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.