Movement 2019

New Order have announced a bumper re-issue package for their 1981 debut album Movement. A series of replica 12" singles from the same period, characteristically not included on the original album, will also be issued in the run-up to the Movement box-set date, 5th April 2019.
The 12" re-issues are:

1. Ceremony (version 1) / In A Lonely Place  
2. Ceremony (version 2) / In A Lonely Place 
3. Everything's Gone Green / Cries And Whispers, Mesh
4. Temptation / Hurt

The Movement "definitive" four disc box set contains the original album both on 180 gr. vinyl and on CD (remastered?), a second CD of 18 previously unreleased tracks (demos, rehearsals etc.), and a DVD of live concerts, TV performances of Movement tracks. The box is currently available to order with a price tag of around £110.00.

More details here and here

Solo Sylvian re-issues

The first three solo albums by David Sylvian, Brilliant Trees (1984), Gone To Earth (1986) and Secrets of the Beehive (1987) and the "intermediary album" An Index of Possibilities (1985) are all to be re-issued on 180g 'deluxe vinyl' in 2019. Although it's not specified if the audio has been remastered in any way, there are some changes to the artwork and presentation. Whiole retaining the same front cover photo, the solo debut Brilliant Trees is now housed in a gatefold sleeve, while the other three LPs all feature brand new artwork with printed inner bags. The revised artwork has not found favour with many die-hards although via facebook, the man himself had this to say:

As the original art for my albums had been lost/destroyed on its journey from one label's stewardship to another, I decided against scanning pristine copies of the original vinyl covers (as Universal did with the recent Japan reissues) and instead create a series that works as a ‘collection’ incorporating new photographic prints and design elements. With no budget, but access to Yuka's archives and Chris’ design contributions, we feel we've created something beautifully expansive as will be evident once the set is seen in its entirety.

(full statement here, more details and ordering here)

The re-issues are scheduled for 22 February 2019.

Gone to Earth 2019 gatefold sleeve

6 Music: week ahead (17-23.12.18)

the first in an occasional series..

After the nearly-Christmas 'end of an error' festivities on Friday, 6 Music starts off the week running up to Christmas with quite a few 'stand-ins' as presumably folks are off to do their Christmas shopping.

• Chris Hawkins had plenty of time off just recently so he's back in his early morning slot (5.00-7.00 am) and apparently already has his Christmas show 'in the can'. Plink Test, Wednesday whines, etc. continue as normal, although there's an Apollo 8 special programme coming up on Friday.
• Shaun Keaveny is still contractually billed in The Breakfast Show although Nemone is standing in all week. Earworms are still featured although of course we will sadly miss Hill Street Blues, Dead Zone and other audible tomfoolery.
• More sitting-in mid-morning with Tom Ravenscroft standing in for Lauren Laverne, who is presumably limbering up for her daunting new Breakfast Show assignment.*
• Business as usual for Radcliffe & Maconie, although of course it's still a one-man show as the countdown to the New Year and their new weekend slot continues.
• Steve Lamacq launches the TV Quiz Themes World Cup. His programme site still publicises the 25 at 25 feature although the audio recordings are no longer available (plenty of reading to do though). Thursday's Roundtable is a best of 2018 edition.
• Marc Riley picks up where he left off last Thursday with his best of 2018, tunes and sessions, continuing until this Thursday. He'll then be back in the New Year. 
• Gideon Coe continues relentlessly with archive live recordings and sessions and still manages to break the record for the number of bands featured that you've never heard of. The Jam in concert at the 100 Club in 1977 on Tuesday should be a good one. Wednesday & Thursday see special Christmas shows and on Sunday 30th there will be special 2018 Obit show.
• The excellent 25 Years of Rock documentary series continues. Amazing to think this was first broadcast in 1980. It ends with 1979 on Friday although hurrah! - the series morphs into 30 Years of Rock taking us from 1980 to 1984 on Christmas Eve. Tape recorders at the ready.
• The Wish You Were There? vintage live concert reviews also get a re-run starting Monday. Queen's Hyde Park performance in 1976 is featured on Friday.
• Liz Kershaw has a special Xmas request show on Saturday. Followed by the much-plugged (ratings down?) Giles Peterson, who in turn is followed by Craig Charles and his Funky Festivities, if you like that sort of thing. This GP show in particular is being plugged, "celebrating 10th anniversary of Brain Feeder"
• Actor Cillian Murphy returns on Sunday, playing his favourite artists in a special pre-Christmas show. Expect a lot of Irish music. At midnight (into Christmas Eve) there's also a repeat of a Murphy show from back in April when he stood in for Iggy Pop.
• Followed by Amy Lamé who is joined by non other than Tony Visconti, "ahead of a solo album in 2019".

• Full schedule can be found starting here.

*errata corrige: LL is back from Tuesday, TR having stood-in one day only. That's not to say she wasn't preparing her new Breakfast Show mind.

Review of 2018: 1 - BBC 6 Music

I can't remember why I started listening to BBC 6 Music on a regular basis but I know I started around May of this year (2018 AD), a few weeks before their Biggest Weekend in Belfast. I'm quite an avid radio listener and have gone through various phases over the last few years, especially as far as listening during my one-hour (or more) morning commute to work is concerned. I've listened to various Italian stations (including a unusually entertaining economics/politics show on Radio 24, the host of which suddenly and mysteriously 'disappeared') but they are on the whole dominated by annoying adverts, which are a pet hate of mine, even on UK commercial stations. You can't avoid them here because they're on the state broadcaster radio & TV stations too.

A few years back I moved on to BBC Radio 3, especially the Breakfast show, and became particularly fond of Clemency Burton Hill, who much to my chagrin found a rich husband, bore a child and then moved off to NYC. Clemmy aside, I enjoyed at least trying to listen to and appreciate classical music via R3 (a lifetime goal, still unrealised), also due in part to the fact that I was disillusioned with the state of modern music, which seemed of little interest to me.
I've also been through various Radio 4 programmes, especially the quizzes, plus In Our Time etc.. For most of 2017 my morning listening routine was Farming Today, Tweet of the Day, Today ...then over to R3 Breakfast. I had become the perfect late middle-aged, cultured, listener of 'posher' radio.

I had approached 6 Music listening on an irregular basis over the last 7/8 years or so, but what they were playing seemed a long, long way from my musical tastes, which were sadly very much connected to stuff I'd been listening to during my late teens/early twenties. I just didn't get new 'alternative' music just as I didn't get the mainstream pop/charts music. However, for some unknown reason I switched on to BBC6 last Spring and have been hooked ever since to some of their regular shows. The early-risers Chris Hawkins and Sean Keaveny* have become my favourites over the year, but even via the youngster Tom Ravenscroft (imagine my surprise when I discovered who his father was) and others such as Lauren Laverne. Nemone and the somewhat more annoying Steve Lamacq and Radcliffe & Maconie, I have at last got my finger, at least partially, on the pulse of modern 'alternative' music which seems to be in a fairly healthy state.

For the first time in many many years I have been able to create a decent playlist of songs from a  current year. I'll be reviewing a few of the best from 2018 over the next few posts, so, er, stay tuned.

*It was announced a few months ago that BBC 6 would be undergoing some major changes in 2019, including Sean Keaveny leaving his breakfast show slot to move to the afternoons. Apparently after 11 years and 8 months he was knackered. This was quite a blow for me as his show really did make my morning commute a lot easier. The man has even read out some of my 'earworm' emails over the past few months, even choosing mine to be played on one occasion. We have also exchanged e-mails, which I thought was really good of him. As I write, I am listening to his last ever Breakfast Show. Thanks Sean - it's been a privilege and a laugh.

Spotted on Spotify: David Sylvian compilation albums

David Sylvian's compilation albums Everything and Nothing and A Victim of Stars 1982-2012 are available for streaming on Spotify for the first time from today.

Digital downloads of both are also available on amazon with issue date 03 November 2017 although not sure if they've been available before today.

Spotify 'em here:

You Only Tell Me You Like Me When I'm Remastered: the new PSB re-issues

Pet Shop Boys re-issue three more of their albums today following in the remaster plus 'Further Listening' bonus material Catalogue series. The three albums Nightlife (1999), Release (2002) come in bumper 3 disc editions while Fundamental (2006) is a two-disc item.

As I never really took to either Release or Fundamental, Nightlife is perhaps the last PSB album I ever fully appreciated. Listening to it on Spottyfly (where not all of the bonus tracks are available - never quite understood why that sometimes happens) this morning it still sounded sounded good even though I was already used to a pristine sounding 1999 CD. But I'm sure they've added bits and stuff on some tracks. Little synth parts on the opening For Your Own Good and Closer to Heaven were unexpected. Singles I Don't Know What You Want... and You Only Tell Me You Love Me.. aside, Radiophonic and Footsteps remain favourites.

The wee Radiophonic video I made for youtube was taken down last  year for 'copyright' reasons, so here's one with Spanish subtitles which is obviously perfectly acceptable and does not infringe any copyright at all.

Details and tracklistings on Superdeluxeedition.

John Peel Mixtapes #2: Peel 79-05

Another Peel mixtape this time from May 1979 when a lot of interesting new stuff was coming out. I've stretched it to a C90 this time and waived the one track per artist rule (Tubeway Army, Undertones) and there ar no sessions. As always, I'm limited to what is documented on the Peel Wiki and what's available on Spotty-fy. Anyway, enjoy!

SIDE ONE

1. The Undertones - Jimmy Jimmy
2. XTC - Life Begins at the Hop
3. David Bowie - Boys Keep Swinging
4. Minny Pops - Footsteps
5. L.K. Johnson - It Noh Funny
6. The Tourists - Blind Among the Flowers
7. Tubeway Army - Replicas
8. Tubeway Army - It Must Have Been Years
9. Elvis Costello - Accidents Will Happen
10. The Human League - The Dignity of Labour pt. 3
11. Lene Lovich - Say When
12. The Specials - Gangsters
13. Fischer-Z - Acrobats

SIDE TWO

1. Stiff Little Fingers - Gotta Gettaway
2. The Pop Group - Blood Money
3. The Undertones - I Gotta Getta
4. Gang of Four - At Home He's a Tourist
5. Skids - Masquerade
6. The Damned - Love Song
7. Magazine - Feed the Enemy
8. Iggy Pop - Don't Look Down
9. Devo - The Day My Baby Gave Me a Big Surprise
10. Steel Pulse - Babylon Makes the Rules
11. Shoes For Industry - Can't Help It/Falling in Love Again
12. The Adverts - My Place
13. Dalek I - Freedom Fighters
14. Capital Letters - Run Run Run

Further reading: 

• Smash Hits, May 3 1979 (Billy Idol cover) incl. Bitz: 'Idol Chat', Granny Pursey, Bowie in punch-up, Return of The Damned; Interviews: J-J Burnel; Lyrics: I'm an Upstart, Singles - reviewed by L. Lovich: Jimmy Jimmy, Say When, Boys Keep Swinging, Does Your Mother Know; Albums: Second Hand Daylight, Manifesto, Music for Aiports; Gigz; Back page: Squeeze.

• Smash Hits, May 17 1979 (David Bowie cover) incl. Lyrics: Say When, Boys Keep Swinging (incl. A pictorial history of David Bowie), Roxanne, Jimmy Jimmy, Love Song Bitz: The Police, Mike Oldfield, Angelic Upstarts; Features: Sex Pistols Past Present and Future (D. Hepworth), Singles: Accidents Will Happen, The Cost of Living EP, Sunday Girl; Albums: Black Rose, Life In A Day, Live at the Witch Trails (Fall); Gigz; Back page: the Police.

• Smash Hits, May 31 1979 (Debbie Harry cover) incl. Lyrics: Number One in Heaven, Life Begins at the Hop, Shine a Little Love, Capital Radio/I Fought the Law, Sheena is a Punk Rocker, Features: Undertones - Parka Power; bitz: Blondie, Mods, Gary Numan/Tubeway Army, Sparks, Damned, Ian Dury; Centrespread. Bowie; Singles: Getta Gettaway, Masquerade EP, Life Begins at the Hop, Are 'Friends' Electric?, Wake Up + 3; Albums: Voulez-Vous, Mission Accomplished But the Beat Goes On, Lodger; Gigz; Back page: Lene Lovich.

John Peel Mixtapes #1: Peel 80-01

Here's my first playlist / mixtape of tracks from John Peel shows, from January 1980. Rules are that tracks (singles, album tracks sessions etc.) were played for the first time around the stated period, and try to keep it to  max. 60 mins (30 mins each side), and one track per artist (unless there are more worthy of playing, eg. in the case of a session..). Playlist available on Spotify.

SIDE ONE

1. Simple Minds - Premonition (session)
2. The Cure - Play For Today (new album, Seventeen Seconds)
3. Pretenders - Tattooed Love Boys (new album Pretenders)
4. Magazine - A Song From Under the Floorboards (session)
5. Silicon Teens - Judy In Disguise (single)
6. John Foxx - He's a Liquid (album Metamatic)
7. The Selecter - James Bond (B side)
8. The Durutti Column - Requiem for a Father (new album The Return of..)

SIDE TWO

1. Siouxsie & Banshees - Drop Dead/Celebration (B side)
2. The Flying Lizards - TV (single)
3. Martha & the Muffins - Echo Beach
4. Madness - In the Rain (B side)
5. OMITD - Red Frame/White Light (single)
6. Bauhaus - Dark Entries (single)
7. The Vapors - Turning Japanese (single)
8. Simple Minds - Room (session)

Further reading:

• Smash Hits January 10 1980 (Pretenders cover), incl. Lyrics Tears of a Clown, Too Much Too Young, My Girl, What Do I Get?, John I'm Only Dancing; Bitz: Inmates, Two-Tone, clash, Sex Pistols, Skahe, John Foxx, The Cure, XTC; features: Pretenders, Madness, Mike Oldfield, Selecter, Centrefold. Pink Floyd. Singles. My Girl Albunms: none! Back page poster. Clash

• Smash Hits 24 January 1980 (Sparks cover): lyrics: Angels (L. Lovich), Someone's Looking At You, Three Minute Hero, Sweet Suburbia, 7teen. Bitz: Paul Weller, Hugh Cornwell, Elvis Costello, Madness, SLF, Regents, PIL, Squeeze, Tom Robinson, features. Sparks, Beat, Centrespread. Pretenders; Gigz.

Depeche Mode - Where's the Revolution (new single)

A week or so after its official release, here's the video for Depeche Mode's new single.

D.M.O.

Do we look like Depeche Mode in this?

Well, possibly that's because one of us is Martin L. Gore's nephew! (not sure which!) and his name is Dean M. Oldfield (not M. as in Mike, we hope!). 

• DMO's new EP came out last October on Mute. Listen to their older stuff here.

• Depeche Mode's new single "Where's the Revolution" is out on Friday 3.02.17

• Mike Oldfield's new album Return to Ommadawn is out now.

2016 album review

A strange year for music as there seems to be quite a lot of stagnancy about and far too many of those 'greatest hits' type albums. But here's a list of my faves of this year anyway:

1. Station to Station - David Bowie
- he seems to have left his Ziggy Stardust years well and truly behind. A bit of a mish mash of long and shorter tracks but most of them are ace! Looking forward to the next one already which is apparently going to be made in Switzerland.

2. Timeless Flight - Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
No hits à la Come Up and See Me.. on this one but it's a grower. Didn't like their Beatles cover much though (not on here).

3. Blue For You - Status Quo
The Quo were on top form for this one and Rain should've got to no. 1. Pity I spilled a whole bottle of patchuli over the sleeve that night...Stinks a bit now. Might have to get the 8-track for the car.

4. Wings At the Speed of Sound - Wings (duh!)
Another corker from Macca and Linda and their mates, even though the singles were a bit soppy. Apparently he called round to Lennon's flat in NY in April but it didn't come to much cos Lennon was too busy looking after the baby.

5. Manfred Man's Earth Band - Roaring Silence
Wow .. just check out the full length version of Blinded By the Light!! It'll just blow your mind, man! That stupid punk rock rubbish will never be any better than this. Or the Quo.

6. A New World Record - ELO
Jeff Lynne and his orchestra just get better and better. They need to do a double album I reckon. In space.

7. Boxed - Mike Oldfield
It's a box set (geddit?) of his previous studio albums and some extra stuff but it's all been re-mixed in (wait for it) QUAD SOUND! This is the future, man. (Pity nobody's got a quadraphonic record player yet)

8. A Day at the Races - Queen
Their little gig in Hyde Park last summer must have been a real blast, and it certainly pulled a bigger crowd than that stupid Punk Rock festival in OXford Street or whatever. This new album is top stuff too. Somebody to Love was a great single but check out the opener Tie Your Mother Down...yeah!

9. Arrival - ABBA
OK, OK, ...Quo, ELO or Queen it ain't but these saucy Swedes can kick out a good tune when they want to (except for that Fernando single which was cr*p and thankfully not included here). Opening track: 'When I Kissed the Teacher' ! Naughty! (Check out those white boiler suits...phwooar!) Nice helicopter too.

10. Oxygene - Jean Michel Jarre (French import)
Some nice, spacey electronic music LP my cousin brought back from Paris cos he said it was all the rage over there. It'll never catch on here though - no songs, no lyrics...and it's French!









Well, that was my 2016 ... hope you had a good one guys. Looking forward to 1977 already.

Can I get back in the Tardis now?

Whoooossshhh.....

Bottoms on sleeves no. 9

 Rush - Closer to the Heart EP (1978)

Wel, we've already seen how Rush went for the full colour bottom (and the reast of the retro-nude male) on the cover of the Hemispheres album (Bos no.5), although this single cover actually pre-dates the 1978 long-player. Closer to the Heart (Closer to the arse, more like - snigger) was released as an EP in late '77 (US) into early '78 (UK) and already features an alfa- male bottom and full rear view nude, super-imposed onto a star and circle. Mysterious stuff eh? Curiously for the time, it was released as a special 12" disc - a bit of a marketing gimmick, which needless to say didn't exactly get Rush into the Disco Top 20, although it did get them their first UK Top 40 single, reaching no.36 in February,just as the band were embarking on a UK tour.