New Wave Outpost Forum

Hey all! I'm trying to look for some info on the band Necropolis of Love. I know that their song Talk was the Song of the Week back in late March and April, I believe. I really really like that song and have been trying to find more information on them, but to no avail. Anyone know who these guys are and what happened to them?

I don't know anything about them, but I have their EP recorded to CD-R. I featured another song of theirs called "Done and Gone" a couple years ago, and I think it's even better than "Talk to Me", but the other 3 tracks are more or less average.

Necropolis Of Love hailed from California and consisted of Dave Slave Velasquez (vocals & keyboards), Peter Vinella (keyboards & drum machines) & Bill Zelinski (drums & percussion). They released a few singles in 1983 and then the EP "Hope" in 1984 with some re-recorded versions. The "Hope" EP was recorded at Starlight Sound in Richmond California in June and July 1984. I believe the EP was produced by the same Matt Wallace who produced another great / obscure California 80's band called Monkey Rhythm. Monkey Rhythm's EP was released in 1985 on the famous 415 Records label out of San Francisco who handled bands like Red Rockers etc...The Necropolis Of Love EP is great - if for no other reason than the pure obscurity of the title. California remains one of the best sources for obscure 80's bands that were released on local labels and then vanished.

Some basic corrections and extensions...

I actually played all the guitar parts as well as the keyboards and programing the drums machines.

Matt Wallace became a well-known alternative producer, the biggest probably being Faith No More.

We released Talk twice. The first was released on a French jazz label in 1982(I think). The flip size was a song called Alyssa.

We next released two EP's on our own label over the next two years. The biggest dance hit was a song "Dance", it actually charter well enough to get us a deal with Sire -- I guess that is one of referred to "average" songs.

It funny that Done and Gone seems to be more popular now. The band felt it never really worked with the Cha Cha beat. I still try to rewrite about every two months or so -- a great bridge to the chorus.

Unfortunately, the deal with Sire killed the band. We recorded some great material. However, Sire never released it due to Madonna's Like a Virgin tour and the Talking Heads movie. After a few words, they refused to release the record or terminate the contract prohibiting us from moving to a new label. For that I take full responsibility since I did the contract negotiations.

The band, the music, and the idealism and reality that it represented meant a lot to us at the time and still does.

Fortunately, one of important members of the NOL "family", Kim X, has kept up the tradition with her goth/industrial record label, COP International. I would suggest that anyone who likes NOL such pop over to Kim website and check out the music.

Thanks for the interest. I means a lot.

Peter Vinella

Dave is a DJ in Belgium and Bill stills lives

so... what are the chances of there being any Necropolis Of Love mp3's floating around??? sure would like to hear them again...

I saw them open for Howard Jones on the 1985 Dream Into Action Tour in northern California.