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THE SUBMARINES

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The Submarines were formed in Glasgow in 1986 releasing their debut single on Head Records in 1987. (Highest Indie chart position 10, 9 Weeks on Chart) and opening for the likes of Felt and Primal Scream.
At some point in 1989 they changed their name to Compass Flow, recording a session for the BBC Janice Long show and an un-released album for Glass Records.

Discography

"another brilliant Egg excavation! The darkness of "Chronic Town"-era REM paired with Hooky's low-slung bass-lines and a heavy dose of Scottish rain produce a dark, twanging gem! Guitars chime, ring, jangle and rattle till your head's upside down" - Melody Bar

Here's another reissue (of sorts) of material from a little known Scottish group from Egg Records. I say "of sorts", as unlike Egg's other reissues, only two of these eleven tracks have ever been issued (on a Head Records 7"), with the label unearthing a whopping nine previously unheard tracks! These songs have a similar quality to them, which makes me think they were planned for an lp release, but as the disc's liner notes contain no information (apart from the fact that the songs were recorded between 1986 and 1989), that's merely speculation. The band's sound is pretty close to their labelmates, the Servants, with elements of jangly pop, but also an occasionally darker sound showing through in songs like "Distant Shores" and "Serious Mistakes" (especially due to the "Faith"-era Cure-esque bass sound). They also remind me a little of Primal Scream (the intro to "Life On The Great White Wastes" sounds just like the intro to the demo version of "Aftermath", and "Down Through The Room" would've fit perfectly on their second album). The two tracks from their single shine brightest here, as does "Standing In The Rain" and the album's opener, "Take Me Away" (which also surfaces again at the end of the album, as an alternate version, which I almost like more than the original!). A great document of a previously unknown (at least for me) band". 9/11 - Indiepages