Alien City

by Jon Strongbow

supported by
Billsy Bainbridge
Billsy Bainbridge thumbnail
rocketshipx41
rocketshipx41 thumbnail
brag
brag thumbnail
Mario Pulitanò Caridi
Mario Pulitanò Caridi thumbnail
James Walkden
James Walkden thumbnail
raffaele melina
raffaele melina thumbnail
Hadees Market
Hadees Market thumbnail
Luke
Luke thumbnail
Mark Wheaton
Mark Wheaton thumbnail
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis thumbnail
Steve Turnidge
Steve Turnidge thumbnail
John Martin
John Martin thumbnail
zxm85
zxm85 thumbnail
Jay Dravenstadt
Jay Dravenstadt thumbnail
gmassie
gmassie thumbnail
garyminkler
garyminkler thumbnail
brooklineprods
brooklineprods thumbnail
/

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Beautiful CDr replication of Original cover and insert

    Includes unlimited streaming of Alien City via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days

      $12.99 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

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

      $9 USD  or more

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    154
    releases

    Get all 154 Green Monkey Records releases available on Bandcamp and save 40%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Faded Champion, Richard Peterson's First Album, The Second Album, Topaz Single, Ten White Stones (Remaster), Pandemic Christmas - The Single, Pandemic Christmas, Change Is Gonna Come, and 146 more. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      $610.80 USD or more (40% OFF)

     

1.
Alien City (Overture) 02:46
buy track
2.
Get Away 04:49
buy track
3.
Cathode Rays 05:46
buy track
4.
Information Overload 04:40
buy track
5.
Olden Men 06:03
buy track
6.
Suffer 04:59
buy track
7.
Almost Every Day 04:56
buy track
8.
Target Area 04:44
buy track
9.
Keep Your Cool 05:11
buy track
10.
Between The Lines (Ruby's Blues) 01:55
buy track
11.
You're Being Used 04:48
buy track
12.
Dirty Heaven 04:51
buy track
13.
Inside The Sun 02:47
buy track
14.
Sleepwalking All of Your Life 03:34
buy track
15.
Inside the Alien City 06:43
buy track
16.
Waltz at the End of the World 02:45
buy track
17.
Sleepy Sleepwalker 03:41
buy track

about

Jon Strongbow is a mostly-hidden Pacific Northwest wonder, with six albums of his songs and another six albums of his instrumental music, most with his band Mystery School. He is an author and a graphic artist with multiple books and art prints which he sells at the Pike Place Market, where he is a community fixture.

It starts here. Alien City was his first album. Originally released in 1979, it is a brilliant gem, long lost in the rubbish heap of time. It is a wandering pop/rock masterpiece. Ray Davies meets Bowie in a sprawling non-linear western space time adventure.

From the original cover notes: ALIEN CITY was composed over a period of five years. It is a song cycle of epic proportions centered around the Incarnation of Celestial Visitors to this planet. They take youthful bodies with the soul mission of increasing the intelligence of the human race. Alas, in their compassionate endeavors they become trapped in the pernicious web of the world and their aim becomes warped and sarcastic. In taking mortal bodies they lose their reference point, their center of gravity, and they eventually become depraved and stupid as the people they initially intended to illuminate. There is no story line; no characters are formally introduced. The work is arranged in four movements:

I. When Everything Is Too Fast Too Soon

II. When Everything Is All Wrong

III. When Everything Is Alright

IV. When Everything Is Nothing

(the LP contained only the first two movements)

Who found this jewel in the heap? Mastering engineer Steve Turnidge had it land in his lap in 2014, basically as a favor for a friend. Steve was enraptured and became the album’s champion. You can read an insightful interview with Jon and Steve by the late, great Frank Gutch Jr. here: bobsegarini.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/frank-gutch-jr-jon-strongbow-meltdown-in-alien-city-plus-notes/

Among others, he eventually sent a copy of the remaster to Green Monkey. GMR prez Tom Dyer still owns the original Alien City LP he got in 1979 and was quite familiar with Jon’s work, having released Jon’s Something Different LP and A Normal Sort Of Guy cassette in 1989. The loop was closed and the dye was cast.

This new beautifully remastered edition contains 5 previously unreleased bonus tracks from the Third and Fourth movements.

Green Monkey is developing plans to re-release the entire Strongbow catalog.

credits

released September 18, 2020

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Green Monkey Records image

Green Monkey Records Olympia, Washington

Northwest Underground Rock 1980-til the End of Time

contact / help

Contact Green Monkey Records

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this album or account

Green Monkey Records recommends:

If you like Alien City, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Gravesend talks their new LP plus new power metal from Crystal Viper and Warrior Path

 listen now