Throbbing Gristle First era: 1976-1981 What about the first era 1976-1981? Prostitution, an exhibition which was held in October 1976 at the Institute of Contemporary Arts Was it well-received? I don't know. Was there any other exhibitions? I don't know.
What was Throbbing Gristle?
What was Throbbing Gristle?
Throbbing Gristle evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions, which was formed in Kingston upon Hull by a group of performers centred on Genesis P-Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti. The last known performance of COUM Transmissions--Prostitution, an exhibition which was held in October 1976 at the Institute of Contemporary Arts--was also the public debut of Throbbing Gristle. Throbbing Gristle's confrontational live performances and use of often disturbing imagery, including pornography and photographs of Nazi concentration camps, gave the group a notorious reputation. However, the group always maintained that their mission was to challenge and explore the darker and obsessive sides of the human condition rather than to make attractive music. Throbbing Gristle made extensive use of pre-recorded tape-based samples and special effects to produce a distinctive, highly distorted background, usually accompanied by lyrics or spoken-word performances by Cosey Fanni Tutti or Genesis P-Orridge. Though they asserted they wanted to provoke their audience into thinking for themselves rather than pushing any specific agenda (as evidenced by the song "Don't Do As You're Told, Do As You Think" on Heathen Earth), Throbbing Gristle also frequently associated with the anarchist punk scene. They appeared in the fanzine Toxic Grafity, with a condensation of their own propaganda parody series, Industrial News. In 1977, they released their debut single, "United / Zyklon B Zombie", followed by an album, The Second Annual Report. Although pressed in a limited initial run of 786 copies on the band's own Industrial Records label, it was later re-released on Mute Records due to high demand; however, this later release was reversed with all tracks playing backwards and in reverse order. This was followed by a series of albums, singles and live performances over a four-year period. On 29 May 1981, Throbbing Gristle performed at the Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco, California, United States. This concert marked the end of the group and its mission. As Cosey succinctly put it, "TG broke up because me and Gen broke up". In 1981 Michael Sheppard, concert promoter and founder of Transparency Record label brought Throbbing Gristle to Los Angeles. Genesis P-Orridge and Peter Christopherson went on to form Psychic TV, while Cosey Fanni Tutti and Carter continued to record together under the names of Chris and Cosey, Carter Tutti and Creative Technology Institute. Christopherson had paricipated in Psyshic TV's first releases, and had later joined John Balance in the latter project Coil. Meanwhile, Gen (now known as Genesis Breyer P-Orridge) subsequently formed Thee Majesty and PTV3 with the help of their wife, Jacqueline "Jaye" Breyer. CANNOTANSWER
evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions,
Throbbing Gristle were an English music and visual arts group formed in 1975 in Kingston upon Hull by Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Peter Christopherson, and Chris Carter. They are widely regarded as pioneers of industrial music. Evolving from the experimental performance art group COUM Transmissions, Throbbing Gristle made their public debut in October 1976 on COUM exhibition Prostitution, and released their debut single "United/Zyklon B Zombie" and debut album The Second Annual Report the following year. Lyrical themes mainly revolved around mysticism, extremist political ideologies, sexuality, dark or underground aspects of society, and idiosyncratic manipulation of language.

The band released several subsequent studio and live albums—including D.o.A: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle (1978), 20 Jazz Funk Greats (1979), and Heathen Earth (1980)—on their own record label Industrial Records, building a reputation with their transgressive and confrontational aesthetics; they included the extensive use of disturbing visual imagery (such as ironic fascist and Nazi symbolism and pornography), as well as that of sound manipulation (noise and pre-recorded tape-based samples) influenced by works of William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin.

Throbbing Gristle dissolved in 1981 due to interpersonal differences; the individual members went on to participate in other projects, such as Psychic TV, Coil, and Chris & Cosey. The band was reformed in 2004, and released three more studio albums—TG Now (2004), Part Two (2007), and The Third Mind Movements (2009)—before disbanding again after P-Orridge's departure and Christopherson's death in Autumn 2010. P-Orridge later died in March 2020. The band's final studio project, a cover version of the 1970 Nico album Desertshore titled The Desertshore Installation, was released in 2012 under the moniker X-TG.

History

First era: 1976–1981 

Throbbing Gristle evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions, formed in Kingston upon Hull by a group of performers including Genesis P-Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti. The last known performance of COUM Transmissions—Prostitution, an exhibition held in October 1976 at the Institute of Contemporary Arts—was also the public debut of Throbbing Gristle.

Throbbing Gristle's confrontational live performances and use of often disturbing imagery, including pornography and photographs of Nazi concentration camps, earned the group a notorious reputation, but they maintained that their mission was to challenge and explore the darker and obsessive sides of the human condition rather than to make attractive music. Throbbing Gristle made extensive use of pre-recorded tape-based samples and special effects to produce a distinctive, highly distorted background, usually accompanied by lyrics or spoken-word performances by Tutti or P-Orridge. Though they asserted that they wanted to provoke their audience into thinking for themselves rather than pushing any specific agenda (as evidenced by the song "Don't Do as You're Told, Do as You Think" on Heathen Earth), Throbbing Gristle frequently associated with the anarchist punk scene. They appeared in the fanzine Toxic Grafity, with a condensation of their own propaganda parody series, Industrial News.

In 1977, they released their debut single "United / Zyklon B Zombie", followed by the album The Second Annual Report. Although pressed in a limited initial run of 786 copies on the band's Industrial Records label, it was rereleased on Mute Records following high demand; however, this later release was reversed, with all tracks playing backwards and in reverse order. This was followed by a series of albums, singles and live performances over a four-year period.

In 1981, Michael Sheppard, concert promoter and founder of Transparency Record label, brought Throbbing Gristle to Los Angeles. On 29 May 1981, Throbbing Gristle performed at the Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco in what would be the group's last performance until 2004. Throbbing Gristle announced their dissolution on 23 June 1981, mailing out postcards declaring that their "mission is terminated." In a 1987 interview, Tutti attributed the band's split to her own breakup with P-Orridge, saying, "TG broke up because me and Gen broke up."

P-Orridge and Peter Christopherson went on to form Psychic TV, and Tutti and Chris Carter continued to record together under the names of Chris & Cosey, Carter Tutti and Creative Technology Institute. Christopherson participated in Psychic TV's first releases, and later joined John Balance in the latter project Coil. P-Orridge subsequently formed Thee Majesty and PTV3 with the help of his wife Jacqueline "Jaye" Breyer.

Second era: 2004–2010 

In 2004, Throbbing Gristle briefly reunited to record and release the limited album TG Now. On 2 April 2007, TG released the album Part Two, which the group had finished recording in Berlin. It was originally set to be released by Mute Records in September 2006 but was delayed for unknown reasons.

In March 2007, Side-Line announced Part Two's final release date, adding that a string of special live events would take place in 2007.

A seven-disc DVD set titled TGV was issued in 2007. The set contains old and new footage of the band. TGV came packaged in a deluxe box with a 64-page book, all designed by Christopherson.

The group performed a reinterpretation of their debut album The Second Annual Report twice in 2008 to mark 30 years since its original release. The performance in Paris on 6 June was issued as a limited-edition framed vinyl set titled The Thirty-Second Annual Report, limited to 777 copies (though some sources claim that there were 785).

Throbbing Gristle worked to record an album based on their interpretation of Nico's album Desertshore. The group issued the entirety of the recording sessions for the album as a limited edition 12-CD set packaged in a custom CD wallet, The Desertshore Installation, which sold out via mail order from the group's website.

In April 2009, Throbbing Gristle toured the United States, appearing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Chicago. The Third Mind Movements, a new release, was made available at these shows, which was edited from jams recorded during the Desertshore sessions.

A collaboration with Cerith Wyn Evans titled A=P=P=A=R=I=T=I=O=N was displayed at Tramway, Glasgow from 7 August to 27 September 2009. Throbbing Gristle contributed a multi-channel soundtrack that was played through 16 hanging Audio Spotlight sound panels that Evans had incorporated into his sculpture.

In November 2009, Throbbing Gristle and Industrial Records released their version of the Buddha Machine, titled Gristleism. It was designed by Throbbing Gristle and Christiaan Virant based on FM3's design. Gristleism offers more loops and almost twice the frequency range of the Buddha Machine. The player comes in three colours: black, chrome and red.

On 29 October 2010, Throbbing Gristle announced on their website that P-Orridge had informed them that they were no longer willing to perform with Throbbing Gristle and would be returning to their home in New York. Carter, Cosey and Christopherson finished the tour under the name X-TG.

P-Orridge's website stated that they had not quit Throbbing Gristle and had merely stopped participating on the current tour; it also said that an explanation would be released when all things were cleared up. However, on 24 November 2010, Christopherson died in his sleep at the age of 55, and the band subsequently dissolved.

Third era: 2011–present 

In 2011, Industrial Records had an official "re-activation", as TG's contract with Mute Records had expired. Because TG has disbanded following the death of Christopherson, the label's plan is to re-release the original TG albums (The Second Annual Report, D.o.A: The Third and Final Report, 20 Jazz Funk Greats, Heathen Earth and Greatest Hits) on the label. Originally intended to be released on 26 September 2011, they had to delay due to a Sony DADC warehouse fire in London. The plan changed to issue each album chronologically once per week starting on Halloween 2011 with The Second Annual Report and ending 28 November with Greatest Hits.

Industrial Records announced that a double album, titled Desertshore/The Final Report, would be released on 26 November 2012. Chris and Cosey produced the album, with the participation of guest vocalists Anohni (from Antony and the Johnsons), Blixa Bargeld (from Einstürzende Neubauten), Marc Almond (from Soft Cell), film director Gaspar Noé and former pornography star Sasha Grey.

A group decision had been made before Christopherson's death that the album would be recorded afresh because they were not satisfied with the ICA recordings. Christopherson had been the driving force behind the project and had been working on the record in Bangkok with Danny Hyde, even getting custom instruments made to use for the album. "It was Sleazy's project, then Cosey and Sleazy's, then I came in on it", Carter said in an interview with The Quietus. After Christopherson died, the Desertshore instruments were given to Carter and Cosey, and they began combining the recordings he had been making with the work they had done themselves. They announced plans to debut the album live at AV Festival on 17 March 2012 accompanied by a screening of Philippe Garrel's film The Inner Scar "for which Desertshore was the soundtrack and inspiration".

On 14 March 2020, P-Orridge died.

Legacy 
The band is widely viewed as having created the industrial music genre, along with contemporaries Cabaret Voltaire. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by Genesis P-Orridge and Monte Cazazza; on Throbbing Gristle's debut album The Second Annual Report, they coined the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". The first wave of this music appeared with Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire.

Alternative Press included Throbbing Gristle in their 1996 list of "100 underground inspirations of the past 20 years."

Wreckers of Civilization, a survey on COUM Transmissions and Throbbing Gristle's original run written by Simon Ford, was published in 1999; its title is a reference to the Prostitution exhibition controversy.

Other, Like Me: The Oral History of COUM Transmissions and Throbbing Gristle, a documentary on both projects consisting of archival footage and photos and interviews with their members, was co-produced by BBC Television and aired on BBC Four in December 2021.

Cover versions
Artists which covered songs by Throbbing Gristle include Marc Almond, Esplendor Geométrico, Peaches, The Horrorist, Merzbow,  Electrosexual/Hanin Elias, NON, Der Blutharsch, and others.

Members 
 Genesis P-Orridge – bass guitar, violin, vocals, guitar (1976–1981, 2004–2010; died 2020)
 Cosey Fanni Tutti – guitars, cornet, vocals, tapes (1976–1981, 2004–2010)
 Peter Christopherson – tapes, sampler, found sounds, cornet, electronics (1976–1981, 2004–2010; died 2010)
 Chris Carter – synthesizers, tapes, electronics, programming (1976–1981, 2004–2010)

Discography 

During Throbbing Gristle's extensive career they have released numerous volumes of music including studio albums, live releases as well as box sets.

Studio albums

 The Second Annual Report (1977)
 D.o.A: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle (1978)
 20 Jazz Funk Greats (1979)
 Journey Through a Body (1982)
 CD1 (untitled) (1986)
 TG Now (2004)
 Part Two: The Endless Not (2007)
 The Third Mind Movements (2009)
 Desertshore / The Final Report (2012) (as X-TG)

References

Further reading

External links 

 

Cassette culture 1970s–1990s
Ableton Live users
British industrial music groups
British electronic musicians
British experimental musical groups
English post-punk music groups
Dark ambient music groups
Musical groups from London
Musical groups established in 1975
Musical groups disestablished in 1981
Musical groups reestablished in 2004
Musical groups disestablished in 2011
Noise musical groups
Performance artist collectives
Industrial Records artists
Industrial Records is a record label established in 1976 by industrial music and visual arts group Throbbing Gristle. The group created the label primarily for self-releases but also signed several other groups and artists. The label gave a name to the industrial music genre.

Background
Artists released through the label included Cabaret Voltaire, Clock DVA, SPK, Thomas Leer & Robert Rental, The Leather Nun, plus outrage artist Monte Cazazza, the author William S. Burroughs' auditory works, and a solo album by Throbbing Gristle member Chris Carter.

A notable departure from the industrial form of the label was the blues standard "Stormy Weather" sung by Elisabeth Welch, taken from the soundtrack of Derek Jarman's film The Tempest.

The label's first LP was Throbbing Gristle's debut LP The Second Annual Report which was limited to 786 copies. It came in bootleg-like packaging: a plain white card sleeve with glued-on xerox information strips.

The Industrial Records logo is a stark black and white depiction a low-definition photo of an Auschwitz crematory.

In 2011 the label had an official "re-activation" as Throbbing Gristle's contract with Mute Records had expired. Since the band has permanently disbanded following the "death" of Sleazy, the label's plan is to re-release the original Throbbing Gristle albums (The Second Annual Report, D.o.A: The Third and Final Report, 20 Jazz Funk Greats, Heathen Earth, and Greatest Hits) on the label. Originally intended to be released all at once on 26 September 2011, the label had to delay due to a Sony DADC warehouse fire in London. The new plan was to release a new album chronologically once every week starting on Halloween 2011 with The Second Annual Report and ending 28 November with Throbbing Gristle's Greatest Hits.

There has been no comment on releasing any other artists' works or new content after the Throbbing Gristle releases.

Discography

IR 0002 - Throbbing Gristle - The Second Annual Report (LP)
IR 0003 - Throbbing Gristle - United/Zyklon B Zombie (7")
IR 0004 - Throbbing Gristle - D.o.A: The Third and Final Report (LP)
IR 0005 - Monte Cazazza - To Mom on Mother's Day (7")
IR 0006 - The Leather Nun - Slow Death EP (7")
IR 0007 - Thomas Leer & Robert Rental - The Bridge (LP)
IR 0008 - Throbbing Gristle - 20 Jazz Funk Greats (LP)
IR 0009 - Throbbing Gristle - Heathen Earth (LP)
IR 0010 - Monte Cazazza - Something For Nobody (7")
IR 0011 - Surgical Penis Klinik - Meat Processing Section (7")
IR 0012 - Elisabeth Welch - Stormy Weather (7")
IR 0013 - Throbbing Gristle - Subhuman/Something Came Over Me (7")
IR 0014 - Dorothy - I Confess (7")
IR 0015 - Throbbing Gristle - Adrenalin/Distant Dreams (Part Two) (7")
IR 0016 - William S. Burroughs - Nothing Here Now But The Recordings (LP)
IRC 00 - Throbbing Gristle - Best Of.... Volume I (Cass)
IRC 01 - Throbbing Gristle - Best Of.... Volume II (Cass)
IRC 02 - Throbbing Gristle - At the ICA London (Cass)
IRC 04 - Throbbing Gristle - At the Nag's Head, High Wycombe (Cass)
IRC 05 - Throbbing Gristle - At the Brighton Polytechnic (Cass)
IRC 06 - Throbbing Gristle - At Nuffield Theatre, Southampton (Cass)
IRC 07 - Throbbing Gristle - At the Rat Club (Cass)
IRC 08 - Throbbing Gristle - At the Highbury Roundhouse (Cass)
IRC 09 - Throbbing Gristle - At the Art School Winchester (Cass)
IRC 10 - Throbbing Gristle - At the Rat Club The Valentino Rooms (Cass)
IRC 11 - Throbbing Gristle - At the Brighton Polytechnic (Cass)
IRC 12 - Throbbing Gristle - At the Architectural Association (Cass)
IRC 13 - Throbbing Gristle - At Goldsmith's College (Cass)
IRC 14 - Throbbing Gristle - At the Industrial Training College (Cass)
IRC 15 - Throbbing Gristle - At the London Film Makers Co-Op (Cass)
IRC 16 - Throbbing Gristle - At the Crypt Club (Cass)
IRC 17 - Throbbing Gristle - At Centro Iberico (Cass)
IRC 18 - Throbbing Gristle - At Ajanta Cinema (Cass)
IRC 19 - Throbbing Gristle - At Now Society (Cass)
IRC 20 - Throbbing Gristle - At the Factory (Cass)
IRC 21 - Throbbing Gristle - At Guild Hall (Cass)
IRC 22 - Throbbing Gristle - At The Y.M.C.A. (Cass)
IRC 23 - Throbbing Gristle - Pastimes/Industrial Muzak (Cass)
IRC 24 - Throbbing Gristle - At Butlers Wharf (Cass)
IRC 25 - Throbbing Gristle - At Leeds Fan Club (Cass)
IRC 26 - Throbbing Gristle - At Scala Cinema (Cass)
IRC 27 - The Leather Nun - At Scala Cinema, London/Music Palais Kungsgatan (Cass)
IRC 28 - Monte Cazazza - At Leeds Fan Club/Scala, London/Oundle School (Cass)
IRC 29 - Throbbing Gristle - At Goldsmiths College (Cass)
IRC 30 - Throbbing Gristle - At Oundle Public School (Cass)
IRC 31 - Clock DVA - White Souls In Black Suits (Cass)
IRC 32 - Chris Carter - The Space Between (Cass)
IRC 33 - Throbbing Gristle - At Sheffield University (Cass)
IRC 34 - Richard H. Kirk - Disposable Half-Truths (Cass)
IRC 35 - Cabaret Voltaire - 1974 - 1976 (Cass)
(none) - Throbbing Gristle - The Taste of TG (CD)
(none) - Throbbing Gristle - TG Now (CD)
(none) - Throbbing Gristle - Live December 2004 A Souvenir of Camber Sands (2xCDr)
IR 2009/4 - Throbbing Gristle - The Third Mind Movements (CD)

References

External links
Official
Industrial Records official website
Chris and Cosey official website
Mute official website

Unofficial
Definitive Throbbing Gristle info site
Industrial Records fan site

British record labels
Record labels established in 1976
Record labels established in 2002
Re-established companies
Industrial record labels
2002 establishments in the United Kingdom
Record labels disestablished in 1982
Cassette culture 1970s–1990s TG Now is an album by English industrial band Throbbing Gristle. It was released in 2004 through the band's own record label Industrial Records and was their first album of original material since 1982's Journey Through a Body.

Release 

The album's 12" vinyl version was limited to 500 copies and the CD version was limited to 3,000 copies.

Critical reception
PopMatters called the album "an appetizing return from a band that had toyed significantly with the idea of what an artistically valid record release might be."

Track listing

Personnel 
 Throbbing Gristle

 Genesis P-Orridge – uncredited performance, recording
 Cosey Fanni Tutti – uncredited performance, recording
 Peter Christopherson – uncredited performance, recording
 Chris Carter – uncredited performance, recording

References

External links 

 

Throbbing Gristle albums
2004 albums