Bacteria from a Baboon’s Stomach is, by far, the most obscure release in the vast FSOL catalogue. So obscure, in fact, that nobody seems to have heard it. Still, there’s no harm in some baseless speculation.
What we do know about the album is limited. The group, Twitch, consisted of Dougans, Cobain, and Scottish bassist Iain McArthur, who studied with Brian. They recorded one album, and released it on their own cassette imprint, Floor Music. Copies were sold through the esteemed Eastern Bloc record shop in Manchester. 20-30 copies are believed to have been made. In an interview about the DIY music scene in the city, Dougans explained that they were planning on releasing other artists on Floor Music: “We’re giving people a chance to put their music out.” The album itself is referred to as a seven song ‘sampler’ of everything they were working on at the time, described as varied by the interviewer, and “there’s something for everyone” by Brian.
In terms of music, we know one song from the album: ‘Sunshine & Brick‘. The song ended up on the Humanoid album Global, and probably gives some idea of the album’s sound: somewhat industrial inspired, with Brian providing electronics and Gaz singing. Brian has cited indie-dance groups like The Beloved as operating in a similar area. Another song on the album was called ‘Tall Buildings’. An overview of the era was given in a 1994 Mixmag interview, which describes the funding and the music thus: “Soon Cobain got fed up with sitting on the bed in Dougans’ bedroom directing the action, he wanted to get involved in the technical process. Sacking university, he went on the Enterprise Allowance Scheme and set up his own studio. This was pre-’88 and they didn’t have a clue what they were doing. They came up with the weirdest stuff.” Garry goes on to simply describe the music as “stuff that was really strange. I couldn’t work out whether it was good or bad.” And that’s the extent of our knowledge.
It’s unusual that no copies have ever appeared online. Although it’s likely that many DIY tapes from this era ended up in bins, there must be someone out there with a tape who could digitise it and upload it. Until that happens, however, the album remains unknown to FSOL fans. No tracklist. Not even a cover image. Brian has suggested that a reissue is unlikely.
Fractional Difference 
4 Comments