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From	Radiant Future Records <radiantfuturerecords@googlemail.com>
Subject	Radiant Future Records Newsletter #1
Date	Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:50:24 +0100

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*RADIANT FUTURE RECORDS*

Website <http://www.martingordon.de>

More music for grown-ups. And iDiots.


*Radiant Future Records: Newsletter Vol. 1 / February 2008

Contents:
*

    Martin Gordon <#Martin_Gordon_>
    Radio Stars <#Radio_Stars>
    Radiant Future <#Radiant_Future>
    Chris Townson <#Chris_Townson>
    Forum <#Forum>
    Other Stuff <#Other_stuff>- recommendations include Niacin,
    Mahavishnu, the Smash


This is the first of a quarterly update of all things Radiant. Owning 
it's emotions, but always sensitive to the needs of others despite it's 
own clear vision. Willing to achieve a compromise between varied 
perspectives and always attentive to the needs of it's colleagues. Easy 
to digest and guaranteed to be entirely free of nuts almost completely.

***Martin Gordon *

The Mammal Trilogy continues into it's fifth edition, as the stirrings 
of a new series of compositions begin to appear. They'll be recorded 
later in the year - exact design is as yet unclear, as Chris Townson 
won't be drumming this time (see below). Will it have guitars on it? 
Probably. But who knows what else... The European edition of the Live 
Mammal will debut on March 1st, when Martin and his Mammals support 
Martin and his Radio Stars in London. He will as noted elsewhere, 
probably blow himself off, or else make himself look like a beginner. A 
win-win one, this. Line-up will be Pelle Almgren, MG and Steve Budney 
from Tristan Da Cunha <http://www.myspace.com/tristan0da0cunha> on 
drums, with Rich Davenport <http://www.myspace.com/seeredmetal> 
strumming and widdling on guitar as appropriate, and often as not. A 
chat with the Kollektionist 
<http://www.kollektionist.net/Martingordonweekend> 
<www.kollektionist.net/Martingordonweekend>on this and related topics is 
just back there.

*Radio Stars
*
The one-off reunion will take place at the Blow Up Metro Club in London 
on March 1st in London 
<http://www.blowupmetro.com/bandinfo.aspx?id=080301g>, coinciding with 
the release of an archive live recording from the late 70s. Odd, really, 
that these two events should coincide. Normally, following the 
traditional Jet-style co-ordination that has often dominated these kind 
of events in the Mammalian Past, they would be separated by many months, 
and then all information would in any case be unavailable or unreadable. 
And often both at the same time, as well as simultaneously. Line-up will 
be Martin Gordon, Andy Ellison and Ian Macleod, Heroic drummer Steve 
Budney makes his second appearance of the evening.

Various e-items referring to the impending reunion have appeared on chat 
boards, including a thread on Mojo from someone claims to be owed a pint 
of beer by Andy Ellison. Clearly some scores remain unsettled.

In 2007, Ace Records re-released the two Radio Stars albums on CD in a 
'hip-pocket' edition, for those who recall the days when they had hips. 
Songs For Swinging Lovers 
<http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3xfyxqy5ld0e> and The 
Holiday Album 
<http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dxfyxqy5ld0e>  
apparently demonstrate the 'melodic genius that has always been 
songwriter Martin Gordon's calling card', and there is now no reason not 
to possess them. And there's always the compendium Somewhere There's a 
Place For Us 
<http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jxfrxqwsldde> which 
adds a couple of unreleased tunes to the best of both previous releases. 
And now Something for the Weekend 
<http://www.martingordon.de/menu_9-Weekend.html> joins the canon.

*Radiant Future*

The Radiant Future label is now distributed in the US by Koch, and of 
course Amazon everywhere will always oblige with CDs - it's usually a 
painless operation and deliveries arrive in a couple of days. There's 
also Voiceprint 
<http://www.voiceprint.co.uk/web/Catalogue/Search/radiant%20future/>for 
those in the UK and Europe. Naturally everything is available for 
download as well, from almost any outlet. In some cases (i.e. Something 
for the Weekend), you may even find an extra track or two that were not 
on the CD edition. There are also other releases that are download 
only.You'll also find sleeve notes and PR, depending upon the e-tailer, 
otherwise these text items will be downloadable from the website. An 
overview page will be up on the site soon, to enable a complete, 
painless trip into the Radiant Future for all mammals, regardless of  
creed, colour or orientation.
*
Chris Townson

*Martin Gordon's fellow-traveller for many years, drummer Chris Townson 
final embarked on the slow walk back to the pavilion on February 10 2008 
after a period of illness. Chris and Martin met in 1974, finding 
themselves similarly unemployed when events conspired against them - 
half of Chris's band Jook joined Sparks to replace Martin Gordon, and 
they both were at a loose end. Chris and Martin formed a bass and drums 
duo, but soon realised that their vision was perhaps too eccentric for 
the mainstream. Along came Andy Ellison (from Chris' former band John's 
Children) and all those other people who made up the 'first supergroup 
of glam' that was Jet.

After playing on the final Jet recordings (also masquerading as the 
initial Radio Stars recordings), Chris left the music business for the 
world of illustration and, later, social work. In the early 90s he 
returned to drumming for enjoyment rather than as a career option (he 
was by this time older and wiser). Martin and Chris played together in a 
reformed (but not much) version of John's Children in the mid 90s, and 
Chris was an integral part of Martin's solo Mammal development in Berlin 
in the 2000s, playing on every album so far. More musings and 
recollections in due course - he is much missed. Here 
<http://christownson.wordpress.com/> is a book of remembrance which is 
in the process of being set up by his family in his memory and here 
<http://www.justgiving.com/christownson> is the Chris Townson 
fundraising page for the MacMillan Cancer Support, set up by his children.

*Forum*

Don't forget that the Forum <http://martingordon.informe.com/> is there 
as a platform for your views and opinions. Assuming that you can read 
and write, that is. Otherwise just put a large 'X' at the bottom of your 
illiterate, badly-thought out, ill-considered rant when you have done 
with it. Help with grammar and vocabulary is always available. Don't 
forget, the world is waiting for your opinions about almost everything, 
regardless of whether they are actually worth reading.

*Other stuff*

Things that we recommend at present include almost everything by Niacin, 
and live bootlegs from the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Full-on amphetamine 
widdling can be found on the MO Live in Munich 1972 recording, but you 
need to be sitting comfortably before listening so as to prevent damage 
to your extremities. As for pop music - well, there doesn't seem to be 
much of it about at present, except for The Smash 
<http://www.myspace.com/berlinsthesmash>, featuring the undoubted 
talents of Mammal-cohort Ralf Leeman <http://www.ralfleeman.de/>. Well 
worth investigating.

-- 

*RADIANT FUTURE RECORDS*

Website <http://www.martingordon.de>

More music for grown-ups. And iDiots.

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