Sunday 30 March 2008

The Hurting By Tears For Fears


A great 80s album, from the opening chords which were sampled for Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas", through the singles which sounded so different to other pop bands around at the time. Annie Nightingale would often play Suffer The Children on her request show back in the 80s which cemented it as the standout track in my mind.

There's a remastered version of this out, although I don't have it, but I know I can get it if I want.

Thursday 20 March 2008

The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe Volume 1


This series captivated me as a four year-old when it was shown on early evening television in the 70s, so I jumped at the chance to pick up the video set when it was released.

When the rights were snarled up and a DVD reissue began to look a remote possiblity, the prices jumped, causing one friend to unload his set for £120! I didn't jump. And I'm now selling them for knock-down prices.

I bet Robinson wouldn't have hoarded them in his cave. He'd have lined his parrot's cage with them or something useful.

The Jesus And Mary Chain video by Jesus And Mary Chain

The all-reaching power of John Peel was such that I once walked into my parents' dining room in the late 80s to find my father listening to The Jesus And Marychain's "April Skies" and tapping his foot.

In those days Radio One shared an FM frequency with Radio Two and the end of whatever light music programme he listended to in the early evening would be followed at 9:00pm by the familiar theme tune, John Peel's laconic chatter and whatever non-playlist music was exciting him enough to play that night.

The Jesus And Marychain had exploded into our consciousness in the mid-80s with "Never Understand". The (old grey) Whistle Test screened the disorientating video (a formula which this tape reveals they repeated for all subsequent clips bar one) and a superb performance which caught even the unflappable Mark Ellen off-guard when they kicked over their instruments and sat sullenly on the stage at the end.

This tape is repetitive - in a nice way. But it's also VHS sized... and sitting with other VHS-sized video cassettes is a prime candidate for liberation.

Someone out there wants it. Good for them.

(I admit to capturing this on my PC for posterity.)

Never Another Sunset by Rose Of Avalanche


I remember seeing Rose Of Avalanche touring this album with Claytown Troupe at ULU. They were all leather jackets, sunglasses and fake American accents. The first track, "What's Going Down" wasn't bad, the rest not as good.

We had a band called The Raw Bloodthirsty Energy Dogs which sounded a lot like the early, "L.A. Rain"-era Rose of Avalance, though my bass-playing was deemed superfluous to requirements during the summer holidays. They also ditched the cover of "She Sells Sanctuary" and became The Acolytes.

I also have the album "String A Beads" - both were freebies from my plugging years. I don't like my chances of getting shot of that.

Tuesday 18 March 2008

The Joshua Tree by U2 - DCC

U2 issued four of their albums on Philips' Digital Compact Cassette format and as a completist, I want them all. They turn up occasionally on eBay, so when I saw this, I snapped it up. It's even still wrapped, so it's never been played.

And since I don't have a player, it probably never will be.

Monday 17 March 2008

The Story Of The Clash Volume 1 by The Clash

Wow! It's the late 80s and this appears on the shelves at a knock down price - I'd better get it! And listen to it a couple of times. And then just leave it on the shelf.

No longer.

Gone.

Tuesday 11 March 2008

#1 by Fischerspooner

"Rather a lot of hype" was the media's impression of Fischerspooner. I wasn't susceptible, I just liked the track Emerge.

I didn't like the rest of the album quite as much.

Demerge, if you please.

Thursday 6 March 2008

Tekken 2

This came with my PlayStation when I bought it.

I was never a big fan of fighting games, which I find mildly diverting at best.

Someone wanted it though and I'm pleased to reclaim the space.

"Finish him!"

Wednesday 5 March 2008

Gala by Lush

I once blagged my way into a Lush gig at the Town & Country Club, Kentish Town. I had been promised a guest list place by someone at 4AD, but when we arrived it was such a huge, unmanageable guest list, the doorman had almost given up on it.

There were two great early singles by Lush: De-Luxe and Sweetness And Light and both feature on this compilation which I stopped listening to long ago.

I saw four people who resembled the group in Ladbroke Grove the day after the concert and laughed to myself "Lush!", only to find on getting closer to them that it was actually the band.

Sweetness And Light probably deserves the occasional spin.

Tuesday 4 March 2008

Crash Bandicoot

This came free with PlayStation. I'm not a great lover of platform games, they seem a bit of a throwback - to Chuckie Egg, more than anything and I think I've moved on.

Someone else was pretty keen on it though - it didn't stick around long.

Saturday 1 March 2008

The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story by Paul McGuigan and Paolo Hewitt

An episodic compilation of clips, cuttings and interviews which give you an overview of the story of Robin Friday's life without taking you any closer to the enigmatic man himself, much like the fans watching from the terraces.

Worth reading if you're interested in cult football heroes.