Lyvv China Doll

EDWARD KA-SPEL

<< back to the Combined Discography


Cover ImageRelease date and tracklist

1990
NL CS Mirrordot Tapes/Jarmusic

side a

  1. Wenn Alte Götter Sterben
  2. Tower 8
  3. The Char Char – [MP3]
  4. Corridors Of Deceit
  5. Dada
  6. Infirmary Waltz
  7. (Untitled)
  8. Lying In State
  9. Sneezing Choirs
  10. March Of The Anorexic Locusts
  11. Beautiful, Plastic
  12. Pretty Ribbons
  13. The Horn Section

side b

  1. So Gallantly Screaming
  2. Flesh Parade
  3. Aaδzhyd China Doll
  4. Tanz Der China Doll
  5. Golden Dawn
  6. Avengelist
  7. God In A Cupboard
  8. Love In A Plain Brown Envelope

 

***
Cover Image1993
NL CD Staalplaat STCD060

  1. The Char Char
  2. Wenn Alte Gotter Sterben
  3. Tower 8
  4. Bleak House
  5. Corridors Of Deceit
  6. Dada
  7. Infirmary Waltz
  8. (Untitled)
  9. Lying In State
  10. Sneezing Choirs
  11. March Of The Anorexic Locusts
  12. Beautiful, Plastic
  13. Pretty Ribbons
  14. Vla
  15. Culumnyetz
  16. God Bless The Cavalry Part 1
  17. God Bless The Cavalry Part 2
  18. Zyrrup
  19. The Horn Section
  20. Intent
  21. Bleeding Finale

 

2014 (remaster)
Cover ImageNL MP3/CDr self-released on LPD’s Bandcamp

  1. The Char Char (version 1)
  2. When Old Gods Die
  3. Tower 8
  4. Bleak House
  5. Corridors Of Deceit
  6. Dada
  7. Infirmary Waltz
  8. (Untitled)
  9. Lying In State
  10. Sneezing Choirs
  11. March Of The Anorexic Locusts
  12. Beautiful, Plastic
  13. Pretty Ribbons
  14. Vla
  15. Culumnyetz
  16. God Bless The Cavalry Part 1 & 2
  17. Zyrrup
  18. The Horn Section
  19. Intent
  20. Bleeding Finale
  21. So Gallantly Screaming
  22. Flesh Parade / Aazhyd China Doll
  23. Dance of the China Dolls / Golden Dawn
  24. Avengelist / God in a Cupboard
  25. Love in a Plain Brown Envelope

***

June 1, 2024 (redux)
NL/UK MP3 self-released on EK’s Bandcamp

  1. The Char Char (version 1)
  2. When Old Gods Die
  3. Tower 8
  4. Bleak House
  5. Corridors Of Deceit
  6. Dada
  7. Infirmary Waltz
  8. (Untitled)
  9. Lying In State
  10. Sneezing Choirs
  11. Anorexic Locusts
  12. Beautiful, Plastic
  13. Pretty Ribbons
  14. Vla
  15. Culumnyetz
  16. God Bless The Cavalry Part 1 & 2
  17. Zyrrup
  18. The Horn Section
  19. Intent
  20. Bleeding Finale
  21. So Gallantly Screaming (Delden NL 1985)
  22. Flesh Parade
  23. Aazhyd China Doll
  24. Dance of the China Dolls
  25. Golden Dawn
  26. Avengelist / God in a Cupboard
  27. Love in a Plain Brown Envelope

 


Credits

  • Edward Ka-Spel
  • Ignit- keyboards

Notes
Cover Imagecassette:
Limited, numbered edition of 834 copies.

Packaged in a plastic bag with double-sided color insert of collage artwork, plus a double-sided b&w insert with live pictures and text, and a single-sided b&w insert with selected lyrics.

The original intention was a simple live document…but, ultimately, that’s as unsatisfying for me as it is for the listener. Hence, Lyvv features previously unheard pieces like ‘When Old Gods Die’, Tower 8 RETITLED of course for ‘contractual’ reasons as well as obscure oddities like ‘Pretty Ribbons’ and ‘Corridors of Deceit’. Pieces I like but could never find the right place for. This K7 also documents the first performance under the banner ‘Edward Ka-Spel / d’archangel’ in Deventer, Holland back in 1985 with Ignit on keyboards.

CD:
A collection of the studio material from the original cassette plus other “experiments” and outtakes.

2014 Bandcamp remaster:
On cdr in card sleeve with insert

“Lyvv China Doll” started life as an elaborate but very elusive cassette release from The Dots’ TEKA label- it was half live material and half comprised of bits and pieces that needed a home.  Later it became a cd for the Staalplaat label and the live side was dropped while more bits and pieces came into view.This remaster brings the two releases together.

The first live piece in the track listing is actually “The Horn Section” while a little later the first ever performance of “So Gallantly Screaming.” can be heard as a mere idea rather than a finished song. The year was 1985 and the venue was in the village of Delden in the far East of The Netherlands.

Never heard of Delden? Guess what, they hadn’t heard of us either (EK, Ignit, Ed van Kaye)..You could say the reaction was minimal when the screaming started; it even became mildly hostile when that horn section (actually miniature plastic saxophones from the gas station) were introduced. I’d like to think they still talk about it in Delden but they probably forgot decades ago.

Other live tracks were from an especially heavy solo show in Vienna (1988) and Strasbourg (1986) where The Silverman and Stret Majest Alarme completed a particularly incendiary line-up.

Other notable songs from Lyvv” include “Tower 8” and “When Old Gods Die” (with Patrick Q.Paganini) which were the famous “missing ” bonus songs from the original “Chyekk China Doll” cd. After this mysterious omission, the master tapes were delivered to a guy in Sweden for an intended 7″ release. Sadly tapes and guy disappeared. Thankfully EK had rough cassette copies in his drawer .

Finally I must thank Hero Wouters for his amazing work on “Dada” and “Beautiful Plastic” (he wrote the music for the latter piece). Always a joy to work with Hero….Thanks too to Bianca Wouters for her voice …EK

***

June 1, 2024 Redux:
This one only needed a little enhancement as the 2014 master sounded very decent… but today’s tools do offer so many possibilities!

 


Lyrics

The Char Char

The letter was corroded, the fuses had exploded, the circuts floated on a pool of oil. They wrenched the (flecks) had snapped and sparks flew dark blue clouds and jet black walls. An apple crumbled, firemen grumbled, fumbled with a hose. Toes were curling in their white boots, sweating in their tight asbestos suits and Asmodeus played the flute. A table layed a chair and did the char char charred spitting splinters. Blisters throbbed and sisters sobbed behind the fence. Fire that burned the incense blessed the ashes as they flew. Fly away, fly away, fly away Peter, fly away Paul

Wenn Alte Gotter Sterben

Upside down and hanging. Gangreen. Dark green ankles. Rusty chains. And lusting vultures bowling dice – see who gets first bite. Frostbite! Lockjaw! MORE! See sores weep, flesh creep. Skin deep beauty lives inside his rotting carcass. Locked away, it drains away. Like a love note in a trashcan, like a sapphire in a sack. And no one’s singing hymns to him. No trembling sinners, no respect… We shed our tears, but we just accept – this old God’s dying of neglect. This old god’s dying of neglect. Neglect.

Tower 8

Lie there face down and be quiet. Captain barked, “Red carpets roll.” ??? left the helicoptor, left his marquee stroll. Respecting sores and shouting scores. The white glove glowing in the spotlight. Probbing with his stethescope for gold. The palace, the landscape with traitors as lampshades, waiters were dumb and freezer was packed. The peacock she roared with a wave from a window, a kiss on the wind and a swing of the axe. It’s the axe, see the sun, lick the blade as it swings like a windmill, as it swings as a windmill. Blades were swinging in the red night. Bonfires blazed and missiles flew. Wild guys gazed through balaclavas, baracades were blue. The captain watched it on his video, smiling cause he knew, “This is not the key to the tower!”(5x)

Bleak House (Instrumental)

Corridors of Deceit (Instrumental)

Dada

Dada. My third word. ‘Oh dada’ I’d shout. And dada came running to clout me. To hurt me. I’d howl…. And Mama went gaga. And blah! blah! -they’d row. And dada walked out. Ta ta dada.

Infirmary Waltz (Instrumental)

(Untitled) (Instrumental)

Lying in State

It was open house at Maggie’s. Yes the door it was open, People filing by for a final glimpse. Someone thought she winked, well it was just a trick of the light. Bright lights. Stereo played Mendelhson, Maggie liked the classics, no she couldn’t stand the racket on the radio. So plastic. Seems so Plastic. Now she’s looking very plastic in her new expensive hole. Made of fiberglass, it’s customized. It must, designed to pass away the years like seconds. And they told her in the advert, “If you go it’s best to go in comfort for it’s swell. Cause the nights get so lonely underground.” Now they’re firing rifles/singing hymns/reading poems/give these to him (fruit glass)/someone swears and she snatches them away. Says, “The claim of outrage, the ???? we’re all sad today, when we’ve been (handed cheese).” When Maggie’s face on, well she looks so young and still had all her faculties. Now she’s gone away(12x) Away(repeated). Rest in peace, rest in pieces Maggie. Maggots. Hooray(repeated) out of the way.

Sneezing Choirs (Instrumental w/ sample)

March of the Anorexic Locusts

couple of samples???? Tell me what you call, here’s what you curse.

Beautiful Plastic

Swaying in the dawn, scrambled into bed. His face was red, his breath was poison. Strike a match, the flames destroy a nation as he sleeps. His wife is sleeping. He slapped his paws on both her breasts. Started squeezing. Forced his tongue between her lips. Pleading, he’d reason with her, teased her, pulled her hair, he swore. He smashed his fist into her jaw, she wouldn’t thaw, no she wouldn’t thaw. Finally, he’d take no more. He rolled, hit the floor and saw a note pinned on the door. It said, “Bye honey, hope you like the doll.”

Pretty Ribbons (Instrumental)

Vla

I will be your sacrifice… The love machine demands a sacrifice (?)…

Columnyetz

All cracked (started) we all will fail together??????????????????????

God Bless the Cavalry Part 1

In your eyes(2x). Through your ears.

God Bless the Cavalry Part 2 (Instrumental)

Zyrrap (Instrumental)

The Horn Section

We introduce the horn section

Intent

Life is bright since they gave us all these prisoners of war! (sample:Slow Death)

Bleeding Finale (Instrumental)

Love in a plain brown envelope

Heaven is a hole. There’s a whole lot of heaven in your (cavern), in your avenue. Enjoy it? do you? do you? Of course you do… It’s there in black and white. There’s every detail and every tale delights. The fannies and the cranny’s with the antelopes from Lapland. (Uh… so horny!). It’s a perfect land… the lips are lubricated and the pistons always stiff and glistening driving upwards, onwards… it’s like your dream. It’s partly human and part machine. Oh, Cyborg! as a man you’re magic, as machine you’re mean, mean mean mean. Mean, mean[moans…all the way to climax] [sample on phone]I’m wondering I’m fondling myself. Come to me (sweet) woman. Talk to me. Come to me sweet thing. Come come come to me. Touch yourself, come on, touch yourself.