Negrava Discography
1. Cassettes
1. Australian Signals
2. Turkey Worship
3. Fire on the Border
4. Canned Music
5. By The Light
6. Flesh on Bones
7. Captured By Postmen
2. Vinyl
Band from the World
The best of the vocal pieces.
1000 copies of an LP were pressed, and sold or given away.
In an unusual attempt to infiltrate the mainstream leisure arena, Negrava took to selling copies of the LP ?second hand? to used record shops. They did this for several years. Whenever they went anywhere they would take a copy (along with several other albums, as a cover story), and try to find a used record shop, or junk shop.
They also took to placing empty covers in the racks of Our Price shops in central London
3. Compact Discs
1. Turkey Worship
Meanwhile in an abandoned warehouse?the original low quality cassette in an unnecessary new format
2. Cloudy Water
A single 60 minute piece composed of natural sounds, recorded at a beach. The album that broke the band up.
This compact disc contains one hour of sounds. Somewhere in the middle of these there are approximately three minutes and thirty seconds of music, which you can find in almost identical form on the Band From The World cd. Whether the rest of the sounds meet any artistic, social or medical needs is a matter of some dispute in the world we come from.
Personally I have my doubts, and have restricted my involvement accordingly. However, the world being the way that it apparently is, I believe that it is faintly conceivable that this album will become an indispensible status symbol for large numbers of young people in the next few months. Since the outcome of this would be an influx of inconceivably large royalty payments into my bank account, I am asserting my moral rights as one of the authors of this thing, whatever it is.? Snorkel Johnson.
3. Repeat while true
This has a manga strip style cover.
Meanwhile in the black iron prison: ?Danger pop purchasers, Danger! Damn Negrava band more powerful than ever! Listening stops please! Wise heads say is Band From The World!? ?Somewhen else? What is this somewhen else? We must stop the Timeship Negrava!?
The best of the vocals in five parts: unauthorised transmission (Flesh on Bones), the home service (Fire on the Border & Canned Music), the light programme (Betty and Seascape), hostile reception (Turkey Worship), long wave (By The Light)
Flesh on Bones, Fire on the border, Canned Music, and other selected vocal delights
4. Spin Cycle
Meanwhile in an abandoned launderette.
Brainwashed, headspun and neckdried: the instrumental music refried and reformatted.
Selections from Australian Signals, BTL, and others including Silent Night.
4. Unreleased
1. The Inconsolable Sadness of the Gershwin Brothers: Negrava set some new standards
This was an attempt to release a complete collection of Owen and Derek?s songs. They were recorded at various times, by way of relaxation and practice, and released in dribs and drabs. In the end not enough songs were ever completed, and the idea was put aside.
2. Grace Through Action
Flesh on Bones was the first part. Sugar Madness was supposed to be the second stage, and a complete album the final result.
It foundered because nobody could agree on when Flesh on Bones was completed, and the process became enormously complicated. Snorkel took the Dave Bernez version to Morgan Khan and Jake Riviera in the belief that this could be the place where Negrava and the real world finally met up. A remixed version of this was actually released, containing (in best Heroes and Villains style) excerpts from other parts of the album.
This prompted MT to take another section and expand it into Cloudy Waters, dropping almost all the music on the way. After this it seemed best not to do anything else, so that is what they did.
3. Electricity By Gaslight
Subtitled Tales from the Victorian Space Age
This started out as a piece by Snorkel. MT joined in and a preview release was issued under the name Snorkel & the Empty One.
Then Betty laid down some vocals, and played the tapes to Seascape. This led to some radical reworking, and the band was (possibly) back together.
5. Solo
1. Snorkel Johnson
Free Electrons Now!
Recorded in Japan for the Dough Hand Bisco label and allegedly a bit like Bill Nelson circa Do You Dream In Colour
Tracks include:
Free Electrons Now!
If I wanted photosynthesis I?d ask for it
The Gravity of Falling
This Systematic Answer
Dig Wiggle Wiggle
Big Trouble at Light Bends
Click that?s this, clock that?s that
Rudimentary, Lyle Watson
Dog Woggle Woggle
Another kind of plant life
Movement is not motion
Light Bends, Darkness Doesn?t
Levity, My Bottom
N2O!
A series of dance tracks released on various labels in Europe. Most of these also involved MT, and some involved Betty.
The most well known was The Summer Won, which was remixed into an album length track without Negrava?s permission and issued in Italy. They have denied the rumours that it was really them testing the waters for a return to making records.
2. Betty Negrava
Betty & the Bobblehats: documentary evidence
Double album recorded ?live at the Same Old Place?.
Released on the short-lived Jamfast label, where it disappeared without trace along with whatever else the label managed to release before it collapsed.
Made with the help of Ronnie Lane, whom they ran into while trying to persuade Joe Brown to re-release the Brown?s Home Brew albums.
Side two (tracks 6 to 10) is as near as you get to the lost Gershwin Brothers album.
Side four is a 23 minute song with the chorus ?We ordered a gram but they delivered an ounce. They said units may vary due to bobblehat bounce. Oh woo, bop-bop, oh woo, bo-bo-bop?. It sounds like a zydeco band playing Steve Reich, with vocals by Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks.
Tracks include:
Rodeo Time
Dig Wiggle Wiggle
World Gone Mad
The Clipper
Sugar Madness
The Sliding Doors
Fire On The Border
Doing Time
Madagaskar
The Wonder Of It All
Hats off, Mr Hippo
Primitive World
Give me evidence, Eddie
Double Feature
I want documentary proof
Bobblehat Bounce
3. Seascape Negrava
Nothing at all