Fad Gadget- Under the Flag LP

Before I get to today's post- Zshare seems to be working again. That said, I've been receiving several email requests to reupload records, but after checking out the links, they still all seem to be up and running, so just give 'er a refresh now and see if that sorts out the problem. If there's anything that truly has expired, let me know.

That said, I've been meaning to post this record for some time, but it took a request for me to finally upload it proper. Though I already touched on Fad Gadget back in the blog's early conception, it's only appropriate to finally upload a record that sits comfortably in a top 20 of all time list. Or a top ten. Regardless, this 1982 album is a favorite, through and through. See the linked post for more on the late, great Frank Tovey, but otherwise, let's get to the nitty gritty.



Fad Gadget- Under the Flag LP
1. Under the Flag I
2. Scapegoat
3. Love Parasite
4. Plainsong
5. Wheels of Fortune
6. Life on the Line IV
7. The Sheep Look Up
8. Cipher
9. For Whom the Bells Toll
10. Under the Flag II

*download it here*

A quick bit of trivia about the record: The album cover and photos throughout are shot by the infamous Anton Corbijn. Also, one of the many female backing singers was none other than miss Alison Moyet, who found fame a few years later as half of Yazoo. Neat!

Stay tuned this week for a few treats...I've a few requests for some more Venus in Furs, and I may dig out some more rare minimal wave as time allows.

Fad Gadget- Under the Flag LP

Before I get to today's post- Zshare seems to be working again. That said, I've been receiving several email requests to reupload records, but after checking out the links, they still all seem to be up and running, so just give 'er a refresh now and see if that sorts out the problem. If there's anything that truly has expired, let me know.

That said, I've been meaning to post this record for some time, but it took a request for me to finally upload it proper. Though I already touched on Fad Gadget back in the blog's early conception, it's only appropriate to finally upload a record that sits comfortably in a top 20 of all time list. Or a top ten. Regardless, this 1982 album is a favorite, through and through. See the linked post for more on the late, great Frank Tovey, but otherwise, let's get to the nitty gritty.



Fad Gadget- Under the Flag LP
1. Under the Flag I
2. Scapegoat
3. Love Parasite
4. Plainsong
5. Wheels of Fortune
6. Life on the Line IV
7. The Sheep Look Up
8. Cipher
9. For Whom the Bells Toll
10. Under the Flag II

*download it here*

A quick bit of trivia about the record: The album cover and photos throughout are shot by the infamous Anton Corbijn. Also, one of the many female backing singers was none other than miss Alison Moyet, who found fame a few years later as half of Yazoo. Neat!

Stay tuned this week for a few treats...I've a few requests for some more Venus in Furs, and I may dig out some more rare minimal wave as time allows.

Fad Gadget

It's tough to dedicate a mere sliver of space for this one, for Fad Gadget were above and beyond, true pioneers. The brainchild of the late Frank Tovey, Fad Gadget were the first outfit to be signed to Daniel Miller's Mute label, hot off the heels of Daniel's own single 'Warm Leatherette / T.V.O.D.' (under the Normal moniker).

Over the course of four records and several single releases, Fad Gadget grew under a budding performance art and new wave movement, inspiring a series of musicians to come in both the industrial and wave genres. His lyrics were bleak yet laced in sometimes goofy sarcasm, while the music pulsed with electric rhythms and the sounds of whirring machinery.

This brand of unique intensity translated well into the live setting with an abundance of theatricality, Tovey covering himself in tar and feathers, hanging upside down from rafters, and often shaving himself completely with a razorblade.

In 1984, Tovey shed the Fad Gadget moniker and continued to explore the avant garde realm under his own name rather than the pseudonym, withdrawing from the music business in 1993. In 2001, Tovey picked up the Fad Gadget moniker once more to play a series of shows with former proteges Depeche Mode. He continued to perform until April of 2002, when he died of a sudden heart-attack.

As for the today's downloadables, I've selected one of the outfit's first singles as well as a deep cut from 1982's Under the Flag:

download Fad Gadget- 'Back to Nature'
download Fad Gadget- 'Under the Flag II'

and for your viewing pleasure, here's a video for 'Collapsing New People,' Fad Gadget's best known tune:



Fad Gadget's discography is more readily available than most of the artists usually posted here, so just take a peek at the local Amazon website for a start:

Amazon.com