Vinyl Advent Calendar

24 doors, 24 Christmas records hidden behind them.

John Foxx and The Maths - Howl

I've been looking forward to this release for a while, more so than any other album this year. It doesn't disappoint. Great to hear Robin Simon's guitars with John Foxx again.

A glorious sensational noise.

The Phantom Band - Checkmate Savage

Oh how I love this album. Checkmate Savage is probably my most listened to album of the last ten years and the first of four stunning albums released (so far?) by the band. I bought it purely on the write up that Piccadilly Records gave it. Listening to it now still gives me that first-time buzz.

Soil Sample #3: Brian Eno - Ring of Fire

Between 1990 and 1997, Warner Bros. Records in the US had the smart idea of releasing a series of 25 promo singles for artists signed to the label who had upcoming or current releases. Called Soil Samples, most of these were split 7" singles featuring two or more artists and many were also pressed on coloured vinyl.

The enticing thing about these singles was that they featured exclusive songs, some of which were recorded during the sessions for their latest album; an interesting way of promoting an album with a song that wasn't featured on it! It appears that many of these recordings have yet to make there way onto any other releases, making them some of the less well known collectable items.

Anyway, here's Soil Samples #3, released to promote Wrong Way Up by Eno/Cale and an album by House of Freaks (who I know nothing about). Eno and Cale each contribute a solo song - John Cale with the serviceable instrumental track Shuffle Down to Woodbridge, whilst Eno turns in the highlight, a haunting reverb heavy cover of Ring of Fire.

Autobahn Edited

Autobahn is perfect in its full 22'43" glory, but it clearly needed to be edited down for radio play and tonfktt on a 7" single.

The UK single version was hacked down to a measly 3'06', whilst the rest of the world, for some unknown reason, got a generous extra 22 seconds on their single version. Both these versions felt as though they had barely got started to me.

There is, however, one lesser known edit out there. Released as a promo 7" in the USA, the 5'46" Edited Long Version of Autobahn keeps an extra couple of minutes of the original and is all the better for it. The b-side is the Edited Short Version that the non UK fans got.

The End Of An Odyssey

In September 2016 I decided to listen to all my vinyl albums. To keep track it made sense to listen to them in alphabetical order by artist, followed by soundtracks and compilations.

I could still listen to new purchases in between these albums and could listen to something out of order if the mood took me but on the whole I stuck to the plan.

It's been a long journey, but here I finally am in May 2020 listening to the final album - Zang Tumb Tuum Sampled.

Choosing what to listen to next might be a challenge.

Impact Music #20: Haunted Dancehall

Haunted Dancehall by The Sabres of Paradise

Finally, the last one and suddenly I've found myself with another ten albums I want to share, but I think I'll stop....for now. At the end of the day, every album I own has made an impact, however small. I've just shared twenty of them, not necessarily the top twenty and many of them not even my favourite by that artist.

So, Sabres of Paradise. I've never been a big dancer, but I did enjoy going to clubs and would often lose myself in the music whilst everyone else hit the dancefloor.

That's why albums like this really resonated with me, when the dance bands that I loved stretched out, slowed it down and made music for listening to. Orbital's Snivilisation was another big one for me and Leftfield struck a great balance on Leftism too.

This one thought is just sublime - an incredibly atmospheric electronic album with moments of beauty and hidden dark corners. Or is that moments of darkness and hidden beautiful corners? I'm not alone in saying that Andrew Weatherall is still sorely missed.

Impact Music #19: Mogwai Young Team

Mogwai Young Team by Mogwai

Post rock eh? What is it?

It was a toss up between this and Millions Now Living Will Never Die by Tortoise with which one to share. I've already changed my mind three times.

Tortoise was the first post rock album I got and is one of my favourite albums. I do, however have more records that fall into the "sounds like Mogwai" category than most bands. Some of them sound more like Mogwai than Mogwai do. Anyway, this is a slightly disjointed album compared to what came next, but it has two of the biggest tunes ever, the incredibly heavy Like Herod and the template for the future of post rock that is Mogwai Fear Satan. That's 25 minutes of your life right there.

As a side note, Mogwai Fear Satan had one of the greatest remixes ever, courtesy of Surgeon, which takes the definition of music to another sublime level at zero BMP.

Impact Music #18: Doolittle

Doolittle by Pixies

I loved the Chart Show. Surely EVERYONE loved the Chart Show. Not only did you get the main charts, but you also got the video vault and a peek at the dance, rock and indie charts. Indie was the most exciting of the three, each week throwing a new (to many) band out there with a low budget, high entertainment video. That's where I first met Pixies. 

A lot of people will claim Surfer Rosa is THE Pixies album, but Doolittle has the better pop tunes on it - incredibly weird and inventive pop tunes admittedly. It starts with Debaser, which should be enough to win most "best album" arguments and it is one of those albums where you're enjoying a song whilst also getting excited about the next song.

PS Hands up who still sometimes calls them "The Pixies"? There's always a temptation to make them the definitive article. Which they are.

Impact Music #17: The Faust Tapes

The Faust Tapes by Faust

The first Krautrock album I bought.

Forget your Kraftwerk - I didn't know what Krautrock was when I got into them - this is where it sort of started for me. Back in the days where you had to rely on recommendations for music when there was no other way of hearing it, this could've easily ended up being the worst purchase I've ever made.

Even if their sound isn't as recognisable as the ubiquitous sound of Kraftwerk/Can/Neu! in today's music, Faust were the ultimate Krautrock band - totally rejecting everything that went before them and totally uncompromising.

This wasn't supposed to be a proper album, it's a collage of sounds (moaning, power tools, someone going to the toilet), songs and improvisations that they put together and sold for the price of a single. It sold 50,000 copies in the UK and I suspect plenty of those copies were thrown away. Jim Kerr from Simple Minds apparently used his as a frisbee. It may not be a particularly easy listen, but it is massively entertaining and the few songs that are on it are stunning. After this all other Krautrock I heard sounded accessible.

It's also one of my favourite sleeves so I've included photos of both sides.

Impact Music #16: Queen Of Denmark

Queen of Denmark by John Grant

My next door neighbour lent this album to me shortly after it came out. He decided that I MUST hear it. 

Queen of Denmark could easily be dismissed as an Elton John pastiche until you notice the voice - the aural equivalent of caramel, albeit a bitter caramel that had had its heart broken too many times. Then there was the words, which are fantastic. He didn't hold anything back and displayed a level of honesty that is lacking in most songs - the most angry, sad, resentful and yet funny and hopelessly romantic lyrics I've heard.

I listened to this earlier today whilst trying to read. I had to put the book down and give the album my full attention, realiaing that I can never do anything but listen to this album when I play it. His voice and words are too much to be ignored.

Impact Music #15: The Soft Bulletin

The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips

Another one of those records that still gives me that first-listen buzz whenever I put it on and is - hyperbole alert! - arguably the last great album of the 20th century, with songs that make you want to cry with joy at how beautiful and sad and uplifting it all is.

I bought it based purely on the reviews it got, with many claiming this was a game changing album. Turns out they were right, this sounded like a NEW music.nIt doesn't really sound like anything that went before it, but a lot of bands have tried to sound like it since.

Impact Music #14: Purple Rain

Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution

I had some money saved to buy an album and  fancied getting something a bit different, but I was still in two minds about buying this album. I was so far removed from anything else iny collection and although I quite liked what I'd heard of Prince, would I like a whole album that wasn't synthpop or new wave played by white Brits? I was worried I might enjoy it for a few plays and then go back to my old records. A leap into the unknown.

Then I got it home and gave it a listen and was blown away. It rocked. it had ballads. It had soul and funk and genres I never knew existed. It even had a hint of synthpop and new wave and lyrics like I'd never heard before, which meant I'd not be playing it with my mum in the room.

The album felt daring and edgy and not what I should be listening to at all. It was truly remarkable and kicked down the door for me to fearlessly buy and listen to so many different types of music over the coming years.

Impact Music #13: The Kick Inside

The Kick Inside by Kate Bush

My parents didn't have the best record collection for me to discover, so I generally had to cut my own path (look how well that went!). But there were still a small selection of albums that became part of my life. This was one. I really didn't like Kate Bush at first, but I picked this out and stared giving it a listen when I was a teen and ready for it. I've never looked back.

Impact Music #12: Fear Of Music

Fear of Music by Talking Heads

Difficult one to photograph due to its shiny sleeve.

I first heard this in London in 1985, staying at a friend's relatives house They also had My Life In The Bush of Ghosts and Music For Knee Plays, which intrigued, but this was the one with the unique songs and sound.

Shortly after I nearly fell out with my chemistry teacher over this album. Trying to impress him and show off I told him I'd heard it and really liked it, but he said it was a disappointment and their worst album. He didn't like the songs or sound. At the end of the day I was still happy to have to have someone else to talk about different music (even if we disagreed, he was still interested) and the realisation that adults can occasionally border on being cool.

Impact Music #11: Substance

Substance by New Order

Another iconic "best of" album, and a double cassette of their singles (in their 12" form) and B-Sides. It works so well because (a) most of the songs never appeared on an album, so it all sounds so fresh and (b) the ones that do are presented in their far superior versions (hello Bizarre Love Triangle). This was another of those albums that got played on repeat. I'll even forgive them the rerecording of a couple of tracks as *whispers* the version of Temptation is better than the original.

Most significantly, the opening notes of Ceremony are still my go to place whenever I pick up a guitar or bass.

Impact Music #10: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles

"But *insert other Beatles album*is much better".

An obvious record, but it's obvious for a reason. I could have easily chosen a so called "cooler" Beatles album, but why pretend?  This is the one that had the biggest impact on me.

I started listening to this about a year before the 20th anniversary in 1987. The BBC devoted a lot of airtime to the album for it's anniversary - the backstory, how it was recorded and the impact that it had on music and culture. Very soon I knew the album inside out and I could pinpoint every instrument, lyric, effect, tape loop and squeaking chair. I was amazed that pop music could be so experimental.

Most surprising was to discover that the tape I had was clearly recorded on a tape deck that was slightly slower than mine, so when I heard radio one playing the album I realised that I had been listening to a sped up version of the album for the last couple of years.

Impact Music #9: Shhh

Shhh by Chumbawamba

I was fairly apolitical at university, but then I started paying attention to the world around me. 

Chumbawamba took things to extremes with their occasionally clumsy anarchistic approach to the world, but they at least pushed me in the right direction and taught me how to get angry with society's injustices. This album was as all about censorship, after their intended album Jesus H Christ was pulled from release due to sample clearance issues. Influenced by The Pet Shop Boys as much as by Crass, they wrapped the politics in some great pop tunes and threw a load of samples into the mix. Their albums always came with essential and educational sleeve notes and the tour on the back of this album produced one of the best gigs I've ever seen.

Impact Music #8: Rage In Eden

Rage in Eden by Ultravox.

Not only was this my main introduction to Ultravox, but it also introduced me to the sleeve designs of Peter Saville and the production of Conny Plank.

I got it as part of an introductory offer to an album club that resulted in me (or often my mum bailing me out) having to then buy at least one overly priced album a month for a year. Not the best financial decision I've made but I'd gladly pay all that money to hear this album again for the first time.

It was pop music apparently, but it wasn't very poppy - it seemed quite sophisticated, being recorded in Köln (not Cologne) and with its long songs, pretentious lyrics, biblical references and stunning sleeve design. A few years later i started getting into Krautrock because of albums like this - listen the motorik beat that drives the songs and you'll see what I mean.

Impact Music #7: Selected Ambient Works Volume ll

Selected Ambient Works Volume ll by Aphex Twin.

This, or his debut? His debut or this? Tough call and they both tower above most music made during that time. Certainly electronic music would be a much duller place without them - after this album people even started calling him the Mozart of electronic music.

SAWll was not what I expected, but it turned out to be everything that I wanted. An intimidating 2¾ hour long triple album of beatless music, Richard D James came good on the "ambient" promise of his debut in style. This isn't ambient music to be played as part of the background, this is music that demands your attention and creates its own ambience. Listened to in one go can leave you quite disorientated when you try to reconnect with the real world, but it also has some of the most beautiful melodies known to mankind that will have you close to tears. Or is that just me? 

I don't think i listened to music in the same way after this.

PS Some people will think this album is quite dull.

Impact Music #6: Giant Steps

Giant Steps by The Boo Radleys

Once upon a time The Boo Radleys were just another noisy indie band that I put in the "not bad" category. Then in 1993 they sprung this sprawling masterpiece of a double album on the world.

It's the album that is influenced by everything, but sounds like nothing else. It made total sense even though it shouldn't have. I love it all and twenty seven years on, the moment where, just as you think the album might be winding down, THAT brass riff kicks in at the start of Lazarus still stops me in my tracks.

It should have been massive, but it didn't sell so Martin Carr allegedly wrote Wake Up Boo to make a point that the band COULD have a hit single if they tried. They did and it resulted in a lot of people knowing and hating them for that one song. The irony is that the feelgood hit of the summer was under the surface an incredibly melancholy one.

Impact Music #5: Autobahn

Autobahn by Kraftwerk.

Kraftwerk were, for many kids in the early 80s, one hit wonders with a wonderful, but seemingly novelty song about a Model. Then a friend of my brother lent me Autobahn and it opened my eyes to how good the band had always been.

Yes the title track is a huge monolith of Beach Boys inspired electronic perfection, but it was side 2 that really won me over. No longer did songs have to have words, they could be ambient instrumentals featuring home made electronic instruments and a flute. It still sounds wonderful today.

Impact Music #4: Standing On A Beach

Standing On A Beach • The Singles (And Unavailable B-Sides) by The Cure

Q: Are compilations allowed

A: Of course they are.

I've never been a big fan of cassettes other than as a way of recording music, but there's some albums where the cassette was THE format to get. This was one, with the sngles on one side and the B-Sides on the other.

It was the moment where a lot of people realised that, despite being a miserable bunch of Goths, The Cure were a damn fine singles band who knew how to have more fun than most.

I spent summer 1986 listening to this and Balaam and the Angel's 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' on repeat, whilst holed up in my cellar (how Goth) learning how to dismantle a bicycle and put it back together again.

I'm not going to pretend that the B-Sides are anywhere as near as good as the A-sides, but there's no denying that it makes for a very entertaining compilation of darkness and daftness.

Impact Music #3: White Light / White Heat

White Light / White Heat by the Velvet Underground.

Probably now my least favourite of the 4 proper VU albums, but still a great album and the first one I heard by them, which I played to death.

I bought this when I was in the sixth form based on me knowing cover versions of some of the songs by Lou Reed,  Cabaret Voltaire  and New Order/Joy Division. But it was The Gift that really blew me away - John Cale's macabre obsessive love story read in one speaker whilst the band jammed in the other.

The production on the album was terrible, everything sounded distorted and badly mixed but it was amazing - how can music that sounds so bad sound so good?

My first play if the album was in front of some friends who were round at my house. It was NOT party music and it didn't go down too well. Except for one friend, who was at least amused by how unpopular it was with everyone.

Impact Music #2: Bryter Layter

Bryter Layter by Nick Drake.

This was the first album I got after I bought my first CD player (although it wasn't the first CD I had owned).

Someone once said "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture", which sounds clever, but sounds like a quote from a bitter musician who perhaps couldn't take the criticism of their latest album. It also made no sense given that most music is accompanied by lyrics and the two often become inseparable. Anyway, I'd never heard anything by Nick Drake before, but I bought this after reading a glowing review somewhere. The reviewer's writing was spot on - Bryter Layter sounded and felt exactly as they described it and it quickly became and remains one of my favourite albums. Beautiful and yet utterly devastating, I don't think I'd ever heard heartbreak being so poetic before and rarely since.

Most people choose Northern Sky as the highlight, but for me I'd have to go for Fly, with its beautiful harpsichord playing by John Cale. I thought it was the saddest song ever until I hear the whole of his following album, Pink Moon.

Impact Music #1: Dare

Dare by The Human League

I was challenged a while ago by a friend to post 20 albums that had an impact on me. Just the cover, no comments. One of those Facebook things. I decided to comment anyway as a photo of an album sleeve doesn't mean much.

This is widely regarded as one of THE perfect pop albums and rightly so. There's plenty of songs about love and dancing, but you also get songs about Judge Dredd and the assassination of JFK, ones that reference synaesthesia and the Ramones, an instrumental cover version, plus the inspirational lyrics and "rap" on their finest moment, Love Action. 

I could've chosen any of their first 4 albums, but this was the first album I bought. Still sounds great.

I was supposed to nominate someone, but the way I see it we should all be sharing these sort of things at the moment.

Mother Earth's Plantasia

Inspired by the book The Secret Life Of Plants, and in particular the science that proved "beyond any doubt that harmonic sound waves affect the growth, flowering and seed yield of plants", Plantasia was composed to help your plants grow.

The album was released in 1976 and given away for free when you bought a plant from Mother Earth plant shop in LA (or, for some reason, when you bought a mattress from Sears) and has since achieved cult status. It's easy to see why - full of delightful melodies all played by Mort Garson on a Moog synthesiser, it has aged surprisingly well.

Now available officially for the the first time since 1976, it has been pressed on vinyl in a variety of different greens and comes with a replica of the original plant care guide booklet that explains how your plants will benefit from each track. It also has an innovative download card, which is embedded in wildflower seeds so you can plant it once you've downloaded a digital copy of the album.

I'm using the music right now to keep our aspidistra happy. Gronda Gronda.

Relaxing on a Sunday Morning With The Eno Brothers

Relaxing on a Sunday morning with the Eno brothers.

It's significant that Roger's name is first, as it was his piano compositions that sparked the collaboration for each track.

Lovely.

Julian Cope on the Phone

Gorilla, Manchester
22/2/20

Harmonia - Documents 1975

Documents 1975 is up there with the two Harmonia studio albums and the Harmonia 76 sessions they did with Eno. Two studio recordings and two live recordings, it's a nice compact 32 minutes of music.


What I love about Harmonia is that, depending on your mood, you can hear their albums as relaxing, almost ambient affairs, or you can turn it up, focus on the rhythm and noises, and enjoy the motorik mania.

Despite the first track being played at 180bpm, right now this is a very relaxing way to spend a Sunday morning.

Eno, Anderson, Oke - Dokument#2

Brian Eno with Laurie Anderson and Eve Oko.

Enjoyable avant garde nonsense, including Eno reciting the line "frozen desert lollipops" in a tone of voice that Chris Morris would approve of.

500 vinyl copies only, with no digital version. Rate as hen's teeth and already for sale as 8 times the original price.

Michael Head on the Phone

Gorilla, Manchester

21/1/20

Self Civil War

Received in the post this morning and two listens in...

My god there's some good stuff on this. Lyrical puns, the Archdrude's bass pumped up and in the foreground, heavy on the mellotron and an excess of guitar solos.

I'm enjoying it immensely.

First album and gig of 2020

Field Music's new album, Making A New World and their Piccadilly records outstore gig at the Soup Kitchen.

Such a great live band - wonderful chemistry between the Brewis brothers and I love their ability to both swap between guitar and drums.

2019 Re-View

Box sets

There's been more of these added to my collection than any time before.

The jaw dropping In Search of Hades by Tangerine Dream featuring a lot of unreleased live and studio recordings.

OMD's Souvenir set, including a disc of unreleased music.

Warp Records' 30th anniversary WXAXRXP30 10 disc set.

Midge Ure's 3 disc "Soundrack" anthology - some unusual choices for what was included, but at £15 it was worth the price alone for the DVD. 

STUMM 433 - 5 discs of 4'33" cover versions. Not a lot happens.

Brian Eno's Music for Installations vinyl set - I know it was released last year, but I managed to get it at a bargain price this year.

Julian Cope's Autogeddon got a vinyl box set release, featuring the wonderful Paranormal EP on vinyl for the first time.

I got the "Spying Through The Keyhole" and "Clareville Grove" Bowie box sets, but then realised how much I was being fleeced by the record label, so I've decided to stop buying anything Bowie related for the time being. 

Julian Cope

Although there's been nothing to rival any of his numerous imperial phases, there's still plenty to please the fans. This year has not been kind on the the wallet: the difficult Dope 10" and album, the mess with your head brilliance of the ultra rare Dope on Acid album, the wonderful "wasn't this suppossed to be a Dope album too?" that was John Balance Enters Valhalla, the Antequera poem set to music, a (mostly) Barrowlands gig from 1995, an Autogeddon vinyl box set and the remarkable audio recollection and remix of The Teardrop Explodes that was Cope's Notes #1.

Lou Reed

Special mention due getting the overlooked Ecstasy and The Raven albums finally pressed on vinyl.

Some of my album highlights from 2019

The debut album by International Teachers of Pop. I've realised that I have a lot of music by Dean Honer and I do like the idea of a band who base their tours around term times as their lead singer is a teacher.

Kosmischer Laufer's fourth album is on a par with their previous efforts. Is it really music written and commissioned in the 70s/80s by the GDR to support their olympic athletes with their training? Probably not, but the story is too good to ignore. Anyway, it presses all the right Kosmische and Motorik buttons.

Suddenly Everyone Explodes by Plastic Mermaids. New to me and a Flaming Lips / Arcade Fire inspired debut that shows a lot of promise. A great band to see live too.

Nylonandjuno by Jason Lytle. There's always been an added warmth to Grandaddy's music courtesy of a heavy dose of analog synths driving alongside the traditional guitars, bass and drums. So this album by their main man perhaps isn't that much of a surprise. 8 instrumental pieces, featuring a Juno synth and nylon string guitar and nothing more.

i,i by Bon Iver. There's so much sonically going on with this album that you really have to trust your hi-fi is doing the right thing as it sounds unlike anything else out there. The packaging is stunning, making it feel like you've bought a limited edition deluxe version when that's just how all copies are.

Incidental Music by WH Lung is such a confident debut album and there's nothing incidental about the music at all. Musically this has a lot in common with Hookworms last album (before their unfortunate demise).

For All Mankind by Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Roger Eno. The extra disc with the reissue of Apollo is one of Eno's finest ambient albums in it's own right.

Most listened to albums on Spotify were The Utopia Strong (I got the album on vinyl shortly after taking the above photos) and Dissident by Glok - the electronic solo project  Beby Andyll of Ride/Hurricane #1/Oasis. You don't have to be a fan of any of those bands to like it.

Tune of the year

Teenage Birdsong by Four Tet. Simple, but brilliant. Simply brilliant.

Gigs

Some highlights - OMD starting their "best of" gig with Stanlow, Midge Ure playing Ultravox B-Side Passionate Reply, shaking hands with Wayne Coyne whilst he was sitting on a rainbow unicorn, chatting with Steve Davis about my t-shirt and his"dodgy" autograph from 1981 at the mesmerising Utopia Strong gig, being warned by Michael Rother not to leave my beer too close to his effects pedals and taking to Damo Suzuki whist he started into the distance. It must have been a good year for gigs when the biggest disappointment was Kraftwerk at Blue Dot.