Good old Slampt, possibly one the UK labels closest to the ideals and dynamics of those legendarily inclusive US independents like K, Kill Rock Stars, Dischord and so on. I was led into their world through my tangential involvement in Riot Grrl; moving quickly from receiving a mixtape from a friend containing a Huggy Bear […]
Month: April 2009
GANG OF FOUR: Solid Gold (LP, EMI 1 C 064-07 460, 1981)
I can never quite get my head around the catalogue numbering systems used by major record labels. Look at the example here: 1 C 064-07 460. What does that mean? There must be some rationale behind the five components that make up that catalogue number, but it’s lost on me. Even comparing numbers from different […]
THE TELESCOPES: Celeste (12″, Creation CRE 103T, 1991)
I bought this in 1991 when I was a cash-strapped teenager, saving up my meagre part-time work pay in order to regularly pop into Langland Records – generally to browse, sometimes to buy. Langland Records was something of a legendary record shop when I was growing up in Telford, if for no other reason than […]
VERONICA LAKE/CRAYON: Sleepyhouse/This Dream Is Gone (7″, Cher Doll CHER 001, 1992)
It doesn’t get much more DIY indie pop than this… hand-finished, sprayed, brilliant wraparound sleeve, hand numbered in pencil (number 130 out of just 400 copies), a couple of inserts included. I love it. How could anybody ever prefer a slimline jewel-cased CD over the artistry so obviously inherent in this record’s packaging? (Not that […]
FUTURE PILOT A.K.A. VS. RANJIT NAGAR CHORUS/KIM FOWLEY: We Shall Overcome/Night Flight To Memphis (7″, Creeping Bent BENT 025, 1997)
Future Pilot A.K.A. is Sushil K. Dade, one of The Soup Dragons and a sometime BMX Bandit too, if I’m correctly informed. I’m not so sure what the deal is behind this single and another ‘Future Pilot A.K.A. vs…’ 7″ that I’ve got, and how/why they came about, but this one is certainly an interesting […]
VARIOUS: Rubble Nine: From The House Of Lords (LP, Bam-Caruso KIRI 065, 1986)
I love these 1960s garage/psychedelia/punk/r’n’b compilations, which is just as well, as there’s a never-ending supply of them. Everything from Nuggets through to Pebbles and Rubble and a billion other (some non-geologically-named) compilations have been part of the microscopic documentation of a relatively brief period of time. A furiously creative and productive time as well, […]
ERASE ERRATA: Live At Eagle Tavern (7″, Lungcast ORGAN 14, ?)
Picture discs are weird things, aren’t they? For a start, there’s the endless confusion in my mind about the spelling involved: is it picture disc or picture disk? Does it matter? Any ideas? Beyond that, they always seem to me like a fantastic theoretical idea that never quite plays out as it should in reality. […]
LITHOPS: Tubino See Through (7″, Static Caravan VAN 1, 1998)
The very enigmatic first release from Static Caravan Recordings: you can see pointers here to affirm that this label wasn’t one trying to play the majors at their own game. The cover is a scratchy, hand-finished print with no suggestion of who this record is by. Even on the back there is scant information – […]
THE WEATHER PROPHETS: She Comes From The Rain (12″, Elevation ACID 1TX, 1987)
This is a 12″ packaged in one of those thin sleeves without a spine. I never much liked this kind of sleeve, it always seemed too insubstantial for a record of this size, as if it wasn’t giving enough kudos to its contents, or something. Give me a 12″ with a spine and I’m predisposed […]