#venusbeads

Venus Beads · Incision (Emergo/Roadrunner, 1991) AMG: Lost in the grunge revolution of the early '90s was the guitar-drenched Venus Beads Consisting of Rob Jones (vocals, guitar), Anthony Price (guitar), and Mark Hassall (drums), the Venus Beads formed in England and raised a few eyebrows by having their debut album, Incision, co-produced by former House of Love guitarist Terry Bickers, who had achieved godlike status in the U.K. press with his previous band. The Venus Beads absorbed the pre-Nirvana sounds of the shoegazer scene, namely the dreamy wall of guitars and soaring harmonies of Ride, and gave them a punk kick. "Moon Is Red" landed on college-radio stations, but the Venus Beads never took off in their homeland or in America. The band was immediately banished to the cutout bins, where their records, including their second LP, Black Aspirin, are often found. #venusbeads #anthonyprice #robjones #markhassall #stevebolt #houseoflove #terrybickers #mysonicarchive

It’s so hard to take the fact that a brilliant little guitar band like Venus Beads is relatively unknown when I see plenty of their contemporaries get lauded for music that doesn’t deserve it.  I was there when this stuff was going down.  I’m not coming to this from some hipster collector revisionist history.  This is the sort of music folks on the ground in the underground were gazing at their shoes and grooving to.  Hope someone out there is hearing this for the first time and having the light turned on for them.  Black Aspirin is a must-hear record if you are into these sorts of guitar bands & sounds.