the royal family and the poor
catalogue

The Royal Family and the Poor is the name adopted by multi-instrumentalist Michael Keane, who recorded for Factory Records between 1980 and 1985, before founding his own label, Gaia Communications. To read detailed Royal Family and the Poor biography click here. To purchase Royal Family and the Poor CDs click here.


IN THE SEA OF E (BOUCD 6605) £10
Remastered CD contains all tracks from the original Gaia album issued in 1986 plus 12" b-sides and unreleased demo recordings. All material has been digitally restored; booklet contains detailed sleevenotes. Full tracklist: Living Light, Mr Crow, Song for Freedom, Gaia, Journey, Honesty, Creatura, No More Compromise, Wounded, When the Cat's Away, Time, Supersensualists, When the Shadow Falls, Behind the Veil, Solve et Coagula, Entertainment.

Reviews: "Full of intricate, mystifying music" (The Cut, 9/87); "Their best effort to date. An excellent, if somewhat mysterious, album" (Option, 87); "Cold, dark and violent music" (Melody Maker, 9/87); "Another magic mixture of electro-pop ballads, unnerving ambience and intricate lyrical twists. Also includes some meditational chanting in the form of the twisted and beautiful Creatura" (Record Collector, 9/03); "Living Light finds Keane's knack for opening his albums with enduring pop gems happily intact, and it's when Keane strips away everything that isn't entirely necessary that he really scores. The four extra tracks also harbour further glints of genius" (Whisperin' & Hollerin', 9/03); 'Cold, dark and violent' (Melody Maker, 09/1987)



TEMPLE OF THE 13TH TRIBE (BOUCD 6608) £10
Digital remaster of the first Factory album from 1984 (Fact 95), produced by Peter Hook of New Order. The extras include all tracks from the Factory Quartet compilation (Fac 24), the latter produced by Martin Hannett. Full tracklist: I Love You (Restrained in a Moment), Voices, Moonfish is Here, Dark and Light, Radio Egypt, Discipline, The Dawn Song, Ritual 1, Power of Will, Motherland, Transparent, No Title, Dirge #1, Vaneigem Mix, Dirge #2, Death Factory, Dirge #3, Rackets.

Reviews: "Numerous exceptional moments" (Sounds, 11/84); "Delicate and understated" (Melody Maker, 2/85); "A many splendoured thing" (Breakout, 2/85); "The group who first forged that vital link between post-punk and hip-hop, as early as 1981" (The Catalogue, 3/86); "Insular and dark, but there are rich rewards to be had. Keane is most impressive form on Voices, Moonfish Is Here and Radio Egypt, each one an outstanding cut of nightmarish, post-punk brilliance" (Leonard's Lair, 7/03); "A fine entry point for the previously uninitiated. The majority of the Hook produced tracks veer towards a relatively commercial electro-pop pulse, not surprisingly akin to New Order" (Whisperin' & Hollerin', 7/03); "A sinister album full of dark, industrial sounds. Clearly the work of a driven, troubled and deeply spiritual songwriter" (Record Collector, 9/03)



WE LOVE THE MOON (BOUCD 6611) £10
Remastered edition of the second Factory album from 1986 (Fact 140). Bonus tracks include rare compilation cuts (Dogstar), the Fac 39 7", and the three tracks from the 12" Art on 45, issued on Factory (Fac 43) in 1981. Full tracklist: Visions, Sex Goddess, White Stains, Living Room Alchemy, Transparent, Pagan Way, Heartbeat, We Love the Moon, Conspire (To Breathe Together), Dogstar, We Love the Moon (7" version), Something Someone (live), Dream. Dominion, Art on 45.

Reviews: "An altogether more cohesive and structured affair than its predecessor, while offering the same mix of electro-acoustic ballads and rhythmic industrial noise. Now we have a chance to re-evaluate the work of a man and a band whose occult tendancies and deeply personal music have kept them all but hidden from the public for far too long" (Record Collector, 9/03); "Arguably his most linear pop album, if we're to stretch a point. Elegant, melancholy pop scarcely comes better than Visions, and while it's hardly a blueprint for what follows there are several other tremendous things here. White Stains is hypnotic, whip-crack funk, while Sex Goddess is a manic headfuck" (Whisperin' & Hollerin', 9/03); "With its robo-funk bassline and aluminum-siding percussion, Fac 43 was right in line with peers like PiL and Gang of Four" (eMusic, 09/06)


NORTH-WEST SOUL (BOUCD 6607) £10
Keane's concern with occult knowledge has often obscured his songwriting talent, while latterly fragile health increased the gap between albums. However North-West Soul more than justified the wait, its 12 tracks reflecting the dreams and aspirations Keane struggled to realize in inner city Toxteth - hence the title. Never easy to categorize, the new music touches on ballads (Leaves in the Wind, Sweeter than the Day), dark electronica (Nocturne, Midnight Symphony) and bittersweet electropop (Falling, Long Time Coming). Self produced, the CD runs for 70 minutes and features artwork conceived by Mike. Full tracklist: Falling, Sick Sad World, Wandering, Ratio, Long Time Coming, Midnight Symphony II, Sweeter Than the Day, Tell-Tale Heart, Hymn to the Night (The Dark Gift), Leaves in the Wind, Sol Sonic, You + Me, Starfire.

Reviews: "Mighty fine results" (All Music Guide, 6/04); "A return to form for Liverpool's most elegiac son" (Leonard's Lair, 5/04); "Open, and far more direct than on any of his previous outings. A brave, broody and isolated album, rich in affecting, nocturnal pop and almost unbearably honest soul-mining" (Whisperin & Hollerin, 6/04); "Keane crafts his arrangements with care and intelligence, parlating any indulgences and leaving us with dark and compelling songs. As fresh and passionate as ever" (The Big Takeover, 9/04)

Special offer: If you order any two CDs direct from LTM/Boutique then you'll also receive a free CDR of an hour long RFATP radio show broadcast in Portugal in October 1988 (fear not, it's in English). This exclusive CDR is be available through any other outlet.

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