Years On Earth - najbolji (nepoznati) bend osamdesetih

Možda je najbolji bend osamdesetih potpuno nepoznat. Objavili su samo tri kazete. Unutrašnja klaustrofobija, ksenofobija prema samome sebi, agorafobija u spavaćoj sobi, pikselizirani pogled kroz prozor, dodirivanje plastične stolice.

Years On Earth, The Structure Of Chance

Years On Earth's electronic, experimental and industrial approach to their music reminds one of a mix of early Cabaret Voltaire, Eyeless in Gaza and Throbbing Gristle. It can be considered as an alchemistic creation, forming something very unique and amazing in mood and atmosphere produced and experienced by the listener. As Mutant Sounds website stated: "… wonderful, dark, claustrophobic, scary atmosphere... an absolutely unknown Gem!"

Years On Earth (Bob Roke & Mebz) have been active between 1979 -1984 producing three official tapes plus many hours of unreleased recordings. They hand built or modified most of their musical equipment and recorded in a deeply analogue way in their makeshift home studio.

Their three official cassettes from 1980, 1981 and 1982 were very well received critically by reviewers in fanzines and the music press alike and they continued to develop musically and sonically; mixing found-sounds, synthesisers, drum machines, treated guitars, plaintive vocals and eventually even lo-fi (by today's standards) sampling, coupled with quirky song structures that ranged from minimalistic to almost cinematic over the course of these three tapes. Stick It In Your Ear fanzine said at the time, "For a band to come along with something as sharp and original as this is indeed reason to celebrate".

The first three LP-sides of this set concentrate on each of the official tapes released. The fourth side is committed to previously unpublished recordings from between '79 and '84. The superb monochrome gatefold cover artwork is based on the original cassette inlays and compliments the music beautifully.

This release is one of the most important and highly anticipated by Frank of VOD-Records as Years on Earth's music helped him during his sleepless nights, suffering from a major tinnitus condition in 2007, by playing their tapes all the time. VOD had wanted to release their music for more than four years but no one seemed to know of there whereabouts. Then about one year ago Bob by chance contacted Frank as he wanted to inform him about the cassette reissues on Calypso Now from Switzerland and finally Frank was able to realise this project and bring together what belongs together. - Experimedia

VOD悲願の一作が遂に出版! 知られざるインダストリアル・ユニットYears On Earthの作品集!!!!
1979年～1984年の間に活動し、3作のカセットを発表していた模様。活動中も活動後も評価は高くこのレーベル主催者Frankもお気に入りで、出版 の日を待ち望んでいたというVODの中でも重要な逸品。このボックスにはスイスのCalypso Nowから出版されていた1980年～1983年の3つのカセット+未発表音源を4LPにわたって収録。初期Cabaret VoltaireやThrobbing Gristle、 またClub Moralに近い初期インダストリアルの妖しく奇形な勢いを感じさせる好内容ばかりです! インダストリアル好きに勧め!!!!!!!!!!
2012年作品 (Tatewaki)

This is so damn good - think Faith-era The Cure, Raime, Joy Division, Pump, Coil, Cabaret Voltaire - basically, an absolute find. Double LP in heavyweight, tip-on style gatefold jacket with pull-out liner notes and certificate of ownership. Individually numbered edition of 500** Thank f*ck for Frank Maier. His Vinyl On Demand label have unearthed another obscure gem from the murky abyss of '80s tape culture in the form of a comprehensive Years On Earth retrospective. Hailing from Northampton, reared on rock, radiophonica (BBC Workshop, David Vorhaus) and almost anything else with a synth in it - YMO to Kraftwerk, Mad Professor and Stockhausen - the duo of Bob Roke and Mebz created a claustrophobic internal world which was shared only thru the dedicated and independant tape-swapping network which stretched from Canada to Switzerland and further abroad. They only released three tapes proper, 'Same' (1981). 'Site' (1982), and 'Worlds Apart' (1983) before disbanding after 1984 due to studies and "[a] deep black hole". They'd probably be left to the annals if it were not for the efforts of a Swiss tape dealer and VOD, who've collected all those sides together with a cherry-picked bonus run of unreleased material. The music is purely symptomatic of the freedom that the tape network afforded, unbound by pop restraints and equally unforced to flesh it out for mass consumption. What remains are 30 tracks of deeply dystopian experiments, ranging from compelling, Coil-like  songcraft of 'Suspicion' and the dreary industrial ambience of 'Memories' to Eyeless In Gaza-esque communiques from the void on 'What Does It Mean?' or the siren-sounding sci-fi scapes of 'Radiation'. As to be expected, the fidelity varies from time to time - it does span five years and numerous equipment changes - but there's an unarguably consistent quality of suburban ennui and atmospheric gloom, coupled with an empty-stomach minimalism which really hits the mark. Highly recommended to fans of '80s municipal architecture and the bleakest moments of Throbbing Gristle, Eyeless In Gaza, Pump, Joy Division, Cabaret Voltaire etc.- Boomkat