Needle Time

  The Empty Quarter - Delirium [AMA 24 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] The Empty Quarter was a two album collaboration between Youth (former Killing Joke bassist) and Ben Watkins (Flowerpot Man & future Juno Reactor) which fitted nicely around Youth's more time demanding work with his other band Brilliant. These nine instrumental electronic tracks vary between hard industrial techno-funk and eclectic laid back atmospheric mood pieces tinged with jazz and elements from world music. The opening salvo of Bullshit and Glass Finger (also a single) are really something, and need to be heard. There are moments of calmness to follow as the duo reveal their gentler side with some lush arrangements and atmospheric compositions.  In the past, I mistakenly believed it was Youth who performs all the hard-funk and intricate bass playing on this record. In actual fact those thumbs all belong to session musician Guy Pratt who since then, has become much better known for his work with Pink Floyd....

  Hula - Fever Car [RED T47 UK 1984 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Last week's Hula rips seem to have caught the interest of many blog followers, this afternoon I returned to a single which I last ripped in 2012 - a brand new high resolution rip should go down well with many of you. The grinding electro-industrial-funk of Fever Car was possibly the band's best known single from their Murmur period, which eventually got the Sheffield troupe a slot supporting Depeche Mode on tour in 1986. More Hula soon, as time allows. A1 (No One Leaves The) Fever Car B1 In The Shutout B2 Bats Lost .....Bloodrush B3 Hard Stripes

  Test Department - Compulsion [TEST 112 UK 1983 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] A slight change in direction.... My love of percussive music has already been hinted at in these pages. It is time to return to a band a 'band' who used to hit things really hard - usually sheets of metal with metal pipes and the odd mechanical tool, drill or buzz-saw used for riffing purposes. Test Department, from Deptford I believe,  were the key UK act in this genre, and Compulsion was their debut single on  Some Bizzare Records via Phonogram  following a few self released cassettes. Originally, Test Department gigged in disused factories in London's East End before refining their shows to fit on the stages of the Europe's smaller venues. Compulsion is just pure brutal energy, whilst on the flip-side, the more electronic Pulsations 1 & 2 feature sequencers programmed and produced by Cabaret Voltaire. Later releases comprised more sampling, bagpipes and occasionally difficult subject mat...

  Nobuo Hara And His Sharps & Flats - Electronics [HMJY-172 JPN RSD2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released as an almost impossible to find on Denon Records in 1970. Nobuo Hara is a name almost unknown outside Japan, yet he has released over one hundred albums and is widely acknowledged for bringing jazz to Japan in the post-war years from 1951. With his own 35-piece Sharps & Flats big band, powered by his own tenor saxophone, Hara brought American jazz to a new audience. Electronics is an album mixed full of funky soul-jazz covers and his own compositions, with kitsch psychedelic references (just check out that sleeve), and the electronic reference indicates his introduction of electric guitar, bass and piano into the performances. This version is the only time this album has been reissued on vinyl in very limited quantities, as part of the Columbia Japan RSD campaign during November 2022. Play loud! A1  Bouree (ブーレ) A2  Breit Kopt (ブライト・コップ) A3  Libe...

  The Doobie Brothers - Minute By Minute [BSK 3193 DEU 2019 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Warner Brothers Records in 1978. My initial introduction to this particular band was a name-check by George Clinton on a Funkadelic album, and to be totally honest my interest in their music is somewhat limited, actually so limited that my ears only really want to take notice when Michael McDonald sings. This album was going to be a mainstream Tuesday post a few weeks back, however it was gazumped by Phil Collins. Is this record really mainstream? It does contain a couple of the band's biggest mainstream hits but their mixture of soulful funky rock and seventies hairy American AOR reaches well beyond the mainstream charts. This pressing is the Speakers Corner release, cut AAA from the master tape by Kevin Gray and pressed at Pallas in German. The funkier tracks do sound great, with tight bass & kick drums, and spacious vocal harmonies making these at least, a worthy listen....

  Hula - Cut From Inside [RED 35 UK 1983 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Here is the debut long player from industrial art-funk noise terrorists Hula in a sound quality well beyond my expectations. I am hearing many more ingredients in this very complicated, detailed and dynamic recording.  The four tracks on each side flow cohesively, blending abstract rhythms, funk bass (supplied by the thumbs of Chakk's Mark Brydon), distressed voices, overdubs and loops. Cut From The Inside is an intensive listening experience which works well with good quality headphones or in the full room listening environment. I am hearing much more on this rip than my old 2013 rip, which was produced back then with inferior equipment. A1 Flesh Metal A2 Mother Courage A3 Church Juice A4 Murder In The Clean States B1 Release The Grip B2 Dirt Talk B3 Stretch The Attitude B4 Subliminal

  Hula - Black Pop Workout [RED 18 UK 1982 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Those expecting something mainstream on a Tuesday had best look away.... Last ripped for my old ESWA blog back from around 2011, I am turning my attention to Sheffield abstract ensemble Hula for the next two rips. I will feature virtually their entire back catelogue of releases in a run of posts over the next few weeks. No better place to begin than with their first commercial release for Red Rhino Records back in 1982. The band's debut EP was recorded and mixed at Western Works & their own Hula Kula studio in 1981/2 and produced by Stephen Mallinder & Chris Watson from Cabaret Voltaire. It's a low fidelity, dark & experimental affair, much in the vein of early Cabs, but with a greater use of guitar, bass & drums and less electronics, a direction the Cabs were to sample on their subsequent 2X45 album, which coincidentally featured both Hula drummers, Alan Fish and Nort. A1 Feeding The Animal A2...

  The Anti-Group - ShT [SEX 010 UK 1986 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] A few weeks back, I posted the first recordings by Adi Newton's Anti-Group project. These had a very abstract jazz feel and this sound was to develop with each subsequent release. As with most Newton projects, associated musicians were jettisoned with changes in direction, for the first studio mini-album, ShT, Richard H. Kirk, Ian Craig Marsh and Martin Ware are credited with samples and post production. This record is more of a challenging listen when compared to the first live recordings with greater emphasis on drone electronics and shock factor. Further & Evident Meanings is a re-working of the Ha! single, heavy with TV news samples from the eighties, including the harrowing Bradford City football stadium fire. Other tracks borrow from tribal recordings and National Geographic, whereas the two b-side compositions are complex & detailed and very well-recorded electronic works. A sticker on the sleeve states...

  Chet Baker - Chet Baker And His Quintet With Bobby Jaspar [SR06/1 FRA 2021 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Fred Thomas's quality Parisian boutique label, Sams Records have been carving themselves quite a niche in the jazz reissue market. Chet Baker was among a number of American musicians who temporarily relocated to Paris in the mid-fifties to perform, and ultimately record for Eddie Barclay's Barclay Records. Sams Records have successfully dug deep into the archives of French jazz recordings to secure (& bake) the original master tapes for their all-analogue 180gm vinyl releases wrapped in glossy & thick reproduction tip-on sleeves.  This particular album was recorded over sessions between October 1955 and February 1956 at the Studio Pathé-Magellan in Paris with a mixture of French & Belgian musicians including the great Belgian saxophonist Bobby Jasper. The original version of this album was released in France in 1956 and renamed  I Get Chet for its 1957...

  Serious Drinking - The Revolution Starts At Closing Time [UPLP 3 UK 1983 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I have been keen for a while to produce of new rip of this fantastic album of punk, ska and football drinking songs from the legendary Serious Drinking. So here you are.... With a comedic blend of punk, beer football & Bilko, 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 Revolutio...

  Chicane - Behind The Sun [MOVLP3052 NLD 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on  Xtravaganza Recordings in 2000. Vinyl copies of the first few Chicane albums are as rare as hen's teeth these days, and any reissue editions disappear quickly from store shelves. Music On Vinyl ran a short series of limited edition represses earlier this year and this nicely package double album edition of Chicane's second album was an essential purchase. The two singles, Don't Give Up with Canadian rocker Bryan Adams &  Saltwater with Maire Brennan from Clannad should appeal to most, however I would recommend a playback from beginning to end as this album builds slowly from a gentle laid back start as the tracks blend seamlessly towards the more uptempo dance numbers.  The extremely calming experience of the Thrillseekers remix of Saltwater is a personal highlight. Enjoy. A1 Overture A2 Low Sun A3 No Ordinary Morning B1 Saltwater B2 Halcyon C1 Autumn...

  Win - You've Got The Power [SWXX 8 UK 1986 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Despite having money thrown at them by London Records, Alan Horne's Swamplands Records couldn't buy a hit. Win's You've Got The Power was the label's biggest chance and despite being chosen as the backing track for the McKewans Lager  TV advert campaign in Scotland and a multitude of formats, it flopped. The track remains a superbly catchy pop track, presented on this twelve inch as the 'US Remix', even though the single was never released in the USA. On the flipside, you also get Win's re-interpretation of David Lynch's  In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song) from Eraserhead , and the rarer seven-inch mix of  Unamerican Broadcasting , which had previously only ever appeared as promo item.  A1 You've Got The Power (U.S Dance Mix) B1 In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song) B2 Unamerican Broadcasting (7" Edit)

  Sir Horatio - Abracadubra b/w Sommadub [MIX 1T UK 1982 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Heavy dub from the council estates of Wythenshawe and urban decaying tower blocks of Hulme, Manchester released as a 12" dub plate on the anonymous 666 Records.  "They wanted people to believe that this was a authentic dub plate from some Reggae producer. But the name Sir Horatio sounded too much like A Certain Ratio. As a dub record it worked very well. Terrific deep dubby mixing and production. The cover showing a leaf of marijuana gave a clear impression on the condition you had to be to fully enjoy this record." Recorded just after the sessions for the Sextet album, and distributed locally in Manchester and by dub vendors in London, most who actually bought this record were aware that it was A Certain Ratio in disguise, as ACR had added Sommadub to their live set at gigs from May 1981. Play loud. A1 Abracadubra B1 Sommadub

  Rush - Rush (ReDiscovered) [MN-100 USA 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Moon Records/Mercury Records in 1974. I did suggest yesterday that something louder was coming. Those expecting something industrial, experimental or my usual general noisy indie rock will be choking right now on their Horlicks. For all those who like this kind of stuff, please don't expect much more from this band, maybe one more album. There is, of course, a back story. As a suburban Grammar School boy in the outer limits of Greater Manchester in the late seventies & early eighties, silos of music fans had began to form - I eventually found myself in the more eclectic set and would regularly mock the scruffy, acne-ridden long-haired thirteen year olds in their dodgy denim jackets emblazoned with the name of Canadian rock band Rush. They would do their best to remain aloof of my mockery and attempt to publicly worship 2112 and A Farewell To Kings accompanied by dubious & overly co...

  The Durutti Column - Time Was Gigantic... When We Were Kids [FAC 2.31 UK 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] When Factory Records folded, following a well-publicised & somewhat shady deal with London Records (we've all seen the movie, right?),Vini Reilly found himself on a major record label. After 1994's excellent Sex And Death , Britain's finest guitarist of his generation released one of his most eclectic & shimmering works, Time Was Gigantic... When We Were Kids in 1997. Up until this year, this album has only been made available as a compact disc, at last we have a vinyl pressing to help us appreciate the full acoustic experience of this album. The blend of Reilly's unique guitar sound, his synthetic orchestrations & calming ambiance, Bruce Mitchell's tribal percussion and the sweet, sweet voice of Eley Rudge will enthrall every listener. I know that it's likely that I have said this about other Vini Reilly albums before, but maybe this really is The ...

  Charlie Mingus - Blues & Roots [APA 001-45 USA 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Atlantic Records in March 1960. Proudly sitting in the first release slot of the Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series (and now on my shelf) is this classic Charles Mingus album cut as two 45rpm platters by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio from the original master tapes, pressed by Quality Record Pressings on their quiet vinyl formula, and wrapped in a glossy tip-on style gatefold jacket. The Mingus big band line-up for this session was Jackie McLean, John Handy on alto saxophone, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, Booker Ervin on tenor sax, Horace Parlan & Mal Waldron on piano, Jimmy Knepper & Willie Dennis on trombones,  Dannie Richmond on drums, plus of course Mingus on double bass. The whole session was recorded and produced by the legendary Nesuhi Ertegun at  Atlantic Studios, New York City on February 4th 1959. These AAA new cuts of clas...

  The B-52s - The B-52s [MOFI 1-004 USA 2011 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Warner Brothers Records in the US on July 12th 1979, and Island Records in the UK on the 20th July 1979. Scholars of The King's English have scorned for decades the random insertion of an unnecessary apostrophe into the name of the other big act to come from Athens, Georgia. Their first five (or six) albums have been fun, zany & essential listening for many over the decades, providing FM radio playlist entertainment across the globe ....plus of course, the occasional wedding night mobile disco floor filler. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab have adjusted their business model since the shame of DSD-gate and their digital step revelations. I have to applaud them for their new found honesty and the inclusion of a new-style SPARS code with each release. They have also dig into their back catelogue, found commercial opportunity in old licensing agreements, plus the metalwork of course, and reissued som...

  New Order - Round & Round [FAC 263 UK 1989 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] As revered and loved in Manchester as Anthony H. Wilson was, he occasionally (probably more like often) got things wrong. Keen to re-discover singles chart success after the zillion-selling True Faith , after a number of faltering follow-ups, Wilson over-ruled the band members and insisted that New Order would release Round & Round from the Technique album as a single. Despite all the personal promotion by Wilson, a multitude of press adds, an expensive but dull promo video and a plethora of formats & remixes, the single peaked at number 21 in the the UK and number 64 in the USA. Backed with the instrumental theme from Granada TV's football chat show, Best & Marsh .  Round & Round is a fine electronic pop-dance album track however as history regularly reminds us, Vanishing Point would have been a much better choice. A1 Round & Round B1 Best & Marsh

  Treebound Story - I Remember [ELM 1 UK 1986 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] We began the week in Manchester, so time now for a quick hop across The Pennines to Sheffield, however not the hard industrial landscape of the steel town, but to a gentle guitar indie-pop place more akin to the lore of Steven Patrick and Johnny Marr. Those who know this record, released on Fon Records will surely love it, there is absolutely no reason to dislike I Remember with its delightfully simple guitar hook.  Peel loved it, he played it to death, however after just one Peel Session and four varying singles Treebound Story were no more - a pity as an album could have been hugely important. This is from a time when similar bands like 1000 Violins and the original Beloved line up were important to the very few of us who bought these records. There is a post script however as the plectrum plucking these gentle guitar melodies (and occasional bits of twang) is held by one Richard Hawley, who these days mak...

  Phil Collins - Face Value [APA 003-45 USA 45RPM 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Virgin Records in 1981. This album landed at my feet (quite literally) yesterday morning, so I set myself the challenge to find some time and make it a Mainstream Tuesday post. I did have another rip lined up, but that can wait because I don't really want to bombard you all with too much mainstream. This new pressing of Face Value is one of the first from the Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Audiophile Series of reissues. Fellow Brits may be thinking, hang on - Phil was on Virgin Records - he was, but also on Atlantic Records in all other territories. I've got my eye on a few others in this series, but only if my usual source for these releases can acquire them. The first 2000 of each release will be pressed at Quality Record Pressings, thus making their superior pressings much more desirable. This double 45rpm gatefold release was mastered from an EQ'd safety copy of the o...

  New Order - True Faith (Remix) [12" WL FAC 183R UK 1987 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] New Order fans join the allegiance at varying times during the band's career, this single was likely responsible 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 Shep Pettibone remix version of True Faith ripped from penguinflight's white label (actually make that a pink label) copy in lush 176.4kHz high definition flac for the first time.  Enjoy. A1  True Faith (Remix) B1  True Dub

  New Order - Murder [FBN 22 BEL 1984 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] New Order's Murder was an instrumental track recorded as part of the Power, Corruption & Lies sessions at Britannia Row Studios. The pounding drums and dark themes would never have fitted with the band's second album, so the track was donated to the Factory Benelux division as a one off single to accompany the Thieves Like Us main single release. The track also features samples from 2001: A Space Odyssey and Roman-period porn-epic Caligula. A quite different instrumental mix of Thieves Like Us features on the b-side, with extra detail and effects, including a sequencer line not featured on the original. It will be a patchy ten days or so for new posts on Needle Time & Digitalia as I am away dealing with other matters. I'll try to post when I can, but normal service should return later next week. A1 Murder B1 Thieves Like Us (Instrumental)

  Lou Donaldson - Mr. Shing-A-Ling [BST 84271 USA 2019 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Here is one of the very best Blue Note Tone Poet Series reissues to remain out of print. Some classic soul-jazz by the great boogaloo jazz saxophonist & band leader, Lou Donaldson. Even non-jazz fans will recognise parts of this album as it has been sampled widely by other artists from the eighties onwards. Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder at his home studio in New Jersey, this all-analogue cut is direct from the master tapes by Kevin Grey and pressed onto heavy vinyl by RTI. I've read comments elsewhere about the pressing issues with this version, whilst it is cut sharp & hot, there is an issue with distortion in the left channel around the start of side B. Whether this is a non-fill issue, contaminated metal work or tape degradation remains unknown but it is known to affect many copies out there, with little sign of a repress. Enjoy. A1 Ode To Billie Joe A2 The Humpback A3 The Shadow Of Yo...

  A Certain Ratio - Looking For A Certain Ratio [CRELP 159 UK 2LP 1994 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Some of you will know my position when it comes to late eighties/early nineties dance music remixes, those feelings tend to get magnified when it comes to remix engineers tinkering with a band that I've followed since the early eighties. Looking For A Certain Ratio was a double 33rpm or compact disc set closing the chapter on their brief reissue relationship with Creation Records.  The band went to a variety of remix chums, mostly from Manchester to work back catelogue tracks from the eighties into dancefloor tracks for the nineties ....with varying levels of success. Those involved include Graham Massey (808 State), Bernard Sumner (New Order & Electronic), John McCready & Jon DaSilva (Hacienda DJs), Sub Sub (now Doves) and Mark Brydon (from Fon Records & Chakk). I am no fan of what Bernard Sumner did to Shack Up , however Graham Massey's remix of Flight is interest...

  Section 25 - Invicta Max [MM 011 BEL 2013 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] We started the week with a Section 25 single, so why not end it with possibly the best single from the sixth line-up (I think) of the Cassidy family collective, and what I think is their best since Looking From A Hilltop . Here is a brand new rip. Sadly parents Jenny & Larry Cassidy had passed away, so Bethany Cassidy took over on vocals and the whole project was held together by original member Vin Cassidy. Oddly, the band chose the license tracks over various labels with LTM/Factory Benelux picking up the albums and a tiny Belgian label, Minimal Maximal Records was lucky enough to pick up this catchy synthpop EP in a limited edition of 400 on ten inch clear vinyl. In my opinion, this was the best the new band could muster and it deserved to heard by a bigger audience, perhaps the band didn't want that? The preceding album, Nature + Degree was excellent as a tribute to the departed Cassidys and it worked well u...

  London Underground - Watching West Indians In The Cold [ON-U DP 4 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] One of the best and rarest singles to come from On-U Sound gets a whole new rip. I first ripped this three track 10" dub plate for my old ESWA blog back in early 2016. I re-posted that rip over here in January 2019 - so let's see what can be done in October 2023 with a much better set-up. London Underground were a dub-punk band from London who recorded two albums for On-U Sound Records during their brief 4 year existence. This Adrian Sherwood produced ten inch is very hard to track down and after a good clean, I can now present it in full resolution quality. It's time to give your bass levels another work out. A1 Strange Things A2 Conspiracy AA Why Do Fat Men Have Such Skinny Thoughts?

  Moon Duo - Stars Are The Light [SBR-228 USA 2019 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I don't think I did this album justice with my December 2019 rip, this new take breathes new life into one of the best indie albums of the past five years. I will never declare openly any kind of appreciation for modern stoner rock, however by blending their fuzzy guitar, trippy beats, sparkling & textured electronics with warm shades of mellow euphoria from the sunny side of the moon, Moon Duo from San Francisco (but now Portland) unleashed a cracker of an album. Stars Are The Light was their seventh album and with a lot of help from Sonic Boom who produced & mixed the album. Moon Duo have gone back to their day jobs and haven't released anything new since Stars Are The Light , but perhaps this is all we need. A1   Flying  A2   Stars Are The Light  A3   Fall (In Your Love)  A4   The World And The Sun  B1   Lost Heads  B2 ...

  AIR - Moon Safari [VMP-E122 USA 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Virgin Records in 1998. Vinyl Me Please reissued Air's classic late nineties downtempo album Moon Safari earlier this year using a new cut by Marie Pieprzownik at Translab Mastering Studios, pressed onto 'Sea of Tranquility' coloured vinyl at GZ Media.  With only a few exceptions, French music had remained within the borders of the francophone world for decades, however it was the rise in popularity of French electronic dance music by the likes of Daft Punk &  Etienne De Crécy's Super Discount which paved the way for AIR. This new 2023 cut has a well detailed presentation, sounding much less compressed with a thicker bottom end and a wider sound stage than my compact disc. As with most GZ presses, there is a little light crackle however we have come to expect that with the Czech factory over the years - I needed to manually remove a few clicks and pops on what was supposed ...

  Sugar - Copper Blue [CRELP 129 UK 1992 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I am not going to waffle on too much about an album which we should all own, however any record featuring the three track sequence of A Good Idea > Changes > Helpless needs to be honoured & re-appreciated on a regular basis. I've been thinking about an upgrade to my May 2019 rip of Copper Blue for a while now, yesterday I gave it a good clean and set to work. Ripped from my original 1992 Creation Records UK pressing, cut expertly by the great Porky but pressed on lower quality nineties vinyl, this is a loud record - last time, I perhaps ripped it too loud - this time I've left some space for end-user volume adjustment as my cartridge handled the full range of frequencies rather well. Copper Blue is my favourite album from the American early nineties alternative rock genre,, however something which bugged me for the last thirty years is how close If I Can't Change Your Mind sounds to a certain US...

  Bobby Caldwell - Bobby Caldwell [BEWITH158LP UK 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on T.K. Records in 1978. Manchester's Be With Records have managed to secure the worldwide reissue rights for American blue-eyed soul boy Bobby Caldwell's first two albums. These have been out-of-print for decades and originals fetch good money in reseller markets. Caldwell's popularity in Japan has also been significant, especially with the resurgence in the Japanese city-pop phenomena, and his influence over there. Not to everybody's taste, Caldwell's talent is widely recognised across many other genres especially in the rap world where his music has often been sampled. Of note as well, Bobby plays most of the instruments himself on these eleven smoochy jazz-soul numbers. This new pressing is respectfully mastered by usual Be With engineer Simon Francis and cut by Cicely Balston at AIR Studios. A1 Special To Me A2 My Flame A3 Love Won't Wait A4 Can't...

  Dire Straits - Dire Straits [MFSL 2-466 USA 2019 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Vertigo Records in 1978. For this week's Mainstream Tuesday, my hardcore indie-music followers may need to look away ....well at least until tomorrow. From the world of Blyth Spartans, Geordie country-inspired pub-rock, swinging sultans and Brewer's Droop comes the debut long player from British AOR's 'finest' Dire Straits.  Cut on an analogue desk using a DSD256 transfer of the original master tape, pressed up at Record Technology onto two 45rpm platters. I've read plenty online about this Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissue since release, including some who said it was one of the very best all-analogue releases available .....that has certainly changed sine the label were required to come clean about their digital step, however that doesn't alter anything about how this album sounds.  A1 Down To The Waterline A2 Water Of Love B1 Setting Me Up B2 Six Blade...

  Section 25 - The Beast [12" FAC 66 UK 1982 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] My March 2019 rip of this single was a little to crackly, time now to upgrade. SXXV's second single proper for Factory Records and their first self-produced, ripped to 24-Bit high resolution FLAC. The Beast is an incredibly dour affair about mental health whereas Sakura in two takes evidences the band's first proper experiments with synths ...with interesting results. Forty years on, the more I think about it, Sakura would have made the better lead track, and could well have been one of those very important Factory singles. The band were in transition, original guitarist Paul Wiggin had moved on, to be replaced by Lee Shallcross on keyboards, it would be another year or so before things stepped up when Jennifer & Angela Cassidy joined the band and we moved closer to their From The Hip era. A live rendition of Trident recorded at New York's Danceteria in February 1982 completes this four track ...

  For Against - In The Marshes [IP 029 USA 1990 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Here is the first of two re-ripped upgrades for today.... Nebraska's For Against sound more like they were brought up on the dark & dreary streets of Lancashire or the cold industrial low countries rather than the heart of America's farming country. This gorgeously packaged 10" EP, In The Marshes was released on Bruce Licher's Independent Project Records as a limited edition of 2500 in 1990.  These raw tracks were laid down on a four-track in a 1986 demo session after recording their debut album Echelons , and possess a colder, much darker synthwave feel than their subsequent guitar based alternative rock releases. Personally, I consider these six tracks to be For Against's best work as shifting line-ups brought a change in direction away from post-punk influences towards alternative rock and hence more suited to the US market. A1 Tibet A2 Amnesia A3 The Purgatory Salesman B1 Amen Y...

  Michel Legrand Featuring Miles Davis -  Legrand Jazz [IMP 6028 USA 2017 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Columbia Records in 1958. French composer, arranger and pianist Michel Legrand assembled thirty-one American jazz greats over three recording sessions in late June 1958 for his own big band arrangements of eleven jazz standards. The list of the assembled talent is impressive, and likely the greatest ever for one project; Miles Davis (a headline act who appears on three tracks), John Coltrane, Paul Chambers, Teo Macero, Herbie Mann, Bill Evans, Bill Webster, Art Farmer & Donald Byrd are amongst those who play their parts. This release originated from a two-track all-analogue mix down from the original studio session work prints and cut by Chris Bellman on Bernie Grundman's all-tube lathe. A1 The Jitterbug Waltz A2 Nuages A3 Night In Tunisia A4 Blue And Sentimental A5 Stompin' At The Savoy A6 Django B1 Wild Man Blues B2 Rosetta B3 'Roun...

  Nucleus - Snakehips Etcetera [BEWITH128LP UK 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Vertigo Records in 1975. The Sunday jazz slot gets opened with the energetic flared-fusion grooves, funky basslines and horny blasts from British band Nucleus. Wrapped in a fully detailed reproduction of the original, and quite ridiculous sleeve, this album was mastered by Simon Francis from the original master tapes and cut by Cicely Balston at AIR Studios. This record represents a very seventies-styled British take on the fusion sounds coming out of the US from the likes of Miles Davis & Tony Williams - psychedelic in parts, complex and constantly developing arrangements by highly skilled musicians hold the listener's attention throughout - which is very helpful considering most tracks are quite lengthy. A1 Rat’s Bag A2 Alive And Kicking A3 Rachel’s Tune B1 Snakehips Etcetera B2 Pussyfoot B3 Heyday