Needle Time

  Twilight Ritual - The Factory Scream [OS 18 BEL 2012 24-Bit FLAC] The Factory Scream is a collection of unreleased works by Belgian synthwave duo, Twilight Ritual - if you haven't heard of them, have a flick through this blog's archives to find their two proper albums. These tracks were laid down between 1984 & 1986 and remained locked away until a CDR appeared in 2002 on the Micrart label. The original master recordings have now been carefully transferred to high quality vinyl by small Belgian label, Onderstroom ...who have now deleted this limited pressing of 500.  A1 Visions Of Steel A2 L'Uomo Moderno A3 Only You A4 Show Him Out A5 Suburban Wastelands A6 Breakthrough Boulevard A7 Nothing But Cool B1 Night Talk B2 The Glass Face B3 Wired To The Machines B4 Black Track B5 She Told Me Lies B6 Bring It Back To Me B7 Close To The End B8 Sorry To Hear B9 The Factory Scream I

  Tuxedomoon - Divine [OPT 001 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] ...subtitled Music From The Ballet - Divine By Maurice Béjart The third Tuxedomoon album was originally released on Les Disques Du Crépuscule's UK offshoot Operation Twilight and this post was ripped from an original pressing in the penguinflight archive. To confuse matters, the sleeve track listing names on the label do not match those on the sleeve - in actual fact the 'bonus' tracks on the subsequent 1990 CD and vinyl pressings do appear on this original, they are just uncredited. This rip first featured on the ESWA 2.0 forum in August 2017, I have corrected the track splits to match Discogs and the reissues, fixed a few crackles with a little more general tidying. This is the overly-arty side of Tuxedomoon, gone are the quirky synths and bass lines, replaced by strings, distorted horns, mangled violins, random piano keys and voice overs. The standout is easily the manically excellent Prussian sounding  Ninotschka. A1...

  Tuxedomoon - You [NORMAL 53 DEU 1987 24-Bit FLAC] You was Tuxedomoon's sixth album and their last before they split, it is very possibly their most accessible. The band's music had been through many transitions and twists since No Tears and Half-Mute however You is arty eighties pop, catchy in places ( Roman P , The Train and Never Ending Story ), contemporary and experimental in others (Bruce Geduldig's bizarre and quite worrying Boxman trilogy ),  complex ( Spirits & Ghosts ) ....then of course there is the blissfully gorgeous and mellow title track. Enjoy. A1 Roman P. A2 The Train A3 2000 A4 Never Ending Story B1 Boxman (Mr. Niles) B2 Spirits & Ghosts B3 Boxman (The City) B4 You B5 Boxman (Home)

  Frank Sinatra - Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits [K 44011 UK 1972 24-Bit FLAC] Yep ....you are not seeing things, Frank gets a special guest slot on Needle Time. There is a story behind this record - about twenty years ago, I was best man at a friend's wedding near Seattle in Washington State. The newly weds decided they wanted to do something different and booked a karaoke DJ for the evening festivities.  After a few too many beverages, I managed to do my worst and belt out a few classics - English Rose by The Jam and Friggin' In The Riggin' by The Sex Pistols from memory, much to the 'amusement' of my Pacific Northwestern hosts. Then the groom, to everybody's amazement, took to the stage and belted out a string of Frank classics, note perfect and put us all to shame. A week or so later, back in the UK and in a charity shop, I picked up this 1972 pressing of the 1968 Greatest Hits collection for about 50 pence. A genuine bargain and a worthy memento of tha...

  The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu - Shag Times [JAMS LP 3 UK 1989 24-Bit FLAC] Here is an old ESWA post, recreated on Needle Time just for the hell of it, warts'n'all. This was never my best rip and also the pressing quality is a bit shagged! Shag Times  features a few tracks from the classic 1987 album, and moves things on a bit with excerpts from the more mundane Who Killed The Jams? , then some of the JAMs singles and those from the Disco 2000, Timelords and KLF alter-egos. Nobody is safe from the master samplers as they flaunt copyrights at every opportunity set to an eighties scotch-rap beat. Whitney Joins The Jams was a big favourite back then as the late pop-soul songstress gets mullered by Drummond and Cauty to an Isaac Hayes disco beat, British heirloom Petula Clark goes gospel house in the glorious Downtown which in truth celebrates alcoholic down'n'outs, Sly Stone gets ripped off on the hi-energy Burn The Bastards , then follows the huge hit Doctorin...

  Slug - Ripe [MI 0340LP UK 2015 24-Bit FLAC] According to Discogs there are about 15 Slugs - here for you now is the Slug that matters most. A short term collaboration between Geordie local hero Ian Black and the Brewis brothers from Field Music. If you appreciate Marc Bolan, Sparks and warped seventies rock, this could be your Slug. You all need to hear  Cockeyed Rabbit Wrapped In Plastic and  Running To Get Past Your Heart . In the muddy mire of modern indie-rock, you'll find it hard to find a better collaboration album... and one which was so sadly overlooked on release. So, move over Franz,  shake off your loose teeth and allow me to oil your Greasy Minds . A1 Grimacing Mask A2 Cockeyed Rabbit Wrapped In Plastic A3 Sha La La A4 Eggs And Eyes A5 Greasy Mind A6 Shake Your Loose Teeth B1 Weight Of Violence B2 Running To Get Past Your Heart B3 Peng Peng B4 Kill Your Darlings B5 At Least Show That You Care

  Field Music & Warm Digits - BBC Radio Late Junction Session [DIST 26 UK 2012 24-Bit FLAC] In January 2012, Sunderland's Field Music joined forces with Newcastle's Warm Digits for a four track live radio session - the consequences were this shamefully overlooked 10" EP released later the same year. The collaborative foursome perform four improv-krautrock-influenced tracks to remind us of how great Can, Harmonia, Cluster, Neu! etc truly were and what good musicians the north eastern foursome are. Enjoy.... this is bloody good stuff. Just as a reminder if anybody overlooked my update last week. This is the last call for early rips as I will shortly be clearing back my Mega account of archives pre-March 2019 from Monday next week - basically my first 200 blog posts worth, so if you missed anything, now would be a good time to grab them. A1 Elements Of The Sun A2 Travelodge Blues B1 Snow Watch B2 Higgs

  Field Music - Commontime [MI 0387LPX UK 2016 24-Bit FLAC] Ripped from nicely mastered double orange vinyl (note to self - add Memphis Industries to the short list of labels who take care with modern mastering), here is the fabulous Field Music at their very best. This album takes pop, soul, prog, funk & rock and blends them all together into 14 tracks of very unique 'Sunderland Soul'.  As I mentioned when I ripped their debut a few weeks back, Field Music caught the ear of the late Purple One who championed their  The Noisy Days Are Over single on social media. Many were to compare the brother's vocal harmony style to Hall & Oates - Field Music were not shy to confess this influence in the press at the time of release. There is much more to enjoy here than anything influenced by the aging US soul-rockers, Disappointed is a gorgeously catchy & ironic love song, the complex  I'm Glad  and Trouble At The Lights are proggy but in a good way, Steely...

  A Certain Ratio - Mickey Way (The Candy Bar) [FAC 168 UK 1986 24-Bit FLAC] Fast forward four years, and after losing then gaining a few personnel, the daftly titled Mickey Way (The Candy Bar) was A Certain Ratio's last single for Factory Records. This hard-funk instrumental laden, with samples and horns, is a fitting close to their career with the label, before they mellowed out on A&M Records. Inside on the flipside is wonderful too, pushed along by Donald Johnson who takes the reigns on bass and vocals.  Si Firmi O Grido was developed from a 1982 percussive jam session by keyboard whizz Andy Connell to become a live favourite at ACR gigs since. It first appeared as a raw recording on a Touch cassette, Meridians 2 in 1983 ,  this release was to be the tracks first outing on vinyl. A1 Mickey Way (The Candy Bar) B1 Inside B2 Si Firmi O Grido

  A Certain Ratio - Knife Slits Water [FAC 62 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] Spinning at 33rpm, here is a brand new rip of the massive twelve inch version of Knife Slits Water , very different to the original version on Sextet , this is ACR at their hardiest and funkiest - all driven by Donald Johnson's very familiar and quite wonderful slap bassline. I've actually always preferred the differently darker version on the seven inch which is not done justice, cheaply pressed onto flimsy, poor quality vinyl.  A1 Knife Slits Water B1 Kether Hot Knives (Mix In Special)

  A Certain Ratio - Waterline [FAC 52 UK 1981 24-Bit FLAC] Another old ACR classic which should need little introduction around here. I've used penguinflight 's near mint original copy for this rip and it just pops out of the speakers at you, especially Jez Kerr's plucked basslines and the percussion is perfectly dispersed across the channels. A few tiny specs of dust proved just a little challenging on the dubbed up  Funaezekea . It is amazing to consider that this track was self-produced by five young early-twenty-somethings from Hulme and Wythenshawe, rather than the previous drunken, coked up old Manchester studio master. A1 Waterline B1 Funaezekea

  A Certain Ratio - Flight [FAC 22 UK 1980 24-Bit FLAC] ACR are releasing a new album on Mute Records tomorrow, so I thought I would have a go at some new rips of a few of their old classic singles. According to Discogs, there are four versions of this twelve inch single. All of them get their hipsides and flipsides in a muddle due to Factory's dithering and indecision. This is a new rip using penguinflight's copy which (according to Discogs) is the second Tracon pressing as it comes in a slightly thinner inner sleeve and is in near mint condition. My copy is the first Tracon pressing; I don't think I've ever come across the CBS pressing as described on Discogs and I am certainly baffled as to how CBS also chose to press on opaque vinyl.  Enough waffling, I put myself firmly in the camp which proudly suggests that this single is Martin Hannetts's finest production work, except for Unknown Pleasures . His well documented practice of getting the band to record thei...

  Working Week - Venceremos (We Will Win) [VS 684-12 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] Before I took some time away, I ripped two albums; the new Doves long player and the double remastered vinyl rerelease of The Beloved's Happiness . I was struck by how poor they sounded when compared to vinyl pressings from thirty or so years ago. Recalling how bad the 2018 remaster of Bowie's Low sounded when I ripped that, I spent time considering the consequences of my upgrade to moving coil cartridge's from Ortofon's trusty 2M moving magnets. After double (and triple) checking all my alignments, connections and tracking forces etc, I've come to the sweeping conclusion that modern analogue vinyl mastering using digital sources is mostly shite and the music industry is selling us a load of old tosh which sound bad on higher spec equipment. That may sound like a sweeping statement, especially where I know that I have uncovered some wonderful sounding modern day releases, Music From Memory a...

  Microdisney - Everybody Is Fantastic [ROUGH 75 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] After a couple of singles for short-lived independent, Kabuki Records, Microdisney were introduced to a wider market with the help of John Peel and a deal on Rough Trade. The single Dolly , was followed by their debut long player, Everybody Is Fantastic , produced by John Porter and Steve Parker. Here is my rip of that album using my original pressing. Escalator In The Rain jumps out with comparisons to early The Smiths, Sun and Moon were originally Peel Session tracks, Sun famously introduced by Cathal Ó Cochláin proclaiming, " I drink gin like a 1960's wino ". Everybody Is Dead has the feel of Chris Rea (!) and was also originally recorded for John Peel and could be considered a love song, however not quite with the same sentiment of a Chris Rea love song. Enjoy everybody. A1 Idea A2 A Few Kisses A3 Escalator In The Rain A4 Dolly A5 Dreaming Drains A6 I'll Be A Gentleman A7 Moo...

  Morning.... My next post will be my last for a few weeks as I need to take a break from ripping & blogging to do other stuff. So, chat amongst yourselves, listen to the music, leave a comment - I'm sure many have some of my files still to enjoy. Thanks of course to those who support my work through donations, this is a time consuming (and expensive) hobby, so if you feel as if you would like to donate to the costs of producing Needle Time, you will find a link in the sidebar. I will need to clear back some space on my overflowing Mega account, there are about 850 archives of vinyl rips on this blog, the 200 earliest files will be deleted to make space upon my return, so if you haven't fully explored the full contents of Needle Time, now would be a good time ...before those oldest 200 links are removed. Take care.

  Microdisney - The Clock Comes Down The Stairs [ROUGH 85 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] I thought I would kick off what will become a run of early Microdisney albums with this one. Whilst developing their career and building a strong following by Peel devotees, they upped roots from Cork, Eire to London. Eventually they sold their sold to the devil and signed with Virgin Records after two excellent albums on Rough Trade. Horse Overboard , Birthday Girl and Begging Bowl were among some of the very best indie rock tracks of the period, placing the songwriting partnership of Coughlan & O'Hagan right up with their peers like Morrissey & Marr ...and McAloon & McAloon. The folkier elements recall their Cork roots which possibly denied Microdisney the commercial success they seemed to despise. Enjoy! A1 Horse Overboard A2 Birthday Girl A3 Past A4 Humane A5 Are You Happy? B1 Genius B2 Begging Bowl B3 A Friend With A Big Mouth B4 Goodbye It's 1987 B5 And

  Clock DVA - Horology DVAtion 78/79/80 [VOD96 DEU 2012 24-Bit FLAC] Some of you may well be all over this.... it is time to push your bandwidth a bit, here is the 6xLP + 1x7" compilation of all those rare Clock DVA cassette tracks (plus many others previously unheard) from the earliest days of the Sheffield industrial post-punk noise specialists. Some of you, like me, will have owned multi-generation bootleg tapes of some of these recordings. For you ...it is time for an upgrade. The set follows the very earliest electronic manipulations & recordings through to the more guitar distortion works before White Souls In Black Suits and Thirst . I've ripped this release privately before, this is a new 2020 rip. LP1 Lomticks Of Time This is the cutting edge industrial sound of 1978 Sheffield with plenty of treated electronics and rhythms, tape loops and early electronics. The Extreme Frequency Manipulation Experiment twists, distorts and turns you inside out, just as the tit...

  The Stranglers - No More Heroes [UAG 30200 UK 1977 24-Bit FLAC] Originally a pub-rock band called The Guildford Stranglers, although none of them actually came from Guildford. JJ Burnell lived in Godalming ...which is close, I suppose! Here is my rip of The Stranglers hard-hitting second album from my original 1977 pressing, picked up cheaply in a charity shop about three decades ago.  Responsible for two of the band's biggest hits, the album also caused controversy with sexist references and the commonly misinterpreted opening track.  Following a very thorough cleaning, I have opted to leave the music as is, with the full vinyl audio experience between the tracks, only running the iZotope de-click module over the fades on a max quality setting.  A1 I Feel Like A Wog A2 Bitching A3 Dead Ringer A4 Dagenham Dave A5 Bring On The Nubiles A6 Something Better Change B1 No More Heroes B2 Peasant In The Big Shitty B3 Burning Up Time B4 ...

  The Velvet Underground - White Light / White Heat [SPELP 73 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] Rather than the original skull tattoo on black sleeve, Verve/Polydor selected the very different MGM toy soldiers sleeve from the late seventies for this mid-eighties mid-price release in the UK. At £3.99 this album was an essential purchase for any young Joy Division fan wanting to hear Sister Ray as it should have sounded. The contents revealed much much more, especially during John Cale's Carmarthenshire prose on The Gift . A1 White Light/White Heat A2 The Gift A3 Lady Godiva's Operation A4 Here She Comes Now B1 I Heard Her Call My Name B2 Sister Ray

  New Fast Automatic Daffodils - Pigeonhole [BIAS 185 UK 1990 24-Bit FLAC] They were new, they were kinda fast, they certainly were not daffodils! New FADS (as they were to be better known) are the bastard Mancunian sons of a bond between Biting Tongues and The Pop Group. They produced jerky punk-funk of the highest quality, with Andy Spearpoint's crazed lyrics twisted around distorted wah-wah guitars, percussion beats and funky bass. Pigeonhole is their debut long player released on Play It Again Sam two years after their first outings on Playtime Records. From those opening beats of  Get Better and Fishes Eyes (both singles), we remember that those New Fads were serious contenders for the title of most important Manchester band of the nineties. These boys weren't tripping over floppy fringes & baggy flares, or Beatle-loving feuding brethren, they had a groove and a beat, but refused to fit the local mold. The other single, the massive Big (!) also features howev...

  Monaco - Sweet Lips [571 057-1 UK 1997 24-Bit FLAC] Peter Hook's chart toppers Monaco were responsible for a couple of great singles in the nineties. Whilst most would opt for his signature What Do You Want From Me , it was the disco-pop of Sweet Lips which floated my boat. Here is my original twelve in three mixes backed with the non-album track  Shattered . A1  Sweet Lips A2  Sweet Lips (Joey Negro Main Slice Mix) B1  Shattered B2  Sweet Lips (Fire Island Vocal Mix)

  The Main T Posse - Fickle Public Speakin' [KOBX 703 UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Paul Weller teamed up with the late Vaughan Toulouse (ex-Department S) on vocals for this one of single on Weller's Respond Records label back in 1983. Sounding much like a karaoke Ian Dury singing along with The Style Council, this psuedo-political rap did little to stir the fickle public's imagination and the single failed to sell. It does however remain a collectible obscurity in Weller's significant back catelogue. A1  Fickle Public Speakin' B1  Extended Version

  Bim Sherman, Roots Radics, Dub Syndicate & The Voluntary ‎- Haunting Ground [RDL 600 UK 1986 24-Bit FLAC] I first heard Haunting Ground on Peel in 1986, and it is a song which has stuck with me ever since. The accompanying album (imho Sherman's best) was partly produced by Adrian Sherwood and featured a whole plethora of On-U Sound'ers alongside Dennis Bovell in one of his alter egos, The Voluntary. My copy is a 1986 original scratchy vinyl, and although there was a brief reissue on Century Records a few years later, I haven't been able to compare the two.  My first rip was back in 2015, it was a bit fuzzy so I decided to give this a good deep clean to see how good it sounds on a better set-up. The results are pleasing and a significant upgrade, save for a tiny bit of sibilance, common on eighties pressings and thankfully the crackle has now gone. Enjoy. A1 Haunting Ground A2 Life A3 War Mongers A4 Gold And Silver B1 For The Future B2 Thanks And Praises B3 Moving B4...

  Spirea X - Chlorine Dream [BAD 1004 UK 1991 24-Bit FLAC] A1  Chlorine Dream 4:20 B1  Spirea Rising 4:24 B2  Risk Spirea X - Speed Reaction [BAD 1006 UK 1991 24-Bit FLAC] A1 Speed Reaction A2 What Kind Of Love B1 Jet Pilot B2 Re:Action Spirea X was a Scottish shoewave band formed by former Primal Scream guitarist, Jim Beattie. It is therefore difficult to write about Spirea X without being cruel to the skinny streak of talentless pish that is Bobby Gillespie, so I will try to hold back. Spirea X were miles better than anything Bobby and his chums did without help from Oakenfold, however they did position themselves halfway between The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays with a hint of Spacemen Three, but about two years after both the formers had peaked. These two singles were released in quick succession but failed to set the world alight, likely for the aforementioned reasons. Now the 4AD bit.... I never realised until I checked today, that 4AD did not re...

  Momus ‎- Don't Stop The Night [CRELP 052 UK 1989 24-Bit FLAC] Self-confessed pervert, Nick Currie gives us an insight into his fantasies in the style of Brel, Gainsbourg and Moroder set to a electro-disco beat. I have never been a huge fan of his Momus work (The Happy Family stuff is much better), however Don't Stop The Night is his most accessible work, even if the subject matter (paedophilia, necrophilia and female masturbation) is likely to keep him out of the mainstream. Thanks as always to penguinflight for allowing me to rip and post vinyl from his collection. A1  Trust Me, I'm A Doctor A2  Righthand Heart A3  Lord Of The Dance A4  Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous A5  How Do You Find My Sister? B1  Don't Stop The Night B2  Amongst Women Only B3  The Guitar Lesson B4  The Cabriolet B5  Shaftesbury Avenue

  The Box - The Box [VFM 1 UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] The Box were formed by three-fifths of Clock DVA, who all decided they'd had enough and jumped overboard to sign for the fledgling Go Discs label, for whom this EP was their first release. After a few live gigs with Mal from Cabaret Voltaire on vocals, they roped in obtuse local Sheffield front man Peter Hope and turfed out some fantastic post-Beefheart industrial jazz-punk-funk. A1  No Time For Talk A2  Burn Down That Village B1  Unstable B2  Hazard B3  Limpopo

The Soft Moon - The Soft Moon [CT85 USA 2010 24-Bit FLAC] Back at the turn of the last decade, I was impressed with the quality of new bands coming out of the USA, especially those on the Captured Tracks roster. This was the label which gave us Thee Oh Sees, Wild Nothing, Beach Fossils, Craft Spells, Mac deMarco and DIIV - quite a pedigree of young talent. Luis Vasquez's The Soft Moon was originally a solo project before growing into an evolving semi-permanent band line up. The first two singles, Breathe The Fire and Parallels were immense, brooding works of dark electronics, feedback and throbbing basslines, this - his debut album - follows that same vein, borrowing elements from the darkest reaches of post-punk and industrial technology which explode into your ears with shrill volleys of black noise. Gentler moments like When It's Over are only a brief respite, yet the track pins the album together its simple riff and cavernous vocals. This is Pornography , Unknown Pleas...

  Field Music - Field Music [MI 043LPX UK RSD2016 FLAC] Sunderland's Field Music are one of my favourite bands from the past 10 or so years. This is the RSD2016 pressing of their debut onto blue vinyl released on the band's own label, Memphis Industries. The original was released back in 2005. For the uninitiated, Field Music hold complete control over their own output; working through differing phases of their own very different style as it develops, taking the occasional hiatus to focus on their lives outside music, nurturing other local bands and recording their own solo works. You will find more complex key changes and time signatures on their albums than any other act since the seventies, however this is not prog, this is The Beatles meeting XTC alongside Steely Dan playing Prefab Sprout. It's Not The Only Way To Feel Happy could have been a massive hit by any of the fore mentioned. The band recently diverged into more soulful territories, attracting the interest of t...

  Gaussian Curve - The Distance [MFM018 NLD 2017 24-Bit FLAC] As promised a few weeks back, here is the second album by pan-European instrumentalists, Gaussian Curve. Again recorded live in Amsterdam over three sessions, this record feels more wholesome with gentle guitar melodies overlaying piano, tinkering synths and simple percussion.  Like the first, it is beautifully packages and pressed with care onto heavy vinyl by quality Dutch label Music From Memory ...who deserve much more attention from the record buying public. This is clever & creative ambient music which oozes from the vinyl into your speakers. The detail both in the music and the quality of pressing make ripping the label's music a pleasure. A1  Breathe A2  The Distance A3  Dancing Rain A4  Suspended Motion B1  Ceremony B2  T.O.R. B3  Four For You B4  Another Place

  The Durutti Column - Idiot Savants [DEMREC 658 UK 2020 24-Bit FLAC] From pristine white vinyl comes the long awaited release The Durutti Column's Idiot Savants from 2007. When Factory Records collapsed, the prolific Vini Reilly had to scratch around for a label to distribute his work. After London/Universal lost interest, along came Fulfill, Artfull and Kooky, all of whom offered Reilly an output for his work on compact disc. The Factory reissues were left with LTM/Les Disques Du Crépuscule when Factory Too aborted, leaving eleven albums seeking vinyl. Demon Records have stepped up to the plate with this RSD2020 release, hopefully others will follow - I am especially looking forward to Sex And Death finally getting a vinyl release ....one day. Idiot Savants  has a slightly more psychedelic feel than his other long players, featuring the additional vocal & guitar skills of Poppy Roberts who contributes with her own composition, Gathering Dust . Well done also to the lab...

Eno & Cale - Wrong Way Up [WAST 009LP UK 2020 24-Bit FLAC] I have been kicking myself for years (thirty it would seem), that I never bought the original vinyl pressing of Wrong Way Up . At the time, I was happy enough with my original compact disc however ever since then, yearned to get it on vinyl. When it recently appeared as a thirty year anniversary repress, I snapped it up. This is an album which evokes fond memories - the intricate layers of electronica, strings and guitar mixed in with clever vocal melodies sung by rock/avant stalwarts (both now aging old codgers) Brian Eno and John Cale. If you have never heard this before - you need to! Lay My Love , One Word and Spinning Away are the finest antidotes you will ever hear to the dizzy-druggy-baggy-pseudo-indie-pop fodder of the late eighties and early nineties. Robert Ahwai's rhythm guitar on Spinning Away just makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. At very least, this is a very grown up album wi...

  Ellis, Beggs & Howard - Homelands [PL 71855 UK 1988 24-Bit FLAC] I thought I'd rip this album after recent Kaja events over on ESWA 2.0. Bassist Nick Beggs joined forces with soul singer Austin Howard and successful multi-instrumentalist, Simon Ellis to form this trio who had a big hit across Europe with  Big Bubbles No Troubles . The single was quite unique due to the unusual sound that Beggs created with the Chapman Stick by running it through a flange pedal and a Midi. The effect is really quite funky and easily stands out on this albums worth of adult pop-rock. RCA Records failed to drum up similar success with the epic sounding follow-up  Where Did Tomorrow Go ? Consequently a second album was abandoned at the demo stage and the trio disbanded to become session musicians.  What this album does prove is what an accomplished bassist Beggs is. Only Mick Karn springs to mind as an equal from this generation of musicians, just listen to the bass work on the ti...

  Various Artists - Do They Mean Us? [PACT 6 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Here is a rather nice double compilation album from Tot Taylor's Compact Organization label, released back in 1985. I bought this purely because I wanted to hear the two other tracks recorded by indie funksters The Bushmen ....it has sat on the shelf ever since, so about time it was ripped. The label positioned itself on the margins of kitsch pop and produced a mega-hit for the hair sprayed & beehived diva Mari Wilson back in 1982. She is well presented here as is Swedish chanteuse Verna Lindt, who despite their best efforts never achieved success. The Fontana Mix and Sound Barrier tracks are enough to make you want to hear more - they both went on to record an album for the label. The Academy Of Popular Music tracks are what make this album highly collectible. These two tracks formed what was an aborted single and feature the highly recognisable voice of Sadenia Eddi Reader. The band were to re-emerge a fe...