Needle Time

  Stanley Turrentine - Sugar [CTI 6005 UK 2009 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I know it is only a Tuesday and the jazz slot is usually reserved for Sunday evenings, however Needle Time is about to take a short break (back in mid-June) and I just couldn't hold back with this amazing record in one of the best sleeves of its period. Stanley on sax, George Benson on guitar, Lonnie Liston Smith on keyboards, Ron Carter on bass, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet lay down a tight, solid & extremely cool soul-jazz groove. Mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray, this 2009 release on quality British label Pure Pleasure Records is widely appreciated as a significant improvement on the original 1971 release on CTI Records. Enjoy! A1 Sugar A2 Sunshine Alley B1 Impressions B2 Gibraltar

  Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson [WX 157 UK 1988 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] In 1987, Brian Wilson emerged from a few decades of drug fueled paranoia and self-imposed exile to enter the studio, he sat down at his piano and let his incredible musical talent spill out once more. He surrounded himself with a vast array of musicians who all believed in him (including Jeff Lynne and Terence Trent D'Arby) to produce his best work since Pet Sounds . You would be forgiven for thinking this was a Beach Boys album on first listen as all those harmonies, bells and whistles are exactly in the places where you'd expect them to be. This album is full of highlights, even the most die hard anti-mainstream music fan would find themselves enjoying the huge production sound and the catchy hooks contained. I often thing of the festive period when listening to some of these tracks ...listen closely and you'll hear what I mean. The only disappointment (for me anyway) is that Wilson let Jeff Lynne have t...

  Chakk - 10 Days In An Elevator [MCG 6006 UK 1986 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I promised a new rip of the only album by Sheffield indie-funksters Chakk many, many years ago. I have the tools now to produce a decent rip, so following a good clean and with a decent cart/phono combination, here it is ....Chakk in 176.4kHz.  After enjoying the band's first two singles, I remember the great anticipation of this album back in the mid-80s. This was quickly followed by disappointment as signing to a major (MCA) had cost Chakk their edge. On stage, they were youthful, distinct, powerful and energetic, but the American giant had polished them and added even more gloss with the final production - they even roped in Sly & Robbie to assist on studio duties.  Now 36 years later, I've been giving the album another listen. Yes, the production does polish off the band's edge but listen closely (helped by a higher spec moving coil cartridge) and the experimentation is still there from the ...

  Blancmange - Living On The Ceiling [BLANX 3 UK 1983 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Two classic Blancmange twelves pulled from the penguinflight boxes of donated vinyl. Starting wit their best known track Living On The Ceiling in its extended format, complete with all the tablas and sitars which made the track so unique at the time. Blancmange turned out some fine pop songs (with great sleeves) after turning their backs on their experimental roots. The superb b-sides, Running Thin and I Would are from a 1982 Peel Session recorded in February 1982 and are presented here as significant upgrade from my old C60 taped from the radio at the time. A1 Living On The Ceiling B1 I Would B2 Running Thin Blancmange - Don't Tell Me [BLAPX 7 UK 1984 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Those tablas and sitars are back from the incredibly infectious Don't Tell Me . The track is from their second album Mange Tout (rip coming in a few weeks) and came as this twelve inch with extra large label. A1 Don'...

  Blancmange - Happy Families [SH 8552 UK 1982 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Fueled by the Lancashire wit of front man Neil Arthur and eighties electronic arrangements from Stephen Luscombe, Blancmange were an important part of the British synthpop phenomena. Always seemingly playing second fiddle to bigger acts such as Depeche Mode, Yazoo and Soft Cell, their career was filled with hits, near misses and the occasional flop, however their first two albums remain essential synthpop artifacts. This forty year old album was an easy rip, it hasn't been played for almost 35 years and cleaned up really well with an ultrasonic cleaner after a short surfactant dip. Laden with synthpop earworms and huge hits like Living On The Ceiling , for me the over-dramatic Waves (despite the tacky synthetic waves intro) remains one of my favourite synthpop singles from the period.  A1 I Can't Explain A2 Feel Me A3 I've Seen The Word A4 Wasted A5 Living On The Ceiling B1 Waves B2 Kind ...

  George Russell And His Orchestra - New York, N.Y. [DL 79216 USA 2021 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Decca Records in 1959, drummer George Russell's homage to New York featured a whole host of jazz talent, including Benny Golson and John Coltrane on sax, Bill Evans on piano and Art Farmer on trumpet. The mighty Jon Hendricks provides the narration and if latin percussion is your thing, then Al Epstein's bongos on  Manhatta-Rico will be a joy to behold. Remastered from the original tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound, this unusual big band jazz album was pressed at Quality Record Pressings as part of Analogue Productions' Acoustic Sound Series and it is wrapped in a high gloss, tip-on heavy card jacket.  Time for some extra widescreen big band entertainment. A1 Manhattan A2 Big City Blues B1 Manhatta-Rico B2   East Side Medley - Autumn In New York - How About You B3 A Helluva Town

  Van Morrison - Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart [MERL 16 UK 1983 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Some celtic soul to smooth away your Sunday. Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart was Van Morrison's eighteenth solo album and his third for Mercury Records. Self-produced and plated by Arun Chakraverty for The Master Room, this album, although pressed onto incredibly thin vinyl is warm and lush as Belfast's king of soul wraps these ten unique compositions in a soft blanket production, which although subdued at times allows these rich arrangements to ooze from your speakers.  Irish Heartbeat is possibly Morrison's most covered song, including by himself on the album of the same name with The Chieftains, however it is this version which will always be my go to. River Of Time , Rave On, John Donne and Cry For Home are classic Van, however it is the two key instrumentals, Connswater and Celtic Swing where Morrison takes time to reflect on his Irish folk influences. In fact, you'd be...

  Cabaret Voltaire - 2X45 [ROUGH 42 UK 1982 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] To round off this brief rush of posts, here is an old favourite, however this new 2022 rip is a significant upgrade on my previous rip, plus you get it in 176.4kHz. Sit ten Cabaret Voltaire fans down in a circle and ask each of them to name their favourite album, and I'll bet you get ten differing answers. Me? ...I sit on the fence holding copies of 2X45 and The Crackdown . The two albums encompass the development of their sound perfectly, from the post-industrial dub and eastern nomadic tribal rhythms of 2X45 to the structured beat electronica of The Crackdown .  Adding a drummer was key to the album. In fact there are two, Nort features on the second record whilst Hula's Alan Fish (Hula were housemates of Mallinder at the time) adds his unique rhythmic style to the first. It is also notable that Eric Random adds guitar and percussion to the second record. This is a marked change in direction for the Cabs, t...

  Surprise Chef - All News Is Good News [MRBLP202 UK 2020 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] From Melbourne, Victoria come Surprise Chef and their debut album  All News Is Good News which was originally released in 2019 on College Of Knowledge Records in Australia. Recorded live to analogue eight-track tape with bonus PA hum, this album is cool & slick low-fi instrumental soulful  funk in the feel of decades long gone. In generations to come, this record could well be very highly revered as future rappers seek out backing tracks to sample and plunder.  A remarkable album! A1 All News Is Good News A2 Herbie Hemphill A3 Blyth Street Nocturne A4 Have You Fed Baby Huey Today A5 Yung Boi Suite B1 Crayfish Caper B2 Flip Shelton B3 Drinking From The Cup Of Bob Knob B4 Mario's Lament

  Syncbeat - Music [ZYX 5150 DEU 1984 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Dusting off another old single and keeping with the current slight drift into dance tunes, here is the only single by Syncbeat. Technically just a studio band formed by Manchester DJ Greg Wilson to produce tracks for the Streetsounds UK Electro compilation - there was also an excellent and very difficult to find (unless you know where to look) Peel Session in September 1984.  Wilson gathered together a mix of credible mix of local Mancunian talent for the project including Andy Connell (A Certain Ratio), Martin Jackson (ex-Magazine, and soon to form Swing Out Sister with Connell), Derek Johnson (52nd Street). I seem to recall Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson (from A Certain Ratio) were also involved (not 100% positive) in this or possibly in the Foreveraction alter-ego of Syncbeat, which Peelie was fond of as well. Composed on a TB-303 and a DMX drum machine, with a few samples and synth intervals, Music has never ...

  A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray (Remix) [RX8804 UK 1989 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] A classic from the plinkity-plonky phase of British eighties youth culture. From the Moss Side Manchester underground to the dancefloors of the nation, Voodoo Ray was originally released in 1988 to become a cult independently released acid house hit. Derek & Clive never sought their royalties. Gerald's debut album Hot Lemonade is also worth tracking down ...if you can find a copy in decent condition. A1 Voodoo Ray (Remix) B1 Voodoo Ray (Radio Mix) B2 Voodoo Ray (Original Mix)

  Brian Eno - Music For Films [ENO2LP9 2x45RPM UK 2018 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released as a single album in a limited edition of 500 on EG Records in 1976. The eventual 1978 release was trimmed down and re-ordered into what is now accepted as the 'standard' version. This version follows the running order of the 1978 'standard' version however is re-cut by  Miles Showell at Abbey Road using the half speed mastering process on to two 45rpm platters. It is unclear from the packaging credits whether Showell used analogue tape or a digital file to cut this release.  A1 M386 A2 Aragon A3 From The Same Hill A4 Inland Sea B1 Two Rapid Formations B2 Slow Water B3 Sparrowfall (1) B4 Sparrowfall (2) B5 Sparrowfall (3) C1 Quartz C2 Events In Dense Fog C3 There Is Nobody C4 A Measured Room C5 Patrolling Wire Borders D1 Task Force D2 Alternative 3 D3 Strange Light D4 Final Sunset  

  Wayne Shorter - The All Seeing Eye [BST 84219 USA 2021 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Accompanied by an impressive array of talent (just see the names on the sleeve), Wayne Shorter entered Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on the 15th October 1965, to record (in one sitting) his challenging post-bop concept work, The All Seeing Eye . This new all analogue pressing was released last year as part of Blue Note's Tone Poet Series, on high quality vinyl mastered by Kevin Gray and packed in a high gloss tip-on jacket. The original session was recorded as both mono and stereo, produced by Alfred Lion. The new stereo mastering puts you right between the musicians at that session. The percussion is clear and distinct in the right channel, the horns swap solos between full left and centre-left, the bass and piano sit firmly centre stage. Whilst not necessarily the easiest introduction to the genre for new jazz listeners, all should be able to appreci...

  Andy Bey - Experience And Judgment [SD 1654 DEU 2021 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Wrapped in a perfect reproduction of the original 1974 and  highly unusual 'artists impression' spiritual sleeve, Speakers Corners Records re-released this all analogue pressing of highly regarded jazz-fusion vocalist & pianist Andy Bey's first solo album at the back end of 2021. Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed at Pallas in Germany, this strong & tight set of twelve funky & soulful numbers is one of most sought after original releases on Atlantic Records. Many would say this version outstrips the original release given the limitations on vinyl quality in the mid-seventies, plus of course all that extra detail which Gray is so well renowned for extracting from analogue tape. A1 Celestial Blues A2 Experience A3 Judgment A4 I Know This Love Can't Be Wrong A5 Hibiscus A6 You Should've Seen The Way B1 Tune Up B2 Rosemary Blue B3 Being Uptight ...

  The Triffids - Wide Open Road [HOT 1230 UK 1986 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Australia can be a desolate, bleak place. No more so than in the vast expanses of  sun baked hinterland between the major cities. The Triffids came from Perth, so I guess they knew all about that. Possibly the best every road trip song written in the eighties, Wide Open Road was to be their second best selling single, charting in the UK and Australia. A1 Wide Open Road B1 Time Of Weakness B2 Dear Miss Lonely Hearts B3 Native Bride

  Pretenders - Pretenders [MSFL 1-372 USA 2016 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released in 1980 on Real Records (part of the Warners empire) the debut album by The Pretenders should always be revered as a new wave classic. Although the band were quickly to move through the genres into the households of millions as part of the mainstream, it was the tracks which were never singles which delivered the riffs and attitudes as the London scene moved on from punk. Just check out Chrissie Hyndes lyrics on the opening Precious . Delivering hit after hit starting with a cover of The Kink's  Stop Your Sobbing , then Kid (both from 1979), it was their Brass In Pocket which topped the UK charts. Tattooed Love Boys is a personal favourite for its energetic riffing however with its risqué subject matter it would never be a single, but it did find its way to the b-side of the Kid single.  The Pretenders will always be remembered for the hit singles, however when you listen deeper ...

  Maximum Joy - Station M.X.J.Y. [Y 28 UK 1982 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] After my occasional whinging that Station M.X.J.Y. had never been reissued, US label 1972 Records repressed the album on a choice of black or red vinyl in 2019. I though now would be a good time to dig out my UK original pressings and see what I could do with it. Here is a brand new rip in 176.4kHz FLAC. Formed from remnants of The Glaxo Babies and The Pop Group, fronted by Janine Rainforth, Maximum Joy recently reformed in part during 2015, and releasing one new single as MXMJoY in 2019.  I put Station M.X.J.Y . up there with A Certain Ratio's Sextet at the pinnacles of British post-punk-funk. Where as Sextet is a post-industrial soundtrack to the dark alleys and dirty canals of early eighties Manchester, Station M.X.J.Y. celebrates the multicultural influences and diversity of a post-colonial Bristol. Like Sextet there is a balance of instrumental mood pieces like Where's Deke? where the sounds of the B...

  The Sound - From The Lions Mouth [IF 03 USA 2012 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Korova Records (KODE 5) in the United Kingdom in 1981. Here is a brand new 176.4kHz full resolution rip. I think that it remains a travesty that From The Lions Mouth is still out-of-print. The original album was released on Korvova Records via WEA (Warners) in the UK back in 1981, never to be repressed except for a very limited run on US label 1972 Records - who ironically are distributed by Warners US division of Rhino Records. Hats off to 1972 Records and those responsible for mastering this very limited repress - these ten classic tracks have likely never sounded so damn good. This one off re-pressing of the album was by Rainbo Records in California and it is wrapped in a heavy duty, thick card tip-on gatefold jacket. An original 1981 Korova pressing of this album (if you can find a decent copy) will set you back up towards 100 quid, this 2012 pressing fetches just as much on the se...

  Tom Verlaine - Kaleidescopin' [VLANE 612 UK 1990 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Verlaine's career post-Television has been mostly low key, with a posse of hardcore fans but dwindling in numbers as the years progressed. Following those Elektra/Warners years, and after an aborted career on Virgin Records, Verlaine found himself on IRS in the USA and Fontana in Europe. The albums up to an including Flash Light were well received by music critics although the more polished Flash Light failed to deliver the sales which many of Verlaine's contemporaries achieved at the time. The best reason to enjoy this twelve inch single is not the Julian Mendelsohn mixed a-side (which sounds a bit too much late eighties Shriekback), it has to be the two fantastic riff-rocking flipside tracks, Sixteen Tulips and Vanity Fair . For penguinflight who donated this single a few years ago, which I have finally gotten around to ripping.  A1 Kaleidescopin' B1 Sixteen Tulips B2 Vanity Fair

  Nirvana - Nevermind [GEF 24425 USA 2013 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Allegedly, here is the album which sounded the death toll for hair-metal in the US, although I am sure other acts may say differently. I was more of a Sugar fan and although Copper Blue came a year later in 1992, I could hear the role earlier bands such as Hüsker Dü, Butthole Surfers and British band Head Of David had on those slippery steps between alternative rock and Seattle grunge. If you were getting into rock music in the late eighties, then I guess Nirvana were, to you (and many others), the best band on the planet. The original pressings of Nevermind were mastered by Howie Weinberg at Mastersound in New York and pressed at MCA, the initial European versions used the same mastering and were pressed at CBS in Haarlem, Netherlands (now Record Industry). This version is mastered by Bernie Grundman and pressed at Pallas in Germany. I only have an original UK CD for comparison, however there are plenty of...

 John Coltrane - Soultrane [APRJ 7142 USA 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] As the world awakes to recover from the annual hysterical, crass over-drama and general tackiness of Eurovision, it is a beautiful spring Sunday morning and it is time for calm. Recorded in Hackensack, New Jersey on the 7th February 1958 by Van Gelder and Bob Weinstock, with Coltrane on sax, Red Garland on piano, Art Taylor on drums and Paul Chambers on bass, and then originally released on Prestige Records. Analogue Productions have finally repressed their 2014 all analogue remaster by Kevin Gray, pressed onto 180gm flat-edge profile vinyl by QRP, wrapped in a glossy tip-on jacket by Stoughton Printing Co. A1 Good Bait A2 I Want To Talk About You B1 You Say You Care B2 Theme For Ernie B3 Russian Lullaby

  Cybotron - Enter [CR 00079 EU 2018 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released as a vinyl album in 1983 on Fantasy Records. I thought I might be able to improve on my 2019 rip of this Craft Recordings reissue. So here is a brand new 176.4kHz rip. Cybotron came from Detroit, formed by Juan Atkins and Richard '3070' Davis, they released two very Kraftwerk influenced singles, Alleys Of Your Mind and Cosmic Cars on their own Deep Space label before signing to Fantasy for this album and the accompanying Clear single.  Many years ago, likely during late 1983, I was a young lad discovering dance music courtesy of the DJs at Manchester's Hacienda night club. Clear   was one of those tracks which had the greatest impact and although it was almost impossible to track down at the time on vinyl, it remained a favourite prompting me to eventually find a copy in the late eighties ...way beyond a time where it remained important. This represented an era where electro(nic) dance music...

  Akira Ishikawa & His Count Buffalos - African Rock [CNLP 63 ITA 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released in Japan on Dan Records in 1971, here is the recent repress of the psychedelic afro-funk extravaganza created by legendary Japanese drummer Akira Ishikawa. Laden with funky breakbeats, original copies of this album have been changing hands for small fortunes. Italian reissue label, Cinedelic Records were granted access to the original master tapes for this repressing of this much in demand album. A1 Prayer A2 Dawn A3 Animals A4 Hunting B1 The Earth B2 Love B3   Joy B4 Jumbo 

  Hillside - Sunday In June [C56LP018 UK 2021 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Hillside are a London based trio of Alex Searle, Patrick Dawes & Paul Murphy (aka Mudd) who released this album of seven very laid back instrumentals last year, presented as a double vinyl gatefold, wrapped in lush textured artwork. Much like label mates, Almunia, Hillside lay down a soul-jazz groove mingled into Japanese-style city pop - all skillfully arranged and self-produced for Murphy's Claremont 56 label. With occasional hints of funk, this album was one of my soundtracks to last summer which is happily ripped here to kick off the warm weather in this hemisphere. You need the modern production style to remind you  that this isn't an album from the mid-seventies, often referred to these days as Balearic, things hit a serious funky groove on For Daniel (recently a single) and the excellent & more uptempo  1939 Grand Ave . A1 Sunday In June A2 Trinity Strut B1 Walpole Days B2 Agu...

  Donald Fagen - The Nightfly [92.3696-1 DEU 1982 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I have often wondered what the late Walter Becker ever thought about the left-hand immovable hype sticker on this 1982 original German pressing of Donald Fagen's Nightfly .  In all essence, this is Steely Dan minus Becker but using the very same session musicians as The Steelies last album, Gaucho in 1980, plus of course Gary Katz on production duties.  The other hype sticker proudly states The Nightfly was a digital recording, likely one of the very first mainstream releases to use 3M's 32-track digital recorders. Most of us likely didn't care at the time as to the album's provenance in 1982 as The Nightfly was possibly the coolest mainstream album to own at the time. This copy was a recent record store find, the vinyl is ridiculously close to mint, the sleeve isn't too bad but is showing its age. Early to mid-eighties Warner pressings from Germany were always good quality and this is no ex...

  Art Pepper - Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section [CR00491 USA RSD2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Contemporary Records in 1957. I am no jazziophile, I only really have a small collection of albums, however they have all been going crazy over this release for RSD2022. Copies were few and far between (only 6000 pressed) with most stores only getting a few copies, so the flippers filled their boots quickly. My local store initially only got a couple which disappeared before first light, however Craft Records had sent two batches across the pond with second arriving in stores a few days after Record Store Day. By which time copies were already changing hands for close to $100 and rising. I happily parted with my thirty quid for this copy. Recorded by an unprepared Pepper on a broken sax in one session in between spells in prison for drug offences, this album regularly features on lists of the greatest ever jazz recordings. For RSD2022, the original mono master tape ...

  The House Of Love - I Don't Know Why I Love You [HOL 212 UK 1986 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] There were two versions of this 12" single with either a black sleeve, or a white one and differing tracks, as well as a regular 7", a limited edition 7", a cassette single and a compact disc single. Mass formatting was the downfall of many young indie bands faced when jumping to the majors during a competitive decade where the only thing that mattered was a chart record shop with a Gallup machine (usually one of the chain stores), and their fans tended to buy their music in smaller independent stores.  A1 I Don't Know Why I Love You A2 Clothes B1 Secrets B2 The Spy

  The House Of Love - Never [HOL 112 UK 1989 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Following the 1986 indie-pop boom, Major label A&R men spent long hours chasing indie bands for their signatures with the promises of great riches. Fontana Records hooked The House Of Love who were responsible for four fantastic singles on Creation Records. Never was their major label debut, produced by Tim Palmer and whilst the tune remained true to the band's C86 roots, the extra polish from the producer and access to better equipment elevated the single and the band's fortunes out of the Creation Records fuzz. So much so, that within a few years, The House Of Love had gone from small, smokey indie venues to filling The Royal Albert Hall in London. A1   Never B1 Soft As Fire B2 Safe

  Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue [MOVLP096 NLD 2010 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released worldwide on Caribou Records in 1977, it took thirty years of cult status for the only album by late Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson to obtain some level of success when it charted on both sides of the Atlantic in 2008. Europe had to make do with compact disc only in 2008,  however only a few years later Music On Vinyl secured the rights to a vinyl edition, and I would say they did this album justice. It is likely you will be unable to track down original copies which sound as good. Despite the title, this record recalls very little from Wilson's time as a Beach Boy. It is the legacy of his difficult lifestyle fueled by hard drugs, loose women and Charlie Manson. This lifestyle had taken its toll on Dennis and his voice suffered, becoming much coarser than all those surf harmonies in the sixties. It was his alcohol fueled death by drowning in December 1983 which led to a UK viny...

  Batteaux - Batteaux [BEWITH027LP UK 2018 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Columbia Records in 1973, the only album by the brothers Batteaux was once a much over-looked American soft-rock classic, however these days it is highly revered among new younger listeners who find these laid back grooves to be the ideal antidote to their high velocity lives. Individually, each Batteaux brother (both out of Boston, Massachusetts and Harvard University) became renowned songwriters in their own rights, however this was their only album together.  With a touch of Harry Nilsson, a dab of Crosby, Stills & Nash and a little jazzy soul, tracks like  Tell Her She's Lovely ,  Wake Me In The Morning and Mirror stand out. The b-side tracks, especially  Lady Of The Lake are more atmospheric, however they all reveal the songwriting qualities of the Batteaux brothers. Be With Records were able to secure the original master tapes of Batteaux a few years back...

  The Beloved - Happiness [NEW 9239LP UK 2020 24-Bit FLAC] Last ripped a few years back, I wanted to revisit this release. It is cut 'very hot' and a combination of my initial naivety and the noisy vinyl affected the end results. The Hana Shibata cartridge handled things much better than my old Ortofon and with all the subsequent hardware upgrades, I have put things right at 176.4kHz. One of my most anticipated reissues of 2020, was the new vinyl remaster of The Beloved's Happiness . I only bought the compact disc back in 1990 and it has remained one of my favourite pop albums, delivered by band I had followed closely since their original indie-rock roots. This release is cut digitally by John Davis from the originally analogue tapes. The pressing plant seems to wish to remain anonymous. The band's debut album followed chart success with the Hello single and Jon Marsh's cash cow, The Sun Rising . The original indie-pop foursome where now just down to Marsh (sporti...

  The Cult - Spiritwalker [SIT 33T UK 1984 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Technically The Cult's only indie single, Spiritwalker marked the end of Ian Astbury's native American phase. This is one of those singles from my youth which I recall being played at Manchester goth nights in clubs such as Devilles. Definitely a floor filler for all those leather-clad back-combed lads and lassies who likely now have grandkids and day jobs as captains of industry. A1 Spiritwalker B1 A Flower In The Desert B2 Bone Bag The Cult - Resurrection Joe [BEG 122T UK 1984 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Every so slightly funky, very much psychedelic,  Resurrection Joe is a pounding & plucky bass-driven six minutes of goth disco energy. A1 Ressurection Joe (Long Version) B1 Ressurection Joe B2 Ressurection Joe (Hep Cat Mix Long Version) The Cult - Revolution [BEG 152T UK 1985 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] It is time for The Cult to go hair-rock, but they managed one anthemic & melodic rock single (ac...