SEPTEMBER 18TH VIA INFRASONS E.Y. RECORDS
LISTEN TO NEW SINGLE ‘PARADIGM’ HERE:
PRE-ORDER THE ALBUM HERE:
Look who’s back, look who’s back now….
September 18th sees the release of a new album by Gary Marx. The man best known for co-founding The Sisters Of Mercy with Andrew Eldritch continues to defy expectations and throw the coolest of curveballs.
Titled ‘Red Planet Blue’, the album is released via Infrasons E.Y. Records and is the eagerly awaited follow-up to 2024’s ‘Green Ginger Jive’.
What’s it like!? Don’t use the ‘c’ word, it’s not a concept album! However, it is 72 minutes of music spread over four sides of vinyl. “Side one is the poppiest, side three is the most varied and adventurous, side four is the silliest, and side two has the most elephants,” states Gary.
It’s another collection of 70’s inspired songs bursting at the seams with teenage dreams and interstellar themes. Good ol’ Bolan Boogie is still in evidence, but the influences are more wide-ranging than on its predecessor, Green Ginger Jive.
“It’s bigger and bolder,” he explains. “I’ve thrown everything at it this time round, saxes, synths, sci-fi sound fx, stand-up….”
What started out as simply an attempt to tidy up some loose ends has grown and grown. Seventy-two minutes of ‘uninterrupted listening pleasure’ as the sleeve proudly proclaims.
“It had to be 72 minutes long – I became a teenager in ’72, this album represents me closing the circle.”
The recording process was slightly different from the previous album, where some songs were written specifically for the guest singers involved. This time for Red Planet Blue, Marx recorded a finished version of every song before considering inviting anyone else to hop onboard.
“I decided I only wanted to invite people to sing who were my age. I relaxed the rule slightly for the CD, but on the vinyl, I needed kids who would have been in my year’s intake at high school. That became my gang.”
There was almost an ecological drive to how the album was pieced together.
“I wanted to make use of all the material I’d generated through the time of this project in some way.”
That extended to using clips from interviews and dialogue from live shows…re-purpose, repair and recycle became a mantra of sorts and led to some surprising inclusions to make an album that found inspiration in a couple of unlikely places – The Who Sell Out, and A Wizard A True Star by Todd Rundgren.”
“The pirate radio aspect appealed to me from The Who album, and so I use a similar device to connect the main songs. With Todd, I liked the idea of not forcing every idea to be a 3 minute song, or even a song at all.”
‘Red Planet Blue’ harks back to and celebrates a bygone era of music and fashion, colour and pizazz that takes the listener on a lengthy but completely absorbing journey. Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride!
Album Credits:
Songs recorded and mixed by Mark Sturgess at Soundstation Wakefield, except Tiger Moth recorded and mixed by John Spence at Fairview Studios, Hull.
John also mixed Ten Foot Two, 73, and mastered the album.
Daniel Mass vocals on Tales Of Vermilion, backing vocals on East Coast Shuffle.
Barry Snaith vocals on Ten Foot Two and Schmaltz, backing vocals on Sweet Heart Attack and Send For The Priest.
Norm Kirby vocals on Tiger Moth, backing vocals on Planchette and Jumbo Mambo. He also warbles and whipped out his comb and paper for Hunk, (under protest.)
Mick Stanley vocals on Paradigm.
Matt Stacy Sax on Elektra Glide and Paradigm
Mark Sturgess backing vocals on Cherry Bomb Love, and Sand Le Mere.
“As you might expect, family and friends pop up among the cast of extras. Apologies if I’ve stolen anything, I was always light-fingered as a kid…”
‘RED PLANET BLUE’ TRACK-LISTING:
- ANYWHERE ANY PLACE ANY TIME
- HIGH BRIGHTON ROCK
- ELEKTRA GLIDE
- CHERRY BOMB LOVE
- LITTLE MISFIT EDIT
- PLANCHETTE
- TALES OF VERMILION
- SWAMP
- HANDS UP
- LAST LAUGH
- HU19
- TEN FOOT TWO
- SUMMERGANGS
- RED PLANET BLUE
- TIGER MOTH
- JUMBO MAMBO
- WHS
- PLAN C
- EAST COAST SHUFFLE
- HUNK
- SWEET HARP ATTACHED
- RIOT
- RIFF RAFF
- STRAWBERRY BLONDE
- SCHMALTZ
- PARADIGM
- NEXT STOP THE MOON
- PLAN C ID
- SWEET HEART ATTACK
- SEND FOR THE PRIEST
- ONLY ONE O
- JUST ABOUT CRAZY
- STARSKY AND HUTCH
- ORBIT
- 73
- RATTLESNAKE BOYS
- DEF RATTLE
- CRAZY WHEEL
- SAND LE MERE
Further Bio info:
Gary Marx is best known as the guitarist and co-founder of The Sisters Of Mercy, with singer Andrew Eldritch.
Marx was there from day one and his trademark musical contributions provide many of the highlights on the Sisters early singles, and their revered debut album ‘First And Last And Always’.
After parting ways with Eldritch, Marx enjoyed Indie success for four years with the band Ghost Dance, before signing to Chrysalis and releasing one album on the label. The band split in 1990, and since then Marx has steered his own course as a solo artist.
The last two years have seen a flurry of releases, including the 70’s inspired album ‘Green Ginger Jive’ – a fun-packed, hook-laden love letter to his youth.
His latest single release ‘Paradigm’ builds on that Glam Era magic – it’s taken from a stellar new album ‘Red Planet Blue’ which is due for release September 18th via Infrasons E.Y. Records.
Find Gary Marx online HERE:
