Psychic TV to re-issue ‘Live At Thee Ritz’

Cold Spring Music has confirmed the re-issue of a legendary live recording from Psychic TV.

The 2CD “Live At Thee Ritz” will be released on 12th November 2012 – first time on CD for the recording which wascaptured on the 6th November 1983.

The album was originally issued on vinyl only in 1989 (Ltd edition of 5000), however rare tapes have now been discovered to expand to a full double CD set, with updated sleeve notes and previously unseen photos; as such this is the complete, (mostly) unheard document of Psychic TV’s first ever show as a full live band, after their appearance at The Final Academy, with William S. Burroughs in 1982.

Psychic TV was formed with the core membership of Genesis P-Orridge and Alex Fergusson in 1981. Fergusson was a member of Alternative TV, upon whose 1978 album ‘Vibing Up The Senile Man’. P-Orridge had played percussion, and contributed the latter half of the name Psychic TV. Peter Christopherson became involved in 1982 and claimed that the ‘TV’ component of the name was intended to focus on the visual elements of the outfit.

P-Orridge once claimed that “Psychic TV is a video group who does music unlike a music group which makes music videos“. Similarities can be seen in the artwork for Alternative TV and early Psychic TV releases, with a recurring pastiche on the ‘as seen on TV’ marketing style.

During their early live performances, Psychic TV maintained much of the noisy atmosphere as P-Orridge’s previous band, Throbbing Gristle, although now with an increased use of exotic acoustic drums and other instruments. Psychic TV were (remarkably) later signed to WEA Records and went onto achieve a bona fide hit with ‘Godstar’ in 1985.

The Psychic TV line-up for this show was: Genesis P-Orridge, Alex Fergusson, John Gosling (Zos Kia), Peter Christopherson (Throbbing Gristle, Coil), and Geff Rushton (Coil).

Tracks:

Disc 1:
1. Welcome
2. Intro To…
3. …Thee Ritz
4. Roman P.
5. Thee Mad Organist
6. Thee Full Pack
7. Oi You Skinhead

Disc 2:
8. Eleusis
9. Twisted
10. New Will
11. Unclean
12. In Thee Nursery

The album is available for pre-order direct from Cold Spring