I am back now from vacations in Spain. I am exhausted. So this will be a short post. I had prepared the lost band part before leaving but the discoveries are all from yesterday, looking for something worth sharing. Will share some of my trip memories later this week I hope!

The Moon and Back – One Small Step for Global Pop: this is the name of a compilation Jerv and his label WIAIWYA has released digitally and also on CD. It includes so many songs, by many great names. We see songs by The Popguns, Fever Dream, Jeanines, Pam Berry and more!

The Catherines: “Just a Matter of Time Until I Cringe” is the name of the latest song by the Hamburg popsters. They have released it as a digital single on Bandcamp and have the song “It’s Really Good!” as a B side. As always this is good stuff!

Mick Trouble: this is an album I need and it is called “Its the Mick Trouble LP”. And yes it seems it is only available on vinyl, no CD. It has 12 songs which are influenced by the TVPs. That’s a good thing. At the same time it sounds very original. And that is a good thing as well. I suggest ordering soon as the first copies will come with a limited flexi!

The Popguns: the classic Brighton band has a new EP titled “Carrying the Fire” with 5 brand new songs. The idea behind this record is a “Space Operetta” as the EP’s name come from the Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins autobiography. The EP is released digitally by Matinée on the 19th.

The BV’s: One of the best albums this year has been “Cartography” by our friends The BV’s. The duo, half English, half German, have just put together a video for a song included in that album, “Catapult” and of course I had to share it with everyone. Because the song is great! and the video too, with footage of many of their roadtrips!

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Back in 1998 a Swedish band from Malmö made a splash in the Swedish national radio with the song “I Cry Because of You, Argentina”. A play on words of the famous “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”. This band was Chocolate Barry. A mystery at the time, and a mystery now.

The band was formed by brothers John and Fredrik and Marco Manieri. We know a bit about Marco these days as he has produced many bands like The Ark, Melody Club, The Mo, Marit Bergman and has remixed big names as The Cardigans, The Corrs or even Roxette. In bands, aside from Chocolate Barry he was in Trig.  But what about John and Fredrik? John was the main force of the band, right?

I say that because in 2010 he resurrected the band and played just by himself a few gigs, starting with one at the “På Besök” club in February 27 of that year. I remember this club that was run by Krister, having had the luck to DJ once there. A small tour followed that gig and in 2011 the band stopped for good.  Among these gigs I found that he even played London alongside the great Mr. Wright at the Baby Honey club on April 9th, 2010. That same month, on the 30th, he supported Firefox AK at club Debaser in his city. He also opened for Momus in Malmö in early 2011

But back in the late 90s and early 2000s the band did release some records but never played live. That was the interesting part of this 2010 comeback, this time around there were no new records but played live. I wonder why the substantial change in approach for the band. Also it was just John then.

The first appearance by the band seems to have been “Belfast Boy” on a compilation called “The Red Album: A Mancunian Fantasy”. I doubt it was the same band as first it says it is a Manchester compilation and then on the credits we see the last names Harris, Colton and Smith. So probably not.

For me, the one that is for sure to be the band’s first appearance was the 1993 flexi “Swings Sweetly” that was released by Uppåtneråtvadsomhelst (002) that year in September. This label of course is the one responsible for the Cookie Noise Tower tape compilations. Two tracks recorded at Studio Revolver were included, “The Passion of Spain” and the most wonderful “I Cry Because of You Argentina”. On the insert included they kind of mention that they are the 90s answer to The Monochrome Set, the Beach Boys, Chris Montez, Simon Turner…

Then in 1994 the band appeared with the song “Everyday Bonaparte” on the compilation “Second Half” that the Swedish tape label Records from the Cookie Nose Tower (uppåtneråtvadsomhelst 003) released. This seems more likely that it was our band, it was a Swedish compilation in the end.

So, if it was the same Chocolate Barry as the first compilation I mentioned, then in 1995 they contributed a song to a Spanish compilation called “It’s Only Football ‘but I Like It” that came with the Zona de Obras magazine.  Then the band contributed the song “Georgie, The Belfast Boy”. But again, I have my doubts it is the same Chocolate Barry. I wonder if anyone could let me know if I’m right or wrong about this.

In 1995 the band would contribute a song to “Prego! 95 – The Menu of Trattoria Vol.2” (PSCR-5395). This I believe is our Swedish band as it is an indiepop label releasing them. Here the band contributes the song “World of Cakes” and they appear alongside top bands like Blueboy, Cloudberry Jam or Bridge.

In 1997 the band would appear on a terrific compilation album called “Tambourine Studios Volume Two” released by Vibrafon Records (VIBRCD39). Indeed the band recorded their songs at this studio, and on this top compilation where they appear alongside The Cardigans, Eggstone and Saint Etienne they contributed their classic “I Cry Because of You, Argentina”.

The year after, the San Francisco label Radio Khartoum who always loved these sort of sounds picked them up to contribute the song “Passion” to the compilation mini CD “The Flight of Everson K (19fps Vol.1)” (khz198). That same year the band was part of the “Mama, Take Me Home to Malmö” compilation that Vibrafon (VIBRCD48) released as a soundtrack for the movie “Blådårar”. Their song “München ’79” was included in it.

Then came Benno, the very fine label and fanzine. In 1999 they released a compilation 7″ called “Benno Presents Volume 2” that included their song “Gay Girl”. This was how I first listened to Chocolate Barry after finding a copy of this record in a store in Stockholm many years ago.

The Spanish labels Sinedin Music (SM-004) and Inane Records released in 1999 a compilation packed with amazing tracks and bands called “The Unheard Pleasures of Inane – Somewhere in Europe, 1972 Vol.1”. It is a terrific selection of bands and the artwork was done by our good friend Grego Soria from Annika Records. This CD came alongside, for free, the Factory (no.22) magazine. The band once again contributed their track “I Cry Because of You, Argentina”.

Radio Khartoum never forgot them. In the year 2000 the band was included with their song “Hell” in the compilation “The Stations of Abandoned Days (18fps Vol. 3)” (khz300). Benno as well repeated and included them in the CD comp “An Unfinished Retrospective” with the track “Gay Girl”.

In 2001 the band would sign to Mini Tenor Records from France. There they would release their debut album “Cucumber Trees and Ice Cold Lemonade” (lux05) which included 12 songs, “Gin and Tonic”, “Her Worldwide Search”, “Franckfurt-Firenze”, “Always Too Late (Springtime)”, “Popmusic Crazy”, “Gay Girl”, “I Got the Devil”, “The Passion of Spain”, “I Cry Because of You Argentina”, “Spacerock”, “Redirecting My Career” and “Munich ’79”.

Then a 7″ (lux11) was released too by the same label to promote the album. TheA side had “Popmusic Crazy” while the B side had “Prais-Roubaix (servais Knaven Remix)”.

Lastly, the label that was the most important to them, Mini Tenor Records, included their track “Popmusic Crazy” on the CD compilation “Have You Ever Loved?” in 2001.

There is another release listed on Discogs though, a CDR compilation called “Live at Taj Mahal” which seems to be demos and alternate versions of their songs. I would love to hear this album one day. They included 14 tracks on this and I wonder if this was sold perhaps at their 2010 tour? The songs being “Gin & Tonic”, “Worldwide”, “Frankfurt-Firenze”, “Springtime”, “Popmusic”, “Gay Girl”, “I Got the Devil”, “Passion of Spain”, “I Cry Because”, “Spacerock”, “Redirecting My Career”, “Munich ’79”, “Civediamo” and “Everyday Bonaparte”. It seems the song titles were hand written and because of that they appear shortened.

We know they hailed from the small suburb of Bunkeflostrand in Malmö. There is also a mention that they had a 22 track cassette compilation that was offered through the indiepop-list. That the label Riviera was supposed to release their “Greatest Hits Vol. 1” But for some reason it never happened. Mini Tenor came to release the album.

That’s all I could find so far. So I’m hoping my friends from Sweden, from Malmö which are not a few, will help me find out more about this great band! Who remembers them?

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Listen
Chocolate Barry – I Cry Because of You Argentina