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DEMOS 1977 - 1978

by UNITS - Scott Ryser

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Includes video of the UNITS playing "Unit Back In Unity" and "High Pressure Days" live in early 1979. For the first time you can see us smashing plywood guitars on our car hood/movie screen and us playing with the "Unit Training Film" in the background.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $7 USD  or more

     

1.
2.
The sun is shining And it’s a good day And a breeze starts blowing And I’m ok now Because my whole life Just takes up a second of time In relation to the history of man So I’m going to live that second out The best I can And figure that a broken heart Is part of being a man I accept this time in the history of man And if things get tough I’ll step outside and sing The sun is shining And it’s a good day And a breeze starts blowing And this seconds ok The sun is shining And it’s a good day And a breeze starts blowing And this seconds ok
3.
Bird River 01:15
4.
It's so good to be young The only side when you're fun The only hassle is in your mind Contemporary emotions Grab my soul and take me away Contemporary emotions Grab my soul and take me away It's so good to be alive The only time you can lie The only hassle is in your mind Contemporary emotions Grab my soul and take me away Contemporary emotions Grab my soul and take me away Contemporary emotions Grab my soul and take me away Contemporary emotions Grab my soul and take me away
5.
AEIOU 02:15
AEIOU AEIOU
6.
We will now step outside Please repeat after me There is gravity There is gravity There is gravity There is gravity There is gravity There is gravity There is gravity There is gravity Repeat after me There is gravity There is gravity There is gravity There is gravity
7.
I Night demo 03:14
I Night I Night I Night When the sun goes down And leaves this unit all alone I stand up to face him Because i'm tired of my lie life When no one hears my shoes And no one sees my face I feel just like a fast fog That goes dancing past the street light I Night When my vision walks away And leaves this unit all alone I stand up to face him Because i'm tired of his lie life Surrounded by smells Surrounded by sounds I feel it on my skin Like a fog that's on a street light So quietly i yell It's my time now So quietly i yell It's my time now My time now My time now It's my time now Invisible man That's what i want to be The crest of a wave Escaping the sea A dot of the fog Evaporating The part of the wind That lives in the night
8.
Driving 02:39
9.
Falling 02:14
I like to fall To feel the air To feel the air around my eyes Behind my glasses To feel the air on my wrists Where my shirt stops I like to fall Some people thrash the air Some people drown in the air Other people think they fly Other people fly in the air I like the air I like the molecules Feel the air Smell the air I like it when I’m alone Out in the air It’s harder to concentrate When you’re talking But when you’re falling It’s easy To lose a friend They can just go right by It’s easy to lose all your friends In a week or less When you’re falling It’s hard to hang on to anyone Still, above all, I like the air Feel the air Feel the air Feel the air
10.
11.
The fact that life feels good now Really takes me by surprise Barely made it through the day With desperation in my eyes Tonight I’m done with dreaming Yeah I’m rid of all that weight I don’t need a lot of hope When the present ain’t a pain It doesn’t seem much different For anyone I know I’ve seen or heard the rumor Of how they feel alone So the fact that life feels good now Really takes me by surprise Barely made it through the day With desperation in my eyes Life is good now Life is good now
12.
Turns out it’s hard for me to speak In this social world But I can still get by With the love of a girl I got a springtime breeze And the reflections of the sun And the sound of the sky And the love of a girl Down by the river's edge Feel like I'm floating in the breeze The sound of kids at play Makes the city seem silly All those building lines and squares And my piano keys And my identity Is nothing but their melody I got a springtime breeze And the reflections of the sun And the love of a girl play with me like a harmony Turns out it's hard for me to speak In this social world But I can still get by With the love of a girl
13.
Louis Louis 02:53
14.
I just wanna take your red out dancing 
man, that's right That's what I came here for I wanna take your red Out Unhuh, right I wanna take your red out dancing
 In the night Um hum I wanna feel your red Dancing in my hands Ohh I live across the channel with a telescope And at night I see her walking by the window I live across the channel with a telescope
 Her yellow window is up there shining with the stars I wanna take your red out dancing Um huh hnnn I wanna take your red Out Dancing I wanna take your red I wanna take your red I wanna take your red I wanna take your red I wanna take your red I wanna take your red
 I live across the channel with a telescope And at night I see her walking by the window I live across the channel with a telescope
 I see her yellow window shining up there with the stars 
 I just wanna take your red out dancing
 with a couple of airborne units Mr. Blue and his yellow sun,
 a couple of phantom bass notes Dancing, dancing, sin … dancing Yeah I just wanna take your red out dancing
 with an air guitar Dancing on a yellow disk in a purple haze Um yeah I just wanna take your red out That’s right I just wanna … I … I I live across the channel with a telescope And at night I see her walking by the window I live across the channel with a telescope
 Her yellow window is up there shining with the stars I live across the channel with a telescope And at night I see her walking by the window I live across the channel with a telescope
 Her yellow window is up there shining with the stars Un hunh Un hunh Un hunh Un hunh Un hunh I promise not to take her to the saxophone cemetery
 In my velvet suit and Faustus hood Sir I'll even fix my nose and wear a wig Yes, I'll sit on the third-degree sofa
 and say I'm going to college Sir
 I'll try to take the questions out of my eyes And try not to be so quiet and serious all the time Mister I just wanna take your red out dancing Don't make me spill your blood all over this lousy carpet I live across the channel with a telescope And at night I see her walking by the window I live across the channel with a telescope
 Her yellow window is up there shining with the stars I live across the channel with a telescope And at night I see her walking by the window I live across the channel with a telescope

15.
Zombo 06:43
16.
The unit back in unity The unit back in unity The unit back in unity The unit back in unity Hey Hey Hey Hey The unit back in unity The unit back in unity The unit back in unity The unit back in unity Hey Hey Hey Hey The unit back in unity The unit back in unity The unit back in unity The unit back in unity Hey Hey Hey Hey The unit back in unity The unit back in unity The unit back in unity The unit back in unity Hey Hey Hey Hey

about

12" vinyl on Minimalkombinat records. You can pre-order (only) by sending a pm to Mario (label boss at Minimalkombinat) at:
www.facebook.com/mario.schweikert.9

With the exception of "Unit Back In Unity", all the songs on UNITS - Demos 1977 - 1978 were recorded on a 2 track reel to reel tape deck in Ryser's bedroom/studio. Some of them made it to a cassette tape demo called "Noise Generator" in 1978. The original UNITS, Scott, Tim and Brad, all went to high school together in Redding, California before moving to San Francisco, soon after graduating from high school. The song "Unit Back In Unity" (written in 1978) was taken from a live video recording from early 1979, recorded at Marin College in the Bay Area, with Richard Driskell on drums.

All songs © & ℗ Scott Ryser / Lets Go Publishing

credits

released April 21, 2022

Scott Ryser - Minimoog Synthesizer, Fender Rhodes, Lyrics, Vocals
Tim Ennis - Bass, Synthesizer, background vocals
Brad Saunders - Drums
Richard Driskell - Drums on "Unit Back In Unity"

Rachel Webber - Album cover artwork

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UNITS - Scott Ryser Brooklyn, New York

Scott Ryser and his partner & wife, Rachel Webber, were the principal, songwriters, synth players, singers and filmmakers for the UNITS. The UNITS were one of America’s first electronic new wave bands and have been cited along with The Screamers and Suicide as pioneers of the music genre “synthpunk”. Scott & Rachel moved from SF to NYC in 1984 where Scott continues to make music & film ... more

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