Needle Time

Abecedarians - Resin [CAROL 1343 USA 1988 24-Bit FLAC] The final act of Abecedarians, ripped from my very near mint copy of the original vinyl album to 24-bit FLAC. Resin is a very different album to all that came before, it is very much a rock album, focusing on the basics - voice, guitar, bass and drums. The new wave nuances are still there, however with a more American alternative rock feel - given that the album sessions were recorded in Los Angeles during the summer of 1987, that is okay - this is still highly credible American alternative rock. Self-produced but mixed with the help of local studio entrepreneur, Jim Cypherd, there is a rawness and space to these tracks which was missing from earlier recordings, but all those rich textures Abecedarians created so well remain in place. Most of you should love this record. A1 Dinner A2 Spaghetti Western A3 Where Whitie Ain't Allowed A4 Wild Flowers Grow From The Trash B1 Press Escape B2 Laugh At Yoursel...

Abecedarians - The Other Side Of The Fence [IP 031/032 USA 1990 24-Bit FLAC] This beautifully packaged double 10" album was one of my first lossless rips back in 2011. I produced it then on a crappy turntable with very limited mastering skills, I would therefore say that it is about time I revisited The Other Side Of The Fence . I'll freely admit to not owning much independently released vinyl by American bands, but with great thanks to a good friend in California (a fellow appreciado of good taste), I own a pristine copy of this superb double 10 inch compilation, in fact to say this is a compilation does not do it justice, these twelve 'demo' tracks from between 1983 and 1985 fit perfectly together as an album in its own right. Abecedarians were a SoCal based three piece who supported New Order for a few shows on their 1985 tour. Their sound was very British wave with obvious vocal influences by Modern English and B-Movie. There songs held intricate p...

Abecedarians - Smiling Monarchs [FAC 117 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] This is my 2018 24-bit rip from a thirty-three year old twelve inch single. In typical Factory style, Smiling Monarchs was released in the UK with no marketing and like many, I had no clue as to who they were - but still bought it! I think Peel did play it once or twice and copies were available in certain quality outlets in Manchester and London. Although not credited, Smiling Monarchs was mixed by Bernard Sumner and is a pounding, sequencer driven track with lush string effects and a unique effect laden bass melody much akin to New Order. The similarity to Your Silent Face should be clear to most ears. The flip-side Benway's Carnival reminds me of late period Ultravox and doesn't work for me. Smiling Monarchs is a lost Factory classic and deserves recognition as such. My rip of their Eureka album can be found here A1 Smiling Monarchs B1 Benway's Carnival

Abecedarians - Eureka [PYLON 28 USA 2012 Reissue 24-Bit FLAC] The remastered and expanded edition of Abecedarians' debut album Eureka for your listening pleasure. These moody Californians have featured extensively on the old blog ( Eureka did not) but I thought it was about time we progressed to a higher resolution. Some of these tracks did feature on my AB-CD compact disc rip back in 2015 and a few demo versions appeared in 2009. Intricate guitar melodies, textured drums and plucky bass were all part of the Abecedarian sound, blending influences of early New Order, The Chameleons and Faith-era Cure. It wasn't just all about Smiling Monarchs , these chaps really had something, it was just a pity that Factory took so long to release their only single, then failed to follow it up with anything else.  Eureka was originally released in 1986 in a very limited pressing on their own Southwest Audio Reproductions label, original copies fetch big bucks on the reseller...