CHAPTER II

Five years later, in 1994, a new label called Primary - run by one of the bands' former managers - traced down the owner of Red Rhino and asked whatever happened to the tapes of those original recordings. A week or so later the answer came that they were still in a cupboard somewhere and nobody had bought the rights when the company went down. A small fee secured them and later in that year, a CD version of "Is Anyone Out There ?" appeared subtitled "The Complete Alaska Sessions" to reflect the three tracks previously not on the vinyl - including the Martin Rushent mix of "Drowning Children".

While putting together the new CD, it soon became clear that Altered States had lived on within the scene, despite having not hit a note since 1989. Many bands (such as Children on Stun and Revolution By Night) quoted Altered States as their principal influence. There was even a magazine called Low Life who had taken their name from the bands' debut single.

It also became obvious to vocalist Yig Hughes that the demand was there for Altered States to go live again. Since the split of the original line-up, Hughes had continued writing and performing, putting together a new band called League of Nations, who had themselves split the year before. With the original rhythm section no longer around, he teamed up with Steve Williams (bass) and Des Connelly (drums - ex Junior Mansion Slags and Creaming Jesus) to complete a new line-up. From the outset it was clear that the new Altered States was not simply going to be its' own covers band but would take the legacy of the original sound on with new material. The new line-up make hit the stage again within a few months at a packed show at The Marquee in December 1994, with three brand new songs already in the set.