B.E.F. - Music For Stowaways (1981)

U.K. import

An impulse purchase that definitely did not pay dividends. If I done even the slightest amount of research before clicking the "add to cart" button, I would have seen this release is more or less a 2023 repackaging of a CD I already own and rarely play. Here's the lowdown from the Cold Spring record label because I'm too upset with myself to do much more than cut-and-paste:

The first reissue of seminal early 1980's electronic recordings from the British Electric Foundation (B.E.F.), aka HEAVEN 17 / ex-THE HUMAN LEAGUE's Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, with Adi Newton (CLOCK DVA / THE FUTURE), and John Wilson (HEAVEN 17), originally a cassette-only release (1981).

Following two groundbreaking albums ('Reproduction' and 'Travelogue'), the original line-up of Sheffield-based The Human League split in half in late 1980. The two primary musicians in the group, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, formed a new production company - the British Electric Foundation (B.E.F.) - and signed a deal with Virgin Records to write and produce up to six albums a year. The artists they were to produce would include Heaven 17, their own new band formed with vocalist Glenn Gregory.

B.E.F. would also release their own material, commencing with the music on this collection, which was issued in various permutations in 1981-82. Its initial release in March 1981 was a limited edition numbered eight song cassette entitled 'Music for Stowaways', with 'Stowaways' being a reference to the original name for the then-new Sony portable cassette player - later renamed the Walkman - of which B.E.F. were great fans. 'Music for Stowaways' was intended to be listened to on such a device. The cassette was followed by a seven song LP, 'Music For Listening To', which had a slightly different tracklisting, while other B.E.F. music was utilised for B-sides of early singles by Heaven 17.

This music was among the first recorded by Martyn and Ian directly after their departure from The Human League. Some tracks had evolved from other recordings they were working on at the time, such as 'Groove Thang' - an instrumental version of the debut single by Heaven 17 - and 'The Old At Rest', which derived from a version of 'Wichita Lineman' by Jimmy Webb, their very first recording with Glenn that would subsequently appear on B.E.F.'s 'Music of Quality and Distinction, Volume One' covers album in 1982.

Supporting musicians on 'Music For Stowaways' included Adi Newton of Clock DVA (who had been a member of The Future with Martyn and Ian pre-Human League) on the track 'Uptown Apocalyse', with John Wilson (who provided incredible guitar and bass for Heaven 17) appearing on Groove Thang.

The innovative sounds heard on 'Music For Stowaways' were an inspiration to many aspiring electronic artists. In 2015, Uncut magazine included it in a list of the '50 Greatest Lost Albums of All Time'.

CD in mini-LP sleeve - with printed inner sleeve, replicating the vinyl artwork.

Shrug. While I fully appreciate the DIY ethos, these tracks may be of historical interest, but ultimately come off as demos. Live and learn, I guess. At least there's a new-to-me track added in.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Not released in the US

Tracks: 12 tracks, 40 minutes. I do like track 7, The Old At Rest (please, no jokes about my age), which is soundtrackish in a dreamy sort of way. The new one is track 11, Honeymoon In New York, which was previously included in the 2019 Heaven 17 box set, Play To Win. 

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but reading the above press release taught me that bit about Sony calling its personal cassette stereo the "Stowaway" for a brief time in the U.K. In the U.S., the Walkman was originally called the "Soundabout."

Previously revisited for the blog:
Music of Quality and Distinction, Volume Three: Dark (2013)
Music of Quality and Distinction, Volume One (1982)
Music for Listening To (1981)
Geisha Boys and Temple Girls (1981)