Needle Time

  Hula - Voice [REDLP 75 UK 1987 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Always best to go out on a high I'd say (if you forget about a misplaced Voodoo Chile cover of course). Hula's final album, Voice is full of worthy highlights - it is a broodingly powerful & complex record, heavier on the technics and pounding beats than their previous. All that seems to be missing is a full-time bass player.  Cut Me Loose and Poison are classic Hula compositions and the single versions will follow on soon, however it's the melodic and somehow haunting  Cold Stare which gets me every time. I've always though this record (produced by Daniel Miller) deserves much more attention & praise. Copies can still be found cheaply on the open market and whilst I am aware the industrial musical world was changing in 1987 (for the worst in my humble opinion), Hula had their place as one of the key acts from the genre. I fear this band's legacy is being ruined by those awful brick-walled compact d...

  La Düsseldorf - Individuellos [6.24524 AP DEU 1980 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Ever so slightly out of sync and possibly fitting with the musical style ( Viva will follow next week), here is the third album by the Dinger Brothers ably assisted as always by Hans Lampe.  Individuellos fills the bizarre & twisted void between Deutsche-punk and schlager music. Slightly less accessible that the first two records, this album but in keeping with the brothers' direction, after all, when you find a formula which works, stick at it - The third La-D. album continues where the first two left off with more manic beats, catchy hooks and gibberish vox. I've ripped this from an original German pressing on Teldec, whilst the production value lacks those of the first two records - they missed Connie Plank in the studio, this is an entertaining listen for those who know how the Dingers work. We were now in the new wave era (this album was first released in 1980) and a euro-kitsch in...

  Various Artists - Doing It For The Kids [CRELP 037 UK 1988 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] There can be no doubt about the importance of the early releases from Creation Records. This ultra cheapo compilation album brought together many of those original bands (except JAMC) and some of the newer artists onto one very cheaply pressed record, to commemorate a live event featuring many of the artists in 1988.  I last ripped this album many moons ago, this new rip is a considerable improvement on my previous despite the noisy vinyl, plus the fact that an hour of music is squeezed onto two sides of a record. A1   The Jasmine Minks - Cut Me Deep A2   Felt - Ballad Of The Band A3   The House Of Love - Christine A4   The Weather Prophets - Well Done Sonny A5   Primal Scream - All Fall Down A6   Biff Bang Pow! - She Paints A7   The Jazz Butcher - Lot 49 B1   Heidi Berry - North Shore Train B2   Nikki Sud...

  Mark Isham - Castalia [208 973-630 DEU 1988 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Happy New Year everybody. Here is a brand new needle drop of an album which I last ripped back in May 2019. Despite the age of ambient music being perfectly suited to the compact disc medium, Castalia deserves to be heard in full resolution from vinyl for that additional warmth, depth & detail which only the vinyl format can bring. This album needs to be heard in a proper listening room situation to appreciate it at its best. Out of the worlds of Windham Hill and film scores comes American ambient composer and trumpeter Mark Isham. Castalia (according to mythology) was the name of a nymph who threw herself into or was transformed into a spring to evade the pursuit of Apollo. The spring was then named after her, and it was a source of inspiration for Apollo and the Muses.  Castalia was also Isham's first album proper for Virgin Records and it is from a bargain bin 1988 German pressing that I present thi...