calendar crowd: perfect hideaway

Calendar Crowd was the duo of Alan Heaton and Terence Tiernan who met in their hometown of Widnes, Cheshire as schoolboys and played together in various bands in the ‘70s. In the ‘80s they formed a 6-piece band called Room For Humans and recorded one single“Telephone Telephone / Girlfriend”. When the band split and Alan and Terence continued as Calendar Crowd in a more experimental direction. Their influences were wide reaching: Kraftwerk, Neu, Cabaret Voltaire, Eno, PIL, and Joy Division. In 1982 they released their debut single “Perfect Hideaway/Perfect Hideaway Dub” on 7”. Guitarist David Knowles joined them as they toured the UK and recorded and released their follow up EP “Listen in to the Heart” in 1985. A reviewer at the time called Calendar Crowd “A Moody Merseyside trio with strong atmospheric tunes and haunting lyrics.” For this reissue we’ve compiled both singles on one EP featuring all four songs. Perfect Hideway is a evocative and dreamy, the music escorts you on a tour of icy landscapes, with Terrance’s deep, rich vocals guiding the way accented by bright brass stabs. Meanwhile the Dub has stripped back the vocals, added delayed samples and heavy pounding drums. On the B-side “Listen in to the Heart” and “Questions Answers” are darker electronic rhythm tracks with layers of ethereal keyboards and guitar melodies. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The record is housed in an exact replica of the original Perfect Hideaway jacket featuring black and white October 1982 calendar with the tile hand written in red pen. Each copy includes a double-sided 8×11” insert with lyrics, notes and photos.