Needle Time

  The Wake - Something Outside [FBN 24 BEL 1983 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I last ripped this twelve inch single back in November 2021, however I realised sometime after that I had clipped the intro drums. This is a brand new rip without any clipping, and thanks to some hardware upgrades since 2021, has a much improved sound stage and is much more dynamic. By relegating The Wake's first single for Factory to the Benelux division, the label declared their lack of interest in the band. Other knew better, including Kid Jensen and John Peel who occasionally featured the single on their evening playlists for BBC Radio. I recall I first heard the track on Jensen's evening show before Peel. There was a time when I proudly stated that this was my favourite single of all time. Now, past my mid-50's, I no longer make such brave statements, nor do I confess to having any faves of all-time. Something Outside still, for me, ranks as one of the most wonderful records I have ever heard - tho...

  The Wake - Harmony [FACT 60 UK 1982 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I couldn't resist pulling this off the shelf for a deep clean and a new high resolution rip. The results should therefore speak for themselves. The melancholic debut album by The Wake will always be a personal favourite as it evokes great memories of my youth discovering new and different music, plus I always preferred the sadder songs. I am certainly not a down type of person however Caesar McNulty's voice seems to be such a gentile and unique fit to these sombre, yet tender moments. Testament and An Immaculate Conception remain two of the finest tracks recorded on to a Factory Record. This was the album recorded with Bobby Gillespie on bass before he got the boot, in favour of Alex MacPherson, who was considerably more skilled in using all four bass strings.  Recorded at Strawberry Studios with Martin Hannett's right hand man, Chris Nagle assuming desk duties, presumably instructed by Rob Gretton to give the a...

  The Wake - On Our Honeymoon [ON408 UK 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] As the proud owner of an original 1982 beat-up, noisy and crackly Scan 45 seven inch single in wrap around sleeve in a plastic bag, imagine my delight when Optic Nerve recently released this brand new pressing in thick card sleeve on white vinyl, with printed inner sleeve, postcard and gig poster ....all for under a tenner! A1 On Our Honeymoon B1 Give Up

  The Wake - Something That No One Else Could Bring [FAC 178 UK 1979 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] My March 2019 of this EP was a bit of a pop'n'crackle festival, so time to squirt on some surfactant and hear the results ...in full 176.4kHz resolution. The final release on Factory Records by The Wake was this four track twelve inch EP which marked their move into more of a guitar based indie-pop sound which also featured the first tracks with Carolyn Allen on lead vocals. The cheerful Pale Spectre was promo'd as a seven inch single however, even of the back of C86 jangle pop, Factory chose not to release it. The EP lines up as a series of stepping stones between the band's Factory years and the upcoming Sarah Records period and the move to twee. Plastic Flowers could easily have been a track from Here Comes Everybody with its washes of synth and the gentle vocal harmonies by Caesar and Carolyn. Furious Sea nods back at the period running up to the second album, however Gru...

  The Wake - Talk About The Past [FAC 88 UK 1984 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] It is scandalous that Talk About The Past was never a hit .....blame praxis! I've ripped my original copy of this classic Scottish indie-pop 12" single a few times in the past, I thought I would attempt a 2022 deep clean and discover how really good it now sounds....... A1   Talk About The Past B1   Everybody Works So Hard

  The Wake - Something Outside [FBN 24 BEL 1983 24-Bit FLAC] I last ripped this twelve inch single for those educated folks over on the ESWA 2.0 forum in 2017, then cleaned up that rip a  little more for these pages in 2019.We've on a bit since then, so here in full luscious glory & considerably fuller resolution is Something Outside. By relegating The Wake's first single for Factory to the Benelux division, the label declared their lack of interest in the band. Other knew better, including Kid Jensen and John Peel who occasionally featured the single on their evening playlists for BBC Radio. There was a time when I proudly stated that this was my favourite single of all time. Now, in my mid-50's, I no longer make such brave statements, nor do I confess to having any faves of all-time. Something Outside still, for me, ranks as one of the most wonderful records I have ever heard - those sublime guitar plucks with wide lush, washover keys and Caesar's sad but melodi...

  The Wake - Here Comes Everybody [FACT 130 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] As part of my occasional series of high resolution Factory Records album re-rips, I thought it might be an apt moment to turn to this record.  The record is a little worn and the inner lyric sheet is showing its age, however with a little loving care and a lot of cleaning, I am pleased to have been able to coax out a very good re-rip (well to my aging ears).  To say that I care very much for this album would be an understatement, I for one found the gap between Talk About The Past and this album's release an eternity. The Kid Jensen BBC Radio Session in February 1984 was a delight and hinted at great things to come ...and we had to wait a while. The band were evolving and had previewed many ideas which needed manipulating into an album format. Parts of the magnificent Rise And Shine and Make You Understand from that session had metamorphosed into the Of The Matter single, however that disappointed me as...

  The Wake - Testament [FBN 95 BEL 2014 24-Bit FLAC] "Best Of..." collections are purely subjective, especially where a band have a relatively small following and maybe just one or two well known tracks. The Wake are a band that I have followed & loved since the early eighties, their Something Outside single is one of my favourite tracks of all time. This Glaswegian band have seamlessly digressed from post-punk to indie-pop, ignored by many - except those who saw them support New Order in the early days or heard that John Peel radio session, then finding a bigger audience when they abandoned Factory Records and hopped over to Sarah Records.  I am especially fond of their Factory Records period which is well covered on this compilation album which has sat unplayed on the shelf since purchase - I only bought it for the compact disc of very early demos and live tracks. The vinyl record itself slightly disappoints if only for the decision to digitally remaster (compress) som...

 The Wake - Harmony [FACT 60 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] The melancholic debut album by The Wake will always be a personal favourite as it evokes great memories of my youth discovering new and different music, plus I always preferred the sadder songs. I am certainly not a down type of person however Caesar McNulty's voice seems to be such a gentile and unique fit to these sombre, yet tender moments. Testament and An Immaculate Conception remain two of the finest tracks recorded on to a Factory Record. This was the album recorded with Bobby Gillespie (yes, him) on bass before he got the boot, in favour of Alex MacPherson, who was considerably more skilled in using all four bass strings.  Recorded at Strawberry Studios with Martin Hannett's right hand man, Chris Nagle assuming desk duties, presumably instructed by Rob Gretton to give the album an air of Movement . I have decided to give this album a run out using my new set-up and improved mastering skills. It is presented here...

The Wake - Clouds Disco [FBN 94 BEL 2015 24-Bit FLAC] A Factory Benelux limited edition seven inch single for RSD2015 from Caesar & Carolyn. With all the sentiments of The Wake's Factory Records years and a punchy production from Ian Catt, Clouds Disco will mark a return to form from these twee Glaswegians. The Sun Is A Star is a gentle strum with occasional dubby breaks, which The Wake did so well in 1983. I fear this may be their last ever record, however would love to be proved wrong. This is a re-work of my ESWA 2.0 post from July 2018. I've just dropped the left channel down a few db to balance things out a little and re-sampled down to a friendly 24/48.  A1 Clouds Disco B1 The Sun Is A Star

The Wake - Here Comes Everybody [FACT 130 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] To say that I care very much for this album would be an understatement, I for one found the gap between Talk About The Past and this album's release an eternity. The Kid Jensen BBC Radio Session in February 1984 was a delight and hinted at great things to come ...and we had to wait a while. The band were evolving and had previewed many ideas which needed manipulating into an album format. Parts of the magnificent Rise And Shine  and Make You Understand from that session had metamorphosed into the Of The Matter single, however that disappointed me as it had none of the punch of the original track. A live version of an unnamed track which was later to be used as part of Sail Through had all the melancholy dubbiness of Something Outside , plus there was a unique interpretation of Stevie Wonder's Living In The City , heard on another bootleg tape had me champing at the bit for more Wake. Here Comes Everybo...

The Wake - A Light Far Out [FBN 64 BEL 2013 24-Bit FLAC] I have always thought that Caesar McNulty was a bit too angry during The Wake's post-Factory Sarah years, and it didn't suit him. When the band briefly reformed around the turn of the decade he had rediscovered his inner calm, reverting to spaciously constructed & gentle indie pop. Something, if you know their second album, The Wake do rather well. The nine minute title track forms the centerpiece of this work, however If The Ravens Leave,  originally by Caesar and Carolyn's other band The Occasional Keepers,  Methodist and the meandering Sands will be more than enough to keep dedicated Factory-heads happy. A Light Far Out , was originally released on a very compressed and overly loud compact disc during 2012. The vinyl pressing was a must have for this Wake fan, so here it is represented in 24-bit FLAC ripped from immaculate vinyl for your enjoyment. The album failed to sell in any significant ...

The Wake - Something That No One Else Could Bring [FAC 178 UK 1979 24-Bit FLAC] The final release on Factory Records by The Wake was this four track twelve inch EP which marked their move into more of a guitar based indie-pop sound which also featured the first tracks with Carolyn Allen on lead vocals. The cheerful Pale Spectre was promo'd as a seven inch single however, even of the back of C86 jangle pop, Factory chose not to release it. The EP lines up as a series of stepping stones between the band's Factory years and the upcoming Sarah Records period and the move to twee. Plastic Flowers could easily have been a track from  Here Comes Everybody with its washes of synth and the gentle vocal harmonies by Caesar and Carolyn. Furious Sea nods back at the period running up to the second album, however Gruesome Castle in significant in that switch in direction to guitar indie-pop. Pale Spectre could easily have been an indie hit in its own right ...and perhaps s...

The Wake - Talk About The Past [FAC 88 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] It is scandalous that Talk About The Past was never a hit .....blame praxis! A1 Talk About The Past B1 Everybody Works So Hard This is a cleaned up and re-balanced post of my December 2016 post on the ESWA blog.

The Wake - Something Outside [FBN 24 BEL 1983 24-Bit FLAC] There was a time when I proudly stated that this was my favourite single of all time. Now, approaching my mid-50's, I no longer make such brave statements, nor do I have any faves of all-time. Something Outside still, for me, ranks as one of the most wonderful records I have ever heard as those sublime guitar plucks with wide lush, washover keys and Caesar's sad but melodic voice still get the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. The dubby & spacious production by Oz McCormick is truly sublime. It is hard to believe he only ever produced three singles (all of them by The Wake). This is my July 2017 rip for the ESWA 2.0 forum which has now been re-balanced and cleaned up. A1 Something Outside B1 Host

The Wake - Harmony [FACT 60 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] The melancholic debut album by The Wake will always be a personal favourite as it evokes great memories of my youth discovering new and different music, plus I always preferred the sad songs. I am certainly not a down type of person however Caesar McNulty's voice seems to be such a gentile and unique fit to these sombre yet tender moments. Testament and An Immaculate Conception remain two of the finest tracks recorded on to a Factory Record.  Recorded at Strawberry Studios with Martin Hannett's right hand man, Chris Nagle assuming desk duties. A new rip from an original pressing for 2019 in 24-bits of FLAC. A1   Judas A2   Testament A3   Patrol A4   The Old Men B1   Favour B2   Heartburn B3   An Immaculate Conception