On
Drug User - Drug Pusher
October 31st
Egypt


Constellation De Comportements
Various Artists
twi 1244 / fbn 146

CRISPY AMBULANCE
Stratos
SCISSORGUN
Bruise (Speedball Mix)


september 8, 2017

scissorgun
assault two
aural assault aar 002

scissorgun is a two-piece soundscape project from manchester
comprising alan hempsall (of crispy ambulance)
on treated guitars, vocals, prose and trumpet,
and david clarkson (formerly of triclops and illuminati)
on synths, keyboards, drum programming, rhythms and percussion.

the extended cd features longer versions
of the 5 tracks on the 10" vinyl disc
as well as 2 bonus cuts.
artwork is by pascal blua.

assault two will be supported by live dates in the autumn of 2017.

10"
a1 bastard son
a2 dusting for zika
b1 caballero
b2 sahara dream
b3 the searching

cd
01 caballero
02 bastard son
03 dusting for zika
04 sahara dream
05 the searching
06 kahutek
07 sahara night flight


december 13, 2016

heures sans soleil
vinyl reissue
song cycle 998

01. Section 25 An Introduction
02. The Anti Group The Discussion
03. Minny Pops She Said Go Go Go
04. Tuxedomoon Shelved Dreams
05. Mazowsze The Little Candle End
06. Eric Random 6.55
07. Dislocation Dance St. Michelle
08. The Happy Family March In Turin
09. Section 25 Hold Me
10. Crispy Ambulance Come On
11. A Primary Industry From This Prospect


november 2016

scissorgun
twitter


24 may 2016 &
10 june 2016

crispy ambulance
random textures +
compulsion

fbn 81cd
cover art by paul normann

01. integra
02. allegro
03. prostis
04. four bank man
05. drifter
06. baku
07. peripheral vision
08. karpadia
09. bastion
10. leviathan
11. red texas

01. rainforest ritual
02. say shake
03. nightfall ends the ceasefire
04. at the sound of the klaxon
05. wmtp.2
06. rain without clouds
07. lucifer rising
08. open, gates of fire
09. choral
10. four line whip remix


18 april 2015

crispy ambulance
compulsion
factory benelux fbn 54
cover art by peter staessens

01. rainforest ritual
02. say shake
03. nightfall ends the ceasefire
04. at the sounding of the klaxon

01. wmtp.2
02. rain without clouds
03. lucifer rising
04. open, gates of fire



january 2015

crispy ambulance:
concorde drone (4:33)
on
martin hannett &
steve hopkins:
the invisible girls
factory benelux fbn 65 cd


the ruby lounge, manchester
saturday 19 april 2014
w/ section 25 and minny pops

the belgrave, leeds
saturday 26 april 2014

the met, bury
monday 25 august 2014

the lexington, london
saturday 6 september 2014


december 2, 2013
crispy ambulance on twitter:
@CrispyAmbulanc


january 2013

crispy ambulance
the plateau phase
factory benelux fbn12cd (72:42)

01 are you ready? (5:49)
02 travel time (3:52)
03 the force and the wisdom (4:02)
04 the wind season (5:29)
05 death from above (3:29)
06 we move through the plateau phase (5:51)
07 bardo plane (3:32)
08 chill (4:47)
09 federation (3:44)
10 simon's ghost (3:43)

11 the presence (13:04)
12 concorde square (9:09)
13 sexus (6:11)

cover design by belgian typographer lucien de roeck (1915-2002)

photos from manchester polytechnic june 20, 1981 and
london institute of contemporary arts january 1, 1981

ltm mailorder copies with fbn slipcase

NME March 6, 1982:
LP to be released this weekend
Sounds (5 Star) review March 20, 1982
Melody Maker review March 27, 1982
NME review April 3, 1982
LP peaked @ #21 on NME's Independent LP Chart May 1, 1982;
Entered chart April 10 @ #27; April 17 (-); April 24 #28;
May 1 #21; May 8 #29; May 15 (-)


december 2012

various artists
tobacco perfecto
(ltm2578) 77:03
track 15 crispy ambulance
open, gates of fire (7:41)
produced by graham massey
recorded for the album the powder blind dream
previously released only on
little darla has a treat for you, vol 22 (drl145)


april 19, 2011

crispy ambulance:
deaf (3:58)
on
Les Beaux Labels Volume 1
Les Inrockuptibles 2630036042187


april 13, 2010

The Plateau Phase
Drastic Plastic Records DPRLP05
Limited Edition 180 Gram Vinyl
Released Under License From LTM Recordings (2009)

Side 1: Are You Ready?, Travel Time, The Force and The Wisdom,
The Wind Season, Death From Above
Side 2: We Move Through The Plateau Phase, Bardo Plane,
Chill, Federation, Simon's Ghost

NME March 6, 1982:
LP to be released this weekend (= March 6-7)
Sounds (5 Star) review March 20, 1982
Melody Maker review March 27, 1982
NME review April 3, 1982
LP peaked @ #21 on NME's Independent LP Chart May 1, 1982;
Entered chart April 10 @ #27; April 17 (-); April 24 #28;
May 1 #21; May 8 #29; May 15 (-)


january 19, 2009

crispy ambulance:
deaf
on

FACTORY RECORDS
communications 1978 - 92
warner UK 2564-69379-0
compiled by jon savage
project consultant alan parks
project co-ordination rick conrad
mastering by giovanni scatola at metropolis
design by saville parris wakefield and matthew robertson
essay by paul morley
track by track by james nice ltm


2008

crispy ambulance:
the presence
on

factory benelux
auteur labels series
LTMCD 2521


may 2008
ltmdvd 2519

crispy ambulance:
quarter caste
evil eye
deaf
the presence
chimera
lucifer rising
travel time
the plateau phase
open, gates of fire
on

december 15, 2007
a factory night
(once again)
plan k
brussels


december 8, 2007
sub space
the basement club at space bar
on new wakefield street
manchester

alan hempsall dj set 3.30pm
graham massey dj set 4.30pm
crispy ambulance on stage 6.30pm


june 19, 2006
north by northwest

(korova kode 1001L)
disc 3
cdliverchest
track 11
crispy ambulance:
deaf (3:56)


umbrellas in the sun:
a crepuscule / factory benelux
dvd 1979-1987

(ltm dvd 2400)

w/ crispy ambulance:
the presence

dvd info


released august 31, 2004:
v/a little darla has a treat for you
volume 22, indian summer 2004

(darla drl 145)
w/ crispy ambulance:
open, gates of fire (7:41)
from ThePowderBlindDream sessions:
the only studio version of
crispy ambulance's standard
live encore closer,
never to be repeated


2004 Studio Album

CrispyAmbulance
ThePowderBlindDream (55:05)
LTM LTMCD 2372
Darla DRL 138
Released March 30, 2004

01. Quarter Caste 4:52
02. Triphammer 6:07
03. Evil Eye 3:42
04. Protocol 3:22
05. Any Second Now 4:51
06. Four Line Whip 4:56
07. Chimera 5:34
08. Lucifer Rising 6:37
09. Bad Self 3:50
10. Houses Sinking 6:13
11. Pain & Pleasure 4:55

all songs written and performed
by crispy ambulance
recorded, mixed and produced
during the four weekends of june 2003
at testa-rossa, longsight, manchester uk
produced by graham massey
engineered by andy drelincourt
additional vocals on 'pain & pleasure'
by clare brown and fiona kerr

Track 01. Quarter Caste 4:52
w/ samples from "Party 3"
(aka "Chromatic") and
"Party 4"
(aka "Lieber Herr Deutschland") on
'71 Minutes of Faust'
(Recommended Records
LP RR25, 1979, ReRF7CD, 1996)


ThePowderBlindDreamReviews
AMG
by Ned Raggett
Rating: 4 Out Of 5 Stars
One reunion album by Crispy Ambulance was almost too good to be true for hardcore fans, but the quartet kept on going after Scissorgun to produce another fine disc in the form of The Powder Blind Dream. Working again with producer/longtime fan Graham Massey, the quartet shows that the snarling, tense energy evident from their return hasn't dissipated -- if anything, Crispy Ambulance is an even more focused and fierce machine this time around. The swirling synth-murmur start to "Quarter Caste" leads into a rampaging, brawling arrangement, Alan Hempsall's immediately recognizable vocals as compelling as Robert Davenport's guitars or the steady rhythm blast of Gary Madeley and Keith Darbyshire. With that as a great calling card for the quartet, The Powder Blind Dream continues from there in just as excellent a fashion. If on the one hand it may seem like the band still explores familiar territory -- Hempsall's mantra-like choruses, a thick, rich sound overall from the whole band -- in turn it's even more their own unique sound in a time of post-punk revivalism, a clear continuation from where they started without simply rehashing. An ear for snippets of samples and almost left-field elements -- the gasping gurgle vocal break on "Triphammer," the deep tolling bells helping start "Lucifer Rising," the wonderful percussion-on-top-of-percussion overload on the instrumental "Four Line Whip," the almost soothing descending keyboard melody on "Pain and Pleasure" -- means that one can never quite predict what's next on the album, which still never loses the band's core sonic approach. Meanwhile, such moments as the inspiring call-and-response chorus on "Evil Eye" -- a loud rush balanced against the quieter but no less driving verses -- and the extended instrumental introduction to "Any Second Now," with piano taking a prominent role, are just great rock & roll moments, full stop.
Outburn #26, July 2004
by Jason Mosheim
Rating: 8 Out Of 10
Although this silly named band split in 1982 and reformed two decades later, bland Dad rock is not what you get. Imagine a lethargic Fugazi with an ARP Odyssey synth and the inability to perceive time and space, and you've got Crispy Ambulance. Without any nostalgic pit stops, bleeps or snare reverb, The Powder Blind Dream, the band's third album, still exerts a comical science fiction feel. The throaty, baritone vocals are big and dumb, the basslines grin, and the songs are dense and memorable. The hyperventilating on "Trip Hammer" is frightening enough to hit stop, but it would be a mistake to miss the rest of this disc, especially the shuffling "Evil Eye" and the piano driven "Any Second Now." And don't forget the surreal, whacked-out trilogy starting with "Four Line Whip." However, the centerpiece of the album is "Houses Sinking." The repeated feel-good guitar noodle, the start-stop theme, gentle strings, and a stellar vocal delivery make this a great radio song. But in reality, it's not and never will be. You may smirk or twist your face in confusion at times, but curiosity will rough you up once you pop in this bold, spirited album.
Erasing Clouds, July 2004
by dave heaton
A Factory-era post-punk band pushing on after their 1999 reincarnation (which came 17 years after their original break-up), Crispy Ambulance play their songs like they didn't disappear for nearly twenty years, with the same devilish energy they displayed in their youth. ThePowderBlindDream is their third studio album, after 1982's The Plateau Phase and 2002's Scissorgun, and replicates the same basic sound of those albums: moody, intense rock with the energy of punk and the shadows of a haunted house. Some of those qualities have them incessantly compared to their contemporaries Joy Division, but that comparison shouldn't be overplayed (it is a fair starting place, but not the whole story, and unfortunately Crispy Ambulance's career is often reduced to a Joy Division imitation and nothing more). My favorite aspect of Crispy Ambulance's music is when they push off into the most mysterious places, usually with their guitars, as on the brilliant opening to "Chimera." For me ThePowderBlindDream has too few of those ambiguous moments - overall aggression often overtakes mystery, and sometimes threatens to make their music sound too conventionally rock for my tastes (especially in the first half - don't give up before the end, or you'll miss the odd dreamland that is "Pain & Pleasure," the album's final track and one of its most intriguing). There's still enough dark poetry in the lyrics, and enough sharp guitar turns, to make the album truly riveting at times, even though I also find it blurring past me somewhat indistinctly in places.
Q #216, July 2004
Leonard's Lair
Whisperin' And Hollerin'
Magnet #64, August / September 2004


june 26, 2004
crispy ambulance
Beech Rd Summer Festival
Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, South Manchester
Set List:
Heatwave, Quarter Caste,
Loupgarou, Evil Eye,
Any Second Now, Four Line Whip,
Chimera, Say Shake,
Endgame


released july 7, 2003
crispy ambulance
deaf
track 17 disc 2 on
various artists
Rough Trade Shops - Post Punk Vol.1
(UK Mute CDSTUMM 224)
http://www.roughtrade.com/


crispy ambulance
played
the ica in london
on may 29, 2003
event organised by fanzine
Hardcore Is More Than Music


released may 12, 2003

Various Artists
Black Music
LTMCD 2347 (double CD) w/
Crispy Ambulance:
Step Up! (6:24 Remix)
also on
Little Darla Has A Treat For You
Volume 20, Summer 2003
(Darla CD DRL-140, Released May 20, 2003)

Crispy Ambulance
Atlantic Crossing
LTMCD 2347 / 2
60:49 Live CD available free
with initial copies of
Black Music
(LTMCD 2347)

Tracks 01-02 recorded at
the Band On The Wall in Manchester
October 26, 2002

Tracks 03-09 recorded at
the Knitting Factory, New York,
November 10, 2002.

01. Step Up! 6:38
02. End Game 6:44
03. Deaf 4:06
04. The Presence 7:25
05. Say Shake 5:08
06. Chimera 6:19
07. The Drop 3:54
08. Open, Gates Of Fire 10:55
09. The Plateau Phase 9:33

Andrew Prinz plays
Doepfer Synthesizer on Track 09
due to flesh wound on
Keith Darbyshire's hand


cancelled
usa tour ep:

crispy ambulance & mahagony
and now after a brief intermission
(simdisc 7)

crispy ambulance:
01. step up! (remix)
02. say shake (live)
produced by graham massey

mahogany:
03. uneasy center
04. mantissa
produced by andrew prinz
'live on a cold january night' essay
by frank brinkhuis

simdisc 7
package also included
mahogany essay
'the winter's morning sun'
by jason kolb


express intention abstract elevation / 

close call dynamism free fall same questions /

 hold on affirmative high rise  initiation

crispy ambulance
SCISSORGUN
Darla DRL-126 &
LTM CD 2329 (46:03)
released april 8, 2002

01. step up! (6:27)
02. loupgarou (3:14)
03. metal grey (5:24)
04. re-animator (5:31)
05. heatwave (6:34)
06. parallax (4:29)
07. the drop (4:17)
08. end game (5:18)
09. even now, in heaven
there are angels
carrying savage weapons
(instrumental) (3:53)
10. sound block (0:50)

all titles written by
crispy ambulance
recorded at testa-rossa,
longsight, manchester
late january / early february 2002
produced by graham massey
engineered by andy drelincourt

scissorgun CD

scissorgun track 01 w/ sample from
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
(Russ Meyer, 1965):
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Violence. The word and the act. While violence cloaks itself in a plethora of disguises, its favourite mantle still remains - sex.

scissorgun track 10 w/ sample from
Nick Bougas Presents:
Celebrities...At Their Worst!
(Volume 1)
While recording a trailer with Dean Martin for their new film, The Caddy, Jerry Lewis's mousy adolescent voice skips off-message into bursts of abuse. "No doubt about it, Dean, this is the funniest picture we've ever made, no kidding folks, we're sensational. Take my word for it, come on in and join the fun. The Caddy! It'll make you sh*t!"


CRISPY AMBULANCE
“Loupgarou”
Track 04 on
LITTLE DARLA HAS A TREAT FOR YOU, V.19
FALL 2002 v /a
Darla DRL 125, July 2002


SCISSORGUN
CD Reviews

Time Out New York, Issue 360: Aug 22–29, 2002
The Big Take Over #51, Nov 2002 (p. 265)
Record Collector #275, July 2002
Erasing Clouds
5plendid, July 22, 2002
Whisperin' & Hollerin'
All Music Guide
FM Sound
Audiogalaxy


From The Cradle To The Grave / Four Minutes From The Frontline
7" single: Aural Assault Records AAR-001
Recorded January 28, 1980
NME review April 12, 1980; Not reviewed in Melody Maker


Unsightly And Serene
Not What I Expected 4:04 / Deaf 3:56
10" single: Factory FAC 32
Recorded July 22 & 24, 1980
NME review February 7, 1981; Not reviewed in Melody Maker


Live On A Hot August Night:
The Presence / Concorde Square
12" single: Factory Benelux FBN 4
NME & Melody Maker reviews July 4, 1981


The Plateau Phase
LP: Factory Benelux FBN 12

Compare cover of

Three Dog Night:
Joy To The World:
Their Greatest Hits

Dunhill 50178, November 1974

Side 1: Are You Ready?, Travel Time, The Force and The Wisdom,
The Wind Season, Death From Above
Side 2: We Move Through The Plateau Phase, Bardo Plane,
Chill, Federation, Simon's Ghost
NME March 6, 1982: LP to be released this weekend (= March 6-7)
Sounds (5 Star) review March 20, 1982
Melody Maker review March 27, 1982
NME review April 3, 1982
LP peaked @ #21 on NME's Independent LP Chart May 1, 1982;
Entered chart Apr 10 @ #27; Apr 17 (-); Apr 24 #28;
May 1 #21; May 8 #29; May 15 (-)


The Blue And Yellow Of The Yacht Club
Mail order-only cassette: Les Temps Modernes CSBT V: II, Nov 1983
(Previously self-issued by Crispy Ambulance with different insert)
[Side A] 1. Motorway Boys {GM organ}, 2. Suzie's In Fragments,
3. This Perfect Day {AH trumpet}, 4. No Surrender,
5. Interview with DJ Stuart McInnes
6. Opening Theme {AH bass; KD 2nd guitar},
6.1. Transmission opening, DJ Mark Radcliffe
7. The Presence {GM synth}, 7.1. DJ Mark Radcliffe (cut-off),
8. A Sense Of Reason, 8.1. DJ Mark Radcliffe, 9. Concorde Square,
9.1. DJ Mark Radcliffe, 10. The Eastern Bloc, 10.1. DJ Mark Radcliffe
[Side B] 11. Three Minutes From The Frontline,
12. From The Cradle To The Grave,
13. Interview with DJ Stuart McInnes, 14. Deaf,
15. New Violence {AH bass; KD synth}, 15.1. DJ John Peel, 16. Come On,
17. October 31st, 18. Egypt, 19. Interview with DJ Stuart McInnes,
20. Rain Without Clouds,
21. The Presence, 22. Feedback Phase
23. Drug User/Drug Pusher (fragment) 0:16
Sounds review, November 26, 1983


Open, Gates Of Fire
Mail order-only cassette: Les Temps Modernes CSBT V: III
All Cuts Live ~ See below
[Side A] 1. United, 2. Chill,
3. I Talking/You Talking (Parts 1 + 2),
4. Federation, 5. Travel Time, 6. Say Shake, 7. Cult,
[Side B] 8. Green Light/White Shirt, 9. Brutal,
10. The Plateau Phase, 11. Choral,
12. Nightfall Ends The Ceasefire, 13. The Poison
Sounds review, November 26, 1983


Sexus /
Black Death
(Life Is Knife)
12" single: Factory Benelux FBN 18
Recorded January 1982
Released [April?] 1984
No dating evidence yet detected


"Thank you to Fast Product and hello to Crispy Ambulance!"
on sleeve of

MINNY POPS: Een Kus /Son
7" single LTM CSBT V: IV
NME & Melody Maker May 19, 1984


Wax: "Are You Ready"
Label: "merci beaucoup: hall, hempsall,
van middendorp, ancient"
Sleeve: "PUBLISHED BY AURAL ASSAULT"
on

A PRIMARY INDUSTRY:
At Gunpoint / Perversion
7" single LTM CSBT V: V
No dating evidence yet detected


Fin
LP: Les Temps Modernes LTM V: X, Edition of 900
Side One: United, Choral, Green Light/White Shirt, Brutal, The Plateau Phase
Side Two: Nightfall Ends The Ceasefire, Bardo Plane,
At The Sounding Of The Klaxon, Chill, I Talking/You Talking
Mention NME August 24, 1985, page 34


Heures sans Soliel
LP: Les Temps Modernes LTM V: XI, 1985
Various Artists w/ Side B, Cut 4: Crispy Ambulance:
Rain Without Clouds (= Peel Session Come On)


as Ram Ram Kino:
Advantage 3:23 /
Advantage (Basket Mix) 4:00 /
Into The Bush 3:26 /
Special 3:56
12" single: Temple Records TOPY 006
Catalogue review, [September] 1985

Record Collector #237, May 1999:
TOPY 001 Aug 1984
TOPY 002 Dec 1984
TOPY 003 Dec 1984
TOPY 004 July 1985
TOPY 005 (-)
TOPY 006 RAM RAM KINO (-)
TOPY 005 (-)
TOPY 007 (-)
TOPY 008 1985
TOPY 009 Feb 1986


Various Artists
Crepuscule Collection 3
The Rough With The Smooth
Crepuscule album TWI 651
December 1986
w/
CRISPY AMBULANCE
Concorde Square (8:36)


Crispy Ambulance
Unauthorized [60 minute] Cassette "about 15 made"
Teen Beat 18, June 13, 1988

As per Insert:
Side A:
1. From The Cradle To The Grave
2. Four Minutes From The Frontline
3. Deaf
4. Not What I Expected
5. The Presence
Side B:
6. Concorde Square
7. Travel Time
8. The Wind Season
9. Death From Above
10. Simon's Ghost
11. Black Death (Life Is Knife)
12. United
13. Ram Ram Kino: Special

Cassette actually plays:
Side A:
1. Not What I Expected
2. The Presence (full)
3. Concorde Square (4:30 edit)
4. Travel Time
Side B:
1. The Wind Season
2. Death From Above
3. Simon's Ghost
4. Black Death (Life Is Knife) (3:30 edit)
5. United
6. Ram Ram Kino: Special



Comprising: The Plateau Phase /
Live On A Hot August Night /
Sexus

(72:44)
CD: Factory Benelux FBN 12 CD (Austria)
CD: Be Music FBM-12 CD (UK) &
CD: PLAS 9157-2 (Germany)
Are You Ready? 5:49,
Travel Time 3:50,
The Force And The Wisdom 4:00,
The Wind Season 5:29,
Death From Above 3:27,
We Move Through The Plateau Phase 5:48,
Bardo Plane 3:31,
Chill 4:45,
Federation 3:42,
Simon's Ghost 3:41,
The Presence 13:00,
Concorde Square 9:05,
Sexus 6:10
NME review July 28, 1990
Option review Issue #34, Sept-Oct 1990
Vox review January 1991


Fin (73:04)
CD: Les Temps Modernes LTM CD-2302 (Austria)
CD: IRS 990.145 (Germany)
Rainforest Ritual 2:22,
United 5:17,
Choral 4:50,
Green Light/White Shirt 3:27,
{- :20}, Brutal 3:00,
The Plateau Phase 6:03,
Nightfall Ends The Ceasefire 4:16,
Bardo Plane 3:31, {- :05},
At The Sounding Of The Klaxon 3:58,
Chill 5:02,
I Talking/You Talking (Parts 1 + 2) 6:38,
Lucifer Rising 5:12, {- :05},
Black Death (Life Is Knife)
8:36, {- :04}, From The Cradle To The Grave 3:19,
Four Minutes From The Frontline 4:20,
Come On 2:13
NME review July 28, 1990; Vox review January 1991
Ear, Magazine Of New Music review May 1991, p 50


Crispy Ambulance Cover Version:
Deaf by Unrest
7" EP: Sub Pop SP 103, March 1991/Teen Beat 63, April 8, 1991
"7,000 pressed; 4,000 on lilac vinyl; 3,000 on black vinyl"
Teen Beat: PO Box 3265, Arlington, VA 22203


Crispy Ambulance live with Section 25:
Haunted (Bochum Zeche January 1, 1982) on
Section 25: Live In America & Europe 1982
CD: Les Temps Modernes 2312, September 1, 1997
Edition of 500


Comprising:
The Plateau Phase /
Live On A Hot August Night /
Sexus
(72:44)
CD: LTM 2315
September 1, 1999
Are You Ready? 5:49,
Travel Time 3:50,
The Force And The Wisdom 4:00,
The Wind Season 5:29,
Death From Above 3:27,
We Move Through The Plateau 5:48,
Bardo Plane 3:31,
Chill 4:45,
Federation 3:42,
Simon's Ghost 3:41,
The Presence 13:00, Concorde Square 9:05,
Sexus 6:10
UNCUT review December 1999
NME review January 8, 2000
Q review March 2000
Leonard's Lair
Magic Issue 38, 2000
The Blow Up review


Fin (73:04)
CD: Les Temps Modernes LTM CD-2302
October 21, 1999
Rainforest Ritual 2:22,
United 5:17,
Choral 4:50,
Green Light/White Shirt (Deaf) 3:27,
{- :20}, Brutal 3:00,
The Plateau Phase 6:03,
Nightfall Ends The Ceasefire 4:16,
Bardo Plane 3:31, {- :05},
At The Sounding Of The Klaxon 3:58,
Chill 5:02,
I Talking/You Talking (Parts 1 + 2) 6:38,
Lucifer Rising 5:12, {- :05},
Black Death (Life Is Knife)
8:36, {- :04},
From The Cradle To The Grave 3:19,
Four Minutes From The Frontline 4:20,
Come On 2:13
NME review January 8, 2000
Q review March 2000
Magic Issue 38, 2000
The Blow Up review


accessory after the fact (60:55)
ltm cd 2317
april 2000
recorded live in manchester
5 november 1999
produced by graham massey
are you ready? 5:45
ah on bass, kd on moog
deaf 3:31
come on 2:19
federation 3:35
travel time 3:46
the presence 5:10
lucifer rising 6:12
choral 4:08
gm on sequencer & kit
nightfall ends the ceasefire 3:43
ah on 2nd guitar, kd on moog
the plateau phase 5:32
kd on moog
{- 0:03}
united 4:27
say shake 4:16
ah on moog
open, gates of fire 6:22
ah on moog & floor tom
sound block 1:57
tokai strat copy through a music man rd 112
Record Collector review July 2000
Q review August 2000



frozen blood 1980-1982
ltm cd 2327 (71:40)
released november 13, 2000

01. not what i expected (3.59), {-0:06}
02. deaf (3:56), {-0:02},
03. come on (2.10), {-0:03},
04. drug user – drug pusher (6.24), {-0:03},
05. october 31st (3.34), {-0:03},
06. egypt (5.10), {-0:02},
07. a sense of reason (4.00), {-0:01},
08. eastern bloc (5.23), {-0:02},
09. concorde square (3.08), {-0:02},
10. the presence (5.14), {-0:01},
11. headhunters (2.52), {-0:01},
12. frozen blood (4.39), {-0:02},
13. turnbuckle (5.57), {-0:02},
14. the gift of danger (3.22),
15. hollow points (4.30),
16. the grind (4.28), {-0:02},
17. cult (3.14)

Tracks 1-2 Factory Records (FAC 32) November 1980.
Recorded July 22 & 24, 1980.
Tracks 3-6 recorded Monday, January 12, 1981 at Langham Studios, London for the John Peel programme. First air date January 19, 1981.
Tracks 7-10 recorded Wednesday, July 16, 1980 at Pennine Studios for Radio Piccadilly’s Transmission. First air date Saturday, July 26, 1980.
Track 11 recorded live January 17, 1982, Vera Groningen, Holland.
Track 12 recorded live May 6, 1982, The Venue, London.
Tracks 13-15 recorded live October 13, 1982,
The Ad Lib Club, Nottingham.
Track 16 recorded live May 22, 1982, The Porterhouse, Retford.
Track-17 recorded July 1982, second album rehearsal.
Leonard's Lair review, February 2001
Q review March 2001


in november 2001
ltm issued a
limited edition
(out of print) CD
ltmcd 2321 (18:04)
crispy ambulance's
piccadilly radio transmission session
produced & mixed by stuart james
engineered by paul asdhead
recorded pennine sound studios, oldham
july 16, 1980,
first air date july 26, 1980:
01. the presence (5:18)
02. a sense of reason (4:02)
03. concorde square (3:17)
04. eastern bloc (5:17)



Released May 25, 2001:
ltm cd 2326
various artists:
the night watch
with crispy ambulance:
'bardo plane' (3:32 'Plateau Phase'
album version) and
'concorde square' (3:11 unreleased 'From Factory Manchester, Without Gregorian Chants, Who The Hell Are Factory Benelux?' mix by Tony Wilson and the late Rob Gretton, to have been released as a limited 12" on FACTORY US [FACUS 3] but cancelled at the very last moment).
Record Collector review
August 2001, Issue #264


Letter printed in NME, date unknown:

"After buying the 'Unsightly And Serene' 10" by Crispy Ambulance, I found that the Sisters Of Mercy had completely ripped it off.

The cover of the Sisters'

'Body And Soul' (7" and 12" single, June 1984)
is a blown-up version of

FAC 32 (January 1981).

The bass and arrangement of Crispy Ambulance's 'Not What I Expected' (recorded July 1980) is very similar to that of the Sisters' 'Nine While Nine' (on LP First, Last And Always, March 1985). The chorus of 'Not What I Expected' ('no time to hesitate') sounds so much like the Sisters' 'No Time To Cry' (7" February 1985, LP First, Last And Always, March 1985) it's criminal."
~ Simon's Ghost, Paisley



crispy ambulance
press mentions:

1. The Village Voice, May 23, 2000, Tuesday
Section: Music page 131
HEADLINE: MENTAL MACHINE MUSIC
2131 words (Review of Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music: 1948--1980 ~ Ellipsis Arts) BYLINE: Scott Seward: "l MEV (Musica Elettronica Viva) ''Spacecraft'' (1967) How my greasy loner friends who I trade Crispy Ambulance bootlegs with never turned me on to these acid-soaked freaks I'll never know. Looked them up on the Net, but all I found was a site for a radioactive ion-beam facility." Full Article

2. The Times (London), March 27, 1999, Saturday, Sport, 1989 words, Top hat and tales on way to Wembley, Danny Baker
"On the team bus, he would proffer cassette tapes featuring bands such as The Auteurs, Echo & The Bunnymen, Crispy Ambulance and, probably, Nina Hagen."

3. The Times, April 4, 1998, Saturday, Features, 381 words, Indie-cisive, Patrick Humphries
"Few people these days under-estimate the importance of the Beatles or Bob Dylan; but Alien Sex Fiend, Bambi Slam, Crispy Ambulance, Miranda Sex Garden...it's the ones that slipped between the cracks that really fascinate."

4. South China Morning Post, December 29, 1996, Staying In; Pg. 4, 1227 words, Staying in, Martin Snape
"Of course, there are omissions (the marvellous Crispy Ambulance never made it, although to its credit the book does feature the unforgettably brilliant Half Man Half Biscuit) but this is inevitable given the vast number of bands that made it to vinyl and then disappeared without trace."

5. Chicago Sun-Times, October 15, 1993, FRIDAY, Late Sports Final Edition, Pg. 41; NC, 261 words, Don't Let the Name Fool You; Unrest Croons Lovers' Lore, By Eric Puls
"... I have a real love for the Factory bands," says Robinson of groups like Section 25, New Order, Crispy Ambulance and Miaow. "They wrote great songs, but they also had a great ethic. The way they packaged singles, the design. I admire that."

6. The Independent (London), November 24, 1991, Sunday, THE SUNDAY REVIEW PAGE; Page 24 , 535 words, ROCK / Blueprint for the machinery of Joy, By BEN THOMPSON
"Factory will be remembered as the label which gave the world Crispy Ambulance."

7. GANNETT NEWS SERVICE, April 26, 1991, Friday, 776 words, FROM BODY PARTS TO ANIMALS, THESE BANDS HAVE CATCHY NAMES, EDWARD L. KENNEY; Wilmington News Journal
"Precious Wax Drippings
Crispy Ambulance
Steel Pole Bathtub"

8. New Times Broward-Palm Beach
December 14, 2000