John Dowie - An Arc of Hives

An archive anthology by influential writer and humorist John Dowie, acclaimed by many as Britain's first 'alternative comedian', and an unlikely early signing to Factory Records.

Born in Birmingham in 1950, Dowie might have rivalled John Cooper Clarke as a literate punk poet, but an EP recorded for Virgin in 1977 failed to outsell God Save the Queen. Feted by Tony Wilson of Factory as a new wave Lenny Bruce, Dowie went on to record with Martin Hannett and Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias, before moving on to stage and television work, and finally retiring from stand-up in 1991.

This remastered CD includes all tracks from the original singles released between 1977 and 1981 (including Fac 2 and Fac 19), as well as unreleased demos recorded with the Smirks, Albertos and Fabulous Poodles, plus live stand-up material from 1985. The booklet features detailed liner notes by Stewart Lee, Dave Cohen and James Nice, plus cover art by Ralph Steadman.

Tracklist

1. Acne
2. Idiot
3. Hitler's Liver
4. It's Hard To Be An Egg
5. Mime Sketch
6. British Tourist
7. Jim Callaghan
8. Naked Noolies in the Moonlight
9. I Don't Want To Be Your Amputee
10. Mew Wave
11. Time Warp
12. Snail Tamer
13. Irritation
14. Beer
15. Grounded in Reality
16. Angry Old Men
17. Love You (Like Hell)
18. I'm Here to Entertain You
19. Miserable Childhood
20. Nietzsche
21. No More Fucking