Condition: Used
Theatre Of Sheep - A Quiet Crusade
Label: Sheepish
Catalog#: 004
Format: Vinyl, 12"
Record is VG++
Cover slight fold marks to envelope
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Goth Rock
Notes: EP from Portland, Oregon.
This band had a large underground following on the west coast in the early 80s, but only released one album on tape and this 12" EP (as well as a 2007 CD retrospective that the singer put out). This record was privately released on the band's own Sheepish label in 1983. The cover is just a manila envelope with two sheets glued onto it.
Rating: 5/5
Tracklisting:
A1 Like Wild Young Things (3:54)
A2 Annalisa (4:35)
B1 Glamour (I Wanna Be Lovelee) (4:20)
B2 Love is never sane
THEATRE OF SHEEP was a post punk neo-psychedelic new wave pop ensemble that I sang for in the 80’s…..the band went thru many incarnations but the one that really clicked with a predominately young teenaged crowd was as follows below…
Theatre of Sheep was a 1980s American New Wave band from Portland, Oregon that was very popular with local hipsters.[citation needed] Musically, the band had much in common with stylish New Wave and New Romantic bands of the day such as Echo and the Bunnymen and [[]] featured on MTV. Notably, their 1983 release, A Cathartic Aquacade, was produced and engineered by Greg Sage, leader of the Portland punk band the Wipers.
Rozz Rezabek is featured in the documentary film Kurt & Courtney.
Formed in 1980 they split in 1984 but played several one-off reunion shows throughout the 1990s to much fanfare. They were fronted by Rozz Rezabek.
we packed the STARRYNIGHT CLUB and PINE STREET THEATRE on a regular basis from 1982 thru late in 84…this line-up of TOS (as we were known to hardcore fans..) was a diverse bunch.. and made for the eclectic hard to catagorize musical style that the band produced…in no particular order..
JIMI HASKETT -GUITAR….jimi was one of a handful of pioneers using the looping guitar riff on an tape loop Echoplex when we met and started collaborating…the others being U2 ’s “the edge” and will sargent of “Echo & the bunnymen”
BRIAN “BRAIN”WASSMAN-DRUMS…Brian came from a surf punk background in Huntington Beach,ca…and Jammed with everyone from early rockabilly act “TheSurf Trio” to “BLACK FLAG” before relocating to Portland where THEATRE OF SHEEP was formed…
LESLI ANNE ARBUTHNOT-KEYBOARDS….lesli came from a collegiate background in classical music and surprisingly played the Violin as well as the piano…
JAMES “JIM”WALLACE-BASS….Jim came from a Jazz and funk background and was a veteran of several art rock bands after BERKLEE school of music and before joining THEATRE OF SHEEP…
ROZZ REZABEK-vocals…I wrote the lyrics and attempted to “sing”…my history was in “confrontational theatre” (so to speak )with the san francisco PuNk LeGeNdS ..NEGATIVE TREND….
in lesson two we will get into the rise of glamour…our mantra “I wanna be Lovely….” and our colorful assault on the city of portland with our trademark psychedelic posters…the bands message resonated with the young idealistic mostly female crowd…Lesli became a style role model and even affected the local fashion scene…a “Lesli cut” became a staple of local salons…
the band was a favorite of both critics and loyal fans…and rumors swirled of eminent record company signings from early on in the bands rise to popularity…the bands local following in portland were fervent so often Promoters would put TOS on national acts that were having trouble filling venues…the band opened for MODERN ENGLISH, GANG OF 4, IGGY POP..to name but a few…
a couple cases in particular illustrate the Bands sway…BILLY IDOL’s “hot in the City” was on the charts …but WHITE WEDDING hadnt broken big yet…his PineStreet performance was destined to lose money for the promoter….add THEATRE OF SHEEP to the bill…and additional 280 people in ticket sales over the next four days and a great show…
a couple of cases where we turned down gigs . show the reverse effect…by us NOT being on the bill…JOSIE (johnny are you queer?)COTTON at STARRYNIGHT(ONLY 29 paid admissions) or THE RED ROCKERS (china,..china) also at starrynight …who despite thier college radio “Hit” could not EVEN fill a guest list at the 1000 seat hall…
.so we were the darlings of local rock promoters as well the Newsweeklies…but the only opinion that mattered to us was the kids filling the clubs every weekend…and we catered to them…ending shows when the last buses left downtown for the suburbs…doing almost exclusively ALL AGES shows…and being accesible..in the cafes and local hangouts..
So when THEATRE OF SHEEP swept almost every category in the WILLAMETTE WEEKS annual music poll during thier emergence in 1982..it came as no surprise….Teenagers ,..though they cant get into bars…are the most die hard fan base in the world (just ask the jonas bro’s.)…snatching up buttons ,cassette tapes, tee-shirts, press kits as fast as we could “merch” them…THEATRE OF SHEEP released a 12 inch 4 song E.P. in 1984 called “A QUIET CRUSADE”
the rabid TOS devotee’s were invested in every twist and turn of the bands skewed journey… and the drama really heated up when a very young super groupie COURTNEY LOVE became obscessed with the band..
In the Summer of 2006 Rezabek and Haskett began compiling old Theatre Of Sheep songs, to create a Theatre of Sheep greatest hits CD. Produced by TOS guitarist Jim Haskett the CD contained remixed versions of fan favorites. Old Flames was released in the spring of 2007.
On December 15, 2007, Theatre of Sheep reunited for a show at Slabtown in Portland, Oregon.
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