NASH THE SLASH
In-A-Gadda-Da-Nash - (2008)

Elegantly tuxedoed like Cary Grant in George Cukor’s Holiday and hideously bandaged like Claude Rains in James Whale’s The Invisible Man, the revered and reviled serial sonic psychotron known as Nash The Slash has been number one in a field of one ever since he first began creating his own insidious sound of music from deep within secreted studio walls located somewhere inside of an abandoned subway station miles beneath the filthy sidewalks of Toronto. Armed only with a Strickfaden array of hyper-amped violins, mandolins, synths and drum machines, Nash proceeded to unleash upon an unsuspecting society a senses-shattering series of aural album assaults whose titles said it all: Bedside Companion. Dreams And Nightmares. Decomposing. Children Of The Night. These unreasonably unrelenting records led to Nash being smuggled into Europe to work with the likes of Gary Numan and Bill Nelson, only to be abruptly expelled from the continent by the EU as "a deviant influence not only on humanity but on all life itself" after angry villagers caught a rare glimpse of his grisly ungauzed visage late one night in an iniquitous den of ill repute on the Rue Morgue. Safely ensconced back home in his underground lair, Nash donned his stained leather apron and threw himself into his work with a renewed vengeance born of righteous anger that would ultimately be made manifest in the records which were to follow: the corrupt social commentary on And You Thought You Were Normal; the modern urban brutality of Thrash; the silent cinema soundtrack to Nosferatu; and his first ever album of cover versions, American BandAges. Now the Slasher strikes again with an even greater new record of covers that extends from the obvious (Baba O’Riley and Astronomy Domine) to the obscure (Follow The Leaders and Constantinople) to the omnipresent (In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida and The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald). So don’t be an angry villager....check it out now.

http://www.mediafire.com/?3zkv7avucm4i4c8

NASH THE SLASH & FM
Lost In Space (Reel To Reel Obscurities) - (2001)

In the Seventies/Eighties, Nash the Slash played with Cameron Hawkins and Martin Deller in a band called "FM". This 78 minute CD features a selection of reel-to-reel obscurities: lost tapes and unreleased gems by this trio, who specialized in a fusion brand of progrock. This collection begins with an extended version of Black Noise that possesses a savage passage of multi-layered violins amid the profusion of keyboards and analog apparatus and the searing mandolin solos. Vocals are supplied by both Nash and Hawkins. Phasers on Stun displays a more delicate sensibility with fluid mandolin cascading through a nest of nimble fingered keyboards that grows into an incredible wall of sound. Glockenspiel enhances One O'clock Tomorrow, another soft (almost elfin) piece. Mandolin enters to attribute a distinct Canterbury sound to the music. Vocals thread their way between the instrumental passages, with a growling bass undercurrent. The Who's classic Baba O'Riley has long been a fiery mainstay in Nash's solo live concerts; here you hear its original, sparser inception with FM. Sans percussion, this version features livelier keyboard tracks than the familiar loop that allows most listener's to instantly recognize the song. The next four tracks are from the mid-Eighties demos from FM's reformation in preparation for their Contest album. They are stripped-down takes, displaying the melodies in simpler performances. Friends and Neighbors shows its techno-pop roots, while the band's cover version of the Animal's It's My Life is decidedly darker than expected. Finishing up the CD is a stunning live version (from 1977) of King Crimson's Starless that demonstrates just as much power as the original. Nash's mandolin achieves unbelievably ecstatic heights duplicating Fripp's masterful guitar peaks. The collection also includes five hidden bonus tracks.

http://www.mediafire.com/?3a598y1iw87p2cb

NASH THE SLASH
Nosferatu - (2001)

Nash the Slash has a strong love of silent movies (his name comes from Laurel and Hardy's classic Do Detectives Think) and he has composed three other soundtracks for silent film classics (including his wonderful music for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari). However, this is the first soundtrack that he has committed to tape and released to his rabid fans. And it is fantastic. The music actually stands alone without viewing the film. It is a combination of several styles including classical, rock, electronica, and ambient. Slash is able to combine these genres and create his own atmospheric sounds with very strong melodies. This style differs from his instrumental work (such as Blind Windows) but is equally interesting and engaging. Fans of Slash will love this CD, and fans of soundtracks will undoubtedly find something of interest here. A brilliant work. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?kga2gu574am77m9

NASH THE SLASH
And You Thought You Were Normal - (1982, 2002)

This is not just a straight reissue of Nash the Slash's brilliant 1982 release, And You Thought You Were Normal. Instead, Slash rearranged the track order, remastered the old tracks, and added several previously unreleased tunes, which were recorded at the same time and used for various film soundtracks. The result is a stunning CD. Instead of the original concept of the album with vocals on one side and instrumentals on the other, Slash mixes the two together to get a much better flow and a sublime listening experience. Fans of the original album will already know of the beautiful and haunting melodies found here, along with sparse yet effective lyrics (Vincent's Crows and the Daniel Lanois-produced Dance After Curfew are prime examples). The newer material is as strong as the older songs, with the melancholy Lake Ontario Suite (Pts. 1 and 2) as a standout track. The music overall holds up well since it was first recorded in 1982, and the minimalistic production is ideal for the material. Slash is a talented musician, and his violin playing in combination with his electronic gadgets is perfect. This album is essential listening for fans of original and experimental rock. Just make sure the lights are on and you are not alone when listening. One other note: The front sleeve is one of the finest ever designed, which creates the atmosphere before a single note is played.

http://www.mediafire.com/?v7w8vt4l5kzk0mn

NASH THE SLASH
Thrash - (1999)

Nash's first complete album since 1985's American Band-Ages, and his first album of all original songs since 1983's brilliant And You Thought You Were Normal (this CD features a new recording of "Vincent's Crows" from that album). And this CD does not disappoint; if anything, Nash has improved with age. Still essentially a solo artist, Nash collaborated with a couple of lyricists for this outing, and the result is brilliant. Nash continues to write his own unique brand of music, which is still difficult to categorize — rock, dance, ambient, and electronic all mixed together to form a new sound. The songs are full of classic Nash violin solos, and his voice has never sounded better. The music seems to be a bit harder, especially in the percussion sounds, and noisier than one is used to hearing from Nash. And how many artists can use the scream of a large cat (not identified, although it sounds like a panther) to effect in a rock song? But again it works. At the same time, Nash's gentler side is seen in the beautiful, sadly touching "I'll Wait for You." Fans of his music should not be disappointed with this outing, and although the music is somewhat eclectic, adventurous music fans will enjoy this CD. A brief warning: as with most of Nash's output, some of the music is unsettling and downright scary at points ("Theory of the Black Hole"); however, this does not detract from the brilliance of the work.

http://www.mediafire.com/?afaclj1h6ad3b28

NASH THE SLASH
American Bandages - (1984,2002)

American Bandages is an album of American rock classics as interpreted by Nash. He enlisted the help of his former FM collaborators Cameron Hawkins (keyboards) and Martin Deller (drums), and the album was released in 1984. The album was aimed at the US market, but due to distribution and management problems, including a change in record labels (to MCA, after Quality Records folded in 1985), it never got the exposure Nash thought it deserved. For all it's rock'n'roll flash, the music is still alive with chittering oddities and sneaky synthi-shorts. The up-front drum programs put a commanding final touch to it all. Expertly crafted gut-gripping stuff.

http://www.mediafire.com/?jdtigd2dlgw

NASH THE SLASH
The Million Year Picnic - (1984)

Imagine a blend of Gary Numan, early Pink Floyd, Jean-Michel Jarre and The Stranglers and you have a sense of the music. Add the mystery of a zealously guarded identity (he's believed to be Canadian) and someone who appears onstage with his face swathed completely in surgical bandages, and you have a clearer picture of one of music's true eccentrics. Who else released an instrumental LP that bills itself as playable at any speed? Nash first surfaced in 1976 as an electric violinist and mandolin player with vocalist, bassist and synthesizer player Cameron Hawkins as FM. Rejecting the conformity of AM radio, they experimented electronically in the manner of Brian Eno. Similar to Andy Warhol and his Exploding Plastic Inevitable live presentation that helped launch Velvet Underground, FM's hometown concert debut in Toronto blew away the crowd with an assault of visual images coupled with sound. It set the pattern for Nash's solo career, which began in 1978 in an audio-visual collaboration with painter Robert Vanderhorst, who would reappear later in Nash's career. Following his quirky vision, Nash wrote the music and played all the instruments, even handling the engineering and production at times during his first several albums. An exception was Daniel Lanois producing one tune from 1982 Nash album And You Thought You Were Normal. Nash has regrouped with different incarnations of FM during the years. While his unconventional ideas limit collaboration possibilities, he has recorded and toured with Numan. Nash scores soundtracks periodically, notably releasing a CD of his score for the 1991 Canadian cult favorite Highway 61, which featured singer Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys in a small role. Nash's first two albums were re-packaged on CD in 1997, and he continued to work on new material. (allmusic.com)

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NASH THE SLASH
Bedside Companion EP - (1978)

This recording is the first release from Nash. It is a 45 RPM, four-track 12" EP called Bedside Companion. When, later that year, dj Ben Marsden played this record on the radio, but at 33 RPM. Since the music is instrumental, the songs didn't sound any weirder, only slower and heavier. Listeners picked their favorite songs from both speeds. For that reason, Nash decided to put both versions, the original 45 RPM as well as the 33 RPM (now titled The Marsden Versions), onto his Blind Windows CD release along with his first album Dreams And Nightmares.

http://www.mediafire.com/?mimddzntm1n

NASH THE SLASH
Children Of The Night (Bonus Tracks) - (2000)

This is a brilliant repackage of the classic Nash the Slash album, Children of the Night. On the 20th anniversary of the album's release, Nash put together this package, which includes the original album plus several bonus tracks that make this an essential part of any of this artist's collection. Included here is the original (and quite rare) 7" version of the brilliant "Swing Shift (Soixante-Neuf)." This version is melodic and creepy, full of sounds that both fascinate and disturb. Nash's voice never sounded better and it is a flawless song. When he re-recorded it for this release, it seemed to loose a great deal of edge, and now fans can compare the two. He also includes the flexi-disc version of the same song, which is nice to have, as the flex is very difficult to find. It would have been nice if Nash had included the original version of "Dead Man's Curve" (found on the same single as "Swing Shift"), but this is a small criticism. The live tracks are fantastic, and it is amazing to note that Nash is alone on stage making all that carefully orchestrated noise. Also, fans are treated to the previously unreleased "Reactor No. 2" which is an interesting song. The sleeve design is a variation of the original album, and is actually better. More information regarding the songs would have been a nice addition, but again this a minor complaint. Overall a brilliant package. Posted here are the six bonus tracks from the re-release. To get the original ten track album check out my posting from November 24th 2009.

http://www.mediafire.com/?nnmwnmnbt0c

NASH THE SLASH
Children Of The Night - (1981)

Nash the Slash's second full-length solo album, and solo it is indeed, with Nash playing all instruments. Hillage does a wonderful job producing Nash, bringing out a much harder sound than heard on his debut solo release Dreams and Nightmares. This album rocks, complete with covers of the Rolling Stones (and brilliant version of "19th Nervous Breakdown," which seems perfectly suited for Nash) and Deep Purple, with Nash altering the words of the classic "Smoke on the Water" to "Dopes on the Water." He even covers Jan and Dean's "Dead Man's Curve," although the version found on this album is not as powerful as Nash's original cover found on a 7" single (released on Nash's own Cut-Throat Records). There are a number of interesting instrumentals full of wonderful noises that produce an awe-inspiring sound, especially the opening track "Wolf," which includes brief moments from Peter and the Wolf. This is a very strong album, full of interesting sounds, that stands up to repeated listenings.

http://www.mediafire.com/?hwfi2meqh0j