Incomprehensibly, this band, with one of the best British Dark Post-Punk albums of the early 80s, Sleep No More, has been totally forgotten by critics and the public, unknown to young people, in an absolute injustice. At the height of The Sound, Sad Lovers & Giants, Psychedelic Furs, The Cure and Echo & The Bunnymen. Jewel
Was fortune enough to see the Comsats play live a lot. They were never promoted or supported enough by the labels. This album ranks in my top 10 of all time. Just the perfect blend, of melodic, dark driving rock
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the fact that they are nowhere to be seen on Spotify and Apple music might have something to do with that. it seems impossible to be able to legally buy a digital copy of this album.
I messaged Stephen Fellows one time on myspace back in the day and he replied. Told him I was a huge fan and how underrated the were. Also asked a few guitar questions. He said at this time he was using a Marshall 2x12 combo, I believe either a Bluesbreaker or JMP combo. For effects he was using an EHX Deluxe Memory Man and an MXR Dynacomp to boost the amp. All distortion from the amp. Pretty cool to have him reply like that!
Heavier than any metal track with more tension than a Hitchcock scene and more suspense than a trapeze wire over the Niagra. Falls. Masters of sparsity and mood. The Comsat"s are untouchable.
I messaged Stephen Fellows of The Comsat Angels and he replied back to me! I asked him if he could/would sign my vinyl sleeve of Sleep no more, he obliged! and signed it twice after a mishap the first time! nice bloke with a sense of humour! C.P.
@@mikewright1279 Yeah the many keep quiet and refuse to give a nod in the direction it's due, choosing instead to say it's their own sound but for those of us with a bit of musical history we know where you got it from.
One of the many gems conceived on this album, one of the best, by this underrated band. Released in 1981, but it sounds as if they produced it yesterday......GREAT!!
One of my favorite bands of all time. Sleep No More is an EPIC LP. The guitar work is amazing. Perhaps The Edge learned something from it. I can hear the whispering!!!
What?! Were you actually listening? While the CAs' drummer did tend to substitute the floor tom for the hi-hat, there is plenty of crash on this track (on the 1 of every other measure of the chorus following the instrumental breakdown in the middle, and especially during the outro after @3:15) and on other tracks on Sleep No More.
an absolute killer track The Comsat Angels are SO underrated..Stephen Fellows stunning vocals Bacon's bass.. Micky Glaisher's drums and Pete Wilson's production make this stuff total top shelf listening.. Love the Comsat's first two LP's They were better than U2 by a mile in the day and Stephen Fellows concentrated on the music..not stupid bloody globalism or waving EU flags! Ian McCulloch from the Bunnymen had Bono sussed at the time when he described Bono as a mountain goat when asked about his stage antics..never forget that. IMac was correct 100%
Yep - their first two albums were absolutely immense! To hear Missing In Action for the first time, esp the entrance of the song, like a tube train entering a station at midnight at speed, sucking the air out as it arrives whilst announcing its presence is as good a way to be introduced to The Comsat Angels as anything. I loved their sparsity of sound - the way Andy Peake's keyboards would just lurk in the background creating mood and tense atmosphere, before dropping an aural bombshell in your ears like on Total War for example. And the sound of the bass! I'm sorry but Peter Hook was nothing on Kevin Bacon. Think of the title track of Sleep No More. Just two bass notes were employed to devastating effect. Then Mik Glaisher's economical drumming was like a metronome. I love the fact that he binned off ninety percent of his cymbals to keep thinks sparse and how that worked! And Steve Fellows! What a voice. So soulful and full of emotion without ever becoming hysterical. His guitar work was epic. Think if that solo at the end of Postcard for example. Oh my life how dramatic is that! I admire him more for what he left out than for what he put in. He never felt the need to clutter the song up with pointless guitar chatter, leaving plenty of space between the notes for the listeners imagination to fill instead. For me the best post punk indie band ever. Saw them support U2 in Brum before Bono thought of himself as - in fact I won't even go there because this isn't about them. They've had more than their share of exposure thank you very much. No - this is about the greatest unknown band ever - jaw droppingly good Comsat Angels. 👍
@@chrisbarlow2131 Beautifully and completely put. I was blessed to discover this band back in '81 (here in the US) via NME. Both of the first two LPs are phenomenal. You really captured the greatness of the band and its parts.
@@SamGainesinGboro Hi Sam. Just read your post mate. Thank you. I'm passionate about them because they were unbelievably good. Seriously good band esp the first three albums.a but I'm still finding gems even in their later stuff that just leaves .e speechless.
Absolute chooooon - thanks again Radio 6. So influential too. You can see where the Edge gets inspiration. What an era - Essential Logic, PIL, Gang Of Four, Joy Division, The Pop Group, The Sound ... Music that makes you feel glad you're alive ...
Strangely enough, Sleep No More was actually selling very well and very fast, but unfortunately, something tragic happened that permanently stunted the album’s sales growth and thus the band’s success.
@@cosmicaura3958 ok, so apparently, the record sold out very quickly, but Polydor took way too long to stock the shelves with more copies of the album, and that stunted album’s and by extension the band’s commercial momentum.
Say them live several times, The first time was in Brighton, October 1980, there was another band also on the bill that night, we thought that their name was silly.. they were called U2. thatBloody Irishman! Bono through himself into crowd, and his elbow went nto my mouth. Also lost a soul off of one shoe,... back in the day albums cost far more than tickets and there was far less elf and safety. I think it was £3 that night, but to buy an album was about £5. Saw Pink Floyd perform "The Wall" , most expensive tickets were around £6.35, or something odd like that. But the Double Vinyl, Gatefold Album was£10. Pint of draught , nothing special beer was about 45p outside of London, and packet of 20 cheap fags about 50p. anyway cost of Beer and Live Music has has gone UP disproportionately, and recorded music is solo much cheaper. in 1979, whilst still at school I got 90p an hour working part time in chippy, and a bit more working Saturday morning in a bakery. [I did get a much better part time job whilst at college... it was unusually high paid ... so more beer , concerts and albums]
Idaho's first two albums & early EPs are some of the only places you'll find music on par with the best stuff on Sleep No More. Also check out the song / vid "Little Wolverine" by Campfire Girls
Incomprehensibly, this band, with one of the best British Dark Post-Punk albums of the early 80s, Sleep No More, has been totally forgotten by critics and the public, unknown to young people, in an absolute injustice. At the height of The Sound, Sad Lovers & Giants, Psychedelic Furs, The Cure and Echo & The Bunnymen. Jewel
👍👏🤘
Was fortune enough to see the Comsats play live a lot. They were never promoted or supported enough by the labels. This album ranks in my top 10 of all time. Just the perfect blend, of melodic, dark driving rock
the fact that they are nowhere to be seen on Spotify and Apple music might have something to do with that. it seems impossible to be able to legally buy a digital copy of this album.
They seem to be a huge influence on Drab Majesty, FWIW
One of my favourite tracks ever. The Comsat Angels were extraordinary.
I know a lot of music but this album is in the top 5 of all time for sure.
Years later I keep coming back to this track. One of my favorite songs of all time.
I messaged Stephen Fellows one time on myspace back in the day and he replied. Told him I was a huge fan and how underrated the were. Also asked a few guitar questions. He said at this time he was using a Marshall 2x12 combo, I believe either a Bluesbreaker or JMP combo. For effects he was using an EHX Deluxe Memory Man and an MXR Dynacomp to boost the amp. All distortion from the amp. Pretty cool to have him reply like that!
yes a nice man..
That sums Steve up.
Heavier than any metal track with more tension than a Hitchcock scene and more suspense than a trapeze wire over the Niagra. Falls. Masters of sparsity and mood. The Comsat"s are untouchable.
I want hear him to hear this song
@@thomaswoznicki9974Πιο
wtf r u talkin bout, just enjoy the music
I love this song. Awesome band!
It never ceases to raise the hairs on the back of my neck. The kings of understatement.
Early U2 is unthinkable without this influence.
I messaged Stephen Fellows of The Comsat Angels and he replied back to me!
I asked him if he could/would sign my vinyl sleeve of Sleep no more, he obliged! and signed it twice after a mishap the first time! nice bloke with a sense of humour!
C.P.
Why their albums have never been collected and remastered is beyond me - all these wonderful bands getting Cherry Red boxsets, yet CAs don't!?
pivotal album...so much would have never happened without this album..
TRUE!!! influenced many and the many don't give it the credit!!
@@mikewright1279 Yeah the many keep quiet and refuse to give a nod in the direction it's due, choosing instead to say it's their own sound but for those of us with a bit of musical history we know where you got it from.
One of the many gems conceived on this album, one of the best, by this underrated band. Released in 1981, but it sounds as if they produced it yesterday......GREAT!!
One of my favorite bands of all time. Sleep No More is an EPIC LP. The guitar work is amazing. Perhaps The Edge learned something from it. I can hear the whispering!!!
The album was supposedly a big influence on U2’s post-Boy 80s albums, and they toured with them!
@@curly_wynBono said The comsats music had "a terrible beauty". Very true.
One of my favourite bands, they are unique.
Fine drumming.Only Heaven Up Here topped this in 1981. What a band , what a song. Fiction was just as good.
Heaven Up Here definitely did not top Sleep No More.
@@jakedibiase7404 Hey I Came In Right On cue One is you and one is me.
Nothing tops this
Excelente banda de comienzos de los 80.Muy infravalorados.Los tenia en cinta de cassette hace 40 años. Yeah,underrated band.
The two great albums from 1980/81 which were recorded without cymbals: "Sleep No More" by Comsat ANGELs, and "Peter GABRIEL iii"
What?! Were you actually listening? While the CAs' drummer did tend to substitute the floor tom for the hi-hat, there is plenty of crash on this track (on the 1 of every other measure of the chorus following the instrumental breakdown in the middle, and especially during the outro after @3:15) and on other tracks on Sleep No More.
an absolute killer track The Comsat Angels are SO underrated..Stephen Fellows stunning vocals Bacon's bass.. Micky Glaisher's drums and Pete Wilson's production make this stuff total top shelf listening.. Love the Comsat's first two LP's They were better than U2 by a mile in the day and Stephen Fellows concentrated on the music..not stupid bloody globalism or waving EU flags! Ian McCulloch from the Bunnymen had Bono sussed at the time when he described Bono as a mountain goat when asked about his stage antics..never forget that. IMac was correct 100%
Yep - their first two albums were absolutely immense! To hear Missing In Action for the first time, esp the entrance of the song, like a tube train entering a station at midnight at speed, sucking the air out as it arrives whilst announcing its presence is as good a way to be introduced to The Comsat Angels as anything.
I loved their sparsity of sound - the way Andy Peake's keyboards would just lurk in the background creating mood and tense atmosphere, before dropping an aural bombshell in your ears like on Total War for example.
And the sound of the bass! I'm sorry but Peter Hook was nothing on Kevin Bacon. Think of the title track of Sleep No More. Just two bass notes were employed to devastating effect.
Then Mik Glaisher's economical drumming was like a metronome. I love the fact that he binned off ninety percent of his cymbals to keep thinks sparse and how that worked!
And Steve Fellows! What a voice. So soulful and full of emotion without ever becoming hysterical. His guitar work was epic. Think if that solo at the end of Postcard for example. Oh my life how dramatic is that! I admire him more for what he left out than for what he put in. He never felt the need to clutter the song up with pointless guitar chatter, leaving plenty of space between the notes for the listeners imagination to fill instead.
For me the best post punk indie band ever. Saw them support U2 in Brum before Bono thought of himself as - in fact I won't even go there because this isn't about them. They've had more than their share of exposure thank you very much. No - this is about the greatest unknown band ever - jaw droppingly good Comsat Angels. 👍
@@chrisbarlow2131 Beautifully and completely put. I was blessed to discover this band back in '81 (here in the US) via NME. Both of the first two LPs are phenomenal. You really captured the greatness of the band and its parts.
@@SamGainesinGboro Hi Sam. Just read your post mate. Thank you. I'm passionate about them because they were unbelievably good. Seriously good band esp the first three albums.a but I'm still finding gems even in their later stuff that just leaves .e speechless.
Favorite Comsats track, just wish they could have found their way down to the Shaky Isles back in the day.
Absolute chooooon - thanks again Radio 6. So influential too. You can see where the Edge gets inspiration. What an era - Essential Logic, PIL, Gang Of Four, Joy Division, The Pop Group, The Sound ... Music that makes you feel glad you're alive ...
great to hear this after so many years, I'll have pick up this album again.
absolutely stunning
Absolute Genius!!!
Check out the Peel session (1981) version of this - it's dynamite.
this album is one of martin gore"s fav albums you can hear the bits inspired him for depeche mode"s grown up sound !!!!
still got this album
No Philip - this album's still got you....!
I have it signed!?
Classic song.
Strangely enough, Sleep No More was actually selling very well and very fast, but unfortunately, something tragic happened that permanently stunted the album’s sales growth and thus the band’s success.
i know this is a month old comment but can you provide some details on this? love a good story on an obscure album... even if unfortunately tragic
@@cosmicaura3958 ok, so apparently, the record sold out very quickly, but Polydor took way too long to stock the shelves with more copies of the album, and that stunted album’s and by extension the band’s commercial momentum.
The 3 polydor era albums are great by the comsats...this album was quite dark compared to fiction.
Awesome!
This is brilliant!! Love it!!
Oh Thank you! I have been waiting for some one to post this for a long time now.
Can you hear the whispering? Fuck me this is dope.
Say them live several times,
The first time was in Brighton,
October 1980, there was another
band also on the bill that night,
we thought that their name was
silly.. they were called U2.
thatBloody Irishman!
Bono through himself into crowd,
and his elbow went nto my mouth.
Also lost a soul off of one shoe,...
back in the day albums cost far
more than tickets and there was far
less elf and safety. I think it was
£3 that night, but to buy an album
was about £5. Saw Pink Floyd perform
"The Wall" , most expensive tickets were around £6.35, or something odd like that.
But the Double Vinyl, Gatefold Album was£10.
Pint of draught , nothing special beer was about 45p outside of London, and packet of 20 cheap fags about 50p.
anyway cost of Beer and Live Music has has gone UP disproportionately, and recorded music is solo much cheaper.
in 1979, whilst still at school I got 90p an hour working part time in chippy, and a bit more working Saturday morning in a bakery.
[I did get a much better part time job whilst at college... it was unusually high paid ... so more beer , concerts and albums]
priceless!!!!!
Steve's guitaring is so minimal so cool, just the essential notes. What a great band!
It is the bass that makes it. The notes Kevin Bacon hits that sets the Comsats apart.
AWESOME !
Topper track!!
"At the back of everything, like a constant threat"
a dark gem :) good art stands on its own ( forever) :D
masterpiece
Agreed. This entire album is genius. Waiting for a Miracle too. Glad to knew there are other people who feel the same.
Awesomeness 3 and a half minutes long!!!
Idaho's first two albums & early EPs are some of the only places you'll find music on par with the best stuff on Sleep No More. Also check out the song / vid "Little Wolverine" by Campfire Girls
American rifferama and suburban angst, not quite the same as the post industrial English wasteland.
drumming!
YEPS ONE OF THE BEST
Be Dave
Nice !
The Cure are a great band but THIS is what they probably wish they could sound like.
No doubt this album had to have been an influence on 'Pornography"
ANOTHER W O W COMMENT
this reminds me of a cult hospital I know
El post punk posta ya no suenan asi