Nocturnal Emissions

Originally self-released in 1985 for Sterile Records, 'SOLAR' is the Nocturnal Emission's most successful album ever. The release is marking the end of a period of more "conventional" songwriting and instrument use for Nocturnal Emissions. The first couple of albums were brooding, bleak affairs that called to mind a more sedate version of SPK. Then came a few albums that were firmly song-dominated. 'SOLAR' was the last of the bunch, and was the most explicitly "message"-oriented and political. "Songs of Love and Revolution" was a big step forward for the band, having a full colour cover and turning the NE sound further towards electronic pop music. Classics such as "No Sacrifice" and "Never give up" have made this an essential album for every fan of electronic music. As Nigel himself reminds, they were buying lots of equipment at the time and seemed to have naturally acquired some skill over the years so they thought, ‘Let’s make some pop music.' He continues: "The Miners’ Strike was on and there were riots down our street in Brixton. I was convinced there was going to be a revolution. But it would probably have been quite unpleasant. All these old punks and hippies preaching revolution, I don’t think we were really prepared to live with the consequences. If we actually had a revolution in this country, it would be like Iraq or something, or Syria. But we were having horrible times with Thatcher. All we could do in that sort of milieu was imagine what the alternative would be like."