Since before he was able to play an instrument, Martin Newell was messing around with home-recordings. Having grown up in the Far East, at age 13, Newell returned to England with a little 3-inch spool tape-recorder and his first guitar. At age 14, he wrote his first song, not knowing any chords. He continued to write songs throughout his teens and into his 20s, when he purchased a Sony reel-to-reel recorder and 12-string guitar. It is this early, open approach to songwriting that led Newell to work with a wide variety of musicians, to record in beautiful studios and to form many projects such as Cleaners from Venus and Brotherhood of Lizards.
However, it was also this early approach to songwriting and recording that led him to find that he was often happiest when recording by himself, with minimal equipment. As Newell often says, “Actually, I preferred the demos.”
Having upgraded himself from reel-to-reel to a Tascam Pocketstudio, thus digitizing some of his archaic recording knowledge, Martin Newell set out to begin home recording again. The tracks on this collection are from 2010 to mid-2014. Some are recordings loosely based on movie themes and soundtracks for imaginary films. Some are instrumentals from a collection called The Late District while others are from a recent album Return to Bohemia, which saw a small release in England. This recent resurgence in creative strength, along with the success and newfound popularity of Cleaners from Venus, have all led up to Teatime Assortment. Think of it as a “Best of New Newell.”
A true wordsmith, Newell himself has puts it simply: “If you’re the sort of person who likes this kind of thing, then this is the sort of thing you’ll probably like.”
Today, orders start shipping out for The Off White Album reissue, Martin Newell’s acclaimed 1995 release. A longtime fan of French music, he sought the same quality on this record – with the vocal riding at the top of the mix,…
Today, Captured Tracks, Sharp Film and Larson Media have launched a Kickstarter campaign for the forthcoming documentary, The Jangling Man, the untold story of Cleaners From Venus’ Martin Newell. Though it would be wrong to say Newell is an “unknown”,…
Today we’re joining Bandcamp again in waiving our revenue share on all digital purchases from our current roster. To add to the fun, we’re also releasing Before That, This, a brand new compilation of demos featuring Captured Tracks artists with…
Produced by XTC’s Andy Partridge (who also plays most of the drums), Martin Newell’s first solo album, The Greatest Living Englishman, was hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as a rock classic upon release. Originally released in 1993, it has all the hooks and melodies of Cleaners…
Our love for Cleaners From Venus’ Martin Newell is neverending. That’s why we’re so happy to announce that we are reissuing the sole album by The Stray Trolleys, a/k/a Newell’s band before he formed the Cleaners from Venus. Barricades and…
The inimitable Martin Newell has now taken over the posting reins on the Cleaners From Venus / Martin Newell Facebook Page! He’s sharing his thoughts, his wits and his rarities. We’re just giving you a heads up so you don’t miss…
