Needle Time

  Verve - Blue [HUTT 29 UK 1993 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Here is the final twelve inch to complete my Verve high resolution re-rip project. For dessert, it's the three minute catchy and powerful Blue , which seems remarkably short when compared to the other singles. For for examples of the band's lush, gentle and atmospheric work, check out the two splendid tracks on the flipside. ....pop stardom beckoned a few years later with a bit of help from the Stones when Verve became The Verve a few years later and "accidentally" went mainstream.  A1 Blue B1 Twilight B2 Where The Geese Go

  Demon Fuzz - Afreaka! [MOVLP1935 NLD 2017 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released in 1970 on Dawn Records in the UK and Janus Records in the USA, Music On Vinyl carefully repressed this unique album of rhythmic afro-psych a few years back, cut I understand from the original master tapes. Essentially a British band, Demon Fuzz were in existence for just three years between 1968 and 1972. Formed from musicians of mostly West Indian and African origin, they turned heavy late sixties psyche laden with horns and congas into an infectious genre-defying adventure which should entertain even the most sceptic listener. Play loud and get some fuzz! A1 Past Present And Future A2 Disillusioned Man A3 Another Country B1 Hymn To Mother Earth B2 Mercy (Variation No. 1)

  Mdou Moctar ‎- Afrique Victime [OLE1614LP UK 2021 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I will stick my neck out and proclaim Afrique Victime as one of the very best albums of 2021. I was never happy with my first rip about a year ago, I decided to run it through the HumminGuru and hear how much better it sounded. Prepare to be blown away! Dressed in traditional robes, which would have the fanatical far right rushing for their M4 Carbines, Nigerien Mdou Moctor, real name Mahamadou Souleymane picks up his guitar and delivers a kaleidoscope of rock pyrotechnics, blending in atmospheric field recordings and traditional Nigerien folk rhythms & harmonies. The songs are in his native Taureg tongue, lyrically ladled (if you speak Taureg) with fierce criticism of the French colonial legacy in his native Niger (pronounced niʒɛʁ).  This album was released in May 2021 on UK/US label Matador Records, mastered by the rather lovely Egyptian American Heba Kadry  in New York and pressed by Optim...

  Curtis Amy & Dupree Bolton - Katanga! [ST-70 USA 2021 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Pacific Jazz Records in 1963, about 18 hours later than originally planned, Sunday has become Monday and it is time for another Tone Poet. Katanga! was the last of six albums recorded by saxophonist Curtis Amy aided by Dupree Bolton on trumpet (I do love a good trumpet), Ray Crawford on guitar, Jack Wilson on Piano with Vic Gaskin & Doug Sides forming the rhythm section.  As with the majority of these high quality Tone Poet releases, Cohearent Audio cut the laquers from the original analogue master reels, Record Technology dealt with pressing matters and Stoughton Press provided the heavy weight tip-on jacket. A1 Katanga A2 Lonely Woman A3 Native Land B1 Amyable B2 You Don't Know What Love Is B3 A Shade Of Brown

  Idris Muhammad - Power Of Soul [MOVLP 738 NLD 2017 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Kudu Records in the USA, during 1974, Power Of Soul was the third album by jazz drummer Idris Muhammad in his own right following lengthy spells as stick man for Lou Donaldson & Horace Silver amongst many others. There is no need for me to list the collaborators on this record as they all get a significant credit on the front sleeve. As the title suggests, this is not necessarily a jazz album, artists had developed greatly since the sixties, this record delivers four soulful, jazzy, funky instrumentals as evidence the jazz genre had diversified further, presenting significant sampling opportunities (there are a few on this album) for eighties hip-hop artists like The Beastie Boys. My respect for the Dutch Music On Vinyl label continues to grow, although no mastering engineer or  source material provenance is revealed, this record is carefully pressed by Record Industry and pr...

  Santana - Santana [MFSL 1-303 USA 2007 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] As a young lad, I spent quite a bit of time in California just south of San Francisco -  a long way from my home in rainy Manchester, England. The Bay Area has become a special place for me since, especially the history surrounding San Francisco, it's culture, it's sports teams and subsequently it's music. Once back in blighty, I caught Michael Wadleigh's Woodstock doc on late night TV and there was one particular segment which stood out for me... Afro-Cuban Mexican-American rock, Santana's live performance of their  Soul Sacrifice just blew me away. I've always love percussive music (musicians hitting things) but this was something else. The combination of Michael Shrieve's unique drumming style, and the congas & timbale duel from José Chepitó Areas & Mike Carrabello had me hooked.  I own every album, some in multiple versions, up until and including their 1976 album, Festival . ...

  Cocteau Twins - Sunburst And Snowblind [BAD 314 UK 1983 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I often wonder if Guthrie & Fraser realised at the time how important these melodic delights would become when they first sat down at John Turner's Palladium Studios at home in Edinburgh to record them. This EP, the accompanying album Head Over Heel s and the follow up Treasure have to be their most inspirational works of art. This is the last of my brief rush of new Cocteau Twins rips, something very different to come tomorrow... A1   Sugar Hiccup A2   From The Flagstones B1   Hitherto B2   Because Of Whirl-Jack

  Cocteau Twins - Peppermint Pig [BAD 303 UK 1983 24-Bit 176.4kHz  FLAC] The single which marked the end of the Cocteau Twins early years with Will Heggie, and not named after a popular candy sweet or the book by Nina Bawden. The Cocteaus kicked off their journey through a world of intricate alliteration in song titles, personally  the carnivore in me prefers my pigs to taste of bacon. Another new high resolution rip, so please offload my previous attempts, this is the one... A1 Peppermint Pig B1 Laugh Lines B2 Hazel

  Cocteau Twins - Lullabies [BAD 213 UK 1982 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I need revisit a few old twelves, firstly cleaning old vinyl with a Tergikleen mixture and then running through the ultrasonic cleaner. As a vinyl enthusiast and trader, I will say the HumminGuru is a solid investment which will quickly pay for itself.  This brand new high resolution rip of the debut Cocteau Twins EP on 4AD Records is a huge upgrade on anything I have been able to produce before. A1  Feathers-Oar-Blades A2  Alas Dies Laughing B1  It's All But An Ark Lark

  New Order - Music Complete [BXSTUMM390 UK 2015 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I stopped buying New Order records in 1986, effectively I had fallen out of love after Low-Life, however religiously bought the follow-up singles, but for the first time, began to look for (and find) flaws. I had a pre-release tape of Brotherhood (which I really enjoyed) but the final album lacked the edge of the live versions I had become accustomed to. Everything since has been on compact disc (most unplayed for decades), charity shop purchases, second hand bargain vinyl finds or blog donations. But I bought the Music Complete box-set? For me, this is not a New Order album. there is something missing, some of you will understand, others may not. For me this is a Bernard Sumner album with associated musicians, most of whom do exactly as they are told. There are one or two moments which would remind you of New Order, it is best to ignore those and think of a different band. Before anybody asks, I do not ...

  Simple Minds - Love Song [VS 434-12 UK 1981 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Love Song was Simple Mind's seventh single, with a pounding, almost funky bass line, washes of distorted guitar & sequenced synths, it fit's perfectly into their euro-wave period. My copy is the full length five minute EMI pressing, rather than the much shorter alternative CBS pressing. The single backed with the much more intricate & experimental  This Earth That You Walk Upon which just proves that they were truly skilled in their craft, long before they decided to be the Scottish U2 and fill stadiums all over the globe.  A1 Love Song B1 This Earth That You Walk Upon

  Simple Minds - Sister Feelings Call [OVED 2 UK 1981 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] The earlier 'euro-wave' years of Simple Minds represent, for me at least, some of the band's finest work. Sister Feelings Call was one of two mid-price compilations of singles from the era, with associated b-sides and other works. Moving on from their early post-punk albums, the band found influence in the Bowie & Eno Berlin-based collaborations of the late seventies to redevelop their sound into an intricate new-wave formula which eventually became their New Gold Dream . A1 Theme For Great Cities A2 The American A3 20th Century Promised Land B1 Wonderful In Young Life B2 League Of Nations B3 Careful In Career B4 Sound In 70 Cities