RECORD TURNOVER 80s HITS #214
Severed Heads is one of the most important Australian groups to have appeared during the 1980s, and indeed continued making music until 2008 (with Tom Ellard being the sole remaining original member). Today they might be remembered mostly for the 1984 track ”Dead Eyes Opened”.
The group formed in Sydney as a trio when Tom Ellard joined a duo called Mr. and Mrs. No Smoking Sign. As progenitors of industrial music they blended tape loops, samples, noise and synthesisers to create a unique sound. A sound that changed a lot during their career, as did their members – but if you’re keen to discover more about their early period Dark Entries has something for you.
Ear Bitten is a new retrospective compilation across two LPs that collects 22 tracks from 1980. Ear Bitten was indeed the name of the group’s first album, which was a split with Rhythmyx Chymx. The same year a tape called Side 2 appeared, with the tracks that were actually meant to be the second half of the first album.
The new release also includes a bunch of tracks that were originally recorded for Ear Bitten but were discarded because they were “in a format not suitable for pressing”. There also a exists an older 1999 cdr release called Ear Bitten 79-99 but this is the first time Ear Bitten and Side 2 are reissued on vinyl.
