1. Twilight Walking Streets I Ran Cd-Ep 2. Hunger Song Saw You In Reminding Pictures Cd 3. Glistening Praise The Devil in the Grain Cd 4. War-Like Dance of Hours Cd 5. All Day I Hear the Noise of Waters Chamber Music vol. 2 Cd 6. Luscious Word (Lot’s Wife) Feardrop comp. Cd 7. No Noise Photographs as Memories Lp 8. Jump To Glory Jane Bitter Apples Cd 9. Wishing-Songs Dance of Hours Cd 10. The Leaves of Life/Seven Virgins All Under the Leaves, the Leaves of Life Cd 11. To Cry Mercy Bitter Apples Cd 12. Beauty is Fading The Devil in the Grain Cd 13. Light Sliding Pale Hands I Loved So Well Lp/Cd 14. Scale Amiss Caught in Flux Cd 15. One Light Then Song of the Beautiful Wanton Cd 16. Over the Waters Mystery Seas (Letters Written #2) Cd 17. Of Night Mystery Seas (Letters Written #2) Cd 18. Fear Clutches Orange Ice & Wax Crayons Cd 19. Reminding Pictures Saw You In Reminding Pictures Cd 20. Avenue With Trees Photographs as Memories Cd Here I plan to put up whatever thoughts and recommendations I (Jerry Nilson) have on the works by Eyeless In Gaza and Martyn Bates. The main purpose with this is to provide you with some ideas of what might be worth looking into further and it might be of some interest to see what someone else thinks about the music too. (Maybe I also will put up a page were you could enter in your own comments – we will see how things develop – all suggestions and comments are welcome by e-mail in the meantime.)

If you want state-of-the-art Eyeless In Gaza and a very good album too, then I recommend their latest album Song of the Beautiful Wanton.

If you want state-of-the-art Martyn Bates and some of the best albums I know of, then I recommend Dance of Hours and The Devil in the Grain.

If you want a good place to begin listening to Eyeless, then you can either buy a compilation-album like Orange Ice & Wax Crayons, Transience Blues (both out-of-print unfortunately) or better their Drumming the Beating Heart/Pale Hands I Loved So Well Cd re-issue on Cherry Red (though the old Lps sounds better …).

If you want to hear their more pop-oriented albums, then go for Rust Red September or Fabulous Library. If you only want ”straight pop” buy Back from the Rains.

If you are interested in more experimental/improvisational material, then buy Saw You in Reminding Pictures, (also out-of-print) or Streets I Ran or Drumming the Beating Heart/Pale Hands I Loved So Well. Their Tago Mago-tape is also recommended here and will soon see the light of day on Cd.

If you want their more ”romantic” records, then go for Mystery Seas (Letters Written #2) by Martyn Bates, Imagination Feels Like Poison by Martyn Bates, Drumming the Beating Heart/Pale Hands I Loved So Well and the compilation Transience Blues, but also Streets I Ran, Saw You In Reminding Pictures, and Letters Written by Martyn Bates, and All Under the Leaves, the Leaves of Life. I think all of their work are ”romantic” in a way and to some degree.

If you want albums that you can listen to forever without getting tired, then try Photographs as Memories and Caught in Flux.

If your main interest is in the poetry side of the music, then go for Imagination Feels Like Poison by Martyn Bates (the first release included his solo lyrics book) and Chamber Music vol. 1&2 Cds.

My favorite albums right now are:

Saw You in Reminding Pictures by Eyeless In Gaza
Bitter Apples by Eyeless In Gaza
The Devil in the Grain by 12,000 Days
Dance of Hours by Martyn Bates
To a Child Dancing in the Wind by Martyn Bates and Troum
Mystery Seas (Letters Written #2) by Martyn Bates

I have written comments to all songs by Eyeless In Gaza in the summer of 1999 and edited them a little and linked them to the Discography page. The thoughts could be found on one page here. (I will edit the notes more later on and add notes for new albums and also write similar comments to the solo works by Martyn Bates.)

I do have some extra copies of some of the old vinyl releases, etc. -- if you are interested in anything you have difficulties in obtaining, contact me and maybe I can be of help to you.

Go to:
Eyeless In Gaza Homepage
Eyeless In Gaza Biography
Eyeless In Gaza Interviews & Reviews
Ambivalent Scale Homepage
Martyn Bates Homepage
Martyn Bates Biography
Martyn Bates Discography
Martyn Bates Interviews & Reviews