High Pressure Days and Cowboy are filthy, gnarly animals. Let Uncle Rico's time machine teleport you back to 1977 San Francisco. Eschewing guitars in favor of synths (good move, fellas), Units become one of the very first synthpunk bands. They then start tearing it up, self-releasing the original versions several LP tracks in 1979 on what is now an absurdly rare 7" record (sells for about £100). This video features the album versions, released in 1980 on the Digital Stimulation LP.

SCHEMATIC: The ENTIRE Digital Stimulation album, band portrait and flyer (via synthpunk)...

What follows is the entire Digital Stimulation LP with each track listed in its proper order. This album is an opus and deserves a concentrated listen. The last track, Cowboy, is a mind-warping experience. I just yoinked an original 7" copy of High Pressure Days from eBay and will make/post vinyl rips and videos as soon as it arrives. In related news, an anthology was released in 2009 called History of The Units - The Early Years: 1977 - 1983 and is available through discogs.

Digital Stimulation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0kesHOv5Ck

Warm Moving Bodies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQK96pszMUs

Go + Mission

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRvUBla-rAQ

Bugboy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaaTklS4P3A

Tight Fit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knn80HCccos

Passions or Patterns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHkpE_Yssdw

Town by the River

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iu53BVg2Z4

Cowboy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teTHIM1cMvA

Chew on this dark wave nugget for a while.

SCHEMATIC: Limited edition repress, original female vocal version and more videos...

Flucht was one of my very first blog posts. There is something about this song that works its way into your bones. Josh Cheon of Dark Entries Records in SF just did a limited, hyper-quality repress of the Heute EP including the superior German version of Flucht. For $13, you'd be nuts not to grab one while they're still in supply. Josh also wrote up his great interview with Stephen Kraemer of Zwischenfall.

Flucht (Female Vocal Version) (1984)

The female vocal version of Flucht was actually the b-side of the Sandy Eyes single released on Belgian label Les Disques du Crépuscule and Italo champ Fuzz Dance.

Sandy Eyes (1984)

This song has a much warmer, almost pre-balearic feel to it and was NOT on the Heute EP.

Atemlos (1983)

I'm HOOKED! Now this is some real Aussie nerdness! Nearly five minutes of minimal synth industrial perfection from legendary Sydney band Severed Heads. Disgustingly rare in its original wax format.

Lamborghini (Live at Metro TV, July 1982)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd6e7RELnRo

SCHEMATIC: Recording details and a later concert version...

There is some confusion regarding the actual name of this track: Is it Lamborghini or Petrol? My hunch is that Lamborghini is actually an early version of Petrol. The earliest example of Lamborghini is off the 1982 French compilation Entrave et Étouffement, whereas Petrol doesn't show up until 1985 on a 7".

There is a cut of Lamborghini on a compilation CD called Can't Stop It! II (Australian Post-Punk 1979-84) that was published in 2007. This version, with female vocals is sort of a disappointment and the compilation is just OK, although that track from Centerfold is good, too. Might as well pick it up digitally because Severed Heads early recordings will cost you from $50 - $2,000!am (CD Version)

Lamborghini (Can't Stop It! II) feat. female vocals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUpMIaz3XJQ

Petrol (Live at Rock Arena, 1986)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OjAnr4dsLs

Moroder is the undisputed progenitor of Italo. The uncanny resemblance to SNL's Father Guido Sarducci notwithstanding, Moroder is a synth god. More machine than man, Moroder is to Italy as Kraftwerk is to Germany.

Although Moroder made some Taleggio over the years, From Here to Eternity is an early Italo masterpiece. First published as an LP in 1977 on US-based Casablanca Records, near mint copies of this album are still widely available for about $20. Synthspotters love this video...

SCHEMATIC: Some Moroder TV appearances, a Casablanca Records promo video, more details...

Moroder's discography is longer than the Dead Sea Scrolls. Among other massive hits, Moroder was behind Donna Summer's 1977 smash, I Feel Love.

He also did the theme song for the crazy-ass movie Midnight Express in 1978. Below is a classic German TV show (check out those mics!) introducing Moroder and his oscar-winning track, The Chase, which is 13 minutes of mind-warping synthesizer amazingness. In this all-too-brief clip, Moroder goes from laying it down in German to working a Minimoog in an ultra-rare LIVE performance.

Here is the original 8-minute 45RPM version of the track. I can't seem to find the 12" version, so will upload mine.

Here is the Casablanca Records promo where Moroder demonstrates his vocoder skills.

Moroder produced everyone and everything in the 1980s. Beyond rescoring the 1920s Fritz Lang film Metropolis, he was responsible for Top Gun (along with German protégé Harold Faltermeyer), Blondie's Call Me, Irene Cara's What a Feelin' LP which included Romance '83 (and Flashdance), The Neverending Story and so forth.

This decidedly bizarre pre-Spike Jonze/Michel Gondry video features mutants, naked chicks à la Rio, a vintage Rolls-Royce and a kick-ass rainbow-coloured acrylic drum set. Supernature is a cautionary post-apocalyptic tale of scientific hubris and genetic experimentation gone awry. Although there are numerous tracks from the 70s and 80s that pay homage to space, robots and computers (thank God), few disco/synth tracks really drop earth science. Me like! Me like!

http://youtu.be/QgGK4qBTwpw

SCHEMATIC: High quality extended vinyl rip MP3, lyrics, cover art...

The Cerrone 3 LP is readily available on vinyl for only $10 or so. The LP version of the song is nearly 10 minutes long, but is actually only the first of three movements that comprise a totally epic Side A. Not really sure what happened on Side B, but who cares?!! The tracklisting and run times are:

a1) Supernature (10:20) a2) Sweet Drums (3:30) a3) Into The Smoke (4:40):

[audio:http://www.innernerd.de/audio/Cerrone/Cerrone_Supernature.mp3|titles=Supernature + Sweet Drums + In The Smoke (Side A)|artists=Cerrone]

Once upon a time Science opened up the door We would feed the hungry fields Till they couldn't eat no more

But the potions that we made Touched the creatures down below And they grow up in a way That we'd never seen before

<chorus>Supernature, supernature Supernature, supernature</chorus>

They were angry with the man Cause changed their way of life And they take their sweet revenge As they trample through the night

For hundred miles or more You could hear the people cry But there is nothing you can do Even God is on their side (God is on, God is on, God is on their side)

<chorus>Supernature, supernature Supernature, supernature</chorus>

Cars will break the light Come flowing in the air The creature will decide Who goes where

How can I explain Things are different today Darkness all around No one makes a sound Such a sad affair No one seems to care

<chorus>Supernature, supernature Supernature, supernature</chorus>

Better watch out There's no way to stop it now You can't escape It's too late Look what you've done There's no place that you can run The monsters made We must pray

Maybe nature has a plan To control the ways of man He must start from scratch again Many battles must he win Till he earns his place on earth Like the other creatures do Will there be a happy end Now that all depends on you

<chorus>Supernature, supernature Supernature, supernature</chorus>