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The Virgin Land

by Fear of Darkness

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Comes with rare unseen before photos, designed by Nick Darby, sleeve notes by Shane Baldwin

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Virgin Land via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days

      £9 GBP or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    The first Fear of Darkness 12" single. Featuring 'Fear of Darkness', 'Same Old Story' and Fear of Darkness' (Mega Mix). Slight crease to top right hand corner of sleeve

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Virgin Land via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    edition of 1 

      £8 GBP or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    A few copies remain of 'The Virgin Land'. 7 track mini album released on Embryo Records featuring 'Falling Down', 'Chains and Gates', 'Justice', 'The Virgin Land', 'You Can Only Be Yourself', 'Promises' and 'In A Rut (Live)'. Please note that the record sleeves are not near mint and may well have a small split on the top

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Virgin Land via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    edition of 4 

      £8 GBP or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    A few copies remain of the 12" single 'Lay Me Down' featuring the replacement singer for Dave Mac - Richard Hulands. The 12" features three tracks 'Lay Me Down', 'Shut Up' and 'She Said'. Please note that the sleeves are not near mint and may well have a small tear on the top.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Virgin Land via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    edition of 15 

      £8 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

      £8 GBP  or more

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    63
    releases

    Get all 63 Bristol Archive Records releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Bristol Punk Explosion Vol 2 (1977-1981), A Way With Words (1980 -1983), Skeletons, The Bristol Mod Explosion 1979-1987, Shapes of Things To Come, The Bristol Punk Explosion 1977-1979, Cool Runnings, Crows Nightingales SHOCK (Best of Me 1991-1995), and 55 more. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      £241.50 GBP or more (50% OFF)

     

1.
Falling Down 04:03
buy track
2.
After The Fire 04:13
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3.
Keys of Time 04:07
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4.
Inside Your Heart 04:31
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5.
Fear of Darkness (Live) 03:31
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6.
You Can Only Be Yourself 03:17
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7.
Chains and Gates 02:47
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8.
Justice 05:20
buy track
9.
Promises 03:13
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10.
The Virgin Land 03:07
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11.
The Other Side of The Hill 03:34
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12.
Tear Me Up 02:46
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13.
Burning 02:19
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14.
Fear of Darkness 02:49
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15.
Same Old Story 03:39
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16.
Darkness (Mega Mix) 05:28
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17.
Falling Down (Version) 05:00
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18.
Fear of Darkness - In A Rut (Live) 04:05
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about

FEAR OF DARKNESS
‘The Virgin Land’
Released on CD and Digital Download on 2nd March 2018

When you come from a small town, then as the song goes, the only thing you want to do is to get out. That certainly was the aim of Fear of Darkness. They tuned into their hearts, picked up guitars and drums and set about their business. ‘The Virgin Land’ is a punk-driven yell of rage from the mid-1980’s, turning into a healthy racket, all straight down frantically picked and plucked T-Rex rock and roll, merging into a maelstrom slalom ride of energy and expression of youth. The 18 tracks on this 17 song album – you get 2 versions of the band’s self-titled epic - pack a punch and have plenty to say.

‘All Fall Down’ sees FOD come over more as a Goth version of The Clash, with overtones of Gene Loves Jezebel and The Cult, very electric reaching out with thunderbolts of spaced-out, raise the roof guitar squalls and sonic boom boy grooves, taking in a James Bond homage en route: 007 and rising. It’s a feature that recurs. ‘After the Fire’ and ‘Keys of Time’ is filled all the light pours out of me, forceful, youthful, aggressive, questioning, impassioned, no playing dead, sometimes naïve but never less than enthusiastic energy. ‘Inside Your Heart’ oozes a more pop-rock sensibility, with a near crooning backing vocal. ‘Chains and Gates’ almost pre-dates the modern romantic gesture of putting locks on bridges, railings and gates.

Fear of Darkness was a band that could effortlessly translate their textured and spacious sound into a gig. Tracks like the live version of their eponymous tour de force show that off to thunderous effect. And they slay The Ruts classic ‘In A Rut’. The band’s attitude bristles from the opening salvos.

Sometimes the band over-stretched themselves, but it was always in the spirit of getting the maximum from what they had available. These 4 young lads from out in the sticks of Bristol made a good fist of trying to plug into a more anthem-driven, punch the air and raise the cell phones – or in these days of cigarette lighters - big crowd sensibility. They didn’t quite get to that level in the life of the band and their career, but it wasn’t for want of trying.

‘The Virgin Land’ is a worthy addition to the canon of 80’s alternative guitar albums. Check it out!

www.bristolarchiverecords.com

ARTIST: Fear of Darkness
TITLE: “The Virgin Land”
RELEASE DATE: 2nd March 2018
LABEL: Bristol Archive Records
DISTRIBUTION: Shellshock / Discovery
CAT NO: ARC011CD

credits

released March 2, 2018

This compilation features all the recorded works by the original Fear of Darkness with Dave Mac on vocals.

The original line-up featured:

Vocals: Dave Mac
Guitar and vocals: Darby
Bass: Trav
Drums: Paul Gibbs

They were signed to Heartbeat Records in 1984, a subsidiary of Riot City Records.

The band toured extensively in the UK picking up a large loyal following, having been likened to the Cult, New Model Army and the Alarm. In 1986 the band switched to Embryo Records and released The Virgin Land to critical acclaim in 1986.

This compilation features both the single and the eight track album together with various previously unreleased demos engineered and produced by Steve Street.

Tracks 5, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 written by Neil Darby (Published by Archive Publishing Ltd)

Tracks 3, 6, 7, 10 written by Neil Darby and Dave MacDonald (Published by Archive Publishing Ltd / Copyright Control)

Tracks 2, 4, 8, 9 written by Neil Darby, Dave MacDonald, Paul Travis and Paul Gibbs (Published by Archive Publishing Ltd / Copyright Control)

Track 1 written by Michael Furzman (Published by Copyright Control)

Track 18 written by Owen, Fox, Ruffy, Jennings (Published by People Unite)

Engineered and Produced by Steve Street


Mastered by Steve Street Oct 2017
Recorded and Mixed at SAM Studios, Bristol and the Woolhall, Beckington between 1984 and 1986

Except track 5 and 18 recorded live at Birmingham Poly, May 1985

Photos by Beazer and Richard Wills
Thanks to Jim Reuter

Tracks 14, 15, 16 originally released on Heartbeat Records
Tracks 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 17 originally released on Embryo Records
All other tracks previously unreleased

(p)&© Bristol Archive Records 2017

This record is dedicated to Jim Reuter
Bristol Boys Make More Noise! Mike Darby

ARC011CD
www.bristolarchiverecords.com

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Bristol Archive Records UK

Bristol Archive Records is a record label dealing in reggae, punk, rock, metal, pop and post punk 1977 onwards.

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