Today we’re meeting the jangling man, Martin Newell, a songwriter, poet and author – sometimes referred to as “the godfather of lo-fi music”. In the early 1980s, Martin began recording perfect pop songs under the name The Cleaners From Venus. Releasing albums on tape cassette and spreading through fanzine culture, his early work was later reissued in the 2010s by US label Captured Tracks.
Quintessentially English in subject matter and undeniably melodic in production, for many Martin Newell is a missing link in the chain of popular music – a vital outlier and a testament to doing it yourself.
You can support Martin’s music here:
https://thecleanersfromvenus.
You purchase his book ‘The Home Recording Handbook’ here:
https://thecleanersfromvenus.
Featured songs:
1. Corridor Of Dreams
2. Neo City (by Plod)
3. Hole In My Shoe (by Traffic)
4. Rockaliser Baby (by The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band)
5. Wivenhoe Bells ii
6. Skateboard Stars
7. Drowning Butterflies
8. Only A Shadow
9. Alone Again Naturally (by Gilbert O’Sullivan)
10. Incident In A Greatcoat
Episode Credits:
Presented & Produced by Danny Carroll
Graphic Design by Loreana Rushe
