Needle Time

Broken Lamps - Metropolis [ENM 008 USA 2020 24-Bit FLAC] Something new for a change, with a sound which is most definitely not new! Eric Bowr is the lead singer of American garage-rock outfit A Brood Of Vipers, he is also a composer of retro-library music in his alter-ego Broken Lamps. Metropolis is the second Broken Lamps album and marks a tribute to British, American and Italian film library music from the sixties and seventies. Metropolis is a journey through seventies production, experimenting with sounds reminiscent to British music libraries like KPM, Chappell and De Wolfe. While maintaining a feel for retro urban counterculture, the album weaves its way through various film genres like spy & crime drama, exploitation and porn. By combining bass driven rhythms and funk horns with organ fueled sixties surf tones, this album transports you to the unusual corners of a vintage film set and an atmosphere soaked in nostalgia. Consider this record to be the soundtrack ...

Pet Shop Boys - Introspective [PCSX 7325 UK 1988 24-Bit FLAC] Originally marketed as Disco II , however renamed on release, here is my rip from the three x 12" limited edition of the second Pet Shop Boys compilation, Introspective . These six tracks fit much better on twelve inch singles, rather than crammed onto one 33rpm platter, hence the rip quality is quite exceptional - even though I say so myself.  Except for I Want A Dog , all the tracks were singles, represented here in remixed forms. I'm Not Scared was written by PSB, and a huge hit for Patsy Kensit and Eight Wonder , so I am pretty sure this was the first time we got to hear Tennant and Lowe perform it for themselves. The mega-mix version of  Always On My Mind / In My House represented the duo's first venture into house music and works well here as it leads nicely into It's Alright . A1 Left To My Own Devices B1 I Want A Dog C1 Domino Dancing D1 I'm Not Scared E1 Always On My Mind...

Dinky-Di - Gold Wave [MDDLTD 1202 UK 2019 24-Bit FLAC] Dinky-Di is a Japanese modern groove collective fronted by Waq Takahashi. In 2005, they released their second single Gold Wave on the Japanese label Hong Kong Elevators and the track became a smash hit in both western and eastern club scenes. The single itself became a real rarity as most DJs relied on digital reproductions so vinyl copies are heavily sought after by collectors. Last year, British distributor Juno Records hooked up with Al Kent to produce a remix of the track for this one-sided promo release.  You don't need to be a dancefloor diva to appreciate these nu-disco grooves from this Japanese master, wah-wah guitars, horny horns and orchestral waves fill the ears mixing one hell of an epic disco bomb into classic seventies cop show soundtracks. Flares at the ready - you'll dig it! A1 Gold Wave

Pizzicato Five - Quickie EP [OLE 138-1 UK 1995 24-Bit FLAC] A quickie dip into penguinflight 's boxes and I've pulled out this 12" 33rpm EP by kitsch Japanese cabaret act, Pizzicato Five. This is such a great record, in our current  times of concern I find it uplifting and fun. I'm not promising the antidote to all our troubles, but it is a damn sight healthier than a glass of Dettol. Go Go Dancer is certainly one to get the whole family moving during long spells of lock down. A1 Magic Carpet Ride A2 Magic Carpet Ride (Childs Loop Bonus Beats Remix 1) B1 I Wanna Be Like You B2 Go Go Dancer

Din A Testbild - Programm 1 [KS 80.002 DEU 1980 24-Bit FLAC] Formed by Gudrun Gut and Mark Eins in 1978, Din A Testbild operated initially in the twilight years of the Berlin School of Electronics emerging as pioneers of Berlin’s new wave borrowing influences from the golden period of experimental krautrock. Klaus Schulze mixed Programm 1 and released it on his Innovative Communication label.  Blending a cacophony of sounds into what could actually be perceived as songs, Din A Testbild, quite rightly, hold their own unique place in the second wave of alternative German music. Imagine a mix of Faust, early Cabs and Neubauten and you'd be in the right kinda place.  A1 Die Siebziger A2 DNS Of Time A3 No Repeat B1 Urwald-Liebe B2 Age Is A State Of Mind B3 She's So Nice

Klaus Dinger + PreJapandorf - 2000! [LPGRON 170 DEU 2017 24-Bit FLAC] If you've been following my blog rips for many years, then you'll be aware that I covered the works of Klaus Dinger in some depth. For any new followers, Dinger was the original drummer in Kraftwerk (back when they had a drummer) before going on to form highly influential krautrock band Neu! with Michael Rother. When Dinger and Rother split, he then formed another influential krautrock band, La Düsseldorf with brother Thomas and Hanse Lampe. Dinger's drumming sound back in those earlier recordings was very unique, as he offloaded the tom-toms and hi-hats to play just the kick and snare drums in a very basic rhythm, this style was to become well known as motorik. In fact, you now will hear motorik drumming styles on records by most indie bands since the mid-noughties. Dinger's own career nose dived however he expanded his repertoire with new bands La Neu!, Die Engel des Herrn and finally Jap...

Half Man Half Biscuit - Back In The D.H.S.S. [PROBE 4 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Unless you were growing up in mid-eighties Britain with a love of John Peel or the Liverpool pub circuit, Half Man Half Biscuit would make no sense. According to Google statistics, a significant proportion of this blog's readership come from outside the UK, so in a brief and probably disastrous attempt, here is the unofficial Needle Time Half Man Half Biscuit glossary of terms, brands and personalities. D.H.S.S. :  The Department of Health and Social Security better known as the dole, or for our American friends, just Welfare. God : the late Bill Shankly, former manager of Liverpool FC, John Peel's favourite football team, not that the Biscuits cared - they supported minnows Tranmere FC, or old man with a beard. Una Stubbs : stylish twee English actress whose fame waned as the years progressed. Nerys Hughes: bland Welsh actress who featured in bland TV sitcoms after original success as a Live...

Marc Riley With The Creepers - Gross Out [IT 7 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] Crackly low fidelity indie rock in high resolution anybody? I'm sure that I am part of a wide cross-section of the music community who believe The Fall were never as great without messrs Hanlon, Hanlon, Riley and Scanlan. They were all contributing Creepers too and here is the debut LP Gross Out . This is the last of my ESWA re-posts of the band's early recordings. No lard required. A1  Make Joe A2  Less Speed A3  Snipe A4  Earwig O'Dowd A5  Railroad B1  Gross B2  Teacher Travel B3  Freaky Sleeper B4  Claptrap

Sudden Sway - To You, With ReGard [ ESJP 9692 UK 1981 24-Bit FLAC] To You With Regard is a chirpy and fun four track 12" released back in 1981 when the band were total unknowns. Like many, I have always failed to describe Sudden Sway's music, their unusual and eccentric take on what is essentially indie-pop is refreshing and interesting - I always feel as if I want to hear more. I'm sure they had a whole box full of unreleased stuff, I just wish somebody would track them down and get Sudden Sway product available again. A new rip of Spacemate may follow....soon! This is a new 2020 rip just in case anybody needed to ask ...and I think it sounds great! A1 Alleluia! The Psychic Sons A2 Pretty People Again B1 Dance Of Joy B2 Tales Of Talking Town

Marc Riley With The Creepers - 4 A's From Maida Vale [ITTI 025 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Songs About dwarfs, fishes and Weller.... Back in 1985, The Creepers turned around a classic Peel Session in less than two months from the Maida Vale studio onto vinyl. Recorded in August, broadcast by Peelie in September, and then an In Tape Record by the end of October. I just wish more bands had done that, maybe it helped that Marc Riley had a good contact at the BBC Studios in Maida Vale. A1 Bard Of Woking A2 Goin' Rate B1 Black Dwarf B2 Cold Fish

 Jäh Division - Dub Will Tear Us Apart Again [EJRC 149 USA 2019 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released as a 12" EP on The Social Registry label in 2004, this is the remastered and expanded 2019 vinyl pressing with an extra 7" single. The sound of gloomy post-punk Manchester is recreated as psychedelic dub from Brooklyn, New York. I first posted the original 12" of this some ten years ago on an old blog, so I felt compelled to pick up this limited edition repress which turns the original EP into an album. Let your mind be numbed into a total state of dub.... A1 Transmission Dub A2 Heart And Soul Dub A3 Disorder Dub A4 Dub Will Tear Us Apart B1 Isolation Dub B2 Paramount Lobby B3 Sloppy Homework C1 Fu Manchu Dub D1 Champion Of The Arena Dub

Red Guitars - Good Technology [SD 008 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] I thought about re-ripping my original Red Guitars seven inch singles as a follow up to the recent Slow To Fade album post. Whilst flicking through a box of albums and twelves, I came across this edition which I completely forgot that I had. This is the second pressing of Good Technology  on 12" which appeared about year after the first, which was only on seven inch single. The sound quality is vastly superior to my old original sevens, so here it is along with the bonus of Fact on the flipside plus  Paris France ...which I recall was from a Peel Session. Enjoy! A1 Good Technology B1 Fact B2 Paris France

The Smiths - What Difference Does It Make? [RTT 146 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] Well shake my gladiola, it's Terence Stamp! The first rule of sleeve design is that if you are going to use a well known British actor's image, then bloody well get his permission first. What on earth were Rough Trade thinking? This sleeve was quickly replaced one featuring a youthful Steven Patrick in a similar pose. Both editions of the single feature one of the finest Morrissey/Marr compositions ever to adorn a b-side. You know the rest.... A1 What Difference Does It Make? B1 Back To The Old House B2 These Things Take Time

1000 Mexicans - The Last Pop Song [12 ABS 021 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] We've had 1000 Violins and 1000 Ohms, we had best have some 1000 Mexicans as well then. This is my original ESWA blog rip from July 2016, just for the hell of it. A great single from one of the most innovative pre-C86 indie bands which deserves to be in everybody's collection. A1 The Last Pop Song B1 Manipulating The Dummy B2 Statistics B3 Chinese Whispers

1000 Ohm - You're The One [ARS 3719 BEL 1988 24-Bit FLAC] Outside of the UK, Belgium was the dance capital of the world during the late eighties. 1000 Ohm were a Belgian synthwave band who, after nine years of trying, found fame and fortunes around the euro-discos with Your're The One which, to these ears, borrows more than a few elements from Pet Shop Boys'  Heart . Who cares.... it was a time when everybody was ripping everybody else off! A1  You're The One (Dance Mix) B1 You're The One (Radio Mix) B2 You're The One (Dub Mix)

Blue Pearl - Naked In The Rain [BLR 23T UK 1990 24-Bit FLAC] Martin Glover aka Youth, original Killing Joke bassist, was responsible for this huge electronic dance hit back in 1990. A simple and formulaic acid beat is mixed in with a big female voice which must have made Youth a few bob at the time ...in three mixes, including one from Biting Tongues & 808 State whiz and all round Manc legend, Graham Massey. Ripped from penguinflight 's twelve inch. A1 Naked In The Rain (12" Extended Mix) B1 Naked In The Rain (Massey's 808 Jazz Mix) B2 Naked In The Rain (Instrumental Mix)

Dub Organiser - I've Got A Weapon [DEC 12 UK 1988 24-Bit FLAC] Paul Haig, Keith LeBlanc and John Robie recorded together as Dub Organiser for this one-off twelve inch single on Manchester's Play Hard Records. It does sound like a lost Tackhead masterpiece and given that Tackhead had gone a bit too rock by 1988, it should please most palates around here. Play loud, play hard! A1 I've Got A Weapon B1 It's Insane

International B.K. - Oh Pretentious Moi [RE 0012 DEU 1985 24-Bit FLAC] If you were to believe the sleeve notes, you would think that International B.K. were Castrop Rauxel, Jackie Onassis, Leon Slug Brittan & Regan MacNeil. Although that may convince some, it is only when you did deep do you discover that they are in fact Jack Balchin and Paul Hines from Test Department with possibly some unknown German friends thrashing out a pounding industrial beat to a throbbing indie-funk bass line much like The Dave Howard Singers, especially on the tabla driven Jungle Mix . A1 Oh Pretentious Moi (Concrete Mix) B1 250 Miles From Moscow B2 Oh Pretentious Moi (Jungle Mix)

Marc Riley With The Creepers ‎- Cull [IT 005 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] Low-fidelity irony-filled indie-pop in eight different flavours from Marc Riley and those Creepers. Cull compiles Riley's first two singles Favourite Sister and Jumper Clown (a true Manc indie-disco classic) and the excellent Peel Session EP Creeping At Maida Vale . Those early Creepers were of course former Fall members Paul & Steve Hanley and Craig Scanlon. This was my July 2017 rip as featured on ESWA 2.0 A1 Favourite Sister A2 Carry Mi Card A3 Jumper Clown A4 Violins B1 Cure By Choice B2 Baby Paints B3 Blow B4 Location Bangladesh

Various Artists - Wave News 2 (Independent Smash Hits) [INT 145.061 DEU 1982 24-Bit FLAC] It is time for your morning Needle Time vinyl fix, so here is a messy compilation of British punk and new wave for the German market released on noisy orange vinyl. If punk wasn't well and truly dead by 1982 in the UK, it would appear that our German friends had an appetite for Wattie and his Exploited, the truly awful Garry Bushell's Gonads and lets not forget the 4 Skins! The Damned stopped being punks well before 1982 but still get a spot on the punk side of the album.  Flip over for the more new wavey stuff, most of whom are reasonably well known, however The Klones deserve a special mention as do Jo Broadbery & The Standouts who provide my favourite track, Sharon Was . Thanks again to penguinflight from whose box of vinyl delights this rip was sourced. A1 The Exploited - Attack A2 Chron Gen - Jet Boy Jet Girl A3 The 4 Skins - Yesterday's Heroes A4 UK Subs...

The Syndromes vs Merciful Release All-Stars Featuring The Impossible Dreamers ‎- Ready In The Rhythm Section [MR-2 UK 1980 24-Bit FLAC] Now this one I have never ripped and posted until now, Ready In The Rhythm Section is a rare album with London new-wave punks The Syndromes having side one to themselves, The Merciful Release All-Stars get the other with a bit of help from post-punk funskters The Impossible Dreamers. The Syndromes never released again, The Merciful Release All-Stars became Hamburger All-Stars and The Impossible Dreamers went on to record the important indie dance hits Life On Earth & Spin , before going mellow with a deal on RCA Records. It used to be a common error to associate The Merciful Release All-Stars with The Sisters Of Mercy - there was no link whatsoever. No Yorkshire goths were harmed as a result of this album, however it is of note that Andrew Eldritch chose to continue with the same catelogue number system for his Merciful Release label,...

Serious Drinking - The Revolution Starts At Closing Time [UPLP 3 UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Today's old re-post is this classic British punk album dedicated to football and pubs, rekindled and untouched from my original blogpost on ESWA in August 2016.  With a splendid mix of punk, beer and football, Serious Drinking formed at the University of East Anglia in February 1981. They took their name from a Sounds headline to an interview with The Cockney Rejects, although some may say they were named after their favourite pastime. Serious Dinking were Martin Ling (vocals, formerly of The Higsons), Eugene McCarthy (vocals), Andy Hearshaw (guitar, formerly of The Farmer's Boys), Jem Moore (bass), and Lance Dunlop (drums). The debut single, Love On The Terraces (produced by Madness's Mark Bedford) reached number 9 on the UK Indie Chart in 1982, follow-up Hangover reaching number 4 the following year. The classic and long unavailable debut album The Revolution Starts at C...

52nd Street - Can't Afford [FAC 118 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] The third single by 52nd Street was the wonderful Can't Afford . The innocently sweet voice of Beverly McDonald was replaced by the more soulful Diane Charlemagne (who had a better vocal range) and the band went into Strawberry Studios with Steve Morris in the spring of 1984. The track comes in two mixes, Morris's original backed with the extended ten minutes of The Unorganised Mix . The New Order drummer added a much heavier and solid dance beat than the earlier singles and the track was certainly more electro than anything before. The single proved how clear 52nd Street meant business, even if the label did not. A whole repertoire of unreleased (some of it excellent) material was offloaded as 52nd Street dumped the Manchester label in search of a more glossy sound and a new career with Virgin Record's dance label Ten Records. Original bassist Derek Johnson (brother of Donald) left around the same time...

52nd Street - Cool As Ice / Twice As Nice [FBN 20 BEL 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Some more dumbfounded stupidity saw Factory Records release their most contemporary artist's best single to the Benelux market only rather than gaining them the recognition they deserved in the UK. It was simple, release Cool As Ice as a seven inch single in the UK, get some airplay and just sit back and let the orders come in. It just wasn't to be, however the single did become a cult electro-dance hit single on import only - also shrewd major A&M licensed the track for a successful seven inch in the USA. There were actually two versions of the single, the second featured some (possibly unnecessary) tinkering (or was that restructuring) by John 'Jellybean' Benitez  which was to become the best known version after the DJs fame following his own tinkering with Madonna.  As a consequence the original Donald Johnson version is now the rarer mix. I have both and the Jellybean restructur...

Vermorel - Stereo / Porno [FAC 198 UK 1988 24-Bit FLAC] Here is another of those obscure one-off singles which Factory Records chose to release whe the label's focus was beginning to veer from their original business plan. Journalist and author Fred Vermorel did actually feature on one of the label's very earliest releases as it was he who conducted the interviews for FACT 130 . Some eight years later he was 'getting down' with wife Judy and Ginny Clee on this catchy electro-pop dance single which came wrapped in an interesting envelope-style cover - unsurprisingly the record failed to score. Innuendos over for now! A1 Stereo/Porno (Extended) B1 Stereo/Schizo B2 Stereo/Porno (Ballad)

Heavenly Bodies - Celestial [TMLP 27 UK 1988 24-Bit FLAC] Those who appreciate anything from the formative years of 4AD, will love Heavenly Bodies. Main protagonist Scott Rodger was an original member of Dead Can Dance, and vocalist Caroline Seamen featured on one of This Mortal Coil's albums. This is actually pretty good - in fact if it came in a 23 Envelope sleeve, you would easily mistake it for early Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance or Xymox - or more likely a combination of all three. I've reworked my original files from 2015 for this post, rebalanced the channels and made improvements where possible. A1  Intro A2  Rains On Me A3  An Obsession A4  Time Stands Still A5  The Icon B1  Stars Collide B2  Road To Maralinga B3  Shades Of Love B4  Cavatina B5  Sendero Luminoso B6  Exit

Various Artists - Presage(s) [BAD 11 UK 1980 24-Bit FLAC] Here's the much forgotten debut 4AD post-punk compilation album from 1980 featuring a very early Modern English track plus a few other bands who were never seen of or heard of again. Psychotic Tanks were German punks and possibly their parties were far from wild, however Security Idiots is rather good. The Last Dance track is anything but danceable, and she clearly is upset about something. C.V.O. give us some early doomy minimal synth, the narrative Modern English track is not their best and they did go onto better things, finally garage punks Spasmodic Caress once supported Bauhaus it seems. Enjoy! A1 Psychotik Tanks - Security Idiots A2 The Last Dance - Malignant Love A3 C.V.O. - Sargasso Sea B1 Psychotik Tanks - Let's Have A Party B2 Modern English - Home B3 Spasmodic Caress - Hit The Dead B4 Red Atkins - Hunk Of A Punk This is a re-post of my original ESWA blog post as requested elsewhere.

Joy Division - Still [FACT 40 2LP UK 1981 24-Bit FLAC] Here is my rip of Still , coaxed from two old vinyl records, sounding just as the band intended, none of this recent Warner tinkering at the remaster stage, this is a Factory original. My copy is the original grey sleeve edition which reveals the records in card inners from the centre of the gatefold, stamped with Townhouse and the chicken bits scratched on the run off. I never parted with the excessive cash required for the bound hessian edition - I would have if I could have afforded it - this likely would have disintegrated by now. I am not going to muse on about an album we should all know so well, Still is effectively a collection of completed studio out-takes, a few rarities at the time like Dead Souls , a live encore of Sister Ray at The Moonlight Club in April 1980 and most of the set from Joy Division's last gig at Birmingham University two weeks before Ian Curtis took his own life. This set (sound issues...

Streetlife - Act On Instinct [FAC 97 UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Streetlife were a Dutch techno duo formed by Wally van Middendorp and Wim Dekker (from The Minny Pops). They released two 12" singles on Factory Records then duly disappeared without a trace. Act on Instinct was released in 1983 and borrows samples from Star Wars. Unfortunately it also features some of the worst "scratching" you will ever hear! A1 Act On Instinct (Hot Swedish Mix) B1 Act On Instinct (Cold Swedish Mix) B2 Act On Instinct (Lowlands Mix) Streetlife - No More Silence [FAC 124 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] The second Streetlife single was snuck out in March 1985 to no press and little acclaim. To be honest, it's a pretty poor record. From 1985 Factory had begun to lose it's focus and this attempt at euro-techno was one of the worst records Factory had ever put out. Particularly annoying is the nasty snare effect attempting to replicate a machine gun and some pretty awful lyrics mi...

Red Turns To... - Deep Sleep [FAC 116 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Some may recall on my old blog that I re-ripped records where I always claimed they were a huge improvement over my first attempt and in fact they were awful? Since then I have been learning my trade and improving with time, helped by new software and hardware. Here is a new 2020 rip of one of my previous re-rip abortions.... Red Turns To... were vocalist Tim Lyons and multi instrumentalist Andy Wright. In 1984, they were invited by the late great Rob Gretton to record an EP for Factory Records. They entered the studio with equipment borrowed from New Order and NO's Steve Morris on the mixing desk and programming duties. This 12" EP was eventually released in a classic F.dot Factory sleeve and featured these three great tracks: Deep Sleep is a dreamy OMD-like pop tune with the addition of a very familiar sounding six-string bass line. Back in 1985, many actually thought the band were a Peter Hook side p...

Section Twenty Five - The Key Of Dreams [FBN 14 BEL 1982 24-Bit FLAC] Stunningly evocative piece of work or compilation of leftovers from the Always Now sessions? You decide ....I know which camp I sit with. Always Now ....Always Contemporary ...potentially a much overlooked work of genius. Self produced by the band but The Key Of Dreams borrows many of the studio techniques adopted by Always Now album producer Martin Hannett. A quote from blog follower TB back then: Mid 80s, blow, joss sticks, UK early evening summer sun, waiting for the key change in 'Sutra' trying to get the "guitarist from S25" 'look', wondering about what was his black box on his guitar? a fabled album for me...Thanks A1 Always Now A2 Visitation A3 Regions A4 The Wheel A5 No Abiding Place A6 Once Before B1 There Was A Time B2 Wretch B3 Sutra

Abecedarians - Smiling Monarchs [FAC 117 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] This is my 2018 24-bit rip from a thirty-three year old twelve inch single. In typical Factory style, Smiling Monarchs was released in the UK with no marketing and like many, I had no clue as to who they were - but still bought it! I think Peel did play it once or twice and copies were available in certain quality outlets in Manchester and London. Although not credited, Smiling Monarchs was mixed by Bernard Sumner and is a pounding, sequencer driven track with lush string effects and a unique effect laden bass melody much akin to New Order. The similarity to Your Silent Face should be clear to most ears. The flip-side Benway's Carnival reminds me of late period Ultravox and doesn't work for me. Smiling Monarchs is a lost Factory classic and deserves recognition as such. My rip of their Eureka album can be found here A1 Smiling Monarchs B1 Benway's Carnival

New Order - True Faith [12" WL FAC 183R UK 1987 24-Bit FLAC] New Order fans join the allegiance at varying times during the band's career, this single was likely possible for a whole new age group of fans in the late eighties, let's call them the Technique generation, some of you may well have been there from the start, right from the Joy Division days, I guess I am a part of the Temptation generation. Here is the remix version of True Faith ripped from penguinflight's white label (actually make that a pink label) copy in lush high definition. Enjoy. A1 True Faith (Remix) B1 True Dub

EP-4 - Lingua Franca-X [SIDE 8413 BEL 1984 24-Bit FLAC] It is always nice to bring something rare to the table, and this obscure twelve inch EP is really quite rare. Some will recall my previous EP-4 post  and my recent appreciation of Japanese post-punk funk, so here is some more EP-4, this time from an original pressing released on the Another Side Records label in Belgium during 1984.  Kaoru Sato and his band hit a seriously heavy groove packed up inside a pounding beat and funky bass over three tracks. Many British bands were attempting, some succeeding - others failing to expand this genre at the time, most have featured heavily in my blogs, so please give it up for some post-punk jap-funk.  A1 Coco B1 dB B2 Zoy

Tony Martin - Barriers [BS 101T UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] I've carefully checked the details on the reverse sleeve and I can see absolutely no credit to Hook, Sumner, Morris and Gilbert ...why on earth would I do that? Just listen to Tony Martin's Barrier s (actually the instrumental version is better) and you will soon hear where I am coming from ....in a kind of Temptation meets Your Silent Face meets Age Of Consent way! Remember Industrial Love Dance by The Bridge, this tops that by a long way. A1 Barriers B1 Barriers (Instrumental)

Crispy Ambulance - The Plateau Phase [FBN 12 BEL 2019 RSD 24-Bit FLAC] If Factory Records were ever to doom the career of any young band looking for recognition, then the Factory Benelux was the place to shatter careers. The first album by Crispy Ambulance should not have been 'sent to Belgium', it should have been allowed to flourish as part of the main repertoire, however this was Factory ...and this was praxis. The music press were not kind to the album as well, a delinquent and ill-informed Mat Snow once wrote in the New Musical Express (a credible journal at the time)... " This is one of the most pretentious, turgid and tedious LPs I've ever heard. Slavish imitation of Joy Division doth not good music make. All the trade-marks are there -  relentless inverted drumming, ominous bass lines, dramatic flanged guitar, bleak synth washes and a lone desperate voice. But whereas Joy Division were sincere and inspired in their depiction of obsession, loss a...

Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth [ROUGH 8 UK 1980 24-Bit FLAC] An old rip from 2016 reproduced by request, here is the debut long player by simplistic minimalists, Young Marble Giants for those who missed it back in the day. New rips will appear a little later today so keep your eyes and ears peeled.... A1  Searching For Mr. Right A2  Include Me Out A3  The Taxi A4  Eating Noddemix A5  Constantly Changing A6  N.I.T.A. A7  Colossal Youth B1  Music For Evenings B2  The Man Amplifier B3  Choci Loni B4  Wurlitzer Jukebox ! B5  Salad Days B6  Credit In The Straight World B7  Brand - New - Life B8  Wind In The Rigging

Sudden Sway - The Traffic Tax Scheme [SRTS 82 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] I have been busy preparing many new rips during my down time, but first of all I wanted to post a new 2020 re-rip of this unusual and relatively rare single. Sudden Sway's third release comes in a wide card envelope sleeve (a right bugger to keep in good nick) containing the seven inch record with a pamphlet and a chart which allegedly is linked to a computer program for the ZX Spectrum computer cut into the grooves representing the final track. To say this is odd would be an understatement, but that is what Sudden Sway do so well, they totally baffle the listener with sheer, brilliant gobbledy-gook. The songs themselves are equally as baffling. Starting with the song titles, they could be HumSing and HumHear on first examination, however I've played safe and agreed with the titles stated on Discogs. The lyrics indicate a fascination with culture, consumerism and mass marketing. The Traffic Tax Sch...

Scritti Politti - Songs To Remember [ROUGH 20 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] During 1981, Green Gartside left the Ladbroke Grove squat, dumped the rest of his post-punk collective and bought some Stevie Wonder records - and possibly a few albums by other soul artists. This marked a dramatic change in direction as he both smartened up his style and his music.  Unleashed with a trio of excellent singles, Songs To Remember stands up well to the years (most have already featured here), but it is the sublime funk of  Lions After Slumber which remains as one of my favourite tracks of all time. The track just oozes from the speakers, I love the bass, the sibilance, the raw hum of the studio and the cool drum machine & moog groove. What happened next was hit and miss, but thankfully he has now disposed of the white silken robes with matching slacks and slippers! A1 Asylums In Jerusalem A2 A Slow Soul A3 Jacques Derrida A4 Lions After Slumber A5 Faithless B1 Sex ...

Lavvi Ebbel - Kiss Me Kate [TWI 172/205 488 BEL 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Just for the hell of it I am digging out an old ESWA post, unadulterated from my original rip, Kiss Me Kate was their final album  - they were also quite popular in Holland. After  a brief flirtation with a major label, Lavvi Ebbel retreated to the comfort of Les Disques Du Crepescule for the funky ¿Telepatia? ¡Telepatia! single which features here on the Kiss Me Kate album. Apologies for the fuzz and skip on A4/B4 which is due to a stubborn vinyl flaw.  Lavi Ebbel were  just another one of those great Benelux bands who deserved to be heard by a wider audience who appreciate how post-punk bands evolved not just in the UK, but across Europe in the early eighties. You may also notice that this was a parallel release on Ariola Records in some markets, hence the dual catelogue numbers. A1 Ouspenski A2 Kiss Me Kate A3 Coffee Koffie A4 Suffering B1 !Telepatia! B2 Full Moon B3 Run...

Various Artists - The Electric Crayon Set (Rubble Five) [KIRI 044 UK 1986 24-Bit FLAC] I have been promising to rip my pile of Rubbles for many years now - in fact some have already been ripped and are sitting gathering dust on my hard drive, others from this important psyche-beat compilation series are yet to coaxed from vinyl. I own a large chuck of the twenty album series, so will now promise to make a bit more effort and drop in rips from time to time -n no particular order!. The Electric Crayon Set was the fifth in the series, featuring wacky bands such as Dream Police, The Attack, The Poets, The Mark Four and a whole bunch of other sixties psychedelic, garage and obscure beat groups. Phil Smee has done wonders restoring these rarities, many of which I would bet are missing master reels. Groovy! A1 The Poets - That's The Way It's Gotta Be A2 The Attack - Anymore Than I Do A3 The Flies - I'm Not Your Stepping Stone A4 The Game - Gotta Wait A5 ...

Various Artists - 4 From The Madding Crowd [TMLP 16 UK 1986 24-Bit FLAC] I last ripped this using a previous set-up back about five years ago, to be honest - my efforts were poor and the subsequent files had issues. I've now re-ripped 4 From The Madding Crowd using superior software and hardware, and despite the flimsy pressing, the results represent a great improvement. The album is an excellent compilation from Gary Levermore's Third Mind label. His own band Bushido had such a varied repertoire, from middle Eastern soundtrack inspired work through to dark goth synth-pop - here we find them in their very unique soul-pop inspired phase. We also get the only three other tracks released by Intimate Obsessions (afaik) and some rare synthpop from Canada's Ohama. We Love The Moon by The Royal Family & The Poor is one of Mike Keane's best compositions, the original Factory single was pressed onto a noisy picture disc, the album version was on an abridged vers...

Various Artists - Salvation! (Original Soundtrack) [TWI 774 BEL 1988 24-Bit FLAC] I was like many others who snapped up this soundtrack album to Beth B.'s cheap b-movie stab at American TV evangelists and wannabe rock chicks back on release in 1988 ...persuaded perhaps by a few unreleased New Order and Cabaret Voltaire tracks? The movie itself was rather poor - unless of course low budget art house is your thing. The album was released on Belgian label, Les Disques Du Crépuscule who had ties with many of the artists concerned. Many may also remember the pseudo-country single by Jumpin' Jesus released on Factory Records about the same time. It is regularly assumed that said Jumpin' Jesus was in fact Arthur Baker. The album also marked the brief music career of American z-list actress Dominique Davalos and NYC disc jockey John Hood, who also managed to persuade Crépuscule to release a full album of his work.  The New Order tracks have a demo feel about them, ...