Miracle Cave - Turquoise Coal

OK... here's the release that gave us our name!

Miracle Cave were a shadowy and obscure Bangor group from the early eighties who released two cassette albums without ever performing live. The first, "Coping with Illness" came out in 1983 and was followed the next year by "Turquoise Coal", after which nothing more was heard of the group.

Maria Hycz and Alan Holmes from the recently disbanded Pinecones (see previous posts) appear to be involved, alongside a mystic figure known alternatively as The Grand Master or Mr Smith. "Turquoise Coal" also featured guest spots from Ann Matthews, later of Fflaps and Nicki Dupuy from Glass, both of who went on to greater things.

The album contains twelve original songs and a cover of the Velvet Underground's "Who Loves the Sun?". Of the originals, "Still Not There" and "In the Morning" were later recorded (but never released) by Reinheitsgebot (see earlier post), albeit in radically different versions. The music is difficult to categorize, flitting effortlessly between folk ballads, industrial grind and psychedelic extrapolation. An unique and interesting sonic experience!

Miracle Cave - Turquoise Coal (1984)

1 Time Approaches Beware (Miracle Cave)
2 Who Loves the Sun (Velvet Underground)
3 Janie's Dream (Miracle Cave)
4 No Need to Take the Car (Miracle Cave/Ann Matthews)
5 When the Mystery Came (Miracle Cave)
6 Her Body (Miracle Cave)
7 Janie, Sex and Death (Miracle Cave)
8 Make Me Bleed (Miracle Cave)
9 Still Not There (Miracle Cave)
10 Strange Girls (Miracle Cave/Ann Matthews)
11 In the Morning (Miracle Cave)
12 Rescue Operation (Miracle Cave)

All voices and instruments Miracle Cave with guests Ann Matthews (4, 10, 12) and Nicki Dupuy (7)

get it here