Needle Time

  The Wendys - Gobbledygook [FACT 285 UK 1991 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] ...and now to one Factory Records album which I have never ripped before. Edinburgh's The Wendys got a deal on the infamous Manchester label after a tip off from Shaun Ryder's father and after demo tapes were handed over the band were rushed into the studio with Ian Broudie. Those first sessions rendered a single, More Than Enough , which for some reason Factory never released. White labels are in circulation if you know where to look.  Squeezed in between the chaotic funk of Happy Mondays and the baggy pop of Northside, The Wendys never stood a chance, a position which was being further compounded by Factory Records perilous finances. The is not a great album, nor is it a poor record either, this was a world post The Stone Roses debut album, we wanted something different, something we had never heard before ...and The Wendys didn't stand up to the task in 1991. Listening now, over thirty years since I lik...

  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

  Various Artists - From The House Of Lords (Rubble Nine) [KIRI 065 UK 1987 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] It is time for more grrroovy stuff from the Bam Caruso label and volume nine of their Rubble series of psych compilations. Most of the artists you see before you, or is that hear before you, have never actually committed anything else to vinyl, except maybe for Steve Nieve's The Attractions and British goth-folk-psyche legend Paul Roland. The Doctor is he of the infamous Medics, the remainder of the acts are virtually unknown and unleash themselves from the depths of the eighties psyche revival. A few names in the credits are familiar; Nick Haeffner, Richard Norris, Robyn Hitchcock and Bam Caruso supremo Phil Smee all feature on this wonderful collection of psychedelic rock and garage rock. There are a good few cover versions included, but if you really need to have your mind blown, then look no further than The Fading Dreams's eleven minute interpretation of The Strawbs'  Fa...

  The Kyoto Connection - The Flower, The Bird, And The Mountain [TEMPLELP002 AUS 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Subtitled: “ A love letter to the masters of Japanese ambient and environmental music .” A recent purchase on the eclectic Australian label Temples Of Jura Records is this fine collection of Japanese inspired electronic ambiance from Argentinian three piece, The Kyoto Connection. Recorded using soundscapes provided by Masafumi Komatsu, this album is an evocative journey through the trio's influences from Japanese electronic music. These rich textures form musical kaleidoscopes based around simple layers of sound which fill your head space. I've tried my best to make this rip as headphone friendly as possible, but I suggest they are much more enjoyable when these tracks are allowed to fill the room.   This album proves that you don't necessarily need to visit Japan to be inspired by its music, as these three boldly testify - however I am sure it must help....

  Yip Yip Coyote - Fifi [ILP 014 UK 1985 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Here is a brand new high resolution rip of an old blog favourite. Many will no doubt recall my love of Yip Yip Coyote ...expressed many years ago on the old blog - it was very pleasing to see back then that I was not the only one. The cow-punk genre was very short lived and with thanks to Peel (and three hard to find radio sessions), Yip Yip Coyote hung around long enough to release a couple of singles and one album for IRS and Illegal Records (who also featured The Cramps on their roster). Cow-punk was seen back then as an extension to rockabilly, so with the sound of sagebrush blowing through a windy western desert, stirrups, stetsons and funky slap bass, Fifi and her Yips stood alone in their field ...or is that canyon?  Anyway, this is all very gimmicky and may not stand the test of time, plus some of the songs are just downright daft. The vinyl pressing is somewhat quiet and it was very crackly throughout. Af...

  The Gil Evans Orchestra - Plays The Music Of Jimi Hendrix [CPL 1-0667 DEU 2015 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] This record needs to be heard. Originally released on RCA Records in 1974, Gil Evans and his band of merry men attack the Hendrix repertoire in a full on funky, acid-jazz,  big band kinda way. This album was repressed a few years back by Speakers Corners Records in Germany, mastered from the original analogue tapes by Rainer Maillard and pressed by Pallas.  Did I mention, you need to hear this! A1 Angel A2 Crosstown Traffic / Little Miss Lover A3 Castles Made Of Sand / Foxey Lady B1 Up From The Skies B2 1983-A Merman I Should Turn To Be B3 Voodoo Chile B4 Gypsy Eyes

  Gerard Wilson Big Band - Moment Of Truth [ST-61 USA 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I've been a bit slack posting my Sunday jazz slots recently, so as I am taking this weekend off you are going to get two. Well, make that one proper jazz album and the other something rather different... We will start with the Gerard Wilson Big Band. Originally released on Pacific Jazz Records in 1962, this pressing is part of the Blue Note Tone Poet series, and was a very recent release. I love the full-on quality of these reissues, the mastering, the pressing and the packaging are all of the highest quality - I won't bore you with the finer details but let's just say it was carefully crafted by all the usual suspects. Often big bands are just that ...big! This album varies widely in styles from latin jazz through soul jazz, and also some more traditional pieces. Check out Wilson's splendid interpretation of Miles Davis' Milestones , however what remains are band compositions varying ...

  Aerosmith - Toys In The Attic [MOVLP758 NLD 2013 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] A little guilty pleasure which really needed a rip. I figured that if I can get away with ripping and posting ZZ Top, today would be a good day to further test the resolve of my following. To be honest, my main reason for digging out my RSD2013 reissue copy of Aerosmith's classic 1975 album, Toys In The Attic ,  was purely because I was trying to find a Music On Vinyl album which revealed who the name of the mastering engineer - I can tell you that there are not many.  Speculation exists (with good reason) that the Dutch label rely on digital transfers of old tapes for their releases - now I know that many would say 'so what?' however to my ears analogue to digital to analogue (ADA) pressings never sound as good as AAAs, purely because the digital tinkering tends to strip away the true dynamics of the original recording. It is surprising how different (in a very good way) AAA versions sound compared ...

  Colourbox - Baby I Love You So [BAD 604 UK 1986 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] There could only have ever been one single to post after Escape From New York . If you know, you'll know, if you don't then you need to hear this.  It is time to crank up that subwoofer for Colourbox's dub heavy interpretation of Augustus Pablo's Baby I Love You So . Laden with samples and effects, the 4AD band produced one of the very finest cover versions ever, complete with top notch spaghetti western influenced b-sides.  I have ripped my original copy for other blogs, however now, after a few drops of surfactant solution and an ultrasonic bath, it sounds bloody amazing. This rip will sound great on headphones ...and incredible on decent sound systems. Play loud! A1 Baby I Love You So B1 Looks Like We're Shy One Horse B2 Shoot Out

  John Carpenter - Escape From New York (Original Film Soundtrack) [SILLP1493 UK 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] There are just film soundtracks ...and there are iconic film soundtracks, here is one of them. Recorded with regular musical associate Alan Howarth, Carpenter's 1981 sci-fi movie soundtrack is a minimalist analogue synth work of art, recreated here from a recent repress/expanded edition on blue vinyl by Silva Screen. As those opening bars of the main theme gently fade in, the listener is whisked away to a post-apocalyptic world of monotone synthetic rhythms, syncronised beats and analogue loops. For lovers of ARP  & Prophet-5 synthesizers and Linn LM-1 drum machines. You now have the option to be cremated on the premises. A1 Main Title A2 The Bank Robbery A3 Prison Introduction A4 Over The Wall / Airforce One A5 He's Still Alive / Romero A6 'Snake' Plissken B1 Orientation B2 Tell Him B3 Engulfed Cathedral (Debussy) B4 Across The Roof B5 D...

  Various Artists - The Clouds Have Groovy Faces (Rubble Six) [KIRI 049 UK 1986 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I've been threatening to dig into my collection of Rubbles from eccentric British label, Bam Caruso Records for a number of years. Well, here is one of them, rather than begin at the beginning, I've opted for number six today. I have been known to be a bit of a label collector and Bam Caruso is one of the most collectible labels from the eighties - specialising in obscure psyche reissues, eighties paisley revival pop & eclectic baroque rock, their catelogue is quite significant in size - if you've been following my rips over the past 10+ years, you may already have quite a few scattered amongst your drives. Curated from the Decca archives by label supremo Phil Smee, most of these sixteen fuzzy sixties pop numbers are monaural but that's the way they did things back then. Given the production rawness of these tracks, I am rather pleased with how this rip came out. ...

  Carly Simon - No Secrets [EKS-75049 DEU 2020 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] You didn't think I would ignore the fact that it's Tuesday, therefore you also get something mainstream. I scratched my head for a while as I was keen to find the right album to follow last week's definitive pressing of Rumours . I toyed with a couple of ideas in my head as I went about my morning's work - you would be surprised to find out how much suitable source material I possess. In the end I went for some Carly. The girl who your mum loved for all the right reasons, and your dad for the wrong reasons (stare for a while at the sleeve and you'll get my drift) seems the perfect fit today. Remastered from the original tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed by Pallas in Germany- there's the connection to last week's post, No Secrets was reissued by Speakers Corners Records around the time of the worldwide lock downs. Having spent most of the past forty-five years in the barga...

  Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft - 1st Step To Heaven [MOVLP3059 NLD 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] After a break of a few years, German electronic pioneers Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft returned in 1986 -  all polished up & without their shirts, with a deal on Dean Records (via RCA) in Europe and Illuminated Records in the UK. Their single Brothers was one of my soundtracks of the period and whilst most purists would struggle with their new image, their was no doubt that the duo had adapted and modernised their sound like many other electronic pioneers of the era.  Illuminated Records chose not to release the album in the UK, consequently import copies were hard to track down and nearly forty years on, good clean European originals are hard to find. Imagine my delight when Music On Vinyl released this very limited repressing of 1000 on gold vinyl a few weeks ago. I was initially apprehensive about the gold vinyl, but thankfully Record Industry have made e...

  The Cranberries - Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? [AS00033 USA 2017 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I last ripped this album back in 2018, then from an original Island Records 'audiophile' version on noisy recycled black vinyl. I've since moved on, sold that copy for a small fortune (seriously) and picked up this very wonderful all analogue repress from the Analog Spark label for thirty quid. I know that's about a tenner more than you would pay for the current in-print digital file to noisy vinyl pressing by the carefree GZ Media - however, this one is cut from the original analogue masters by Sean Magee at Abbey Road (hurrah!), superbly pressed on superior formula, super quiet wax at Chad Kassem's QRP in the US and wrapped in a very high spec tip-on gatefold jacket. What's not to love? We could all think of albums we would love to be released on Analog Spark, there aren't many in current circulation and their schedule seems to have dried up since ...

  Redskins - Keep On Keepin On! [FX 1 UK 1984 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] The Redskins' debut major label release on Decca Records was the pounding skinhead soul of Keep On Keepin On! , produced and mixed as a twelve inch extended version by Ted De Bono - backed with a powerful cover of 16 Tons and a new version of Reds Strike The Blues. The student me lapped this stuff up back in the day and this single was a floor filler at any house party I attended in suburban Surrey, where I suspect the politics were lost on the well-heeled lads and lassies. A1 Keep On Keepin On! (Die On Your Feet - Mix) B1 16 Tons (Coal Not Dole) B2 Reds Strike The Blues!

  Redskins - The Peel Sessions [SFPS 030 UK 1987 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I cannot recall the number of times I saw the Redskins onstage between 1983-1985, but it was substantial - most of the time with the then young troubadour Billy Bragg. Politics can be an idealistic game, and the NME journo X-Moore (real name Chris Moore) toured his Redskins skinhead soul-brand around the UK preaching to the massed converted studentia . Yep, I was once one. They were quickly snapped up by Decca Records and made a few small dents into the hit parade eventually infiltrating the mainstream, though I doubt many ever got the message. This excellent Strange Fruit Peel Session four track twelve inch covers their powerful October 1982 John Peel radio session. A1 Unionize A2 Reds Strike The Blues B1 Kick Over The Statues B2 The Peasant Army

  Fleetwood Mac - Rumours [517787-1 USA 2022 Pallas 2X45 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Widely appreciated as the best mastered and best pressed edition of the biggest selling break-up album of all time. They have finally (and unexpectedly) repressed the double 45rpm, all analogue Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray remaster of Rumours, pressed by Pallas in Germany and released only in the USA. If you live in Europe you will have to make do with an inferior edition, mastered & pressed by GZ or Optimal, likely from a digital file. Unless of course, you have a vinyl pipeline from the USA, or are willing to pay a fortune with European importers. This rip is not perfect, but the sound quality is superb and I can hear what all the fuss is about. My only other copy is an eighties mid-price pressing and as my time is limited at the moment, I haven't yet had the chance for comparison.  This is a band that I have actually seen live, and although their music is not my usual taste, listening once m...

  War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream [SC310 USA 2014 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I bought this album around time of release purely for the track  Under The Pressure , which remains one of my favourite 'original' compositions of the past thirty years. Based around a very simple piano melody wrapped in building layers of guitar, bass, drums and atmospherics, the song is a wonderful way to spend eight minutes. I played this album just once and it has been sat on the shelf ever since! I decided to revisit it after my recent Wide Open Road post by The Triffids. This double album is a road-trip through Americana, recorded in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Asheville, Hoboken, Kernersville and Austin. Frontman Adam Granduciel has full artistic control which is a good thing, but then again it is my biggest issue with Lost In The Dream . You will quickly hear the Dylan and Springsteen references which litter this record. Layers of atmosphere and gorgeous melody are everywhere but disappointingl...

  John Coltrane - A Love Supreme [A-077 USA 2021 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] This Sunday evening jazz slot goes to an all-time classic. Originally released in 1965 on Impulse! Records, A Love Supreme was cut from the original master tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound for the Acoustic Sounds Series of Verve and Impulse! reissues by Analogue Productions.  This suite in four parts has been revered since original release as one of the best ever jazz albums released, this reissue has been universally appreciated by connoisseurs of the genre as the best ever pressing of A Love Supreme . A1 Part I - Acknowledgement A2 Part II - Resolution B1 Part III - Pursuance / Part IV - Psalm

  Leo Almunia - Minor Circle [C56LP019 UK 2021 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Italian musician Leonardo Ceccanti is/was one half of important balearic-psyche-electronic-dream duo Almunia, Minor Circle is his first solo album, recorded as Leo Almunia. Literally, this album starts off where Almunia left off (their last album was in 2013) - dreamy waves of spacey electronics, acoustic and electric guitars, subtle beats and immersive melodies. Imagine Pink Floyd playing electronically sparkling dream-pop. For a modern day record, the production and mastering are careful, considerate & luscious which makes me very happy. You don't need the Mediterranean warmth & sun to enjoy this album, just a spare hour - therefore sit back, play from beginning to end,  immerse yourself and let it open your mind.  A1 Sinking Fields A2 Brillo De Luna B1 Il Cormorano B2 Minor Circle C1 Panarea C2 The Firefly C3 Loveblind D1 Wishing Star D2 Can't Hold A Lover That Is Gone...

  Van Morrison - Astral Weeks [K 46024 UK 1987 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released in 1968, it took many years for Warners to reissue Morrison's acclaimed second album Astral Weeks in the UK. Possibly, their A&R team needed to wait for Van's new found popularity on Mercury Records, with some help from The Chieftains and Cliff Richard. The new European pressings were mastered by Bernd Steinwedel and nicely pressed at Record Service in Alsdorf. I don't have Kevin Gray's more recent remaster for comparison purposes and many say that his newer version is the go-to-release, however this mid-eighties copy sounds great and German pressings from the eighties are better than those from Optimal, imho . In all essence, this is a psychedelic celtic folk album and this copy has all the rawness you would expect on a sixties original. I can hear the areas which Gray could improve with his magical all-analogue retouches, however perhaps those are all part of the charm of Ast...

  Isolation Ward - Absent Heart [TWI 135 BEL 1983 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] To end my brief flurry of Belgians, here is another new 176.4kHz rip of a Needle Time obscurity. Isolation Ward play moody bass-driven post-punk evoking influences from North Western Britain and other Benelux acts such as The Names. The kind of stuff which seems to go down well in these parts. They formed in 1979 in Brussels and released their debut single Lamina Christus on Crépuscule Francais in 1982. The single, produced by Peter Principle, is highly regarded as a cold-wave classic and features on the b-side of this 12" single. The follow up Absent Heart was released as on Les Disques du Crépuscule in 1983. Support slots to Siouxsie and The Banshees, 23 Skidoo and The Birthday Party exposed Isolation Ward to a wider audience and everything was perfectly positioned for a debut album the following year.  Unfortunately the band disintegrated only to be revived briefly when they finally released the album...

  Soft Verdict - For Amusement Only [TWI 049 BEL 1982 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Subtitled - The Sound Of Pinball Machines Here is something very different which should appeal to all those who appreciate experimental electronica. I thought a brand new very high resolution rip would be totally nuts, but I did it anyway! Soft Verdict were originally the experimental Flemish duo of Wim Mertens and Gust De Meyer. For Amusement Only was their debut for Les Disques Du Crépuscule recorded in May 1981 and released on cassette and vinyl. Subsequent reissues have been on compact disc, albeit listed as Mertens' solo work. De Meyer went onto release just one more recording on a Casio VL Tone and is now a Professor of Culture at a Leuven University, Mertens took the project beyond the realms of modern classical music and is now a highly revered concert pianist and composer. The sleeve notes tell you exactly what to expect... For Amusement Only is using electronical potential of pinball machines...

  Chakachas - Chakachas [SOULG004 ITA 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Belgian afro-cuban-cabaret act Chakachas had been around since the fifties, releasing this self-titled album on jazz label Blue Elephant Records in 1972. They released a plethora of schlager singles mostly for the European & Japanese markets, however it wasn't until the mid-eighties when they gained widespread credible recognition following the plundering of samples by hip-hop & rap artists. Originals were almost impossible to find and it was not available until new labels managed to secure the rights to reissue the recordings. This pressing came out earlier this year on small Italian label, Soulgramma Records who allegedly managed to use the original tapes for this release. It is not on the best quality vinyl, however I think I have been able to extract a decent rip. Enjoy! A1 Stories A2 Push Together A3 Soledad A4 Bantu A5 By The Way (He's Gone) A6 Love,Love,Love B1 Judas Kiss B2 Oye Me...

  Placebo - 1973 [MOVLP1092 NLD 2018 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on an exceptionally rare vinyl album on CBS Records in 1973, here is the second album by Marc Moulin's experimental funky jazz-fusion ensemble, Placebo.  Recorded over two days in Brussels in April 1973, this set also includes one live track revealing the band's diversity mixing funk and seventies electronica, no more so than on Balek and  Re-Union . Music On Vinyl never like to reveal the source material for their releases that often, however there are a few audible hints on this release which suggest the original master tapes were not in great shape.  This rip certainly packs a punch as the tracks vary between a very seventies groove and early electronic experimentation. The mastering comes in at around DR11-DR13 hinting that little compression was applied, therefore remaining true to the original audio. A1 Bolkwush A2 Temse A3 Phalène A4 Balek B1 Polk B2 Only Nineteen B...