Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Maximum Joy

Bristol, England's Maximum Joy formed in 1979, blending funk, soul, punk, reggae and jazz into their own unique post-punk sound. They signed to the Rough Trade distributed Y records and their first single, 'Stretch' (see Silence Is A Rhythm Too) came out in 1981. In the U.S. the record was distrubuted by the legendary 99 Records. Their LP, 'Station MXJY' was released in 1982 and was produced by Adrian Sherwood. Maximum Joy’s last single was a haunting version of "Why Can’t We Live Together", a song as relevant today as it was when it was first recorded by Timmy Thomas on 1972.

Maximum Joy was:
Janine Rainforth (singer /violin/clarinet)
Tony Wrafter (saxophonist/trumpeter, previously with Glaxo Babies)
Charlie Llewellyn (drums, previously of Glaxo Babies)
John Waddington (guitar, previously of Pop Group)
Dan Catsis (bass, previously of Pop Group and Glaxo Babies)

and later:
Kev (Ebo) Evan (Bass)
Nelly Hooper (Sin Drum)
Jeremy Hirsh (Trumpet)

Recently a A CD was issued of rare and hard to find 7", 12" and some album tracks.

Go to the download to get Maximum Joy - "Why Can't We Live Together?" mp3 here

4 Comments:

Blogger Michael said...

Thanks for the link.

And the song! It's not on that compilation. That I just picked up today. Can't wait to give it a spin!

5:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Eric,

Thank You for permitting information on Maximum Joy to leak, there is far too little comment on the crucial work the Bristol scene constructed; especially the 1977-1982 period. While many of the scene's more "popular" artists have recently been re-examined (The Pop Group, Maximum Joy, et al) a great many still remain unearthed, having nothing to do with lack of style or substance (I.E. Glaxo Babies). There's a great record label/website called Sugar Shack Records (based in Bristol) that offers a panoply of vital information from an insiders perspective, too, a series of MP3's.
For anyone interested in a superb catalogue of music both inventive and experimental please look into the Wavelength Records catalogue, both in content (only 4 45's, but truly brimming with an aura and depth not found in 99% of today's or any era's music) and in post label influence (W.O.M.A.D., The Bristol Recorder, etc.). While I may reside in Brooklyn, NY, I feel kindred connections with the aforementioned "lost era" of Bristol history.

A Fan,
-Joshua Gabriel

2:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i really love this band. they have a song i've been thinking about for years, and i hope it's on the cd. thanks for the links and the info.

felice rosser
nyc

10:20 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

One of my favorite songs that I first heard on WNYU-New Afternoon Show,was "STRETCH".It is a song that I definitely have to add to my ipod,as well as "SILENCE IS A RHYTHM".

8:59 PM  

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