Electromagnetic Pulse by Those Attractive Magnets

Those Attractive Magnets were created early 1980 in a town called Tamworth, the heart of the English Midlands, as a vehicle for Rikk Quay (keyboards) and Andy Baldwin (vocals). They self-released a super limited cassette EP, Pictures on the Wall in 1980 and the Nightlife/Love Chimes 7″ in 1983 and appeared on a Futurist music compilation LP, Synthetic Romance in 1982.

Their music travels beyond copycat synthpop bands of the time into electronic realms of the 80s underground scene. There are some obvious parallels of the time – you can hear the commercial strains of The Human League, Soft Cell and Kraftwerk at times – but the band never wholly embraced commercialism as these tracks reveal. Although their sound takes a cue from the post-punk and early new romantic scenes, it still remains one step ahead in a unique futuristic world full of delicious dance beats!

Electromagnetic Pulse is the first ever compilation of a number of tapes Those Attractive Magnets produced during their three creative and prolific years of song writing, 1980-1983. This LP contains remastered versions of both songs from the 7″ as well as 2 songs from the cassette EP and a different version of the song that appeared on Synthetic Romance; 9 songs in total, 7 of which have never appeared on vinyl until now! Limited to 500 hand-numbered copies with an 11×17 poster/insert of lyrics, photos and liner notes by Sam Holliday.

SLEEVE NOTES
The small market town of Tamworth, in the heart of the English Midlands, was an unlikely place for a musical revolution in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Despite having a long and impressive history, the town didn’t look as though it had much going for it in the future - until that is the spirit of punk touched the hearts and minds of dozens of young people who went on to create a diverse, exciting and vibrant music scene. What punk did was to convince people that you could create any sort of music you wanted – as long as you truly believed in it. Among the trailblazers of this musical ethos were Those Attractive Magnets, a group of friends who decided they had heard enough of standard, two-guitars-and-a-drum rock music and set out to indulge their passions in the growing world of the synthesizer and electronic dance music. To say they cut lonely figures in a town where the lead guitar was king was an understatement and makes the fact that they were able to produce such startling and original music all the more impressive. They were like an electronic oasis in a desert of fret boards.This album is the first ever compilation of a number of tapes The Magnets produced during two or three creative and prolific years of song writing. There are some obvious parallels of the time – you can hear the commercial strains of The Human League, Soft Cell and Kraftwerk at times – but the band never wholly swallowed commercialism, and as these tracks reveal, they weren’t scared to not only change the structure of the traditional guitar/drum line up but also the structure and feel of the traditional song. The band reveled in the fact that they were constantly experimenting and when that experiment yielded such fine melodies and often delicious dance beats as you will discover here it vindicated their passion and desire to try the musical road less travelled. Notable highlights here, for me, include the catchy pop of Night Life, the brooding opener 1500 and the melodic and thoughtful Radio Weeps Television Cries but just as no two Magnet songs are alike, no two people listening to this album will probably agree on which are its highlights. The main man behind The Magnets project throughout was the enigmatic and ever enthusiastic Rikk Quay. A lifelong music fan who had seen punk truly change his life, The Magnets began, for him, a lifetime’s fascination with different instruments, alternative sounds and boundary-pushing ideas. The Magnets line up changed on occasions but Rikk and his ambition was the glue that held it together and the confidence he found from helping to create this compelling band inspired him to repeat the trick with several other first class groups in later years. Listening to these Magnet songs again now – nearly 30 years after I first heard them in a tiny youth club in downtown Tamworth – I have been struck by just how fresh and impressive they still sound. The 1980s – once unfairly daubed the ‘decade that fashion forgot’ - is currently having something of a well-earned revival and reassessment and it seems apt that The Magnets should therefore finally get the belated release of their small but perfectly formed back catalogue now. It feels as if their time has finally come – again. Listen, enjoy and maybe, just maybe, dance a little.
Sam Holliday
Music Editor. The Tamworth Herald newspaper 1983-1990