Music For Stowaways (CSR310CD/LP), by B.E.F.

Music For Stowaways (CSR310CD/LP)

by B.E.F.

supported by

richkyd Like many of you, I bought this on cassette in the early 80's and it was a guiding light to the electronic music of the decade. I had a black bomber jacket and I wrote B.E.F. on the back on large letters, with TIPEX! Class..........Wore it everywhere for years

Darren L Yes another owner of the orig cassette here, bought from Adrians mailorder back in 81 when I was 16.
I remember being impressed at how beefy it all sounded on my then new Pioneer rack system. Favorite track: Decline Of The West.

Jozek Still have the original cassette of this, forgot all about it! Looking forward to having it in n vinyl, great rerelease thank you Favorite track: Decline Of The West.

Flying Pyjamas This is a reissue I can get behind. Favorite track: Music To Kill Your Parents By.

emuziek Bleeps and obscure static- filled syncopated sounds looping in frantic time on A Baby Called Billy. I love the diverse variation of instrumental tracks in this LP. Melancholy fills me when I hear the last B.E.F. "Ident." Oh no, is it over? Repeat listens definitely encouraged. Favorite track: A Baby Called Billy.

400 Lonely Things Wow, this brings back some memories. My best friend had "Music for Listening To" on vinyl and played it for me in the late 80s and it really blew my mind. God bless you, Cold Spring - for making this available. You're doing the Lord's Work here. Favorite track: Uptown Apocalypse.

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Ltd x 500 copies on Electric Blue vinyl via Cold Spring only.

This is the second - and FINAL - colour pressing.

Full colour outer sleeve with printed inner sleeve.

Includes unlimited streaming of Music For Stowaways (CSR310CD/LP) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

edition of 500 5 remaining

Purchasable with gift card

£24.49 GBP or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Full colour outer sleeve with printed inner sleeve

Includes unlimited streaming of Music For Stowaways (CSR310CD/LP) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

Purchasable with gift card

£24.49 GBP or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
CD in mini-LP sleeve - with printed inner sleeve, replicating the vinyl artwork.

Includes unlimited streaming of Music For Stowaways (CSR310CD/LP) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

Purchasable with gift card

£11.99 GBP or more
Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

£6.99 GBP or more
LP on Ltd YELLOW Vinyl
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
SOLD OUT.

Includes unlimited streaming of Music For Stowaways (CSR310CD/LP) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Sold Out

	1.	B.E.F. Ident 00:34
	2.	The Optimum Chant 04:11
	3.	Uptown Apocalypse 03:11
	4.	Wipe The Board Clean 03:47
	5.	Groove Thang 04:07
	6.	Music To Kill Your Parents By 01:26
	7.	The Old At Rest 05:37
	8.	Rise Of The East 02:53
	9.	Decline Of The West 07:11
	10.	A Baby Called Billy 04:02
	11.	Honeymoon In New York 02:16
	12.	B.E.F. Indent 00:36

about

The first reissue of seminal early 1980's electronic recordings from the British Electric Foundation (B.E.F.), aka HEAVEN 17 / ex-THE HUMAN LEAGUE's Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, with Adi Newton (CLOCK DVA / THE FUTURE), and John Wilson (HEAVEN 17), originally a cassette-only release (1981).

Following two groundbreaking albums ('Reproduction' and 'Travelogue'), the original line-up of Sheffield-based The Human League split in half in late 1980. The two primary musicians in the group, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, formed a new production company - the British Electric Foundation (B.E.F.) - and signed a deal with Virgin Records to write and produce up to six albums a year. The artists they were to produce would include Heaven 17, their own new band formed with vocalist Glenn Gregory.

B.E.F. would also release their own material, commencing with the music on this collection, which was issued in various permutations in 1981-82. Its initial release in March 1981 was a limited edition numbered eight song cassette entitled 'Music for Stowaways', with 'Stowaways' being a reference to the original name for the then-new Sony portable cassette player - later renamed the Walkman - of which B.E.F. were great fans. 'Music for Stowaways' was intended to be listened to on such a device. The cassette was followed by a seven song LP, 'Music For Listening To', which had a slightly different tracklisting, while other B.E.F. music was utilised for B-sides of early singles by Heaven 17.

This music was among the first recorded by Martyn and Ian directly after their departure from The Human League. Some tracks had evolved from other recordings they were working on at the time, such as 'Groove Thang' - an instrumental version of the debut single by Heaven 17 - and 'The Old At Rest', which derived from a version of 'Wichita Lineman' by Jimmy Webb, their very first recording with Glenn that would subsequently appear on B.E.F.'s 'Music of Quality and Distinction, Volume One' covers album in 1982.

Supporting musicians on 'Music For Stowaways' included Adi Newton of Clock DVA (who had been a member of The Future with Martyn and Ian pre-Human League) on the track 'Uptown Apocalyse', with John Wilson (who provided incredible guitar and bass for Heaven 17) appearing on Groove Thang.

The innovative sounds heard on 'Music For Stowaways' were an inspiration to many aspiring electronic artists. In 2015, Uncut magazine included it in a list of the '50 Greatest Lost Albums of All Time'.

credits

released April 21, 2023

"One of the most innovative and important electronic albums of all time" Electronic Sound

★★★★ Mojo
★★★★ Record Collector
★★★★ Classic Pop
8/10 Uncut

All tracks composed, arranged, performed and produced by Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware for the British Electric Foundation, except for:

Uptown Apocalypse - written by Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware, Steven James Turner (bass) and Adi Newton (synthesizer).

The Optimum Chant - produced by B.E.F. and Glenn Gregory.

Groove Thang - features bass and guitar by John Wilson.

B.E.F. Ident - composed and performed by Malcolm Veal in the style of Bach/Purcell.

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about

Cold Spring England, UK

We are a UK-based record label / mailorder store / distributor, specialising in all forms of esoteric / industrial music, but particularly: Industrial, Dark Ambient, Black Ambient, Japanese Noise, Neoclassical, Dark Folk, Orchestral, Power Electronics, Noise, Drone, Doom, Death Industrial, Dark Soundtracks and Experimental music. ... more

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