Needle Time

Clock DVA - Advantage [POLS 1082 UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] This is a re-working of the original album rip from my Advantage Plus post on ESWA many moons ago. I've cleaned things up to my new standards, re-balanced the channels and removed the occasional click or two before resampling to 24/48. Advantage is very much a concept album, like a film noir tribute to avantgarde jazz, with funk overtones and experimental soundscapes to which Newton's gravelly tones are incredibly well suited. It's not as good as Thirst , but is more accessible and represents a delve into Newton's dark, and occasionally twisted conscious. Advantage was recorded with a different band to Thirst after the original DVA abandoned Newton en masse to become The Box. Apart from a brief reissue on Contempo in Italy in the early nineties, this classic album still awaits a re-release. The associated singles will follow..... For Beautiful Losers everywhere. A1 Tortured Heroine A2 Beautiful...

Prince - The Black Album [9362-45793-1 UK 1994 24-Bit FLAC] Originally unreleased as a vinyl album in 1987 (WX 147). My association with The Black Album goes back to before its release and a pre-release cassette offered up by a WEA rep at my suburban chain store as the album was pre-sold into retailers before Christmas 1987. A week before release The Purple One pulled the album and insisted that the label destroy all copies. Obviously not all were destroyed and on his next visit I enquired with that same rep who revealed a box of about 12 copies in pristine condition, which were obviously going to be offered up as leverage to persuade retail buyers to increase the orders on other WEA product! ...after all suburban Surrey was a long way from Minneapolis.  Following the application of a small "Promotional Copy - Not For Resale" sticker, I had a copy of the vinyl. That record is long gone as I was forced to liquidate chunks of my collection during the cash strappe...

Moon Duo - Stars Are The Light [SBR-228 USA 2019 24-Bit FLAC] I will never declare openly any kind of appreciation for modern stoner rock, however by blending their trippy beats with warm shades of mellow euphoria, Moon Duo unleashed a cracker of an album in 2019. Stars Are The Light was their seventh album and with a lot of help from Sonic Boom, I'd stick my neck out and say it is their best. Judge for yourselves.... A1 Flying A2 Stars Are The Light A3 Fall (In Your Love) A4 The World And The Sun B1 Lost Heads B2 Eternal Shore B3 Eye 2 Eye B4 Fever Night

A Primary Industry - Ultramarine [SAX 015 UK 1986 24-Bit FLAC] When I was working with the files which became my recent Dif Juz post, the similarities between that album and Ultramarine by A Primary Industry became highly evident. Again a mostly instrumental record, it is the arrangements and drum patterns which stick out. I decided that new improved rip for the end of 2019 was needed, so please consider this as a major upgrade to my ESWA blog post from March 2015. There is a tiny foreign object embedded in the vinyl grooves of Body Blow which should only now be noticeable to those using headphones as I was able to work on the resultant pops in detail with Audition. A Primary Industry left us with a sweetly crafted mix of bass heavy indie-funk, noisy feedback guitars, an ethereal female voice and a distant sax before their final release, a cover of Blondie's Heart Of Glass ...they were eventually to metamorphosize into electro-knob-twiddling pioneers Ultramarine. Th...

Ssleeping DesiresS - Ssleeping DesiresS [OS 26 BEL 2015 24-Bit FLAC] Ssleeping DesiresS hail from San Francisco, California and is the solo project of local musician Gabriel Ramos with occasional help from Mona Martinez on vocals. Oddly this, their only full album proper was picked up by a Belgian label, although other recordings are available on locally distributed CDr and download. If you love cold electronica underpinned with solemn melodies then this album will be right up your street. This is really rather good. Enjoy! A1 Interior Lives A2 We Need A3 Impasse A4 Piece With Bells B1 Labor B2 Figures B3 Preservation B4 Years In Repair More about this band here

Shakti - Verboden Dromen [STREP 028 BEL 2019 24-Bit FLAC] Jos Borremans, Maurice Engelen and Cornelia Van Lierop are, on the face of it, just ordinary Flemish sounding names, however when they became Jade 4 U, Praga Khan and Shakti they were responsible for some of the nineties biggest dance records.  Before all the success, they released a few dark wave dance singles as Shakti which are all very rare and now very collectible. Stroom Records have done a great job here, compiling those singles and other rarities into a fine album of early Belgian techno. As their sound progressed, they added influences from the east, with a particular highlights being The Awakening with its heavy tribal beats, which was a b-side to the Forbidden Dreams single and the seductive Kamasutra . Enjoy! A1 That Boy A2 Forbidden Dreams A3 The Awakening A4 The Early Train B1 Rainbows B2 Kamasutra B3 Demonic Forces B4 Shanah

A Certain Ratio - Dirty Boy (Massey Mix) [12 MUTE 599 UK 2019 24-Bit FLAC] You may recall that I don't normally do remixes, however tempted with the rather limited two colour pressing, I parted with my twenty quid. I'm not too sure why we had to be tortured once more by those Electronic remixes of Shack Up (originally on Creation Records), however the A-side tracks are pretty damn funky... overlaid with Barry Adamson vocals and Tony Wilson samples. I think the two versions of ACR's cover of Houses In Motion which feature on ACR:BOX would have been a much better fit. I'm getting used to how my relatively new Ortofon Quintet moving coil cartridge handles the low-end frequencies. There is a greater depth and warmth to original vinyl pressings from the eighties and backwards, however on these modern masterings, the bass is truly fat! A1 Dirty Boy (Massey Mix) A2 Dirty Boy (Nine In The Afternoon Mix B1 Shack Up (Work Mix) B2 Shack Up (Wipe Out Mix)

Lhasa ‎- Acetabularia [DE-247 USA 2019 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released as a twelve inch single on Glasnost Records in Belgium during 1989, expanded here into a mini-album courtesy of the Dark Entries label. From the dark & dirty world of Belgo-German new beat and its transition into techno music come Lhasa, who released four singles between 1989 and 1991. A1 Acetabularia A2 Acetatechno A3 Into The Desert B1 Gather Like Dust B2 Premonition B3 The Call

Mind Enhanced Waves - M.E.W. Vol.2 [MEW 002 LUX 2019 24-Bit FLAC] If you found and enjoyed Volume 1 on these pages a few weeks back, this one is definitely for you. Volume 2 from  Luxembourgoise electronic protagonists, Mind Enhanced Waves is even better. Their signature blend of modern electronica, guitar riff rock and eighties cop show soundtracks is still there, however more krautrock influences blend into the mix, forming what is a bloody good listen and one of my albums of the year! Enjoy! A1 Hawke A2 Meet Me At Paulie's A3 FT1975 A4 Time Travel Part 1 A5 Mad Mach B1 Time Travel Part 2 B2 Profondo Giallo B3 The Theft B4 End Of The Runway B5 M.E.W.

Various Artists - SNX [4x LP + 7" Boxset HAWAI 006 FRA 1985 24-Bit FLAC] subtitled The Entomology Of Tomorrow's Music I first posted this amazing set back in December 2015 on ESWA. I've resampled it all down to 24/48 for those who missed it first time around ....or maybe some just want to save some disc space by replacing my original files from 2015. So, here is three and a half hours of minimalist synth and experimental electronica from all over the globe, compiled into one high quality package. A huge thank you to pennguinflight for sending down his boxset for ripping. Pull up a chair, plug in your device, turn up the volume an extra notch or two and immerse yourself in this. A1  The Tom And Marty Band - Algiers A2  Metropakt - Neuen Strassen A3  Marina La Palma - Hong-Kong Shoes A4  Influenza Prods. - Pretty City A5  Oksana Linde - Mariposas Acuaticas B1  Kastrierte Philosophen - Gun Beat Babes I B2   Short-Term Memory - G...

Bella Vista - Mister Wong [ISLE 006 AUS 2019 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released as a seven inch single in France only during 1982. Australian reissue label Isle Of Jura came up with this rare gem a few months back. Bella Vista was a one off project from Michel Esteban, one of the founders of seminal New York Disco/Electro/New Wave label ZE Records.   Mister Wong is a obscure pop oddity that grooves away somewhere between kitsch French disco and New York left-field synth-pop in three mixes, included an extended reworking by the Australian label themselves.  A1 Mister Wong A2 Mister Wong (Disco Dub) B1 Mister Wong (Disco Dub - Jura Soundsystem Extended Edit)

Counterfeit - The Good Samaritan [CRE 068T UK 1989 24-Bit FLAC] When Creation Records moved away from grinding indie guitars towards a more dance focused repertoire they lost that hardcore who bought everything on the label. Counterfeit were a British three piece synthpop act who only managed one single, The Good Samaritan which should appeal to those who appreciate mid-period New Order and Depeche Mode. After this, they were gone ...I can only assume onto better things! A1 The Good Samaritan B1 Four Years

B·F·G ‎- The Higher E.P. [ATT 003 UK 1987 24-Bit FLAC] Likely the best single by Manchester's B·F·G in 24-bit FLAC also appeared on the Fathoms album, however here it is as part of the original four track EP. If you overlook the slightly muddy production, it is a great track for pounding away at any eighties goth disco in much the same vein as The Sisters Of Mercy, Rose Of Avalanche and The Mission did back then. Firefly on the b-side may well owe much more to Joy Division than any of those Yorkshire bands. A1 Higher Than Heaven A2 No Two Things B1 Firefly B2 Back To Front

Bernard Herrmann ‎- Taxi Driver (Original Soundtrack Recording) [MOVLP 492 UK 2019 24-Bit FLAC] Is it some fluke that most of my very favourite movies feature Robert De Niro?  ...I am not talking about The Fockers or any of those other comedy spin-offs, gimme Raging Bull , Once Upon A Time In America , Angel Heart , Casino and a whole wrath of others instead. No better place to kick off any major De Niro viewing marathon than with one, his very best as with a superb jazz soundtrack composed by Bernard Herrmann. I'm no fan of the Music On Vinyl label but they've done a decent job with the mastering to yellow vinyl, although the usual low frequency noise (which seems to be their trademark) during the fades will be apparent to those using headphones. Everybody else can just enjoy..... A1 Theme From Taxi Driver A2 I Work The Whole City A3 Betsy In A White Dress A4 The Days Do Not End A5 Reprise: Theme From Taxi Driver B1 Diary Of A Taxi Driver B2 Theme ...

Normil Hawaiians - The Beat Goes On [TUX 13 UK 1980 24-Bit FLAC] I am resisting the temptation to re-rip a load of older rips using my new set-up - I just don't have the time! Anyway, I just couldn't resist a new high resolution rip of this post-punk classic from crusty punks Normil Hawaiians from my crackly old seven inch.   The Beat Goes On was released on the excellent Dining Out label which was essentially a fore runner to Illuminated Records, a singalong cover of Heaven from Eraserhead snuck its way unannounced on to b-side to avoid any royalties. A1 The Beat Goes On B1 Ventilation B2 Heaven

Various Artists - Folie Distinguée : Alternative Funk [VM 1 FRA 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Low fidelity funk for lovers of low fidelity indie-funk electronica, here is a fine compilation released back in 1985 on French label Vox Man Records. Most of the artists herein only ever appeared on tape compilations back then and quickly disappeared from view, however there is no filler - just fourteen lost gems from unusual artists like Dee Nasty, Tranquil Eyes (who I have featured in depth before), The Psyclones and Vox Populi! The Metropakt track jumps out for me with its Cabaret Voltaire feel and Vox Populi! & Man bow their collective heads to clear influences from the Cabs and A Certain Ratio on Alternative Fresh .  Pick your favourite! A1 S. Noel & J. C. Utz - Money Money A2 Randal Kennedy - Smith's Room A3 Dee Nasty - Orientic Groove A4 From Raushenberg - About Fritz A5 Scoop! - Asphalt Zombie A6 Tranquil Eyes - Fitness School B1 Process Blue - Contr...

Albert Alan Owen - Following The Light [AS 1029 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] Ripped from an original 1982 pressing, here is the classic Following The Light by British composer Albert Alan Owen. The charity shop find is actually very rare and I did not linger in offering a tenner for this beautiful work of modern classical music for piano, electronic keyboards and violin. After a good clean up, the results are a joy to behold and hopefully will be appreciated by all. There is also a 2019 remastered pressing available on French label Libreville Records which should be snapped up if found. The music is in three parts, each section following on from the last and building on a simple yet gorgeous melody. Enjoy. A1 Following The Light, Part 1 B1 Following The Light, Part 2 B2 Following The Light, Part 3

Dif Juz - Who Says So? [RFM 24 UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Between releases as part of the 4AD roster, Dif Juz released Who Says So? on the Red Flame label in 1983. I never acquired a copy back then, consequently it was been on my 'wants list' for quite some time. I was delighted to pick up this mint copy recently with the assistance of some blog donations. Unwisely overlooked since release, this album is another mostly instrumental journey through the jazz-punk experimental creativity of this remarkable band who retired from music in 1986. Surprisingly Who Says So? has never seen a reissue and good copies are difficult to find. This platter was a joy to rip using my new set-up as the Cambridge CXA-81 (What Hi-Fi? 2019 award winner) handles the frequency ranges output from the turntable and pre-amp in crystal clarity without distortion and treats all the lows, highs and mids with full respect. If you listen closely, you can hear studio chatter between some tracks. It is a...

Felt - Primitive Painters [12 CHERRY 89 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] I ripped this a while ago from penguinflight 's boxes of delights but I am not sure I ever posted it. We have already covered Felt in full over on the old ESWA blog with the help of blog contributor, Steve, however this is my rip to 24/48 and I think it sounds great. Lawrence and the band team up with Elizabeth Fraser on vocals and Robin Guthrie on production, six gorgeous minutes of Cocteau'ish washes of sound and other ethereal delights. John Leckie produced the more psychedelic b-side. A1 Primitive Painters B1 Cathedral

Felt - The Splendour Of Fear [AW-25046 JPN 1984 24-Bit FLAC] I don't know if anybody else struggles with too much of Lawrence's voice, perhaps as it is mostly an instrumental record,  The Splendour Of Fear is my favourite Felt album. That aside, I believe everybody should have a favourite Felt album. Here is my 24-bit rip of the rare original Japanese pressing featuring two additional tracks not on the UK original. The inclusion of Penelope Tree sounds just a little out of place as it as an older more upbeat track, but it is still a fabulous single which was not released in Japan. Maurice Deebank is surely one of the best guitarists of his generation, Mancunian mop-top Marr gets too much credit however the Felt guitarist is right up there in my opinion ...plus if it was not for Deebank then I would bet that Lawrence would still be painfully strumming away in his bedroom. This album pressing brings out the best of his work as John A. Rivers understated production po...

52nd Street - Look Into My Eyes [FAC 59 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] From Miami to Manchester! The youthful sound of the streets from a dismal, rainy and grey northern powerhouse, I bring you the debut single by 52nd Street produced by A Certain Ratio's Donald Johnson, with Simon Topping on percussion and recorded at Revolution Studios in Cheadle. 52nd Street were to change line up and find commercial success as a modern soul act on Ten Records during the late eighties, however their very best work was always going to be those early Factory singles. This is a top-notch new 24-bit rip for December 2019, I'm sure I have only ever ripped this badly to 16-bit on ESWA many years ago. A1  Look Into My Eyes B1  Express

Azwon - Paradise Island [PMD 01 UK 2019 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released as a rarer than hen's teeth seven inch single on JBF Records in 1980. A less than subtle change in direction ripped from an already deleted twelve inch reissue pressing of some extremely rare disco-funk by Miami's Azwon. Like a smoochy and kitsch seventies American TV soap, Paradise Island is a journey out of the earliest disco broken by one the best bassline breaks ever recorded. The band reworked the track in 2018, adding even more smooch, ramping up their latino beat and making that bassline break even better.  A1 Paradise Island B1 Paradise Island (Revisited) B2 Fair Weather Friend My 500th rip for Needle Time.... enjoy!

David J - Joe Orton's Wedding [SIT 26T UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] How about the other one from Bauhaus, you know the quiet one with the tinted shades and bass guitar? His solo debut was an odd affair and not well received. This psychedelic tribute to Joe Orton was a prelude to his debut long player Etiquette Of Violence was ignored by many at the time, including most Bauhaus die-hards. I don't think I have ever ripped and posted this 12" single version before. A1 Joe Orton's Wedding A2 Requiem For Joe B1   The Gospel According To Fear B2 Point Of Departure David J And The J Walkers - The Promised Land [GLASS 031 UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] The Promised Land from the debut LP was re-recorded with a full band, featuring his brother Kevin and a number of Jazz Butchers, for who J had just joined as bassist. This was a highly entertaining ditty chronicling the downfall of Bauhaus. This is a new 24-bit rip of my original 7" single. A1 The Promised La...

Glorious Din - Leading Stolen Horses [OS 37 BEL 2017 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released as a vinyl album on Insight Records in the USA during 1985. If you were involved in the San Francisco music scene during the mid-eighties then you would likely know the glorious din of Glorious Din. Leading Stolen Horses was their debut long player and was long out-of-print until OnderStroom picked it up for a limited repress a few years back. There is a great article on the band front man Eric Cope on Fact Mag which I'll reproduce as follows: Fronted by an intense singer with an oblique songbook and a mysterious past, Glorious Din were unlike any other group to emerge from San Francisco’s ‘80s underground. David Katz tells the story of Eric Cope , the chosen persona of a Joy Division-obsessed Sri Lankan boy who travelled halfway around the world to follow his punk dream. The early 1980s was an incredibly fertile time for underground music in San Francisco. The scene was ce...

Tones On Tail - Lions b/w Go! (Club Mix) [BEG 109T UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] ...actually it wasn't a hit, but maybe it should have been? It was all about Go! which was a college radio hit in the US and a goth-disco monster in the UK. Lions is as subtle an a-side as they come, with a very simple synth-hook. The distorted bassline and pounding disco beat on Go! is truly memorable and stands the test of time really well, so much so that it recently featured on the soundtrack to stream tv hit Stranger Things . Ripped here from my UK red vinyl pressing. ya...ya...ya...ya...ya...ya-ya...yaaaaaa! A1 Lions B1 Go! (Club Mix)

Tones On Tail - Burning Skies [SIT 21T UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] This is an improved rework of my original ESWA blogpost from January 2017, ripped from penguinflight's immaculate twelve inch single. After a tricky start, these chaps found their feet with the dark gothica of Burning Skies and the subsequent Performance and Lions/Go! singles. They rounded off their short career with the excellent goth-psyche Pop album before Campling left and they reunited with David J as Love & Rockets. A1 Burning Skies A2 OK, This Is The Pops B1 When You're Smiling B2 You, The Night And The Music

Tones On Tail - There's Only One [BEG 85T UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] Daniel Ash teams up with Bauhaus roadie, Glenn Campling as Tones On Tail for a one off dub-goth single in two mixes which only really ever sold to Bauhaus groupies and the curious. It wasn't their best however they persevered and better was to follow.... A1 There's Only One B1   Now We Lustre (Beam Me Up Scotty, There's No Intelligent Life Down Here)

Nine Circles - The Early Days [GEN 039 DEU 2012 24-Bit FLAC] The original Nine Circles were active between 1980 and 1982 and comprised Peter Van Garderen and Lidia Fiala. The couple's early minimal synth recordings were only available on a few compilation albums and cassettes, however there was a VPRO live broadcast from one of their very rare gigs.  In 1996, a compilation of Nine Circles recordings appeared on a German grey market CD which rekindled interest in the band eventually leading to this double album of mostly unreleased recordings in 2012. Lidia Fiala has now reformed the band however Peter Van Garden declined her requests to work again, so she hooked up with German musician Per-Anders Kurenbach to record a new album and a number of limited singles and digital releases as Nine Circles once more. The Early Days captures all the work from those original recordings and also includes a superb live set captured by VPRO in Queekhoven during 1982. This ou...

A Certain Ratio - I Need Someone Tonite [FAC 72 UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] I Need Someone Tonite dates back to 1982 when it featured regularly as part of ACR's live sets following the introduction of Andy Connell as keyboard player. Simon Topping still fronted the band on vocals but would step back when Donald Johnson took over bass and vocal duties towards the end of live gigs.  Following on from the success of Blue Monday , Factory Records had big ambitions for ACR and their new found electro-funk, however that was not be. Perhaps it was down to the ill-judged decision not to release a 7" version, mass radio play and chart success beckoned with the band's most commercial single to date. This was now 1983 and brit-funk was everywhere. From 1984 onwards, the band disowned themselves from this single, Carol McKenzie was given the boot and a new direction found which was to commence with the Life's A Scream and Wild Party singles - both of which are credible...

400 Blows - Play Like A Human [WRR12 012 UK 1991 24-Bit FLAC] Following on from 23 Skidoo, if you've been following my rips from the earliest days then you should have most of label mates 400 Blows back catelogue. Here is one that I only ever posted to ESWA 2.0 so it should be new to most. Messrs Beer, Thorpe & Taylor sample Charles Manson over a nineties-era techno breakbeat in three mixes before the vanished and became The Moody Boys. Let The Drummers Speak has more of an old school cut-up DJ groove. A1 Play Like A Human (Wah Wah Mix) A2 Play Like A Human (Club Mix) B1 Let The Drums Speak (Live Mix) B2 Play Like A Human (Ambient Mix)

23 Skidoo vs The Assassins With Soul - Thoughts Of You [12 LEV 72 UK 1986 24-Bit FLAC] Alex Turnbull, Fritz Catlin, Johnny Turnbull and Sketch Martin reinvent themselves as The Assassins With Soul and bombard us with the slightly sentimental twisted hip-hop scratch workout Thoughts Of You . The pseudonyms Schizo-P, Splice-JT and DJ Lim were probably a good idea because this is not 23 Skidoo as we know them ....and it is from them at their best. They do however redeem themselves with the ultra cool Ooze . A1 T.O.Y. (Thoughts Of You) B1 Assassin B2 Ooze

23 Skidoo - Language [ILL 3812 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] Language followed Coup , it was heavier, it was dubbier, it was driven by another powerful Sketch bassline, it was just superb. Such a shame that it never benefited from the recognition that its predecessor received. A1 Language B1 Language