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Tuxedomoon Biography by Steve Huey

The music of avant-garde, electronic-oriented collective Tuxedomoon ranged from new wave pop to jazz fusion to more experimental synthesizer soundscapes (usually including saxophone and violin), which were frequently married in concert to performance art shows. The group was formed in San Francisco in 1977 by two electronic music students at San Francisco City College, Blaine L. Reininger (keyboards, violin) and Steven Brown (keyboards, other instruments). Brown's local theater connections supplied equipment and occasional vocalists in Gregory Cruikshank and Victoria Lowe, plus more frequent contributions from singer and performance artist Winston Tong. Punk and new wave were opening up the San Francisco music scene at the time, and Tuxedomoon landed an opening slot for Devo in 1978 at around the same time they cut their first single, "Pinheads on the Move." Lowe quit the band before their first EP, No Tears, which featured off-and-on members Michael Belfer (guitar) and Paul Zahl (drums). Tong and Belfer departed temporarily, and Peter Principle (b. Peter Dachert) joined as a full-time member.

Desire

Tuxedomoon signed to the Residents' Ralph Records in 1979, which eventually got them overseas exposure. Feeling that their ideas were more in tune with the European electronic music scene, the group toured Europe after 1980's Half Mute, for which Tong returned with filmmaker and visual artist Bruce Geduldig. After 1981's Desire, the band relocated permanently to Rotterdam, where Reininger began to branch out as a solo artist. Tuxedomoon were also hired to score a Maurice Bejart ballet, the results of which were released in 1982 as Divine. Reininger left for a solo career in 1983 and was replaced by Frankie Lievaart and horn player Luc van Lieshout.

Holy Wars

In between side projects and scoring, the band sought an international deal for its forthcoming LP, Holy Wars; it was eventually released in 1985 and became the band's biggest commercial success. Tong left the group for good that year, leaving Brown and Principle the only remaining San Francisco members; multi-instrumentalist Ivan Georgiev was hired to replenish the group's sound for 1986's Ship of Fools album and tour. After 1987's jazz fusion-oriented You, Tuxedomoon significantly slowed their rate of output, but members remained active with outside pursuits. They issued only two albums, The Ghost Sonata (based on a 1982 production) and Joeboy in Mexico (with the name Tuxedomoon nowhere to be found on the packaging), during the '90s. The following decade, Brown, Principle, Reininger, and van Lieshout reconvened to release Cabin in the Sky (2004), Bardo Hotel Soundtrack (2006), and Vapour Trails (2007). A 2007 box set, the elaborate 7707 tm, marked Tuxedomoon's 30th anniversary. Peter Principle died in July 2017 in Brussels, Belgium at the age of 63.

Short Stories is an EP by American post-punk band Tuxedomoon, released in April 1983 by Les Disques du Crépuscule.[1] In 1986 it was compiled with Suite en sous-sol on CD.[2] The track The Cage was also recorded in a markedly different instrumental form by band member Steven Brown for his album Composés Pour Le Théâtre Et Le Cinéma, issued on Les Disques du Crépuscule in 1989.

Tuxedomoon – Time To Lose / Blind

Tuxedomoon - Time To Lose / Blind album cover

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Label: Base Record – TWI 084, Les Disques Du Crépuscule – TWI 084

Format:

Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM, Single

Country: Italy

Released: 1982

Genre: Electronic

Style: Abstract, Experimental

A1 Time To Lose

Bass, Piano, Guitar – Peter Principle

Violin [Violins] – Blaine L. Reininger

Vocals [Vocal 1] – Winston Tong

Vocals [Vocal 2], Electric Organ [Hammond] – Steven Brown

5:10

A2 Music #2

Piano – Steven Brown

Violin – Blaine L. Reininger

3:27

B Blind

Effects [Special Effects], Guitar – Peter Principle

Keyboards [Casio M-10] – Blaine L. Reininger

Vocals [Vocal 1], Synthesizer [Moog], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax] – Steven Brown

Vocals [Vocal 2] – Winston Tong

7:32

Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Bruits Essentiels

Published By – Bruits Essentiels

Recorded At – The Garden

Composed By [All Compositions By] – Tuxedomoon

Design [Cover] – Steven Brown

Drawing – Jean-François Octave

Engineer – Gareth Jones

Recorded By, Producer [Produced By] – Gareth Jones, Tuxedomoon

Recorded and produced at The Garden Studios, London, England, March 1982.

(Thanks to J. Foox, K. Kolosy, V. Aspinall and everyone else who helped us through this difficult time).

Made in Italy

P. e C. 1982 sabam

Printed durations differ:

Track 1: 5:35

Track 2: 3:06

Track 3: 7:26

Matrix / Runout (Side A, etched): TWI-084-A 8-9-82

Matrix / Runout (Side B, etched): TWI-084-B

Rights Society: S.I.A.E.

GOLDMINE GRADING

MINT ---- It should appear to be perfect. No scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains, labels or writing, tears or splits. Mint means perfect.

NEAR MINT ---- Otherwise mint but has one or two tiny inconsequential flaws that do not affect play. Covers should be close to perfect with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident: slight ring-wear, minor denting to a corner, or writing on the cover should all be noted properly.

VERY GOOD PLUS ---- The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully. Not too far from perfect. On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve or the vinyl or some of the original luster may be lost. A slight scratch that did not affect play would be acceptably VG+ for most collectors.

VERY GOOD ---- Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise, but should not overwhelm the musical experience. Usually a cover is VG when one or two of these problems are evident: ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains, etc.

GOOD ---- Well played with little luster and significant surface noise. Despite defects, record should still play all the way through without skipping. Several cover flaws will be apparent, but should not obliterate the artwork.

POOR ---- Any record or cover that does not qualify for the above "Good" grading should be seen as Poor. Several cover flaws.