Wahey! I made it through another January intact, which for historical and endurance reasons is always the name of the game. I can start to live again now.
Obviously the most important day in January is my recent birthday, I suspect that your various local municipalities are still cleaning up after the spontaneous celebrations/bacchanalian debauches that my adoring multitudes will insist on throwing on my behalf.
But I digress, I’ve done bought a million records already in 2025, including two new releases from 2025 already*. Here are some carefully curated highlights designed to make me look cooler than I truly am:
Hawkwind Roadhawks and 25 Years On
I move ever closer on the long quest to collect all the ‘Wind I like, okay so 25 Years On is credited to Hawklords for legal reasons, but still. Roadhawks is a great 1975 compilation with an excellent cover/gatefold and 25 Years On is Robert Calvert in excelsis, a logical successor to Quark Strangeness & Charm.
DAF Der Mussolini
Slightly frightening, in a thrilling way, Germanic leather-shorted stomping from a sweaty dancefloor where there are not many ladies in evidence. I’ve craved this one for years. ‘Geh in die Knie’ indeed.
Bongzilla Stash & Kyuss Blues For The Red Sun
A lunchtime visit to Probe Records with inevitable stoner consequences. I fear there may have been drug consumption involved during the making of Stash – that every song is named after a variety of Mary Jane, is a bit of a giveaway. It is wondrously heavy and weird. The Kyuss is excellent, much more cohesive and less bitty than I remember the CD being, back in the day.
Blood Incantation Hidden History Of The Human Race
Great looking, great sounding picture disc** completes my Blood Incantation collection. It is a very heavy trip and a half. This band can do no wrong for me so far, none at all.
Lambrini Girls Who Let The Dogs Out
Searingly fizzy and raging UK punk, purchased on ‘your gran died on that couch’ oxblood vinyl. Lots of pertinent stuff to say about misogyny in the workplace, gentrification and other topics, I like it best when they let their considerable humour show through the rips; ‘Cuntology 101’ is a track and a half! As the sticker on the front cover says ‘Party music for gay angry sluts‘! 2025 has landed.
Joe Satriani Big Bad Moon
Bought this 12″ for that first amazing, electrifying guitar solo on this track. Reader, I unholstered my air guitar.
PJ Harvey B-Sides, Demos & Rarities
Do not tell my wife how much this box set cost, she may have swallowed my ‘they were giving them away free at the petrol station’ schtick. I have played half my way through this 6LP set so far and it is almost uniformly brilliant. I fell in love with Polly Jean again last year after seeing her mesmerizing live performance in Halifax. This is a brilliant completist, thang.
Apologies to Morganway^, Velvet Underground, Boy Harsher, Sonic Youth, Max Richter, Municipal Waste, Neil Young and Tad, amongst a couple others, I ran out of steam.
I swear I will not buy another LP until November. Honest.
1267 Down (still).
*my finger is not on the pulse of the music industry, it is that pulse. Word up.
**still bloody love picture discs.
^excellent young country-kissed rock band I saw support Scarlet Rebels last year.
That Satriani 12″ is sweet. That one I’d like. When I send you the new release you requested on Friday, just throw this in the same box and write return to sender. Should save on shipping.
I’d never seen it before. Its a great track too. Yup, will reuse the packing.
“Unholstered the air guitar” ha! This mornings temp is -29 in case your keeping score!
I am Deke I am! Keeps me feeling warm over here!
The Hawklords album is ace. PSI Power was one of the tracks that got me into Hawkwind in the first place. And you can’t go wrong with a Blood Incantation LP/Paddle set. No tote bag?
No tote bag this time, I got it at a knockdown price because it was incomplete without the tote bag and branded garlic press.
Good to see you doing your bit for the faltering UK economy, Joe. Obs the ‘wind are the closest point of approach here, and what a worthwhile pair. I do not have Roadhawks but used to spin it in the shop half a century ago. That was where I first heard ‘Hurry on Sundown’, which I loved then and still do. Hawklords I’ll pull out for a spin later today; haven’t listened for a g e s.
Is that really a paddle on the wall? Or an in complete banjo. Just wondering.
Faltering may be underplaying things Bruce. Roadhawks is such a brilliant smooth well-sequenced listen. You’re damn right about Sundown too, their best tune by far. So far Hawklords is a lesser version of Quark for me, if they’d folded the best bits into PXR5 it would have made a superb listen.
Yup, a souvenir from Mrs 1537s dads merchant navy career – Sierra Leone I think.