Yellow Letter Day

Orchestre Rouge - Yellow Laughter

Originally released as a vinyl album on RCA Records (PL 37623) in 1982.

Theo Hakola emigrated from his native Spokane, WA to Paris via New York, Central America and Spain. After brief sorties as a waiter, a club DJ and an English teacher, he founded Orchestre Rouge in 1980. The band recorded their debut album Yellow Laughter at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, UK with Martin Hannett and Chris Nagle. The album was only released in France and Spain by RCA, so therefore had little reach beyond those markets.

These tracks are complex new wave and post-punk held together by a superbly crisp Hannett production which I think is up there with his best album work. Soon Come Violence was the only single, again released only for the French market.

Some of you will likely have never heard Yellow Laughter, most of you will love this album.

01 Soon Come Violence
02 Je Cherche Une Drogue (Qui Ne Fait Pas Mal)
03 Soft Kiss
04 Red Orange Blue
05 Hole In His Thigh
06 The Consul
07 Speakerine
08 Slugs
09 Crows
10 Kazettlers Zeks

Orchestre Rouge - More Passion Fodder

Originally released as a vinyl album on RCA Records (PL 37758) in 1983.

Recorded in London, Nice and Paris with Adam Kidron, the second album lacked the crispness of the debut, however it did reflect the direction taken by British bands such as The Chameleons and Comsat Angels around the same time. There were no singles so promotion was down to live appearances and occasional play on alternative French radio. Hakola was to disband Orchestre Rouge soon after and become the more successful Passion Fodder.

01 Seconds Grate
02 Where Family Happens (Slow Death Kicking)
03 Chief Joseph Heinmot Tooyalaket
04 The Perfect Drunk
05 Think Of All The Starving Children In India (Jesus Christ, Ha, Ha, I'm Sick)
06 Catholic Eyes
07 Red Orange Blue (Part 2)
08 Saleté
09 A Scent Versus A War

All these tracks were ripped from the 2007 double compact disc reissue on RCA France (88697 09801 2) which has been remastered. Thankfully it isn't as badly compressed as other remasters from the same era, however you may need to drop your volume by around -3db for a better listening experience.