Domino Recordings US will release Entomology, an anthology from the Scottish post-punk quartet Josef K, on November 7, 2006. This is the third installment in Domino’s “The Sound of Young Scotland” series which has also included discs from Orange Juice and The Fire Engines. This will be the first official release from Josef K to see the light of day in the US, even though all of the recordings included are over 25 years old. Yes, it’s criminal that this music has never before been available to the US record buying public, but that crime is finally being corrected.
Led by vocalist Paul Haig, Josef K formed in 1979 in Edinburgh and disbanded in 1981, taking their name from a character in the Franz Kafka novel The Trial. They were contemporaries of bands like Joy Division and Gang Of Four and were heavily influenced by the Buzzcocks, Television, Talking Heads, Bowie, Roxy Music, The Velvet Underground and Pere Ubu. They released one album, The Only Fun in Town, on the legendary Postcard label, run by Edwyn Collins of Orange Juice in 1981. Prior to that they recorded and abandoned an entire album, Sorry For Laughing.
Although the band’s career was brief, the impact on those who heard Josef K was monumental. Younger Scottish bands ranging from Teenage Fanclub to Belle and Sebastian to Franz Ferdinand have all pointed to Josef K as a huge influence on their sound and as one of the greatest Scottish bands of all time. Outside of Scotland, their influence can be felt in the music of bands like Interpol, The Wedding Present, The Futureheads, Maximo Park, The Go-Betweens, etc. They were also a favorite of legendary BBC DJ John Peel, and three tracks from their Peel session from June 22nd, 1981 are included on Entomology. Also included on Entomology are seven songs from 7” singles, six tracks from the aborted album Sorry For Laughing, and six tracks from The Only Fun in Town.
Following the break-up of Josef K, vocalist Paul Haig pursued a solo career and has continued to release solo albums as recently as 2004. Guitarist Malcolm Ross immediately joined Orange Juice and also played with Aztec Camera. In 1982, drummer Ronnie Torrance and bassist David Weddell formed The Happy Family with Nick Currie (aka Momus) and became one of the first bands to sign with the now-legendary 4AD label.
Josef K – Entomology track list
1.RADIO DRILL TIME (Postcard 7″ Version)
2.IT’S KINDA FUNNY (Postcard 7″ Version)
3.FINAL REQUEST (B-side of “It’s Kinda Funny” single)
4.HEADS WATCH (taken from the aborted album Sorry For Laughing)
5. DRONE (taken from the aborted album Sorry For Laughing)
6. SENSE OF GUILT (taken from the aborted album Sorry For Laughing)
7. CITIZENS (taken from the aborted album Sorry For Laughing)
8. VARIATION OF SCENE (taken from the aborted album Sorry For Laughing)
9. ENDLESS SOUL (taken from the aborted album Sorry For Laughing)
10. SORRY FOR LAUGHING (Postcard 7″ Version)
11. REVELATION (B-side to “Sorry for Laughing” 7″)
12. CHANCE MEETING (Postcard 7″ Version)
13. PICTURES (OF CINDY) (B-side to “Chance Meeting” 7″)
14. FUN ‘N’ FRENZY (taken from the album The Only Fun in Town)
15. CRAZY TO EXIST (taken from the album The Only Fun in Town)
16. FOREVER DRONE (taken from the album The Only Fun in Town)
17. HEART OF SONG (taken from the album The Only Fun in Town)
18. 16 YEARS (taken from the album The Only Fun in Town)
19. THE ANGLE (taken from the album The Only Fun in Town)
20. HEAVEN SENT (Peel Session, June 22nd, 1981)
21. THE MISSIONARY (Peel Session, June 22nd, 1981)
22. APPLEBUSH (Peel Session, June 22nd, 1981)