News

Sad News- Rik Chevrolet

As if 2020 couldn’t be sad enough, I heard this week that Rik Chevrolet (Tony Johnson) passed away after suffering with a brain tumour.

Tony played guitar with The Dots in late 1980 and 81, and was the mastermind behind “Sensory Deprivation” and “Temper Temper”.

After he left the band we lost touch for some time, but I was so happy to hook up with him again around 15 years ago and we kept up this contact.

I go back many years with Tony. We went to school together, went on vacation together, hung out at the same watering holes and tried to convince each other of the greatness of our favourite bands. He had some success with me as I (belatedly) embraced the music of The Who, although I can’t say he ever felt the same way about Faust and Magma.

In the last years Tony lived in Cyprus, and continued to make music as long as he was able. I’ll miss him, I’ll miss his great sense of humour, his wit. Farewell my dear old friend..
-EK

Angel Trombones & Festive Volume 2

Hi my friends, the penultimate Bandcamp Friday is looming so stay tuned to the small print. Meanwhile, over on edwardka-spel.bandcamp.com , there is a new release set to drop entitled “Angel Trombones “ while all releases on that page are now ‘name your price’ with no minimum. Love’n’peace to you all…EK

Music for that “Special” occasion. Three years of it, packaged and delivered with love in three large bites. We are considering a physical CD box set release with ALL the Festive releases. Keep your eyes fixed on the small print.

Just released- The Legendary Pink Dots Hallowe’en Special 2020

2020. The year when every day was Hallowe’en, but with just the horror and none of the fun…until now . Enjoy this journey. Cover art is by Alice made just for this project.

Dance China Doll & Laugh China Doll (2020 Remasters)

Dance China Doll

1984. A perfect number for a personal crisis. It’s the year when I felt the ideas I had for The Dots were being tossed aside but, upon reflection, I was probably just being a bit of a prima donna. Even so, the situation led to this first collection of songs under my name. Recorded in 3 days , mixed in less than that, with wonderful vocal contributions from Lily Ak (who still sings like an angel). 1984. When the end of the year came, I moved to The Netherlands.

Laugh China Doll

Dust to dust. Such was the fate of the master tape of my first solo album. In short, NEVER store a tape in a garden shed. “Laugh China Doll” was recorded over a couple of weekends on borrowed equipment with the notable exception of “Requiem” where long term friend Patrick Q. Wright provided all the music. Another fine contribution can be heard on “Lisa’s Funeral” where Pat White provided a wonderful guitar part. The cover was ripped from a library book (not by me!). This reissue is dedicated with love to the memory of Marylou. A big thank you also to Ray Steeg who cleaned and restored the music from an original vinyl copy.

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS Team With Classic Rock Legends BADFINGER For A New Version Of “Midnight Caller!”

The Legendary Pink Dots founder Edward Ka-Spel is well-known as one of the most prolific artists to emerge from the ‘80s post-punk underground but in his 40+ studio albums with the Dots, Ka-Spel has never done something quite as adventurous as this new single. “Midnight Caller” is one of the highlights from Badfinger’s smash hit album from 1970 No Dice, and this year Ka-Spel was given the opportunity to refresh this classic track, bringing his own prodigious production skills and immense talent for arrangement to the late great Pete Ham’s composition. Featuring vocals and bass by longtime Badfinger bandleader Joey Molland, “Midnight Caller” becomes in the hands of Ka-Spel simultaneously more lush and more sinister offering a dark psychedelic spin that seeps its way into almost everything The Dots touch.

Stream the single: https://orcd.co/badfinger_the_legendary_pink_dots

Source: Skylight Webzine

Two live performances available on Bandcamp

For the diehards, I have just uploaded two of the more interesting live performances from the extensive Pink Dotted Archives. The music has been remastered, and both include lengthy improvisations. EK

“Live In Lueneberg 1998 can be found here:

while LPDs “Live at WFMU Radio” 2010 can be found here:

For those who downloaded the solo show already, do note the cover has been updated as a peculiar error initially occurred!