"Easy Listening for the Hard of Hearing" by Frank Tovey (also known as Fad Gadget), an experimental album that was indeed a product of Tovey's avant-garde approach to electronic music. Released in 1981, it was recorded at Blackwing Studios in London, and its reputation has grown as one of the more unique and audacious releases in the early 80s industrial scene.
The album is essentially a chaotic mix of disembodied, rhythmic noise, with elements of industrial sounds, distortion, and found object percussion. The imagery you mention—such as the album cover, which features a bleeding pigeon in a deliberately exaggerated and fake manner—is just as strange as the music inside, with the presentation purposefully challenging the listener’s expectations of what “music” should be.
On this record, Tovey and his collaborator Alan Rice (of the experimental project Non) create a dense collage of sounds. There's little structure or melody—just the clanking of metal, scraping, and brutal use of everyday objects. The music is more about sound manipulation and texture than anything remotely resembling conventional songs. It's an album that pushes the boundaries of noise and industrial music, yet retains a dark, almost hypnotic quality.
The fact that it was so far outside of the mainstream, both musically and conceptually, may explain why it struggled to find a wider audience when it was first released. Its dissonance and abrasive, chaotic nature were certainly not accessible to the average listener. However, for those into experimental electronic music, it became a seminal piece of the genre, showcasing Tovey's fearless approach to sonic exploration.
The comparison of the album to "one-upmanship for the deaf" humorously sums up the challenge of listening to Easy Listening for the Hard of Hearing. It is an album that doesn’t adhere to any traditional structures or expectations, instead offering a raw, visceral experience. It’s about immersing yourself in the noise, the textures, and the emotion behind the sounds, rather than seeking melody or rhythm in the usual sense.
In retrospect, Easy Listening for the Hard of Hearing is regarded as an important moment in the development of industrial and experimental music. Though it didn't achieve immediate commercial success, it’s appreciated today for its audacity and its influence on future generations of noise musicians, industrial acts, and avant-garde artists.
