Needle Time

  17 Pygmies - Captured In Ice [LOLITA 5051 FRA 1986 24-Bit FLAC] Back among the earliest days of Needle Time, I posted the debut long player by Los Angeles experimental indie-rock band, 17 Pygmies, Jedda By The Sea . The group had spun off out of UCLA via Bruce Licher's Savage Republic.  This is their second album, ripped from the French pressing on Lolita Records. Much more accessible than the debut (although the sleeve design would not suggest that), Captured In Ice is a joyful reflection on eighties indie-pop with catchy melodies and charming vocal lines. I ripped this using my old deck and a Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge a few years back however, until now, I never got around to mastering & publishing my rip. Despite the occasional crackle from a few flaws, it sounds okay and is a fine representation of a band who were sadly overlooked outside their home markets. As I am a bit busy with other stuff (this could be my last post until early November), you should give this ...

  Blaine L. Reininger & Alain Goutier - Paris En Automne [TWI 380 BEL 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Paris en Automne ...recorded Brussels in 1984. This five song mini-album is not quite as you'd expect giving prudence to the fact that you should never judge a book (or a record) by it's cover. Recorded with talented multi-instrumentalists Alain Goutier and Klaus Klang, Reininger delivers five quality arty synthpop songs much like what Bill Nelson was doing around the same time. Goutier is a pretty mean bass player and his fretless work stands out on this record - If you could hear the Bowie comparisons on Reininger's Broken Fingers album, just listen to the excellent Burn Like Rome . A1  Paris En Automne (For J.J.) A2  Singular World B1  Raise Your Hands B2  Burn Like Rome B3  The Homecoming

  New Order - Movement [FACT 50 UK 1980 24-Bit FLAC] I'm always nervous about posting a highly revered album on these pages.... My copy is the A2 GG Town House pressing complete with the anvil-styled poly-lined inner bag - I guess that makes is the first edition as according to Discogs, there was no A1 pressing. After yesterday's Always Now , where Martin Hannett's production shone, on Movement , he resisted the urge to add his trademark space, delay and depth into the mix, in-turn the band say they hate what he did and this album marked the end of their relationship in the studio. The album took seven months to record, spread out over a number of sessions and it shows.  If you examine the early New Order Time line, you will know that the band had sequentially moved on as Everything's Gone Green appeared on the flipside of their second single in September 1981, two months before Movement hit the shops. Temptation  (or is that Taboo Number One?) was being performed liv...

  Section 25 - Always Now [FACT 45 UK 1981 24-Bit FLAC] An important album in an expensive, iconic Peter Saville/Grafica Industria sleeve, released by the original Section 25 line up of Cassidy, Cassidy and Wiggin, recorded in February 1981 at Pink Floyd's Britannia Row Studios (note the spelling mistake) in Islington, London, produced by Martin Hannett who also contributed keyboards to the instrumental track C.P. (Collective Project). My copy is the first edition in the original textured wax-feel top loading envelope sleeve with marbled card inners and threefold low grade paper poster (scans in the archive). Cleaning this up was a bit of chore, however it sounds great, just a few pops - most of which have been carefully removed with iZotope RX7. Section 25 were not Joy Division, they were from Blackpool in Lancashire and they blended psychedelic neo-kraut influences into their unique post-punk sound. Hannett's production is just superb, building a volley of space into the mi...

  African Head Charge - My Life In A Hole In The Ground [ON-U LP13 UK 1981 24-Bit FLAC] Between 1986 and 1991, I went on a buying binge of everything I could find on Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound Records label. During my ESWA blogspot days, I began the process of ripping my On-U Sound library for blog followers to great response. Some of my collection was in a poor state, however I persevered and to my surprise, the label began to bake some of their long forgotten master tapes for a lengthy reissue series.  One of my favourite albums was the debut release by Sherwood's Africa-dub-reggae psychedelic collective, African Head Charge. Here is a brand new rip from my original 1981 pressing, using better hardware, of My Life In A Hole In The Ground for your aural pleasure. The band still perform (where possible) and record, led by exuberant percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah - I was lucky to catch them live a few years back at London's famous 100 Club, complete with Adrian She...

  Various Artists - Wild Paarty Sounds Volume One [BRED 24 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] In theory an On-U Sound compilation (allocated ON-U LP 6) but in reality released on Cherry Red Records, here is another fine early Adrian Sherwood compilation from 1981. Many of the artists listed were never seen or heard of again, but given the heritage, I would guess some would have appeared earlier or later using alternative identities. There was never to be a volume two. You'll find a fine mix of dubby reggae, twisted post-punk funk and cut-up distortion, all of which carry Sherwood's hefty production signature. The bizarrely named The Chicken Granny sound much like John Lydon or Mark Stewart fronting up a funky 23 Skidoo, Machine Gun Hogg & Co owe much to Medium Medium and A Certain Ratio.  Nutty French guy Alan Pellay throws us two splendid works of dubby funk, Manchester's The Mothmen feature original Durutti Column members Tony Bowers and Dave Rowbotham as well as a couple of Alber...

  Orange Juice - You Can't Hide Your Love Forever [POLS 1057 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] I'll stick around in Scotland for just one more post, here is a rip I made earlier this year when I was finding my way with RX7 as a ripping and mastering solution when I posted a bunch of Scottish stuff around the end of January. My copy of this album suffers from a bit of wear and tear so it was trial and error using the spectral repair and de-crackle functions. I've revisited the original wav files and cleaned things up considerably to to be able produce what I think is a very decent transfer. A1 Falling And Laughing A2 Untitled Melody A3 Wan Light A4 Tender Object A5 Dying Day A6 L.O.V.E. Love B1 Intuition Told Me (Part 1) B2 Upwards And Onwards B3 Satellite City B4 Three Cheers For Our Side B5 Consolation Prize B6 Felicity B7 In A Nutshell

  Hipsway - Hipsway [MERH 85 UK 1986 24-Bit FLAC] In the annals of time, there were many Scottish bands who flipped from the creative to the dull commercial (Simple Minds, Aztec Camera etc), some who ploughed on doing their own thing (The Blue Nile & The Silencers), there were also crass, sickly popstars (Wet,Wet, Wet or is that Drip, Drip, Drip) and then there were those more commercial sounding bands who deserved huge success however it eluded them, so consequently they maintained some credibility. Hipsway were one of those bands (Love & Money were another), formed by former Altered Images guitarist  Johnny McElhone  and lanky vocalist Grahame Skinner, they released three great singles, The Broken Years , Ask The Lord and The Honeythief . Only the latter (with that fabulous riff) was to chart in the UK (it got to number 17), with sales pushed along by a very generous double twelve inch pack from memory. This is their debut album and only worthy long-playe...

  View From The Hill - In Time [EMC 3523 UK 1987 24-Bit FLAC] Excuse me a slight moment of indulgence, well actually the single No Conversation released back in 1984 on Brixton's Zara Records label, would suffice for me. Patrick Patterson's British soul band, View From The Hill were never going to set the world alight - except for that aforementioned single. The follow up, I'm No Rebel wasn't that bad as well. It took a few more years for EMI Records to sign them up and maybe by then the magic was lost. This is music primed for FM radio and the eighties compact disc generation but EMI failed to break the band to get a return on their expenditure - this would be the last we heard from View From The Hill and they were consigned to the bargain bins of time. File under smooch. A1 No Conversation A2 I'm No Rebel A3 Stay And Let Me Love You A4 Desperately B1 Boys In Blue B2 Lover's Confessions B3 On The Corner B4 Turn Out The Light

  Swans Way - The Fugitive Kind [LP SWAN 1 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] Between 1983 and 1984 you couldn't turn on any serious music TV show in the UK without coming across Swans Way. Their sophisticated attempt at dark yet cool cabaret was critically well received, however despite the best efforts of their label (Phonogram) with a succession of singles and heavy promotional work, only Soul Train broke the Top 40, the remainder only skirted the outer edges of the hit parade. Those of you who were around in those days will remember them well, the rest of you will possibly enjoy discovering the band. Illuminations was the last single pulled from the album and despite its radio friendly smoochiness, it remains a favourite of mine. A1 Soul Train A2 Keeping It Strong A3 Club Secrets A4 In Trance A5 Je Joué B1 The Blade B2 The Anchor B3 When The Wild Calls B4 Stay B5 Illuminations

  Craft Spells - Idle Labor [CT-101 LTD USA 2011 24-Bit FLAC] What's the betting that Justin Vallesteros has the best record collection among all the kids of his generation in Stockton, California? Idle Labor was the debut album from his band, Craft Spells - initially a limited pressing on blue opaque vinyl in a hand painted and stamped on a plain unbleached cardboard sleeve of 400. My rip is taken from my copy in the low one hundreds. Subsequent copies were on standard black vinyl in a sleeve very similar to New Order's Power, Corruption & Lies . The teenage Vallesteros clearly held a liking for eighties British indie-pop and such references are splattered all over this record. Perhaps that is why I like this album so much. The pressing is not that great and the production has the feel of a demo, but you should never let that put you off, Craft Spells had something, the skill to write great catchy indie-pop songs and this album is full of them. The early singles, Party T...

  The Soft Moon - Total Decay [CT-124 USA 2011 24-Bit FLAC] There is a mini Captured Tracks binge going on over here! I ripped The Soft Moon's powerful debut album from 2010 a few months back, here is their follow-up release, Total Decay , a four track EP pressed on to white vinyl in limited quantities. A1 Repetition A2 Alive B1 Total Decay B2 Visions

  Soft Metals - Soft Metals [CT-116 USA 2011 24-Bit FLAC] Captured Tracks were one of the small labels which reinvigorated my faith in modern music. I spent a lot of money buying expensive limited edition pressings in a variety of colours, often paying more for shipping than for the records themselves. Whilst most of the bands could never be considered as totally original, Soft Metals were one of the four key acts to catch my attention. This Portland (Oregon) duo were mostly overlooked at the time, managing only a few singles and two good albums before they ceased recording. Analogue synth subsequently is back in fashion, so perhaps those who missed out back then need to pay attention. So, here you are, ten tracks of squelchy analogue goodness.... A1 Psychic Driving A2 Always A3 Voices A4 Celestial Call A5 The Cold World Melts B1 Hold My Breath B2 Eyes Closed B3 Pain B4 Do You Remember B5 In Throes

  W.A.T. - Defreeze [PLUREX 3302 NLD 1983 24-Bit FLAC] W.A.T. (World According To) were a Dutch post-punk synthwave band originally signed to Wally Van Middendorp's Plurex record label. Wally also produced their debut mini album Defreeze and the follow-up long player We . If like me, you haven't heard much by this trio before then just start off with Famous on Defreeze and I can guarantee you will want to work your way through everything (and I mean everything) they ever recorded and released. It is all here among the links on this post. W.A.T.'s music is very much bass and synth driven with pleasing hooks to keep you listening and whilst they never gained worthy recognition beyond the Benelux and French markets, they certainly deserved to be heard by all. A1 Famous A2 Ivanhoo A3 Vive La Vie B1 Defreeze B2 Art Lovers B3 Sub W.A.T. - We [PRIME 3 NLD 1985 24-Bit FLAC] A1 Wax A2 The Captain A3 Hossa A4 Thx A5 Through The Ferns B1 Willow B2 Love Suspect B3 Sangatte B4 Drift...

  Duet Emmo - Or So It Seems [MUTE 024 UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Aside from Wire, Graham Lewis and Bruce Gilbert were prolific in many guises, but I don't think that it was until Duet Emmo that they unveiled their most accessible and likely best work, ...with quite a bit of help from Daniel Miller of course. Technically, these two lengthy pieces are the same song but in two formats, one slow and painful melancholy (in a good way) whilst the other whilst wrapped in linn drum percussion is dreamy and atmospheric in its own right.  This is a cleaned up version of my original November 2016 rip for the old ESWA blog. Thanks as always to penguinflight for donating so much vinyl to the cause. A1  Or So It Seems  B1  Heart Of Hearts (Or So It Seems)

  Steven Wilson - How Big The Space [CAROL 016 RSD UK 2018 24-Bit FLAC] If you've heard the recent tracks previewed from Steven Wilson's new album scheduled for January 2021, you will know that much to the annoyance of a few of his more blinkered followers, that he is trying his very best to abandon his prog tag. Prior to this, his last release was this dreamy space-rock piece for RSD2018, laden with Pink Floyd references, How Big The Space was an out-take from the sessions for his most commercial album (to date), To The Bone . If jagged Fender riffs are your thing - check out the wonderful Ninet Tayeb vocal version of  People Who Eat Darkness  adorning the flipside. A1 How Big The Space A2 How Big The Space (Instrumental Variation) B1 People Who Eat Darkness (Ninet Version)

  Mœbius & Plank ‎- Rastakraut Pasta [BB048 DEU 2010 24-Bit FLAC] Dieter Moebius and Conny Plank (with a little help from Holger Czukay) get dubby in the studio on this 2010 repress of this fabulous 1980 album. Full credit also goes to German label Bureau B for recreating the original Sky Records release and resisting any urges to f*ck about too much with the audio masters.  A1 News A2 Rastakraut Pasta A3 Feedback 66 B1 Missi Cacadou B2 Two Oldtimers B3 Solar Plexus B4 Landebahn

  Bauhaus - The Sky's Gone Out [BEGA 42 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] Here is an album that I fell out of love with around the mid-eighties. I foolishly offloaded my original double album version cheaply and picked up this near mint copy during the early noughties for a couple of quid. I support the idea that Spirit was Bauhaus's last great single, The Sky's Gone Out was preceded by their Ziggy Stardust cover which is thankfully skipped in favour of the Eno cover which adorned the b-side of the aforementioned hit single.  Most definitely an album of two sides which really loses the plot once you flip over to side two - this is the sound of a great band falling apart, side one is promising and fits snugly where the Northampton foursome left off with Mask , side two is a baffling slow descent towards disintegration.  A1 Third Uncle A2 Silent Hedges A3 In The Night A4 Swing The Heartache A5 Spirit B1 The Three Shadows Part I B2 The Three Shadows Part II B3 The Three...

  Konk - Yo! [TWI 143 BEL 1983 24-Bit FLAC] This is the classic sound of the NYC streets recorded and released in Belgium a few years before Konk scored a minor hit with Your Life . Not the greatest of pressings but worth every micro-millisecond of pure listening pleasure. I am quite surprised that nobody has ever picked up Yo! for a reissue. Konk still exist and occasionally play live, so would no doubt be willing to license this for modern ears. After all, when it comes to repressing the independent dance sounds of New York in the early eighties,  I am pretty sure all those extensive (and occasionally dull) Arthur Russell archives have been drained of every last drop. Since my 2016 post on ESWA, a double album featuring all these tracks has appeared on the Futursimo label in the USA, combined with a selection of Konk singles. Here is my original 2016 rip, cleaned up a bit and repackaged with the classic  Your Life 12". A1 Baby Dee A2 Suavey Caliente A3 Konk Par...

  Various Artists - Return To Splendour [NING 03 UK 1994 24-Bit FLAC] Here is my third Fierce Panda set, which features the first recording by indie champions The Bluetones who went onto have reasonable indie success for fifteen years. Create! were three mates from Nottingham who could have changed the world ...but didn't. Thurman were stuck in the sixties and broke up two years later after one album, The Weekenders didn't stick around for long, nor did The Nubiles and Alvin Purple only managed one single. Having said that these are all excellent examples of the newer nineties wave of British indie music. Enjoy (more Pandas soon....) A1 The Bluetones - No. 11 B1 Thurman - This Way B2 Create! - Nothing Personal C1 The Weekenders - Seems Like You've Missed Sunday D1 The Nubiles - Tatjana D2 Alvin Purple - Billie

  Various Artists - Crazed And Confused [NING 02 UK 1994 24-Bit FLAC] All of the artists on the second Fierce Panda double pack seven inch went onto some kind of musical career, some briefer than others. Sideburns at the ready, the original and rare (pre-Parlophone) version of Supergrass's  Caught By The Fuzz stands out, I chose to ignore Ash back then (and still do), however there is enough about Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Noise Addict and Tribute To Nothing to make me want to explore more. The flipside tracks on each single are at 33rpm which does its best to hinder audio quality. A1 Credit To The Nation - Pump Your Fist (Live) B1 Ash - Punkboy B2 Noise Addict - She Said C1 Supergrass - Caught By The Fuzz D1 Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Eira D2 Tribute To Nothing - Before

  Various Artists - Shagging In The Streets [NING 01 UK 1994 24-Bit FLAC] When the majors started dabbling with indie labels in the later eighties, it was to herald the death of the independent spirit in music until new champions began to emerge in the early nineties. One of the most important was Walthamstow's Fierce Panda Records. The label was to eventually be the first home of the occasional major league band (Coldplay & Keane were both once on the roster), however it is for the series of twenty-one double pack seven inch singles that they should be best recognised. Each came in a wrap around paper sleeve with photocopied inserts in a plastic bag reviving the true indie spirit, some played at 33rpm emphasising the label's rough edges with a cheeky play on words as each releases headline title. They are all highly collectable, however I have just six or seven of them in my boxes of singles. Here is the very first .....others will follow! A1 S*M*A*S*H - Bang Bang Bang ...

  The Patriots - Pharaoh's Land b/w The Chicaynes - Second Thoughts [MARI 057 UK 1986 24-Bit FLAC] A brand new rip of a record I featured on ESWA back in 2014 whilst on a Bam Caruso binge.  A really clever idea by Bam-Caruso was to give two bands each one side of an album. Pennsylvania power-pop mods The Patriots had an ear for a good tune, however I struggle with the Lennon/McCartney pastiche vocals. On the other hand, Scottish garage-mods The Chicaynes are a revelation. Further Thoughts was originally their only single in 1981, so I would guess that Second Thoughts works as a retrospective compilation. Each and every track is a winner and you are just left wanting to hear more. The Chicaynes are without a doubt, one of the best lost bands of their era - for fans of scratchy Rickenbacker's everywhere - fantastic stuff! A1  It Don't Show  A2  She Loves You Too  A3  Hey Don't You Know  A4  That Way  B1  Another Pretty Face  ...

  The Hanging Stars - Over The Silvery Lake  [GPS 129 UK 2016 24-Bit FLAC] Blending folk & country pastoralism, hairy indie-rock and swampy psychedelia with sixties Americana, The Hanging Stars sound like the missing link between the California desert sun and the grey skies of Walthamstow. The album was recorded in Los Angeles, Nashville and Walthamstow, with each of these vastly different places leaving an indelible mark on the resulting album. If you have ever been to Walthamstow, you would be forgiven for not believing these Stars are a Walthamstow band. Crippled Shining Blues beholds an earworm hook to stick in your head for years to come and is easily the stand out track among these thirteen shimmering tracks of mellow alternative rock, laden with catchy melodies, delicate harmonies and pedal steel guitars.  This rip is from my original (and quite rare) pressing of their debut album on aquamarine vinyl, sold in limited quantities at gigs and via the now defunct...

  The Fuzztones - Bad News Travels Fast [ABCS 11T UK 1986 24-Bit FLAC] An old ESWA blogpost from February 2017 is reloaded for those who may have missed it first time around. This is the expanded UK 12" version of The Fuzztones debut US single from 1984. Another gem from the extensive penguinflight archive for those who love it fast & fuzzy from Rudi Protrudi and his Fuzztones! A1 Bad News Travels Fast A2 Green Slime B1 Strychnine B2 As Times Gone

  Lanterns On The Lake - Beings [BELLA 493V UK 2015 24-Bit FLAC] Lanterns On The Lake are an eclectic indie-rock band from Newcastle who peaked with this excellent album on Simon Raymonde's Bella Union label a few years back. Hazel Wilde's vocal style obscurely fits between Elizabeth Fraser and Kate Bush, the skilled musical accompaniment holds hints of Sigur Rós, thus making Beings an intriguing listen. This could have been a great album if the label had not chosen to press the vinyl from over-compressed masters. I find that too much of this style of music dulls the senses into boredom, however an album's worth of Lanterns On The Lake is just enough to maintain my enjoyment and hold my interest. Enjoy. A1 Of Dust & Matter A2 I'll Stall Them A3 Faultlines A4 The Crawl A5 Send Me Home B1 Through The Cellar Door B2 Beings B3 Stepping Down B4 Stuck For An Outline B5 Inkblot

  Vazz - Cloud Over Maroma [STR-LP 030 BEL 2019 24-Bit FLAC] Vazz were a Scottish esoteric duo, active between 1982 and 1987, who released several hard-to-find singles and albums, mostly on Rob King's Cathexis Recordings, drawing comparisons to label mates, Pink Industry. Instrumentalist, Hugh Small continues to record and release as a solo artist using the Vazz name. Small Belgian label, Stroom Records have released two compilations covering all eras of their work, this is their second, Cloud Over Maroma which again pulls together rare early works alongside some of Small's later recordings. Following on neatly from my previous two posts, if you need to know how to properly remaster to modern vinyl pressings, look no further than small independent labels like Stroom who have down great work with the original masters and transferred them to clean smooth vinyl with fantastic results. You can find my earlier Vazz rip here . A1 Breath A2 Cloud Over Maroma A3 Lost Time ...

  Doves - The Universal Want [V3248 UK 2020 24-Bit FLAC] It has been quite some time since the last Doves album, they have been one of my favourite bands of the past twenty years, ever since their debut in year 2000 and I honestly thought we would never get a new Doves album.  By default, as part of the Heavenly Recordings roster, they became part of the Virgin Records repertoire and consequently ended up on Universal. The CD and download versions of this release are painfully loud, so need to be avoided (despite all the cheerleading on fan forums). The label disappointingly chose to use those over-compressed and badly limited digital masters for the vinyl album, however here your ears are saved by using a reduced recording level and a little extra special sauce during my transfer. A1 Carousels A2 I Will Not Hide A3 Broken Eyes A4 For Tomorrow A5 Cathedrals Of The Mind B1 Prisoners B2 Cycle Of Hurt B3 Mother Silverlake B4 Universal Want B5 ...

  Roxy Music - Roxy Music (Steven Wilson Stereo Mix) [00602508553660 UK/EU RSD 2020 24-Bit FLAC] Steven Wilson is highly sought after as a remixer and many labels have used him to rework their legacy material for the modern audience. Most of the artists are of little interest to me, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Steve Hackett and Chicago hardly float my particular boat. His work on the XTC and Tears For Fears albums are certainly work close examination as he breathes life into older recordings with great respect for audio fidelity. The high resolution download version of Roxy Music's debut adds space and balance to these 1972 recordings, however it is just a tad too loud. Universal, by a series of huge acquisitions,  now own some of the most important back catalogues ever recorded. They gave Wilson's remasters of this album to Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road who cut a new lacquer for this release - probably at great expense. They then sent this lacquer to a press...

  The Human League - Travelogue [V 2160 UK 1980 24-Bit FLAC] About five years ago I was learning to improve the quality of my rips, discovering that volume wasn't everything, seeking a balance between bitrate and file size. I've settled these days on 24/48 as I realise my ageing ears cannot hear much above compact disc quality. This originally was a 24/96 rip, I've worked on the original files, fixed a few issues and re-sampled to the friendlier bitrate. In the years prior to splitting into two bands, achieving significant international fame and fortune, Phil and the boys released two very credible albums of fine electronica, diving deep into their Kraftwerk and John Carpenter influences. Here is the second of those albums, Travelogue . A1 The Black Hit Of Space 4:05 A2 Only After Dark 3:45 A3 Life Kills 3:02 A4 Dreams Of Leaving 5:46 A5 Toyota City 3:15 B1 Crow And A Baby 3:40 B2 The Touchables 3:20 B3 Gordon's Gin 2:56 B4 Being Boile...