Needle Time

  Quando Quango - Genius [FAC 137 MCR 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Out of Manchester and Rotterdam came Quando Quango - once described by a NME hack as lift music in a review, Genius is actually a cracking piece of uptempo latino house music...and it should have been massive.  The keen eared amongst you will appreciate the skillful hands of Vini Reilly, whose fabulous guitar work also graces the track as well as Andy Connell who tinkles his ivories with usual aplomb. This was to be the final QQ release prior Mike Pickering and Simon Topping's reinvention as T-Coy. Gonnie Reitveld went her own way, with brief musical interludes with Hypnotone on Creation Records and Search on Robs Records, before establishing herself as an academic . A1 Genius B1 Rebel

  Daft Punk - Get Lucky [88883 74691 1 UK 2013 24-Bit FLAC] As we are briefly in France, it is time to  Get Lucky with  Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo,  Thomas Bangalter,  Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers and Nathan East. Likely the biggest selling song ever to tackle the phenomenon of one-night-stands, thankfully it is not another song about dogging. Those quirky Daft Punksters have since called it a day, Nile Rodgers is still alive, Pharrell Williams' career went through the roof after this ....and everybody needs to hear an album of  Nathan East's solo work . Do you feel lucky, punk? A1 Get Lucky (Daft Punk Remix) B1 Get Lucky (Album Version) B2 Get Lucky (Radio Edit)

  Tony Allen - The Source [5768336 FRA 2017 24-Bit FLAC] If you look closely bottom left of the sleeve, you will notice the 'AAA triple analog' annotation. That hints that perhaps something really good is going on here ....and I am not just talking about this superbly pressed double album of jazz-afro on Blue Note France.  You may also remember those early days of compact discs when we studied the inlay card encased in plastic for a similar indication of the sources used for that little silver disc contained therein. AAD was okay, ADD got you concerned and these days everything on compact disc seems to be DDD. I've been known to occasionally, and believe quite rightly whinge that most current vinyl releases tend to be DDA, which just seems quite wrong when you think about.  This album quite proudly states: analog recording, analog mixing, analog mastering - no digital process was used in the production of this sound recording. It was recorded live to analog tape in Paris...

  Haruomi Hosono - Honchono House [VIJL-60196 JPN 2019 24-Bit FLAC] In March 2019, released his re-imagined version of his classic debut album Hosono House. Re-recorded fully solo, Hosono plays all instruments, recorded, engineered and produced everything. The original is a Japanese tribute to all aspects of American music, this new version is nothing of the sort. These songs could have been written in the present as Hosono avoids a restrospective experiment in nostalgia, instead delivering an imaginative blend of synthpop, Japanese city pop, folk and jazz.  I would guess only a tiny percentage of my readers can understand the Japanese language, so now it is time for what the  Fuku Wa Uchi Oni Wa Soto is he singing about. Enjoy this folks, Hosono is a creative great and this album is essentially a 71 year old Hosono re-imagining a 27 year old Hosono, encompassing everything that has gone on during the years between. I have the double 45rpm repress of the original H...

 Shriekback - Oil And Gold [207 206 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Oil And Gold was without a doubt Shriekback's biggest selling album, but as to it being their best, I am not convinced and am sure most may have a similar opinion. It was a breakthrough record for them as it sold significantly in the USA, helped by two pounding commercial singles, plus two tracks featuring on the soundtrack of Michael Mann's superb Manhunter movie.  This Big Hush and  Coelocanth are now revered, with Shriekback at their dark & moody best - they are great tracks but I believe they mark the end of classic Shriekback as Barry Andrews begins to assert himself (further). Consequently, this was to be Carl Marsh's last album as lead vocalist and key bassist Dave Allen was to jump ship after recording a couple of tracks for the follow-up.  This record is not as classy & subtle as Jam Science , and it lacks the brash experimental edge of their early funk explorations. I struggle with a cou...

  Luc Van Acker & Anna Domino - Zanna [WAX 23 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] He was a Belgian electronic pioneer and future Revolting Cock, she was the daughter of an American serviceman, born in Japan and honorary Belgian. Zanna was their collaboration, released back in 1984 on the European aem of Wax Trax Records. The title track is a sultry affair pinned down by an upfront beat and made all that bit special by the Domino voice, the flipsides are two Acker solo efforts, one of which featuring the violin of Blaine L. Reininger. Hello Sailor! A1 Zanna B1 Fear In My Heart B2 Travelling

  Felt - Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty [FLT 180 UK 2018 24-Bit FLAC] Felt were always in the shadows of indie-pop, denied wider recognition by airplay & maintaining an air of obscurity, but always so very special in the hearts of those who discovered them. Incredibly, there was never a Peel Session and only one track was to make it to Peel's Festive Fifty in 1985. Thankfully after his raw debut single  Index , Lawrence learned to play his guitar properly and found the confidence to let us hear his very unique voice. Here is the 2018 remastered pressing of their debut album, originally released on Cherry Red Records in 1982. Mastering master, Kevin Metcalfe has lifted the Felt sound to a new level, much fuller, richer and greater detail than before backed up by a sensibly well-crafted Optimal Media pressing.  A1 Evergreen Dazed A2 Fortune A3 Birdmen B1 Cathedral B2 I Worship The Sun B3 Templeroy

  Echo & The Bunnymen - Porcupine [P-11288 JPN 1983 24-Bit FLAC] A re-appreciation of Porcupine , the difficult third album by Liverpool's Echo & The Bunnymen - (incorrectly) critically panned (at the time) and initially rejected by the label, WEA who flexed their corporate muscles and sent the band back to the studio as they felt that the album wasn't commercial enough.  This album reflects on internal conflicts within the Scouse four-some and benefits greatly from Ian 'Kingbird' Broudie's production and then manager, Bill Drummond's decision to bring in Lakshmi Shankar's Indian strings to add that little something extra. The Cutter made everybody sit and and pay attention, Back Of Lov e is a revered Bunnymen classic, My White Devil and Heads Will Roll should be revered just as much. It is clear that the band were moving in different directions at the time of recording with McCulloch seeking popstar adoration, guitarist Will Sergeant was focused o...

  The Birthday Party - Junkyard [CAD 3223 UK 2012 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released in 1982, 4AD chose to use the Henry Rollins remaster for this deluxe vinyl edition of The Birthday Party masterpiece, Junkyard . My copy also includes a repress of the Release The Bats single.  Fueled by drugs and booze, Junkyard reaches into the darkest wells of the Nick Cave mind, this is an album firmly rooted in his fascination with American gothic. Is this the blues? Is this demonic scuzz-rock? Ed Roth and Dave Christensen's iconic sleeve is as disturbing as the music itself. Tracy Pew got locked up for persistent offending during the sessions,  so Barry Adamson began his lengthy association with Cave by stepping on on bass for Big-Jesus-Trash-Can . The inclusion of Release The Bats as a seven-inch was a great idea, especially for your scribe who would regularly be seen trying to dance to the track at one or two Manchester nightclubs back in the day. This record needs to be pl...

  Yeah Yeah Noh - Another Side To Mrs. Quill [ITTI 020 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] This is a brand new rip of Mrs. Quill as my first back in 2015 was every so crackly. Our heroes go all Hank Marvin on the excellent instrumental, Penetration . Mrs. Quill gets two mixes of her own, whereas Wendy's In The Woods is classic Yeah Yeah Noh, scathingly ironic as ever, it is also the first song I have ever heard which covers the unusual British past-time of dogging & Paul McCartney. A1 Another Side To Mrs. Quill (Magic Roundabout Mix) B1 Penetration B2 Wendy's In The Woods B3 Mrs. Quill

  Yeah Yeah Noh - Temple Of Convenience EP [ITTI 023 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Next up is another from the wonderful Yeah Yeah Noh. Leicester's finest released their final single as an expanded 12" featuring a fuzzy rough live track by psychedelic Diesel Park West alter-ego The Psychedelic Filberts, backed with the superb seven minute opus in three parts, Jigsaw featuring a plethora of John Peel cut-ups. Again this is a cleaned up version of my 2016 rip. A1  Temple Of Convenience A2  The Time Beings A3  Mr Hammond Is Out To Lunch A4  Rain (by The Psychedelic Filberts) B0  Jigsaw (an opus in three parts) B1  The First Corner B2  Edges  B3 The Missing Piece

  The June Brides - No Place Called Home [ITTI 024 1985 24-Bit FLAC] As promised a few weeks back, here's a round up of some of my old In Tape Records rips. First up is a cleaned up version of my 2016 rip of  jangly-pop champions, The June Brides first single for the label. A1 No Place Called Home A2 On The Rocks B1 Josef´s Gone B2 We Belong

  Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg [4AD 0254LPE UK 2021 24-Bit FLAC] Currently causing a stir amongst indie-kids in Londonium are the splendid Dry Cleaning, this is their debut album for 4AD, ripped from a yellow vinyl edition. This is not the same 4AD that most my age will know however for the first time in eons (it seems), they have released something interestingly different and new. These days post-punk reflects an attitude, whereas when I was sixteen, it was an era. The modern day term is regularly abused, I am lucky to be old enough to identify the misnomer. Dry Cleaning are different because they have Florence Shaw who recites her dry South London monologue like a modern day, very British, interpretation of Judy Nylon whilst her band deliver a refreshing riff steady backbeat. Fans of top string plectrum basslines, flanged-twangy guitars and post-punk rock riffs should be all over this. A1 Scratchcard Lanyard A2 Unsmart Lady A3 Strong Feelings A4 Leafy A5 Her Hip...

  Magazine - Real Life [578 2368 UK 2018 24-Bit FLAC] Another in my irregular series of posts where I right a few wrongs and replace rips which I have historically managed to screw up, mostly through ignorance or at other times due to downright stupidity.  When I understood the importance of the relationship between cartridge and phono amp, I realised the 'mc' setting on my old Cambridge Alva Duo pre-amp just wasn't up to the needs of my moving coil cart as I could not adjust the load impedance to Ortofon's recommended settings - sounds overly technical, but it is an easy thing to master.  After a small investment in a suitable phono amp, the small but highly effective Pro-Ject Tube Box S2, and using the correct settings - the results speak for themselves. So folks, dump my old rip of  Real Life  and grab this one. With the resurgence of vinyl in the last few years, many labels have delved deeply into their back catalogues seeking out revenues from bands which ...

  Mantronix - The Album [DEMREC 364 UK 2019 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released on Sleeping Bag Records in 1985, the debut album by Kurtis el Khaleel & Touré Embden lifted inspiration from the early hip-hop of Arthur Baker and Afrika Bambaataa. Stripped back beats composed on a Roland TB-303 and a TR-808 became the trademark Mantronix sound. In a genre filled with classic singles, early hip-hop also spawned some very important albums, in which I count The Album , along with debuts by Run DMC (and their second of course), The Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and Public Enemy. Younger readers will also be pleased to know that I also count the De La Soul debut album in this small group. Things started to go wrong when civil war broke out between rap acts on opposing US coasts in later years ....and the rest became history. A1 Bassline A2 Needle To The Groove A3 Mega-Mix B1 Hardcore Hip-Hop B2 Ladies B3 Get Stupid "Fresh" Part I B4 Fresh Is The Word

  Linea Aspera - LP II [LII 001 UK 2020 24-Bit FLAC] Analogue masters, Linea Aspera exited their hibernation in 2020 with their second album proper of absorbing electronics. Tt is if they haven't been away as they hit the same ground left behind, over eight years previous since their important debut. Creative electronica for analogue synth-heads everywhere.... A1 Solar Flare A2 Redshift A3 Equilibrium A4 Entanglement B1 Entropy B2 Decoherence B3 Event Horizon B4 Wave Function Collapse

  Ryo Fukui - A Letter From Slowboat [WRJ008 LTD CHE 2020 24-Bit FLAC] A few weeks ago, I ripped the sterling repress of Ryo Fukui's debut album Scenery , originally released in 1976. Fukui albums didn't come along too often,  in fact he released just four between 1976 and 2016, all very limited releases in Japan only.  A Letter From Slowboat was his last, originally released in 2016 and recorded at his own Slowboat jazz club in Sapporo, featuring his delightful contemporary jazz piano backed by just bass and drums. I can't think of anything better for a slow Sunday evening. Enjoy. A1 Sonora A2 Stella By Starlight A3 Speak Low A4 Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen B1 Old Country B2 Soultrane B3 Chasin' The Bird B4 Be My Love

  Normil Hawaiians - Gala Failed [RED 8 UK 1981 24-Bit FLAC] There is no easy definition to the Normil Hawaiian sound. There are elements of kraut-rock, psyche-rock, post-punk and prog, think of a blend of Pere Ubu, Wire, Can, P.I.L.& early Floyd, and you'd be heading in the right direction. This is arty rock without the posturing, this is post-punk with crusty edges. If you've been following my rips over the years, you will know that I have covered this lot extensively, so here for you now is a new rip of their 1981 Gala Failed EP for Red Rhino Records. A1 Party Party A2 Levels Of Water B1 Obedience B2 The Return B3 Sang Sang

  The New Age Steppers - Avant Gardening [ON-U LP147 UK 2021 24-Bit FLAC] Those reinvigorated chaps at On-U Sound have been baking tapes again, this time out of the oven we get a well preserved compilation of out-takes, re-dubs and session tracks from the original post-punk dub-reggae New Age Steppers. Adrian's daughter Denise Sherwood, stepped up to supply the vocals when Ari-Up sadly passed away in 2010, these tracks are all pure Ari backed by the usual On-U suspects. Most of these 'lost' tracks could be found on some of the band's Japanese releases, however you should make a bee-line for their cover of Atlantic Starr's Send For Me recorded for a John Peel radio session. On the whole this album fits snugly around & between the first three New Age Steppers' albums, however the background vinyl rumble evidences that a little more care should have been taken with this very recent pressing.  A1 Aggro Dub Version A2 Send For Me A3 Izalize A4 Unc...

  The Names - Swimming [TWI 065 BEL 1982 24-Bit FLAC] The Names emerged from the dreary gloom of early eighties Bruxelles, and briefly relocated to the even drearier gloom of Stockport to enter Strawberry Studios with Martin Hannett in 1982.The resultant sessions produced their debut album, Swimming and two very strong singles, Calcutta and The Astronaut . The band had already provoked interest with their 1981 synth-swept-wave classic Factory Records single, Nightshift however 'somebody' decided that future releases should be exported to Factory Benelux and close allies Les Disques Du Crépuscule. If you ever wanted to know how early The Cure would have sounded if produced by Hannett, then Swimming is a huge clue. This is the sound of Belgian coldwave; like Manchester, Brussels is a city of beautiful architecture shrouded in grey disaffection - the two cities have close historic links as trading centres and musically it all changed for the Belgian capital when Joy Division p...

  Shriekback - Jam Science [206 416 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] It has been nearly ten years since I last ripped this album, so about time I check out how good it sounds on a better deck. The band did eventually release a very limited compact disc of 200 with messy loud mastering using a vinyl source (lost masters?). The results of this rip easily surpass that version, so here is Jam Science as it should sound. Strangely deleted and never properly reissued, Jam Science was Shriekback reaching their peak - the early singles were superior work, but I always found the first two albums a tad fiddly & unnecessary in places. The importance of a good producer is also evident when comparing the rushed 'unofficial'  Y Records release with this, the Arista (RCA distributed at the time) release. Paul Groucho Smykle has coated everything in a smooth adhesive-like production which bonds ten very different tracks into a highly cohesive and enjoyable listen. It is funky in all the right pla...

  Amon Düül II - Meetings With Menmachines Inglorious Heroes Of The Past [JAMS 27 UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] This hybrid of the original German acid-rockers featured former British members of the German band, Hawkwind, and Van Der Graaf Generator ...that should be enough to put off most regulars to these pages. Amon Duul (UK) released two very different albums as Amon Düül II on classy (I am not referring to the pressing quality) London independent Illuminated Records in the early-mid eighties when the original band were defunct. It should come of no surprise that most fans of the original Amon Düül detest this record - some reviews were not kind, and for that very reason I would hazard a guess that many other would find much to like about it. Meetings with Menmachines.. . reveals a shift to more basic song structures, the use of eighties synths such as emulators and the sweet sweet voice of Julie Waring (also working with Normil Hawaiians around the same time). Everything still ha...

The Beloved - X [0630-13316-1 LP+12 UK 1996 24-Bit FLAC] If Sweet Harmony was John Marsh's Joy Of Sex , then the final Beloved album X , surely has to be his Kamasutra . When Steve Waddington became the final of the three from four original members of London indie-pop band The Beloved to move on, Marsh took the band well beyond their roots into  Adam & Eve territory, accompanied by his wife Helen, and aided by a few well placed fig leaves and considerate camera angles, The Beloved were suddenly a pseudo-erotic techno-dance act. The Marsh voice suits the genre incredibly well and his smooth production skills, with a good deal of help from Trevor Horn's mate Mike Higham, lift this album ecstatically high above the many more mundane dance records of the period. It has been twenty-five years since Marsh had to get his kit off and lay around in a room full of naked models, much has changed since then however the good news for all Beloved devotees is that there are hints of ...

  Field Music - Tones Of Town [MI074LPX UK 2017 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released in 2017, the second album by indie rockers Field Music has the air of a dedication to their hometown, Sunderland. Their choppy rhythms and clever harmonies, dissected with British nostalgia take their inspiration from a hybrid of The Beatles & XTC, but done in a Wearside-kinda way, rather than a bit too much Mersey or Swindon! I have always appreciated that way the Brewis Brothers maintain full control with their music, doing things their own way without following the pack, retaining full artistic control at every stage of their development. I've mentioned their use of progressive time signatures before and this album is no different.  A House Is Not A Home and  She Can Do What She Wants were both singles and highly revered by this avid fan. Tones Of Town could be the hipster Sgt. Pepper , it could also be a dedication to the best 'greasy spoons' in Sunderland.  I relied on a CD ...

  Shintaro Quartet - Evolution [NS-1002/BBE649ALP  UK/JPN 2021 24-Bit FLAC] Before anybody else thinks that I am getting a little too japanophile , I will sneak this one in. Courtesy of UK label BBE (Bearly Breaking Even) J-Jazz Masterclass Series, comes this repress of the 1984 album by Japanese/America ensemble, Shintaro Quartet. This edition comes as a smartly packaged double 45rpm edition producing top audio quality ...and has likely already sold out everywhere by the time you read this. The original Japanese-only release was a private pressing which now fetches mucho $$$ on the secondhand market. The quartet is led by renowned Japanese trumpet, Shunzo Ohno backed up by Fukushi Tainaka on drums, Bob Kenmotsu on sax and Jeff Jenkins on piano. The album was recorded over two sessions straight to tape in New York in January 1984, gracefully blending modal & spiritual jazz in lush arrangements across the five compositions. I can think of nothing better for ...

  Yellow Magic Orchestra - Naughty Boys [YLR-28008 JPN 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Some more Haroumi "Harry" Hosono, this time with his two electronic partners, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi as the important Yellow Magic Orchestra. The cheekily named Naughty Boys was the trio's sixth album and you would be forgiven for assuming that this was a strictly pop album, despite the opening Japanese pop chart topping single,  Kimi Ni Mune Kyun . As the album develops, YMO reveal more of their expected innovative edges, all developed with 'modern' eighties pop sentimentalities.  Not credited, but likely more involved than you may first think was one of Yorkshire's finest, Bill Nelson on guitar. The favour was returned when Yukihiro Takahashi and YMO synth technician (& Logic System main-man), Hideki Matsutake worked on Nelson's Chimera album. The two albums do have a similar feel, no more so than on the excellent  Wild Ambitions . I picked up this origin...

  Haruomi Hosono, Takahiko Ishikawa, Masataka Matsutohya - エーゲ海 The Aegean Sea  [MHJL-153 JPN 2020 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released on CBS/Sony Japan in 1979, here is the last of the four albums dedicated to travel and sunnier climes, courtesy of YMO's Haroumi Hosono and chums.  This album is a blend of sea breezy city-pop, jazz fusion interspersed with harps, mandolins and orchestral strings. Its charm and the skill of musicianship reach well beyond any initial perception of potential naffness. This is likely the best chillout album you will hear this week. I warn you, some of these mandolin melodies will remain firmly implanted in your eardrums. This is the 2020 clear vinyl repressing with another excellent mastering job by Bernie Grundman's team. If only all modern vinyl releases were mastered and pressed with the same care. Right, let's head down the taverna, order up a bottle of cheap retsina with an ouzo chaser and soak up all that vitamin D among those white washed...

  Steven Wilson - The Future Bites [CAROL 021LP UK 2021 24-Bit FLAC] Love him ...or hate him, SWilson hit us with The Future Bites earlier this year to some acclaim and despite the disapproval of proghead trolls on social media, I consider this to be his best work . His sixth solo album is a thorough examination of our modern commercial world, the place where browsing & buying habits are analysed & stored in cookies and online shopping baskets. This album examines & exploits our compulsive behaviors towards shopping, like my vinyl purchases, you don't really need it ...you just want it. This is the regular black vinyl version, I also own a copy of the rather plush & expansive deluxe edition boxset. The record and subsequent tour were delayed by lockdown (the tour is now cancelled as Wilson has decided to work on his next two albums instead), consequently a few of the tracks were released either as vinyl singles or as digital downloads. However this record is best ...

  Various Artists - Pay It All Back Volume 1 [ON-U LP37 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] Only £1.49! One of the most important compilation albums of all time (Pillows & Prayers was surely the other). Via Tackhead, Fats Comet and Mark Stewart, somewhere on the South Manchester & Cheshire border, an ex-grammar school boy discovers the very wonderful world of heavy dub, Adrian Sherwood ....and ultimately Bim Sherman and African Head Charge. It was about time I re-ripped this album, the last was in December 2014 and it was crackly with a lot of surface noise. I can only blame the pressing quality occasionally, this is my original copy and it needed a serious deep cleaning. I think the results speak for themselves, consider this a serious upgrade if you've been following my rips all these years. A1  Introduction A2  Singers & Players - Bedward The Flying Preacher A3  Maffia - Hallelujah A4  Dub Syndicate - Must Be Dreaming A5  The Circuit - Loudspeaker A6 ...

  The June Brides - This Town EP [ITTI 030 UK 1986 24-Bit FLAC] Another new rip of an old In Tape favourite.... The June Brides ended their career on the Manchester label - further proof that the lack of singing ability to should never stop anybody fronting a band (though I've always wished Bobby Gillespie and Tim Burgess hadn't).  The Phil Wilson fronted June Brides did well to avoid the C86 tag, probably because they were from unfashionable London and not Manchester or Glasgow.  History says they declined to contribute to the infamous NME cassette tape compilation which launched a genre. Very few bands successfully incorporated the trumpet into indie-pop, and with a unique charm, The June Brides did it very well. No track better encapsulates The June Brides sound, than Just The Same . A1 This Town B1 Cold B2 Just The Same

  Robert Lloyd And The New Four Seasons - Something Nice [ITTI 056 UK 1988 24-Bit FLAC] Former Prefect, Nightingale and Vindaloo Records owner Rob Lloyd turns pop star with nine minutes of sheer joy that is Something Nice . Lloyd kicked off a brief solo career on In Tape Records with this uplifting indie-pop classic, championed as usual by that bearded scouser, John Peel for whom the brummie Lloyd recorded an impressive five radio sessions as a solo artist between 1987 and 1990. This single managed the dizzy heights of number of number 21 in the 1988 Festive Fifty, however the mainstream record buying public still avoided in their droves, thus denying Lloyd a well deserved hit. A1 Something Nice B1 Of Course You Can't B2 All The Time In The World Robert Lloyd And The New Four Seasons - Nothing Matters [ITTI 059 UK 1988 24-bit FLAC] Rob pursued a very short-lived career as a major league pop star on Virgin Records. This single was to be re-recorded for Virgin in 1990 with di...

  Yeah Yeah Noh - When I am A Big Girl [IT 016 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Moving on from the mainstream, here is a short run of posts as a tribute to British indie label In Tape Records. If you listened to Peel back in the day then most of these acts will be very familiar, no more so than the mighty Yeah Yeah Noh. These satirical cottagers (can I still say that these days?) return with a brief compilation of their wonderful early In Tape 7" EPs. Many will struggle (especially non-Brits) with their irony these days. More of a thinking man's Half Man Half Biscuit with a touch of The Fall - you had to be around back then enjoying Peel, everything he played and understand mid-eighties Leicester to get what this fabulous beat combo were actually on about.  Champions of irony, Yeah Yeah Noh dedicated their debut Cottage Industry 7" EP to the burgeoning eighties music industry and how many a major label spent £££££s investing in bands from the supposed indie scene, seeking out the n...

  Peter Gabriel - III [PGLPR 3 UK 2016 24-Bit FLAC] Released in May 1980, Peter Gabriel's III rd album (aka Melt ) was evidence that he was establishing himself as a solo artist with one big hit, Games Without Frontiers and one major inspirational piece, the anthemic  Biko . Recorded with Peter Voegel (inventor of the Fairlight), Robert Fripp, Kate Bush and Phil Collins as well as studio regulars David Rhodes, Dick Morrissey and Tony Levin. The Jam's Paul Weller also popped into the sessions to record the guitar riffs for And Through The Wire .  This is the 2016 DMM pressing, self-released through Gabriel's Real World Records and the pressing reveals a meticulous attention to detail missing on so many recent vinyl pressings with very little evidence of vinyl noise. A1 Intruder A2 No Self Control A3 Start A4 I Don't Remember A5 Family Snapshot A6 And Through The Wire B1 Games Without Frontiers B2 Not One Of Us B3 Lead A Normal Life B...

  Cocteau Twins - Four-Calendar Café [518 259-1 UK 1990 24-Bit FLAC] The post-break up, pre-divorce album by the Cocteau Twins is possibly their most accessible, yet it feels like a highly personal album, a musical reflection on the relationships troubles between Robin Guthrie and Elizabeth Fraser's, with her vocals becoming almost intelligible. Fraser allegedly had a nervous breakdown during the album sessions and this record feels like two big arms aurally wrapped around the listener, assisted by Guthrie's production skills which were beginning to peak. The second album single, Bluebeard seems to sum up Fraser's feelings very well. This rip is from my promotional copy of the album complete with all associated bumph & paraphernalia, likely blagged from a sharp-dressed Phonogram rep. Back then it was all about compact disc sales and the majors were not really interested in vinyl returns, hence copies of worthy records quickly gaining some considerable value. My pressin...

  Agitation Free - 2nd [MIG 00741 LP DEU 2012 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released as a ridiculously expensive album (on the second-hand market) on Vertigo Records in 1973, here is the imaginatively titled second album by 'berlin-schule' krautrockers, Agitation Free. Repressed by German label, HiD back in 2012 in a modernised version of the original gatefold sleeve, you could be easily convinced the new sleeve was designed by Vaughan Oliver. Comprising mostly immersive, chilled kraut-jazz-rock and post-Floydian 'echoes', this album stands out (to me anyway) for their adventures with electronica on  Dialogue And Random , an experimental track which sounds years ahead of its time. A1 First Communication A2 Dialogue And Random A3 Laila, Part I A4 Laila, Part II B1 In The Silence Of The Morning Sunrise B2   Quiet Walk B2a Listening B2b Two - Not Of The Same Kind B3 Haunted Island

  Sophie And Peter Johnston - Sophie And Peter Johnston [WX 127 UK 1987 24-Bit FLAC] A new rip of an old favourite.....  Whilst I admit their lush style of eighties pop will not be to everybody's taste, older readers will remember the sheer love poured upon them by the late John Peel. Sophie and Peter Johnston are a brother and sister synth-pop duo from Newcastle upon Tyne. They formed in 1982 from the remnants of their own new wave band that comprised Sophie on vocals, Peter on guitar & vocals, their brother Tim on drums and an old school friend of Peter's on Bass. Borrowing a couple of synthesizers from a keyboard player acquaintance, they recorded some demos and soon afterwards came to the attention of DJ John Peel for whom they recorded two radio sessions in 1983. He enthused of their music.. " I'm sorry you've just got to like this.. wonderful ... Hearing something like this means as much to me as the first time I heard Little Richard, and it means even m...