Discography & Downloads

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Jammings (29/11/95 SJT,FS) Flaccidio Lippido She Was (9/12/95 SJT,FS,TED,ECT,EAL) 22/12/95 Pt.1 (SJT,FS,ECT,EAL) 22/12/95 Pt.2 (SJT,FS) Kwuhfortuem (1/1/96 SJT,FS) Bedroom Creators (19/1/96 SJT,FS,TED,ECT,EAL) Carnival Fever (19/1/96 SJT,FS) Monastary Of Bad Vibes (26/1/96 SJT,FS,TED,ECT,EAL) Fed Erachos (15/2/96 SJT,FS) 19/2/96 (SJT,FS,NM) 28/2/96 (SJT,FS) Leap Year Jam (29/2/96 SJT,FS,TED) Experimental Sobriety Act 1948 (4/3/96 SJT,TED) 5/3/96 (SJT,FS,TED,ECT) 10/3/96 (SJT,FS) 2 Guitar Jam (3/4/96 SJT,FS) 28/5/96 (SJT,FS,TED,ECT,EAL) 13/7/97 (SJT,FS,ECT) Barn Days(date unknown SJT,FS,ECT,MO)

Downloads (MP3)

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Jammings Before the doors of Scrooge Records had opened, we had been jamming together for several years. Just a bunch of kids testing the waters of stardom with our toes, getting to grips with our instruments, or instrument - the timeless classical guitar. Nearly all of us could get at least one tune out of the damn thing, and soon other instruments began to appear. At first, other guitars, but soon enough a keyboard or two. Amplification was clearly needed, not to mention recording equipment, but at Scrooge records, something special was happening, and on the 29th November 1995, Fizz and Sim cut Jammings. A Columbus series 3 guitar with Dean Markley amp were used in just about every jam, keyboard was the versatile Casiotone MT-52. Loud and brash, Duality set the tone which was to become Snacks' signature sound. Beatbirth with it's relentless rhythm and quirky segues was to be the first (and last) Snacks single release.
7 tracks
48:59

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Flaccidio Lippido She Was Featuring the core of the mid 90s Golden Grove clan - often simultaneously - Flaccidio featured tracks like Ripley's offal, peaceful She Had A Dick, and a groovy interpretation of When The Saints Go Marching In.
8 tracks
40:42

22/12/95 With Christmas swiftly approching, this was clearly a day of celebration. Paying Yuletide respects to Music. Or at least, completely obliterating every pure and rational aspect of it. Two jams were done this day, the first featuring Liz, Fizz, Sim and Em is uptempo and exotic, full of vocal effects (rare in the Snacks back catalogue) and humour. He Killed The Dog is an all time classic - "He danced with the dancer/he pranced with the prancer!". Fizz and Sim recorded another album later that night with a more laidback feel, but were criticised for this effort - too mainstream for the now rapidly gathering cult following.
22/12/95 pt.1 - 9 tracks
46:58
22/12/95 pt.2 - Tracks unknown
46:32

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Kwufortuem With it's freaky feedback-driven intro, Kwufortuem promises to deliver - and this it does. A finely crafted and well marketed album created on New Years Day 1996.
Tracks unknown
45:54

Bedroom Creators Perhaps the most feelgood album recorded by Snacks - Paprika is hilarious. This "warts n' all" medley contains the whole array of instruments available to us at the time, it has gongs, an improvised didgereedoo (a 3 foot length of copper pipe), vocals, and is a veritable time capsule in Snacks history. Standout tracks are Dracula Rhoamz, Better half and Tomb Blues. Great fun.
13 tracks
45:24

(top)

Carnival Fever A fairly nondescript jam, very laid back, but still driven by a powerful distorted guitar. The Scrolls Of Fortune is well conceived, but poorly executed, Mardi Gras is the pick of this bunch.
7 tracks
44:23

Monastary Of Bad Vibes The first jam to feature Nik, mainly supplying a new and refreshing rhythm sound. This jam features mixing of songs by the likes of Peter Frampton, Anthrax and Steve Vai. Bobby The Cross-Eyed Vampire is guitar solo heaven, and Sim gets to showcase his keyboard skills in the gentle Halboresty Pier.
8 tracks
41:30

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Fed Erachos A dark and brooding album, Fed Erachos is considered by the founder members to be the best. The Swift with its Hannibal Lector samples takes us on a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows, The Goblin rolls along a treat with it's weird vocal effects and superlative guitar licks by Fizz, and the twin guitars of Stone Fort give us a sneak preview of an album recorded almost two months later, 2 Guitar Jam.
10 tracks
37:38

19/2/96 A jolly opening track sets the tone for a lively, well executed jam. Almost a concept album with a recurring theme, well paced and tight as a drum. Track 3 is the gem in this collection.
5 tracks
46:00

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28/2/96 This little jam - an EP, if you will - starts with a heavily distorted guitar over an Indian sounding penny whistle, moving into a grungy opus loosely based on the theme from Arabian Nights. Sim's love of Asian musical styles frequently gave Snacks jams an eastern feel.
3 tracks
18:59

Leap Year Jam Recorded on the 29th February, this jam was destined to be known as Leap Year Jam from the outset. The lonely guitar intro gives this jam an ethereal feel, weird vocal samples introduced in the second track set the listener on edge. The trend for Doom metal at the time lends flavour.
4 tracks
??:??

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The Experimental Sobriety Act 1948 Featuring only Sim and Tom, this jam begins with a gorgeous number containing short samples from George Zhamfir's flute works, and Monty Python's "Election Special" sketch. The Bontempi keyboard produced some unique rhythm sounds markedly different to the Casiotone, Sim's guitar rides on top. This is Snacks in easy listening mode.
Tracks unknown
46:38

5/3/96 A plethora of instruments and techniques, 5/3/96 has a little of everything including live drumming and vocals, mixing and wicked guitar solos. Tribal sounding, fine musicianship all round.
3 tracks
20:29

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10/3/96 With an opening reminicient of Beatbirth, 10/3/96 was Snacks in the two-man format of Fizz and Sim. Track 2's resonant guitar intro keeps the audience listening, track 3 is a 20 minute ambient journey during which we are treated to clips from Strauss' Thus Spake Zarathustra, and more Monty Python (a huge source of entertainment in the Snacks era), then taken through a typical heavy metal theme to track 4 - an almost transcendental piece with ambient/instrumental roots. A quality jam, well produced.
4 tracks
45:32

2 Guitar Jam This eagerly awaited album blasts into our living rooms with all the power of a freight train at full steam. Formulaic perhaps - but Rec Zone II features power riffs to kill for and a bluesey centerpiece, Bad Taste is hard and heavy with mad mad solos. Incidentally, M.A.N. was fraught with technical difficulties, large chunks of crucial material were lost.
4 tracks
46:39

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28/5/96 With nearly a full lineup once again, 28/5/96 has something for everyone, although Scrooge's equpiment was misbehaving again, the sound wobbly and warped. Perhaps the first use of bass guitar, and a Yamaha drum machine. Some excellent material, and hilarious outtakes. Shame about production.
5 tracks
38:46

13/7/97 With university about to begin, the band were now a 3-piece, but before Snacks exited stage right, they cut one final jam. And what a beauty, plenty of instruments here, not to mention effects - the echo guitar being mercilessly exploited. Song 2 is based on the theme from Enter The Dragon, and song 3 is a fantastic composition - I can't tell who is playing what here, but we're all on top form. Song 4 is Fizz's fine contribution played first with Fizz on guitar, Sim on bass and Emma on drums. But Emma lost it at a crucial moment so Sim took the chair with Em on bass, and it worked.
4 tracks
15:50

(top)

Barn Days Barn Days is a collection of songs. Yes, proper songs that we learned and practised - this time with new and talented drummer Martin Owen, Emma on vocals, Fizz on bass and myself on guitar. Track 3 is a nice quirky instrumental, track 4 a moody ballad building to a crescendo of raw power, my favourite is track 5 - a mid-tempo rock riff with fingerstyle guitar and possibly my finest solos.