Vinyl Revival: Seven Singles Deep by Icicle Works

Maybe I should've kept my mouth shut about my new turntable and USB phono stage. After mentioning it at the pub last night, I received my first request: "Do you have that Icicle Works compilation with all the 12" versions on it?"

It so happens I do and I proudly recalled listening to it only last week. Net result: agreement to produce a digital copies for my turntable-less friends.

The Icicle Works are one of my favourite bands and this album collects the extended versions of their singles, from their biggest hit "Love Is A Wonderful Colour" through the singles off their first two albums, to my personal favourite "When It All Comes Down".

I only saw the group perform twice - at The Marquee, Wardour Street and Camden Palace - but they were fantastic both times and Chris Sharrock remains one of my favourite drummers. He plays for Robbie Williams these days, but I did manage to see him play with both The Las and The Lightning Seeds in the intervening years.

As for the digital copy, the capture was straightforward and my friends were most appreciative.

Rega Planar 3 turntable

I've finally taken the plunge and upgraded my turntable.

After months, maybe years, of pondering over the Linn LP12, I noticed a Rega Planar 2 in my local secondhand shop. Because I wasn't quick off the mark, it was soon gone. When likewise missed out on a nice-looking wooden Dual deck, I realised I'd have to get more serious.


Online reading led me to conclude the LP12 was a bit overpriced for my requirements. Watching eBay for several months I saw plenty of secondhand Regas around. The Planar 3 began to look like a good deal, particularly when combined with the Rega RB300 tonearm. With the original packaging, the going rate is around £200.

After a couple of disappointments, I held my nerve and secured one for four pounds over my target price (couldn't let another one escape for the sake of such a paltry sum).

A major upgrade to my previous unit, I decided the only "weakness" I read about - "it's a deck for rock fans" - probably counted in its favour for me. A replacement Rega R100 stylus from Musonic and I'm listening to vinyl as I've never heard it before on my own system. And this from a 25 year old turntable. I'm happy.

Vinyl Revival: 50 More All-Time Children's Favourites by Wally Whyton

One Christmas my sister and I both received LPs from my parents. I was given "Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet", featuring edited audio highlights of an episode of each television series, the former with additional storytelling from Scott Tracey himself, Shane Rimmer.



My sister was given 50-More-All-Time-Childrens-Favourites by Wally Whyton. As a fan of Gerry Anderson I felt I'd got the better deal, but it was Wally's folk style nursery rhymes which made a more lasting impression. With my own daughter approaching two years of age, I'm looking around at musical CDs for small children. These seem to come in two types: overly sickly Disney collections or R'n'B pop interpretations by over-earnest X-Factor losers.



Listening back to this album now, I'm surprised how much I recall. The assertive female of "Where Are You Going To My Pretty Maid" who rejects the advances of a gold-digging male is impressive. Wally's unaccompanied singing on "Rain, Rain Go Away" is less so, dropping as it does several semitones towards the end (presumably studio time was at a premium in those days.)

But the biggest shock caused me to nearly drop my tea: side 1, band 2, song 2: "Taffy Was A Welshman", an anti-Welsh song I don't recall hearing in the thirty-plus years since this album was last played. I think we'll have to leave that off the compilation I'm making for my daughter.

I've now found the first volume on eBay. Slightly worried about "Ten Little Indians"...

Vinyl Revival: Pro-Ject Phono Box II USB

"Record all your vynils to hard disk or CD ROM."

It really does say that on the box.

But that's just nitpicking. The Pro-Ject Phono Box II USB plugs into a PC so I can make WAV format recordings off my turntable.

I've over 100 albums and 600 singles, so I'm looking forward to the next few months.

Intergalactic Sonic 7"s: The Best of Ash by Ash

I quite like Ash, but I couldn't say I was a fan. Twice I saw them support U2 in Dublin on the Popmart Tour in 1997, but I only really got interested once they'd released an album their record company was dubious about and the band funded itself - got to respect that.

I actually bought this as a Christmas present for an ex-girlfriend and since I didn't see her that Christmas, it's been knocking around for a while, bonus disc and all.

Regrets? Sometimes.

His 'n' Hers by Pulp

This is a great album, featuring the glorious "Do You Remember The First Time?" which stood out so prominently at Pulp's Glastonbury performance. Unfortunately, I was late to the party and hardly listened to it as a result. Who needed to when the singles had become so ingrained from hearing them on the radio.

Chris Morris played "Babies" a lot on his Radio One show, which I'd listen to in the car with a friend as we travelled down to Hampshire to visit his girlfriend.

I haven't seen her lately and I don't know that I remember the first time either.

Pulped by Pulp

Bought cheaply from a colleague who learned his lesson about acquiring CDs far sooner than I, this was never going to fetch the slightly ridiculous thirty quid Amazon apparently thought was the going rate.

Sad to say, I've never actually got around to listening to it, which is nothing to do with the quality of the work and all to do with the amount of music I own and the time it takes to listen to it.

No, I don't want you any more.