Needle Time

  Felt ‎- Ignite The Seven Cannons [FLT 183 UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released on Cherry Red Records (BRED 65) in 1985, Ignite The Seven Cannons And Set Sail For The Sun was Felt's most well received album at the time, helped greatly by Robin Guthrie on production duties. They have fiddled with the original quite a bit, regardless here is the last of my three Felt reissues. This is what the Cherry Red press release says about this version: Produced by Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins and featuring the skyscraping vocal of Elizabeth Fraser on the mighty Primitive Painters. Felt found themselves at the top of the independent charts. Unhappy with the overall sound though – it was as if some of Lawrence’s best songs were lost in an “ethereal swirl.” John A. Rivers has been given access to the original master tapes and six songs have been remixed. Also – side 2 has been focused, edited and “made symmetrical.” Finally these songs can be heard as intended by Felt. It has become at lon...

  Felt - The Strange Idols Pattern And Other Short Stories [FLT182 UK 2018 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released on Cherry Red Records (BRED 63), here is another in my short run of Felt vinyl remasterings. Lawrence chose Kevin Metcalfe to work on these, who has bumped the levels up a few notches resulting in a much fuller sound. The original Cherry Red pressings were quite flimsy vinyl, mastered with more emphasis on the mid-upper frequencies, whereas these are on meaty 180gm vinyl and the modern digital mastering process provides more oomph in the low end. This results in a small drop in dynamic response on six out ten tracks when compared to the original vinyl rip posted on ESWA back in February 2017. The song titles are becoming that little bit more eclectic in this phase of Felt. You will also notice how Lawrence and Maurice are evolving into better guitars, the mix of styles from the baroque  Sempiternal Darkness into the flamenco styling of Crucifix Heaven evidence th...

  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

 Felt - The Splendour Of Fear [AW-25046 JPN 1984 24-Bit FLAC] I know ....I promised a new rip of this album back in December 2019, there was a missed skip on my original and a new upgraded 2021 rip resolves this.  I don't know if anybody else struggles with too much of Lawrence's voice, perhaps as it is mostly an instrumental record, The Splendour Of Fear is my favourite Felt album. That aside, I believe everybody should have a favourite Felt album. Here is my 24-bit rip of the rare original Japanese pressing featuring two additional tracks not on the UK original. The inclusion of Penelope Tree sounds just a little out of place as it as an older more upbeat track, but it is still a fabulous single which was not released in Japan. Maurice Deebank is surely one of the best guitarists of his generation, Mancunian mop-top Marr gets too much credit however the Felt guitarist is right up there in my opinion ...plus if it was not for Deebank then I would bet that Lawrence would st...

Felt - Primitive Painters [12 CHERRY 89 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] I ripped this a while ago from penguinflight 's boxes of delights but I am not sure I ever posted it. We have already covered Felt in full over on the old ESWA blog with the help of blog contributor, Steve, however this is my rip to 24/48 and I think it sounds great. Lawrence and the band team up with Elizabeth Fraser on vocals and Robin Guthrie on production, six gorgeous minutes of Cocteau'ish washes of sound and other ethereal delights. John Leckie produced the more psychedelic b-side. A1 Primitive Painters B1 Cathedral

Felt - The Splendour Of Fear [AW-25046 JPN 1984 24-Bit FLAC] I don't know if anybody else struggles with too much of Lawrence's voice, perhaps as it is mostly an instrumental record,  The Splendour Of Fear is my favourite Felt album. That aside, I believe everybody should have a favourite Felt album. Here is my 24-bit rip of the rare original Japanese pressing featuring two additional tracks not on the UK original. The inclusion of Penelope Tree sounds just a little out of place as it as an older more upbeat track, but it is still a fabulous single which was not released in Japan. Maurice Deebank is surely one of the best guitarists of his generation, Mancunian mop-top Marr gets too much credit however the Felt guitarist is right up there in my opinion ...plus if it was not for Deebank then I would bet that Lawrence would still be painfully strumming away in his bedroom. This album pressing brings out the best of his work as John A. Rivers understated production po...