When I was younger I used to have no problem at all doing it almost every night, sometimes twice a night* even. Now I find myself struggling to crank it up once a week, hell I went a full 11 days without at the beginning of this month. Maybe it’s my advancing years, the fact that my son has been celebrating his 18th, the unseasonably great weather keeping me outside ’til late most nights, my full-blown Witcher 3: Wild Hunt addiction, the World Cup, or the fact I’ve been working away for a few days a week – whatever the cause, my frequency has suffered. Maybe I’d benefit from a bit of role play? I have heard that dressing up to do it can help rekindle the fire sometimes.
So, yeah, I haven’t been posting as much recently. Sorry mortals, I do appreciate that I have a wider responsibility to brighten up your otherwise quite ordinary lives with my incredible talents and I have been letting you down. Whilst I am pretty sure my back isn’t up to doing it twice a night anymore I will henceforth try to manage to bang one out a bit more often, possibly.
I have been buying some records though, you’ll be shocked to hear.
Today I found myself in grey & Pink Records, Chester – I was dropping my kids off at the train station, which is sort of on the same street so it would have been rude not to pop in and say hello. I’ve been worn down and bullied** to the point where I had to buy Aerosmith Live! Bootleg the first time I saw a copy and it is excellent, visceral and raw, a perfect antidote to the load of ballads they are now. Blue Öyster Cult Spectres is the one with ‘Godzilla’ on it, reason enough to buy even if I wasn’t becoming more and more addicted to Buck Dharma’s whiplash lead guitar. As for the Ian Hunter, any LP with ‘Once Bitten, Twice Shy’ on it is worth the price, let alone one with gems like ‘Boy’ on it as well.
Along with the usual suspects like the new Sleep, Wooden Shjips and Earthless LPs I may have treated myself to a couple of other ones recently too:
Age of Taurus The Colony Slain: Full-on swords and sorcery metal on Rise Above. Show me a man who can resist songs sung in character with titles like ‘The Lost Garrison’ and ‘From The Hills To The Halls’ and I will show you a man who … has a mental age of more than 14 and probably has a girlfriend.
David Bowie Bowie Now: Released for RSD 2018, this is a re-release of a 1978 US promo LP featuring all the odd, haunting album tracks from Low and Heroes. They sound great together but I half think I have sort of conned myself by buying this one when I have all the music already.
The Mission God’s Own Medicine: A gift from a mate, who bought a second copy of it by accident during a particularly frenzied LP buying session^. I have seen the Mission twice and they were excellent, but I have never owned a note of their music. I love their brand of widescreen, portentous goth rock – ‘Wasteland’ and ‘Severina’ are excellent.
Oh and on entirely related news my son bought his first ever LP today, aged 18. Better late than never, I am very proud.
682 Down (still).
PS: I passed on Maiden Japan, Slide It In and Women And Children First at the shop today … I can feel that fact gnawing at the base of my soul even as I type this. Will my record buying never be done?!
*not to brag on y’all, but my powers of recovery were legendary.
**Mr Superdekes and Mr Ladano, to name names.
^I haven’t done that yet, accidentally buying a second copy of something, I mean.
You passed on Maiden Japan? (an original 80s one I presume) I wonder how one manages to possess the astronomically large self control required to do that. Don’t ask me, I bought it back in April, my first, and currently only, vinyl purchase.
2nd part of the story- I already owned the Purgatory/Maiden Japan CD and also a soundboard bootleg from the show after the EP, so all I bought that vinyl for then was a crackly Wrathchild and so that I could say that I own the EP
I know, I know! I went back for it a week later and it was gone, gone , gone!
Dude, I’m reduced to just doing it on Christian holy days… and I’m considering knocking Whitsun and Pentecost on the head too. So no apologies necessary.
I was unaware of the fact before but am no less convinced that Blue Öyster Cult don’t deserve to have a guitarist called Buck Dharma, least of all one that plays whiplash guitar.
On an unrelated note, I recently bought a new practice amp. “What’s that daddy?” asked my 5 year old. “It’s an amplifier Greta”. “What does it do?” “It makes my guitar louder”. “Can it play rock’n’roll?” You can almost hear the pride oozing from me. What was the boy’s album by the way?
Don’t relinquish the Pentacost, dude! (Gosh, if I only had £5 for every time I’ve shouted that line out loud, I’d be a billionaire by now)
Good on Greta, I hope you didn’t break it to her that you had only forked out for the ’90’s Landfill Indie’ model.
He bought Prefab Sprout ‘Steve McQueen’, which I was rather proud of because it is totally his thing and not mine.
As used by The Wonder Stuff and Carter USM (as we used to acronymize them)
Damn you Legoman, just bought Spectres and the Agent album because they were ion my head.
Good lord, I seem to have bypassed your urge control unit and am able to plant thoughts directly into your cerebellum.
Now for Phase 2 of the plan!
We know you’ve just been trying to hold it back to make us want it even more.
‘I Ain’t Got You’ on Live! Bootleg may be Steven Tyler’s greatest moment. And ‘Fireworks’ off of Spectres is one of my favorite BÖC tunes, hard-to-suss lyrics and multiple tracks of great Buck-picking / Buck-lashing throughout (but especially in the background for the final 30 seconds).
I’m just a big, bald tease!
My fave at the moment is the blistering live version of ‘Draw The Line’ – it’s a great album.
BOC were a band I never got before, but I am becoming obsessed now. Too subtle for me for years. Agents of Fortune for me next.
Oooo AoF, yes! And you’ll be fucking just a little with Patti’s past there too!
I’m watching the WC listening to the Mission and Ian Hunter you bought.
Hearing that makes me happy CB. ‘Once Bitten …’ is just a work of genius.
Looks like something bit Maradona and he didn’t get any treatment. maybe one of them there Russian Polecats. Yes I’m a bit of a Ian guy.
Congrats to your son on his first vinyl investment – and nice to see Fargo Rock City peeking out from behind Bowie Now!
It was Prefab Sprout ‘Steve McQueen’.
You caught a glimpse of the Mighty Bookshelf of Rock (MBoR).
A fine choice for the first LP – he may have to order ‘Two Wheels Good’ from North America too!
Frequency issues eh… The world cup has a lot to answer for. We would not want any premature posting now so allow some time to mature those ideas.
Good point, it could be worse. My default position is supporting any and all African teams.
Senegal all the way.
You are missed, but life comes first. Did I just say that???
Weirdo!
World Cup fever!! I don’t watch much football these days, but I can’t resist a World Cup. No sir.
Additionally, I can’t resist a good record or two. You have been busy, huh? Two of my favourites of 2018 there, too (Sleep and Earthless)…
But don’t you worry about your lack of time to review things. You can always send me some LPs and I’ll review them for you… I’m happy to help. I’m good like that, y’see.
Thanks friend.
Anytime.
That Hunter album is great. Great cover to have on vinyl too. Spectres is one of my favourite BOC albums too.
It was a good haul. they also had all the early Whitesnake LPs too in great condition. Which is the best? some folks say ‘Saints & Sinners’.
I am really into BOC right now, ‘Golden Age of Leather’ is excellent. I love how creepy they are.
Saints and Sinners is the worst I think. All good though. Ready and Willing is best.
Golden Age Of Leather is excellent. Fireworks makes me happy too.
Grey and Pink records, eh? Sounds like a nod towards Caravan. Of course you had to visit!
I recently upgraded my s/h copy of Ian Hunter. As you say, absolutely worth it for the single. Also recently picked up a double live Hunter from 1980, with Mick Ronson on guitar. Haven’t played it yet.
As I may have revealed elsewhere, I have music catalogue on me phone nowadays, and still sometimes manage to re-purchase something. sigh.
Yup, named after them back in Tudor times. Really nice chaps.
Hunter is a bit of an unsung hero in my eyes, never seems to get the adulation he deserves. Coincidentally he co-wrote one of the chaps on the BOC album I got yesterday
Your pup is a cutie
Thanks. Daisy is gorgeous, good at football too.
LIVE BOOTLEG=Brilliance..
Nice album scores Sir 1537! Wow u passed on Maiden Japan and WACF?? Wowzers! Thats ok though I’m sure that money went towards those snazzy white sneakers that are shown playing World Cup footie with the family dog!
I know, too many records not enough cash! They had all the pre-1987 Whitesnake albums there – which would you recommend most? I hear Slide and Saints & Sinners are good, but I enjoyed the Lovehunter LP cover.
I regret leaving Maiden Japan behind a lot. It’s gnawing away at my mind as I type.
Also the live ‘Ain’t No Love In The Heart of the City’ features a 10 minute version of Lovehunter..great interplay between Mickey Moody and Ian Paice…
That live album is fantastic as well!