Welcome...

T
he list of 2017’s best- some of the coolest soundtracks on vinyl,

2 018
selling albums on vinyl including Cliff Martinez drenching Ryan
included two soundtracks Gosling’s stellar turn in Drive with shimmering
– Guardians Of The Galaxy: electro, and Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein’s

A U G U S T
Awesome Mix Vol. 1 and nostalgic 80s atmospherics for Netflix blockbuster
La La Land. While mass popularity is not always an Stranger Things. Whatever your favourite soundtrack,
accurate barometer of artistic value – and neither of turn to p51 for our Top 50, then read on as Redg
those records are fixtures on the Long Live Vinyl office Weeks and Geoff Barrow tell the Invada story.
turntable – the significance of the vinyl soundtrack in Elsewhere, Creation Records co-founder Alan 3
music history cannot be denied: a mutually beneficial McGee picks out the records that have soundtracked his
connecting fibre between two mediums that saw huge remarkable career, one that saw him shape the talents

WELCOME
booms in the early-to-mid 20th of Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Primal
century, before coming under threat Scream, Oasis and The Libertines, to
from the digital revolution. The significance of name a few. Ash frontman Tim Wheeler
Try to picture Michael Madsen’s tells us how he travelled the world to
gruesome cop-torturing in Reservoir
the vinyl soundtrack write the band’s vibrant seventh album,
Dogs without hearing Stealers in music history Islands, Gruff Rhys reflects on the
Wheel’s Stuck In The Middle With making of his latest, Babelsberg, and
You. Or Marlon Brando’s fearsome cannot be denied John Lydon explains why he’s happier
performance in The Godfather in PiL than he ever was with the Sex
without bringing to mind Nino Rota’s Grammy- Pistols. We also delve into the records that have been
winning soundtrack. Or – a personal favourite central to arguably British music’s most original and
– Richard E Grant stumbling around the squalor anarchic movement since Lydon’s late-70s punks
of his London flat in the opening moments of tore up the rock rulebook – grime – and visit
Withnail And I minus the rich melancholic Birmingham in The Trip, while fans of
saxophone of King Curtis’ A Whiter Shade Of The Who should turn to p66 for our Essential
Pale. Or any of the 11 James Bond films that collector’s guide. Finally, it would be
John Barry soundtracked without his remiss not to wish Kate Bush a happy
unique musical genius. More recently, 60th birthday, as our Classic Album
labels such as Silva Screen and feature focuses on her 1985 classic
Invada have become home to Hounds Of Love. Enjoy.

Gary Walker Editor

LONGLIVEVINYL
 COVER
FEATURE

51
76
2 018
A U G U S T

4
CONTENTS

34 24
44 30
 Features News
ALAN MCGEE 24 ON THE RECORD 8
The Creation Records founder on the News, plus regular features, including:

38
albums that made his career in music
SIMON SAYS 9
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD 30 Simon Raymonde of Bella Union
John Lydon talks about the evolution STORY BEHIND THE SLEEVE 12
of his post-Pistols project, PiL Debbie Harry – KooKoo

GRUFF RHYS 34 ON THE RADAR 15

The SFA main man discusses his latest False Heads
album, Babelsberg, and picks some LINER NOTES 16
Welsh-language songs to listen out for Long Live Vinyl founder Ian Peel

2 018
ASH 38 STUDIO SNAPSHOT 20
Ever-youthful frontman Tim Wheeler Elton John and Marc Bolan

A U G U S T
tells us how he travelled the world to
write new album Islands
Regulars
101 A LIFE OF GRIME
An investigation of the albums that
have shaped one of Britain’s
most significant musical movements
44
WHY I LOVE…
Romeo Stodart, The Magic Numbers
CHOICE CUTS
22

82
5

Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie

CONTENTS
COVER STORY And The Infinite Sadness
SOUND & VISION 51
THE TOP 50 MOVIE DIGGING FOR VICTORY 89
SOUNDTRACKS ON VINYL Mark O’Shaughnessy, Resolution Records

120
THE BIG REISSUE 100
INVADA RECORDS 60 Medicine Records
The Bristol-based label behind the
Stranger Things and Drive soundtracks GENRE HOPPING 111
Arty indie-pop
THE ESSENTIAL THE VINYLIST 122
THE WHO 66

74
Show off your record collection here
We round up 40 key records by

Reviews
Daltrey, Townshend, Moon and Entwistle
SALE!
CLASSIC ALBUM
HOUNDS OF LOVE 76 ALBUMS

TRY 3 ISSUES As Kate Bush celebrates her 60th

birthday, we salute her 1985 classic
RE-RELEASES
The latest re-releases and boxsets
101

FOR JUST £3 COVER STAR

HYPERGALLERY 84
NEW RELEASES
A round-up of the best new music
104

WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE! Meet the father and daugher team GEAR
producing collectible vinyl prints HOW TO BUY 114
Headphone amplifiers
TALKING SHOP
DREAM MACHINES 118
DIVERSE MUSIC 90
McIntosh MC275 MK VI
One of South Wales’ finest shops
TURNTABLES 120
THE TRIP
Roksan Xerxes 20 Plus
BIRMINGHAM 94
Mark Elliott visits the Second City
 The Long Live Vinyl team pick their favourite soundtracks…

Gary Walker Owen Bailey Jonny Highett Andy Cottle Ian Peel
Super Fly Blade Runner The Virgin Suicides The Mission 1984 (For The Love Of
2 018

Curtis Mayfield Vangelis Air Ennio Morricone Big Brother) Eurythmics

Meet our expert contributors…

A U G U S T

Simon Raymonde Gary Tipp Ben Wardle Jonathan Wright Teri Saccone
TEAM

Simon was the bassist Gary has been Having clogged up the Jonathan began writing A veteran music journalist
and keyboard player in collecting vinyl since time nation’s homes with about music in the late who grew up in New
the Cocteau Twins; he’s immemorial and still can’t Sleeper and Wannadies 80s. He’s interviewed York, Teri voraciously
currently in Lost Horizons. walk past a charity shop records in the 1990s, such singular talents as pored over album sleeves
THE

He launched the without going in on the Ben left his job as an Shaun Ryder, Edwyn as a child, studying
independent label Bella off chance there’s a mint A&R man to become a Collins and Richey studio and songwriting
Union in 1997. His label treasure nestled writer. He’s written for Edwards. He’s written for credits. Later, she was
has been a home to somewhere in all the usual mags and The Guardian, Classic sucked into the vortex of
bands including Fleet between the easy newspapers, had several Pop and many others. the music industry while
Foxes, The Flaming Lips, listening and the books published, Jonathan edited still at university.
Midlake, Father John obligatory copy of including The Art Of The Adventure Rocketship! A sometimes beauty and
Misty, John Grant, Paul Young’s No Parlez. LP, and is a uni lecturer in Let’s All Go To The fashion writer, besides
Explosions In The Sky He’s also been writing Music Business. He writes Science Fiction Disco, the aural wonders of
and Lanterns On The words for magazines and presents regular a book of essays about vinyl, she loves the
Lake. He’s also produced for longer than anyone music columns for the the interface between aesthetics of album
many great albums. can remember. BBC’s Front Row.  geek culture and music. design and artwork.

Anthem Publishing Contributors Glen Bushell, Garth CEO Jon Bickley

Piccadilly House, Cartwright, Sean Egan, Mark Elliott, [email protected]
London Road, Bath BA1 6PL Tom Friend, Steve Harnell, Mark Head Of Marketing & Production All content copyright Anthem Publishing Ltd 2018, all
O’Shaughnessy, Jennifer Otter Bickerdike, Verity Travers rights reserved. While we make every effort to ensure
Tel +44 (0) 1225 489 984
Chris Parkin, Simon Raymonde, Paul Rigby, [email protected] that the factual content of Long Live Vinyl magazine is
Teri Saccone, Holly Taylor, Gary Tipp, LICENSING correct, we cannot take any responsibility nor be held
Editor Gary Walker Wyndham Wallace, Ben Wardle, Sam Willis,
[email protected] Regina Erak [email protected] accountable for any factual errors printed. Please make
Daniel Dylan Wray, Jonathan Wright every effort to check quoted prices and product
Creative Director Jenny Cook PRINT & PRODUCTION
ADVERTISING specifications with manufacturers prior to purchase.
[email protected] Advertising Manager Jonny Highett Print William Gibbons & Sons Ltd No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
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Tel +44 (0) 20 378 79001
Production Editor Owen Bailey
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 n the record
Paisley piano
Unreleased piano tracks taken from cassette recordings of Prince in Paisley Park
More Prince news reached us after last
issue’s 60th birthday tribute to the late
The private rehearsal provides a rare
glimpse into Prince’s creative process as he
5,832
The price in dollars that
a limited-edition copy of
Minneapolis legend had gone to press, worked through songs including 17 Days,
Judge’s Chung King Can
as The Prince Estate, in partnership with Purple Rain, a cover of Joni Mitchell’s
Suck It on Revelation
Warner, announced a new Prince album A Case Of You, Strange Relationship and
Records sold for. Only 100
entitled Piano & A Microphone 1983. Set International Lover. It also includes the
copies were pressed and
for release on 21 September, the nine-track, 19th-century spiritual Mary Don’t You Weep.
No. 43 in the series had
35-minute album will feature a previously The LP version comes with new liner notes
a gatefold sleeve. It was
unreleased cassette recording of Prince at written by Prince’s then-engineer Don Batts,
Discogs’ most expensive
the piano in his home studio in 1983. and never-before-seen photos of Prince.
sale of the month.

Flaming Grooves JAZZY JEFF

GOLDBLUM SIGNS TO DECCA FOR DEBUT

T
N E W S

he Flaming Lips continue their exhaustive NON-IDENTICAL TWIN Decca Records have announced the signing of
reissue campaign with the release of their Aphex Twin’s debut album, Jurassic Park and Independence Day actor Jeff
pre-Warner Restless Records output, plus Selected Ambient Works Goldblum, who will release his debut jazz album on
8 a 2LP rarities collection. All of the music 85–92 has been re-pressed the label. The Hollywood star has played the piano
has been remastered by producer David Fridmann on vinyl by R&S and Apollo since he was a child and performs with his jazz
and will be in shops in two waves, on 27 July and Records, featuring the 2013 band, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra.
RECORD

14 September. remaster cut by Matt Colton.

THE

IF YOU’RE FEELING NAUTICAL

The Boaty Weekender is a
four-day festival and cruise
ON

from Barcelona to Sardinia

and back curated by Belle
And Sebastian. The cruise
sets sail on 8 August, 2019.

50 YEARS OF SORROW
The Pretty Things’ 1968 classic S.F. Sorrow
AIMING HIGH
is given the 50th Anniversary Edition boxset The AIM Independent Music
treatment on 27 July. The cult R&B heroes, Awards 2018, celebrating

Jesus Resurrected
who formed 55 years ago, created some of innovation and legacy in
the most innovative records of the 60s and independent music, take
early 70s and S.F. Sorrow is widely place on 4 September at
regarded as the world’s first rock opera, The Brewery in Clerkenwell. 21 Singles set for vinyl release
pre-dating The Who’s Tommy. Released
through Madfish, the deluxe boxset features The Jesus And Mary Chain release their career-spanning
four 12" LPs, four rare European 60s compilation album 21 Singles on double 180g vinyl for the first
time on 6 July. Originally released on CD in 2002, 21 Singles 
picture sleeve 7"
RADIO STARS rounds up all of the Glasgow band’s singles in chronological
singles and order. It charts the journey from their Creation Records early
This month’s Blue Dot
handwritten Festival at Jodrell Bank sees years through their 80s and 90s Blanco Y Negro heyday, to their
recollections from the Radiophonic Workshop’s eventual return to Creation in 1998 and their later releases on
Phil May, Dick 60th-birthday celebrations Sub Pop. Many of the versions on 21 Singles are unique and
Taylor, Jon Povey continue – they’ll be artists alternative to their album counterparts.
and Wally Waller. in residence.
 Simon says
S I M O N R AY M O N D E

Jason Pierce is back with a new Spiritualized album on Bella Union, and our columnist
is impressed to say the least. Ladies and gentlemen, we are emoting in spades…

R AYM O N D E
B
y the time you read this, the news you. Did you leave?” While I wasn’t alone daft, I realise that, but I just genuinely don’t
will be out. The Spaceman himself, in the restaurant anymore, it was still empty find that stuff at all interesting. I mean, sure
Jason Pierce, is back, with not just enough for me to know that Jason Pierce, it’s important before you get on a conference
a new Spiritualized album – but to my one of my favourite musicians on the planet, call with some hardcore manager who wants
humble mind, the best record Jason has made was certainly not floating in this space. “Well, to go over fine-detailed stuff to know what the

S I M O N
in 21 years. And I love everything this man has there’s only three other people in here and headline stuff is, but seriously, that is not the
done. To compare it to Ladies And Gentlemen you’re definitely not one of them. Are you best use of whatever talent I have.
We Are Floating In Space would be foolhardy sure you’re at Viet Hoa, Kingsland Road?” He Numbers, analysis and the vogue for
at this early stage, because of course ‘classic’ replied quickly: “Oh shit. No, I’m at a different looking at patterns in streaming numbers is
status is not attained overnight – but what Vietnamese restaurant!” not what I was put on the planet for. My place 9
I can tell you is this… So eventually, we met up and had a lovely in this whole shebang is to talk to musicians
I first met Jason in 2013, though it’s quite lunch together. We did this again a few weeks like Jason Pierce and work out if what they’re

RECORD
possible we had met before. Much of the later – without the messed-up arrangement doing, or want to do, is something I can really
90s were a blur for me, and from things I’ve part – and again, talked more and more. He relate to; because if it is, then I can really help.
heard, they were for Jason, too (though I don’t made me laugh a lot, and yet I found him to I was enthralled by Jason’s passion for his
believe much of what I hear about people in music, the fierce determination to make an
this business – I prefer to make up my own album the equal of Ladies And Gentlemen…

THE
mind). When drugs are mentioned in passing, Jason signed to Bella for himself. He needed to prove to himself he
or in the press, in relation to my own band could do it. I didn’t need any proof. I knew he
Union in 2013, and

ON
Cocteau Twins, or friends of mine in bands, could: I saw it deep in his emerald eyes and in
there’s always some wildly (or at least mildly)
exaggerated part to a particular story that no
I guess we could all be studying the contours of his sweet face.
And I’ve never wavered in my belief that he
band is ever going to deny. In fact, I’ve never forgiven for thinking: would do it. Maybe I could have – after all, he
met a band yet that didn’t quietly relish a
reputation for overindulgence. I am sure even
‘What the hell’s he been signed to Bella Union in 2013 and well, sure,
I guess we could all be forgiven for thinking:
I have said in the past that Robin from my doing since then?’ “What the hell’s he been doing since then?”.
own band made John Belushi look like a mild While I won’t spoil the stories he’ll tell you all
weekend pothead. in the run-up to the release, what I’ll happily
Our first meeting didn’t start off quite as be smart and so very together, and I liked him say is, for all those countless label meetings
planned. We’d arranged to meet at Viet Hoa enormously. I don’t know why I was a little I’ve had over the last five years, where I’ve
on Kingsland Road in Shoreditch, near the surprised about that part, but I guess we were been asked every other week: “When’s the
Bella Union offices. I was the first person in checking each other out – an important part Spiritualized album coming?”, every second
the restaurant, and sat quietly in this empty of the process, especially for me. was worth it. I know he would’ve finished it
room, sipping calmly from my glass of water. Bella Union only works when we sign bands quicker if he could have, but I know these
After 20 minutes, I thought I should probably we really love, and I don’t just mean love their feelings only too well. You need to be sure it’s
text Jason, in case he was lost. He texted back music, though of course, that is the prime right. Even if once it’s out, you change your
to say sorry, he was running a little late; he’d reason we’re interested in the first place! I can’t mind, before you hand it over, you need to be
be there in the next 15 minutes. I ordered sign bands just because I think they’ll do well, sure it’s right. And this, my friends, is so right.
some starters and checked some emails. Half if my heart isn’t in it. Plus, I truly have no idea It’s a perfect miracle – and nothing hurt. ●
an hour went by and he still hadn’t showed what does well and what doesn’t. I don’t follow
up, so I called him to ask if all was okay. charts, I don’t look at the sales figures and I SIMON RAYMONDE is currently in Lost Horizons and
“Yeah man, where are you?” he said. “I’m sat literally have almost no idea about how things was the bassist and keyboard player in Cocteau Twins.
in the restaurant, but don’t think I can see are doing, unless someone tells me. It sounds He founded the independent record label Bella Union
 TRENDING CHART
The Top 10 trending vinyl releases
from the Discogs community this month

10 Love Is Dead
Chvrches

9 God’s Favorite Customer

Father John Misty

8 Tranquility Base
Hotel + Casino
Arctic Monkeys

7 Mm.. Food
MF Doom

6 Tell Me How
You Really Feel
Courtney Barnett
Hard Lines coffee
5 Doggystyle and vinyl café will be
Snoop Doggy Dogg serving up eclectic
4 Prequelle tunes and frothy coffee
Ghost to festival-goers at the
Green Man festival
3 Prequelle in August

Coffee And Vinyl

N E W S

Ghost

2 Pulse
Pink Floyd

C
10
1 Return To
Cookie Mountain ardiff’s Hard Lines vinyl café will How did the decision to take the café
TV On The Radio be providing a haven for vinyl to Green Man come about? What
addicts at August’s Green Man can people who haven’t heard of
RECORD

festival in the Brecon Beacons, Hard Lines before expect to find?

spinning an eclectic mix of records and “Well, before Hard Lines, we’d been going
serving up restorative coffees. This year’s to Green Man and loving it. We got in touch
festival has a stellar line-up, with Fleet with Green Man early on to let them know
Foxes, The War On Drugs, King Gizzard & what we were trying to do and they were
THE

JUNE 2018 The Lizard Wizard and John Grant topping fully onboard and offered us our setup in the
1 Tranquility Base the bill. Long Live Vinyl caught up with settlement! Their support has been invaluable
ON

Hotel + Casino Sophie Smith of Hard Lines to find out what and we’re really thankful.”
Arctic Monkeys festival-goers can expect to find at the café
2 Wildness this summer. What kind of music can people
Snow Patrol
expect to hear in the café?
3 Tell Me How
You Really Feel
What is the café’s background?  “A mix of Green Man past and present,
Courtney Barnett “Hard Lines is run by myself and Matt. and anything from Ebo Taylor to Swiss
4 MTV Unplugged (Live We’re two former event technicians with a house music to disco classics and everything
At Roundhouse, London) passion for coffee and music; specifically in between!”
Biffy Clyro
vinyl! We started as a little pop-up moving
5 The Greatest Showman
Motion Picture Cast Recording around craft-beer bars, events and festivals. What makes Green Man such
6 God’s Favorite Now, in 2018, we have two small shops in a special festival?
Customer our hometown of Cardiff.” “We’ve attended and worked at many
Father John Misty
  festivals in the UK and abroad, and there
7 Light Years How have the two shops gone really isn’t anything quite like Green Man:
Kylie Minogue
down with the people of Cardiff? the setting, the line-up and the atmosphere.
8 Noonday Dream “So far, so good! We have a loyal Even though it’s bigger than ever, it does
Ben Howard
following of people who really like what still feel like a local festival for us.”
9 Prequelle
Ghost
we’re trying to do – the music we buy,  
the events we put on, etc. But also, we’ve Who are you looking forward
10 Straight
Outta Compton
been able to develop our stock and our to sneaking out of the café and
N.W.A own musical knowledge through our seeing on this year’s bill?
© Official Charts Company. The Weekly
customers’ suggestions, which has been “Kelly Lee Owens, Baxter Dury, John Talabot,
Official Vinyl Albums Chart Appears really great. It’s still a journey that’s very Snapped Ankles, Frankie Cosmos, Omni,
Every Week At OfficialCharts.com
much ongoing…” Bo Ningen…”
 6

Own
a piece
of music
history
Get exclusive discounts on signed,
limited edition art prints in our Record
Store Promo with the code LLV2018
KO O KO O

12
RECORD
THE
ON

#15 KooKoo
Debbie Harry

I
n the spring of 1980, Blondie’s Chris Stein and Debbie Harry to me, in which I saw symbols of the four elements, to be combined
met HR Giger at a New York party, where his Academy with her face,” he said. The band approved and travelled to stay at his
Award-winning work for Alien was on display. The pair house in Zurich. Giger had to make a separate cast of each half of
asked Giger to design the sleeve for Harry’s first solo album. Harry’s face because of her claustrophobia. Writing for Heavy Metal
The Swiss artist agreed and was “greatly pleased to be magazine, Stein and Harry later described Giger’s work as “awesome
allowed to create something for such an attractive woman”. Giger had – the work of an ultimate perfectionist, a true obsessive”, but the
recently undergone acupuncture from his friend Dr Paul Tobler, and response to the controversial cover wasn’t universally positive – it was
drew inspiration from the process. “The idea of the four needles came banned from adverts on British transport.
 buying or selling vinyl?
Now Spinning since 1987, the 991.com team has been buying & selling
The 12 tracks spinning on Long Live Vinyl’s office turntable this issue.
With the football World Cup in Russia in full swing, listen with a bottle vinyl. we always want mint condition LPs, EPs, 45s, CDs,
of BrewDog’s Cocoa Psycho, an indulgent Russian Imperial stout with
notes of coffee, cocoa and vanilla. posters, programmes, music memorabilia & more.
1 Retina – False Heads (Vallance Records)
2 Sports Men – Haruomi Hosono (Light In The Attic) from the Classic Pop to the obscure: 80’s, 70’s, 60’s pop
3 Frontier Man – Gruff Rhys (Rough Trade)
4 Jack Names The Planets – Ash (La La Land) & rock prog, psych, blues, folk & jazz.
5 Talking Straight – Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever (Sub Pop)
6 Pale Burnt Lake – Virginia Wing (Fire Records)
7 Clear – Matty (Matty Unlimited/Awal)
8 Make It Easy On Yourself – The Walker Brothers (Bella Union)
9 The Big Sky – Kate Bush (EMI)
10 Who’s Comin’ In? – Pictish Trail (Fire Records)
11 Heat Wave – Snail Mail (Matador)
12 Won’t Get Fooled Again – The Who (Track Record)

LUNA LANDING
Run Out Groove’s next limited-edition release will be Luna’s
covers collection Lunafield, after fans voted it as their No.1
choice. The 2LP set will be pressed on 180g coloured vinyl
and is available to pre-order until 8 July, when it will be
pressed and numbered based on total orders. “We recorded
a whole lot of covers in the 1990s, it was a big part of
what we did as a band, usually as we were finishing one
of our albums – but you’d have to spend a lot of money on
eBay to track down all those obscure B-sides on 7" or CD
singles,” says the band’s
singer and guitarist,
Dean Wareham. The
options for Run Out
Groove’s next release are
Juliana Hatfield’s Only
Everything, Bleecker &
MacDougal by Fred Neil
and Lonesome Country by
Billy Byrd. To get involved
with Run Out Groove, visit
www.runoutgroovevinyl.com.

Anna Mission
Singer-songwriter’s new record and tour
Anna Calvi has announced details of her third album, Hunter, to be released
on 31 August. The album will be backed by an extensive UK and Europe tour,
which starts in September and selling? bring your mint items to monthly Kent or London
concludes with a date at London’s
Roundhouse on 7 February.
buying days or other times by appointment. free appraisals
Virtuoso guitarist Calvi has shared given - check the site for dates, venues & directions.
the single Don’t Beat The Girl Out
Of My Boy, written about the
tendency for male children to be
buying and collecting? fill the gaps in your collection with
taught not to cry or display their 15% off at 991.com - use CPSUMMER15 at the checkout.
emotions. “It’s a song about the
defiance of happiness,” says Calvi.
“It’s about being free to identify
yourself in whichever way you 01474 815 010
please, without any restraints
from society.”
[email protected]
991.com answer the call
 n the record
Your most valuable vinyl

More Interpol
To Admire
I
nterpol return with their sixth album,
Marauder, next month. Recorded at Yeah PET SHOP BOYS O.M.D.
Yeah Yeahs’ Manhattan rehearsal space DISCOGRAPHY ELECTRICITY
N E W S

and in producer Dave Fridmann’s Tarbox 1991 UK 18-track double vinyl Rare original 1979 UK Factory
Studios, it’s the New York band’s first release LP compilation issued in a glossy Records issue 7" vinyl single. Issued
since 2014’s El Pintor, and due out on 24 picture sleeve, all importantly it in the very-hard-to find Peter Saville
14 August. Long Live Vinyl’s appetite was duly should still have the hype sticker and designed black braille sleeve. FAC6.
whetted by lead single The Rover, which the illustrated credit inner sleeves. £ £150
features all of the band’s trademarks – PMTV3.
RECORD

ice-cool lead guitar lines, insistent drumming £ £65

and Paul Banks’ ever-mesmeric vocals,
drenched in reverb.
THE

UNBRIDLED JOY
ON

Bristol punk five-piece Idles have announced

details of their second album, Joy As An Act
Of Resistance, due for release on 31 August
through Partisan Records. Produced by Space,
the follow-up to 2017’s Brutalism was teased
with the pro-immigration single Danny Nedelko.
Says singer
Joe Talbot:
“This album is
an attempt to
be vulnerable
to our PEARL JAM MADONNA
audience and TEN EVERYBODY
to encourage Rare original 1992 UK Epic label Rare debut UK 12" also including the
vulnerability; limited edition 11-track vinyl LP Dub Version. This was her first
a brave, ‘basketball’ Picture Disc, housed in United Kingdom-issued single from
naked smile a special printed PVC sleeve with December 1982 and was not
in this shitty colour card back insert. #4688840. released in a picture sleeve, only a
new world.” £ £150 Warner company black-and-white
striped ‘12" Single’ die-cut sleeve.
W9899T. £ £250
Email news and press releases to
[email protected]
 n the record

H E A D S
FA L S E
On the
Radar
FALSE HEADS
15

RADAR
This exciting punk-inspired London trio are working-class heroes of the future

THE
he 70s, 80s and 90s saw some of our most beloved order to support the band. However, this has provided the
artists coming from humble backgrounds – Pixies, group with “a unique outlook and perspective” on trying to
Nirvana, Joy Division and the Happy Mondays, to balance a creative career and financial survival.

ON
name a few. Today, many bands are from far more This is reflected in the band’s music: most recently, the
affluent financial circumstances, as they’re often the ones Iggy Pop-approved single, Retina, which they put out
who can afford to pursue music as a career. The result? on red vinyl. Griffiths says the current climate provides
A paucity of artists from more modest backgrounds to tackle plenty of inspirational fodder: “There are a lot of politically
the issues facing the majority of listeners, in the tradition of charged bands, which is a good thing. We live in an
icons from past generations. extremely morally grey world at the minute; people are
Yet False Heads are potential heirs to The Clash, the forcing black-and-white viewpoints, and not providing any
Sex Pistols and even Green Day, updating the anger and room for honest, open dialogue.”
frustration of classic punk for everyday people in a similarly The band’s commitment to positive change is reflected
ferocious style. “All of our parents are working class,” notes in their work with the Nick Alexander Memorial Trust
lead singer, guitarist and lyricist Luke Griffiths. “Like a lot of (NAMT), a non-profit organisation set up by Nick’s sister,
people, my mom and dad moved out of grim areas in council Zoe. “Zoe’s brother was horrendously murdered at the
estates to the outskirts of East London, in order to try and Bataclan [in 2015] by theocratic and religious fascists.
give their kids a better life, allow them to be brought up in NAMT is an incredible charity which heals people through
a better area. So there has always been a mix of values and music: they get musical equipment to people who are
conflicting ideas, between this conservative middle-class disabled mentally or physically, and bring instruments to
suburbia they found themselves in and their roots.” poorer schools.” The band are contributing £3 from every
Growing up, this conflict often left all three band members T-shirt they sell to NAMT. “NAMT and Zoe are amazing,”
– Griffiths, drummer/singer Barney Nash and bassist Jake says Griffiths. “We just want to help out.”
Elliott – feeling “lost, like we didn’t fit in, isolated”. The Catch False Heads on tour this Autumn. To buy a copy
contrast between environment and values has become even of Retina, or get a T-shirt to support the Nick Alexander
more striking, as the group have all had to take up the very Memorial Trust, go to falseheads.bigcartel.com. ●
same “working class jobs” their parents tried to escape in Jennifer Otter Bickerdike
 I A N P E E L’ S
LINER NOTES
P E E L

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one vinyl format,
which would you choose? A crate of jukebox 7"s, or maybe a stack of
I A N

gatefold-sleeved prog double albums? For our columnist, there’s only one winner

P
16
ersonally, I could answer the above question Other mini-mixes were included across the series
in a heartbeat. For my desert-island discs, and, by the time I got to Volume Three, which had
RECORD

I’d carry ashore as many 12" singles as I could a soundtracks theme, there were plenty of choices for
hold. Almost 10 years ago, I set out to celebrate interludes, as I could delve into the world of tracks
the 12" as an artform with a compilation series called, that had been remixed for TV themes. Which led to
aptly enough, The Art Of The 12". Back then, the vinyl the first-ever appearance on CD (I think) of Trevor
revival hadn’t yet taken hold – so, to begin with, the Horn’s version of Jeff Beck’s Star Cycle, the opening
THE

series was about celebrating the 12" across two CDs, theme to the second series of The Tube.
albeit in a six-panel Digipak with a 32-page booklet. But it was Volume Two where the gems really came
ON

Subtitled “A celebration of the extended remix, for to light. When the master tapes were delivered for the
the footsteps and heartbeats 12" Dub Version of Orchestral
of the connoisseur,” Volume Almost 10 years ago, Manoeuvres In The Dark’s
One included all the tropes Julia’s Song, it contained two
I loved about 12" vinyl, not just I set out to celebrate the tracks: the vocal and the
the extended remixes. There instrumental dub, each one
were hidden messages all over 12" as an artform with four minutes long, which
the artwork, on the spine and appeared together on the
on the actual CDs. And while a compilation series B-side to Talking Loud And
there were 12" versions of big Clear. I was tempted to call
hits, I realised quite early on called, aptly enough, Virgin Records and say I’d only
that one 10-minute mix after asked for the vocal version,
another wouldn’t make for The Art Of The 12" but decided to bite my tongue
an album (or rather a pair of and include them both as one
CDs) that you could sit back and listen to, full-length. eight-minute track (with a pause in the middle).
So after an opening salvo of the most bombastic 12" And when the audio for the 12" mix of Paul
mixes of the mid 80s – the Young Person’s Guide To McCartney’s Spies Like Us arrived, I was gobsmacked.
The 12" mix of Frankie’s Rage Hard and the Extended, It was 5:26 long, but the original vinyl release was
For Stephanie Beacham mix of Act’s Snobbery & Decay 3:58. It turned out that when the original record was
– I added the one-minute version of Art Of Noise’s pressed, they inadvertently cut the track short, shaving
Moments In Love (titled, appropriately enough, Moment off a wonderful minute-and-a-half ’s worth of intro
In Love), because a remix doesn’t necessarily have to and build-up. So, if nothing else, we can thank The Art
be a lengthier version. Where there’s high technology, Of The 12" for bringing some previously unreleased
I figured, there can also be nanotechnology. McCartney music to the world. ●
 a n z F e r d i n a n d
Fr
Franz Ferdinand are currently touring sixth album, Always Ascending,
but drummer Paul Thomson took time out to head off on a crate-digging
session with us. Is he committed to vinyl? “Yes, it was a Spotify algorithm
that brought Ellen Arkbro’s Mountain Of Air to my attention,” he says,
“but I did the decent thing and bought the record…”
F E R D I N A N D

ELLEN ÁINE TECHNOSIS PUSSY DEL THA

ARKBRO O’DWYER GALORE FUNKY
F R A N Z

CHANGE
MOUNTAIN MUSIC FOR POSITIONS PENETRATION IN HOMOSAPIEN
OF AIR CHURCH “This was briefly THE CENTREFOLD BOTH SIDES OF
“Weirdly unsettling CLEANERS given props by M.I.A. “When I was 17, THE BRAIN
18 and simultaneously “It’s performed and on a mixtape, and I went on a trip “I haven’t heard
comforting, it’s a recorded on the DJ Ben UFO has been with my art class; this since it came
piece performed on organ in St Mark’s known to drop the the highlight was out. Always thought
WITH...

a 393-year-old organ Church in Islington track, which is made visiting Rough Trade he was very
tuned to meantone while the cleaners are up of a loop from in Covent Garden. underrated as an MC,
temperament, which in. So the sound of Moments In Love I bought the most although the Gorillaz
apparently was the vacuum cleaners and by Art Of Noise abrasive thing I could spots have probably
tuning system of chatter becomes part along with a shady find; a live Pussy helped bring him to
DIGGING

its day.” of the performance.” vocal sample.” Galore bootleg.” a wider audience.”
CRATE

4HERO EIFFEL 65 ART RONNIE VON ZZ TOP

MR KIRK’S BLUE ENSEMBLE ANARQUIA SHARP
NIGHTMARE (DA BA DEE) OF CHICAGO “A Brazilian DRESSED MAN
“I first heard this on “I first heard this on MESSAGE TO psychedelic record “The best-sounding
pirate radio driving the radio on a coach OUR FOLKS from 1969. Ronnie modern rock record
around Walthamstow on a 13th Note “Late-60s spiritual, Von is a name I’ve ever. Alex and I still
at the tail end of the day out in 1999. woke jazz is my jam: never seen mentioned absolutely lose our
Second Summer Of 13th Note was a Pharoah Sanders, in the same breath minds enthusing
Love. By this point, bar that employed Alice Coltrane and as artists like Os about it, it hasn’t
the dream had soured Alex [Kapranos] and Art Ensemble, which Mutantes or Gal dated at all – unlike
and the records myself as bartenders, was wild and for the Costa, but he must’ve records that followed
started getting darker, as well as just about most part melodic, had some connection it, where they tried
eventually morphing everyone of our age but had a groove to the Tropicália to utilise the latest
into jungle…” group, it seemed…” and was percussive.” movement?” recording tech.” ●
CLASSIC COMPILATIONS, ALBUMS AND BOX SETS ON VINYL FROM DEMON RECORDS
Compilations
and Greatest
Hits on vinyl!

Vinyl box
sets and
classic
albums!

To see all our available RSD 2018 releases, please visit smarturl.it/RSD2018 AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW
 n the record

ELTON JOHN
AND MARC BOLAN
March 1972
S N A P S H OT

This shot was taken during the filming of the 1972 Apple Films
movie, Born To Boogie. The Ringo Starr-directed documentary,
aimed at teenagers and designed to surf the wave of
‘T. Rexstasy’ sweeping the country at the time,
embellished the band’s concert at Wembley Empire Pool
S T U D I O

by interspersing in-studio sequences and whimsical,

surreal Magical Mystery Tour-style fantasy skits. The
film’s studio footage sees Marc Bolan and Elton John
joined by Ringo, on a second kit, jamming on Bolan
compositions Children Of The Revolution and The Slider.
20 The UK premiere of the film, in Soho in December 1972,
was attended by T. Rex, Ringo Starr and Elton John.
RECORD
THE
ON
 WHYI
LOVE…
Appetite For
Destruction
Guns N’ Roses

ROMEO STODART
LO V E …

The Magic Numbers’ singer and guitarist tells Why Vinyl Matters author Jennifer Otter Bickerdike
I

about his first vinyl love – and how the LP he obsessed over helped define the spirit of his band…
W H Y

“M
22
y first vinyl friend on buying Appetite For rock ’n’ roll was through Guns N’ a couple days, then swap over.
memory Destruction by Guns N’ Roses. Roses and other heavy metal that In the end, I just made a cassette
actually was in That was the first record I ever was shown on a speciality show on for him and said: ‘Go on your way,
RECORD

Trinidad And purchased; we used to share it. MTV, called Headbangers Ball. I’m keeping the vinyl!’. But in the
Tobago in the Caribbean, where For me, music doesn’t really exist “At the time, there was mainly beginning, sometimes he would
my sister (fellow Magic Numbers unless it’s on vinyl. As a band, just reggae around (though my have the actual record, I would just
member Michele Stodart) and we’ve always done every single on uncle was into country), so I really have the sleeve. I would just look
I grew up. I went halves with a 7". But my initial introduction to wasn’t exposed to anything other at it and fantasise about the band,
THE

than that for the first part of my check out the sleevenotes and
life. I remember going around to pictures. I wanted to be Slash.
ON

this friend’s house one day, and he “The front cover was actually
somehow had access to this new pretty naughty. I grew up in a
show I’d never seen. I was about 10 religious home – we were raised
or 11 years old. We just sat there in Catholic – and because of the
awe. There were a bunch of videos cross and the skulls on the front,
from all different bands; but then my parents were like: ‘What kind
Guns N’ Roses came on with Sweet of thing is this? Is this satanic?’.
Child O’ Mine. We were like: ‘What I was like: ‘No, that’s to come,
the hell is this?’.” mum’, as I was getting into Slayer
and Napalm Death and Cannibal
SWEET RECORD O’ MINE Corpse and all those metal bands.
“We became desperate to get hold I still love those records, especially
of our own copies of the LP. I think Guns N’ Roses, to this day.
my friend finally found it being “Honestly, if you were on
sold in this little record store – our tourbus or in the van going
rock records seemed kind of a around with us, I guarantee you
rare thing then. We went into the we will be cranking G N’ R. That
shop, wanting to each take one period of music is honestly in our
home. Between the two of us, DNA; that rock ’n’ roll gang spirit.
I think we had just the right In a mad way, we still carry that on
amount of money for a copy, so we within the group.” ●
went in on it together; it was pretty
expensive, a big purchase for two The Magic Numbers’ latest album,
kids. We would each have it for Outsiders, is out now on Role Play
 “I WOULD JUST LOOK
AT IT AND FANTASISE
ABOUT THE BAND,
CHECK OUT THE
SLEEVENOTES AND
PICTURES. I WANTED
TO BE SLASH”

LO V E …
I
W H Y
23

RECORD
THE
ON
Niamh Murray
 MY LIFE IN VINYL

ALAN MCGEE
The legendary Creation founder, who worked with My Bloody
Valentine, Ride and Primal Scream before discovering Oasis and
managing The Libertines, gives Ben Wardle the inside track
on 12 albums that have shaped his career in music…

S
o much more than ‘the man who discovered Oasis’, Alan Scream, to seeing him shaking hands with the Prime Minister, McGee’s
McGee is a record-business groundbreaker. He sits at the ‘bedroom’ label Creation Records’ rise, as well as his parallel career as
top table along with game-changing A&R legends such as a music manager, have been well documented in books and on film.
Island’s Chris Blackwell, Interscope’s Jimmy Iovine, and the When we speak to him, McGee is in buoyant form – enjoying
ALAN MCGEE

late Ahmet Ertegun who set up Atlantic Records in 1947. managing his current roster, which includes Black Grape, The
Like them, McGee combines visionary ability to spot talent with Bluetones and Cast. Amazingly, he no longer owns any vinyl, preferring
a streetwise, no-nonsense business sense. to stream all his music, but he was happy to sift through the virtual
From its humble beginnings with singles by McGee’s own band, Biff tower of records he’s been involved with in his four decades in the
Bang Pow!, to orchestrating the fusion of rock and dance with Primal business, and pick out the ones which best tell his story.

24

Alan McGee, pictured

in 2013 – McGee is
VINYL

currently running
Creation Management
with Simon Fletcher FELT
FOREVER BREATHES
THE LONELY WORD
IN
LIFE

Creation
September 1986
MY

“I’ve rediscovered Felt this year.

I stopped Creation Records
18-plus years ago and I hadn’t
played any Felt since, but this
Christmas in Wales I played
some and my 17-year-old “It was the equivalent of being
daughter, who has got great this little dude and getting a really
taste, said: ‘What’s this, dad? elegant woman to go out with
I like this one’. We put out four you! Cherry Red was probably
albums by Lawrence [Felt’s what Creation was trying to
mononymous mainstay], but this be… I loved [Cherry Red A&R]
is truly the best one. I’d been Mike Alway… I wanted to be
friends with Lawrence since like them more than Rough Trade.
1984. I was 23 and he was The album was incredibly well
21, and he was a big star to me received… If I was starting
and Bobby Gillespie and people a label now and we put that out,
like that. In 1985, he left Cherry it would still be heralded as
Red and said he wanted to be a great record.”
on Creation. We couldn’t believe
it! We were a bedroom label Alan’s Choice
and he’d been on an actual All The People I Like
Alamy

record company. Are Those That Are Dead

 RIDE East West, so we arranged a
NOWHERE meeting with them. I don’t think
they could understand anything
Creation I said at first! We signed
wife had left me, I had around October 1990 them and made them famous,
12 grand left in the bank and but they ended up signing to
I spent it all on mixing the “I was in the East West office Sire for the rest of the world!
House Of Love record with Pat with Richard Norris from The Ride were like the way [the
Collier. We made a fucking Grid [Alan managed Norris] record business] should be:
amazing record: I thought it and the A&R guy, Cally, played they record, the record’s out
was going to do okay, but Ride and it was phenomenal. three months later, everyone
I didn’t see it really going. He said he didn’t know if makes a profit, they go back
Then Christine came out and they were going to sign to in the studio… It was really
everybody went: ‘This is good. Nowhere sold 100,000
fucking amazing!’. Jeff Barrett copies really fast, so that
did a great job on press and created a lot of income
it blew up. It sold 100,000 for the label.
copies. Then we did Destroy “We never used to put
The Heart, and after that it bands on the cover of our
was a major-label feeding records – because I’d been
frenzy. If Terry Bickers hadn’t a musician, I liked obscure
THE HOUSE left, I believe they might’ve thought processes…”
OF LOVE got there and become an
THE HOUSE OF LOVE absolutely huge band: they Alan’s Choice
were good enough. The fatal Seagull

ALAN MCGEE
Creation flaw was Guy Chadwick,
June 1988 because he was bonkers.
He was a very grounded
“[First single] Shine On had guy, a brilliant writer, but he PRIMAL SCREAM
got a little bit of traction, but shouldn’t have done drugs…” SCREAMADELICA
nobody was interested in
Real Animal. We nearly went Alan’s Choice Creation
bankrupt around the time. My Man To Child September 1991 25

“Before Primal Scream got to

VINYL
Loaded, they were on their
arse. Nobody wanted to know
SLOWDIVE “They were fans of House them. Nobody gave a fuck. You
JUST FOR A DAY Of Love and Ride. We were couldn’t get them arrested – and

IN
breaking a lot of these kind we tried! But within a year of
of bands and they jumped putting Loaded out, they became fuckin’ mix!’… When we put out

LIFE
Creation
September 1991 on it. I showed up at a pub arguably one of the biggest the album, there was no reason
in Windsor and then we put groups in Britain. I met Andy to see [success] coming. But in

MY
“What’s interesting about this out the first single. I think they Weatherall [producer of lead the first three days, we went silver
band is that on the first album, were misjudged back in the single Loaded and arguably – we ran out of records! If we’d
they were untrendy; the second day. Back then, it wasn’t cool the catalyst who made Primal made enough, we’d’ve had a
album, nobody gave a fuck to be middle-class, not like Scream successful] with Bobby No. 1! I gave Paul Cannell [the
and the third album, you now where it’s really difficult and Jeff Barrett at a Boy’s Own late artist who designed all of
couldn’t give it away. But 20 to be working-class in music! do in Brighton in summer 1989. Primal Scream’s cover art] the
years later, in 2014, they come And Slowdive were middle- He was wearing a Factory upstairs of our Hackney office to
back and they’re headlining to class, nice kids. But they were Records T-shirt with ‘Touched By do his painting – that says a lot
20,000 people at Primavera a great band. I’m not sure The Hand Of God’ on it. The about the times! I remember the
[huge Barcelona festival]. That’s I really got it, like the kids album was put together like a original Screamadelica artwork
the power of music! now really get it. Now they’re jigsaw, which is probably why was for a club flyer, but in blue.
a career band – not a band it’s such a great record – every We didn’t have a sleeve and
who come back once a year session was a thing in itself. Bobby wanted it to be like the
and play The Garage; they’re We’d had the hit with Loaded, MC5. I remember thinking,
on tour, all round the world, so we went in to do Come ‘that’s him reverting back to the
all year!” Together, but the Farley Mix 1960s again’. So we put that
was wrong and the Weatherall and the flyer and some other
Alan’s Choice Mix with Jesse Jackson on it was ideas around it… Bobby chose
Brighter great, but Bobby wasn’t singing the flyer, but he said: ‘I want it
on it again. So Bobby left the in red’.”
band! I had to keep the band
together, so I phoned up Farley Alan’s Choice
and said: ‘Put Bobby back in the Higher Than The Sun
 MY BLOODY
VALENTINE
LOVELESS

Creation
November 1991

“It came out six weeks after

Screamadelica and two weeks
before [Teenage Fanclub’s]
Bandwagonesque. We were
going bankrupt – we needed to was a lot back in the day. But
put records out! it was brilliant when we got the
“I was obsessed about MBV. record; it was a really great
One of the great things about album, but I couldn’t really enjoy
Creation in that period in 1989 it at the time. It did pretty well for
and 1990 was that I was so an album that noisy.
obsessed with the Valentines that I “Kevin Shields was really
started signing all the bands who fucking with the listener at the
sounded like them! So I signed point: he sent me To Here Knows
Slowdive, Ride, Moonshake and When and it sounded like [does
ALAN MCGEE

Adorable, who were all really a pretty good rendition of a

into the Valentines! As I’ve got swirling ocean], so I said to him:
older, I realise I’ve got a really ‘I think you’ve sent me a bad
obsessive nature; luckily, I was cassette copy’. And he was like:

Photoshot
obsessed with the right band! ‘You don’t get it!’.
“[Getting it made] was a
bittersweet thing, a nightmare, Alan’s Choice
26 really… It cost £270K, which To Here Knows When Jonathan Dickins [then A&R at
Warners, now Adele’s manager]
and they all passed!
VINYL

“The only person who knew

what was going on was Noel
SUGAR office. Because he’d been because he was writing the
COPPER BLUE on Virgin, he’d been getting songs. I never thought we’d do
IN

big advances, but I offered seven or eight million Definitely

him 10K. We argued about Maybes; never saw it. And
LIFE

Creation
September 1992 it for months and eventually, when I first heard Wonderwall
he realised I wasn’t going to and Don’t Look Back In Anger
MY

“Bob Mould had put out two move… I’m so glad we did in April ’95, I did think they
solo albums on Virgin, which it, but why we got the deal OASIS were great, but I never thought
hadn’t sold, but I was a fan was because I didn’t really (WHAT’S THE STORY) we’d sell 23 million! [The press]
of Hüsker Dü. Loveless had care whether we got it or MORNING GLORY? didn’t have a clue. Oasis were
happened and he loved that not! We were killing it at the the antithesis of what the kind
album, so he came to my time with the Fanclub, Ride, Creation of studenty people who wrote
Boo Radleys… When we put October 1995 for the music papers back then
Copper Blue out, it went in at were into: Oasis were stoners
No. 9. It’s a fantastic record, “They were a monumental from Burnage and these guys
but that was a shocker; I don’t band. It all fucking collided were happier with the Manic
think Bob had ever been in the at one moment; it was their Street Preachers talking about
British charts. Andy Saunders destiny, it was my destiny. Was the politics of politics…
[press officer] played a blinder, I particularly amazing at doing “It helped break Oasis when
he was getting front covers it? No, but shit fucking went Damon decided to move the
everywhere. Bob was due down; I was there, they were [Country House single] release
a bit of a roll because Kurt there. Caroline Elleray [head of date. Blur were so much bigger
Cobain was really influenced A&R, Universal Music Publishing] than Oasis – they’d sold two
by Hüsker Dü.” just told me this – no one knows million Parklifes and we’d done
this story! In the 90s, she used just half a million Definitely
Alan’s Choice to work at a rehearsal studio Maybes. It was unbelievable
Hoover Dam in Manchester and she did an to be on the national news.”
A&R showcase with Oasis that
loads of A&R went to, including Alan’s Choice Wonderwall
SUPER FURRY bunch of opinionated Welsh
ANIMALS anarchists. It was good! I was
FUZZY LOGIC responsible for The Man Don’t
Give A Fuck being their big song
Creation because that was going to be a
May 1996 B-side. Mark and Dick [Green,
Alan’s partner in Creation] put it
“It was Mark Bowen’s signing on a 12" as an extra track. They
[Creation A&R man, who went didn’t see it for what it was, but
on to set up Wichita] – he I heard it and six weeks before
spotted it. He was on it from Day release date, said: ‘Fuck off!
One, and really in with them. On That’s the single, put that out!’.
the night they played, I had a hot And it went Top 20, and it’s still
date with somebody and I had their biggest song!”
to blow it out to go to the fucking
Camden Falcon with Mark to Alan’s Choice
see them. And I had to stand Something For The Weekend THE HIVES it! I saw The Hives on TV
and watch Pearl Lowe’s band YOUR NEW in Germany when I was
Powder… Then SFA played and FAVOURITE BAND doing promo for Poptones.
they had great tunes. Mark took We licensed the first two albums
me backstage and they were all Poptones and we chose the best songs

ALAN MCGEE
sitting there with spliffs hanging October 2001 and came up with Your New
out of their mouths. We demo’d Favourite Band. We’d done that
Something For The Weekend “We did put out some good for Cosmic Rough Riders, which
and it sounded like a Blur song stuff on Poptones [Alan’s label sold 100,000 albums. This did
to me, so we signed them off founded in 1999 after Creation’s even better.”
the back of that. They were a dissolution], like The Hives, The
great signing, because nobody BellRays, Cosmic Rough Riders – Alan’s Choice
expected Creation to sign a but nobody wants to remember Supply And Demand 27

VINYL
IN
LIFE
MY

Alan in the
Alamy

Creation Records
offices in 1997
 Getty

THE LIBERTINES and they appointed me as

THE LIBERTINES manager. They were already
cult-big but we got them bigger;
Rough Trade we didn’t break them with
August 2004 records, we broke them with
gigs. We put three Forums on
“The previous manager sale and we sold them. Then
resigned in 2003. Don’t blame the next day, we put three
her! So James Endeacott [Rough Brixtons on sale. And they sold,
Trade A&R man] decided that too. That was April 2004.
I was the only person who “After that, we put out
could mend Pete and Carl’s Can’t Stand Me Now and it
relationship, because Pete had exploded. We sold a million
burgled Carl’s house. So I went records. While they were
down to see Pete at his sister’s making the record, my role
in Catford. We went to the pub as manager was the same as
and he says to me: ‘Who’s your it was at a record company
favourite band?’, and I told him – Pete didn’t want to give
The Beatles, so he says: ‘Go us the best songs… I think Shaun Ryder and McGee
in London in 2016
and put five records on’. So he was already thinking of
I put on Hello, Goodbye, you Babyshambles… But we got
know. Then I asked him who The Man Who Would Be King,
his favourite band was and Music When The Lights Go Out
he said: ‘Chas & Dave’, and and Can’t Stand Me Now. The offered us a deal for Black
he put five of their records on. only one we never got on the Grape out of the blue. So I sent
album was Hooligans On E.
ALAN MCGEE

He’d missed three probation Shaun with [producer] Youth off

periods, so I said: ‘You’re going “The irony was there was so to Spain and literally 10 days
to go down’, and he said: ‘No, much heroin going on during later, they came back with 10
I’m not’. I went away thinking the record, but Rough Trade songs! I’ll be honest with you,
he was a nice guy, but not said the band were eating too I was worried we were going to
thinking very much about it. much food! I know! The band get it in the Top 40.
And then he went to prison. were racking up £200-a-day “I was fronting it out to Shaun
28 “After that, I went to America food bills while they were that it was going to be okay,
for a couple of months and mixing at Island Studios. Rough but I was worried. But Universal
while I was in New York, I get Trade complained they wanted phoned me and said, you’re not
BLACK GRAPE
VINYL

a phone call from Endeacott, a discount on what we were going to believe this and
who says: ‘He’s out! We’re eating! Never mind all the POP VOODOO I thought, ‘Uh-oh, we’re going
doing a comeback!’. I was heroin and crack being done to be No. 72…’ but they told
totally indignant that he’d in the toilet!” UMC us the midweek was No. 1 –
IN

phoned me up to try to get me July 2017 we couldn’t believe it. It was a

to come back to the UK! But Alan’s Choice weak chart, so we were No. 1
LIFE

a week or so later, I was back Can’t Stand Me Now “I genuinely think that Shaun has on 4,000 sales, but still…
been the best lyricist in Britain for “On the first track from the
MY

the last 25 years. He’s a poet album, Everything You Know

[at this point, McGee recites Is Wrong, we had to get an
from memory the opening actor in to be Donald Trump,
verses from Kinky Afro]. Tony because Donald Trump’s so
Wilson had it right – he’s an mental he’d probably sue us
unrecognised genius lyricist, for a million dollars!”
just like Mark E Smith was.
“Johnny Chandler at Universal Alan’s Choice
is a genius dude and he just Nine Lives

FUTURE SOUNDS
As the conversation begins to wind down, we ask McGee
if he’s got plans for anything beyond management.
“It’s never been more difficult for new music to take…
And I don’t think it’s because I’m old, I think it’s really,
really tough now for new bands. You used to be able to
go to the NME to find out what was going on. Now, the
hardest thing is that there is nowhere to go to work out
what the fuck’s going on… Mind you, I might come back
with a 7" label…” Watch this space. ●
w w w . e l ectromod.co. u k

ieveking
sound
 John Lydon’s next move after the Sex Pistols was a creative, musically varied
experiment that’s 40 years old and counting. Sean Egan finds out more…
LT D
I M A G E

I
n the late 90s, John Lydon found Though a peculiar line-up, Lydon says followed. “It was about my mother dying
himself literally unable to record. that their collective songwriting worked of a very painful stomach cancer, which
Although his band Public Image “instantaneously in rehearsal”, explaining: tore me apart emotionally,” explains
P U B L I C

Ltd had made several acclaimed and/or “Unlike in the Pistols, this was real friends. Lydon. The group’s second LP (1979)
successful albums, his record company This was an open house and free-form was Metal Box, aka Second Edition. “One
was neither willing to fund further and fun… As for the lyric writing, I’m journalist described it – and I loved
recordings nor release him from his always writing. I’ll springboard and hop on it – as a slow-moving juggernaut of an
30 contract. “It’s a conundrum,” he shudders anything.” Their very first song was Public album,” notes Lydon. “I think that’s fairly
at his Kafka-esque dilemma. “You’re in Image, a sizzling putdown of the Pistols camp. accurate.” Others designated it a ‘drone’,
debt. They won’t loan you the money to “Absolutely perfect,” says Lydon. “The words an indication of its status as a love-it-or-
INTERVIEW

raise money against the debt. They won’t just flowed straight out of my mouth.” Despite loathe-it record. “That’s really just true
help you record or tour, and if you raise the joy Lydon was taking in his new setup, a about everything,” Lydon shrugs.
money independently they claim it for certain chaos surrounded their debut-LP’s
their debt.” It seemed the end of a career recording process. “The record company FOUR ENCLOSED WALLS
in which the former Johnny Rotten had wanted to pull the plug almost continuously,” The Flowers Of Romance (1981) was
both suffered for his art and, for some, he reflects. “And they were still pushing for virtually creation-as-therapy, following
prostituted himself on the back of it. this Sex Pistols reunion thing.” Lydon’s 1980 incarceration in Ireland on
PiL – as Public Image stylised their Public Image became a Top 10 single in late dubious assault charges. “I was frantic and
acronym – was born in what Lydon calls 1978. The First Issue album, which followed work is always, for me, the answer to a
a “period of great confusion”. When, in in December, had much to recommend problem.” It was also virtually Lydon solo.
early 1978, Lydon quit his role as Sex it, although perhaps not the maddeningly Wobble had quit, new drummer Martin
Pistols frontman, he was “left stranded in high bass levels. Powerful single Death Disco Atkins had quickly taken a leave of
America without a plane ticket”. Returning absence, and Levene – says Lydon – spent
to the UK, he was soon enmeshed in a the sessions “on an Atari Space Invaders
court case that left him penniless and
nameless. “The management claimed they
“UNLIKE game… The chemicals were destroying
his creativity.” Lydon played “what I could
owned everything, including my name.
That’s why I had to revert to John Lydon. IN THE and banged away on anything in sight”,
assisted by an unfinished Townhouse
I would have carried on as Mr Rotten.”
That Lydon would start a new band was PISTOLS, Studios in London, which “was like a
dungeon of a castle with this amazing
fairly predetermined (“I’d got the bite for
writing songs and I loved it”), but it would PIL WAS… church ring coming off the stone”. The
caterwauling title track became an even
be one with different parameters. “In
many ways, it was ‘free thyself up young AN OPEN more unlikely hit than Death Disco.
Only Atkins was retained for This
lad’, because I knew there were some
serious restrictions in the Pistols.” HOUSE AND Is What You Want… This Is What You
Get (1984), an album Lydon asserts was
Lydon recruited beginner bassist
Jah Wobble (John Wardle to his mum), FREE-FORM made in “boracic” times. He says: “It was
one take on anything… So it was just try
mellifluous guitarist Keith Levene and
Canadian student Jim Walker on drums. AND FUN” to do the best I could. I found a poppy
kind of music helped me.”
INTERVIEW P U B L I C I M A G E LT D
31
 The snaking single version of the title me my soul back, really.” The record span off had vehemently opposed, but Lydon did
track, at least, was excellent. But less the anti-apartheid hit Rise. at least have the integrity to consistently
pleasingly, Lydon’s weariness with his resist the financial temptation to expand
poverty manifested itself in performing Sex MILKING IT the project into recording activity: “I didn’t
Pistols songs with a Holiday Inn band and The album nudged the UK Top 10, but wanna make no records. I told them that.
charging artistes for the privilege of being Happy? (1987), 9 (1989) and That What Is I was never gonna go back on it.”
his support act. He denies it was a sellout Not (1992) found PiL settling into a niche Becoming the transcendentally unlikely
of the values he had espoused since the in the lower parts of the Top 50. “I’ve never face of Country Life butter in 2008 TV
Pistols got their first press. “To assume I was paid attention to chart positions,” Lydon advertisements finally enabled him to
doing any of this for money – really? Would shrugs. “That’s part of the reason people escape his “conundrum” and revive the PiL
have been very easy indeed to rest on those that work at record labels view me as hard brand for the group’s first album in fully two
laurels and just make a career out of that, to get on with or difficult. I’m very happy decades. It appeared on his own label, PiL
but I didn’t.” about that.” Official – appropriately enough, considering
With the generically titled Album (1986), He was less happy about the 15 years in the group had once talked of itself as a
Lydon found a better balance between the wilderness that followed his 1997 solo company to rival ICI and referred to its
integrity and avarice, recruiting producer album Psycho’s Path, a period it could be members as directors. “I was very terrified of
Bill Laswell and crack musicians such as argued that was an inevitable consequence it just absolutely imploding,” Lydon recalls,
Steve Vai and Ginger Baker to confer a of his contrariness. He filled time and his but, in fact, This Is PiL (2012) was well
mainstream sheen to his singular vision. coffers with internet and TV broadcasts. He received. Even more happily, the following
“Somebody put some money down so that we also took part in further Sex Pistols reunions album – What The World Needs Now…
could get the records done in a very tasty way. following their original 1996 Filthy Lucre (2015) – featured the same PiL line-up as its
That’s hard rock taken to the Nth degree. The tour. Such ventures were rooted in the very predecessor (Lydon, Lu Edmonds on guitar,
support I got during that precise period gave nostalgia and former-glory basking punk Scott Firth on bass/keys and Bruce Smith

INFLUENCES
Lydon’s musical diet is varied and eclectic
The first record John Lydon ever bought with his own
money was, of course, er, Ruby, Don’t Take Your
Love To Town by Kenny Rogers. “I bought it because
I loved the cover,” he explains. “I was a young boy,
easily impressed by colours.”
Not that he needed to buy much when he
was young. “My mum and dad were really avid
record collectors,” he recalls. Mr and Mrs Lydon
of Holloway, North London were into “everything.
Really, really exotic widespread tastes. Irish jigs with
The Kinks all mixed up”. Lydon’s own influences
always surprised journalists, who expected the
figurehead of punk to cite nothing but the likes of
The Stooges and The Velvet Underground. “They’re
all good and well, but there’s more to life than just
posing and a-posturing, isn’t there?” he says. In the
Pistols days, he publicly cited as primary loves stuff
like Can, Van Der Graaf Generator and reggae,
although seems surprised when it’s put to him that
they were quite radical tastes for a kid his age. “I
didn’t think so. That’s just what I liked. And I’d throw
Tangerine Dream in there. But there’d also be pop
records. I love disco. Not the Bee Gees, funnily
enough. Them I preferred before they went disco.
God, I love their records. A whole host that are
absolutely astounding.” It’s another unexpected Lydon
passion, but he reasons: “I could put the Carpenters
next to Iggy Pop quite happily. I see no reason for
anybody to inflict a rulebook on me.”
Getty
 Public Image Ltd playing
Glasgow in 2009 – PiL
now tour to fund their
next album: “a lovely
little circle”, says Lydon

LT D
BOX FRESH

I M A G E
Lydon’s love of vinyl is reflected in PiL’s releases
The first iteration of PiL’s second a shame most manufacturers negate

P U B L I C
album is an archetypal vinyl their responsibilities there and you
collector’s item. Limited to 60,000 have to watch them like hawks,
copies, Metal Box was housed in because they’ll just go for the
a tin emulating a film canister. Inside cheapo version every single time.

“I NEVER were three 12" 45rpm discs, one

of which had a side with a locked
It’s even worse if you listen to
music off the internet. It’s like a
33

LOST THE groove, and all of which were two-dimensional version of a three-

INTERVIEW
fiendishly difficult to extract without dimensional image. The one thing

LOVE FOR touching the vinyl or dropping them.

As such, mint copies are scarce.
that always seems to go is the bass.
What a pity. That’s me fave.”

SEEING At the minimum, you should expect

to part with £40 for the record.
Lydon has fond memories of
playing items from his parents’ vast

A STYLUS Lydon is a vinyl lover. “That’s

where you get the most bass,” he
record collection. “[That] is really
where I learned my love of records,

DROPPING says. “If I have to settle for CDs,

I do. When we release CDs, I make
being allowed to put the records on
the Dansette,” he reflects. “Never

ON A sure it’s the absolute maximum

quality I can get on the thing. It’s
lost the love for that. I love to see
a stylus dropping on a groove.”

GROOVE”
on drums). “First time ever,” Lydon laughs. 5CD/2DVD/6LP boxset of the same title, pity. The meningitis which wrecked much
“That’s as I always would have wanted it to be. with Songs From The Heart appended. “That’s of his childhood continues to haunt him in
Once we found ourselves in a position of self- a serious body of work there and I’m quite, the shape of steadily deteriorating eyesight.
financing, all those old issues disappeared.” quite moved by that. A much more serious Worse, he reveals: “I found out recently
These days, Lydon tours to raise the money body of work than the Sex Pistols’ 40-year I’ve got cataracts”. A botched cataract
to make the next PiL record: “That’s now the celebration the year before.” operation which left his tour promoter with
lovely little circle that we’re riding.” a permanently weeping eye resulted in Lydon
As well as his summer UK jaunt, Lydon is RUDE HEALTH deciding not to get his own eyes done. “I can’t
currently promoting a brace of PiL products When taken by Lydon through that body take the risk. We swap the sets about and
to mark the 40th anniversary of a band that of work, it’s tempting to become impatient I need to be able to see that in my songbook.”
at one point seemed unlikely to see a third with his casting of himself as the only wise So how is he able to remain so cheerful?
decade. The documentary The Public Image man in a world of fools – until such time “Self pity is something my mum and dad well
Is Rotten, he avers, is nothing so bland as as discussion turns to his health, at which advised me against.” In a closing quote one
the history of PiL through his eyes. “It’s point, you can only admire him for his would never have imagined being provided
through many people’s. There’s a few enemies enduring cheerfulness. “I’ve always been a by the former Johnny Rotten, he counsels,
slung in there.” He’s very happy with the bit of a sick bunny,” he reflects without self “Smile in the face of adversity.” ●
OF SONG
TOWER home to atmospheric shopping arcades and
close to the castle, is home territory.
But there are times when you need to
leave the comforts of home behind, and
Rhys is back in the game with a fine new

Jonathan Wright solo album, Babelsberg. “It’s probably one

of the most unprocessed records I’ve ever
listens in as Gruff Rhys made,” he says. “There’s some overdubbing,
but it’s quite a straight-up record, played
discusses his new by a simple live band – then an orchestra
recorded on top of it…”
album Babelsberg, Clearly, this is a remark that needs some
an orchestral pop explaining: to do so, we need to go back
to 2015 when Rhys adapted his 2007 solo
piece charting our album, Candylion, for the stage with
a Christmas show aimed at children,
edgy times… The Insatiable, Inflatable Candylion. Having
written new songs for the project, Rhys
wanted to document what he was doing.

A
t Kellys Records in Cardiff, He decamped to Bristol and producer
a debate is taking place. Its Ali Chant’s studio, Toybox, with a band
subject is a white-label single consisting of ex-Flaming Lips drummer
unearthed in one of the store’s bargain bins. Kliph Scurlock, Stephen ‘Sweet Baboo’
It appears to be, Gruff Rhys and Long Live Black and Osian Gwynedd. With Toybox
Vinyl helpfully point out, a Welsh-language set to close – which it eventually did in
version of (I Never Promised You A) Rose 2016, succumbing to what Chant calls the
Garden, singer-songwriter Joe South’s “inevitable march of gentrification” in the
country standard and a huge 1970 hit for area – all concerned worked quickly.
Lynn Anderson. Job done, mystery solved… “I saw it as an album,” says Rhys, “but
except even in a store staffed by native by coincidence, it was in a period when
speakers, where the combined knowledge of I didn’t have a record deal or anything, so
Welsh music is formidable, nobody has any there was no plan for it.” In the meantime,
clear idea about the identity of the singer. Rhys had been working on an opera about
Rhys, best known as the frontman of a post-apocalyptic Wales with Swansea-
Super Furry Animals, looks at ease in based composer Stephen McNeff. He asked
this cratedigger’s paradise, a spot where McNeff to orchestrate the new songs, but
he played a DJ set on Record Store Day. the composer was busy. “I didn’t have any
Similarly, when we stop at Hard Lines, deadline and I didn’t want to do anything
a coffee shop that also sells vinyl, Rhys chats half-arsed, so it was like, ‘oh, I’ll wait
with co-owner Matt. This part of Cardiff, around until he can do it.’” Add in the
Festival Of Voice in Cardiff offering to pay
for the National Orchestra Of Wales on
the basis that he’d debut the project at the
festival in June, and Rhys was in business.

SPEAKING IN TONGUES
The album’s title is borrowed from
a district of Potsdam (near Berlin, where
the Americans, Russians and British
met in 1945 to decide how to administer
defeated Nazi Germany) and was chosen
to evoke the Tower Of Babel. Lyrically, the
record tackles our nervy times – it was
made in 2016, when the Brexit vote was
imminent and Trump’s election lay just
over the horizon. Yet there’s a deftness to
these melodic songs – which often touch
 R H Y S
G R U F F
35

INTERVIEW
arrangements, the band were given “equal
billing” in order to maintain the intimacy of
the original recordings (which Rhys hopes
“Maybe that’s all the darkness I’m capable of, to release at some point).
which doesn’t sound particularly dark.” It probably also helps that Babelsberg
The ever-present risk with orchestral comes across not as a departure, but as
on the mundanities of everyday life as they projects is that things get too overblown: a kind of logical next step for a man who
deal with themes such as “the fragility of a bit Spinal Tap, as Rhys himself has tackled projects far off popular music’s
the ageing process, definitely, and political acknowledges. “The pitfalls are huge with beaten track in recent years.
paranoia, and various worries and ailments”. symphonic rock,” he says. “It could go to In 2014, for instance, he provided the
Frontier Man, for instance, finds Rhys Moody Blues or Wings territory, both of jazz-tinged soundtrack music for Set Fire
on “the frontier of delusion”, which seems which have amazing moments, whereas To The Stars, a drama about poet Dylan
to be a place characterised at least in part [artists such as] Scott Walker and Lee Thomas’s visit to the US.
by gentle befuddlement. Even a track about Hazlewood and Serge Gainsbourg keep “It didn’t have the budget for an orchestra,
end times, Selfies In The Sunset, a duet with the orchestral element under control, so it but it was going in that direction,” he says.
Lily Cole, has a mordant humour to it. doesn’t overpower the songs.” “I only had a quartet and a trumpeter, but
“I thought it was a real dark album when It’s a trick that Rhys, too, pulls off with definitely that record is part of the process
I was recording it and then, when I listened Babelsberg, helped perhaps by the fact that of getting to this record. It definitely
back, it’s quite a fun record,” Rhys says. when it came time to add the orchestral informed what I did here.”
 Then there’s American Interior, his 2014
multimedia project – an album, film, app
and book – that saw Rhys heading for the
US in the footsteps of distant relative John FINYL COUNTDOWN
Evans, a farmhand from Snowdonia who Before Super Furry Animals, Gruff Rhys fronted Ffa Coffi Pawb, a band that released
travelled to America in 1792 in the hope of three albums: Dalec Peilon (1988), Clymhalio (1991) and Hei Vidal! (1992).
finding a Welsh-speaking Native American “I didn’t sing in English until I was 25,” he points out, a heritage the Furrys revisited
tribe said to live at the top of the Missouri with the Welsh-language Mwng (2000). In short, he’s a man steeped in the Welsh-
river. “I sort of went into the 18th century language music scene: who better to recommend some Welsh-language vinyl?
for three years,” he says. This project in turn
was itself a kind of souped-up version of
Separado! (2009), a documentary charting Y BLEW VARIOUS ARTISTS
travels in Patagonia in search of René Maes B Gadael Yr Ugeinfed Ganrif
Griffiths (another distant relative, it seems), 1967, single, Qualiton 1985, Recordiau Anhrefn
who sang Welsh ballads in the style of an “They were the first garage-rock band “This signified a Welsh-language
Argentinian cowboy. in the Welsh language. They sound like underground that maybe didn’t get
Despite all these projects being linked the Count Five or something. In fact, played on the radio… A lot of bands
by heading to the Americas to interrogate it’s a bit of a rip off, but they were came out of that scene. It was directly
what it is to be Welsh, Rhys is cautious a culturally significant, short-lived band inspirational to me.”
about reading too much into this. “I don’t with a van with a psychedelic logo on
know if [they’re] about Welshness, or that the side, and they toured Wales for LLWYBR LLAETHOG
R H Y S

I just happen to be Welsh, so those things a year and then split up. The guitarist Dull Di-Drais
come through,” he says, adding of American [Rick Lloyd] ended up having a 1986, single, Recordiau Anhrefn
Interior: “It was quite liberating in a way, No. 1 hit with The Flying Pickets.” “Anhrefn released a lot of significant
because I was able to write in character records, like the first Welsh language
G R U F F

almost, imagining someone else’s life.” MEIC STEVENS rap/hip-hop record. It doesn’t sound
At a guess, he was happy with this idea Gwymon like conventional hip-hop, but it’s
because it was a way of deflecting attention. 1972, Wren significant.” Llwybr Llaethog have
36 Rhys is good company, but he’s also one of “He was the greatest Welsh-language continued to release records.
those people who seems to move through singer-songwriter – an amazing
songwriter, a mad, hedonistic life. DATBLYGU
INTERVIEW

This is a record he did in three days. Pyst

“IN TERMS OF He did tonnes of singles and EPs, and
an English-language album called
1990, Ofn
“It’s one of those records that’s aged
DAILY LIVING… Outlander [Warner Brothers] in 1970. really well, it resonates. [David]
It was quite a hippy album… whereas Datblygu is a character somewhere
IT’S DEFINITELY this is super-simple. Just three chords.” between Ginsberg and Mark E Smith,

ADVANTAGEOUS GERAINT JARMAN

but releasing records to a culture of
half-a-million people, you’re not going
[FOR ME] TO Tacsi I’r Tywyllwch
1977, Sain
to make a living out of it, so he was
working petrol pumps and stuff…
HAVE AN “He was mainstream: he wasn’t wild
enough for punk or post-punk, and it’s
He had a lyric: “One-track minds
recording in 48-track studios”.
AVATAR OF not kitsch, so it doesn’t fit in on a Welsh
Rare Beat compilation… It’s somewhere MC MABON
SOME KIND” between Television and Neil Young.” Nia Non
2002, Ankstmusik
“He’s an interesting, overlooked
character who put out five really strong
albums: quite eclectic, maybe a bit
like Beck, but working in a different
environment, it’s not LA.”

GWENNO
Y Dydd Olaf
2014, Peski
“It’s uncompromising. She had a
community radio-station show here in
Cardiff and was on a label that put
on lots of nights and put on loads of
bands, and they kind of created their
own scene.”
 R H Y S
G R U F F
37

INTERVIEW
go down. That element was completely
taken away. You’re just left with playing
stuff people know. It was quite a joyful
experience. Once you’re over the nostalgia
aspect of it, it just seems more enjoyable.”
There was also a sense of the Furrys’ work
being validated. “It was great to verify what
living,” he says. “It’s definitely advantageous we did actually happened. With the past,
to have an avatar of some kind.” it sometimes mixes up with dreams,” says
Rhys. Not that we should expect him to
THE SOUND AND THE FURRYS revisit the past anytime soon. There are
But go back to the years before the turn no current plans for any Furry releases or
of the millennium and, for a while at least, shows. “I’m in a different place really, with
Rhys played the pop game in earnest as kids,” he says of his day-to-day life as a
frontman with Super Furry Animals, a band father of three. He’s able to be (his word)
that got caught up in the fuss of Britpop “irresponsible” as a solo artist. “When
without ever seeming to belong in Cool you’re in a collective, you don’t want to be
Britannia. It was a past he revisited in 2016, the person to let down the side,” he adds,
the world at entirely his own pace. He’s a when the band reconvened to perform “whereas I don’t mind letting myself down,
watchful presence, whose speech often tails shows to mark the 20th anniversaries of I suppose.”
off with: “Yeah…”, leaving you uncertain debut Fuzzy Logic (1996) and sophomore To which end, Rhys is writing songs
whether he’s about to say anything else, or album Radiator (1997). Rhys says he loved and, as this issue went to press, there were
sit there quietly and privately contemplate being able to rehearse and perform songs announcements of a slew of live dates,
whatever just flashed across his mind. When that, back in the day, were deemed too including ambitious shows performing
we suggest he’s cultivated a kind of anti- difficult to incorporate into a working Babelsberg with an orchestra. It may
image down the years, he doesn’t entirely band’s live set. conceivably be a while before Rhys has time
disagree. “It’s definitely beneficial for me “There was none of the worry that comes to get back to Kellys. Meanwhile, Long Live
if there’s a picture of someone in a Power with playing new material to an audience,” Vinyl has emailed the store to see if they’ve
Rangers helmet out there, it’s better for me he says, “where people don’t know the songs worked out who sung on that white label…
than a picture of myself in terms of daily and you don’t know how they’re going to we await a reply with interest. ●
 ISLANDS IN THE SUN
Ash frontman
Tim Wheeler travelled
the world when writing
new album Islands, and his
wanderlust produced a vibrant
return to form for one of Britpop’s
best-loved bands. Gary Walker
A S H

meets the Northern Irish singer

38
to find out why the band still
care about vinyl as much
as ever…
INTERVIEW

T
hey pressed Sounds and the
their first swoonsome yet
record at the underrated Free All Angels,
same time as studying for their the decision to turn their backs
GCSEs, released a volley of infectious on albums was shortlived. 2007 proved to
chart-topping 7"s and a million-selling be vinyl’s nadir, as sales bottomed out before
album while in their teens; cut 26 singles in starting to climb again and Wheeler, who
a single year, and provoked Eric Cantona grew up listening to Pixies, Nirvana, Sonic
into threatening to “spit on your record”. Youth and Mudhoney records, was happy to
Ash’s next move, in 2007, was to announce change his mind.
that Twilight Of The Innocents would be “I’m delighted about it,” he says. “It was
their last physically released album as a reaction to the streaming and digital iPod
the digital revolution took hold and they world. I think it was definitely a reaction to
split from Warner subsidiary Infectious. losing the experience of having a physical
Thankfully, the band hadn’t banked on the product. The physical format makes it
resurgence of interest in vinyl, and this easier and you feel more connected to it.
spring unleashed their seventh LP – Islands. I completely understand that, from my early
Records remain just as close to the days of collecting vinyl in the early 90s, with
Downpatrick, County Down band’s all the indie bands I love. It’s great to see it
hearts as when frontman Tim Wheeler, make this comeback.
drummer Rick McMurray and bassist “I’ve always been a big collector. When
Mark Hamilton formed their Iron Maiden- I was a teenager it was a big thing, with all the
aping first band Vietnam as 12-year-olds Creation Records stuff, and I was a big Ride
inspired by their fledgling collections of and Suede fan, and the Pixies. All those bands
punk and metal albums. who put out great 12"s with a bunch of great
With a catalogue that already included the B-sides. We kind of missed out on the 12" EP
debut mini-album Trailer, coming-of-age era, we were a real 7" band, but I was a real big
Britpop classic 1977, the darker Nu-Clear fan of 12" EPs.”
INTERVIEW A S H
39
 THREE WHEELER
Tim’s all-time-favourite records
Astral Weeks Van Morrison in Deià, and Kevin Ayers used to live there,
“I love that album and keep coming back to it, and I love all so there was a bit of rock ’n’ roll history. After
the Belfast references in that record. I saw him do a special that, I went to Santorini. I kind of felt a theme
performance of the album in New York a few years ago.” developing, and thought, ‘I should go and do
more writing on islands’.
“Then I went to Lambay, off the coast of
Doolittle Pixies Dublin. Some friends own the island, and it
“There are so many killer songs on this album, and was the most isolated of all – there are only six
great songwriting – brilliant, twisted, and brilliant people living there year-round. Probably by
playing, too. I love all the distinct personalities you can hear the third island, I realised it was a good little
in all of the members of the band.” pattern, and we were recording in Manhattan
where our studio is – that’s a completely
different thing, obviously, but with all the
Singles Going Steady Buzzcocks islands I went to, I wanted a bit of isolation
“I love the Buzzcocks and, again, it’s just brilliant songwriting, for the writing.”
with real mood-lifting energy and speed to it as well.” Seeking new ways of unlocking his creative
process for the band’s first album since 2015’s
Kablammo!, Wheeler turned to some unusual
writing techniques – with prolific results.
ISLAND LIFE last show of our tour was in Japan and I had a “When Justin from The Vaccines was living
Islands, the band’s most immediate, fresh- little bit of time. I’d heard about these islands in New York I met him, and he does this thing
sounding collection since the heady rush of I’d always wanted to see, which have a lot of art before he starts writing every album, where he
springtime romanticism that was 2001’s Free galleries and an incongruous mix of isolated, tries to write 20 songs in 12 hours. He roped
All Angels, takes its name from the album’s beautiful nature with amazing architecture. It me into doing it and I was actually shocked
geographically adventurous writing sessions. was the start of a bit of a pilgrimage. that I got a few good songs out of it.
Wheeler, recalibrating after the breakup of “A few months later, I wanted to go to Deià. “I got into trying to do it as a regular thing,
his marriage, sought solace in the isolation I like Robert Graves and wanted to see where but I could never get anywhere near 20
A S H

of Japan’s Naoshima island, Mallorca – once he used to live. There’s a great record by Fionn songs, as I like to dabble in production a
home to poet Robert Graves, the Greek island Regan, 100 Acres Of Sycamore, that he wrote bit. Eventually, I got into this regular thing
40 of Santorini and Lambay Island, off the coast
of Dublin. The final stop on his globetrotting
tour of the world’s islands was the band’s own
Manhattan studio in New York, and Wheeler
acknowledges the influence of each of those
settings on his songwriting. “I hear little bits
of it in some of the song stories,” he says. “The

Alex John Beck

 Getty
of doing 10 songs in 10 hours and I get a lot
of good ideas out of that. Most of the record
springs out of it, and I think over a few years,

A S H
I’ve got about 250 song ideas out of it.
“A lot of rubbish comes out of it, but also
a lot of fresh ideas, because a few songs into 41
each day, I start going off on tangents, and
there’s no pressure. Sometimes, when I’m at

INTERVIEW
my most relaxed, not really caring what comes
out, I get songs that never would have been Planets, was funded by radio plugger Stephen
written if I’d been trying. Because of the time
pressure, I’m forced to finish ideas that I’m not
Taverner, who gave the trio £300 to go into
the studio based purely on hearing an early
IT WAS
really sure of. Before the inner critic can come
into play, I have to finish the song.
version of Girl From Mars.
Originals from the first run of 1,000
AWESOME
“The song Buzzkill, I would have said: ‘This
is too stupid’ and stopped, but I finished it and
on Taverner’s La La Land label are now
pretty scarce, although Wheeler did have the
GETTING OUR
I’ve had a really good response from people
about the song.”
foresight to secure one.
“Jack Names The Planets was really cool,” he
FIRST SLAB
STEPHEN FUNDS THE RECORD
recalls. “I was amazed at the trust of this guy
who sent £300 for us to go and record having
OF VINYL.
Now a three-piece again after second guitarist
Charlotte Hatherley’s 10-year spell in the band,
not even met us, just based on our demo tape.
He went on to become our manager, so it was
STEVE
the chemistry among the founder members of
Ash is still as strong as when they juggled their
definitely a good punt by him. It was awesome
getting our first slab of vinyl, it felt very real.
LAMACQ
A-Level homework with playing the Camden
Falcon and appearing on Top Of The Pops.
Steve Lamacq played it. I was 17, doing my
homework and this was the radio show
PLAYED IT"
“We’re like brothers, really and we’ve got I always used to listen to doing my homework.
a really fun way of working together,” says Now he was playing us! I couldn’t believe it, Goldfinger and Oh Yeah Top Five singles.
Wheeler. “Two of us have lived in New York I ran jumping through the house. The album, recorded with Oasis producer
for 12 years and Rick lives in Scotland. My “I’ve got one or two copies of it, and a lot of Owen Morris at Rockfield, remains one of
favourite time with the band is when we’re our early records I’d try to get a stash of 10 for the most potent snapshots of the Britpop
working on new material, a long time before myself, but some of the early ones were so rare era. Wheeler says the series of gigs the
anyone’s going to hear it. It always reminds that I only got one.” band played to celebrate the album’s 20-
me of when we were 15 getting together demo That first release was followed in October year anniversary gave them fresh impetus
tapes and working on ideas, and the three of 1994 by Trailer and 18 months later by to start work on Islands.
us buzzing about it – that hasn’t changed at 1977, which crashed into the UK chart at “It was nice coming back and working
all.” The band’s first 7", 1994’s Jack Names The No. 1, going on to sell a million copies, with on the record following those shows,” he
 A-Z
Between 12 October 2009
and 27 September 2010, Ash
released 26 7" singles on vinyl,
each represented by a different
letter of the alphabet, on their
own Atomic Hearts label. The much… we recorded a bunch of the singles
ambitious feat was backed by through the year leading up to it, because we

Getty
an alphabetical tour of the UK. were still in school and didn’t have time to
“We’d always done 7"s of all our record a full album.
catalogue and we still persevered “Kung Fu, Girl From Mars and Angel
with vinyl when people weren’t Interceptor were all put out as singles leading
doing it much,” says Wheeler. “I up to it and they all took off, it was amazing.
was very fond of it when we were at
school and didn’t have time to record
Then I had to write the rest of the record to
follow up all these hits! It was quite a challenge.
WE WERE
STILL IN
A S H

the whole 1977 album – we did I wasn’t really ready for it, although it was
those singles every three months. I all I’d ever wanted. It was a mad time, those
42 was a big fan of when The Wedding
Present did their singles series as
whole couple of years.”
Now a resident of Brooklyn, NYC, Wheeler
SCHOOL
well, I thought that was really cool. is spoilt for choice when it comes to record AND DIDN'T
INTERVIEW

Around that time, we could see shopping. “I live very close to Rough
albums weren’t getting the same
buzz and attention as they were
Trade, and there’s also Academy Records in
Greenpoint, near me. We had a really fun
HAVE TIME
before, and it really devalued it when
people could download records for
day – the Record Store Crawl for Record Store
Day, where they organise a crawl on a bus
TO RECORD A
free… It was partly mourning the
death of albums, but I felt like doing
through a bunch of different neighbourhoods.
We played on the bus between stops and we
FULL ALBUM"
something different creatively, too, went up to Astoria in Queens and down to
because we’d just been album-tour- Greenpoint. It was great fun hanging out with “I still love touring and I’d like to do more
album-tour for a long time. a bunch of fellow record nerds.” than we do,” he says. “The other two guys have
“We’d set up our own studio to kids, so we don’t go out on the long relentless
record Twilight Of The Innocents, PAST MASTERS tours like we used to, and I kind of miss that
so we had a place where we could Reflecting on the records that inspired the lifestyle. Now we tour for two or three weeks
become a bit of a factory and do band in their early days, Wheeler says: “When and take a break. I love travelling and playing
something like that. It was just we started out, Nevermind was massive live. 10 years of my life was touring, and there
having the freedom to stretch our for us; Pixies’ Doolittle, Teenage Fanclub’s was a bit of a lack of normality. It’s good there’s
wings a bit, creatively.” Bandwagonesque, Mudhoney’s Superfuzz a bit more balance in life now, but I really
Bigmuff, Sonic Youth’s Dirty and Goo, enjoyed the travelling and seeing the world.
and before that, I was really into Guns N’ “We’ve actually pretty much written a new
Roses’ Appetite For Destruction, The Stooges’ album already – you see, I’ve got all of these
says. “1977 is a great album to play live as a first album… I listened to …Spiders From millions of songs! It’s going to be a bit slow
three-piece. There’s a simplicity to a lot of the Mars by Bowie a lot making 1977, The Beach recording this year, as we’re doing a lot of
songs, and it definitely gave me the confidence Boys, ABBA…” touring. It’s just trying to fit it in, but we’ll
to know that we can have really simple songs Creatively stimulated by his experimental hopefully have another album next year. It’s
like Kung Fu – and Buzzkill is not a million songwriting approach and enjoying the quite a bit more experimental, maybe a bit
miles away from that in terms of simplicity. It’s company of his bandmates of 26 years, more like the experimentation of the A-Z
one of the albums we’ve revisited most, and it Wheeler’s solo project that yielded the album series. We’ll see what direction it ultimately
still stands up well. I did feel a kind of pressure Lost Domain in 2014 is on ice, as Ash gear up takes when we record it, but it’s quite different
when I wrote it. The first half of it, not so for more touring and an eighth studio album. at the moment.” ●
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 URBAN L E G E N D S
L E G E N D S

From Bow E3 to MBE, grime’s ascendancy has

been seismic and ferocious. Sam Willis explores
the story behind the UK’s 21st-century punks…
U R B A N

E
44
very punk fan will remember the January 1977 issue of Sideburns totemic figures and chart hits from the likes of Craig David, Daniel
in which the fanzine taught its readers three chords – A, E and Bedingfield and Artful Dodger, to name just a few.
FEATURE

G – and told them: “Now form a band”. That DIY self-governance Grime’s ascendency was born out of the disenfranchisement at
resulted in one of the most influential forms of music ever created on a genre that branded itself as champagne-swilling, decadent and
either side of the Atlantic. Fast-forward to East London at the turn of the elite. “With the garage and the grime thing, the garage people
millennium and an unlikely descendant of punk was being forged – in didn’t like them,” remembers Nick Huggett – former A&R at XL
a melting pot of poverty, disaffection and a similarly belligerent self- and the man who signed grime posterboy Dizzee Rascal (as well
determination – and heralded by many as the most original frontier of as Adele). “They were younger, garage was like really dressed up.
UK urban music for decades: grime. Those kids weren’t welcome at the garage events and part of the
2017 was the peak of what many called a renaissance in the genre music was about having their own thing.”
and, after a significant dip in quality and consumption at the tail-end of
the 2000s and into the early 2010s, the numbers certainly seem to prove RADIO CLASH
that it has arrived once again, with a vengeance. Last year saw grime Much like the punks before them, early grime artists had been left
streams reaching an all-time high of one billion a week and a 109% behind; they needed something destructive, something simple
increase in physical album sales, according to the British Phonographic that they could make on a budget and call their own, out of artistic
Industry (BPI). Although many of these second-generation releases necessity and outsider angst.
were predominantly CD and download only, they are now also widely The beginnings of a crossover arrived in the form of influential
available on wax, reflecting the format’s renewed authority. garage soundsystems gaining notoriety on pirate radio stations in
London. “Pirate radio was important, and it’s influential,” Huggett
A BRIEF HISTORY OF GRIME says. “The whole thing emerged for those guys with the clashes on
In the same year, we also witnessed the first ‘pure grime’ UK No. 1 the radio stations and that sort of stuff. That was a culture in itself
in Stormzy’s Gang Signs & Prayer, and a Drake album – More Life – that existed outside of releasing records.”
celebrating grime through featured artists, foregrounding its sonic A close relationship between pirate radio stations, influential
footprint and the typically West Indian dialectal reference points that record shops and the DJs and producers creating small, modest
have become synonymous with grime and the wider culture. volumes of white labels and dub plates drove much of what
So, how did we get from Bow tower blocks to Wiley receiving an MBE, happened in the UK garage and grime scenes at the tail end of the
and an album that generated 89.9 million Apple Music streams on its first 90s and beginning of the 2000s.
day of release and went on to breach the Top 10 album charts in A brief aside here is the importance of soundsystem and
five countries? Culturally and socially, the story starts with the arrival soundclash culture, which was imported from Jamaica and had
of the Windrush Generation in 1948 – but sonically, the genre is a huge impact on the early formation and distribution of grime.
undoubtedly rooted in UK garage. It was this clan culture and tribal clashing that would lead to the
By the late 90s, garage, originally an American import, was fully Lord Of The Mics MC-battle DVDs’ ‘crew’ mentality and again,
formed and thriving in the UK. By the early 2000s, it had mainstream positions grime as an ancestor of the Windrush generation.
 ALL YOU
NEEDED
TO CREATE
CULTURE-
SHIFTING
MUSIC IN THE

L E G E N D S
2000S WAS
A PC AND
ENTHUSIASM

U R B A N
45
The Pay As U Go Cartel, which for a while included self-proclaimed
‘godfather of grime’ Wiley (now MBE), More Fire Crew, Genius Cru and

FEATURE
So Solid Crew, took a defining step in the development from garage to
grime. The dichotomous MC/DJ relationship, up until then, had largely
favoured DJs. MCs had been an accompaniment to the music; repeating
hooks rather than crafting whole verses and lyrical conceits. The
aforementioned crews irrevocably changed that. Between 2000 and 2002,
tracks such as Champagne Dance, Know We, 21 Seconds, Oi! and Boom
Selection were crusading across pirate airwaves.

CAR-BOOT SALE
By the second year of the new millennium, a fertile new feeding ground
for hungry MCs emerged driven by bold new productions, in particular
Pulse X by Youngstar and Creeper by Roll Deep’s Danny Weed. These
two tracks played a pivotal role in what would later be called grime. The
beats were stripped back and simple, created on rudimentary production
software, and left ample space for burgeoning MCs to ‘spit’ on.
Instead of three chords, all you needed to create culture-shifting
music in the 2000s was a PC and a determined enthusiasm – that
was also evident in the entrepreneurial spirit required to actually get
the music into the shops.
“They’d press up a record and sell it from the boot of a car… put it in
the shops, so people could consume it. They were shifting quite a lot as
well, a few thousand,” says Huggett. “It was quick money coming in,
but also what happened through that was it just started to catch people’s
ears and spread.”
The role of key record shops – Big Apple in Croydon and Rhythm
Division in Bow in particular – can’t be overstated. Like pirate radio
Dizzee Rascal’s stations, these outlets were intrinsically linked with the scene, providing
hugely successful an important space for white-label records to be sold in the areas that
and influential Boy In
Da Corner won the the music was being created. “You’d go there on a weekly basis, or even
Mercury Prize and put more than that, because there was so much music that was coming out
grime on the map and you wanted to make sure that you knew about it. It was early in my
 GRIME RARITIES
Tomb Crew DJ and promoter Thomas
Pinchard explains grime’s vinyl-only ethos

A DJ for over 15 years, and part of Nottingham’s Tomb Crew

from 2004 to 2010(ish), for the last five years Pinchard has
been a promoter at Birthdays, putting on 100-plus shows
across the genres of grime, hip-hop, dancehall, trap, footwerk
and garage. “Coming out of the 90s, I had primarily listened
to hardcore [punk] and New York rap. Scenes that produced
aggressive, emotional music told by storytellers. It was fate that
I would fall in love with grime.
“The thing about grime was if you wanted to own any of it
you had to buy the vinyl – or hang out with the people who
bought the vinyl. MP3 was an unknown to grime back then.
Around 2004, I was living in Nottingham, where we had
a limited supply. I relied on the legendary Selectadisc, where
I bought my first grime vinyl – Wonder’s What, in 2004. I’d
take trips down to London to visit Rhythm Division in Bow and
Black Market Records in Soho to stock up, until I made the
move to Hackney in 2006.
“Every week, those famous LDN record stores were being
dropped off fresh white labels with people’s names and
numbers scribbled over them. But if you missed a week, then
your chance to own Rebound-X’s Rhythm & Gash on 10"
would be gone forever. Being a part of this golden era of
British music during this period was so exciting. It was so
punk, so DIY, under the radar. Young kids doing it themselves
46 and making it happen.
“Since grime’s resurgence over the last couple of years, Grime superstar
the ‘famous’ releases of that golden era are going for such Stormzy was among
FEATURE

unattainably large prices that it puts them out of reach for the nominees for
most people.” the 2018 Ivor
Novello Awards

Crown Jewels
career as an A&R guy, so it was important for me to know all of the
“All my early “Three standout records of hot new records,” says Huggett.
Wiley white labels that era. Private Caller was
that he put out on the first underground grime BOY IN DA SPOTLIGHT
his Wiley Kat records from release that I saw with These early white labels have become mythologised rarities. Some were
2003 to 2006, including an actual cover.” adorned with Wiley’s phone number, and they remain important relics
Eskimo, Eskimo 4, Morgue, in understanding how grime evolved into what it has become today. The
Igloo, Ground Zero… I still Ruff Sqwad, blurred dividing lines between producer, distributor and retailer created
get shivers listening to these. Tings In Boots: an energetic ecosystem of collaboration, which put money into the
No one really knows the “The most DIY- hands of the people involved. It allowed those artists to grow organically,
pressing details, least of all sounding grime release irrespective of any industry interest.
Wiley, I’m sure!” of them all. Ruff Sqwad The first real commercial breakthrough, when people outside of the
releases are almost scene started to take serious note, was Dizzee Rascal’s seminal Boy In Da
Jammer (with mythically expensive. Corner, released in 2003. Huggett had been listening intently to what
Wiley, Kano, This remains my favourite was going on and saw in Dizzee the hallmarks of someone more
Durrty Goodz, release of theirs.” substantial. “I Luv U was branching out of pirate radio into Radio 1, into
D Double E), Destruction XFM and, for an A&R person, those are the kinds of people you look for,”
VIP: “Jammer’s best Alias, Heat/Heat he says. “Whatever it was, garage, grime, dubstep, was fine in its scene,
production with each MC 2/Gladiator/ but you are looking for the things that were gonna reach outside – and
at their lyrical best. One of Fight Club: that was reaching outside.”
grime’s finest moments.” “It’s impossible not to pull Huggett, who had already been wildly impressed by So Solid Crew,
a ‘screw face’ – so grimey, managed to convince Dizzee and his manager that XL was the right
Skepta, Pirate and provided the blueprint. home for him. It turned out to be a fruitful partnership, but at the time
Sessions/DTI/ Again, all are white labels, it may have seemed a curious choice. “There was me, a young A&R guy
Private Caller: quantities unknown.” that had never done anything, working for an indie which, at the time,
had no reputation in that world. XL had hardcore, it had Prodigy and
 SL2, but it didn’t really have a great deal of lyrical dexterity, inspired production and However, grime was still misunderstood
credibility in black music. An emerging MC brutal social commentary on subjects ranging for its rawness in those early years, which
wouldn’t be looking at XL and going, ‘that’s from teenage pregnancy to knife crime. This made it a challenging record to market at first,
where I want to sign’, which is funny, because unfettered honesty sold. A lot. Boy In Da for all of its later successes. “It’s important to
it’s where everyone wants to sign now.” Corner has now sold over 250,000 copies remember that he didn’t just come out and sell
The infatuation for major-label signings worldwide; it won the Mercury Prize and 100,000 – it was a slog,” remembers Huggett.
may have proved another barrier but, luckily went gold in its first year – which, according “Every time we took a single to radio, they
for Huggett, XL and perhaps even Dizzee, they to Huggett, “was significant, because there didn’t want to back it, because it was too hard.
weren’t interested enough in the scene yet. weren’t loads of other black music artists Which, again, was funny, because fast-forward
“The majors thought, ‘this is cool, but we’ve got having gold records. There weren’t actually five or six years and they’re playing Skrillex
The Neptunes or Timbaland’, or whoever was that many gold records across the whole on daytime Radio 1. I’m scratching my head,
the hot American thing. They were completely music business.” because this sounds way more mental than
missing the point,” says Huggett. “50% of what I Luv U or Fix Up, Look Sharp.”
was brilliant about it was that sonically, it was Culturally, Boy In Da Corner has had
British. It owed a lot to jungle and drum ’n’
bass – that’s what Dizzee had listened to – and EARLY GRIME a profound effect. It’s one of those records
that come along once or twice a decade and
Southern hip-hop, and you can hear that in
it… There is that influence there, but it was WHITE LABELS change everything irrevocably. Dizzee wrote
about what he saw and the result was dark,
something very British and, to me, that was
what was exciting.” ARE RARITIES. cold and unflinchingly honest. It was the first
breakthrough grime record – although the
The resulting Boy In Da Corner acutely
reflected a time and place, with blistering SOME WERE genre didn’t have a name by that point –
and set a bar for Dizzee’s peers to aspire to.

ADORNED
WITH WILEY’S
PHONE
NUMBER 47

FEATURE
Dizzee Rascal was only 18
when his 2003 debut Boy
In Da Corner set him on the
path to becoming the UK’s
first international
rap superstar
 Influential grime
collective Roll Deep
were founded by Wiley
and included a roll call
of future grime stars
L E G E N D S
U R B A N

Picture: Simon Wheatley

48
FEATURE

Along with Wiley and his tutelage of the scene (which would take
another five pages to write about), the album was a key factor in
stepping things up for everyone.

TODAY, THE UK…

The album also helped pave the way for the second generation of artists, Wiley – self-proclaimed
who are enjoying the renaissance now: “The cultural impact of that and godfather of grime –
is now an MBE
where we find ourselves today, I don’t think you can underestimate the
importance of Boy In Da Corner…,” says Huggett. “When I listened
to the Stormzy record, I could hear a direct lineage back to Boy In Da
Corner. His flows, some of the references he lifts from that.”
Nine months after Sideburns’ three-chord diagram, Never Mind The
Bollocks… arrived kicking and screaming
from the womb, holding up two fingers to
convention and a ghoulish mirror to society.
It was the culmination of a scene bubbling
with aggression and an inherently British DIZZEE’S
terra firma, from which tendrils of influence
still stretch today. Dizzee Rascal’s Boy In Da BOY IN DA
Corner has a similar space within the history
of grime. Here we have a record which was CORNER WAS
forged from a music culture backlashing from
convention, railing against social inequality A KEY FACTOR
and innovating without vanity. Both punk
and grime paid credence to enthusiasm, IN STEPPING
ingenuity and sovereignty over virtuosity;
both were contrarian and highly controversial. THINGS
Importantly, both have since become forces
for critical, as well as commercial, success. UP FOR
The next step on from grime’s conquering of
the UK must now be the world. ● EVERYONE
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VINYL’S 50 GREATEST

S O U N DT R A C K S
SOUNDTRACKS
A soundtrack is much more than just a collection of songs. 51

The great ones are woven into the DNA of the film itself,
heightening the cinema experience; and when the movie

FEATURE
is over, they stand out as an album you want to add to
your collection. Gary Tipp selects 50 of the best…

COVER
F
rom the epic sweep of an original score by approach from Hollywood’s Golden Age. It was
a legendary composer to a batch of iconic US filmmaker Mike Nichols in The Graduate who
songs carefully curated and afforded the big- broke new ground back in 1967 by mixing popular
screen treatment, music has always been an intrinsic music with cinema. His use of Simon & Garfunkel’s
part of the movie-going experience. folk-pop tunes created one of film’s first ‘needle drop’
It’s a facet of cinema that has always translated well moments – needle drop being a cinematic term for
onto vinyl, via the soundtrack album. Over the past the moment when a filmmaker takes an already
few years, as vinyl sales have continued to increase existing song and uses it to light up a scene.
around the globe, the number of soundtrack albums Think Robert De Niro in Mean Streets entering
now on the racks has snowballed – with many a dingy NYC bar with two girls on his arm to the
becoming top-selling LPs. backing of Jumpin’ Jack Flash. Or Michael Madsen
Our Top 50 list features both original scores getting creative with a straight razor in Reservoir Dogs
and song collections, and throughout the selection to the accompaniment of Stealers Wheel and Stuck In
process, we’ve veered towards vinyl soundtracks that The Middle With You. These are just two of cinema’s
possess a close cultural connection with rock, pop, needle-drop moments, where movies and music
jazz and soul, foregoing those with a more classical combine to create great magic and art.
 REPO MAN
Various Artists
MCA (1984)
£35

The good and the great

of LA’s mid-80s hardcore
punk scene add the
required amount of piss
and vinegar to the OST

MOVIE of director Alex Cox’s

everyday tale of aliens

MUSIC’S
and car repossession.
Iggy Pop is on duty for
50 48
MECCA
the title track, while Black
Flag, Suicidal Tendencies,
WIND RIVER Circle Jerks and Latino BABY DRIVER
The Record Album is the Nick Cave and Warren Ellis
miscreants The Plugz are
on hand to deliver their
Various Artists
UK’s leading destination Lakeshore Records (2017) own particular brand
30th Century Records
£20 (2017)
for soundtracks on vinyl of menace.
£20
Nick Cave and off-duty Bad
With OST kings Nick Cave and Seed Ellis have a proven track With its getaway-driver hero
Warren Ellis listed among his regular record as the go-to twosome permanently plugged into
customers (both live nearby), it’s no for hard-edged contemporary his iPod, Brit director Edgar
S O U N DT R A C K S

wonder proprietor George Ginn’s film scores. The maverick Wright’s car-chase action
The Record Album possesses such couple’s melodic work on Taylor thriller is pretty much an
Sheridan’s Wind River is as exercise in syncing an entire
an enviable reputation as the UK’s
poignant as it is inventive and movie to music. The result is
destination of choice for movie interconnects with the moody a willfully eclectic soundtrack
soundtracks on vinyl. Other musicians chill of the film. The Proposition with the snarly garage funk of
to have visited include Amon Tobin,
The Avalanches, Damon Albarn and
and The Assassination Of Jesse 49 Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s
James… have yet to make it to Bellbottoms memorably taking
members of Radiohead. vinyl. Why? pride of place.
52 Located a stone’s throw from
Brighton’s main railway station, Ginn,
after leaving the Royal Air Force, has
FEATURE

been specialising in film soundtracks

since 1948 (George is nudging 90)
42
– which comfortably earns him the
honour of being Brighton’s longest BLOW-UP
established dealer. Herbie Hancock
COVER

As you would imagine upon MGM Records (1967)

entering the hallowed premises – the 43 £50 41
third shop to bear the name of the
business over the years – you feel as 1960s London, as portrayed
though you’ve been transported to NOSFERATU in Michelangelo Antonioni’s ZIDANE:
another world, place and time. THE VAMPYRE frequently brilliant Blow Up, A 21ST
is given a suitably swinging
Once over the threshold at The Popul Vuh
soul-jazz score courtesy of Miles
CENTURY
Record Album, you are treated to Light In The Attic (2015)
Davis acolyte Herbie Hancock.
PORTRAIT
a treasure trove of collectible vinyl, £40 Mogwai
A rock element is added to the
all lovingly selected by the great PIAS (2006)
soundtrack by The Yardbirds,
man. His favourite film composers Legendary German who briefly appear in the £20
include Golden Age greats such director Werner Herzog’s movie during a club sequence,
as Bernard Herrmann (Citizen 1979 tribute to Friedrich together with groovy psych- Rather than keeping
Kane, Psycho) and Franz Waxman Murnau’s 1922 silent scenesters Tomorrow, featuring its eye on the ball, the
(Rebecca, A Place In The Sun). classic features the bug- a young Steve Howe. art-house movie Zidane
eyed Klaus Kinski in the follows the movement
role he was born to play. of football’s Zen master
Layered with lashings of during the full 90 minutes
dark dread, the unsettling of a game. Scottish post-
soundtrack is provided rockers Mogwai were
by new-age krautrockers tasked with soundtracking
Popul Vuh, who regularly the film and delivered
contributed to Herzog’s a stirring album of two
movies. There are many halves. The band’s OST to
versions: the Light In The TV drama Les Revenants
Attic reissue is definitive. is another stunner.
 TRON: LEGACY RUSHMORE
Daft Punk Various Artists
Walt Disney (2010) London Records
£25 (2015)
£20
Daft Punk’s uncanny resemblance to
the characters that inhabit the futuristic Devo’s Mark
world of this virtual-reality remake Mothersbaugh and
meant they were destined to deliver director Wes Anderson
its score. Recorded with an 85-piece have collaborated on a
orchestra and cut to the movie, the number of soundtrack
robotic Frenchmen’s inspired mix of albums, but Rushmore is
strings and synth meshes together the best. Mothersbaugh’s
seamlessly to create a striking score. 46 whimsical instrumental 44
passages rub shoulders
with a select choice of
PRETTY IN PINK British Invasion curios, SELMASONGS
Various Artists including The Kinks, The Björk
A&M (1986) Who and The Creation’s One Little Indian (2000)
£30 classic Making Time. The £20
Royal Tenenbaums OST is
Director John Hughes was the also a winner, but has yet Selmasongs is subtitled Music
absolute master at committing to appear on vinyl. From The Motion Picture
teenage angst to celluloid in Soundtrack Dancer In The
the Brat Pack movies of the Dark and is Björk’s companion

C K S
80s and in doing so, nailed piece to her acting debut in
the zeitgeist. And Pretty In the Lars Von Trier movie. Her

AN
Pink’s soundtrack neatly harrowing first role was that

E R
O I UL NSDWT R
defines what those gawky of a Czech immigrant in the
pubescents were listening to, US who is slowly going blind,
with Echo & The Bunnymen, and the songs here are open
47 OMD, New Order and 45 expressions of her sorrow.

PS H
Psychedelic Furs providing The album contains seven
the new-wave sounds. original Björk compositions.
53

C O V EIRN TF EE RAVT IUERWE

40 38

BERBARIAN WILD STYLE

SOUND STUDIO Various Artists
Broadcast Chrysalis (1983)
£25
Warp (2013) 39 37
£15
Wild Style the movie went largely unseen on its
cinematic release in 1983. Its soundtrack, on the
Birmingham’s neo- DEAD MAN other hand, became one of the landmark albums GHOST DOG:
psychedelicists Broadcast’s Neil Young of early 80s hip-hop and retains a freshness to THE WAY OF
eerie accompaniment to Peter
Strickland’s psychological thriller
Vapor (1996) this day. Produced by Chris Stein of Blondie fame THE SAMURAI
£80 with Fab 5 Freddy as its musical director, the OST RZA
consists of 39 short pieces
included live performances from the cream of the Razor Sharp,
of taut electronica matching
Neil Young recorded old-school rap underground. Epic, SME (1999)
the movie’s creepy tone and
reiterates what a fine band seven stark instrumental £20
Broadcast were. Sadly, James works for the
Cargill completed the album soundtrack to Jim RZA, the Wu-Tang
alone following the death of Jarmusch’s poetic Clan’s founding father
bandmate Trish Keenan. western. The great and high priest, was
man improvised the better placed than most
score on electric guitar to provide director Jim
while sitting alone in Jarmusch with a hip-hop
a recording studio score that embraced
watching the newly both Eastern mysticism
edited outtakes. Rumour and sharp, pointy
has it that Young had samurai swords. His
initially considered fast, edgy and abrasive
enlisting Nirvana’s Krist presence is the perfect
Novoselic and Dave counterpoint to the
Grohl to help him. movie’s slower paced,
pseudo-spiritual scenes.
 WHAT ARE
YOUR THREE
FAVOURITE
SOUNDTRACKS?

ANGUS
1 “The Emerald Forest.
One of my first LPs I
ever bought and still
on heavy rotation.”
2 “Flash Gordon,
Queen. Just. Literally.
36
Too. Good.”
3 “2001: A Space SHAFT
Odyssey.” Isaac Hayes
Stax (1971)

ORIGINAL AARON
1 “Theme From A
£10

SOUNDTRACK Summer Place is

one of my favourite
pieces of music.”
“Who’s the black private dick
that’s a sex machine to all the
chicks?” That’ll be Shaft, John
Indie-rockers Liars make their OST debut 2 The soundtrack for Shaft. The protagonist in one of
S O U N DT R A C K S

Wong Kar-wai’s In the more famous Blaxploitation

With Liars announcing the Did anything about the The Mood For Love movies of the early 70s and the
proud possessor of a funky kick-
release of their first original process surprise you? – its tension and
ass Oscar-winning theme tune.
soundtrack, 1/1, we chatted Angus: “It felt very natural. sensuality enhances The accompanying soundtrack
through the process with Making sound is really one a beautiful film.”  was a Stax double album and
them. Created soon after of the funnest things to do 3 Bruce Langhorne’s features Isaac Hayes’ soulful
2014 LP Mess, these are the musically. As a songwriter, it’s The Hired Hand score with help from R&B
last recordings by Angus extremely freeing. I expected helps the viewer legends The Bar-Kays.
54 Andrew and Aaron Hemphill the whole process of the to roam mentally
before the latter amicably left movie being made to take around the movie.”
the band. a long time, but I was pretty
FEATURE

astounded just how big and

What first attracted ongoing these projects are.”  How closely does your
you to the movie? Aaron: “I used to imagine music relate to the
Angus: “Jeremy Phillips, the writing music for films in movie’s narrative?
director, made contact with front of a large video screen Angus: “The goal is to
COVER

us and said he was listening with a timecode running and enhance the narrative and
to WIXIW while working some crazy elaborate setup progress the plot. It’s an 31
on this film. We felt he was like that. While there were intense film with highly
coming from a place of moments where music was charged emotional points: the
common ground…” made to a direct cue, a lot of sound bears a lot of tension THE VIRGIN
Aaron: “The freedom my input was based on the and release. Connecting SUICIDES
and amount of trust Jeremy impression of the film through with the main characters was Air
granted us was pretty watching the rough cut.” essential for understanding Virgin (2000)
incredible. When we met the stakes at hand.”  £25
him, he was kind and What kind of musical
ambitious and made it pretty direction did the Is it important to you Two years after Moon
clear through his enthusiasm director give you? that the soundtrack Safari, down-tempo
that he’d finish his project.” Angus: “It was a super stands up as an album? Versailles twosome
interesting scene-by-scene Angus: “Yes and no. We Air returned with a
description of how he felt were brought into this project full soundtrack for
about the mood and what to help Jeremy and his team the directing debut of
he wanted the music to realise their vision. I would’ve Sofia Coppola. Due to
forces unknown, much
convey, but in really abstract recorded hours of breathing,
of Godin and Dunckel’s
terms that we could grasp. if that’s what they needed. So eerie electronic prog-
Something like: ‘Imagine you as long as Jeremy genuinely pop score was left on
have a 100-piece puzzle, felt the music helped his film the cutting-room floor.
but you have 1,000 pieces’. then I’m happy.”  However, the resulting
These descriptions were really soundtrack album
helpful for us… they allowed 1/1 is due out on revealed itself to be
a lot of interpretation.” Mute on 20 July a modern cult classic.
 EASY RIDER
LOST IN Various Artists
TRANSLATION Stateside (1969)
Various Artists £20
Emperor Norton
(2003) Director Dennis Hopper
£25/£35 selected songs for the
Easy Rider soundtrack
My Bloody Valentine’s based on nothing more
Kevin Shields came out than picking the records
of hibernation to he was digging on the
contribute four dreamy radio. With very few
tracks to the soundtrack movies of the day using
of Sofia Coppola’s post- rock as their backing
romantic Tokyo tale. The track, he had little trouble
32
Jesus And Mary Chain convincing the labels to let
(Just Like Honey), Phoenix, him use a number of era-
Air and Squarepusher defining tracks; meaning
TRAINSPOTTING
add to the ethereal he was free to select some
Various Artists
atmosphere – as does Bill 34 heavy-hitting artists, with EMI (1996)
Murray, with his beyond- Steppenwolf’s Born To Be £80
laconic take on Roxy Wild and Hendrix’s If 6
Music’s More Than This. PERFORMANCE Was 9 the standouts. Much more than just a
Various Artists compilation of ‘various
Warner Brothers (1970) artists’ lumped together, the
£40 Trainspotting album captured

S O U N DT R A C K S
the lager-infused zeitgeist of
Starring Mick Jagger as a tripped-out rock star, Britpop Britain. Primal Scream,
this dark-and-druggy UK cult classic has an Blur, Pulp, Iggy Pop and
eclectic soundtrack assembled by maverick US Underworld (Born Slippy) all
producer Jack Nitzsche. With assistance from Ry make contributions. Rumour
Cooder on slide guitar, the lead Stone contributes has it Oasis turned down the
35 the memorable Memo From Turner, while other 33 invitation to contribute a track,
contributors range from a young Randy Newman as Noel Gallagher thought it
to NY street rappers The Last Poets. was about railway geeks.
55

FEATURE
30 28

THE MAN GET CARTER

WITH THE Roy Budd

COVER
GOLDEN ARM Cinephile (1998)
Elmer Bernstein 29 £25
Brunswick (1956)
£25 Pianist and composer Roy
A CLOCKWORK Budd and the other members
Composed, conducted and ORANGE of his jazz trio recorded the
arranged by the legendary Wendy Carlos score to Mike Hodges’ Brit noir
Elmer Bernstein, the soundtrack Warner Bros (1971) the hard way; live, direct to 27
to Sinatra’s junkie drama is the picture, and playing along to
£10
quintessential 50s jazz score. the film. He earned just £450.
The palpating arrangement
Electronic evangelist
The magnificent main theme DRIVE
interweaves big band and represents Michael Caine’s Cliff Martinez
Wendy Carlos’ heavily
symphony, with brass, journey up on the train to
stylised Moog synth Invada (2012)
percussion and woodwind. Newcastle from London. It was
versions of classical £20
All this and cool Saul Bass covered in sparse fashion by
music pieces, including
graphics on the album sleeve. The Human League on Dare.
famous works by Purcell, Before his reinvention as a Hollywood
Rossini and, of course, soundtrack artist, Cliff Martinez was the
‘Ludwig Van’, dominate drummer in a number of bands including
the Clockwork Orange The Dickies, Red Hot Chili Peppers and even
soundtrack. The synthetic Captain Beefheart (Ice Cream For Crow). His
sound perfectly inhabits faultlessly crafted, retro synth-pop soundtrack
the futuristic world of for the movie Drive was the one thing in the
Kubrick’s nightmare Ryan Gosling vehicle that was cooler than
vision. March From A the pretty-boy actor himself.
Clockwork Orange was
one of the first recorded
songs to use a vocoder.
 CAMERAS. MOON
Clint Mansell

ROCK. Black Records (2009)

£15

ACTION The trajectory from

co-frontman in Pop Will
10 rock musicians who took Eat Itself to Hollywood
film-score royalty is one
time to compose themselves less taken, but it’s the one
Clint Mansell has trodden.
In recent years, there has been a notable The erstwhile grebo’s
rise in the number of rock musicians soundtrack for Duncan
contributing to soundtracks and blending Jones’ sci-fi classic Moon
the two mediums like never before.
26 is a moody, atmospheric
24
Here’s our Top 10 guide to the movies’ soundscape reminiscent of
Eno’s ambient babblings
current go-to ‘rock composers’: BULLITT with a slice of post-rock
HEAD
Lalo Schifrin thrown in. It’s a long
The Monkees
Jonny Greenwood Warner Bros (1968) RCA (1968)
way from Beaver Patrol
Starting with 2003’s £40 or indie-disco hardy £60
Bodysong, Radiohead’s perennial Def Con One.
floppy-fringed guitar The classically trained Lalo The Monkees’ trippy movie
genius is a film composer Schifrin was jazz-giant Dizzy was a car crash at the box
of great distinction, and his association Gillespie’s piano player and office, but out of the psychedelic
with director Paul Thomas Anderson arranger before getting the wreckage emerged a fantastic
S O U N DT R A C K S

has produced an impressive body of Hollywood call. The Argentine’s soundtrack album. The six
work; the most recent, Phantom Thread, jazz-blues score for the Steve songs, including Carole King’s
McQueen car-chase cop movie Porpoise Song and three
won him an Oscar nomination.
is as iceberg cool as it is drop- originals from Michael Nesmith
dead iconic. Schifrin’s CV also and Peter Tork, are interspersed
Mica Levi contains Mission: Impossible, with dialogue from the movie
As a ‘pop’ performer,
Mica Levi went by her
Cool Hand Luke, Dirty Harry 25 assembled by co-writer Jack
and Enter The Dragon, but Bullitt Nicholson. A far cry from I’m A
stage name of Micachu is top of the pile. Believer, but no less enjoyable.
56 and released a number
of experimental albums with her band
The Shapes. Her first major film score
FEATURE

was a hauntingly memorable work for Jonathan

Glazer’s Under The Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson
19
as the alien devourer of unsuspecting Scottish people.
This was followed by the OST for the Jacqueline
Kennedy biopic Jackie. PAT GARRETT
& BILLY THE KID
COVER

Clint Mansell Bob Dylan

CBS (1973) 18
The Coventry-born composer was
formerly the joint lead singer in indie-
Sam Peckinpah’s visionary yet troubled Western
disco favourites Pop Will Eat Itself, but
was butchered beyond recognition by the studio ONE FROM
transformed into a bona fide Hollywood heads on its cinematic release, but thankfully, Bob THE HEART
film composer. His partnership with Darren Aronofsky Dylan’s beautifully simple folky score stayed intact. Tom Waits And
includes Requiem For A Dream and Black Swan. His Most famous for Knocking On Heaven’s Door, Crystal Gayle
score for Duncan Jones’ Moon also stands out. the largely instrumental album saw Dylan reunited CBS (1982)
with early collaborator Bruce Langhorne. £10
Jed Kurzel
Kurzel is the founding member of Aussie Francis Ford Coppola’s
blues-rock duo The Mess Hall, but is better decision to approach
known for his film compositions. In 2011, Tom Waits to score his
he created the soundtrack for Snowtown, 1982 romantic fantasy
was inspired. The jazzy
the directorial debut of his brother Justin. He’s composed
barroom songs are works
scores for Assassin’s Creed, Alien: Covenant and Slow of sentimental splendour
West, directed by The Beta Band’s John Maclean. and affix themselves to
the movie’s narrative
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis arc. The coupling of the
Since their initial soundtrack gruff-voiced Waits and
composition for Aussie outback Western country chanteuse Crystal
The Proposition, longtime collaborators Gayle (Loretta Lynn’s little
Cave and Ellis’ shared aesthetic has sister) doesn’t work on
delivered a richly textured slew of scores. Ellis also paper, but on vinyl, it’s
the real deal.
struck out on his own for the Mustang soundtrack.
 THE GRADUATE MIDNIGHT
Simon & Garfunkel COWBOY
CBS (1968) Various Artists
£10 United Artists (1969)
£20
The music of Simon & Garfunkel was a
perfect fit for The Graduate, and the folk- John Barry supervised
rock duo’s songs perfectly propel the movie’s the music and composed
narrative. Only the infectious Mrs. Robinson the memorable score
was written for the film, but director Mike to John Schlesinger’s
Nichols was such a devotee of the band groundbreaking movie
he knew instinctively where the already- and for his trouble, picked
recorded material could be used. up a Grammy for the
22 theme tune. Harry Nilsson 20
also got his hands on a
Grammy for his hit-single
THE SOCIAL cover of Fred Neil’s ASSAULT ON
NETWORK Everybody’s Talkin’. PRECINCT 13
Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross It could have been John Carpenter
Null (2010) different, as Bob Dylan Record Makers (2003)
£30, import wrote Lay Lady Lay as the £35
intended theme song, but
Having previously collaborated didn’t finish it in time. Polymath auteur John Carpenter
together on a number of Nine displayed his multitasking
Inch Nails’ albums, Trent Reznor talents by not only directing this

S O U N DT R A C K S
and Brit composer Atticus low-budget cult classic but also
Ross summoned up an artful composing its seminal minimal
cacophony of dark ambience electro score. His masterful use
for David Fincher’s Facebook- of stripped-down synth hooks,
founding movie The Social drum machines and drones was
Network. As well as gaining a light years ahead of its time and
23 large number of likes on social 21 has made an impact on legions
media, it also picked up an of would-be score composers
Oscar for Best Original Score. and fledgling electronica artists.
57

FEATURE
17 15

TAXI DRIVER PULP FICTION

Various Artists
Bernard Herrmann

COVER
MCA (1994)
Arista (1976)
£20
£15 16 14
Reservoir Dogs created the template, but it was
Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver
Pulp Fiction that best established the Quentin
was a watershed moment in THE WICKER Tarantino music-nerd approach to soundtracks.
US cinema and its importance MAN Just like Martin Scorsese before him, the former FIRE WALK
was sealed by the involvement Magnet & video-shop employee made art of incorporating WITH ME
of Bernard Herrmann, whose Paul Giovanni Angelo Badalamenti
musical sequences into his movies. Only here
reputation as a film composer is
Silva Screen (2015) would Dick Dale rub shoulders with Dusty Warner Bros (1992)
unimpeachable. Having worked
closely with Orson Welles and
£25 Springfield, Kool & The Gang and Urge Overkill. £75
Alfred Hitchcock, Herrmann’s
brooding original score calls NY songwriter Paul The movie prequel of
forth the seedy underbelly of Giovanni’s compositions David Lynch’s darkly
Travis Bickle’s New York City sit alongside a collection surreal TV series
state of mind. of ballads, jigs and reels witnessed the classically
to serve as the perfect trained Angelo
accompaniment to Robin Badalamenti presenting
Hardy’s dark tale of a hauntingly twisted
provincial paganism. The score of languid jazz
songs play a role in the interspersed with outbursts
movie’s storytelling, with of what can only be called
many of the characters pure ambient terror.
performing their own Among the list of top-
signature theme. There notch jazz session men
are two vinyl versions of credited on the album can
the movie (Trunk and Silva be found a ‘D Lynch’,
Screen) – both are a treat. on percussion.
 CAMERAS. PARIS,
TEXAS
ROCK. Ry Cooder
Warner Bros (1985)

ACTION £20
Musical survivor
Ry Cooder provided
Our guide to go-to ‘rock Wim Wenders’
composers’ continues… transcendental art
house tragi-road movie
with a beautiful score.
Trent Reznor His mournfully plaintive
and Atticus Ross slide guitar on the
Trent Reznor’s Hollywood movie’s memorable
debut was on the Natural
13 theme tune conjures up
11
Born Killers soundtrack for not only the wide-open
Oliver Stone. Since then, alongside his ARRIVAL spaces of the Texan THE HIRED HAND
Nine Inch Nails producing partner, Jóhann Jóhannsson landscape, but also Bruce Langhorne
he’s challenged the perception of what Deutsche Grammaphon (2016) evokes the pain of Scissor Tail
£18 Harry Dean Stanton’s £20
a film score can be. The pair’s
badly broken heart.
collaboration on David Fincher’s The
Jóhann Jóhannsson’s untimely Back in his 60s Greenwich
Social Network won them an Oscar, and
death early this year robbed Village days, Bruce
subsequent OSTs include The Girl With
the movie world of one of its Langhorne played session
The Dragon Tattoo and Gone Girl. most original contemporary guitar for Bob Dylan and
composers. His stylised many other luminaries, and
S O U N DT R A C K S

Heather McIntosh approach typically merged was the living incarnation

The talented McIntosh was traditional orchestration with of his Mr. Tambourine Man.
the house cellist for the elements of electronica, and His most essential moment
Georgia-based Elephant his score for Denis Villeneuve’s on vinyl, however, is his
6 Collective and has also alien thriller Arrival is a delicate, beautiful and wildly redolent
played live with Cat Power, Linda Perhacs moving slice of otherworldly work for the soundtrack of
and St. Vincent. Original scores are wonder. The innovative 12 Peter Fonda’s existential
Icelander will be sadly missed. Western, The Hired Hand. 
another string to her bow and 2012’s
58 creepy and controversial Compliance
brought McIntosh’s work forward to
a wider audience, while her score for 2015’s Z For
FEATURE

Zachariah is utterly mesmerising.

6
Mark Mothersbaugh
Mothersbaugh used to wear a flowerpot as SUSPIRIA
a hat during his time as lead singer of Devo. Goblin
COVER

These days, he cultivates a successful career EMI (1977)

as a film composer. He’s worked extensively £40
5
with filmmaker Wes Anderson, scoring many of his
movies (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums). A huge chunk of Italian prog-rock outfit
Goblin’s output was recorded for the horror-film
Mothersbaugh also composed the score for The Lego
soundtracks of cult director Dario Argento, with
THE GOOD,
Movie and Marvel flick Thor: Ragnarok. none finer than 1977’s Suspiria. With a plot THE BAD AND
revolving around a coven of murderous witches, THE UGLY
Dustin O’Halloran the movie is truly terrifying and, appropriately Ennio Morricone
Highly creative American pianist O’Halloran enough, so too is Goblin’s powerful heavy-riffing United Artists (1966)
is one half of ambient-music duo A Winged score – packing triple the menace of Sabbath. £10
Victory For The Sullen, and he is also very
much in-demand as a film composer. He Master composer Ennio
debuted on Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and he’s Morricone’s inventively
solidified his reputation on movies such as Like Crazy, idiosyncratic scores often
God’s Own Country and 2017’s Lion, for which he contained recurring
motifs such as gunfire,
received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.
whistling, whip cracks
and even the odd snatch
Jon Brion of yodeling. His work
Multi-instrumentalist Brion was in a number on Sergio Leone’s 1966
of shortlived rock bands before moving Spaghetti Western is
behind the production desk for artists such as hugely important to the
Rufus Wainwright, Robyn Hitchcock, Aimee movie’s narrative and
Mann and even Kanye West (Late Registration). He’s also is considered one of
composed for a number of early Paul Thomas Anderson the most influential and
movies (Hard Eight, Magnolia), as well as, more recently, instantly recognisable
soundtracks of all time.
Greta Gerwig’s coming-of-age tale, Lady Bird.
 O BROTHER, THE
WHERE ART GODFATHER
THOU? Nino Rota
Various Artists Paramount (1972)
Lost Highway (2003) £20
£20
Already a film composer
Set during the Great of great renown for his
Depression of the 1930s, work with Federico Fellini,
the OST to the Coen notably 1960’s La Dolce
Brothers’ loose retelling Vita, Nino Rota offered
of Homer’s Odyssey Francis Ford Coppola a
faithfully recreates the score he couldn’t refuse.
country, bluegrass, folk, His richly evocative and 7
gospel and blues of the deeply iconic composition
era. Under the auspices was the perfect backdrop
of T Bone Burnett, the old- to the director’s Mafiosi PURPLE RAIN
time music plays a major masterpiece. Rota’s work Prince And The Revolution
role in the film and often 9 on the sequel earned him Warner Bros (1984)
drives the action. Alison (and Carmine Coppola) £25 (purple vinyl)
Krauss, Gillian Welch and an Oscar.
Emmylou Harris lend their HELP! The blockbuster soundtrack to
considerable vocal talents. The Beatles the vaguely autobiographical
Parlophone (1965) film of the same name saw
£100 (first press, mono) Prince assemble an amazing

S O U N DT R A C K S
collection of songs brimming
The second Beatles movie was a bit of a flimsy with his talent for showmanship
potboiler, but the soundtrack is rammed with and raunch. This seamless mix
early Lennon and McCartney classics. This was of funk, pop, R&B and rock
the Fab Four growing out their mop tops and proved to be an irresistible
readying themselves for the sonic adventures to cocktail, and provided the
10 come. Rather than spelling out the album title, the 8 artist then still known as Prince
iconic cover actually shows them sending out the with the third-biggest-selling
semaphore signal for ‘NUJV’. soundtrack album of all time.
59

FEATURE
4 2 1

THE HARDER SUPER FLY

THEY COME Curtis Mayfield

COVER
Various Artists Buddah (1972)
Island Records (1972) 3 £25 (gatefold)
£25
Curtis Mayfield’s third solo
Jimmy Cliff not only played the SATURDAY album after leaving The
rude-boy protagonist in Perry NIGHT FEVER Impressions is a serious work of
Henzell’s rough-hewn directorial soulful wonder that leaves the
Various Artists
masterpiece, he also contributed easily forgettable Blaxploitation
a sizeable chunk of the fantastic
RSO (1977)
movie that inspired it flailing
soundtrack. Other contributions £10 down amongst the dead men.
were cherry-picked from the
Much of the zeitgeist-
Regarded as trailblazing on BLADE RUNNER
cream of early Jamaican reggae release for confronting the issues Vangelis
with Toots And The Maytals, The tapping 70s disco flick of the day, it contains some of
was already in the can Warners (1994)
Melodians, The Slickers and his greatest songs, including
Desmond Dekker all leaving an before the Bee Gees’ £20
Pusherman, Freddie’s Dead
indelibly joyful mark. involvement in the project and the masterly title track.
had even begun. And The soundtrack to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi noir
while Travolta may have finally saw the neon light of day 12 years
shot his ‘action scenes’ after the movie’s release. During that time,
dancing to Boz Scaggs the reputation of Vangelis’ darkly melodic
and Stevie Wonder, it electronic score had reached mythic
was the brothers Gibb proportions – but it was worth the wait.
who appeared on the The irresistible combination of classical
mega-selling soundtrack; composition and synthesiser soundscapes
alongside shake-ass was to hold an inestimable sway over
classics from Kool a new generation of film scorers. ●
And The Gang and
The Trammps.
 INVADA
RECORDS
South Bristol’s Invada Records is the label and recording studio founded by
Geoff Barrow of Portishead. A hard-working operation concerned only with
the music, Invada is at the heart of the film-score resurgence. Long Live Vinyl
sits down with label manager Redg Weeks to find out the Invada story…
Interview Luke & Tom Friend

H
ow did Invada What was the first release that soundtracks, but without being an aficionado.
Records start? really signified the label’s move I had my favourites and I kept dipping my
“Geoff Barrow came back from into the new territory of film toes in – I was familiar with Cliff Martinez
I N VA DA

Australia after taking a small period of time scores and soundtracks? through Solaris, and then Drive came out – it
out of the UK and got together with Fat Paul, “I joined the label in 2009 but the real turning was just the combination of the film itself,
who’s a local entrepreneur, venue owner, gig point wasn’t until 2011 to 2012, when there which I’ve probably watched close to 30 times
promoter and a guy who’d previously had was talk of us bringing out Drokk, which was and still blows my mind every time I see it,
60 a number of small, yet successful, independent the project Geoff and Ben had just done with Cliff ’s score and obviously the licensed tracks
Bristol record labels – and between the two 2000 AD comics. I had also brought in the such as College’s A Real Hero and Chromatics’
of them, they founded Invada. The remit was Drive film score at around the same time, so Tick Of The Clock.”
STORY

to release pretty much anything they wanted, we had two relatively big records that were
no matter how obscure. Essentially, ‘we put film scores and I think those two paved the So you’re watching it, you
out what we want, when we want’. This was way for the label to start to consider putting know it’s Cliff Martinez, and
around 2002, 2003 I believe.” out more soundtracks and scores…” you’re thinking ‘this should be
LABEL

available to a wider audience’?

From those beginnings, how did Drive was a big one, wasn’t it? “Correct. I knew when I saw the film and when
Invada become the label it is “It was massive. I saw the film around October I heard the score that this was something
now? Would you even describe 2011. People were already buying the music we should be involved with. I thought it was
Invada as a soundtrack label? on iTunes, and those buying it were across incredible… with the BEAK> records we’d
“I would and I wouldn’t. I would say that we’ve a broad spectrum: your average Joe, people been doing there was an element of this cool
become synonymous with soundtracks over who’d buy Aphex Twin, Orbital, Prodigy, synth stuff, so I knew that BEAK> fans would
the past five years, but we never set out to bands like that, as well as people who were love it… and of course, I loved it, too.”
change the format of what Invada was about. into film soundtracks, and then people like
It’s just happened organically, through a series me, who were listening to a lot of different So it was an old-school A&R
of events, which includes Geoff getting into stuff. The Drive soundtrack just ticked a lot of approach then? No different
writing film scores with Ben Salisbury.” boxes. So I reached out to the film company from going and watching a
and we did the deal really quickly.” band and thinking ‘other
people are going to like this’?
Redg Weeks At that point, it didn’t “It was exactly that. And it changed everything
exist anywhere on vinyl? for me, because from that moment on, every
“No – it was on CD and iTunes at the time.” time I went to the cinema I would make notes,
go back and check if the music was on iTunes,
What part of your brain goes or on Spotify, see whether there had been
‘I think this should be on vinyl’? a vinyl release. I wasn’t looking at Drive from
“I’d been into soundtracks and scores for a long-term business point of view, more that
a while and at the same time, I was relatively old-school approach, going on a gut feeling
bored with contemporary bands. I was just and just see what happens. Luckily for the
looking for something else – something that label and me, it did connect massively with
wasn’t dance music or faceless electronic people. I remember texting Geoff, who was on
music, or the traditional band format; tour with Portishead at the time, and he’d been
I was just bored of it all. I’d been listening to talking to Ade (Utley, Portishead guitarist)
 [former Pop Will Eat Itself frontman and
film-score composer], we were talking at the
time, and he put me in touch with a friend
of his – Areli Quirarte, a music supervisor
Geoff Barrow, founder of the Invada label (left)
at Fox Music.
“After some back and forth with executives,
Areli came back to us with the good news. So
about it. Geoff called me from Australia, and Frizzi records, causing lots of interest from all we released Solaris – which, to be honest with
I told him ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve quarters. This really ignited what became you, as much as Drive was a game changer,
signed it’. The deal was done.” a huge culture of film scores pressed as deluxe Solaris was the one for me. It was the one
vinyl packages.” that I took more personal satisfaction from
So around this time, was because it was, at the time, my favourite film
there anyone else doing So after Drive, what was score. Probably still is.”
soundtracks in a similar way? the label’s next big release?
“I’d been spending a lot of time in London “After Drive, there was a lot of attention on the Was that available on vinyl
and would frequent Rough Trade East, where label. I’d spoken to Cliff Martinez a couple of anywhere at the time?
I N VA DA

Spencer from Death Waltz was manager. times, and it became apparent that everybody “No, it had never been on vinyl.”
We’d chat a lot during this period about each believed what I already knew, that Solaris was
other’s records. At this time, Death Waltz his untapped masterpiece. So I wanted to put So you’ve managed to get
were releasing John Carpenter and Fabio it out. It happened through Clint Mansell Drive and Solaris on vinyl
62 for the first time?
“Correct. And truthfully, when Solaris hit the
record stores, people maybe looked at us a
GEOFF BARROW’S TOP 5 SOUNDTRACKS
STORY

little differently. We were no longer the label

that ‘got lucky with Drive’.”
Assault On film was funny in places, to score it, would you
Precinct 13 so put a comedic element think ‘really hyper-synth Was it important to follow
LABEL

John Carpenter into the score, which I versions of Beethoven’? Drive with something of
didn’t ever quite get… but You wouldn’t, would you? equal significance?
“I just think it’s the best you’ve got a score that’s And that’s the point. If you “It was, but I mean the Drokk record came
example of something heavily theme-based. It’s go and see Annihilation out at about the same time as Drive, and that
that’s minimalist and just a classic.” or Ex Machina, they’re was a massive indie success. People love that
still commercial – it’s pretty much scored as record; it sold out really quickly, we pressed
not weird, but it’s totally Planet Of you’d imagine them to be. a thousand and that sold out, then we did
brilliant. With about four The Apes They fit. But A Clockwork another thousand and that sold out. It’s one
or five sounds, he’s able Jerry Goldsmith Orange is the opposite – of those records to this day that really
to score a whole film. It’s and it‘s just full of talented resonates. I knew that we were doing well
just utterly brilliant. It’s “He was doing things players. It’s unbelievable. with that record when we saw Clint Mansell
been one of the biggest with echoes, with It’s insane. It just wasn’t wearing a Drokk T-shirt in his press shots!”
influences on my music.” orchestras… the score for being done like that.”
the chase scene in the film How did the Stranger
The Good, is immaculately crafted. Tommy Things release come about?
The Bad And It’s absolutely huge.” The Who “I stumbled across the series through my nine-
The Ugly year-old son, who was trying to watch it. He’s
Ennio Morricone A Clockwork “It just freaked me the fuck always trying to sneak-watch horror films
Orange out! It’s because of Tommy – he loves Jaws – so I came across it through
“It’s kind of the other Wendy Carlos that I’ve got a soft spot for him and then binge watched the series, did
direction from Assault musicals. I actually like the whole series in a night. Like everyone,
On Precinct 13 – it’s got “It’s easy to imagine Jesus Christ Superstar. I was blown away by the music, and I called
everything but the kitchen A Clockwork Orange I like Grease. I remember up Brian from Lakeshore (an independent
sink in it, from penny with completely different seeing it when I was music division of film-production company
whistles to cannons! music… if you were given young, thinking ‘what the Lakeshore Entertainment), who I’d got to
Morricone thought the the scripts and were asked hell?’. It’s just nuts…” know through the Drive project. So Stranger
Things was a collaboration with them…”
 And did you sense that it where the film didn’t do that well at the box
was going to be a success? office, but the film score took on a life of its
“It was like Drive was happening all over again. own… BEAK>’s soundtrack for Couple In
Stranger Things was a box-ticker and another A Hole, for example, just took on a life of its
example of when the stars align. The San own – with FACT magazine suggesting that
Junipero [Black Mirror] score was the same. the score should have been nominated for
I watched the episode on the night Netflix an Oscar…”
screened the show. The second the credits
came up at the end, I texted Clint to tell him So how can a soundtrack
I thought it was an incredible piece of music. help a film?
Within hours, there were literally hundreds “I think that most of the standout film scores
of tweets from people praising the score.” and soundtracks people reference all have the
same characteristics – they give the movie coming year? Will there be
And how about Ex Machina, a whole new level of personality and make more scores? Any non-film-
another example of lnvada’s the experience of watching the film a lot related stuff?
seminal releases? more memorable. Invada has just released “Yes, both. And it’s important for us to

I N VA DA
“With Ex Machina, I just knew we had the Lynne Ramsay-directed You Were Never continue to do both. We’re known for
something. I’d heard the recordings, I’d seen Really Here score by Jonny Greenwood. soundtracks, but also for Geoff ’s work outside
the early incarnations of the film with Geoff, I heard the score before I saw the film of Portishead. BEAK> are a massive part of
but when I saw the full screening at the BFI, and couldn’t believe how good it was as a the label; The KVB are, too. So we’ve got the
I knew it was going to do really well. I just standalone piece of music. A few months later, third BEAK> record coming out and the 63
know through experience when a score’s after a screening, I came out of the cinema new KVB record. Invada has to remain
going to do really well and when it’s not… and all you could hear was people praising the open-minded, and non-conformist, and

STORY
it’s an intuition, I think.” music and saying how well it worked.” I think that while we always want to release
film scores, if nothing comes along – but
So with that in mind, what While we’re on the subject of at the same time there are 10 bands we like
makes a classic Invada film new projects, what else has and who we feel we can do something with –

LABEL
score release – what do Invada got planned for the then that’s what we’ll do.”
you look for?
“In an ideal world, you’d have 10 Drive records
each year – great film, great score, great
artwork, great director and a huge fanbase,
MOST STANDOUT FILM SCORES AND
which is also a very cool fanbase. The reality
is that those releases are few and far between.
SOUNDTRACKS HAVE THE SAME
Today, when we hear something we like, both
Geoff and I, we’ll look at the film, the way its
CHARACTERISTICS: THEY GIVE THE
been received. But we have worked on records MOVIE A NEW LEVEL OF PERSONALITY
 REDG WEEKS’ TOP 5 SOUNDTRACKS
Paris Texas record shops. To this day, Dead Man
Ry Cooder I don’t know whether it’s Neil Young
a bootleg or legit! But I
“I watched the film with my did pay about £40 for “I was never a huge
father when I was around it. One of the highlights Neil Young fan nor a
12 or 13 and at the time, of my career in the music collector of his music
was learning to play the industry was getting an like a lot of my friends
guitar. My dad was email from 20th Century were. This, surprisingly,
And it’s the open-mindedness a jazz aficionado and Fox approving our request was the gateway for
that led you to the soundtracks rarely strayed from the to release this on vinyl.” my exploration of his
in the first place? path on his musical catalogue, which has now
“Exactly. And I think film soundtracks are just purchases. However,  Suburbia become a staple part of
getting more interesting, with more interesting he bought this soundtrack Various Artists/ my music consumption.”
people getting hired. Look at Kyle Dixon and and it was played Alex Gibson
Michael Stein from Stranger Things; two guys relentlessly at home for The Omen
from an electronic band in Austin, and they’ve about a year. I attempted “One of the most important Jerry Goldsmith
turned in one of the best scores of all time. to play like Ry Cooder, but films of my teenage years
It’s encouraging, to say the least.” ultimately failed.”   turned into one of the “I hold The Omen up as
most important records the greatest horror film
What part do you think Solaris in my collection. There I’ve ever seen. The score
the vinyl format has had in Cliff Martinez isn’t anything particularly is a work of genius and
helping to drive the interest in striking about the Alex truly captures everything
soundtracks and scores? “My favourite electronic Gibson score as a that the film was meant
“It’s interesting, because probably of the last 12 score. I first heard this standalone listen, but to reflect. Truly haunting,
or so Invada film-score releases, we’ve done after watching the film, paired with the four punk- while remaining utterly
I N VA DA

a black vinyl version not to be cheap, but which truthfully, I didn’t rock tracks, the soundtrack beautiful at the same time.
to actually just say ‘this is about the music, really enjoy. I picked up a comes alive. It was Everyone knows Goldsmith
the score, the soundtrack’ and not about CD from eBay after trying released in 1984 and is scores are to be savoured,
any gimmicks, the ‘deluxe’ this, the ‘deluxe’ to track it down through very much of its time.” but this is his finest hour.”
64 that. People certainly want that collectability.
People expect that with film scores, but the
longer I’ve been doing this and the more
STORY

experience I’ve gotten, I’m just as happy nothing more. It didn’t need to be tricked So you don’t make the music
releasing something simple.” up. I didn’t want to spruce it up. Some a collector’s piece, rather
records do warrant that, but we’ve always just the format?
Can you give us tried to make it about the music. That’s “Exactly that. If it’s luminous green, with
LABEL

an example of that? very important to us. We’ll continue to zebra stripes embossed on the vinyl and it
“The Nick Cave & Warren Ellis Wind do the coloured vinyl, the splatter vinyl, plays inside to out on 78rpm, then make that
River record. I thought that record looked because certain releases warrant it. But limited, but keep another version available.
beautiful. It was a great sleeve, heavyweight sometimes, a release just requires a more We’ve copped a lot of flak for keeping records
black vinyl, with beautiful artwork and fundamental approach.” in print, but why should people be deprived
of the Drive soundtrack? It’s an important
record, just as important to me as Nevermind
WE’VE COPPED A LOT OF FLAK FOR by Nirvana or Pink Floyd’s The Wall; it’s a
game-changer and should be available. There’s
KEEPING RECORDS IN PRINT, BUT no way you wouldn’t be able to buy Nirvana
or Pink Floyd again. So there’s a market for the
WHY SHOULD PEOPLE BE DEPRIVED collectible stuff, and there’s room for it, but it’s
not what we’re about.”
OF THE DRIVE SOUNDTRACK?
So ultimately the music’s more
important than the format?
And it’s important to “Yes, I do believe that. In the end, it’s the music
ensure your records that really matters.” ●
are accessible…
“Yes, which is why we’re not just about
soundtracks on vinyl; we want to keep it on all
formats. We don’t want to do the uber-limited
things, not because we want the sales, but
because we want to keep the records in print,
just like we would a band. I don’t believe in
having a small run and the record never to be
re-released.”
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 THE ESSENTIAL
THE WHO
They probably could have been more prolific, 40
CAN’T EXPLAIN/BALD
HEADED WOMAN
(1965)
Producer Shel Talmy suggested the public-
domain cover on the B-side of The Who’s
they probably should have enjoyed more debut single because he knew how to claim
the publishing. On the A-side, Townshend
chart success. But no matter – as Sean Egan proffered an anthem of inarticulacy. The
record was first released by US Decca
demonstrates in this rundown of rarities and at the end of 1964, then withdrawn,

must-have vinyl, The Who’s varied back corrected (the “I” was dropped from the
A-side’s title) and reissued. It’s possible to
W H O

catalogue is a many-splendoured thing… pick up that first pressing cheaply, as many

dealers are unaware of its uniqueness.
T H E

Rarest 1964 Decca (US) £50

£
66
ESSENTIAL

O
n the surface, The Who Pete Townshend is a songwriting genius
made no sense. They stayed whose craft spans three-minute pop gems
THE

together through thick and and intricate, multi-song narratives. John

thin, despite the fact that they Entwistle was the Quiet One in personality
couldn’t stand the sight of each other. In only; his bass playing always prominent
the 60s, they were the rawest, most visceral in the soundscape, and always excellent.
live act in rock, but their record releases Underpinning it all was Keith Moon,

39
alternated between quirky pop singles and whose drumming was as massive and
grand, intellectual suites. And – have we hyperactive as his personality.
got this far without mentioning it? – they The nucleus of the group coalesced in
carried on playing into their dotage, despite 1961, with Moon completing the classic ANYWAY, ANYHOW,
claiming in their most famous song that line-up in ’64. They began as R&B-covers ANYWHERE/DADDY
they hoped they died before they got old. merchants, but Townshend blossomed ROLLING STONE
Of course, The Who were prepared so quickly as a composer that by 1965, (1965)
to tolerate each other because each he’d written an anthem that genuinely The second Who single was a libertarian
knew that they would never find better encapsulated the feelings of contemporary anthem, but was most notable for being
musicians to work with. Meanwhile, their Western youth. Evolving in leaps and drenched in the feedback Townshend
contradictions were overlooked by their bounds, in 1969, he changed history with had made his stage trademark. Eddie
devoted fanbase because of the superior, a rock opera that made popular music Phillips of The Creation, and even The
groundbreaking music made possible worthy of the attention of the intelligentsia. Roadrunners, have claims to be pioneers
by the musical melding of their The Who’s catalogue is surprisingly in turning this technical fault into an asset,
irreplaceable talents. slim for such a long-lived and venerated but Townshend did the most to popularise
ensemble. Nonetheless, what does exist is it. Despite its atonal sections, this became
WHO ARE THEY? highly desired and studded with intriguing the second Who top-tenner.
Roger Daltrey is a vocalist who can rarities. Our list is chronological, and
alternate between tremulous delicacy and rarest entries refer to UK releases, unless Rarest 1965 Brunswick (Denmark) £240
gravel-throated belligerence. otherwise stated. £
38
MY GENERATION/
SHOUT AND SHIMMY
(1965)
The blitzkrieg record that completed
music’s all-time most uncompromising
opening trio of releases, with the
possible exception of the Sex Pistols’
opening salvo. Daltrey sneering that
36
SUBSTITUTE/
VARIOUS B-SIDES
(1966)
A quarter-century before Creep, this
45 explored self-loathing in a far more
rousing and witty way. Substitute’s
multiple B-sides are of great interest.
The first, Circles, is the most sought
34
HAPPY JACK/
I’VE BEEN AWAY
(1966)
The B-side is a country-inflected piece of
fluff from Entwistle. The A-side is higher
quality, but weirdly apropos of nothing,
detailing the life of an eccentric on the Isle
Of Man who refuses to let ridicule spoil his
he hoped he died before he got old after. The number was re-recorded and mood. Moon’s drumming is spectacular,
was shocking enough, but instructing renamed Instant Party when the ousted but his singing was so bad he was banned
his elders to f-f-fade away was within Talmy injuncted the record. Another from the vocal booth and audibly told off
two syllables of telling them to f-f-f--off. injunction and the B-side became a by Townshend (“I saw ya!”) for venturing

W H O
Townshend intones the title line surreally Graham Bond Organisation recording into it. DJs are still caught out by his cry
metronomically, and Entwistle drops the called (pointedly) Waltz For A Pig. after the apparent ending.
first-ever bass solo.

T H E
Rarest 1966 Reaction (with Circle) £11 Rarest 1966 Polydor (Greece) £350
£ Rarest 1965 Decca
(Germany, club edition) £55
£ £
67

ESSENTIAL
THE
37
MY GENERATION
(1965)
The Who’s debut LP came as a
disappointment to some: there was a surfeit
of incongruous covers, the abrasiveness
was toned down via the incorporation
of Nicky Hopkins’ frilly piano and the
insurrectionary power of the title track
35
I’M A BOY/IN THE CITY
(1966)
If Substitute was the first indication of
Townshend’s more nuanced, subversive
gifts, I’m A Boy was where he revealed
his penchant for the perverse. The A-side
was – it seems fair to say – the first song
about enforced transvestitism to crack
33
READY STEADY WHO
(1966)
The title of The Who’s first EP alluded to the
mod-friendly TV show Ready Steady Go!,
but the five studio recordings it contained
had no connection to Cathy McGowan
and co, contrary to the sleevenotes. The
A-side featured two Townshend originals:
was diluted by being surrounded by the Top Five. Townshend had previously Disguises was a shuffling, surreal number
Townshend-penned, trivial teenage soap held back from proffering Daltrey such about identity-shifting; the already released
operas. That said, many more consider fare because he thought he only wanted Circles was the first track to reveal Entwistle’s
it a bull-nosed classic, lifted high by the to throw macho shapes. The Entwistle/ facility for wind instruments. The B-side
breathless The Kids Are Alright. Legal issues Moon B-side would provide a title for the featured a trio of jokey covers: Batman
bizarrely kept it out of print for many years. first single from Who acolytes The Jam. Theme, Bucket “T” and Barbara Ann.

Rarest 1965 Brunswick £70 Rarest 1966 Polydor (Norway) £140 Rarest 1966 Reaction £25
£ £ £
 32
A QUICK ONE
(1966)
The Who’s second album was sabotaged
from the get-go: all band members
contributed songs, so as to procure them
publishing advances. Inevitably, the
offerings of Messrs Daltrey, Entwistle and
Moon paled in comparison to those of
30
THE LAST TIME/
UNDER MY THUMB
(1967)
In June 1967, Mick Jagger and Keith
Richards were imprisoned on drugs
charges after a court case which felt like a
trial of the entire counterculture. The Who
showed solidarity with this single, the first
28
THE WHO SELL OUT
(1967)
The burning sense of injustice on
the part of the young at the 1967
outlawing of pirate radio stations is
now a fading memory, but Townshend
responded to it by sequencing The
Who’s third LP like a radio show, with
Townshend. He not only more or less of a planned monthly sequence of Jagger/ jingles linking the often jingle-like songs.
invented the rock opera with the closing Richards covers rendered unnecessary 500 copies came with a free poster,
nine-minute suite A Quick One, While when Jagger’s sentence was reduced to but the most sought-after version is a
He’s Away, but also purveyed an exquisite a conditional discharge and Richards’ Japanese edition with a lyric insert and
W H O

three-minute pop number, So Sad About conviction quashed. Townshend covered essay, difficult to find in mint condition
Us, criminally overlooked for single release. on bass for a honeymooning Entwistle. because of its thin sleeve.
T H E

Rarest 1966 Polydor (New Zealand) £90 Rarest 1967 Polydor (France) £60 Rarest 1967 Polydor (Japan, stereo)
£ £ £ £680
68
ESSENTIAL
THE

31
PICTURES OF LILY/
DOCTOR, DOCTOR
(1967)
How do you top a record about a boy
being forced into skirts and make-up?
Why, with a song about masturbating, of
course. When the narrator complains of
insomnia to his father, liberal-minded pater
29
I CAN SEE FOR MILES/
SOMEONE’S COMING
(1967)
After a run of quirky pop singles, this
was the first reminder to the public since
My Generation of the power heard in
Who live performances. Townshend
was devastated when this concoction
27
DOGS/CALL
ME LIGHTNING
(1968)
With Townshend toiling on his magnum
opus Tommy, and with the band bleeding
money through their auto-destructive stage
routine, The Who had to keep up a release
schedule. The result was two singles
provides him pin-ups of stage actress Lillie of slashing chords, gigantic drum rolls strange even for them. The first was Dogs,
[sic] Langtry. The lad is later devastated to and denunciations of a lover in quasi- a love song with a greyhound-racing setting
be informed that the object of his desire mystical terms only just crept into the rendered by Daltrey in a cockney accent.
has been dead for 40 years. The first UK British Top 10. He’d have to get used Call Me Lightning was the A-side in the US,
Who release on Track, the label of their to such disappointment: bizarrely, The but other territories dropped that track in
managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp. Who never had a recognised No. 1. favour of Circles.

Rarest 1967 Polydor (Japan) £110 Rarest 1967 Polydor (Norway) £35 Rarest 1968 Polydor £6
£ £ £
26
MAGIC BUS/
DR. JEKYLL
AND MR. HYDE
(1968)
The second in the brace of weirdies was a
two-year-old relic. Presumably embarrassed
by the limitations of a piece of whimsy
about a vehicle that takes him to his baby’s
24
TOMMY
(1969)
Townshend’s double-concept album
about a deaf, dumb and blind boy who
sets up a cult in between pinball games
didn’t just revitalise The Who’s career.
By popularising the narrative album,
it forever gave rock respectability.
22
LIVE AT LEEDS
(1970)
This thunderous in-concert release proved
that – even without sight of their mic-
twirling, arm-flailing and air-leaping – The
Who’s live prowess could translate to
vinyl. Plus, it helped codify the rules of
heavy metal, a genre still in its infancy,
house set for no good reason to a Bo Removed from its achievements, it stands with Zeppelin and Sabbath’s debuts
Diddley beat, Townshend had kept Magic or falls on its listenability, and there it only recently released. The mock-bootleg
Bus in his bottom drawer until now. In tends to suffer in comparison with other design and inserts made for a captivating
Norway, a demo of Mary Anne With The Who fare. Although dotted with gems package. The first 300 copies had black,

W H O
Shaky Hand somehow found its way onto such as 1921 and Christmas, few cite rather than red or blue, cover lettering.
the B-side, creating a collector’s item. Tommy as their favourite Who album.
Rarest 1970 Polydor
£

T H E
Rarest 1968 Polydor £5 Rarest 1970 Polydor (South Africa) £58 (black lettering, inserts) £250
£ £
69

ESSENTIAL
THE
25
PINBALL WIZARD/
DOGS PART TWO
(1969)
Tommy’s reinvention of The Who as an
albums band didn’t prohibit the creation
of one of The Who’s finest singles and
a return in the UK to bona-fide hits. It
was ironic, because the tale of a master
23
THE SEEKER/
HERE FOR MORE
(1970)
Entering the 70s, The Who – unlike
most of their peers – continued to
release standalone 45s. However, they
never recaptured their previous status
as a singles band. This was despite
21
WHO’S NEXT
(1971)
Lifehouse – Townshend’s intended
follow-up to Tommy – was so hellishly
complicated, the double concept album
was abandoned in favour of
a single disc, with all narrative
intentions ignored. Yet Who’s Next is
of the coin-operated machine that the fact that the records could be very one of the greatest albums ever made.
captivated kids pre-video games was good. The Seeker is a case in point; The epic lament for a failed cultural
included only to butter up rock journo this story of a tortured soul searching revolution Won’t Get Fooled Again
Nik Cohn. Its opening, incrementally for enlightenment low and h-i-igh (thank gets all the kudos, but Bargain and
building to furious strumming, is one of you, Roger) is catchy, high-class stuff the sensual Love Ain’t For Keeping
the all-time great intros. but only just inched into the Top 20 epitomise The Who’s growth into
and is largely forgotten. mature artists.
Rarest 1968 International Polydor
£ Production (Australia) £14 Rarest 1970 Polydor (Norway) £39 Rarest 1971 Polydor
£ £
 20
LET’S SEE ACTION/
WHEN I WAS A BOY
(1971)
A severely cut-down version of Won’t
Get Fooled Again gave The Who
a transatlantic Top 10 hit: the group
followed it up with a new standalone
single. Let’s See Action is similar to
18
RELAY/WASPMAN
(1972)
The defiant A-side was, intriguingly, set
to be the opening track of an album
entitled Rock Is Dead – Long Live Rock.
A history of The Who, the remainder
of its projected contents was Get
Inside, Love Reign O’er Me, Women’s
16
5:15/WATER
(1973)
The taster single for the Quadrophenia
album featured another Lifehouse track
on the B-side. The A-side never really
persuades as the anthem it strives to
be; it stalled at No. 20. The beautiful,
plaintive Love, Reign O’er Me – the
other Who singles of the time: it’s well- Liberation, Long Live Rock, Is It In My second single from the LP – would have
crafted, specifically addresses rock’s Head?, Put The Money Down, Can’t been a much better choice. Note:
importance to youth and fails to truly You See I’m Easy and Join Together In this single should not be confused
excite. Entwistle mordantly explores his The Band. At the last minute, the project with a 1979 remix of 5:15 from the
W H O

hinterland on the other side. Loyal Who was abandoned as self-indulgent and soundtrack of the Quadrophenia movie,
fans sent it to No. 16 in the UK. too sonically similar to Who’s Next. with I’m One on the B-side.
T H E

Rarest 1971 Polydor (Portugal) £35 Rarest 1972 Polydor (Angola) £400 Rarest 1973 Track (Portugal) £65
£ £ £
70
ESSENTIAL
THE

19
JOIN TOGETHER
BABY DON’T
YOU DO IT (LIVE)
(1972)
70s Who and solo Townshend releases
were peppered with Lifehouse songs
that didn’t make it onto Who’s Next. Join
Together is one such number, and like Let’s
17
TOMMY (WITH THE
LONDON SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA)
(1972)
Whereas ‘rock opera’ implies
something lavish, Kit Lambert’s
production was rather skeletal. Those
who mused about plusher versions of
15
QUADROPHENIA
(1973)
The double album released instead of
Rock Is Dead – Long Live Rock featured
retooled versions of some of the latter’s
intended tracks. It was also hardly less
self-absorbed, being a narrative about a
mod whose quadrophonic personality split
See Action extols the power of music, Tommy have had their curiosity satisfied is based on the four Who members. It’s
while failing to convey said power. Jew’s by the original soundtrack recording possibly even inferior to the abandoned
harp runs irritatingly through a mediocre of the Ken Russell movie (1975), the LP: as with all Who albums from this point
track that perplexingly became a UK top- stage-musical cast recording (1993) onwards, Quadrophenia is likeable in its
tenner. An in-concert version of a Marvin and this, the first – and grandest – thoughtfulness and admirable in its craft,
Gaye number is also thrown in. alternate. Only Moon wasn’t involved. but only truly impressive in flashes.

Rarest 1972 Polydor (Italy) £26 Rarest 1972 Ode Rarest 2007 Classic (USA, 200 £98)
£ £ (USA, quadraphonic version) £15
£
14
ODDS & SODS
(1974)
The Who released just 10 studio
albums in their first 17 years. That they
could have been much more productive
is proven by this ‘official bootleg’, which
rounds up various unreleased tracks,
including yet more Lifehouse songs, and
13 SQUEEZE BOX/
SUCCESS STORY
(1975)
The Who By Numbers was a rather
sombre album, but its lead-off 45 saw the
band sounding like they’d been transported
back to the mid 60s, when Townshend
was writing twinkle-eyed, slightly bizarre
12
THE WHO
BY NUMBERS
(1975)
A typically soporific, uncertain record of
the mid-70s era. Townshend, though, was
too meditative to succumb to rock aristo-
smugness. The album’s songs are suffused
with the self-doubt that always made latter-
for good measure throws in the A-side singles. The spirit of My Ding-A-Ling informs day Who music admirable, even when it
of the High Numbers’ single. Its mish- a ditty about a newly acquired accordion: wasn’t hummable. Meanwhile, the gently
mash nature is signified by the frank title, there’s talk of going in and out, getting no life-affirming Blue, Red And Grey was a
but the fact that Who discards were sleep at night and every other innuendo new Who classic. Its unique photo-negative

W H O
superior to most groups’ highlights was Pete could shovel in. It didn’t follow Chuck version of Entwistle’s cover art makes the
reflected in its Top 10 chart success. Berry to No. 1, but did make No. 10. Austrian edition highly sought after.

T H E
Rarest 1974 Track (Greece) £24 Rarest 1976 PGP RTB (Yugoslavia) £6 Rarest 1975 Polydor (Austria) £190
£ £ £
71

WHO’S FIRST

ESSENTIAL
The Who’s mod ties weren’t straightforward
The Who’s relationship with mod suits) onto the melodies of existing

THE
was ambiguous long before a R&B songs: Misery by The
bemused Pete Townshend informed Dynamics and I Got Love If You
the parka-clad hordes of mod Want It by Slim Harpo (although
revivalists at a latter-day Who gig some feel Zoot Suit owes more to
that the band didn’t have much in Country Fool by The Showmen).

11
common with them. The Who seem quite fond of the
It was The Who’s first manager, recordings: they have turned up
Peter Meaden, who wanted the on many a Who compilation
band to appear to adhere to the down the years. These days, WHO ARE YOU/
fashions and values of the sharp- original editions of a disc that HAD ENOUGH
dressed youth cult of modernism. may have only had a pressing of (1978)
The band went along with it, 1,000 fetch close to a grand. A song born out of a gruelling
although – unlike their mates the 11-hour financial negotiation which
Small Faces – they had little affinity yielded Townshend a seven-figure
with mod and soon gravitated to settlement, but filled him with disgust.
more ironic, pop-art clothing. This was surely not uninformed by
Zoot Suit b/w I’m The Face was the punk movement’s accusations that
effectively The Who’s debut, even his generation were artists second,
if the 1964 Fontana single was businessmen first. Coincidentally,
issued under the shortlived name he then met two Sex Pistols, whose
the High Numbers. Meaden’s friendliness worsened his mood.
influence is all over the release. It Who Are You sees Townshend finally
cynically and fatuously pastes mod create great art from rich-celeb travails.
phraseology and fashion references
(many mod ‘faces’ sported zoot Rarest 1978 Polydor (Belgium) £14
£
 10
WHO ARE YOU
(1978)
This album sadly failed to live up to
the excellence of its namesake single
precursor. Punk rock’s denunciations
of the old guard inform many of these
songs, epitomised by Music Must
Change. Yet the changed music here
9 THE KIDS ARE
ALRIGHT
(1979)
At the turn of the 80s, The Who were a
mini motion-picture industry, producing
biographical documentary The Kids Are
Alright, an adaptation of Quadrophenia
(both 1979) and the crime biopic McVicar
8
QUADROPHENIA
(1979)
The Quadrophenia movie providentially
appeared just as the mod revival was
sweeping Britain. Its double-LP soundtrack
was an odd beast. It contained most,
but not all, of the tracks from The Who
album that the film dramatised, but
is an overly elaborate, synth-drenched (1980). Kids became an unexpected remixed by Entwistle. It added three
concoction. The Who had other eulogy for Keith Moon. This double-LP negligible new Who songs, as well as
problems, too. They were drifting apart, soundtrack offers a good selection of the High Numbers’ Zoot Suit. There was
hence the three-year gap between concert, TV and live-in-the-studio material, also a side of 60s songs by other artists,
W H O

albums. And the physically waning some of which, like the Smothers Brothers one of which – Green Onions – became
Moon’s drumming is lacklustre. and Woodstock appearances, are iconic. a UK Top 10 hit through its inclusion.
T H E

Rarest 1980 Direct-Disk Labs Rarest 1979 CBS (Japan) £30 Rarest 1987 Polydor (Japan) £36
£ (USA, DBX Encoded) £27
£ £
72

WHO’S RAREST
ESSENTIAL

The Who’s seldom-glimpsed, much-coveted rarity

In the autumn of 1970, Track The Who were unhappy with the
THE

Record prepared a budget Who Frankenstein nature of the LP. It’s

LP entitled Who Did It! (catalogue unlikely that the objection was to
number Track 2856 001). the Audio Club Of Great Britain,
It featured Side One of for which Polydor mail-order
A Quick One backed with Side series it was intended. The club

7
One of The Who Sell Out. would issue Who (and Hendrix)
These contents were declared albums in the future.
to be ‘Enhanced for Stereo from 400 or so copies of the record
original Mono recordings’. had already been distributed YOU BETTER YOU BET/
Hardly an alluring artefact, one before the destruction order THE QUIET ONE
might think. However, the fact went out, so it occasionally (1981)
that it was quickly withdrawn and materialises. Putting a value on Keith Moon died of a prescription-drug
subjected instantly to a destruction it, though, is problematic, even overdose just weeks after Who Are You. The
order made it highly desirable. impossible. It tends to be sold in band seemed to go into denial, recruiting
Theories vary as to why auctions, with the winning bid ex-Small Faces/Faces drummer Kenney
this particular release was kept secret. Suffice to say, any Jones. This single saw the band acquiescing
abandoned. Some theorise it was Who fanatic with sufficient funds to their first Top Of The Pops performance in
due to Track releases transferring will dig deep if one appears. a decade. The tale of midlife tomcatting on
to Polydor (the label’s distributor) the A-side found Townshend ultimately failing
at around this juncture, pointing to recapture his past songwriting form.
out that Electric Jimi Hendrix – On the likeable B-side, Entwistle belatedly
a similarly scarce abandoned provides himself an anthem.
release by a fellow Track
artist – had the next sequential Rarest 1981 Polydor (South Africa) £18
catalogue number. Others say £
6
FACE DANCES
(1981)
Daily Records summarises Townshend’s
love for The Who’s fans and his
determination to never let them down.
The objective might have been
achieved on this first Jones-era Who
album if Pete hadn’t withheld his best
4
IT’S HARD
(1982)
The Who have acknowledged that this
LP was a contractual obligation. Sadly,
everything about it suggests the band
were justified in their lack of enthusiasm
for continuing. The fact of a deep and
increasingly troubled man like Townshend
2
JOIN TOGETHER
(1990)
In 1989, The Who embarked on
a 25th Anniversary tour. Not only was
it in contravention of their previous
‘it’s over’ pledges, but the jaunt – with
Simon Phillips replacing Jones on drums
– found Townshend, beset by tinnitus
songs: both Daltrey and Jones thought using as his mouthpiece an uncomplicated, problems, often restricted to playing
his recent solo album’s rampaging happy soul like Daltrey was becoming rhythm guitar inside a Perspex booth.
Rough Boys should have gone to awkward, although admittedly, that This triple-LP document of the tour was
The Who. There’s one semi-classic in wouldn’t matter much, were the songs not predictably depressing.

W H O
How Can You Do It Alone, a song in so lyrically and musically indigestible. Only
the finest pervy Townshend tradition. the funky Eminence Front has some life to it. Rarest 1990 Virgin £21
£

T H E
Rarest 1981 PolyGram TV Rarest 1982 MCA (Japan) £44
£ (Australasia, special edition) £155
£
73

ESSENTIAL
THE
5
PHASES
(1981)
In 1980, Virgin somehow managed to
negotiate tricky legal waters to reissue
the My Generation LP, even if there were
complaints about the pressing quality. Even
better, the following year came this massive
German boxset containing My Generation
3
WHO’S LAST
(1984)
It’s Hard was promoted with a tour
billed as The Who’s farewell; this audio
document dribbled out two years later.
Some editions had a cover featuring
a Union Jack (a totemic Who item)
symbolically aflame. That Daltrey never
1
ENDLESS WIRE
(2006)
The Who resumed touring in 1996
and have continued sporadic live
work since. Entwistle’s death in 2002
torpedoed mooted Who recordings,
but – after new tracks on the 2004
CD-only compilation Then And Now
and every other Moon-era studio thought Jones’ drumming worked within The – an album arrived in 2006. It was
album, plus Live At Leeds. There were Who was a reason for their split. However, surprisingly ambitious, with half devoted
no complaints about the manufacturing the dismaying quality of The Who’s to a mini-opera. Even without Moon
quality of these discs, nor their crisp sound, performances on this double LP can’t all be and Entwistle, and with Daltrey’s voice
although there were quibbles about the put at Jones’ feet. The selections are also in decline, the contents hold their own
exclusion of Odds & Sods. suspect – why end with Twist And Shout? with at least latter-day Who albums. ●

Rarest 1981 Polydor (Germany) £130 Rarest 1984 MCA (Japan) £34 Rarest 2015 Polydor (180g) £14
£ £ £
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 Classic Album
HOUNDS OF LOVE
LO V E
O F

KATE BUSH
H O U N D S

76
ALBUM

Mystery surrounded Kate Bush in

1985, with rumours circulating that
CLASSIC

she’d given up music for good. Far

from it – she was readying the sublime
Hounds Of Love. As Bush celebrates
her 60th birthday, Mark Lindores runs
the rule over her career masterpiece
CLASSIC ALBUM H O U N D S O F LO V E
77
 European tour – 1979’s The Tour Of Life. However, as her

Getty
work had grown ever more experimental, so her commercial
success had dwindled. While The Dreaming had been truly
ahead of its time, using new technology such as the Fairlight
synth, it had produced only one UK Top 20 single (Sat In
Your Lap) and alienated even Bush’s most fervent admirers.
Since then, all that had been heard from the singer was
a bulletin in her fan club newsletter in 1983: “This year has
been very positive so far. It doesn’t have the same air of doom
and gloom that ’81 and ’82 seemed to hold. The problem is
that if I don’t make an album this year, there will be at least
another two-year gap, and the way business and politics are,
it would be a negative situation. I seem to have hit another
quiet period. I intend to keep on writing for the first part
of the year, so yet again, I slip away from the eyeball of the
media to my home.”
‘Home’ at this point was a 17th-century farmhouse in Kent,
and it was here that Bush built a state-of-the-art, 48-track
recording studio. This enabled her creativity to run free
LO V E

without the burden of studio costs, which had been a bone of

contention with her label, EMI, during the sessions for The
Dreaming. Bush had also been dissatisfied at the frequency
O F

with which she’d been expected to produce new material,

and felt that some of her releases could’ve been better with
H O U N D S

the benefit of time (especially her second album,

Lionheart). Working on her fifth album at
home enabled Bush the freedom to write,
produce, arrange and perform on her
own terms (practically unheard of at
78 the time, particularly for a female

“Moving the studio

ALBUM

into my home helped

in so many ways.
CLASSIC

I felt free to work in

an uninhibited way”
KATE BUSH

G
iven her status as one of the most original
and dynamic artists Britain has ever
produced, it’s hard to imagine that in the
mid 80s, Kate Bush was perceived to be
languishing in the pop wasteland.
In July 1985, as the world basked in the enormity of Live
Aid, NME – no doubt dismayed at the state of a British music
scene dominated by Dire Straits, Queen and Phil Collins –
ran an article asking where Bush had disappeared to.
It had been three years since her last album, The Dreaming,
and there were rumours that she’d gone mad, developed an
addiction to junk food that had seen her weight balloon to
20 stone, or retired from the music industry completely.
In fact, nothing could’ve been further from the truth and, in
September of that year, she unleashed what would become
her defining opus, Hounds Of Love, on the world.
The ethereal ingénue who’d transfixed the nation with the
almost-operatic Wuthering Heights at the height of punk
and disco in 1978 had previously been prolific, releasing Above: Kate. Bush.
four albums in five years, as well as completing an extensive Circa 1985
 The songs
Core personnel Bendall, Brian Tench,
Kate Bush Vocals, Fairlight Paul Hardiman, Nigel
artist). “Moving the studio into my home couldn’t have been CMI, piano Walker, James Guthrie, Bill
a better decision,” she said in 1985. “It helped in so many Alan Murphy Guitar Somerville-Large, Pearce
ways. I felt much more relaxed and free to work in an Del Palmer Bass, backing Dunne, Julian Mendelsohn,
uninhibited way. If you’re paying for studio time, you feel vocals, Linn programming Chris Blair, Ian Cooper
guilty if you experiment; that you’re throwing money away. Paddy Bush Violin,
Whereas at home, there’s none of that pressure.” balalaika, didgeridoo, Recorded 1984 to 1985,
fujara Wickham Farm Home
TWIN THEMES Stuart Elliott Drums Studio, Welling
Having used her time out of the spotlight to reconnect Charlie Morgan Drums Mastered Townhouse
with friends and immerse herself in film and literature, Studios, London
a revitalised Bush found herself at her most inspired, revelling Production Released 16 September,
in the creative freedom that she’d longed and fought for. Del Palmer, Haydn 1985 (UK)
A sojourn to Dublin proved to be equally inspiring – both
thematically and sonically. Bush began fusing the Fairlight
with the folky instruments she’d used in Ireland, crafting the
sound that would inform the album. 1 RUNNING UP THAT HILL
It was also while in Dublin that Bush penned most of the (A DEAL WITH GOD)
Hounds Of Love’s first single and the first track written for the LP,
lyrics and began to realise a concept for the record – namely,
Running Up That Hill is about a couple seeing their relationship

LO V E
weather patterns and water. She separated the album into
from the opposite perspective. “I was trying to say that a man
two halves – the first being Hounds Of Love and the second and a woman can’t understand each other because we’re a
The Ninth Wave, a suite of seven songs that would take up man and a woman,” explained Bush.
all of Side Two of the record, and document the ebbing

O F
consciousness of a drowning woman in terrifying detail.

H O U N D S
The public’s first taste of the album came in August 1985
when Bush appeared on Wogan to premiere Running Up That 2 HOUNDS OF LOVE

X X X X X
Below: Kate Bush
Hill, the lead single. With a multi-layered vocal over a sparse, in 1978 at her “Hounds Of Love was inspired by this old black-and-white
tribal drum pattern and synths, it was akin to Bush’s previous family’s home in movie called Night Of The Demon,” revealed Bush. “It’s about
East Wickham, this demon that appears in the trees. And the line: ‘It’s in the
songs in that it completely set itself apart from everything else London, where she
around at the time, and her innovative use of technology saw trees, it’s coming’ is taken from the film. I liked the imagery of
recorded Hounds 79
79
being hunted by love; the idea of being chased by this love
her lauded as a pioneer within the field. Of Love
that, when it gets you, is going to rip you to pieces and have
your guts all over the floor!”.

ALBUM
ALBUM
Getty

3 THE BIG SKY

CLASSIC
CLASSIC
The fourth and final single from the album, The Big Sky is about
the carefree activities of childhood. Said Bush: “At the time I
was writing this album, we were living in the country and my
keyboards were in a room overlooking a valley. I’d sit and
watch the clouds rolling up the hill towards me.”

4 MOTHER STANDS
FOR COMFORT
Mother Stands For Comfort is about the relationship between
a mother and her son, who happens to be a murderer. “The
personality that sings the track is unfeeling in a way, so the cold
qualities of synths and machines were appropriate,” said Bush.
“There are many different kinds of love and the track is talking
about the love of a mother. She’s prepared to protect her son
against anything. In a way, it’s also suggesting that the son is
using the mother as much as the mother is protecting him.”

5 CLOUDBUSTING
“Cloudbusting was inspired by A Book Of Dreams, which
is this beautiful story by Peter Reich,” Bush enthused. “His
father was Wilhelm Reich, a respected psychoanalyst, and
Peter used to go cloudbusting with him. His father had this
machine that, when he pointed it up to the sky, could make
the clouds disperse.”
HOUNDS OF LOVE

But it wasn’t just the aural landscape of the

track that captivated her fanbase all over again;
it was also the lyrical meaning – about the
fundamental differences between the sexes “We changed the
and how they lead to misunderstanding
in relationships. “The song was originally title to Running Up
called A Deal With God,” said Bush. “But
we were told that if we kept this title, it
That Hill. But
80
wouldn’t be played in any of the religious it’s something
countries – Italy wouldn’t play it, France
I’ve always Hounds Of Love struck a perfect balance

Rex
ALBUM

wouldn’t play it, Ireland wouldn’t play it – between fulfilling both the artist and
that we might get it blacklisted because it regretted doing” her fanbase, giving Bush her second UK
had ‘God’ in the title. No. 1 album. It spent June and July of 1985
KATE BUSH
“Now, I couldn’t believe this; it seemed embroiled in a tug-of-war with Madonna’s
CLASSIC

completely ridiculous to me and the title Like A Virgin for the top spot, and remained
was such a part of the song’s identity. I couldn’t in the charts for over a year, making it Bush’s
understand it. But although I was unhappy about it, best-selling album to date.
I felt that if I didn’t compromise, I’d be cutting my own
throat. I’d just spent two or three years making an album WATCHING YOU WITHOUT ME
and, if I was stubborn, we weren’t going to get this record Although Side One of the album (Hounds Of Love)
played on the radio. So I had to be grown-up about it and we comprised some remarkable, cutting-edge, intelligent pop
changed the title to Running Up That Hill. But it’s something songs (and kept EMI satisfied by producing a string of hit
I’ve always regretted doing. I always regret any compromises singles in Cloudbusting, the title track and The Big Sky), it was
that I make.” [Bush still got her own way with the title of the Side Two (The Ninth Wave) that marked Bush out as someone
album version, though, calling the track Running Up That Hill truly at the pinnacle of their creativity.
(A Deal With God)]. The album was awash with references to the cinema,
art and literature that had inspired it – the title track was
CHARTBUSTING contrived from the 1957 horror movie Night Of The Demon;
The song became Bush’s biggest hit since Wuthering Heights Cloudbusting was based on A Book Of Dreams, Peter Reich’s
seven years earlier, reaching No. 3 in the UK and also opening novel about his inventor father; while the conceptual opus
up the prospect of commercial viability in the US, a market The Ninth Wave was named after Tennyson’s poem Idylls
she’d previously failed to penetrate (additionally, a remixed Of The King and based on a surrealist painting called The
version of the track reached No. 6 in the UK after its inclusion Hogsmith Ophelia, which depicts a doll drowning in the sea.
in the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics). Given the graphic description and visual nature of the music,
Its success was the perfect launchpad for Bush’s fifth album, it was widely expected Bush would embark on her first tour
which followed on 16 September 1985. in six years to promote the album.
The record was released to unanimous praise, with critics Her Tour Of Life in 1979 had been a critical and
hailing its merging of the technological with the traditional, Kate Bush and her commercial success, comprising elements of music, fashion,
then-partner Del
encompassing sounds and influences that would accentuate Palmer looking at art and dance, but Bush had found it physically exhausting
every nuance of the sublime songwriting at the heart of the big sky at the and chose not to repeat the process (a phobia of flying and
the album, but never overshadow it. Unlike The Dreaming, London Planetarium the trauma brought about by the death of Bill Duffield,
 a lighting director working on the show, were rumoured to
have contributed to her decision). Instead, excited by
the advent of music videos, she decided that would be
The songs continued
the perfect medium to present visual representations of
the songs. “I loved working with video because I originally 6 AND DREAM OF SHEEP
envisioned some of the songs as short films,” she said. This lullaby begins The Ninth Wave, the concept
Three decades after Hounds Of Love’s release, Kate Bush album that forms Side Two of Hounds Of Love. “It’s
(CBE) is regarded as pop royalty. Her 22-date residency at the idea of this person being alone in the water, at the
Hammersmith Apollo in 2014 was a reverential experience, mercy of their imagination. I find that horrific,” Bush
selling out 78,000 tickets in a matter of minutes. Hounds Of told the BBC in 1992.
Love is still regarded as a masterpiece, regularly earning a spot
on ‘Best Albums’ lists. Its influence is also evident in the work
of artists such as Björk, Tori Amos, Bat For Lashes, Goldfrapp
and others. As for Bush herself, she remains fiercely proud of
7 UNDER ICE
“At this point, although she doesn’t want to go to sleep,
Hounds Of Love and has only good memories of making it.
of course she does,” continued Bush. “This is a dream
“At the time, it was such a lot of work,” she conceded. and it’s meant to be nightmarish. It’s terribly lonely; she’s
“The lyrics and trying to piece the whole thing together. But all alone on this frozen lake. And at the end of it, it’s the
I did love it, and everyone who worked on the album was idea of seeing herself under the ice.”

LO V E
wonderful. In some ways, it was the happiest I’ve ever been
when writing and making an album. I know there’s a theory
that goes around that you must suffer for your art – you know,
all that stuff about, ‘it’s not real art unless you suffer’. But I 8 WAKING THE WITCH

O F
don’t believe this at all, because I think, in some ways, this was “In this song, this woman is being persecuted by a witch-
hunter and the whole jury – although she’s committed no

H O U N D S
the most complete work that I’ve done; in some ways, it’s the
best and I was the happiest that I’d been, compared to making crime – and they’re trying to push her under the water to
see if she’ll sink or float,” explained Bush.
other albums.” ●

9 WATCHING YOU
Alamy

81
WITHOUT ME
“Now, this person has been in the water for hours

ALBUM
and been witch-hunted and everything,” said Bush.
“Suddenly, she’s kind of at home, in spirit, seeing her
loved one sitting there, waiting for her to come home…
But there’s no way she can actually communicate,

CLASSIC
because he can’t see her. I find this really horrific –
these are my worst nightmares put into song.”

10 JIG OF LIFE
Jig Of Life was recorded with a host of Irish session
musicians to capture the feel for the song. “At this point
in the story, it’s the future self of this person coming to
visit her, to give her a bit of help,” explained Bush.

11 HELLO EARTH
“Hello Earth is a lullaby for the Earth. It’s the idea of this
person turning the whole thing upside down and looking
at it from above. And she’s seeing these storms forming
over America and moving around the globe; she has this
huge, fantastic overseeing view of everything.”

12 THE MORNING FOG

“Although it doesn’t say so, in my mind this is the
song where she gets rescued, where she gets pulled
out of the water. The weightiness is gone and here’s
the morning, and it’s meant to feel very positive and
bright and uplifting after the dense darkness of the
previous track.”
 Choice
Cuts #15
9 91.C O M
W I T H
A S S O C I AT I O N
I N

82

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS

CUTS

MELLON COLLIE AND

CHOICE

THE INFINITE SADNESS

BLACK VINYL

On their epic third album, the Pumpkins evolved their thunderous guitar riffs
and psychedelic leanings into a highly ambitious and desirable package

I
WAX FACTS n 1995, The Smashing Pumpkins had the
unenviable task of following their iconic
 Given how vast Mellon Collie… was, spanning
nearly 90 minutes, the vinyl release was spread
The Smashing
Pumpkins second album, Siamese Dream. It had sent across 3LPs. It gives the stunning, celestial artwork
Melon Collie And The them hurtling into the mainstream, and the of John Craig, a big part of the entire album
Infinite Sadness Chicago band spent a five-month period experience, the platform it deserves. Each copy in
Year 1995 writing their 28-track opus, Mellon Collie And The the run of 20,000 was individually numbered,
Format Black vinyl Infinite Sadness. which may seem a lot on paper, but so few people
 The album was built around dream-like imagery want to let go of this masterpiece, it’s still highly
£ £300 and, as Pumpkins mastermind Billy Corgan once sought after. There’s also an unknown quantity of
said: “The human condition of mortal sorrow”. un-numbered copies out in the wild.
There were epic moments of grandeur, such as  Mellon Collie… has since been reissued and
Tonight, Tonight and 1979, with nods towards their remastered as a 4LP boxset, which is an excellent
grunge-infused roots on Bullet With Butterfly Wings release, but nothing quite compares to owning an
and Zero. Even the more experimental moments, original. A mint-condition copy will set you back
We Only Come Out At Night and Galapogos, fit the close to £300 on the collectors’ market, but it’s worth
overall exploratory nature of the album. every penny. Glen Bushell
 Stay in touch...
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 COVER STAR

HYPERGALLERY
They worked with the legendary cover artist Storm Thorgerson, and their
limited-edition album-art prints have become highly desirable collector’s items.
meets the father-and-daughter team behind Hypergallery…

W
ith a passion for quality and “Working with Storm began in 2000 had just launched. I went for the interview
design flair, Hypergallery and that was the defining moment for in a shabby studio on Denmark Street.
have become leading Hypergallery,” Rob explains. “Obviously, his They wanted an assistant. At the end of the
purveyors of limited- output was so prolific from the 70s onwards interview, my final question was the pay.
edition album art. Yet owners Rob Smeaton and he’s considered a true genius. He believed It was a derisory figure of about £20 per week.
and daughter Emily don’t just sell covetable that this is art that people should be able to I told them that was less than I was getting
HYPERGALLERY

prints, they also retain an emphasis on the buy, aside from the album covers. So he came from Social Security. They told me to ‘fuck off ’.
compelling stories behind them. up with 12 images of Pink Floyd covers that he I’m not sure which of them said that, but 30
“We do a limited-edition run of fine-art wanted made into limited-edition prints. years later, I told Storm that story. He didn’t
prints with high-quality inks not susceptible to “Over the next 13 years, until his death remember it,” Rob recounts, laughing.
UV light,” says Rob. “That run can span from in 2013, we had many encounters with the
25-500 copies, depending on what we think enigmatic and unpredictable Storm. He COMPLEX METHODS
the market will bear. Most of what we do is could be uncommonly rude at times, whilst Some of the Hypergallery projects have had
84 digital, as it’s got so sophisticated and perfect.” sometimes, he was disarmingly kind and inherent challenges, which they’ve worked
Lifelong vinyl fan Rob places the caring, a unique, fantastic character. There’s through cleverly. One example is De La Soul’s
emphasis on the quality of their prints: a huge catalogue of what he left behind. 3 Feet High And Rising.
“This marketplace we’re in is music-related “We met Hipgnosis photographer “The combination of the photo of their
STAR

ephemera. But we’re not just about nostalgia. Aubrey Powell not long after Storm, and three heads and the hand-drawn graphics,
Yes, that’s part of it, but we’re about art.” our relationship continues to this day. we thought were just unique,” explains Rob.
“We think it’s art that deserves to be We have published with him a nine-image “We tracked down the artist, Toby Mott, who
COVER

celebrated,” adds Emily. Hypergallery now set of some of the classic, non-Pink Floyd, happened to live not too far away from us.
extends to more than 200 images. “These Hipgnosis album covers. He has been a great He had been working in New York at the
are not quick sales,” continues Rob. “They supporter of Hypergallery, and we’ll work time of the album’s production, but settled in
are quite beautiful, and we often get people with him again later this year, for a Hipgnosis London and had become well known for his
returning to us to buy others.” exhibition in Berlin.” work as a punk archivist/historian.
This was not Rob’s first meeting with the “This was an unusual process, because
TAKEN BY STORM Hipgnosis mastermind. “When I finished art we combined the Giclée printing technique
The idea for the business was derived through college in 1972 and came to London for a job, to reproduce the photographs, and then
an association with legendary art director and the Jobcentre sent me to an interview with a hand-pulled silkscreen methodology to
Hipgnosis co-founder Storm Thorgerson. Hipgnosis. I’d not yet heard of them, as they reproduce the fluorescent colours that Toby

Hypergallery’s
Emily Smeaton “WE DO
LIMITED-EDITION
FINE-ART
PRINTS WITH
HIGH-QUALITY
INKS NOT
Storm Thorgerson signing a print SUSCEPTIBLE
of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Car’ album cover art
TO UV LIGHT”
 Father-and-daughter team
Rob and Emily Smeaton

HYPERGALLERY
I also had art heroes, particularly Peter Blake was well established and our focus was very
and Alan. His book, The Beatles Illustrated specifically on album covers. It struck me that
Lyrics, was published in 1969; my girlfriend at his celebrated album art was still unpublished
the time bought a copy for me. as limited editions. 85
“Dog-eared and falling apart, my copy “Alan was living in Los Angeles by then
was still my prized possession when, at the and, after many conversations, we were set to

STAR
beginning of this century, I got to meet my publish editions of his Elton John’s Captain
had originally achieved with marker pens. hero. I was at the stuttering start of my journey Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy, and
This was a labour of love and the result is one into the print-publishing business, and Alan The Who’s A Quick One covers. They were

COVER
that we’re very proud of.” was living in London. I reached out and we to be printed on demand in LA, but when
had a very enjoyable and slightly drunken fate intervened, and Alan so sadly died, only
LEGEND OF PSYCHEDELIA meal together. I asked him to sign my book. a small percentage of each edition had ever
The team at Hypergallery were particularly He kindly complied and wrote in it, too – been printed. We are left with a small number
touched by the death last year of Alan an embellishment of the title page that I will of prints, a cherished last consignment signed
Aldridge, the psychedelic artist perhaps best always treasure. with a flourish by a talented and charismatic
known for his work on The Beatles Illustrated “Afterwards, I agreed to publish four of man. Alan Aldridge rocked.”
Lyrics book, pictured above. his most famous illustrations. They were Another talent Rob enjoyed working with is
“We were so sad to hear of Alan’s death,” fabulous, and all featured in The Beatles Peter Gabriel, whose priorities extended from
says Rob. “In 1969, I was at art college, and my Illustrated Lyrics; many years later, I finally got his music to visuals. “Over the course of two
musical heroes were The Beatles and Dylan. to publish his work. By then, Hypergallery years, I reached out to Peter’s management

A Hypergallery exhibition
at the Oxo Gallery in 2010

Alan Aldridge’s cover

for Elton John’s
1975 album
 Chris Stein and Debbie released, so never knew the impact his
Harry signing prints work would have. We have been tenacious
in pursuing this project and, after many
conversations and meetings, its publication
is finally on the horizon.
“The original painting is owned by
Robert Fripp, and we were privileged to
have it in our possession for a few days.
We made a high-resolution digital image
and reframed the painting to museum
standards, as it had suffered a little over
the years. We are confident now that the
limited edition will be published this year
and are very excited that we will add this to
our portfolio.”
Another project Hypergallery are wildly
enthusiastic about has a decidedly 90s
vibe. “Our most recent collaboration is
with Michael Spencer Jones; a stunning
photograph of The Verve outside The Lyric
A print of In The Court Of The Crimson King Michael Spencer Jones signing a print of a reworked in Times Square for the History single,
is set for release by Hypergallery night-time concept shot for Oasis’ Be Here Now
and a previously unseen night shot, which
was the original concept for Oasis’ Be Here
Now cover.
and kept badgering them until they gave in the help of the friendly Chris Stein, we met up “Michael has gone back to the original
HYPERGALLERY

to me. They hired a consultant, Andy Wood, at the Landmark Hotel in London and they negatives and reworked the image using
to work with me to reproduce all of Peter’s signed a number of the prints. They were keen modern technology that wasn’t really
sleeves. It was a great experience and we to do something in support of HR Giger, who available in 1997, when the negatives came
discovered Peter is a big supporter of art. His they revered and felt had not received the level out massively underexposed. It was because
album sleeves had been done by Hipgnosis of international acclaim that he deserved. one of the main lighting generators blew
and Robert Mapplethorpe, Julian Grater, “Soon after, we heard that HR Giger had up just as they began, and by then, most of
Nils-Udo, and Susan Derges, who specialises passed away, so the full edition was never the band and lighting crew were allegedly
86 in camera-less photographic images. Peter’s produced, but we are left with a cherished and paralytic and it all turned to chaos. They
personal involvement in the art that adorned valuable collection.” had to change the cover concept to a
his album covers meant that the artists were all daytime shot, so it’s really special for me to
STAR

people he had taken an interest in and whose THE ELUSIVE ONE be able to offer this artist the chance to get
work he had admired. “We did 15 different “Some covers are ubiquitously popular, his original idea out there, as such a nice,
limited editions, all countersigned by him, instantly recognisable,” says Rob. “Who big piece of work.”
COVER

which is quite unusual for a musician.” wouldn’t instantly recognise The Dark Side It may be no surprise to learn that Pink
Another generous musician who made Of The Moon or Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon is
a lasting impression on Rob was Debbie Club Band?    Hypergallery’s biggest seller “over a long
Harry. “Blondie were to be on tour soon “A landmark image that has remained period”, explains Emily. “Our fastest seller
after the publication of her solo-album print, elusive is In The Court Of The Crimson is Robert Wyatt’s Rock Bottom, with nearly
and so we tentatively approached Blondie’s King, the debut from King Crimson, which half the edition of 100 selling within the
management about Debbie countersigning the was cropped from a painting by artist Barry first month or two. 90% of the edition had
prints when she was in London. Happily, with Godber. He died soon after the album was sold within the first couple of years.”

“A LANDMARK
IMAGE THAT
HAS REMAINED
ELUSIVE IS
IN THE COURT
OF THE
CRIMSON KING,
CROPPED FROM
A PAINTING BY
BARRY GODBER”
 CLASSIC COVERS

HYPERGALLERY

PINK FLOYD TOM WAITS

A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF REASON SWORDFISHTROMBONES

HYPERGALLERY
“What Storm did by transporting 300 beds to be filmed
“Last year, we got a phone call from John Colton, a Northern
over three days on an English beach was actually like
Irish gallerist based in Berlin. A photographer, Michael A Russ,
performance art. He never took shortcuts,” says Rob.
who he represented, had been the man behind the imagery and
video for Tom Waits’ Swordfishtrombones album. John had been
looking for a home for a limited-edition run of the album cover
and we had popped up in his internet searching. We are now
proud to have this fabulous print exclusively on our site, 87
and we had a great few days to boot, meeting John and
his team in Berlin.”

STAR
COVER

ROBERT WYATT PHIL MANZANERA

ROCK BOTTOM CORRONCHO 2
“In 2015, we were contacted by Mark Ellingham, the man “Phil really liked what we were doing and asked if we’d ever
who conceived the Rough Guide series of books back in 1982. thought about Roxy Music covers,” says Emily. “Of course,
He was publishing a biography of the musician Robert Wyatt, I said ‘Yes’, and ever since, we’ve been been talking to
whose album covers had been painted by Robert’s wife, Alfreda Phil about the idea. Nothing has come of it so far, but these
Benge. Mark thought it would be great if some of these covers things do take a long time! Meanwhile, we’ve published a
could be published as prints to be released in parallel with the set of 14 pictures that adorned the packaging of Phil’s album
book, and he asked us if we would be interested… These prints Corroncho 2. Each of these pictures, by Brazilian artist Bwokaa,
are beautiful and have been among our best-selling publications, illustrates a track from the album and they’re quite unlike anything
thanks to Mark’s involvement and the couple’s loyal fanbase.” we’ve done before.”
 CLASSIC COVERS

HYPERGALLERY

DE LA SOUL PETER GABRIEL

3 FEET HIGH AND RISING PASSION
HYPERGALLERY

“Toby (the designer) was very keen on the idea of doing the “Emily had a painting studio in an artist collective in Reading,
print, and we worked closely with him to make sure we kept the where she met artist Julian Grater. Amongst the pictures in his
spirit of the original design. This was an unusual process for us  studio was a reproduction of Peter Gabriel’s Passion cover, which
to reproduce. It was a labour of love, and Toby was pleased Julian explained was his work. Through him, we introduced
with the results.” ourselves to Peter Gabriel’s organisation Real World to ask if we
could publish that picture as a limited-edition print. This was a
catalyst that led us to working with Real World on a collection of
88 15 Peter Gabriel images.”
STAR
COVER

OASIS DEBBIE HARRY

DEFINITELY MAYBE KOOKOO
“Michael Spencer Jones is the photographer responsible for the “I’ve been a long-time fan of HR Giger, who created the title
first three Oasis album covers. Over the years, we’ve worked creature in Ridley Scott’s film Alien,” says Rob. ”He was a master
on various projects with him. Everything he does is impeccable, of the airbrush, a tool that pre-dated computer graphics in the
as he’s a total perfectionist. 2019 will mark 25 years since creation of photorealistic illustration. We approached Giger
Definitely Maybe, and with strong new albums from both about the cover he had done for Debbie Harry’s solo album
Gallagher brothers, it feels like the right time to celebrate what KooKoo. After much negotiation, we were able to publish an
they achieved with some of Michael’s fantastic images.” edition of the image. Then, thanks to Chris Stein, get Debbie
to sign the prints.” ●
 DIGGING
FOR
VICTORY
At what point should a digger give up
on a seemingly unpromising collection?
Mark O’Shaughnessy says:
“Never!”, and proceeds to tell us why

V I C TO R Y
I
n previous columns, I’ve talked about
how surprised I’ve been down the years to

F O R
find a hidden gem in a load of absolutely
valueless tat. This used to happen to me in

D I G G I N G
the States a lot – Bananas in St. Petersburg,
FL immediately springs to mind, but that’s
another story…
These days, I travel abroad less, because remained hopeful there would be a few between about 1967 and 1970 – it’s a classic.
there’s no need to go too far to dig up the decent items. It was well-below-zero and I took it out into the raw December light
black gold anymore – there are probably still frosty, and I should’ve asked where the to take a closer look… Oh my God! I was 89
more (rare) records in the UK per capita records were stored… which was in a shed at holding one of the rarest UK Northern Soul
than any other country, but I still sometimes the end of a 200-foot garden. Thank God I’d 7"s ever, a clean copy of Timi Yuro’s It’ll Never

COLUMN
almost fall over with amazement at what brought my fingerless gloves. Be Over For Me, unplayed, non-dinked,
comes my way when I’m looking through There must have been 6,000 to 7,000 7"s, in clean labels, no timing notes, no mildew – in
people’s collections. This still happens now 40 to 50 supermarket home-delivery plastic NM/M condition (old records never get the
I’m living in the fair city of Bath. boxes. The owner came back with a cup of tea M/Mint grade from me).
It was 2008; I’d been living in Bath for and I asked how long they’d been in storage Even 10 years ago, this 7" was worth close
about three months and was still finding my – “Since the late 70s,” he said. He told me he to £1,000 – nowhere near as rare as Darrell
feet. I’d worked out the local digging spots used to be a mobile DJ, and my heart sank. Banks on UK London, but definitely in the
(very few and far between) and decided to I’d been through many of these kind of guys’ same ballpark. I’d never seen one before,
keep away from Bristol – waaaay too many ex-collections down the years, and 99.99% and I’d handled many hefty Northern Soul
other excavators over there already. So, of them were total rubbish – chart hits of the collections. Christ knows what this guy was
I reverted to my tried-and-tested ads in shop day, novelty records, just pap. doing with it! There is an EX copy sitting on
windows/local papers system to try to dredge There was an average of one to two per Discogs right now at £1,850 – it really was
up some stock – it’d worked well enough for cent, absolute max, in each box worth taking a once-in-a-lifetime find.
me in London, so why not here? I placed ads out. My fingers were red-raw and I was losing As soon as my hands had stopped shaking,
everywhere and took out a sub in The Bath my sense of humour rapidly when I spotted I asked the owner where he got it. He told me
Chronicle and waited… and waited. a Liberty 7" light-blue/dark-blue custom he was on several record-label mailing lists
A quick word about the vinyl world at this sleeve. Custom-sleeve geeks will know back in the 60s and 70s, and used to get sent
point. Record sales were still very much in Liberty Records used this design in the UK stuff all the time. I made him what I thought
the doldrums – the current ‘vinyl revival’ was a fair offer for the 7" (which he accepted
was yet to happen and most people still had in an instant!) and went back to the shed to
zero interest in buying or selling records. One I was holding one of the go through the rest of the boxes. Guess what?
freezing December morning, I got a call from Not one more decent item popped up, so
a man who was only two minutes from where rarest UK Northern I believe I was destined to find that 7".
I then lived. Nowadays, I ask people who
want to sell to me to either send pictures of
Soul 7"s ever: Timi The proceeds from the sale of that one record
alone allowed me to finance a trip to NYC.
what they have for sale, or to pick out Yuro’s It’ll Never The moral of the story? Never give up – you
a random handful and read them over the just never know what you might find. ●
phone – too many wasted journeys down the Be Over For Me –
years have taught me this harsh life lesson.
But I was struggling to get my hands on
unplayed, non-dinked, Mark O’Shaughnessy is the owner of Bath
record shop Resolution Records and has
any stock at all, so I just went along and clean labels, no mildew been a professional record dealer since 1993
 TALKING
SHOP

DIVERSE MUSIC
NEWPORT, WALES
Diverse – a shop, a label and a mail-order business – proves Wales has plenty of
room for more than one famous record-shop institution. Garth Cartwright heads to
the ’port to find out how a small indie record store became a go-to vinyl destination

S
outh Wales may be home to adds Jarrett. “It was a bit smaller and Hawkins notes that when Diverse first
the world’s oldest record shop – a bit cheaper. It’s served us well since. shifted to larger premises in 1991 – “just
Spillers of Cardiff – but Diverse I was a customer who started work here in in time for the Nirvana explosion!” – they
Music in nearby Newport is 2007, primarily to run the shop, that was stocked all formats: “Including tape packs
also a truly legendary vinyl emporium. being slightly neglected as the mail-order for ravers – remember those?” and did
Initially opening in 1988, Diverse has side grew. I became a partner a couple of great business. Most importantly, Diverse’s
gone through changes of ownership and years later and now, after Mark and Kevin founder anticipated an impending

M U S I C
location over its three-decade existence. left, it’s just me and Paul. John then ended resurgence of vinyl, “as we were still
Throughout, the retailer has maintained its up selling the Diverse Vinyl label to Paul stocking LPs while other shops had
position as not just a unique independent and myself, too.” dropped the format entirely. We were
record shop, but also a vinyl hotspot. The dynamic duo ensured that Diverse receiving more and more calls from out

D I V E R S E
Co-owners Matt Jarrett and Paul Hawkins operated successfully as a record shop, of town, fans desperate to carry on their
tell the story of a visionary independent specialist vinyl label and mail-order outlet. vinyl collections. So we set up a mail-order
record shop. By handling such operations, they’ve outlet. This proved to be our trump card.
“Diverse was opened by John won Diverse an international reputation. What the worldwide web took away
Richards,” says Jarrett. “Mark Southall 91
was his trusty staff member from other
shops he ran, and came with him. Paul WE WERE STOCKING LPS WHILE OTHER SHOPS

TA L K I N G S H O P
Hawkins worked there as a Saturday HAD DROPPED THE FORMAT ENTIRELY. WE WERE
boy, before leaving to live in Brighton.
Kevin Donovan also worked there. I came
RECEIVING CALLS FROM OUT OF TOWN, FANS
along later on. After a decade of running DESPERATE TO CARRY ON THEIR VINYL COLLECTIONS
Diverse, John decided he was too old to PAUL HAWKINS
run a record shop and started a vinyl-only
label… He then entrusted the shop to
Mark, Kevin and a returning Paul.”

BOTH SIDES OF THE COUNTER

“I wasn’t involved in 1988 when the
shop opened,” says Hawkins. “I was 15,
and still in school. But I did buy an album
in the first week of the shop opening
(The Waterboys’ Fisherman’s Blues). The
original owner, John, was a friend of the
family. My uncle knew I was becoming a
music freak, so he introduced me to John
and I was delighted to find kindred spirits
behind the counter in both John and Mark.
They’d run a shop together and knew
what they were talking about! I bought
all my LPs at Diverse from then on, until
I headed out of town to university. In the
holidays, I’d badger John for a job, and
he relented around 1995, as a part-time
position came up. Three years later, John
decided to move on, and sold the shop to
Mark, Kevin and me!”
“Just after John left, Diverse moved to
our current location on Charles Street,”
 shows happening in Le Pub and local
bands playing regularly in The Riverside
as well as regular shows at Newport
Centre. An ideal place to have
a record shop, really.” Newport’s time
as a rock hotspot passed, but by then,
Diverse was developing into a vinyl outlier.

LICENCE TO THRILL
“Around 2000, 2001, the market was
so hungry for vinyl releases that we
desperately pitched ideas to labels about
what would sell on vinyl,” says Hawkins. 
“Our strong position in the market had led
to us becoming something of a go-to place
for information on the vinyl market. Before
long, the idea was pitched that if the
labels weren’t releasing new albums on
vinyl, we could license them ourselves.” 
Step in John, Diverse Vinyl’s original
M U S I C

owner, who returned to the fold to set

up Diverse Records – a vinyl-only label
producing audiophile-quality LPs. John
has the accolade of licensing the first-ever
D I V E R S E

vinyl releases by Alison Krauss, among

others. The label became a benchmark
in both the quality of the music, and the
vinyl it released. Diverse Vinyl was in a
92
from us in terms of CD sales, it returned
in spades of potential to sell vinyl all over WHEN I JOINED, THE CHALLENGE WAS TO FIND
SHOP

the world. We soon became one of the

largest independent retailers of vinyl in
VINYL RELEASES TO ADD TO OUR WEBSITE. NOW, IT’S
the country!”  MORE A CASE OF DECIDING WHAT NOT TO STOCK
TALKING

This leads to the fascinating story of MATT JARRETT

how a Newport record shop developed
into a leader of the vinyl revival. “Diverse
never stopped stocking vinyl, but during to stock. Ironically, I suppose, given the position to give John the heads-up about
peak CD, the dance-music industry beginnings, we don’t do an awful lot of popular enquiries for vinyl, which fed
basically kept it alive,” says Jarrett. dance music anymore.” ideas to Diverse Records about what to
“At that time, people buying those white Before the vinyl revival, Diverse pitch for. The label has now been running
labels would ring the shop from all over experienced the boom that comes when for 16 years, with over 50 releases under
the country. That led to John compiling a local music scene receives international its belt, although such is the demand to
a database and then a very basic attention. “The mid 90s were also a pretty turn a profit on physical sales among
website to make it easier to sell by mail cool time in Newport,” says Jarrett. “It was record labels, it’s becoming increasingly
order. That expanded to all the vinyl that branded ‘The New Seattle’, with bands hard to procure licences. “Whenever
was available. Even when I joined, the like 60ft Dolls, Dub War, Novocaine and we approach a copyright holder these
challenge was to dig around and find Flyscreen flying the flag. The scene was days, it’s more often that we give them
vinyl releases to add to our website. Now, amazing, with American bands, especially the idea to press the record themselves! 
it’s far more a case of deciding what not punk bands, playing TJ’s and smaller Consequently, our roster has become far
more contemporary, and often we deal
direct with an artist, looking to make vinyl
to sell on tour,” says Hawkins.
Diverse Vinyl caters strongly to online
orders, while the shop more reflects
its proprietors’ musical tastes. “We’re
Diverse by name, diverse by nature,” says
Hawkins. “We’ve always been famed for
stocking a range of all genres, although
it’s much easier to sell what you know
about, and as with many independent
record shops, the stock does tend to reflect
 DIVERSE TASTES

M U S I C
Diverse Music’s Top 5 Albums
“Hmm, this is tricky, as there’s two camps here,” says Hawkins. “The shop customers

D I V E R S E
are more contemporary than the mail-order buyers; so while our most popular-selling LP online
is The Dark Side Of The Moon, by a country mile, shop customers are more likely to snap up the
new Manic Street Preachers LP, or something on Third Man Records. When we get behind
a new release and practically force it on our regulars, the results can be impressive – just ask
The Redlands Palomino Company! I think most of our regulars own at least one of their albums
on our recommendation. Both camps buy a lot of Bowie, though.” Jarrett adds: “I’m going to
93
stick with shop customers here, because what we sell in the shop and what we sell from the
website can be very different. Here are five albums that have all been strong recent sellers…”
the tastes of its owners. Consequently,

TA L K I N G S H O P
you’ll find plenty of quirky indie rock,
noisy punk, Americana, folk and classic
reissues across the board. Again, we’d
love to have the space to satisfy more
tastes in-store, but for the time being
at least, we play to our strengths – this COURTNEY THE MANIC STREET FIRST AID KIT LILLY HIATT
includes US imports for audiophiles, which MARIE BREEDERS PREACHERS RUINS TRINITY LANE
ANDREWS ALL NERVE RESISTANCE IS
has become something of a specialism for MAY YOUR FUTILE
us over the last 20 years.” KINDNESS
REMAIN

NATIONAL EXPOSURE
“The shop is massively vinyl orientated
and we stock a bit of everything,” notes
Jarrett. “What Paul said, plus a lot of
jazz, blues, folk, soundtracks and a bit “and it went down really well, so we
of electronica. And a bit of reggae, funk, decided to recreate another 11 sleeves for
soul, metal, krautrock and prog, too.” a calendar! Queen, The Doors, Kraftwerk,
Record Store Day, both men admit, Frank Zappa, Saturday Night Fever… and
helps – but isn’t essential. “It’s more we roped some customers in for Band On
a celebration and fun day for our regular The Run. We thought we’d sell a few and
crowd, to be honest,” says Hawkins. make a bit of money for Nordoff Robbins,
Like many a good independent record but Metro got hold of it, then the tabloids –
shop, Diverse are involved in booking and and we ended up on the BBC website and
promoting live music around Newport. on HTV Wales news.”
They also have a sense of fun that won “The results were hysterical and
them national attention when they issued terrifying in equal measure,” adds
a calendar which featured shop staff Hawkins. “The national coverage helped
recreating classic album covers in fancy to sell the calendar out completely.” ●
dress. “We made a Christmas card for our
regulars with us recreating the cover of For more information on Diverse Music,
Blondie’s Parallel Lines,” explains Jarrett, go to www.diverserecords.co.uk
 The
trip
Birmingham
Despite the city suffering an apparent
crisis of cultural confidence, Mark Elliott’s
visit to Birmingham in search of vinyl
treasure reveals a happy hunting ground

N
ow, if Oprah Winfrey UB40, Joan Armatrading, even Toyah,
was writing this representing just a modest selection,
piece, she would broke out from Birmingham. It’s
B I R M I N G H A M

give this city a good comfortably Britain’s second biggest

talking to. It isn’t just city in terms of its population size
the one occasion; it seems to happen (if not its cultural kudos and its own
almost everywhere: “We’ve never been self-confidence), and in the 1960s,
good at producing credible bands”; there was a live scene as big here as
“the shopping isn’t as good as it used in Liverpool – although only The
to be”; “you won’t find it like that Move came anywhere close to The
94 here”; even “why are you here?”. It Beatles’ level of success. In the 1970s,
seems Birmingham is suffering from ELO were chasing Wolverhampton
something of a confidence crisis, and neighbours Slade for chart positions;
TRIP

I’d like to suggest that it needs to pull while in the 1980s and 1990s, Duran
itself together. Duran conquered the world and
A sense of Ocean Colour Scene
THE

discretion prevents There is plenty briefly captured the

me from identifying Britpop zeitgeist.
who said what, but it to be proud of More recently,
surprises me. True,
some much-loved
in Birmingham The Streets made
some impact, and
record shops such and, actually, the ‘B-Town’ indie
as Reddingtons have
bitten the dust (but
this proves scene excites music
journalists (but few
some great ones to be one of others). So there is
survive); true, Duran
Duran aren’t The
the best trips plenty to be proud of
here and, actually, this
Doors (although I have done proves to be one of the
they tried to be on best trips I have done
1995’s Thank You); true, the traffic’s a – some great finds, a decent range of
challenge (but parking’s a doddle); and, different stores and, unusually, hassle-
true, for a city this size, vinyl shopping free navigation around a wide area.
is a little sparser than you’d imagine. Without the car, I’d have struggled,
But – and it’s a significant but – this but this is true of the majority of
is the only place where I’m offered a these trips, I find, and there’s more
cup of tea while cratedigging; where than enough here to fill the day –
I find mint New Musik albums in the particularly if you want to try some of
bargain bins and where I’m offered the stores further afield (such as Oldies
loads of vintage music magazines – in Wolverhampton). So, park your
Illustration Ben Talon

including pristine copies of The Face – prejudices at the door – I’m tasking
for less than the price of a latte apiece! Birmingham with some self-belief.
The great and the good – Steve The place even has a Walk Of Stars
Winwood and Traffic, Ozzy Osbourne celebrating Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood and
and Black Sabbath, Ali Campbell and Noddy Holder. Point proven, I’d say!
 2

6
3

95

TRIP
THE
5

1 SWORDFISH 2 IGNITE RECORD STORE 3 THE DISKERY

66 Dalton Street, B4 7LX Level 2 Oasis Market, 99-102 Bromsgrove Street, B5 6QB
swordfishrecords.co.uk 110-114 Corporation Street, B4 6SX thediskery.com
Opening hours facebook.com/igniterecordstore Opening hours
10am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday Opening hours 9.30am to 6pm Monday to Saturday
10am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday; 10am to 6pm Saturday

EMORTAL RECORDS 5 THE POLAR BEAR 6 ENTERTAINMENT WORLD

1 Bournville Lane, B30 2JY 10 York Road, Kings Heath, B14 7RZ 5 The Radleys, Sheldon, B33 0QY
facebook.com/emortal.rec Opening hours entertainmentworld.co.uk
Opening hours 11am to 6pm Monday to Saturday Opening hours
10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday 11am to 7pm Monday to Saturday; 11am to 4pm Sunday
 town. A lot of record shops closed
because they failed to adapt. We
went from being a chart-return shop
– those reps used to run cars that
were like mobile off-licences, with
the amount of ‘gifts’ they used to
pass on – back to the more sort-of
niche retailer we are again today.
We lost so many local indies along
the way – Plastic Factory, Revolver
– but we’re holding our own. In a
way, it’s a shame things like Record
Store Day weren’t around in the
90s, as that sort of initiative might
have helped some of them survive.”
Vinyl has always been on sale
here, but Gaz insists it remains just
part of the wider retail mix. “When
we moved here, we expanded the
new section, as we just weren’t sure
we’d get enough decent second-
hand stock but, actually, that hasn’t
been the case. There’s still a load
B I R M I N G H A M

of good stuff about. But I still see a

1 SWORDFISH post-punk and, later, New Romantic
material. Hurst Street became
place for CDs, too.” Classic indie,
rock and reggae makes up the
For the first decade of its life, Needless Alley, before a long run majority of the material here but, as
Swordfish was known as Rockers, at Temple Street led to its current in all the best shops, there’s a little
but the 1989 name change also home in Dalton Street (around the of everything (including some great
saw the first move to new premises corner from the law courts and soul). Swordfish is a Birmingham
96 (a tradition the much-loved indie opposite a nicely placed – but eye- institution – with connections to
has maintained, with a handful of wateringly expensive – car park). Duran Duran, The Lilac Time and
different locations over the years). “This place was a dance shop back many others – and, with its buoyant
TRIP

“They keep knocking down our in the 90s and it’s working out for label and now being signed up to
buildings, so we have to move,” us okay,” Gaz tells me. “We’re Record Store Day, it continues to
says Gaz, who launched the shop central, and people make a point evolve. If it does ever move again,
THE

with Mike as a place to shift punk, of popping in if they’re coming into can I request a cheaper car park?

2 IGNITE RECORDS
Specialising in indie, metal, punk and hardcore, this
business is tucked away in an indoor market. Rick
Perry has run the place for eight years after previously
working at much-missed retailer Tempest, which closed
its doors in 2010 after 40 years in the city. Rick also
uses the place as a daytime base for his Speedowax
Records that has released vinyl for Senseless Things and
Jesus Jones, among others. Ignite supports Record Store
Day in a big way and shifts discs from a decent range
of acts, as illustrated by the wide range on its racks.
“We do tend to follow the steer set by something like
[BBC] Radio 6, but I try to keep things as broad as
I can,” says Rick, “although it’s not so much students that
come in, but more your 30-to-40-somethings.” I finally
pick up the Little Mix album from last year’s Record
Store Day on glorious neon-pink vinyl, and Lady Gaga’s
Joanne. It’s new vinyl you’ll find here and prices are
very competitive. Don’t be put off if metal isn’t your bag
– I find Ignite has the best selection of new vinyl in the
city centre, giving even the Bullring’s HMV a run for its
money on price and range.
 B I R M I N G H A M
The Diskery is the perfect place for the sort of negotiation!” Some sellers aren’t 97
cratedigging I adore. The quirky, the celebrated so clued up. While I’m there, Lee
takes a call from a hopeful trader.
and the never likely to shift are piled high

TRIP
“What are the records?” asks Lee,
naturally enough. “Like CDs, only
bigger and blacker”, he’s told.

THE
3 THE DISKERY posters and little-remembered
sleeves – it’s the perfect place for
Predictably, I buy a very random
mix: including Foreigner’s Agent
Many years from now, when the sort of cratedigging I adore. Provocateur opus, moody synth
these features are adapted into The quirky, the celebrated and the material from early Icehouse, some
a spectacular production at the never likely to shift are piled high Erasure promos and The Real
National Theatre, it’s likely The (although there is a decent order to Thing’s fantastic debut.
Diskery will feature largely as the what, at first, looks like a challenge
inspiration for my Olivier Award- for the archivist in me). “Saturday is
winning script. It’s a shop steeped always a special day for us,” says
in atmosphere and charm. Lee Liam (The Oracle). “Our Saturdays
The Boss, Liam The Oracle, Danny take me back to the days of old,
The Reggae and Paul The Synth
make up the team that keeps this
when people got paid and went
out to buy an album. We get kids The
Brum institution winning and its
punters refreshed with welcome
coming in now and they’re getting
hooked on all sorts of stuff – one trip
cups of tea. Starting life as a jazz young lad loves his 60s singles. It’s
specialist in 1952, The Diskery has
been in this location since 1972
great!” Across three old houses,
there are literally tens of thousands Getting there
and features in Graham Jones’ of records here – with far more Birmingham is served well by Britain’s motorway network and
2009 book on the challenges out back than are displayed in you’ll find it quicker to get to all these shops by car, as the
faced by record retailing, Last the front. “The shop was always outlying places can take 15-to-20 minutes to drive to from the
city centre. Parking is plentiful and largely good value (the ones
Shop Standing. The Diskery’s jazz-based, so we have, say, about
by the law courts aside). The Diskery has a big public car lot
founder sadly died in 2012, but 12,000 78s; but we carry a bit
nearby and almost all of the other shops featured are situated in
much of Morris Hunting’s legacy of everything, to be honest. We areas that let you stop for an hour for free. If you’re visiting by
continues to thrive (with many of get people trying to sell stuff all public transport, the bus network is good, and birmingham.gov.uk
the staff having worked here for the time. One lady came in and has lots of travel tips. From London, trains to the city take just
decades). With a décor determined every LP had been stickered with over an hour and 20 minutes. Most major rail routes in the UK
to preserve past glories – faded notes from Discogs. It was quite a take you to Birmingham New Street.
 EMORTAL
With a recent decision to stock more metal and
rock, this largely dance specialist apparently does
a brisk business, particularly at weekends. Weekday
opening times can be a bit patchy, but try calling the
phone number listed on the door to see if entry can
be secured. No luck for me on this occasion, though.
When I call back briefly a second time, I’m still unable
to visit. But I’m told the place is often packed, and the
stock – lots of white labels and promo sets – looks fresh
through the window. It’s here I get talking to one of
the locals, who again describes the city as somewhere
lacking in much credibility. I’d beg to differ – Emortal
looks like it has been transplanted from somewhere like
Hoxton or Brighton!
B I R M I N G H A M

98
TRIP
THE

5 THE POLAR BEAR of Ultravox albums), but it’s new records that predominate. We
discuss the city’s record-shop closures and Steve admits trading has
A bit of a drive out of the centre (but no more than 15 minutes) been tough over the years. “I actually find mainstream pop and
and you find Kings Heath. The Polar Bear has been here since indie is struggling a bit now,” he tells me. “And the soundtracks
1991 and was once part of a chain that included sites in Leeds, used to do better than they do now, but business is still okay,
Manchester and Oxford. Steve Bull has carefully kept this shop although I know some people are finding the prices a bit steep
going with a good mix of material. “There are only two types of for vinyl generally.” The Polar Bear takes part in Record Store Day,
music, the stuff you like and the stuff you don’t,” he tells me. I like with bands playing, but Steve has resisted the idea of widening
this philosophy, but it’s unusual in someone who loves vinyl. “I love his stock the rest of the year to include lots more second-hand discs
music, but I don’t really collect it,” says Steve. “As I get older, my or any singles at all. “There have to be some limits and I still find
tastes – like most people’s, I guess – narrow a little, but I enjoy the people dropping off old collections, so I need to keep room for
fact that some of the old barriers are breaking down.” There’s a that.” With free parking limited to a single hour (but just outside
bit of second-hand vinyl on the racks (and I relieve him of a couple the shop), I’m off… but The Polar Bear has been a great pit stop!
 6 ENTERTAINMENT WORLD
A bit further out of the city, Sheldon is one of those
places you can’t imagine there are rich record pickings
to be had. The parade of shops it’s situated in doesn’t
bode well – all Post Offices, cafés and hair salons – but
actually, there’s a lot of vinyl out the back of this store,
that ranges from the genuinely collectable (The KLF’s
fantastic The White Room, VG+, very reasonable price)
to the curious (an Opportunity Knocks compilation from
1974). It won’t surprise you for a second that both end
up in my bag of spoils. With much of the first half of the
store devoted to toys, games and assorted memorabilia,
the second-hand vinyl has become a big part of the
turnover in the past five years. “It’s surprising what
people are still bringing in,” says owner Rob Hadley.
“I’ve had a punk collection, where the guy selling it had
never owner a record player, so all the discs were mint.”
It’s here that I pick up a huge haul of pristine 1980s
music and style magazines – for a fraction of the price
I’d pay almost anywhere else. The records are great,
too, and being second-hand, there’s a wealth of archive
material still attached to them (who remembers local
Top

B I R M I N G H A M
Five
store WJ Taylor Ltd, that was selling Blue Zoo 12"s for
£1.99 back in1982?). I love these old price stickers
(although can do without the biro scribbles – usually
names or dedications – that plague sleeves for collectors

1
like you and me). There’s a rare copy of folk/rock act FAIRGROUND ATTRACTION
Blackthorn’s II Electric Folk – not what you’d expect to Birmingham hosts a lot of record fairs. With
find in a shop like this! More predictably, I pick up the Custard Factory undergoing a refurb, VIP Fairs
a decent set of Sting 12"s from the 90s that are has relocated to MAC (Midlands Art Centre), out 99
generally hard to source, the rare numbered 12" picture near Cannon Hill Park (check vip-24.com for next
disc for Tears For Fears’ Woman In Chains, some dates). There’s a popular one in Bromsgrove and a

TRIP
Numan and a stack of great soul. There’s even a bit of recent one was held at Shirley Community Centre
(midlandsrecordfairs.co.uk), with more planned.
Italo disco, no doubt picked up on some foreign holiday
back in the day. Entertainment World proves that a bit of
2 THE WHEELS ON THE BUS…

THE
effort to travel further afield can pay off, big time. This is Although I didn’t have time to try it,
there’s an interesting-looking music walking tour
one of those hidden gems that makes record collecting
available here in Britain’s second city. Check out
all the more thrilling. ●
birminghammusictours.com and let me know how you
find it! A bus tour did something similar a year or so
back, but has now stopped running.
I pick up a huge haul of pristine 1980s
music and style magazines – for a fraction 3 REMEMBER THE TIME
The Birmingham Music Archive is a fantastic
digital heritage project that’s trying to preserve the
of the price I’d pay almost anywhere else city’s collective memories. Although updates can be
sporadic, there’s a wealth of stuff stored here already
(birminghammusicarchive.com) – including a section on
lost record shops!

4 THE MUSIC OF THE NIGHT

The city’s blessed with some great music
venues. From the large-scale (Genting Arena) to the
medium (Town Hall) and intimate (Hare & Hounds),
there’s a wide range of stuff to catch if you can make
it an overnighter. The 02 Institute, near the Bullring,
is generally regarded as the place to catch acts just
as they’re breaking into the top tier. Livebrum.co.uk
offers a great overview of what’s on.

5 FURTHER AFIELD
If your budget is not blown by what’s on
offer in the shops in Brum, then my top tip is a trip
on to Sutton Coldfield (about 30 minutes north by car).
Psychotron Records is a real gem (psychotronrecords.
co.uk) and even runs its own label.
 THEBIGREISSUE
Medical Records
A love of new wave, synth-pop and shoegaze spurred this US vinyl lover to augment his
medical career with his own reissue operation. Chris Parkin talks to Troy Wadsworth…
R E C O R D S
M E D I C A L

T
100
roy Wadsworth doesn’t have a value of so many important records by former Too Pure bands Laika and
music-industry backstory. There’s begin to climb. “I really started digging Pram. For Record Store Day this year,
REISSUE

no stint in the archive department deep into obscure wave, synth and he reissued Highs, Lows And Heavenly
of a now-defunct label. No dalliances as disco in the early 2000s and I quickly Blows by Spectrum – the celestial synth-
an A&R. Instead, he’s been studying and realised how expensive it was becoming drone project piloted by Spacemen 3’s
working in medicine since the early 90s, to get some of the singles and LPs I Sonic Boom. Now Troy is dipping into
moving around the US incurring and wanted. I was intrigued by Vinyl On techno and contemporary releases, too,
BIG

paying off medical-training debts, before Demand and Minimal Wave, how they as he continues to dig a well of (mostly)
landing in Seattle in 2007. After settling were making these gems available synth-based weirdness. All it has to do
THE

down for the first time in years, Troy again on wax. And I thought… you to get a release, he says, is pass his
decided to do something he’s always know? I should do this!” personal test.
wanted to – start releasing music. And Troy admits that Medical Records was, You can find out what’s made the
what better name to give his label than – for a while, a place that peddled only cut on Medical Records’ Bandcamp
drumroll, please – Medical Records? cold wave, synth-pop and Italo-disco page, and on Troy’s Discogs profile,
“It was the ultimate in-joke,” laughs reissues, but he’s since returned to his sinewave93, which is stocked not just
Troy. But it’s a punchline that’s been love of shoegaze, reissuing classics with Medical wares, but those from
a long time in the delivery. Troy first European distributors and labels he
thought about reissuing his favourite likes, new finds, and his own used
obscure music in 1992, as a young MEDICAL RECORDS WAS records. The proceeds of this Discogs
pre-grad shoegazer in thrall to Mercury trading are ploughed back into the
Rev, My Bloody Valentine and, no
A PLACE THAT PEDDLED label, helping Troy fund what looks like
surprises here, Medicine. But he was ONLY COLD WAVE, another bumper year for Medical.
a stony-broke student and his dream “I’m a huge Locust, Seefeel and Mark
remained just that – until he reissued SYNTH-POP AND ITALO- Van Hoen fanatic,” Troy says of his love
Deutsche Wertarbeit’s wonky self-titled DISCO REISSUES, BUT for ambient electronica. “I have another
1981 album in 2010, after snaffling up amazing reissue coming out next
a cheap original copy of the late-period TROY HAS RETURNED TO month, Mark Van Hoen’s Playing With
kosmische classic during the early years HIS LOVE OF SHOEGAZE, Time, as well as some unreleased Locust
of eBay. material from the 90s in the pipeline.
What drove Troy to follow his REISSUING CLASSICS I’d like to work on some more of what
obsession with new wave and synth I consider ‘crucial’ shoegaze records,
music to its logical conclusion was
BY FORMER TOO PURE too. Plenty of ideas, but probably not
witnessing, as a casual collector, the BANDS LAIKA AND PRAM enough time!” ●
Re-releases p101 New releases p104 Turntables p118
REVIEWS

R E - R E L E A S E S
The Rolling Stones Teenage Fanclub
FROM THE VAULT: NO SECURITY, REMASTERED VINYL REISSUE SERIES
SAN JOSE ’99 SONY
EAGLE ROCK 101

I
t is, of course, absolutely compulsory when

REVIEWS
reviewing the Fannies’ back catalogue to

T
he Stones’ 1999 No Security tour of North namedrop the influence of The Byrds, and
America and Europe was a concerted most notably, Big Star. We won’t break from that
effort to get back to basics. Gone were the convention here, but it’s also worth noting just how
excesses of the stadium gigs of their global Bridges consistent the Bellshill indie rockers have been over
To Babylon jaunt, in favour of the relative intimacy the past quarter of a century; they’ve barely put a
of arenas. This 3LP, 20-track show culled from foot wrong since their quiet emergence in the early
their appearance in San José is – with very few 90s. This five-album series of reissues of their finest
exceptions – a peerless spin through the highlights work on vinyl – they’ve long been out of print – is a
of their back catalogue. Jagger is better when timely reminder of a sterling back catalogue. Picks
dialling down the stadium histrionics, and the band of the bunch are Bandwagonesque from 1991 and
sprints out of the blocks with Jumpin’ Jack Flash and 1995’s Grand Prix. The former – released at the
Bitch’s horn-packed riffage. The witty You Got Me height of grunge – may have featured the odd nod
Rocking boasts tasty slide from Ronnie Wood, while to feistiness on gnarly feedback-drenched tracks
Chuck Leavell shines on a loose and lively Honky such as Satan, but this was the work of a band in
Tonk Women. There’s an abrupt stylistic shift for thrall to melodic songwriting. They then refined the
Paint It Black, although this full-tilt version sacrifices process for Grand Prix, with its clutch of instant
the dark menace of its studio counterpart. classics including About You, Sparky’s Dream and
The home straight on Disc 3 is stunning. The the punsome Mellow Doubt. The experimental
band achieve lift-off on a lascivious Midnight Thirteen (1993) has improved with age, while
Rambler before a triple whammy of Start Me Up, Songs From Northern Britain, released in 1997,
an extended Brown Sugar and Sympathy For The showcases an understated band that’s thoroughly at
Devil. Even when you can see the flaws, their status ease with itself. Their major-label excursion Howdy!
as the world’s finest rock ’n’ roll band has never from 2000 plays to their strengths, and is also
really been in jeopardy. Steve Harnell worthy of re-examination. Steve Harnell

VERDICT VERDICT
8/10 8/10
REVIEWS
R E - R E L E A S E S

CHOICE

Guns N’ Roses Buffalo Springfield

APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION WHAT’S THAT SOUND?
GEFFEN/UME COMPLETE ALBUMS COLLECTION
102 ATCO/RHINO

T
hree decades have passed since the sleazy rock
REVIEWS

’n’ roll of Appetite For Destruction conquered an

N
unsuspecting world; and this expansive celebration, eil Young and Stephen Stills locked horns for the
in a dizzying array of formats, is a G N’ R fan’s ultimate first time in Buffalo Springfield, and this five-disc
fantasy fulfilled. The remastered 180g audiophile double- collection rounds up their three-album legacy
vinyl version of the album (£27.99), with its limited-edition (the eponymous debut and follow-up are afforded
slipcase and a ‘Hologroove Hologram’ on Side 4, is stereo and mono variants). Newly remastered, more
special enough; but the full 10,000-run Locked N’ Loaded prominence has been given to Bruce Palmer’s bass
Edition (£850) is Universal Music’s most sumptuous boxset parts, further punch is added to the percussion and the
ever. The “bombardment of collectibles” it contains ranges band’s triple-guitar attack bites even harder. Springfield
from a dozen 12x12-inch lithos of new track illustrations wear their influences on their sleeves for the debut, but it
to a 96-page booklet with photos from Axl Rose’s personal still oozes confidence – from the Byrdsian jangle of Go
archive. Aside from the newly remastered and 5.1 Blu-ray And Say Goodbye to the Beatles-esque Sit Down, I Think
versions of the album itself and 12 remastered tracks I Love You and the anthemic For What It’s Worth. Young’s
compiled from EPs and B-sides of the era, of overriding Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing shows an ambition
interest is the release of 25 unreleased demos from a to break free of the two-minute-pop straitjacket, a move
1986 Sound City recording session. The undoubted fully realised on wonderful second LP Buffalo Springfield
motherlode is the 1986 run-through of the majority of Again, an impressive leap in terms of production and
songs that made up Appetite…’s playlist a year later. scope. Young rewrites the Stones’ Satisfaction riff for
Despite the intriguing but inferior Shadow Of Your Love the rollicking Mr. Soul and Stills contributes the funky
and covers of Heartbreak Hotel and Jumpin’ Jack Flash in Bluebird, a precursor to his CSN work. But it’s the former
place of Mr. Brownstone, It’s So Easy and Sweet Child O’ who takes the spoils here, with the multi-part Expecting
Mine, the road-honed set, brimming with fire and energy, To Fly and Broken Arrow. Final LP Last Time Around was
is all-but record-ready. Urchins living under the street they completed after the Springfield had split, but Young’s
may have been, but they’d put the work in: this is the I Am A Child and the Latin-flavoured Stills workout Uno
sound of lightning being captured in a bottle. Owen Bailey Mundo are standouts. Steve Harnell

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Yes ZZ Top Haruomi
THE STEVEN
WILSON REMIXES
CINCO NO. 2:
THE SECOND FIVE LPS
Hosono

R E - R E L E A S E S
RHINO
PHILHARMONY/PARAISO/
RHINO
OMNI SIGHT SEEING
LIGHT IN THE ATTIC

O T
ver the past five years, prog his collection covers the

A
maestro Steven Wilson band’s output from 1979 to veteran of acclaimed late-60s
has been entrusted with 1990 – Degüello, El Loco, Japanese psych-folk-rock act 103
revamping the cream of Yes’s back Eliminator, Afterburner and Recycler. Happy End and electronic
catalogue. Timed to coincide with The recordings included here pioneers Yellow Magic Orchestra,

REVIEWS
the band’s half-century anniversary, display ZZ Top’s move from the raw, 70-year-old Haruomi ‘Harry’ Hosono
this impressive five-album boxset boogie-driven blues of La Grange has amassed a vast solo catalogue,
cherrypicks from the best of the early- and Just Got Paid and introduced a mostly previously unavailable outside
70s output and comprises The Yes synth sound that became instantly his homeland. These reissues mark
Album, Fragile, Close To The Edge, recognisable (and extremely popular) the start of a series and 1978’s
Tales From Topographic Oceans and the world over. There are hits galore Paraiso is most accessible: a lovely,
Relayer. Wilson’s work brings clarity throughout this anthology, from laid-back collection sometimes
to these mixes – it’s gimmick-free but Degüello’s Cheap Sunglasses to comparable to YMO, as on
empathic, and Yes have never sounded Eliminator’s Gimme All Your Lovin’, Shimendoka, but it also takes in Tokio
better. The band made giant strides Legs and Sharp Dressed Man. Rush’s playful yacht rock, Shambhala
towards crystallising their sound with Afterburner’s Rough Boy showcases Signal’s percussive bells, and the
the signing of Steve Howe for The the trio’s tender side, but Recycler’s literally titled Japanese Rhumba.
Yes Album and they rock hard on My Head’s In Mississippi marks a 1982’s Philharmony spearheaded
standout Yours Is No Disgrace. Rick welcome return to the dirtier side of the use of samplers, matching kettle
Wakeman’s arrival for Fragile resulted the blues. Some may say that this run drums on Funiculi Funicura to 80s
in their best album to date, bettered of albums was too formulaic, and that arcade sounds, tapping up Steve
only by its follow-up Close To The their overtly technology-led sound Reich on Luminescent-Hotaru, and
Edge. Topographic… is a curate’s had made them too commercial, but showcasing quirky pop on Sports
egg, where their vaulting ambition and that’d be missing the point. Cinco Men. 1989’s Omni Sight Seeing,
pretentiousness found Yes overreaching No. 2 proves that while ZZ Top at first meanwhile, drew on global sounds,
themselves; only to rein it in on the appeared to consist of unique looks whether on Orgone Box’s mix of
muscular Relayer, which dips into jazz and hooks, they undoubtedly had the silky pop and sneaking weirdness,
fusion. Steve Harnell musical chops to pull it off. Alex Duce Caravan’s easy listening or Laugh-
Gas’s proto-techno. An irrepressible
innovator. Wyndham Wallace

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REVIEWS
R E L E A S E S

Pictish Trail Gorillaz

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Death Cab
FUTURE ECHOES For Cutie THE NOW NOW
&
R E - R E L E A S E S

FIRE RECORDS PARLOPHONE

THANK YOU FOR TODAY
ATLANTIC RECORDS

E G
xpanded by the addition of orillaz are famed for their
three reinterpretations with extensive collaborations over

W
Suse Bear, a White Poppy ith Transatlanticism and the years, working with the
remix, three live tracks and a BBC Plans, Death Cab For Cutie likes of Shaun Ryder, De La Soul,
104 session track, Johnny Lynch’s 2016 were lauded for some of Grace Jones and countless others.
collection definitely deserves a the most emotionally charged albums On their sixth LP, they’ve largely
second chance. Recorded with of the 2000s. Thank You For Today, ditched this approach and instead
REVIEWS

Domino Recordings’ Adem Ilhan their ninth album, is the first without have allowed the vocals of Damon
– once part of Fridge, alongside founding member Chris Walla and Albarn to lead the record. However,
Kieran Hebden – it offers much finds the band back in the studio the most crucial contributor to the
the same pleasures as The Beta with producer Rich Costey, who album is Simian Mobile Disco man
Band’s early releases, especially also helmed 2015’s underwhelming and producer James Ford. The
on the soothing Strange Sun and Kintsugi. Opening pair I Dreamt We distinctly more electronic approach
appealingly sluggish opener Far Spoke Again and Summer Years feels rooted in his touch. Ironically,
Gone (Don’t Leave). Admittedly, it’s see the band indulge their synth-pop the rare example of a collaboration
more polished, so much that, despite sensibilities, while Your Hurricane on this record – via the Snoop Dogg-
its throttled vocals, Lionhead’s and When We Drive drift along with featuring Hollywood – is its most
anthemic chorus threatens to turn into a pleasant shoegazey sway. Early potent and alive moment. Overall, the
U2’s Bad, while Until Now flaunts treats, indeed; however, Death Cab album is a subtle one; monster pop
the same sensitivity and comparable seem content to plunder Killers-eque hits take a back seat for understated
arrangements to the more indietronic pop hooks, and songs such grooves, gently pulsing electronics
melancholic moments of Radiohead’s as Autumn Love, Northern Lights, and and glistening melody. It’s largely
In Rainbows. Otherwise, though, lead single Gold Rush all possess a a success, and for a project that’s
there’s a starry-eyed innocence tepid jingle-jangle, indie earworm that synonymous with having so much
anchoring the record and belying will drive you insane. As a complete crammed in to it, it’s a welcome shift
its more morbid lyrical themes. With body of work, Thank You For Today to experience something a little more
Lynch’s voice multitracked like a sounds as if it was made by a band relaxed and sparse. Daniel Dylan Wray
choir on Rhombus and a delicious wanting to sound relevant by moving
melancholy to Who’s Comin’ In?, forward, but somehow remaining
its minimalist opening slowly unfurls haunted by the past; which is perfectly
as though Caribou were remixing realised in the desolate closer (and
Loney Dear. Wyndham Wallace highlight) 60 & Punk. Dan Biggane

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 CHOICE

The Gaslight Tirzah Hilary Woods

Anthem DEVOTION COLT

R E L E A S E S
DOMINO SACRED BONES
THE ’59 SOUND SESSIONS
SIDEONEDUMMY

T T
irzah’s sought-after 2013 hat the first half-minute of

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collaboration with her old Hilary Woods’ solo debut

W
hen The Gaslight Anthem university pal Mica Levi, I’m offers little more than a single,
dropped their sophomore Not Dancing, sells for £30-plus on gently swelling synth chord, and that
album The ’59 Sound 10 Discogs these days, and the pair’s it’s then joined by just a simple, 105
years ago, much was made of the addictive 2015 wonk-step banger, stately piano line, indicates clearly
band bridging the gap between Make It Up, will command more if that the days of her former band,

REVIEWS
generations. Here was a modern it ever sees a much-demanded vinyl JJ72, and their Undertones-meets-U2
punk-rock outfit that appealed to release. But while Levi is better anthems, are long behind her. Sure,
fans of the rock ’n’ roll icons who known for doing her own thing, drums arrive a minute into Inhaler,
informed their formation. It’s no such as scoring Bafta- and Oscar- but at a funereal pace, and it’s her
surprise to learn that numbers such nominated soundtracks, Essex-born fragile, feminine voice – robed in
as High Lonesome and the album’s Tirzah has kept a low profile. Until reverb like Julee Cruise’s Falling –
title track still sound fresh and full of now. Sharing a similarly oblique that instead fills these sepulchral
youthful vigour on this companion lo-fi pop aesthetic with Levi, who spaces. The eerie Twin Peaks vibe is
album. Some may question whether produced Devotion alongside Kwes, maintained convincingly throughout,
a record only celebrating its 10th Tirzah’s debut album is a moody, lo-fi as Woods’ hushed voice urges us
anniversary deserves such treatment; future-soul document about surviving “Don’t be afraid” on the gauzy Take
yet The ’59 Sound Sessions features the inner city, informed by twilight Him In. Jesus Said, with Woods
unreleased rarities, a lush 60-page bus journeys home, heartbreak and quietly intoning “Give me back my
photobook and acts as the ideal relentless claustrophobia. Pieced skin/ I want to live in it”, could even
companion piece. It includes early together from half-remembered be described as gothic, were its
versions of favourites such as Great sounds of club nights, old soul and initially unsettling gloom not so
Expectations and Miles Davis & gospel tunes chopped and screwed appealing, and its percussive coda,
The Cool, as well as the previously into eternity, the classical music of complete with rippling, Roger
unheard Placeholder and traditional her studies, and Tirzah’s own soulful Eno-like piano melodies, so pretty.
folk standard God’s Gonna Cut You but careworn Estuary twang, this is Wyndham Wallace
Down. An ageless classic. heartfelt art-pop that tilts the world at
Dan Biggane its true, lopsided angle. Chris Parkin

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REVIEWS

Ray Davies Snail Mail Nine Inch Nails

OUR COUNTRY: LUSH BAD WITCH
R E L E A S E S

AMERICANA ACT II MATADOR CAROLINE INTERNATIONAL

SONY LEGACY

T T
he turbulence of youth lies at his won’t take long, but it’s
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the heart of this moody yet going to hurt. NiN have

R
ay Davies goes all out on his mature debut from 18-year- gone for the short, sharp
latest album, while simultaneously old Baltimore singer-songwriter shock treatment. You’ll know this
106 going nowhere. It’s a follow-up Lindsey Jordan. A classically trained from lead single God Break Down
to his 2017 offering and supposedly guitarist from the age of five, The Door: jamming with what
“follows my journey across America; Jordan’s alternative tunings and sounds like Radiohead’s Bangers
REVIEWS

through endless tours not just to reclaim lo-fi playing are the foundations And Mash, Trent Reznor wields a
The Kinks’ career, but to rediscover of a record that wrestles with saxophone and adopts the croon
the country that offered me my earliest the joy, pain and confusion of David Bowie employed in more
inspirations”. There are hints of Davies’ growing up. She ponders: “Is there experimental moments, abruptly
natural songwriting charm, but there any better feeling than coming breaking off mid-song, confident the
are also cringeworthy moments of self clean?” on the sprawling, scratchy band will floor anyone within five
indulgence, earnest sentimentality and Pristine – an early highlight on an miles when they kick back in. No less
peculiar spoken-word songs that act album of expansive late-night alt- uncompromising is the frighteningly
like unedited diary entries. The record rock reflections. Jordan explores distorted Shit Mirror, like Lemmy
weaves between country, folk, rock, pop heartbreak to anthemic effect on with The Jesus And Mary Chain in
and, as the title suggests, Americana. Heat Wave, abetted by some biting the back of a crashing truck; while
The opener, Our Country, resembles fuzzy lead guitar, while the short- Ahead Of Ourselves finds Reznor
Spiritualized for a brief moment of and-sweet slow-burning road song berating humanity’s arrogance.
promise, but soon dissolves into tired Let’s Find An Out features a gently I’m Not From This World sounds like
country cliché. Davies uses this record fingerpicked 12-string as Jordan the tense minutes in a sci-fi movie
to dip back into his old memory box wistfully observes from the window before the final showdown, and
and career, on interludes such as The of a tour van: “You’re always coming though the sax-embellished Over
Invaders, while proclaiming he’ll seek back a little older/ But it looks alright And Out is more subdued, Play The
revenge for his shooting in New Orleans on you”. These are songs written on Goddamned Part is no less menacing
on Epilogue. For all the reflection taking the move, dealing with transience, for being instrumental. It’s all pretty
place, it just makes one yearn for the both physical and metaphorical, brutal, then… Brace yourself.
Davies of old. Daniel Dylan Wray from a writer of impressive depth. Wyndham Wallace
Gary Walker

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Erasure E ShadowParty The Alarm
WORLD BE LIVE SHADOWPARTY EQUALS

R E L E A S E S
MUTE MUTE THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY
RECORDING COMPANY

“I A
f all else fails,” Andy Bell rguably, most records

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announces, “dip your head involving a New Order reat things were once
in a bucket of glitter.” This, member tend to sound like anticipated for The Alarm.
arguably, is the secret to Erasure’s a lesser version of that band. With Over the years, however,
success. It’s not that they’re afraid of ShadowParty, however, this is more they’ve been increasingly written 107
being serious, but the night captured frustrating: the two New Order out of the history books: their last
here is a nostalgic celebration, members – bassist Tom Chapman brush with the charts came only after

REVIEWS
not a solemn occasion. World Be and former Marion guitarist Phil they adopted a pseudonym, The
Live’s unstoppable 90 minutes find Cunningham – are only relatively Poppy Fields. Now, fired up after
Bell pausing only for more such recent additions. Despite Josh Hager Mike Peters and his wife, who plays
entertaining interjections; whether and Jeff Friedl, Devo’s current alongside him, faced down cancer –
introducing Vince Clarke’s nephew keyboardist and drummer, as the both are happily in remission – they
on guitar for a rousing Just A Little other forces behind this slightly return with the band’s first album in
Love, or discussing, before a faithful supergroup, their debut can’t shed eight years. Of course, one thing that
rendition of 1988’s Chains Of Love, the spectre of that more-established perhaps held them back was their
the perils of his tights wrinkling like employer. Still, New Order fans refusal to adjust to the times. Equals
Nora Batty’s. Furthermore, along the will enjoy Present Tense, and Vowel follows that pattern, remaining
way to a victorious climax – featuring Movement raises the ghost of a fan-friendly but unlikely to win
a dynamic Sometimes and jubilant youthful Hooky, while Reverse The newcomers without the endorsement
A Little Respect – they return to their Curse again turns to New Order’s of a band such as, say, Foo Fighters,
debut single, Who Needs Love Like ecstasy-fuelled period, adding what with whom their rockier numbers
That, toss in a reverent cover of sounds like an LCD Soundsystem bear comparison. But, with a husky
Blondie’s Atomic, and still manage to bassline. Weirdly, though, Truth passion, Peters still roars hoary
emerge from the glitter long enough could be Marc Bolan’s Get It On anthems such as the terrace-friendly
for a poignantly restrained version of colliding with Prince’s Paisley Park, Peace Now and Two Rivers – which
Take Me Out Of Myself… they’ve lost while Taking Over appears to add adds subtle electronic flourishes –
none of their sparkle. Eddie Vedder to a Brotherhood-era while Neutral maintains a tradition of
Wyndham Wallace chorus. There are excuses to party, four-pint-friendly lyrics such as: “I’m
but this remains a somewhat pale not on anybody’s side/ Except
shadow of the past. my own”. Wyndham Wallace
Wyndham Wallace

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REVIEWS

CHOICE

Ty Segall & Gang Gang Various Artists

White Fence Dance PARADISE: THE SOUND
R E L E A S E S

OF IVOR RAYMONDE
JOY KAZUASHITA BELLA UNION
DRAG CITY 4AD
N E W

F W R
ollowing on from their 2012 ith Gang Gang Dance’s egular readers of these
collaborative record, Hair, fecund sixth album, 4AD appear pages will be aware of the
108 garage rocker Ty Segall teams to have completed ever-expanding catalogue of
back up with the equally productive Tim their lengthy transition from one of indie treasures released by Simon
Presley. Across 15 tracks, they seem the world’s finest (predominantly) Raymonde’s Bella Union label.
REVIEWS

to indulge every whim and every ‘why arthouse-indie labels to one of its finest Fewer will be familiar with the
not?’ decision – and the result is one that (predominantly) arthouse-pop labels. stunning body of work his father
is stylistically all over the place; moving The band’s own journey is similarly – the arranger, musical director,
from folk-pop to prog to gutsy garage- intrepid: only Lizzi Bougatsos’ sticky- producer and songwriter Ivor
rock to surf-rock instrumentals – basically sweet, pitched-up vocal and three short Raymonde – was responsible for
anywhere it wants to. There’s a touch interludes – like the malfunctioning before his death in 1990. This
of Royal Trux about the record and the robot music of ( infirma terrae ) – link 26-track boxset, largely in mono,
brevity of some tracks results in hearing them to 2004’s experimental Revival is a heartfelt tribute, curated by
snippets rather than songs: un-fleshed-out Of The Shittest. So the eight-minute Simon and Kieron Tyler. Ivor’s lush
ideas or half-thoughts. This can make title track starts like The Orb before orchestration elevated stone-cold
for both a rewarding and frustrating glitchy electronica develops into the classics such as Dusty Springfield’s
listen, as the album hurtles through sound of Kraftwerk dragged to 22nd- I Only Want To Be With You, The
genres with gusto, but also struggles to century Japan, and Snake Dub is full Walker Brothers’ sublime Make It
gain anything resembling consistency or of backwards vocals and cut-and- Easy On Yourself and Billy Fury’s
coherence – tracks such as Rock Flute just paste synth jags. The wonky Young Halfway To Paradise. We’re also
seem intentionally obstreperous in their Boy (Marika In Amerika) is full of reminded of Raymonde’s work with a
inclusion. That said, there’s no denying glistening surfaces, rattling percussion young Bowie (Love You Till Tuesday)
the seamless and exhilarating charge and sky-scraping voices, but they’re and Tom Jones (Little Lonely One),
of Body Behavior or the Big Star-esque at their most accessible on J-TREE, as well as lesser-known rarities with
lushness of My Friend. which startles with surprisingly moving Cindy Cole and Helen Shapiro.
Daniel Dylan Wray samples of Native American protestors Simon Raymonde’s moving liner notes
and would sit well on Peter Gabriel’s and a track-by-track commentary by
Real World label. Wyndham Wallace Tyler make this an essential document
of the works of a true great of British
music. Gary Walker

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77:78 Matty Field Division
JELLIES DÉJÀVU DARK MATTER DREAMS

R E L E A S E S
HEAVENLY RECORDS MATTY UNLIMITED/AWAL BELLA UNION

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ccording to Aaron Fletcher atthew Tavares – aka Matty ith a cover featuring hats

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and Tim Parkin – members – is best known for his work and paisley shirts
of The Bees, now officially with BadBadNotGood; silhouetted against an
on hiatus too long – Jellies was Toronto’s jazz and hip-hop idyllic sunset, it’s no surprise Des
recorded in an old water tank that instrumentalists famed for their Moines’ Field Division wish it were 109
once belonged to Queen Victoria. collaborations with the likes of the 70s. That’s transparent from the
True or not, the claim suits a Kendrick Lamar; Rihanna; Tyler, The fluid, laid-back opener, River In

REVIEWS
wonderfully eccentric collection Creator; Ghostface Killah; Earl Reverse, with Evelyn Taylor and
blessed by the same harmonies that Sweatshirt and Mick Jenkins, to name Nicholas Frampton harmonising
made their other band so delightful. a paltry few. While still a core luxuriously, while Big Sur, Golden
Naturally, their fondness for the 60s member of the outfit, Matty has taken Hour combines Stevie Nicks-esque
also remains intact, so Jellies offers time out from touring with BBNG to vocals with rich David Crosby-esque
many of the pleasures of a late mastermind this brilliant debut solo acoustic guitars. The Yeats-inspired
night spent discovering a friend’s record. The resulting nine tracks take Innisfree (Let’s Be The Peace Now)
psychedelic LP collection. On If the experimental ideology and ramps up the Fleetwood Mac flavours
I’m Anything, they’re a playful 5th progressive approach of BBNG and further, especially with its closing,
Dimension, while Copper Nail uses transpose it firmly onto a bedrock of tasteful guitar licks; plus, there was
delicate Omnichord trills to add psychedelic synth-pop. Sonically, it’s never any doubt Siddhartha would
sparkle to its laidback shuffle. There’s an enthralling mix between The feature a sitar, its psychedelic vocal
further Omnichord on E.S.T.W.D, Beach Boys, Toro Y Moi and Tame effects eager to woo George
a song whose enviably carefree Impala – not least because of Harrison back from the dead. If he
sentiment is encapsulated in its Tavares’ and Kevin Parker’s drawling heard This Is How Your Love Destroys
chorus: “Everybody sees the world so vocal similarities to (and shared Me and its shoegaze climax, he
differently/ But you see the same, the influence from) Brian Wilson. From might just be tempted: it’s a beautiful
same as me”. Add the artful, Beck- the sun-bleached synths of Clear to finale to a track that adds pedal steel
esque Shepherd’s Song, and Chilli the jazz-fusion wanderings at the to an otherwise delicately arranged
– the sound of ? & The Mysterians tail-end of Polished, a sense of slice of Laurel Canyon Americana.
covering Datarock – for a perfect unbridled joy permeates the sound of Wyndham Wallace
summer. Wyndham Wallace Déjàvu, which makes it one of the
most delightful listens of the year so
far. Sam Willis

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REVIEWS
EXTRA

John Coltrane Menace Beach The Innocence Arp

BOTH DIRECTIONS AT ONCE
IMPULSE!
BLACK RAINBOW SOUND
MEMPHIS INDUSTRIES
Mission ZEBRA
MEXICAN SUMMER
SUN ON THE SQUARE
BELLA UNION

A n entire album cut by Coltrane and

his classic quartet in March 1963 at B rix Smith Start guests as the lo-fi
Leeds supergroup make a diversion A mbient experimentalist Alexis
Georgopoulos’s fifth album is a
Van Gelder Studios finally sees the light
of day. The day before recording John
Coltrane And Johnny Hartman, Coltrane
from the fuzz-fuelled alt-indie of last
year’s Lemon Memory deep into woozy
analogue-synth weirdness territory.
B ella Union boss Simon Raymonde
was delighted to finally sign The
Innocence Mission, whose 1999 album
beguiling, time-hopping, genre-bending
fusion of many contradictory elements
into 11 instrumental tracks of free-range
laid down this session, with some of the Guitars pushed to the fringes, these Birds Of My Neighbourhood he rates in electronica. Rhythm is always to the fore,
compositions never being released; the late-night concoctions remain melodically his top-three LPs ever made. Karen Peris’ however, and the eclectic flow makes
tapes haven’t been touched since. As lush, occasionally euphoric and often enchanting voice stars on this bucolic perfect sense: the way diverse sonic
Sonny Rollins put it: “This is like finding bizarre, with Eagulls producer Matt Peel folky treasure adorned with affecting elements and instrumentation are spliced
a new room in the Great Pyramid.” at the controls. violin, viola and nylon-strung guitar. together is mightily impressive.
E X T R A

110

Dirty Projectors Gulp Melody’s Echo Tomberlin

REVIEWS

LAMP LIT PROSE

DOMINO
ALL GOOD WISHES
E.L.K. RECORDS
Chamber AT WEDDINGS
SADDLE CREEK
BON VOYAGE
FAT POSSUM RECORDS

B arely a year has elapsed since the

last entry in multi-instrumentalist
David Longstreth’s ever-eclectic catalogue.
T his sophomore album from Gulp – a
trio comprising Super Furry Animals’
Guto Pryce, his partner Lindsey Leven and F rench musician Melody Prochet
releases her first new LP in six years.
A delicate and wistfully serene record
from Saddle Creek’s latest signing.
Kentucky’s Sarah Beth Tomberlin is the
This time round, he’s joined by guests guitarist Gid Goundrey – tries its best to It follows her self-titled debut, produced daughter of a Baptist pastor and this
including Robin Pecknold, HAIM and resist giving in to its dreamier, psychedelic by Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, and debut produced by Arcade Fire’s Owen
Syd on a more hopeful, funky collection, side. The tension between the restrictions has collaborations with The Amazing’s Pallett is an exploration of faith and
cramming in a tireless parade of ideas of the three-minute pop format and the Fredrik Swahn and Dungen’s Reine Fiske, the battle to shape one’s own identity.
and changes in direction. Lamp Lit Prose endless vistas of electronic production Gustav Ejstes and Johan Holmegaard. “I am a tornado with big green eyes
is released on limited-edition red and blue make for a rewarding listen, rounded off It’s a multilingual juxtaposition of breathy and a heartbeat,” she sings on Tornado,
starburst vinyl, with 16-page libretto. by Lindsey’s sun-drenched vocal hooks. splendour and sonic exploration. to devastating effect.

Toure Kunda Leon Vynehall Rolling Blackouts John Fogerty

LAMBI GOLO
SHELLSHOCK
NOTHING IS STILL
NINJA TUNE
Coastal Fever VINYL REISSUES
BMG
HOPE DOWNS
SUB POP

F our decades into a career that’s

seen the Senegalese band release F êted DJ and electronic composer
Leon Vynehall departs from his W ith a follow-up to 2013’s Wrote
A Song For Everyone in the
a string of albums in no fewer than six
languages, while remaining prolific
social activisits, Lambi Golo is a genre-
EPs’ more dancefloor-orientated sound
to deliver a stunningly atmospheric,
textural debut. It’s an emotional work,
A debut from Melbourne’s Rolling
Blackouts Coastal Fever following
the infectious promise of two superb EPs.
pipeline, the Creedence Clearwater
Revival co-founder celebrates the 20th
anniversary of the Grammy Award-
melding delight. Its songs collected over shapeshifting through cinematic moods Chiming, ramshackle guitars and insistent winning Blue Moon Swamp with a reissue
many years, and recorded in “village to deliver an immersive, artful listen you’ll drums and basslines are the order of the campaign. It kicks off with that album
studio” conditions, it combines Mbalax, feel compelled to return to. Plus, there’s a day over 35 exhilarating minutes, with on 180g blue vinyl, with Centerfield,
Casamancais rhythms, reggae and funk boxed version on heavyweight vinyl with Talking Straight an early contender for Premonition, Eye Of The Zombie and
to joyous effect. a limited-edition paperback novella. critics’ singles-of-the-year lists. Deja Vu All Over Again to follow.
 REVIEWS
Arty indie-pop
Chris Parkin guides us through the latest vinyl offerings from an emerging crop of indie
bands who blend DIY experimentalism with all manner of genres to create off-kilter pop…

H O P P I N G
G E N R E
outfit whose interest in the teutonic rhythms

O
111
ver the past few years, partisans of krautrock provides a groovesome a world removed from Dirty Projectors’
of the indie-pop and rock worlds foundation for their angular, heartfelt art- experimental fare. A charmingly

REVIEWS
have retreated back beneath pop anthems. This is album number four, shambolic but ultimately lightweight
the parapet, returning to their own and should see them winning new fans. affair, it left anyone who was curious
comfortable niche of underachievement. Music writers first coined the term about the hype surrounding the four-piece
But with Goat Girl, Girl Ray, The ‘indie soul’ in the wake of Dirty Projectors’ flummoxed. But thanks in part to some
Magic Gang and others causing a fuss 2009 album Bitte Orca, which refracted guidance from Strokes producer Gordon
lately, there appears once again to be slinky contemporary R&B through the Raphael, the young group’s follow-up,
youthful interest in bands marrying artful lens of tropical indie. But with guitarist I Don’t Run, is a moreish treasure
DIY aesthetics with catchy but slightly and vocalist Amber Coffman no longer brimming with scrappy, gabba-hey
awkward pop songwriting. in the band – controversially, it would garage-pop that teeters on the brink but
The most exciting recent release from seem – David Longstreth’s art-pop project delivers smiles for miles.
this nook is Virginia Existing on a much
Wing’s Ecstatic Arrow. bleaker indie-rock plane
The Manchester duo’s VIRGINIA WING’S ECSTATIC ARROW IS AN than any of the above
third album is an is Belfast band Girls
inventive kaleidoscope
INVENTIVE KALEIDOSCOPE OF PROPULSIVE Names, whose latest
of propulsive dream- DREAM-POP THAT’S WARMLY EMPATHETIC album Stains On Silence
pop that’s both warmly AND WORLD-WEARY AT THE SAME TIME is a regal, noise-strafed
empathetic and world- heartbreak album
weary at the same time. indebted to the stalking
Weaving in exotic ‘fourth world’ sounds, has returned to its old blend of taut, bass, taut guitars and cavernous drums
parping synths and saxophone, and post- cloudbusting highlife and knotty vocal of post punk. Released by Tough Love,
punk vibrancy, as well as Alice Merida harmonies on new (ninth) album, Lamp Lit the label responsible for albums by Priests
Richards’ lyrical fuck-yous to mansplainers Prose. Longstreth might add a little disco- and Ulrika Spacek over the past year
and anyone else out there harshing her ball electronica this time around, but this or so, Stains On Silence is a maelstrom
vibe, Ecstatic Arrow makes most music in is the agreeably familiar sound of a band of doom and gloom with fleeting, pretty
2018 sound humdrum in comparison. which, alongside Vampire Weekend, moments of hope. An album that pitches
On a similar tip, but not out until helped reintroduce African pop into the up somewhere between Girls Names’
September, is Teleman’s latest full-length, indie realm back in the 2000s. murk and Virginia Wing’s vivid art-pop
Family Of Aliens. The band forged from The first album from Madrid’s lo-fi indie- is Addendum, the latest strange (and
the ashes of the much-underrated Pete poppers and Thee Headcoatees devotees occasionally frightening) album from
And The Pirates are another indie-pop Hinds, 2016’s Leave Me Alone, was goth-pop eccentric John Maus. ●
 HOW TO BUY
HEADPHONE AMPLIFIERS
Looking to make the most of your headphone setup?
Paul Rigby looks at the power source and offers useful
buying advice on a range of headphone amplifiers…

H
ow do you listen to your headphones themselves… and you’re of the preamp and separate it, too, and
records? Do you use speakers just plugging them into the amplifier’s so on. The perfect amplifier should
or headphones? Or both? Some headphone socket? occupy about 30 boxes. I exaggerate,
people prefer to listen to their You might ask: what’s the problem but only slightly…
music via headphones while, with that? Well, it’s a basic argument of Hence, the primary message from
for others, there’s little choice. hi-fi, really. Hi-fi manufacturers prefer this guide is you really need to take
If you’re in a small living space and to divide the signal chain up into the headphone amplifier out of your
have late-night listening and the separate component parts. There are integrated amplifier and separate it.
neighbours to consider – or you run plenty of integrated amplifiers on the The reason has to do with noise.
the risk of waking up the kiddies, market – some nice examples, too. When you have a headphone amplifier
or if they or your pets threaten the That said, generally speaking, you’ll sitting inside an integrated amplifier,
safety of your precious speakers, then achieve better sound quality if you that headphone amp is open to
headphones it is. separate the controls from the power invasion by noise from the adjacent
But how do you use your source to get a preamp and a power
headphones? Do you plug them into amp. You’ll improve sound still further
114 your main amplifier, perchance? if you separate the stereo power amp
If that’s so, then I have to say that into two mono-block power amps.
I’m frowning right at you. You’ve – You can ramp up the quality beyond
BUY

quite possibly – invested a lot of cash that if you take the power supply out
on your turntable, arm, cartridge,
amplifier and, let’s not forget, the
TO
HOW

Sennheiser’s
HDV 820
Digital Headphone
Amplifier/DAC
 NOISE SPREADS A FINE BLANKET
OVER SUBTLETIES: THE AMOUNT
AND QUALITY OF REVERB FROM
A CYMBAL TAP; THE TYPE AND
power supply, the capacitors, the amplifier then becomes just another STRUCTURE OF A STRUM ON
circuit board and just about every external hi-fi component.
other electronic component in there. If you do buy a headphone
AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR; THAT
This noise is not loud and annoying, amplifier, make sure that it has the LITTLE CATCH IN THE VOICE…
which is why most people live with it connections you need, though; not ADD UP DOZENS OF THOSE
and never see it as a problem. That’s least the correct-sized socket for your
only because their brains have tuned headphones. Headphone sockets, of ‘LITTLE THINGS’ AND THE MUSIC
it out, in the same way you tune course, arrive in different sizes. Make BEGINS TO LOSE SOMETHING
out unwanted noise in your home sure that the termination of your
environment such as planes flying headphones matches the socket(s) of
overhead and so on, over time. your headphone amplifier. The most of connectivity options out there.
popular are 3.5mm or 6.35mm phono It probably goes without saying, that
NOISE REDUCTION type. Rather more exotic headphone you simply need to remember to

A M PL I FI ERS
The noise produced by an amplifier amplifiers feature alternatives, match the right headphone socket
is low key to human ears, but wholly including a multi-pronged DIN socket with the right plug.
destructive for musical details. or a balanced type, which includes Speaking of the esoteric, and this
It masks the subtleties – and sound is a three- or four-pin XLR connection. point generally relates only to more
surprisingly fragile. Noise spreads Other sockets include the 4.4mm expensive headphone amplifiers,
a fine blanket over fine nuances. The Pentaconn. Its plug resembles a basic you may come across headphone
amount and quality of reverb from a phono-type, but with tweaks. More amplifiers powered by valves. I use

H E A D PH O N E
cymbal tap; the type and structure of a than ever before, there’s a multitude two contrasting valve variants myself
strum on an acoustic guitar; that little
catch in the voice during an emotional
delivery. These can be seen as minor
details, but they’re susceptible to noise,
and all of these ‘little things’ add up,
with the end result of the music losing 115
something – soul, perhaps? Certainly
realism. Definitely detail.

BUY
Separating the headphone amplifier
from an integrated amplifier, a music
centre or your power-speaker setup

TO
will go some way to rescuing this
detail, to be enjoyed by your ears.

HOW
The way forward, then, is to plug
your headphones into a standalone
headphone amplifier and then
plug that into your amplifier.
Erzetich’s “faster
You do this in the same way than sound”
you would add a CD player to the Class A Perfidus
same amplifier. The headphone headphone amp
Image www.eliteaudiouk.com

Image en-uk.sennheiser.com
 and much prefer them to the usual midrange detail, along with yes, headphone amplifier into them
solid-state designs for higher-end a fast-paced presentation. for increased functionality. The same
headphones – but the preference is just Often, especially in more can be said of external headphone
that, one of personal taste. contemporary products, the core amplifiers. The most popular addition
In general and very basic terms, technology that’s used to produce the is the insertion of a digital-to-analogue
a valve-based headphone amplifier amplifier itself is only part of the story. converter (or DAC), which enables
will give you finer midrange detail, That’s because a lot of current hi-fi you to add a laptop, for example,
sometimes a warmer soundstage is designed to cover multiple tasks. and create a useful little desktop
Trilogy’s ultra-
effect and an organic bass response, Gone are the days when turntables just system. The purity of a standalone
high-end 933 while solid-state affairs provide strong played records, for example. Now you headphone amplifier is preferable but,
headphone amplifier bass slam with slightly finer-edged can plug a phono amp, USB port and, if you need to save a few pounds,
a dual-purpose headphone amp might
be just the ticket.
Before I talk about specific
headphone amplifiers, I must add
A M PL I FI ERS

that I will be ignoring those aimed

specifically and only at mobile use.
These units are battery-based and
tend not to allow easy connection to a
home hi-fi system. Mobile headphone
amplifiers are a genre unto themselves.
H E A D PH O N E

BUYER’S
RECOMMENDATIONS
Which headphone amplifier should
you buy? Here’s a broad selection from
three different price points. These are

Image www.trilogyaudio.com
just a few recommended choices, and
116 not an exhaustive list. There are other
options we’ve not been able to include
due to space reasons. Why not write
BUY

or email in and tell us about your

favourites so that other readers can be
made aware of those, too? ●
TO
HOW

BUDGET UP TO £400
Inexpensive options to get the job done – plus, they double as preamps
REGA
EAR
PRICE £180
WWW.REGA.CO.UK
Based upon the same build techniques as used
in the company’s popular Brio integrated amp,
this little box punches way above its weight
and arrives with independent mute and volume
controls, to enable use as a preamp.

ARCAM
SCHIIT IRDAC-II DSD
MAGNI 3 PRICE £399
PRICE £110 WWW.ARCAM.CO.UK
WWW.ELECTROMOD.CO.UK The Irdac-II offers an ESS SABRE-based DAC
Able to drive just about any headphones out (24-bit/384kHz and DSD 128) as a partner to the
there, this diminutive bargain provides basic headphone amp, plus Bluetooth. It has a disciplined
guts, but also low-noise fine detail. You soundstage, good bass impact, lots of features and
can connect the unit to a power amp and use it good integration (thanks to the optical ports) if you
as a preamp to save cash, too. want to use it with your TV.
MID-RANGE £400-£1,000
Essential choices that introduce extra features and finesse
ICON AUDIO
HP8 MKII
PRICE £849
WWW.ICONAUDIO.COM
The Icon Audio HP8 MKII SE offers a sweeping, open
and broad soundstage that allows music to really flex
its muscles while enabling even the most nuanced and
delicate of details to be revealed to the ear. A design
of quality and elegance.

RUPERT NEVE DESIGNS ERZETICH

RNHP PERFIDUS
PRICE £469 PRICE £999
WWW.RUSSANDREWS.COM WWW.ELITEAUDIOUK.COM 117
From the legendary studio hardware company comes Solid-state fans will lap up the
a vastly superior headphone amplifier at this price accuracy and precision of the Perfidus’

BUY
point, which also worries more expensive amplifier performance. Both treble and midrange
designs. The RNHP takes you a step or two closer to are implemented superbly, with a
the action – but not too close. transparency that will delight many ears.

TO
HOW
HIGH-END £1,000+
These rarefied designs offer top-quality featuresets, components and fittings
SENNHEISER
HDV 820
PRICE £2,100
EN-UK.SENNHEISER.COM
The admirable and low-noise performance in the
superlative HDV 820’s single-ended configuration is
surpassed significantly during XLR use. It includes an
ESS SABRE32 DAC, handling up to 32-bit/384kHz and
also DSD256 files of up to 12.3MHz.

QUESTYLE
CMA600I TRILOGY
PRICE £1,199 933
WWW.SCVDISTRIBUTION.CO.UK PRICE £2,795
Possibly the most neutral piece of hi-fi technology WWW.TRILOGYAUDIO.COM
I’ve ever listened to and a brilliant choice at the This Class A design houses a significant amount of
higher price bracket. Based on Current Mode carefully considered engineering. Arriving with a
Amplification and a 32-bit AK4490 DAC chipset separate power supply and run off a remote control
from AKM, you could consider it the Switzerland only, the 933 is both understated in approach and
of audiophile technology. detailed in application. A remarkable amplifier.
REVIEWS

DREAM
MACHINES
V I
M K
M C 2 75

MCINTOSH
M C I N TO S H

MC275 MK VI
£7,100 www.mcintoshlabs.com
2

118 In our series showcasing high-end hi-fi to die for, Paul Rigby guides
you through the features of an ultra high-spec power amplifier that
positively glows with analogue radiance…
MACHINES
DREAM

1 GREEN LIGHT
The valves turn amber
(during the warm-up

T
phase) and then green
when the power is on he MC275 MK VI is a
to indicate readiness… supremely high-end power
and red if there’s amplifier to slaver over and
a valve failure to drink in with the eyes –
because there’s a lot going on here, and a lot of
care and attention has been paid to its aesthetics.
Packing 75 watts and weighing in at a hefty
30.5kg, the MC275 is dominated by whopping
great transformers and supporting valves. Sporting
balanced and unbalanced outputs, this is the
sixth generation of the amplifier – so the
MC275 has been finely tuned over the
2 POST
years. Oh, and those valves? Each 3
KEEP IT
PRODUCTION one features a little LED to light STAINLESS STEEL
The speaker binding posts it up during use. ● The amp’s chassis is
are patented gold-plated made from polished
Solid Cinch models stainless steel
 1

DREAM MACHINES M C I N TO S H M C 2 75 M K V I
119
REVIEWS
ROKSAN XERXES 20 PLUS
CLASSIC TURNTABLE PLUS ARM, CARTRIDGE AND VSC 2
£7,765 www.roksan.co.uk 0208 900 6801

Paul Rigby reviews the Xerxes 20 Plus, Roksan’s classic turntable, with a different arm combo,
a brand-new cartridge and the Caspian VSC 2 Vinyl System Control

R
oksan are currently in a bit of upgraded and replaced, respectively. for example), but have enough to get
an odd situation, analogue- As for the top-of-the-range Shiraz in on a lower rung, then the turntable
wise. While the high-end Xerxes cartridge… Who knows? setup that Roksan have supplied for this
turntable is moving along quite nicely, Hence, Roksan’s analogue product review might just be the combo to get
T U R N TA B L E S

the top-of-the-range arm, the Artemis, line is in a state of flux. In an odd you underway, with upgrades to be
has been withdrawn and the next arm way, though, if you’re not awash considered as and when funds allow.
down the list, The Pug, is under review. with cash to buy the full-flight Roksan The veteran Xerxes turntable
These two arms are currently being experience (a Shiraz cartridge will set (£3,200) feels relatively compact at
you back around £3,000 on its own, 450x370x115mm, but also solid,
weighing in at 12kg. It features
a three-plinth sandwich, where
120
REVIEWS
 T U R N TA B L E S
everything is separated from everything Combining dynamic goth strains THIS COMBO PROVIDES
else by some form of rubberised feet (Andreas Gross) with Earl Coleman’s
or damping. The upper plinth sits on vocal jazz, I’m able to appreciate, yet
LOTS OF HIGHLIGHTS,
rubberised feet, which pass through discount, the built-in phono amp. It’s well INCLUDING IMMENSE 121
to the bottom plinth. The connection behaved, with a warming tone, but lacks BASS PERFORMANCE
is made via what Roksan term ’anti- air and dynamic reach. An external
WITH THE IMPACT

REVIEWS
vibration mounts’. That is, there are model would be my preference.
rubber-type mounts that sit in between The Xerxes/Nima/Corus2 offers OF A CRUISE MISSILE.
the suspended platter sections. a high-resolution output, but there’s THE SOUNDSTAGE FOCUS
The established Nima Unipivot a touch more noise in the system than AND THE MIDRANGE
Tonearm (£600) includes a decoupled you would expect in and around a top-
counterweight for easy azimuth end turntable. Of course, this is down PRECISION ARE
correction. It also features aluminium to the lower-priced arm and cartridge. ALSO WELCOME
alloy tubing, a stainless-steel bearing That said, this combo does provide
and Van Den Hul cabling. lots of highlights, including immense
bass performance which has the basis – upgrading the arm later, then the
CORUS LINE explosive impact of a cruise missile. The cartridge, and so on. This review system
The new Corus2 MM cartridge soundstage focus, midrange precision can be considered as a sort of Xerxes
features a nude Shibata fine-line stylus, and more are also welcome. In terms ‘starter kit’, with the system seen here
attached to a tapered aluminium tube of detail extraction, this Xerxes system offering a superb bass response and
that dangles from the front, which is provides a full printout of everything that delicate upper frequencies. Overall,
protected by a fold-down cover. It’s occurs in the music. When listening, you it‘s a viable and recommended entry
based upon the Audio-Technica VM750 never feel short-changed. into high-end listening. ●
but differs in terms of the coils, winding An additional mention must be made

VERDICT
compliance and suspension. of the new Corus2 cartridge. When
Separate from the turntable is a large I separate this product from the Xerxes
PROS CONS
box – as large as a CD player, say. This and test it with other designs at its price
is known as the VSC S2 (Vinyl System point, I find the Corus2 to be a superb BASS TIMING PHONO AMP
Control, £3,500). Inside are a number performer – offering midrange insight, PACE STARTER-KIT
of products, bundled together: an RPM clarity and a sense of space that will FOCUS SONICS
speed controller, plus the RPP phono delight the listener.
PRE-INSTALLED
stage and two power supplies. FOR YOU
A note – I didn’t install this turntable, VERDICT
Roksan did. I wanted to replicate the Taken together, the system we have on
customer experience here, because review here provides an ideal entry SCORE
your dealer will, or should, install your
Xerxes. Complain if they don’t.
point for any upgrader who wants to
grow into the full Xerxes kit on a gradual 26/33
 ALAN HARWOOD
Reader Alan Harwood was bitten by the collecting bug at an early age – then he became
a sales rep for a record company, so he could spend more quality time around vinyl…

Which artists and genres are

you most interested in?
H A R W O O D

“Besides The Damned, I started to

collect other bands, including Placebo,
Radiohead, Suede, The Fall, Neil
Young, The Beatles and Sonic Youth.
I sold a fair bit of my collection in
recent years. But I now only collect
A L A N

Sonic Youth and related members.

I’m a real completist.”
 
122 How many records do you
have in all?
“I’ve got about 400 albums in total,
VINYLIST

including 12"s and 10"s, and

I also have about 550 7" singles,
including some Russian flexi
To be in with a discs, plus too many other
chance of seeing your
record collection in Long
formats to mention.”
THE

Live Vinyl, email your  

details and a picture to What’s the most
gary.walker@anthem- valuable record
What was the first publishing.com in your collection?
record you bought? “Sonic Youth’s EVOL 2x12"
“On a family visit to a seaside one-sided acetates, signed by
town, in a second-hand shop Thurston Moore (see pic).”
which had some singles outside in  
a stand, I purchased a fire-damaged What’s the Holy Grail record
copy of Darts’ Come Back My Love. you’d most like to own?
It smelt a bit, but it was in a picture “I’m currently looking for Ciccone
sleeve and played fine. My first album Youth’s The Whitey Album – the
was Stiff Little Fingers’ Inflammable Australian-only version with a red
Material. I remember my best schoolmate sleeve – and any white labels, test
and I started to number our records with pressings and acetates, etc.”
stickers, and this was my number 1. After  
hearing The Damned’s Top 20 single What’s your listening setup?
Love Song on the radio, I was hooked on “My setup is as follows: turntable –
collecting, and this release came in red Rega Planar 3; receiver/amp –
vinyl and four different picture sleeves! Sony STR-DB930; speakers – Pioneer
“I was off, I had to have everything CS-970s (I’ve tried other speakers,
by them – different pressings, coloured but I’ve never found anything that
vinyl… Later on, I was lucky enough to sounds as good as them). I also have
get a job as a sales rep for a record a 1966 Wurlitzer 3000 jukebox, full
company, so I could go to my favourite of all sorts of rock, pop, punk and rock
places – record shops!” ‘n’ roll classics.” ●
Discover the pleasure
of pure sound
At Audio Lounge, our experts design exquisite,
bespoke listening experiences for your home,
so you can immerse yourself in the most
beautiful sound you’ve ever heard.
Why not make an appointment to
audition the finest analogue audio
equipment available in London’s
best vinyl listening destination.

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