Turn to Red

History

In 1978, Jaz Coleman and Paul Ferguson left Mat Stagger Band to form Killing Joke. In February 1979, they placed an advertisement in the music press which attracted guitarist Kevin "Geordie" Walker and bass guitarist Martin "Youth" Glover. According to Coleman, their manifesto was to "define the exquisite beauty of the atomic age in terms of style, sound and form." The band was formed in June. The first song the band composed was "Are You Receiving?".

In late 1979, they began the Malicious Damage record label with graphic artist Mike Coles as a way to press and sell their music.

An advance of the EP was sent to legendary DJ John Peel, who was keen to champion the band's urgent new sound, and the release received extensive airplay. The band was immediately invited to record a John Peel Session for the BBC on 17 October 1979, which was aired on 29 October.

Release

On 26 October 1979, the EP was officially released in 10" format by Malicious Damage. Melody Maker made it Single of the Week on 10 November 1979. A supportive namecheck by John Lydon in NME secured more interest in the new band.

On 14 December 1979, it was re-released in 7" and 12" format by Island Records, now with "Almost Red" added, a dub remix of the title track.

The Turn to Red release became a collectable for the four scarce "art cards" that were included with the disc in its clear plastic sleeve. The track "Turn to Red" featured a locked groove, repeating the word 'red' infinitely. The building featured on the sleeve is Centre Point in New Oxford Street, London.

Killing Joke quickly developed this sound into something denser, more aggressive and more akin to heavy metal with their debut studio album, Killing Joke.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Killing Joke (Jaz Coleman, Kevin "Geordie" Walker, Martin "Youth" Glover, Paul Ferguson).

Original 10" Release

12" Release

Personnel

; Killing Joke

• Jaz Coleman – Vocals, keyboards, production
• Kevin "Geordie" Walker – Guitar, production
• Martin "Youth" Glover – Bass guitar, production
• Paul Ferguson – Drums, production

; Technical

• Mark Lusardi – engineering
• Jonz – mastering
• Mike Coles – sleeve graphic design

References

References

1. "Music Week".
2. (2001). "Contemporary Musicians. Profiles of the People in Music / Volume 30". Gale Research.
3. Hämäläinen, Jyrki "Spider" (2020). ''Killing Joke: Are You Receiving?'', pp. 19. Milton Keynes: New Haven Publishing. {{ISBN. 978-1912587407.
4. "The Label". maliciousdamage.biz.
5. Adverts in ''[[NME. New Musical Express]]'' Saturday, 27 October 1979 (pages 4, 28, 50 and 73)
6. Bohn, Chris. (10 November 1979). "Singles Reviewed by Chris Bohn".
7. Goldman, Vivien. (8 December 1979). "The Meaning Behind the Moaning".
8. Adverts in ''[[NME. New Musical Express]]'' Saturday, 15 December 1979 (page 38) and ''Melody Maker'' (page 22)