Stop me if you’ve heard this one before … but I went into Chester to buy some shoes last Saturday. I don’t want to go all Les Miserables on ya ass but my work shoes had started to ship water* and so I had to leap into action.
Now, entirely accidentally, I parked down by the fab In The Land of Grey & Pink Records. So close in fact that in the process of striding purposefully past the shop I happened to make eye contact with the proprietor and I had to pop inside, so as not to be rude, you understand.
Once again I left all the original Whitesnake LPs there** , a mint condition copy of Skyscraper and a Deep Purple compilation with a very racy cover (which I hesitated long and hard over …). Yes, I really exercised my will there. Faultlessly in fact. And then I saved all my money and bought some shoes with it instead …
Haha, only joking! This what I came home with.
Tom Waits The Black Rider.
I have wanted a copy of this since it came out. A lot of people sneered at this one, but bearing in mind it is the soundtrack to a play, I think it is quite brilliant and a very under-appreciated gem. Tracks like ‘Gospel Train’, ‘Russian Dance’ and the William S. Burroughs voiced ‘T’aint No Sin’ are really excellent. £15 too^.
Siouxsie & The Banshees Once Upon a Time/the Singles
One of the real joys of having older children are that you can discover and rediscover music through them too. Such is the case with Siouxsie & The Banshees, I had seen them live at WOMAD when I was 12, but never owned a second of music by them until today, influenced by my son continually playing Juju. I love their cold, slanted style and my copy came with the original limited print of the lady herself.
Manic Street Preachers Masses Against The Classes
Hailing from a time when I had neither the cash or inclination to buy everything they released, this non-album #1 single has now been added to the 1537 archives. A heady combination of Noam Chomsky and Chuck Berry (excellent, uncharacteristic B-side cover of ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Music). This from a band who played a brilliant cover of ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ when I saw them last Thursday.
Also recently added to the One Collection To Rule Them All …
Clint Mansell Black Mirror: San Junipero Original Score (Picture Disc): bright synth soundtrack to one of my favourite episodes of TV ever.
The Erotics 20 Years Of Nothing To Show For It. Albany glam ogres selected works on picture disc. Including such #1 US smash hits as ‘Last Of The Rock ‘n Roll Motherfuckers’, ‘Baby Rock Out (With Your Cock Out)’, ‘Drink, Fuck, Fight’ and the awesome ‘Got Drunk Again’ – ‘Went to the Rainbow Bar & Grill and I was drinking Jägermeister / Woke up in bed next to Lemmy Kilmister / I swear I’m never drinking again…’ This takes a particular brand of dunderheaded genius to pull off.
James ‘Blood’ Ulmer Are You Glad To Be In America. Wild, jagged, jazz playing that leans equally towards Zappa and Ornette Coleman (who’s band he was in). There are whole fractured worlds to explore here.
Amyl & The Sniffers. Wired righteous Melbourne indie punk rock, with a hint of stomping glam rock (of Chapman/Chinn vintage) about it. I like swearing. I like tunes. I like this. A lot. Going to see them soon. ‘Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled)’, indeed.
D-A-D No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims. It’s no exaggeration to say I have wanted this for 30 years now. ‘Sleeping My day away’ is just perfection and the rest of the LP is of a standard too, which is always a relief when you have wanted an LP for so long and it really doesn’t let you down.
‘But what about the shoes?’, I hear you scream. Well, let’s just say I hope it doesn’t rain again anytime soon.
937 Down (still).
PS: Since I’m on the subject, James Dean Bradfield from the show at the Liverpool Olympia, playing This Is Our Truth, Now Tell Me Yours in full. Very emotional night and my son’s first proper gig.
*not a desirable, or very practical trait in the throes of an English summer.
**some day they will be mine.
^you really need to watch for bootlegs of this one. A load came onto the market in 2011. Check the record label and the presence of the coloured inner sleeve/credits/lyrics. This was a bargain.
^^this is definitely the only music video ever to have been made featuring a pillow fight that isn’t between two (or more) foxy chicks, this should be applauded.
“Those sure are some nice lookin’ shoes there fella”. I’d grab a couple of those. The Waits for sure
If ever a man made music for folks with holes in their shoes, it’s Waits.
Another good quote from the “Quote Master”. I have holes in every pair I own.
You have the same problem with shoes. I bought a brand new pair of walking boots three months ago and after all the rain today, my socks were totally soaked. Obviously, I bought a bad pair. Love DAD and the Manic Street Preachers are pretty cool too.
Both post and comments very entertaining. Thanks for brightening up an early winter evening.
But I have to ask: Were the roses a cunning ploy to deflect Mrs 1537 from the non-appearance of footwear?
Cheers Bruce – no, the flowers were bought for romantic reasons, Mrs 1537 is benignly indifferent to whether I walk around with wet feet, or not. I think her, flawed, reasoning is that as an adult I am fit to take care of such things myself.
You have to love the act of turning up at a record shop with no particular quarry in mind. What I really wanted was a copy of Juicy Lucy on original vertigo label – way too much cash for me though.
D.A.D.! I need to make sure I have that.
Sleeping My Day Away is just pure genius.
I went looking for shoes at the weekend and somehow my record collection grew too while my shoes continue to ship water.
Must be something in the air
It’s almost as though WordPress attracts dysfunctional obsessives, or something ..
Man, that Black Rider LP is a score. I’ve been looking to grab a copy of that myself, but it’s never cheap – certainly never £15.
I’m also a big fan of the San Junipero episode. I was actually discussing that and the music in work a couple of weeks ago, but I wasn’t aware of the LP.
Anyhoo, some good record getting here.
P.S. fuck shoes.
Fifteen quid! I know.
San Junipero is just wonderful. I thought it was a nice one to tie in with Pride too. Good music too, I hasten to add.
Bargain.
I remember really liking the music in that episode.
The whole episode was just wonderfully designed.
I actually started watching the new ‘season’ the other night.
Ps. Yup screw all footwear.
I often come home with records after going out shopping for something else. Weird how that works.
Uncanny!
You got a great haul there. A great haul.
Thanks, I’m pleased I stood up to the tyranny of footwear too.
As a man with as many boots as he could ever need I can easily take the moral high ground on this one. Always buy more records.
I hear you brother! Anyway it’s summer now, I shan’t need waterproof footwear until late September now.
Haha. What a philosophy. Go spin those records. That MSP single is a beaut
I was shocked by just how good their Chuck Berry cover was too.
By the way, do you remember D-A-D too? They were just excellent.
Disneyland After Dark? I saw them live once
Yup. I’m jealous of that, I lived a bit too far out in the sticks for that. Were they good?
Yeah. I really liked their vibe. Saw them, The Electric Boys and Enuff Z’Nuff all around the same time
Ah, the good old days!
Leaving the Whitesanke behind is unforgivable
Come on, give a man a break! You much of a Siouxsie fan? The compilation I’ve got only goes up to 1981 and I love it.
I knew there’d be a point to having children.
Thanks for mentioning the store name. I’ve been looking for British pressings of Whitesnake, DLR and Deep Purple. Off the the store website. Zoinks.
Are Lego shoes sized differently?
I’ve seen Amyl & The Sniffers. Fun band. The Sniffers like to hang out and drink with fans after shows. I should be seeing them soon again. Can I say I know you assuming that would bring backstage passes and swag?
Should we assume the Preachers fave you a shout out?
I’m far from a picture disc fan, but will sometimes get them if that is the only version, or the picture is cool.
The gin looks yummy.
Doh! You flash Americans!
I bet Amyl were great live, I can’t wait. The album is a real blast too.
No picture discs? I’ve always loved them, especially shaped ones – I’ve often heard them cited as proof for the existence of a benign and omnipotent God.
Not always. Usually only when it’s warm out.
I have the comp (1 of 1000 on smoke vinyl) of 2 ep’s in one. Not the new one, which I will hopefully get at a show and maybe get both signed.
I have not heard that. Perhaps some divine intervention could have helped the sound quality.
I’m really getting into gin recently too. Is it a sign of aging, or mental maturity?
Btw the Erotics LP is just amazingly good. I really seem to have lucked out there.
You passed up a bunch of Whitesnake for this stuff?… weird…
Including a fully signed copy of Ready & Willing. I am experiencing some regrets.
Off to website
How can you not have Ready & Willing? What kind of man are you?! Scoff.
(leaves gap to insert really witty reply later on, when I’ve thought of one).
At least I didn’t sell out and buy shoes. I mean, as if! .
Right on! Clothes are for losers.
Psst. You remember D-A-D too?
I know of them but that’s about it.