Search - Loop :: Fade Out

Heaven's End and Fade Out are the first two releases in a series of long-overdue reissues by British primal psych band Loop.

The band was formed in London in 1986 by Robert Hampson on guitar and vocals and Beki Stewart (Bex) on drums. After finding bassist Glen Ray, Loop signed to Head Records, run by Jeff Barrett (Heavenly), and released the feedback-drenched 12-inch, 16 Dreams. With the arrival of James Endeacott on second guitar, drummer John Wills, and bassist Neil MacKay, Loop adopted a more primal, rhythmic approach and put out their debut full-length, 1987's Heavens End.

The band hypnotized all with their discordant, trance-like spell which served as an antidote to the prevailing trends in British pop at the time; they resurrected the concept of loud, out-there rock for a new era, creating droning soundscapes of bleak beauty and harsh dissonance loosely influenced by The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, The MC5, but retaining the avant-garde and experimental edge of Can, Faust, Neu!, Rhys Chatham, Glenn Branca, and minimalist systems music. Live shows were revelatory--Loop pushed PAs to the very limit, delivering a sonic pummel that has yet to be experienced since.

A collection of singles and B-sides, The World in Your Eyes, appeared in 1987, after which the band signed to the Chapter 22 label and released the 12-inch Collision and their second full-length, Fade Out. Following another label change, another second guitarist, Scott Dowson, and a final album, A Gilded Eternity, the band disbanded in 1990 after four years.

Remastered from the original analog sources, these two out-of-print albums are housed in vinyl-style card sleeves, reproducing the original artwork. Both have been expanded to double discs with a wealth of extra material--original mixes, demos, and Peel Session cuts--from the relevant chronological time frame, and are also available digitally for the first time.