Ultra Vivid Scene – Live In Chicago – Park West – 1993 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
Ultra Vivid Scene in concert from Chicago in 1993 tonight. Former Nothing But Happiness and Crash guitarist Ralske started Ultra Vivid Scene in 1987, was signed to 4AD Records in 1988, and released his first UVS EP, She Screamed, in 1988. The debut album was released October 1988, was written, produced and performed entirely by Ralske, whose influences include The Velvet Underground and The Jesus and Mary Chain. The second album, Joy 1967-1990, was released in April 1990. The same month they played their first tour dates in the United Kingdom.
This from 4AD’s site, in case you don’t already know:
4AD’s sole addition to the roster in 1988 was Ultra Vivid Scene, an alias for New York dreampop auteur Kurt Ralske, whose music successfully melded The Velvet Underground, My Bloody Valentine and ’60s psychedelia. They debuted with the single ‘She Screamed’, which was soon followed by a self-titled album. In 1989, Kurt released a 12″ featuring a newly recorded version of ‘Mercy Seat’ from the debut album. Later in the year came ‘Something To Eat’: a work-in-progresss, promotional single, and one of the very few 4AD promos to be assigned a regular catalogue number. As it turned out, ‘Something To Eat’ never made it onto any other release. Ivo suggested Kurt team up with producer Hugh Jones for the second album. The result was Joy 1967-1990, a veritable encyclopedia of pop possibility that highlighted Ralske’s knack for couching lyrical misanthropy in supremely catchy songs. The album spawned two singles, ‘Staring At The Sun’ and ‘Special One’, the latter a duet with Kim Deal that was accompanied by a wonderful video which saw Kurt and Kim crooning the song like Sonny & Cher. 1992’s Rev was a different entity to its carefully-honed predecessors. Recording as part of a three-piece rock band, Kurt kicked out the jams on a series of lengthy tracks dominated by his searing guitar leads. Despite what seemed like a promising new direction, Rev proved to be the final Ultra Vivid Scene album. Kurt subsequently concentrated on production, before returning with a new project, Cathars, in 1999. their final release was the Blood And Thunder EP, featuring a single remix of the title song and three other tracks, including a superb rendition of John Cale’s ‘Winter Song’.
Hit the Play button, turn it up and sit back.
