NO MAN

Somewhere (somehow) between the feverish grooves of Madchester and the anthemic charge of the Britpop brigade, musically eclectic mavericks No-Man made a small mark on the early 1990s UK Independent music scene.

The band released two albums and series of singles on the influential OLI label (Björk, The Shamen etc), which generated rave reviews (Singles Of The Week in Melody Maker, Sounds, and Hot Press) and radio/TV play aplenty (BBC Radio One sessions/playlist, appearances on MTV, Channel Four and ITV1).

‘Housekeeping’ is a comprehensive remastered collection of No-Man’s output for the OLI label between 1990-1994.

Featuring the band’s first two albums ‘Loveblows & Lovecries’ (1993) and ‘Flowermouth’ (1994), along with the singles compilation ‘Lovesighs’ (1992), the deluxe 5CD bookset also contains outtakes, alternate versions and the band’s sessions for BBC Radio from the period (which reveal a very different, more visceral, side to the band).

Formed by Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson, the band also included violinist Ben Coleman and the albums featured notable appearances by Mick Karn and Steve Jansen (Japan), Robert Fripp, Ian Carr, Lisa Gerard (Dead Can Dance), and soon to be Porcupine Tree members Richard Barbieri, Chris Maitland and Colin Edwin.

Containing driving electronic pop music, epic ambient rock suites and emotive groove-enhanced ballads, ‘Housekeeping’ is a lovingly compiled tribute to the creative anomaly that is (and was) No-Man. Designed by Carl Glover, the hardback book includes essays by Matt Hammers (author of No-Man blog, All The Blue Changes), Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson, alongside rare photos and memorabilia.



Tracklist

Housekeeping

CD1. Lovesighs – An Entertainment

Heartcheat Pop
Days in the Trees – US remix
Drink Judas
Heartcheat Motel
Kiss Me Stupid
Colours
Iris Murdoch Cut Me Up
Days in the Trees – Reich
Days in the Trees – Ives
Days in the Trees – Bartok
Walker
Road

CD2. Loveblows and Lovecries – A Confession

Loveblow
Only Baby
Housekeeping
Sweetheart Raw
Lovecry
Tulip
Break Heaven
Beautiful and Cruel
Painting Paradise
Heaven’s Break
Taking It Like a Man
Babyship Blue
Tulip – unedited master

CD3. Singles

Ocean Song
Back to the Burning Shed
Swirl
Sweetheart Raw – full length version
Bleed
Only Baby – Breathe for Me
Only Baby – Be for Me
Long Day Fall
Painting Paradise – single re-recording
Heaven Taste

CD4. Flowermouth

Angel Gets Caught in the Beauty Trap
You Grow More Beautiful
Animal Ghost
Soft Shoulders
Shell of a Fighter
Teardrop Fall
Watching Over Me
Simple
Things Change

CD5. Radio Sessions 1992-94

Break Heaven – Nicky Campbell session
Heartcheat Pop – Nicky Campbell session
Housekeeping – Nicky Campbell session
Ocean Song – Hit the North session
Days in the Trees – Hit the North session
Taking It Like a Man – Hit the North session
Lovecry – GLR session
Days in the Trees – GLR session
Sweetheart Raw – The Way Out session
Teardrop Fall – acoustic session
Watching Over Me – acoustic session
Shell of a Fighter – acoustic session
You Grow More Beautiful – acoustic session