Needle Time

  The Fall – Grotesque (After The Gramme) [MOVLP3320 NLD 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Rough Trade Records in 1980. I've previously ripped my crackly UK original of this album and was tempted by this new pressing cut from tape by Music On Vinyl. Although I didn't expect our Dutch friends to have access to the original master, I certainly didn't expect this reissue to originate from a differently mixed source. Please read on.... Whilst I am no Fall aficionado (I know many are), the muffled extra few seconds on the intro to one of my favourite tracks, Pay Your Rates are as noticeable as the audible differences to the original album and very occasional tape drop outs on this release. For instance, the intro to English Scheme is about six seconds shorter compared to the original, and Smith's vocals are further back in the mix. I haven't given this enough time for comparisons to find all the differences - I know some will be right on this. The most...

  Killing Joke - Killing Joke [SPINE515292 UK 2020 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Malicious Damage Records in October 1980. When the sad news of Geordie Walker's death broke over the weekend, I thought about a Killing Joke megapost over on Digitalia in tribute. Before that happens (when time allows), I have decided to produce a whole new rip of the band's classic debut album for a substantial upgrade to my March 2021 rip. I am regularly sceptical about modern vinyl pressings, however the British division of Spinefarm Records have actually done a great job with the fortieth anniversary mastering of the debut Killing Joke album, even if it was pressed at GZ Media. I ripped my original a few years back and it is not in great shape, so I was constantly on the lookout for a better copy ...I am pleased to say that this new black vinyl pressing sounds great. The almost danceable Bloodsport is always my go to track and the whole album track clocks in at an impressive dy...

  Neil Young - Trans [25AP 2408 JPN 1982 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] It is going to be a quieter week than normal around here as work will be dragging me away from the ripping room for a few days this week. I do have a few things to drop in occasionally to keep you entertained ...or not. Here is an album which has an unusual place in my collection and my musical past. A family member is a huge Neil Young fan, having followed the musician since the Buffalo Springfield days - the Trans album did not go down well with him, and it was likely the same for many other older Neil Young fans. However bring on some younger ears, I was sixteen at the time and embracing the new synthpop musical generation, I actually found much to like about this record. Infamous not only because this record and its follow-up Everybody's Rockin' brought on a law suite (soon dropped) from label owner David Geffen on the grounds of non-commerciality, but also because of the synthpop elements scattered throughou...

  Kenny Dorham - Afro-Cuban [BLP 1535 USA 2014 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released as a 10" EP on Blue Note Records in 1955. Expanded by Rudy Van Gelder in 1957 to a full album from his original mono session tapes. I know it is only a Saturday, however I am away for the rest of the weekend and really wanted to post this album. You know this is the genuine article when you can hear the tape stop & start between tracks, Afro-Cuban is a much overlooked 15 Series Blue Note release, which must be due a Tone Poet at some point. The line up is somewhat impressive too...... Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Jay Jay Johnson on trombone, Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Cecil Payne on baritone sax, Horace Silver on piano, Art Blakey on drums, Oscar Pettiford & Percy Heath share the double bass duties, and the incredible Carlos 'Patato' Valdes on percussion. Recorded & produced by Rudy Van Gelder, mastered here by Bernie Grundman and cut to lacquer by Chris Bellman. All doing the...

  52nd Street - Look Into My Eyes [BEWITH012TWELVE UK 2020 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Factory Records in August 1982. Slipping out during the worrying days of lockdown, Manchester's Be With Records remastered and re-released the debut single by 52nd Street, which seems to have become one of the most collectible items on Factory Records. This reissue knocks the spots of my much played UK original. The youthful sound of the streets from a dismal, rainy and grey northern powerhouse, produced by A Certain Ratio's Donald Johnson, with Simon Topping on percussion, and Bernard Sumner's synth effects - recorded at Revolution Studios in Cheadle Hulme. 52nd Street were to change line up and find commercial success as a modern soul act on Ten Records during the late eighties, however their very best work was always going to be those early Factory singles. This single is also a welcome hark back to a time of excellent b-side tracks. We never heard enough from this er...

  Gary Byrd And The G.B. Experience - The Crown [TMGT 1312 UK 1983 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] As it's a Friday evening in most parts east of the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone, I thought I'd liven things up with a little disco - something which I know goes down well with many of you.  Harking back to the more innocent days of rap music, The Crown is a rap dedication to African American heritage by American DJ Gary Byrd set to a fine ten minute boogie-disco beat provided by Stevie Wonder and his backing band. Wonder also part-wrote the track and provides his instantly recognisable voice for one verse.  Released on Motown Records back in the day, the single was also one of the longest ever singles to hit the UK charts where it peaked at number six in July 1983. Byrd also had a slot on BBC Radio One in the UK where he offered up to UK audiences an hour of American gospel soul each week. A1 The Crown (Vocal Version) B1 The Crown (Instrumental Version)

  Wally Badarou - Colors Of Silence [BEWITH120LP UK 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] French keyboardist Wally Badarou was been making music since the mid-late seventies, initially on French afrobeat releases, he then released a few French market solo albums before finding wider recognition for his session work with Island Records artists such as Grace Jones and Robert Palmer. In the UK, he was also an unofficial member of pop-funk band Level 42 for much of their most popular work. In 2001, Badarou released an ambient work Colors Of Silence for a 'yoga project' which years later found attention amongst ambient Balearic music lovers who made the compact disc a much sought after item. Copies are now almost impossible to find, so Manchester label Be With Records teamed up with the Frenchman for this brand new vinyl edition, mastered by Simon Francis from the original digital recordings. Whilst not wholly ambient, Colors Of Silence represents a very chilled worldwide musical journey by...

  B·F·G - Blue [DPRLP23 USA 2013 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Attica Records in 1989. Those who have stuck with my rips for the last decade or so will be familiar with Mancunian post-punk goth band B·F·G, especially their excellent debut album Phantoms from 1988. Formed by the drummer from former Factory Records band, Lavolta Lakota and despite some very excellent releases, B·F·G got lost in the musical world due to the baggy haze of Madchester, despite their heavy post-punk goth being the perfect antidote to the druggy mess the city was fast becoming. This rip could well be your perfect antidote to my last post. Blue is their second album, with a slightly more electronic feel this record fits into the neutral territory between Joy Division and Sisters Of Mercy, filled with distortion and deep throbbing basslines. Reissued by the late lamented Drastic Plastic Records label, it is a powerful listen and this pressing brings more dynamics to your listen, aided ...

  Genesis - Selling England By The Pound [APA 002-45 USA 2023 2X45 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Charisma Records in 1973. Here is another of my 'not your usual Needle Time rips'. If this isn't your usual cup of English breakfast tea, then please look away - in fact, maybe you are intrigued as I was when this release was announced.  In England, Charisma Records were part of the Virgin Records empire, in the USA Charisma were affiliated to Atlantic Records, hence this Atlantic 75th double 45rpm edition. Cut from the original (US?) master tape by Chris Bellman at Grundman Mastering and pressed onto two Quality Record Pressings platters, this release is wrapped in a very high specification laminated tip-on gate-fold jacket. What is unclear is which tape did they use - the original UK, a copy tape made for the USA, or was a new master mixed down from the multi-tracks in 1973 for the USA. I'll go on record to say that Selling England By The Pound and The Lam...

  Hula - 1000 Hours [REDLP 63 UK 1986 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I last ripped this double album over ten years ago in June 2013, it has been another one of my most requested re-posts since and I've been devilishly resisting the calls. Today, I've just finished a whole new rip of one my favourite moments in Hula history. In theory Hula only recorded three albums proper, but many would agree that 1000 Hours is more than just a compilation of live and session work. This double album is formed from a powerful and energetic live performance at The Melkweg in Amsterdam in early 1985, four session tracks from Dutch radio station VPRO, and one side of new experimental recordings laid down in the studio during the same tour.  Sides one and two are from the mixing desk at the Melkweg gig and show just how well Hula transferred their layered and powerful industrial beats onto the live stage, with live drums, bass and guitar which helped them stand out amongst their Sheffield peers. The ban...

  Hula - Walk On Stalks Of Shattered Glass [REDT 62 UK 1985 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Hula rework their Motor City Nightmare with quite a bit of help from Hamilton Bohannon's Let Start To Dance (Again) , which was a popular dance reissue around the same time. The track is a personal favourite from Hula's repertoire as it reveals a more commercial side to their dark heavy industrial funk. This is another new rip for the Hula collectors and disco fans everywhere. The message is in the muuuuuuuusic! A1  Walk On Stalks Of Shattered Glass B1  Walk On Stalks Of Shattered Glass (Version)

  Hula - Get The Habit [REDT 56 UK 1985 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] It is time to get back to my Hula rips, mostly in chronological order for all those original and new fans among followers. This is a new rip and an upgrade on my June 2021 rip of their 4th single, Get The Habit backed with the pulsating Bad Blood . Further evidence that Hula didn't want fame, popularity or your money... they just wanted your attention. A1 Get The Habit B1    Bad Blood

  The Curtis Counce Group - You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce! [CR00389 USA 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released as an album in mono on Contemporary Records in 1957. The most obvious thing to strike you about this album is the sleeve. Moving on, next it is the music... with Curtis Counce on double bass, Frank Butler on drums & Cal Perkins on piano in the right channel and then all the horn solos in the left, the extra wide stereo field adds considerable dynamism to playback of this extraordinary album. This new 2023 pressing was cut by Bernie Grundman and pressed at Quality Record Pressings in Salina, Kansas. What is intriguing is the origin of the tapes used for the tapes used for this release.We know this album was only available as mono until 1972 when it reappeared as a stereo mix and renamed Counceltation . In 1984, OJC reissued the album once more with its original title and cover using a stereo tape. It is not disclosed anywhere whether the original recor...

  David Bowie - Hunky Dory [NL 83844 UK&EU 1983 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Like many, I've always held an affection for the early eighties mid-priced Bowie represses on RCA. Although the vinyl was at times flimsy, they tended to use the same original metalwork from much earlier pressings - a little toppy in places they played well on cheaper turntables, but they could have benefited with a little more punch in the bottom end.  I foolishly cleared out these pressings in the late eighties as I 'upgraded' to compact disc. Hunky Dory wasn't resurfaced much since the eighties, the most significant repress was the all analogue EMI 100 release from 1997 (which now fetches good money). I'm sure there will eventually be a Abbey Road compressed remaster from digital to vinyl like other Bowie albums, however for now we are limited to what seventies & eighties pressings we can find which are not worn out. Earlier this week, I ripped a couple of £5 charity shop bargain albu...

  Digitalia Update Hi everybody, We still have one or two who may not have received a personalised Digitalia subscription email from WordPress. I have processed all those who have kindly donated up to 15:00 GMT today, so if you were expecting an invite, please check your spam folders, just in case it has been deposited there by your email provider. The new site is up & running well, and I've been able to publish a few mega-posts for those with access. All those who were an original Digitalia member (the old Blogger site which is now closed) were asked over there to contact me with a preferred subscription email address. If you were expecting a subscription email and have not received it please let me know at blogmeister@zoho. com If you haven't yet donated and would like access, please click on the donation link in the blogger side panel. We already have about half of you on Digitalia , it would be great to welcome to rest of you blog followers. I usually process subscrip...

  Clock DVA - Buried Dreams [01717-08 DEU 1989 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Here is an album you don't come across too often these days, especially in ultra high resolution.  I've religiously held on to my Clock DVA releases for decades, however obtaining the post-1988 releases on vinyl is not easy. They were never readily available in the UK as Adi Newton chose German, Italian and American labels for DVA releases in the post-Polydor years. We have had many, many hints that Mute Records had done a deal to reissue everything from Thirst onwards, but that idea seems to have completely dried up. The electronic era of the fourth coming of Clock DVA seems to be the most illusive on vinyl and my compact disc originals are quietly gaining value & dust on the shelf. Buried Dreams is a widely appreciated masterpiece of electronic music, so it deserves a high rez rip from an original vinyl pressing. So without further ado...... A1 Buried Dreams A2 Hide A3 Sound Mirror A4 Velvet R...

  Cabaret Voltaire - Yashar [FAC 82 UK 1983 24-Bit 17.4kHz FLAC] I've been washing Cabaret Voltaire records today, it seems that many of you missed my rips of their first three albums, so rather than just dig out my old rips, I believe I can greatly improve on my previous work. The first three albums will re-appear here from next week - only better than before. Which brings me to Yashar . After yesterday's New Order & John Robie fiasco, I thought I would also wash down this old Factory Records Robie reconstruction of the Cabs track from their 2X45 album. I think Robie got this one right, I know others may think differently but all the same, this new rip sounds great! Where are they hiding? A1 Yashar B1 Yashar

  Hula - Shadowland [REDLP 71 UK 1986 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I have been slowly working my way through re-rips of the Hula back catelogue (I have nearly everything) in order of release, however I am going to jump briefly out of sequence for this post because I've realised that I had never ripped this album before. Shadowland comprises two lengthy untitled live improvisations recorded at The Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield England on the 26th August 1985. The band were commissioned to assemble live quadrophonic sound sculptures for the British Arts Council's touring Noise In Your Eye exhibition. This album is a stereo recording of the event.  This is not easy listening, nor is it your usual funk-infused industrial-dub Hula.. A1 Untitled B1 Untitled

  New Order - Sub-Culture [FAC 133 UK 1985 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I have known to be rather damning in the past regarding New Order's decision to allow John Robie to screw around with the fine Sub-Culture from their 1985 album Low-Life . I used phrases like ' steaming bucket of pish ' to describe his efforts when I last ripped this record back in 2015. It's not that bad is it? Well, we understand that Peter Saville refused to design a sleeve for this single and the introduction of backing singers was very un-New Order, the constant unnecessary effects which run throughout do their worst to hide what is a very catchy hi-energy pop song. A remix of the song with some of the more basic new overdubs would have sufficed in my book, I'm not sure I need constant samples of backing singers chanting ' one of these days ....'. As one blog-follower kindly put it back then, this single was not mixed for the UK market, instead it was remixed for the New York dancefloor ...

  Northside - Chicken Rhythms [520 005-1/ 210•1222•1 EU 1992 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Factory Records (FACT 310) in 1991. With the ink not even dry on the deal which allowed London Records to effectively asset strip the bankrupt Factory Records, Moston's baggy boy band Northside found themselves on London Records in Europe through a secondary deal with Rough Trade Deutschland for Germany, The Netherlands & Belgium, and with Barclay Records for France in 1992. This was to be a very brief arrangement which never progressed beyond Chicken Rhythms . Northside had a few chart hits in the UK and had firmly enshrined themselves in Madchester culture with their catchy LSD influenced indie-pop, however it would never be clear how this would go down in the more fastidious & self-contained French & German markets.  What makes this edition stand-out to Factory Records vinyl collectors today are the three extra tracks which were included on the Europe...

  The Who - Who's Next [2408 102 UK 1974 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Track Records in 1974. I last ripped this album back in 2018 for the ESWA 2.0 forum with a far inferior cartridge. I also misidentified it back then as a 1971 pressing, this is actually a 1974 repress A4/B4 cut by Denis Blackham aka BilBo.  As a The Jam fan back in my youth, I never felt pressured into becoming a fan of The Who. Many of my peers were, however I just saw them as hairy rockers with bad fashion sense - especially when compared to the smartly dressed Woking trio. Yeah, I was naive back then and it took me a while to understand the importance of Peter Townshend's contribution to British music. Who's Next is by far my favourite Who album, and for years I coped with a cheaply pressed, limp sounding & badly mastered 1983 mid-price pressing (SPELP 49). Here is my bargain bin sourced rip of the significantly superior BilBo cut, complete with its fat bottom end. A1 Baba O...

  Jeff Beck - Truth [BXN 26413 USA 1973 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Columbia Records in 1968. Today's theme is bargain bin records, these next two albums were picked up in British charity shops for no more than a fiver in the last thirty years. This American reissue copy of Jeff Beck's classic blues-rock album wasn't in great shape and after many attempts at deep cleaning, I have finally been able to produce a rip that I believe worthy of publishing. The run-outs were particularly in a bad way but with the help of modern technology, I think only a little fuzziness is obvious, less so if listening on a home hi-fi system. Apart from Beck's masterful blues guitar, this album is all about Rod Stewart's voice, his style is perfect for this genre & he nails it, so let the Truth belt from your speakers. A1 Shapes Of Things A2 Let Me Love You A3 Morning Dew A4 You Shook Me A5 Ol' Man River B1 Greensleeves B2 Rock My Plimsoul B3 Bec...

  Various Artists - If You Can't Please Yourself You Can't, Please Your Soul [TAPE 1 UK 1985 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Here is today's second iconic label compilation, if time allows I promise something very (very) different tomorrow. A somewhat bizarre mix of those who seek to entertain and others doing their very best to appall. For the uninitiated this is not a soul compilation album, however I would hope that the cover will give that away. It is mid-eighties Some Bizzare at its best with 10 mostly exclusive tracks from the label's randomly bizarre repertoire. The Test Department, Neubauten,  Cabaret Voltaire and The The tracks are worth the purchase price on their own - I bought this for the new Cabs track and Matt Johnson's first available recordings since Soul Mining - I wasn't disappointed.  Coil and Psychic TV will appeal to a few out there, in total contrast the sweetest mind of Virginia Astley is the perfect antidote to Jim Thirwell's somewhat ungod...

  Various Artists - Lonely Is An Eyesore [CAD 703 UK 1987 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] The 4AD Records roster of artists was forever evolving - some moved quickly on to greater things like Bauhaus, The Birthday Party & The The, others like Cocteau Twins and Modern English hung around for a bit longer before moving to major labels, some were not around long before disappearing without a trace - Dance Chapter, Mass, The Past Seven Days, My Captains etc. Other bands like The Wolfgang Press showed loyalty & longevity by sticking with the label for their entire careers. 1987 was a very important year for the label, it was about to hit the big time with the Pump Up The Volume single by MARRS, it was also about to discover America when the first of a long string of American acts, Throwing Muses joined the label. Lonely Is An Eyesore is a fine summary of the label's eclectic music in 1987, in fact the compilation title came from the Throwing Muses track. Nearly all tracks were previous...

  The John Coltrane Quartet - Africa/Brass [YS-8501-AI JPN 1976 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Impulse! Records in 1961. John Coltrane's sixth album and his first for Creed Taylor's Impulse! label didn't just feature his quartet as suggested - the assembled musicians totaled 21, which must have been a bit of a squeeze in Rudy Van Gelder's studio. The fact that each instrument has its own space in the sound stage is testament to the exceptional standard of a Van Gelder recording. Side one is dedicated to the sixteen minute title track with its blaze of horns, whereas the flip contains McCoy Tyner's very unique interpretation of Greensleeves and another Coltrane composition, Blues Minor . Enjoy. A1 Africa B1 Greensleeves B2 Blues Minor

  The Miles Davis Quintet - Steamin' With The Miles Davis Quintet [APRJ 7200 USA 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally eventually released on Prestige Records (7200) in 1961. I'm currently reading the Miles Davis autobiography and am at the stage in his career where he is about to switch between Prestige Records and Columbia Records. As part of his exit package, he agreed with Bob Weinstock to produce a final series of albums; Cookin' , Relaxin' , Workin' and Steamin' with his then quintet of John Coltrane on sax, 'Philly' Joe Jones on drums, Red Garland on piano and Paul Chambers on bass. As usual the series was wonderfully recorded & produced by Rudy Van Gelder in Hackensack, NJ during May & October 1956. In the book, it was fascinating to read how Davis's relationship with John Coltrane was diminishing a great pace. Davis was reformed heroin addict, however the younger Coltrane had fallen fowl to addiction and his performance (especially...

  The B-52's - Cosmic Thing [MOFI 1-023 USA 2012 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Reprise Records in 1989, re-released as part of the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Silver Label Vinyl Series, cut all-analogue from the original master tape by Paul Stubblebine. If it wasn't for one particular single, Cosmic Thing would likely have faded from memory along with many of the mid-period B-52's albums. The rawness & energy of the first two albums was gone, to be replaced by pop-polish primed for hit parades around the globe. Produced by Don Was and Nile Rogers, and propelled by the success of one particular single, the album was to be treasured by a new generation of fans around the globe. Many have mistaking believed that MOFI had killed the lower end with this release, in actual fact they hadn't. This is an extremely dynamic production (DR14-DR15), however the mastering choices mean that it was cut extremely quiet - hence some bass frequencies were subdued by the...

  An Announcement Of Sorts And now.... an update (of sorts) Another update..... I'm away from later today until Sunday, so any further subscription requests to the new WordPress site received will be processed then. A huge thanks to all who gotten in touch and very kindly donated to the cause. I hope you are all enjoying the new bonus blog. It has been a huge learning curve which will help me understand how to bring about the transition of Needle Time to the new platform. I've had a lot of requests for posts since last weekend and I will do my very best to work on those over the coming weeks (and months). The new Digitalia site is now up & running. I think I've managed to capture all the original Blogger members who got in touch, and have now added all the new members who donated since last weekend. The old Digitalia Blogger site will be taken down very shortly. A huge thank you to everybody for answering the call. Any further members from 09:00GMT on 10th November will...

  Lightnin' Hopkins - Goin' Away [APRJ 1073 USA 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Bluesville Records in 1963. It's a dreary & wet Thursday evening, the darkness of late Autumn & early Winter is drawing in ...no better time for some blues from the incredible Lightnin' Hopkins. So pour yourself a single malt, stick on Goin' Away and lose yourself in this remarkably well-recorded album, widely appreciated as one of the best blues albums every pressed onto vinyl. The recording by Rudy Van Gelder at his home studio in Hackensack, New Jersey combined with the quality of Kevin Gray's all-analogue mastering from the original tape, puts the listener in the room with Hopkins, Gaskin & Lovelle. Indulge yourself..... A1 Wake Up Old Lady A2 Don't Embarrass Me, Baby A3 Stranger Here A4 Little Sister's Boogie B1 Goin' Away B2 You Better Stop Her B3 Business You're Doin' B4 I'm Wit' It

Sudden Sway - Singsong [NEG18T UK 1986 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I last ripped the twelve inch version of Sudden Sway's wonderful  Singsong single back in January 2014 and it was only available online for two weeks. This week I decided to dig out the vinyl, give it a few spins in the HumminGuru and create a whole new high resolution rip. After a short career of indie singles, Peterborough's experimental indie-pop band Sudden Sway found themselves with deal on Geoff Travis's Blanco Y Negro label and a sizable marketing budget funded by Warners and boy did they milk it. Of course the relationship was a brief one and a few years later they were independent once more with Rough Trade Records. Singsong was their moment - although I'm confident it was only a few die-hards fans who bought into the concept of 8 separate versions of a single, plus this 12" edition. The 12" A-side is an extended version of the eighth version (my favourite), and should now be regarded as a...

  Pink Floyd - Animals (2018 Remix) [PFRLP28 UK 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] What on earth would you expect around here after some industrious electronica.... how about some indulgent progressive rock social commentary with sheep sound effects? I bought this album out of curiosity around the time of release and am pleased with how it sounds. I've read some very mixed reviews out there, some agree with my ears, others hate what they've done with Animals . Cut by Bernie Grundman from James Guthrie's 2018 Remix, this record is certainly a different animal. I have a UK second pressing, and amongst the wear & crackle it does sound less dynamic. On this new mix, which comes in at a comfortable DR13, those drums & that bass are much clearer in the mix. There isn't a squeezed middle to be heard, the whole thing just fills your ears. As with all such things, it will be to the individual pairs of ears to draw this conclusion, however I believe that they've succeeded and...

  Screaming Trees - Tangiers [12NTV 34 UK 1988 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Last ripped back in 2011 for ESWA, here is another single from Sheffield's Screaming Trees. Very much more electronic in feel, Tangiers holds a remarkable resemblance to what New Order & Depeche Mode were doing in the mid-eighties. This is a great single with a powerful sound and a more commercial edge with catchy hooks and more reserved vocal style. This was to be the band's final act as Screaming Trees, as they shed a few members to become Success (something which eluded the band throughout their career) and then Count Zero.  A1 Tangiers A2 Fade Out B1 MbAaIsNsLlIiNnEe

  Hula - Murmur [REDLP 53 UK 1984 24-Bit 176.4kHz  FLAC] Here is a brand new rip of Hula's finest moment, in detail which I have never heard before. You don't need any other version of this record.  Sheffield's Hula were formed in 1981 by Mark Albrow, Alan Fish and Ron Wright. They all shared a house/squat with the Cab's Stephen Mallinder and Paul Widger (guitarist with They must be Russians, Clock DVA & The Box), which they named The Hula Kula. The band went through three bass players, Alan Watt, Chris Brain and Mark Brydon ( more well known for his later work with Chakk & Moloko), and original drummer Alan Fish was replaced by Nort (both drummed for the Cabs). The immense and intense Murmur album was their most significant, fusing cut ups, samples, pounding rhythms, hard slap bass & vocal paranoia blended into a hard, industrial white-boy funk beat. The band's sound developed more commercially with each release and with three John Peel Sessions they f...