Needle Time

  Quando Quango - Genius [FAC 137 MCR 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Out of Manchester and Rotterdam came Quando Quango - once described by a NME hack as lift music in a review, Genius is actually a cracking piece of uptempo latino house music...and it should have been massive.  The keen eared amongst you will appreciate the skillful hands of Vini Reilly, whose fabulous guitar work also graces the track as well as Andy Connell who tinkles his ivories with usual aplomb. This was to be the final QQ release prior Mike Pickering and Simon Topping's reinvention as T-Coy. Gonnie Reitveld went her own way, with brief musical interludes with Hypnotone on Creation Records and Search on Robs Records, before establishing herself as an academic . A1 Genius B1 Rebel

  Daft Punk - Get Lucky [88883 74691 1 UK 2013 24-Bit FLAC] As we are briefly in France, it is time to  Get Lucky with  Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo,  Thomas Bangalter,  Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers and Nathan East. Likely the biggest selling song ever to tackle the phenomenon of one-night-stands, thankfully it is not another song about dogging. Those quirky Daft Punksters have since called it a day, Nile Rodgers is still alive, Pharrell Williams' career went through the roof after this ....and everybody needs to hear an album of  Nathan East's solo work . Do you feel lucky, punk? A1 Get Lucky (Daft Punk Remix) B1 Get Lucky (Album Version) B2 Get Lucky (Radio Edit)

  Tony Allen - The Source [5768336 FRA 2017 24-Bit FLAC] If you look closely bottom left of the sleeve, you will notice the 'AAA triple analog' annotation. That hints that perhaps something really good is going on here ....and I am not just talking about this superbly pressed double album of jazz-afro on Blue Note France.  You may also remember those early days of compact discs when we studied the inlay card encased in plastic for a similar indication of the sources used for that little silver disc contained therein. AAD was okay, ADD got you concerned and these days everything on compact disc seems to be DDD. I've been known to occasionally, and believe quite rightly whinge that most current vinyl releases tend to be DDA, which just seems quite wrong when you think about.  This album quite proudly states: analog recording, analog mixing, analog mastering - no digital process was used in the production of this sound recording. It was recorded live to analog tape in Paris...

  Haruomi Hosono - Honchono House [VIJL-60196 JPN 2019 24-Bit FLAC] In March 2019, released his re-imagined version of his classic debut album Hosono House. Re-recorded fully solo, Hosono plays all instruments, recorded, engineered and produced everything. The original is a Japanese tribute to all aspects of American music, this new version is nothing of the sort. These songs could have been written in the present as Hosono avoids a restrospective experiment in nostalgia, instead delivering an imaginative blend of synthpop, Japanese city pop, folk and jazz.  I would guess only a tiny percentage of my readers can understand the Japanese language, so now it is time for what the  Fuku Wa Uchi Oni Wa Soto is he singing about. Enjoy this folks, Hosono is a creative great and this album is essentially a 71 year old Hosono re-imagining a 27 year old Hosono, encompassing everything that has gone on during the years between. I have the double 45rpm repress of the original H...

 Shriekback - Oil And Gold [207 206 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Oil And Gold was without a doubt Shriekback's biggest selling album, but as to it being their best, I am not convinced and am sure most may have a similar opinion. It was a breakthrough record for them as it sold significantly in the USA, helped by two pounding commercial singles, plus two tracks featuring on the soundtrack of Michael Mann's superb Manhunter movie.  This Big Hush and  Coelocanth are now revered, with Shriekback at their dark & moody best - they are great tracks but I believe they mark the end of classic Shriekback as Barry Andrews begins to assert himself (further). Consequently, this was to be Carl Marsh's last album as lead vocalist and key bassist Dave Allen was to jump ship after recording a couple of tracks for the follow-up.  This record is not as classy & subtle as Jam Science , and it lacks the brash experimental edge of their early funk explorations. I struggle with a cou...

  Luc Van Acker & Anna Domino - Zanna [WAX 23 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] He was a Belgian electronic pioneer and future Revolting Cock, she was the daughter of an American serviceman, born in Japan and honorary Belgian. Zanna was their collaboration, released back in 1984 on the European aem of Wax Trax Records. The title track is a sultry affair pinned down by an upfront beat and made all that bit special by the Domino voice, the flipsides are two Acker solo efforts, one of which featuring the violin of Blaine L. Reininger. Hello Sailor! A1 Zanna B1 Fear In My Heart B2 Travelling

  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

  Echo & The Bunnymen - Porcupine [P-11288 JPN 1983 24-Bit FLAC] A re-appreciation of Porcupine , the difficult third album by Liverpool's Echo & The Bunnymen - (incorrectly) critically panned (at the time) and initially rejected by the label, WEA who flexed their corporate muscles and sent the band back to the studio as they felt that the album wasn't commercial enough.  This album reflects on internal conflicts within the Scouse four-some and benefits greatly from Ian 'Kingbird' Broudie's production and then manager, Bill Drummond's decision to bring in Lakshmi Shankar's Indian strings to add that little something extra. The Cutter made everybody sit and and pay attention, Back Of Lov e is a revered Bunnymen classic, My White Devil and Heads Will Roll should be revered just as much. It is clear that the band were moving in different directions at the time of recording with McCulloch seeking popstar adoration, guitarist Will Sergeant was focused o...

  The Birthday Party - Junkyard [CAD 3223 UK 2012 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released in 1982, 4AD chose to use the Henry Rollins remaster for this deluxe vinyl edition of The Birthday Party masterpiece, Junkyard . My copy also includes a repress of the Release The Bats single.  Fueled by drugs and booze, Junkyard reaches into the darkest wells of the Nick Cave mind, this is an album firmly rooted in his fascination with American gothic. Is this the blues? Is this demonic scuzz-rock? Ed Roth and Dave Christensen's iconic sleeve is as disturbing as the music itself. Tracy Pew got locked up for persistent offending during the sessions,  so Barry Adamson began his lengthy association with Cave by stepping on on bass for Big-Jesus-Trash-Can . The inclusion of Release The Bats as a seven-inch was a great idea, especially for your scribe who would regularly be seen trying to dance to the track at one or two Manchester nightclubs back in the day. This record needs to be pl...

  Yeah Yeah Noh - Another Side To Mrs. Quill [ITTI 020 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] This is a brand new rip of Mrs. Quill as my first back in 2015 was every so crackly. Our heroes go all Hank Marvin on the excellent instrumental, Penetration . Mrs. Quill gets two mixes of her own, whereas Wendy's In The Woods is classic Yeah Yeah Noh, scathingly ironic as ever, it is also the first song I have ever heard which covers the unusual British past-time of dogging & Paul McCartney. A1 Another Side To Mrs. Quill (Magic Roundabout Mix) B1 Penetration B2 Wendy's In The Woods B3 Mrs. Quill

  Yeah Yeah Noh - Temple Of Convenience EP [ITTI 023 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Next up is another from the wonderful Yeah Yeah Noh. Leicester's finest released their final single as an expanded 12" featuring a fuzzy rough live track by psychedelic Diesel Park West alter-ego The Psychedelic Filberts, backed with the superb seven minute opus in three parts, Jigsaw featuring a plethora of John Peel cut-ups. Again this is a cleaned up version of my 2016 rip. A1  Temple Of Convenience A2  The Time Beings A3  Mr Hammond Is Out To Lunch A4  Rain (by The Psychedelic Filberts) B0  Jigsaw (an opus in three parts) B1  The First Corner B2  Edges  B3 The Missing Piece

  The June Brides - No Place Called Home [ITTI 024 1985 24-Bit FLAC] As promised a few weeks back, here's a round up of some of my old In Tape Records rips. First up is a cleaned up version of my 2016 rip of  jangly-pop champions, The June Brides first single for the label. A1 No Place Called Home A2 On The Rocks B1 Josef´s Gone B2 We Belong