Needle Time

Dead Can Dance - Dead Can Dance [CAD 404 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] The story of early Dead Can Dance is an interesting one.... Anglo-Irish Eastender Brendan Perry emigrated from London to New Zealand with his parents in the mid-seventies before he settled in Melbourne, Australia. There he got into music, playing bass with local punks The Scavengers who went on to have a minor Aussie hit as The Marching Girls . Perry left The Marching Girls to form dark post-punk outfit Dead Can Dance in 1981 when he saw Lisa Gerrard perform live with her messy new wave band Microfilm . The two became a couple and she was invited to join before Dead Can Dance decided on a move to the UK in search of a deal in 1982. Shedding other members in the process, Perry peddled the band's wares to labels such as Mute and Factory before securing a deal with 4AD. This is their debut long player, ripped from a cleaned up original pressing released on 4AD during 1984. Both Perry and Gerrard are among t...

Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead (The Bela Session) [LR 150 EU 2018 24-Bit FLAC] If you just listen to Some Faces you could be forgiven for thinking that Bauhaus were just a seventies power-pop quartet. Bite My Hip is the earliest incarnation of Lagartija Nick , adding value to this EP of out-takes from the original Small Wonder sessions, Boys and Harry have been heard before ...plus of course there is the a-side ....which you should all have already. A1 Bela Lugosi's Dead B1 Some Faces B2 Bite My Hip B3 Harry B4 Boys (Original)

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - This Today [RED 48 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] A compendium of goodies, all ripped from original vinyls by Leeds' Red Lorry Yellow Lorry. ESWA 2.0 followers may want to replace my original rips from July and August 2018 with these much improved files. This Today was essentially a compilation EP, RLYL re-record their first single Beating My Head and tag on their second and third singles to complete a damn fine EP. Enjoy! A1 Beating My Head A2 He's Read B1 Take It All B2 See The Fire Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Hollow Eyes [REDT 52 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] Another Lorry single for fans of big fat throbbing basslines everywhere ... you should have seen them! A1 Hollow Eyes B1 Feel A Piece B2 Russia Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Chance [REDT 55 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] I did post a seven inch rip a few years back on the old blog, so how's about the full-on 12" version. One of the loudest singles ever, Chance bo...

Death Cult - Brothers Grimm [SIT 23T UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Ian Astbury's tribal goths just before they sold sanctuary and broke into rock audiences. Astbury's fascination with North American Indians had already bred a new form of indigenous goth with his Southern Death Cult, followed by a zillion look-a-likes who painted their faces and tied ribbons in their hair looking like a cross between Annabel Lwin and Adam Ant.  A1 Brothers Grimm A2 Ghost Dance B1 Horse Nation B2 Christians

New Order - Grieving In The Shadows [GS 13 DEU 2014 24-Bit FLAC] The last of my short run of NO posts. I regularly see my rip appear on other sites and blogs, so I think I should post it one last time. This is my original warts'n'all rip which first appeared on ESWA in 2014. Grieving In The Shadows is the much sought after misplaced New Order soundboard tape from their first US tour in 1980. The actual recording itself is slightly muffled in places, likely to distorted levels or poor quality tapes used in the transfer. It is not clear as to the lineage of the recording used to make the record, or in fact it's heritage.  The key moment of interest is the unreleased track Hour (named as such in the Gretton notebooks), but you also get to hear early versions of Procession (with what sounds like Stephen Morris on vocals), Dreams Never End , Mesh , and Truth . I do like the ghostly drum machine version of In A Lonely Place , though the final track Ceremony only ...

New Order - Elegia [FAC 580 USA 2012 24-Bit FLAC] The full seventeen minute version of New Order's chilled instrumental Elegia featured on a bootleg EP back in 2012 on the Celebrate Life reissue label, complete with an out-of-sequence FAC number. The track was backed with the Peel Session version of 5-8-6 and oddly The Him from Movement . As with most releases of this nature, expect to hear a more obvious than usual background crackle. A1  Elegia (Full Length Version) B1  5-8-6 (Peel Session) B2  The Him (LP Version)

New Order - Substance [2LP FACT 200 UK 1987 24-Bit FLAC] The first proper New Order greatest hits release, ripped from vinyl in 24-bits of high resolution glory from penguinflight 's mint original pressing. I've never been sure why they felt it necessary to re-record Confusion and Temptatio n for this package and then miss off Procession (relegated as a b-side on the double cd/tape versions), however it sold by the bucket load and this proved to be a huge cash cow for the label, spinning off from the huge hit that was True Faith . A1 Ceremony A2 Everything's Gone Green A3 Temptation B1 Blue Monday B2 Confusion B3 Thieves Like Us C1 Perfect Kiss C2 Subculture C3 Shellshock D1 State Of The Nation D2 Bizarre Love Triangle D3 True Faith

New Order - Temptation [FAC 63 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] Thirty-three rpm seven inch singles are never a great idea, however New Order's debut muddy self-production just adds to the charm. The decision to work without Hannett was to reap significant benefits on the next single, so Temptation was just part of the learning curve ....and it is one of New Order's finest moments.  Many may have not realised that the more common 12" version is a different recording of the song. A1. Temptation B1  Hurt

New Order - Procession [FAC 53 UK 1981 24-Bit FLAC] In many ways the forgotten New Order single, Procession begins with forty seconds of synth strings making it immediately radio unfriendly, it doesn't even get a mention on the band's main Wikipedia page and disappointingly it is a track rarely performed onstage since around the mid-eighties. Importantly, it was the single released as a pre-cursor for the Movement album, it is much more upbeat than most of Movement , plus of course there is the b-side. New Order used to release fantastic b-sides, from In a Lonely Place through Hurt and on to Lonesome Tonight and 1963 , it was an art they quickly abandoned once the remix era of the late eighties arrived. Everything's Gone Green has to be one of the best b-sides ever recorded and the version on the original UK tends to be overlooked as the Benelux version (released two months later as FBNL 8) is the one people know the most. I have never been convinced they w...

New Order - Republic [828 413-1 UK 1993 24-Bit FLAC] I will begin this post by stating Regret is a fabulous single, likely New Order's last great song. I have loved the band since the early eighties, followed them to gigs whenever possible, forgave them for Shellshock and State Of The Nation , and still buy their records (though I often passed on the remixes). Going back to Regret , it is possibly their finest album opener since Age Of Consent , however (and you may have guessed this was coming), I struggle with what is left. The remainder of this album pales into insignificance - this record stopped being a New Order record after track A1 ....if anything this becomes an Electronic album. I am not going to sit here and slag the album off, it is a good pop record with some well crafted tunes, but this is not my New Order. Hooky's book blames Barnie and Stephen Hague (who according to the credits has sneakily become the fifth member of the band) ...perhaps the bea...

Blancmange - Irene & Mavis [7" SELF 1980 UK 24-Bit FLAC] Before they were famous, Blancmange were an experimental electronic duo, who in 1980 released this obscure (and rather rare) six (or is it seven) track 7" EP. Very confusingly, the instructions on the sleeve tell you that tracks 1, 4 and 5 are very interesting if played at 45rpm, whereas the remainder plays at 33rpm. I've decided that the 33rpm is the best speed. It should be worth mentioning that this is not Blancmange in synth-pop mode, but in more of an experimental noise mode with bonus crackle ....plenty of bonus self-released seven inch single crackle. Have a great weekend everybody! A1 Disco-A-Bomb-Bomb A2 Holiday Camp A3 Overspreading Art Genius B1 Concentration Baby B2 Just Another Spectre B3 Modichy In Aneration

Cabaret Voltaire - Live At The YMCA 27-10-79 [ROUGH 7 UK 1980 24-Bit FLAC] It is Saturday 27th October 1979, Cabaret Voltaire play London's Tottenham Court Road YMCA with support from The Passage and The Tiller Boys. Recorded on an old cassette recorder from the back of the hall and mastered onto vinyl, not by some bootlegger but by Rough Trade themselves and then officially released. Don't expect stellar quality in audio, just expect essential early Cabs.  It must have been getting late as at one stage you can hear a chap in the audience discussing his last bus home! A1 Untitled A2 On Every Other Street A3 Nag, Nag, Nag A4 The Set Up B1 Expect Nothing B2 Havoc B3 Here She Comes Now B4 No Escape B5 Baader Meinhof

Revenge - One True Passion [FACT 230 UK 1990 24-Bit FLAC] If you were to digest the recent Hook book, you may be inclined to believe that the former New Order bassmeisters' world was enveloped in two things: class A drugs and his apparent dislike for Stephen Street. Perhaps One True Passion is a reflection of that. I have always thought this album was a muddled affair, over produced and over complicated with just too much going on - if you listen closely there are one or two gems, especially Fag Hag (an inappropriate title if ever) and the closing sentimentality of It's Quiet .  Remember, these are only my opinions, you can (re)decide for yourselves courtesy of my rip of penguinflight's pristine vinyl copy.  This is a reworked and improved version of my September 2017 rip for ESWA 2.0. A1 Pineapple Face A2 Big Bang A3 Kiss The Chrome A4 Slave B1 Bleachman B2 Surf Nazi B3 Fag Hag B4 It's Quiet Revenge - 7 Reasons [12" FAC...

Electronic - Electronic [FACT 290 UK 1991 24-Bit FLAC] Quite possibly the pinnacle of British synth pop, once of course you get over Bernard's rapping on Idiot Country ? Could this (or should this) have really been a New Order album? It does seem to fit quite well between Technique and Republic . Anyway, less of the questions, I'll just let you get on with remembering how you felt when you heard the Electronic album for the very first time. A1 Idiot Country A2 Reality A3 Tighten Up A4 The Patience Of A Saint A5 Gangster B1 Soviet B2 Get The Message B3 Try All You Want B4 Some Distant Memory B5 Feel Every Beat

Clock DVA - Man-Amplified [CONTE 182 ITA 1992 24-Bit FLAC] The third (or is it fourth) incarnation of Clock DVA released a volley of albums and singles on Italy's Contempo label between 1989 and 1993. Man-Amplified was the penultimate and featured the singles Bitstream and Final Program . Adi Newton's complex layered electronica envelops the listener in a blanket of dark waves and prosthetic beats, some of the more uptempo tracks verge on the extremities of house music. A1 Man-Amplifiers A2 Techno Geist A3 Axiomatic And Heuristic A4 NYC Overload B1 Transitional Voices B2 Bitstream B3 Fractalize B4 Final Program Please excuse the light crackle and surface noise in places. This is due to a pressing flaw on on the vinyl and I have attempted to minimalise this without further affecting audio quality.

Six Sed Red ‎- Shake It Right [SIR 4059(T) UK UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] Whilst we are on a brief Cabaret Voltaire thing, Six Sed Red were Rick Holliday - former B-Movie keyboardist and Marc Almond's chum Cindy Ecstasy. There is no doubt this  heavy dance floor monster of a track would have faded into obscurity much quicker without the production skills of Flood and Cabaret Voltaire. Released as a 12" only it was never going to launch a chart assault, but the mixology skills of Sheffield's finest move Shake It Right from a long deleted vague memory into the realms of a highly collectible gem.  For Rob. A1 Shake It Right B1 Bang 'Em Right This is a re-worked and improved version of my original September 2016 blog post.

Wrangler - White Glue [MEME 16VA04 UK 2016 24-Bit FLAC] I would freely admit that if it wasn't for the involvement of Steve Mallinder, I probably wouldn't own any Wrangler albums. I have them both but decided to pass on all the remixes which have followed since. In fact they haven't produced much new since White Glue but have at last announced some live dates for October 2019 so perhaps something is in the pipeline?  For fans of analogue synths and Cabaret Voltaire ...everywhere. Enjoy! A1 Alpha Omega A2 Stupid A3 Clockwork A4 Dirty B1 Stop B2 Real Life B3 Days B4 Colliding

Cabaret Voltaire ‎– #7885 (Electropunk To Technopop 1978 - 1985) [CABS 26 UK 2014 24-Bit FLAC] I am experimenting (with some trepidation) with a new set-up for my rips and after a lot of trial & error, I think I may have cracked it. The lineage of this rip is in the archive and going forward this will be the same for new rips. I still have quite a few old rips to split and package using my old hardware and these will be indicated using the old lineage. I acquired this mint condition (still sealed) copy of the Cabs greatest hits compilation a week ago. It was released a few years back following on from a Cabaret Voltaire reissue campaign. Whilst I am not the biggest fan of 'best of' compilation albums, it gave me the chance to work with a few old favourite singles on new vinyl rather than my old scratched up, well worn original copies. It is unclear on what digital mastering was used on the old analogue tracks by Mute, however they do sound sharp & detailed....

Cabaret Voltaire - Yashar [FACX 14 USA/CAN 1983 24-Bit FLAC] A record which likely needs little introduction to most. John Robie's reconstruction of Cabaret Voltaire's tribal classic Yashar in its full 24-bit glory. I possess both the UK version (FAC 82) and this Canadian pressing for Of Factory New York and after a few rough attempts at a clean rip of my well worn UK pressing (as posted on ESWA in 2016), I deferred to this and I am quite pleased how this rip worked out. A1 Yashar B1 Yashar

Cabaret Voltaire - NagNagNag 2002 Remixes [L12 NOMU103 UK 2002 24-Bit FLAC] Nag Nag Nag regurgitated into two modern day techno mixes just for the hell of it ....what does it all mean? The a-side is very much an uptempo cover version underpinned by samples of Richard H. Kirk's guitar lifted from the original, whereas the b-side mix is more in the microbot style, tapering out into what I can only describe as a lounge mix. Some of you will love this, many others will just look away in disgust. A1 NagNagNag (Tiga & Zyntherius Full Version) B1 NagNagNag (Akufen's Karaoke Slam Mix)

Carlos Perón - Impersonator II [BIAS 116 BEL 1988 24-Bit FLAC] The long departed third member of Yello, Carlos Perón's fifth album was a record of two very different sides. The a-side was based around heavy techno beats and subject matters much aligned with the minds of Jim Thirwell and Alain Jourgensen. The b-side is much more experimental non-easy listening and if you listen closely you may likely hear the occasional vocals from Dieter Meier. If anybody has an original vinyl copy of the 1981 album Impersonator I , I'd love to hear it. I have the 2006 CD reissue however the mastering is far too loud. Impersonator II is ripped for you in 24-bits from Penguinflight 's immaculate copy. Enjoy. A1 A Dirty Song A2 The Hate Song A3 10.000 Zippers A4 Commando IV (Video Mix) A5 Genau 1 B1 Here We Go Folks (STP Version) B2 Galadiner With Boris The Vampyr B3 Popt In Riga (Vodka Mix) B4 Happy New Year B5 Genau II

Bill Nelson ‎– Savage Gestures For Charms Sake [JCM 3 UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Here’s another from Bill, the very atmospheric instrumental album, Savage Gestures For Charms Sake . I posted this a few months back to another site, so don't think many ESWA followers will have this rip. This is the last of my current Bill rips, I will get around to the rest of my Bill stuff ....eventually. A1 The Man In The Rexine Suit A2 Watching My Dream Boat Go Down In Flames A3 The Meat Room B1 Narcosis B2 Another Happy Thought (Carved For Ever In Your Cortex) B3 Portrait Of Jan With Moon And Stars

Bill Nelson – Getting The Holy Ghost Across [PRT 26602 UK 1986 24-bit FLAC] Another from one of the world's greatest living Yorkshire men. Bill is also one of the worlds most prolific recording artists and still records and performs (rarely) these days. His career encompasses nearly all possible genres from prog rock to punk and new wave, from art rock to pub rock, from synthpop to ambient experiments and atmospheric soundtracks, there is something for everybody.  For me, though I do also have a few earlier Be Bop Deluxe albums and the Red Noise LP, it's the run of early-mid eighties synthpop albums. Contemplation  is just a great song to grow old to! Mick Karn doesn't feature on the sleeve credits so I assume not the record, but the influence from his work with Bill on Chimera is readily apparent. A1 Suvasini A2 Contemplation A3 Theology A4 Wildest Dreams A5 Lost In Your Mystery B1 Rise Like A Fountain B2 Age Of Reason B3 The Hidden Flame B...

Bill Nelson - Rooms With Brittle Views [TWI 013 BEL 1980 24-Bit FLAC] Bill's debut solo single post-Red Noise, pre-Cocteau Records was also his only for Les Disques Du Crépuscule. This superb crackly low-fidelity synthetic pop follows on from where Red Noise left off however for me it's the experimental guitar and synth noise of Dada Guitare which steals the show. This classic Benoît Hennebert sleeve comes in two varieties, my copy features a female model. A1 Rooms With Brittle Views B1 Dada Guitare

Bill Nelson ‎– The Love That Whirls (Diary Of A Thinking Heart) [WHIRL 2 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] It seems we may well appreciate a bit of Bill around here. I ripped this set from my almost mint copy nearly four years ago but never actually got around to posting it, so here you go. This prolific Yorkshireman has produced many fine albums, The Love That Whirls bridges the gap between his art-rock periods and his more commercial work ( Chimera and Getting The Holy Ghost Across ) showing off his new found mastery of the synthesizer.  The October Man will stand out to most. Bill still performs the track during rare live performances, however he has rocked it up a bit. My copy contains an extra album, La Belle Et La Bete (Beauty And The Beast) which was recorded at the Echo Observatory (Yorkshire) in January 1982 for the Yorkshire Actors Company production of Jean Cocteau's film. I have been a tad lazy with the bonus album and left it complete as per each side of the record a...

Bill Nelson – Chimera [MERB 19 UK 1983 24Bit/48kHZ FLAC] Chimera is Bill Nelson’s synth-pop album, but with rather less emphasis on the pop when compared to luminaries such as Paul Haig and Thomas Dolby. Art-rock influences remain strong throughout with contributions and synths from members of YMO. The late ex-Japan bass genius Mick Karn adds his un-fretted melodies to one track, the complex Glow World . For catchy synth-pop, Nelson gets it spot on with the single Acceleration and a perfect chorus hook which just sticks in your head. Then there is the majestic Another Day, Another Ray Of Hope which closes the album. New Order-style emulators pump out Temptation -style rhythms drenched in washes of synth string melodies and bowed guitar, then Bill’s lyrics really make you sit up and listen. I was just seventeen when I first heard this album (bought off the back of the Acceleration single), but I probably wasn’t old enough to truly appreciate it. This is synth-pop for grown ...

Scritti Politti - 4 'A-Sides' [RT 027 UK 1979 24-Bit FLAC] If anybody has any idea what on earth Green is singing about on this EP or in fact any of his early songs, then answers on a postcard please. Musically these four tracks are sharper than anything which went before. Green's jagged guitar riffing is almost funky (in a Josef K kinda way), however the time signature changes are more akin to your average seventies prog album ...perhaps it's more pronk . The closing track on the flip,  P.A.s  still stands after all these years. A1 Bibbly-O-Tek A2 Doubt Beat B1 Confidence B2 P.A.s

Scritti Politti ‎- Work In Progress [SCRIT 2 UK 1979 24-Bit FLAC] The second Scritti Politti single was essentially a self-released pressing of their first John Peel radio session. The band followed this with a four track twelve inch EP and then began work on their debut long player in 1979, however Gartside fell ill and returned to his native Wales from the Camden squat. Whilst convalescing, he lost interest in the punk ethic and began an appreciation of soul music. The rest of the band chose not to stick around.  A1 Messthetics A2 Hegemony B1 Scritlocks Door B2 OPEC-Immac

Scritti Politti ‎- Skank Bloc Bologna [SCRIT 1 UK 1978 24-Bit FLAC] Post-punk obtuse squat dub from the original Scritti Politti line up of Tom Morley, Nial Jinks and Green Gartside, ripped from an original self-released debut 7" single. A1 Skank Bloc Bologna B1 Is And Ought The Western World B2 28 / 8 / 78

Talking Heads - Houses In Motion [SIR 4050T UK 1981 24-Bit FLAC] A new 2019 rip ...and quite topical at the moment. Here is a totally random Talking Heads single, taken from my favourite TH album, Houses In Motion evidences that the band had certainly found a groove when compared to earlier pre-1980 releases. Great stuff! A1 Houses In Motion (Special Re-Mixed Version) B1 Air B2 Houses In Motion (Live Unedited Version) Grace Jones didn't turn up for this session, as well!

J ah Wobble, Jaki Liebezeit, Holger Czukay - How Much Are They? [12WIP 6701 UK 1981 24-Bit FLAC] The bonding of dub and bass collaborator-at-large, Jah Wobble and the ex-members of Can was a stroke of genius. Four dub heavy workouts of which the brooding Trench Warfare stands out. Put this in your pipe  ...and smoke it. A new 2019 rip. A1 How Much Are They? A2 Where's The Money? B1 Trench Warfare B2 Twilight World

Prince Far I / Singers & Players - Virgin [ON-U DP1 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] Another On-U Sound 10" dub-plate ...actually this was the very first. On-U house band Singers & Players team up with the voice of thunder , Prince Far I for the harsh a-side backed by the gentle soft tones on Bim Sherman for the aa-side. Just one year following release, Far I was gunned down. Look inside the archive and you might also find a classic John Peel session from 1978 featuring Far I and the superb Creation Rebel. A1  Virgin AA  Danger

The Motorcycle Boy - Big Rock Candy Mountain [RTT 210 1987 24-Bit FLAC] When Shop Assistants signed for a major, front-girl Alex teamed up with former members of Creation act Meat Whiplash to become Motorcycle Boy. This Peel favourite was released in 1987, before they too got a deal with Chrysalis Records. The rush to sign post-C86 bands was at its peak around the time and Chrysalis failed with every act they signed.  An album, Scarlet was recorded and set for release in 1989, however corporate pressures resulted in the record being removed from the release schedule and Motorcycle Boy were dropped just after a couple of singles. I know that won't put you off .... Big Rock Candy Mountain is a true gem of a single from a great era in indie-pop. Check out the Del Shannon cover on the flip. Enjoy! A1 Big Rock Candy Mountain (Velocity Dance Mix) B1 Room At The Top B2 His Latest Flame B3 Big Rock Candy Mountain

Shop Assistants - Safety Net [AGARR 112 UK 1986 24-Bit FLAC] You can trace the growth of the mid-eighties indie pop phenomena to Scotland, there were so many bands and I lapped them up, buying everything I could get my hands on. Most of those old singles were sold off about twenty years ago, but thankfully penguinflight had this gem in his boxes. This was the last Shop Assistants single before they went major ....and then very quickly indie again. A1 Safety Net B1 Almost Made It B2   Somewhere In China

The Lorries - Crawling Mantra [RED T76 UK 1987 24-Bit FLAC] Those who follow my rips on the ESWA 2.0 site will recall that I have ripped most of the worthy Red Lorry Yellow Lorry singles. The band became The Lorries for just one final Red Rhino single before jumping over to Situation Two Records, here it is ...the brooding and powerful Crawling Mantra , released as a four track EP. A1 Crawling Mantra A2 All The Same B1 Hang Man B2 Shout At The Sky (Live)

Killing Joke - Follow The Leaders [EGMDX 1.01 UK 1981 24-Bit FLAC] Ripped from penguinflight's immaculate original 10" single at an ear crushing volume .....the needle was almost jumping out of the groove at times! The dub version was a particular favourite at goth discotheques in the early/mid-eighties. A1 Follow The Leaders B1 Follow The Leaders (Dub) B2 Tension

A Certain Ratio - To Each... [FACT 35 UK 1981 24-Bit FLAC] There are two myths about To Each ... one unproven, possibly true and the other totally false myth that ACR were a bunch of Nazi's. The latter was based upon the imagery used on the inner gatefold sleeve depicting Nazi generals, however the music journalists who were quick to shout nazi clearly missed the superimposed photograph of Donald Johnson peering down from the window above. Those very same scribes were also foolishly to claim that a certain ratio of Jewish blood from one of Hitler's own speeches was the reasoning behind the band's name. Thankfully we all know better. The second myth is that Eastern Artists (E.A.R.S.) studio engineer Bruce Gerstein (or a studio cleaner in another version) zero'd all the levels on the desk before the album master tape was captured, resulting in Martin Hannett having to rework everything back at Strawberry in Stockport. This story is more enduring and highly possi...