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SPK “Retard”Dokument One, the zine that came with the first SPK album (Information Overload Unit), included a statement of purpose: “The project ideal is to express the content of various psycho-pathological conditions, especially schizophrenia, manic-depressive psychosis, mental retardation and paranoia. Information Overload supersedes normal, rational thought structures, forcing deviation into less restrictive mental procedures of so-called ‘mental illness.’” The zine went on to solicit letters from listeners, “especially those with interest in, or history of, psychotic disorder,” and promised to “reply personally to all correspondence.” Dokument II, included with the second album, Leichenschrei, elaborated on SPK’s theories about using sounds and images to produce psychotic states.
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SPK “Wars of Islam” (includes disturbing medical curiosities and autopsy stills)Now, here’s the music video from SPK’s 1984 single “Junk Funk”:
SPK “Junk Funk” (includes disturbing music video clichés)As you may have guessed, SPK signed with a major label for “Junk Funk,” the first single from their third album, Machine Age Voodoo. This record did not come with Dokument III or anyimages of trepanned Siamese twins from medical textbooks. No, on this album—written, produced, and arranged by Revell, with vocals by his wife Sinan Leong—SPK seems to stand for “Signed Paying Kontrakt.” Few (if any) of the songs on Machine Age Voodoo would have sounded out of place on the Fletch soundtrack, but this is hardly surprising, given that Revell has been scoring Hollywood movies since the late 80s. If you’ve watched The Crow, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, orShark Night 3D, then you’ve heard a Graeme Revell score. Good for him. But shouldn’t career moves need pages of theory for justification, too?Previously - Nationalize the Music Industry