kagablog

TEMPLE OF LOVE

In 1985 the Sisters of Mercy hit “Temple of Love” had become a dance floor favourite at Faces. He remembered the first time hearing it…people were sitting around in his black room, and Emma had put on a compilation tape which she said someone had made for her. The minute the track came on, somewhere in the middle of the tape, somewhere in the middle of his consciousness, he could not forget it. A week later he bought the 12” version. In 1990, requests for this track continued to reach him. In fact if there was any one track that had completely tired him, it was this one. Week after week, year after year. If he did not play it, sure enough someone would come and request it. Bauhaus had long since split up, but were still dance floor favourites. Pete Murphy (ex Bauhaus) as solo artist continued to dominate the Goth scene. The Cure, Souxie, after almost a decade, were still going from strength to strength, transforming with the times, always worth noting. Nick Cave was fast becoming the essential spirit and king of Goth, and ruled for the next six years - ‘Henry’s Dream’ being the most utterly brilliant album. Here is a 330 PLAY list 1991:
I’m Free - the Soupdragons
More - Sisters of Mercy
I wanna be adored - Stone Roses
Digging for fire - Pixies
Stretched out on your grave - Sinead O’Connor
Moonchild 12” - Fields of the Nephilim
Henry’s Dream - Nick Cave
All night long - Pete Murphy
Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order
Losing my Religion - REM
Ask (clear plastic 12”) - Morrissey (still!)
She sells sanctuary 12” - the Cult
131
Spiderman 12” - the Cure
Doe - Breeders
All Winter Long - Pixies
Vishnu 12” - West East India Company (1984!!)
‘Tings and Times - LKJ
Carmen - Malcolm Mclaren
Happiest Girl - Depeche Mode
Hallelujah - Happy Mondays
Romeo and Juliette - Lou Reed
Smalltown - Lou Reed/John Cale
Stop - Jane’s Addiction
Candy - Iggy Pop
Give it Away - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Blister in the sun - Violent Femmes
Kansas - Wolfgang Press

One evening after a Goth had virtually broken down the dj door and demanded he play “Temple of Love” Ampleby retaliated with: ”If there is one record I am going to smash to bits on the dance floor, its that one!” Ampleby’s shares rocketed to ‘enemy number one’. However, there was a further aspect to djing that came to his notice at this time: that some people only came to the club once a month, others even less, particularly those from areas further afield. Unless they had their own music, there was no where else they were going to hear the type of music Ampleby played. This meant that over a year, they would only have heard a track twelve times…therefore the ‘pace’ at which the music ‘moved’ varied from person to person. So, if they had arrived after a particular track had been played, they would have to wait till the following week or the next time they came to the club. He seldom relented on the persistent requests to play a track because someone had ‘missed it’. “Get here earlier” was all he would say. However, and because of this, there were certain tracks that he delayed playing until he thought ‘everyone’ was there. Thus, in order to placate this sort of occurrence, he would play, between 11pm and 1am, all the greatest hits, and only occasionally throw in something new. Thus it was that he was accused of ‘not being able to move on’ - that he had ‘become stuck in a rut’.
“If that is the case,” said he, “then get here later…this is pressure time.”
At other times he would get excited comments like: ”Wow, the last time I heard that track was when I was here last year!”
In the mid nineties he went to an alternative club at the station, called CRASH. He heard the Sisters track, and a Goth girl all of sixteen looking like a replay of Baruda, rushed onto the dance floor as if she and the track were the latest combinations of rebellion.