David Bowie - Man Of Words/Man Of Music [12", LP]

Today it's been exactly five months since DAVID BOWIE passed away.

MAN OF WORDS/MAN OF MUSIC was how the 1969 solo debut album, that was released as s/t ("David Bowie") in Europe, was commonly called in the USA because it had these words written above his name on top of the sleeve on that version. The album would be called "Space Oddity" worldwide from its reissue in 1972 on, when it got another sleeve. This particular edition on blue coloured vinyl was released exclusively for  the Groninger Museum when the David Bowie Is exhibition was there a few months ago. Only 1500 copies were made, just like there were of the other exclusive release for that exhibition: the Amsterdam 7". It's a brilliant album, and of course this limited edition is pretty dear to me. I'm happy that a reissue of the 1969 version with the european artwork was included in the recent Five Years vinyl boxset, and not this one. So now i have all 3 versions of the sleeve, since i already had the 1972 one :)

Label: Parlophone

Cat.nr.: DBISHLP 2015

Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:

01. Space Oddity

02. Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed

03. Letter To Hermione

04. Cygnet Committee

SIDE B:

01. Janine

02. An Occasional Dream

03. Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud

04. God Knows I'm Good

05. Memory Of A Free Festival

Air Formation - Were We Ever Here [12"]

AIR FORMATION released 4 albums (which sadly only came out on CD) between 2000 and 2011, and a handful of EP's. They split up in 2011, but in 2014 they got back together and this WERE WE EVER HERE EP is their first release since then. And it's definitely a return to form; great to have them back. To be honest i think this is actually the best material they ever released. The limited EP (only 250 copies were made) contains 4 tracks that are simply a joy to listen to. Especially the last song, The Wasted Days, is brilliant. It balances on the boundaries between shoegaze, noise and post-rock. Also the artwork and the vinyl itself (blue splattered on orange) look absolutely gorgeous.

Label: Club AC30

Cat.nr.: AC3012104

Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:

01. I Could Stay

02. Last Resolve

SIDE B:

01. On The Floor

02. The Wasted Days

Slowdive - Blue Day [12", LP]

For me personally, the best Record Store Day release this year was the limited (numbered to 2000 copies, blue vinyl) version of BLUE DAY by SLOWDIVE. As returning visitors of this blog will know, i'm a huge fan of this great band and even though i already have the nowadays very rare original version from 1992, i'm extremely glad that Music On Vinyl made this compilation of songs from their earliest EP's available again on vinyl. Until now, vinyl aficionados had to do with not the best quality bootlegs if they didn't want to pay three-digit numbers for the original.
It's a pity that there was a slight controversy when the band only had to find out via social media that this RSD reissue would be released. As Rachel Goswell stated on Twitter: "Advice to young musicians signing record deals: do not agree to sign the recording rights away for life. And get a good manager."  Sadly they have no control over their back-catalogue anymore. The band was young and naive, and one can not revert time unfortunately.
But for what it's worth to them, they can be assured that Music On Vinyl did an extremely good job with this release. It sounds just as fabulous as their previous official reissues of Just For A Day, Souvlaki and Pygmalion, which were all three reissued well before there was even talk of a reunion and which reminded the people who prefer their music on vinyl what a great band Slowdive was (and now again is). And for that matter, it was only a logical step to also release this missing link in the Creation Records legacy of Slowdive LP's. It sounds ten times better than the aforementioned bootlegs, which use CD's or who knows even MP3's instead of the original masters as source. Also the artwork is fully restored, and edited with an eye for details. Bootlegs for example show "for further information,send a large s.a.e. to Slowdive, po box 1880 London N16 0DE" like it was on the original album, which is absolute bollocks these days of course. Here it's replaced with "for further information: www.slowdiveoffical.com".
Especially since the band is back together and always start their shows with the song Slowdive (from their first self-titled EP) which is the first song on this album, this release will please many fans who didn't have these early songs on vinyl yet. And now let's wait for what Slowdive has in store for us in 2015. They've been recording earlier this year and i can't wait to hear any new material by them. A release (or better still: many releases) that they'll finally make some proper money on. Would be totally well-deserved.

Label: Music On Vinyl
Cat.nr.: MOVLP 1380
Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:
01. Slowdive
02. Avalyn 1
03. Morningrise
04. She Calls

SIDE B:
01. Losing Today
02. Shine
03. Albatross

Bowery Electric - Bowery Electric [12", LP]

Last weekend there was the April edition of the Utrecht recordfair, so the next few weeks there'll be plenty of blog entries about items i've bought there. Even though my wantlist is still quite substantial, i rarely come home with anything from that list lately. The stuff i'm looking for is just too rare, i guess. Nevertheless i always bump into loads of things that are not on that list, but simply too irresistible to let them stand in the crates :)
Anyhow, this particular self-titled LP by BOWERY ELECTRIC was actually on the list and i'm extremely happy i found it. I would've settled for the black version, but it's even the blue vinyl edition that i found. Just like for Beat, the second album, i've been looking for this self-titled debut for ages. Mid-nineties slow paced shoegaze of the highest quality, with just as many drone, post-rock and ambient elements. Excellent album!

Label: Kranky
Cat.nr.: KRANK 007
Year of release: 1995

SIDE A:
01. Sounds In Motion
02. Next To Nothing
03. Long Way Down
04. Another Road
05. Over And Over

SIDE B:
01. Slow Thrills
02. Out Of Phase
03. Drift Away

Red Sparowes - At The Soundless Dawn [12", 2LP]

AT THE SOUNDLESS DAWN is the debut album by RED SPAROWES. Instrumental post-metal at its best; slow-paced and epic. Their second, Every Red Heart Shines Toward The Red Sun is still my favourite, but this one's great too. The underlying theme to this album is the so-called sixth extinction: the extinction of species caused by humans. Heavy stuff. The version i have of this album is the third pressing (500 made) on white/blue "cloudy sky" vinyl. Looks gorgeous.

Label: Robotic Empire
Cat.nr.: ROBO-043
Year of release: 2005

SIDE A:
01. Alone And Unaware, The Landscape Was Transformed In Front Of Our Eyes
02. Buildings Began To Stretch Wide Across The Sky, And The Air Filled With A Reddish Glow

SIDE B:
01. The Soundless Dawn Came Alive As Cities Began To Mark The Horizon
02. Mechanical Sounds Cascaded Through The City Walls And Everyone Reveled In Their Ignorance

SIDE C:
01. A Brief Moment Of Clarity Broke Through The Deafening Hum, But It Was Too Late
02. Our Happiest Days Slowly Began To Turn Into Dust

SIDE D:
01. The Sixth Extinction Crept Up Slowly, Like Sunlight Through The Shutters, As We Looked Back In Regret   

A Place To Bury Strangers - Transfixiation [12", LP]

After a few spins i've come to the conclusion that TRANSFIXIATION, the new album by A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS is a "grower". First time i heard it, i was slightly disappointed to be honest. Secretly i was hoping for a return to the sound of the first two albums (their 3rd, Worship, already having a cleaner sound) but instead they've taken it to a next level. There's loads of noise and distortion still, but it's crystal clear. I'm slowly getting into it though. The sound comes closest to 80's post-punk, goth and noise. The album was recorded in Norway with Emil Nikolaisen of Serena-Maneesh, who also co-produced it. Having read that in the liner notes, the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together. If there's one man who knows how to create an organic brew of sounds and noise, it's him. Job well done. I think i need a few more spins to be really convinced, but i already know for a fact now that i'm liking it better than the previous album. The version i have is the limited coloured edition (apparently of 2000 worldwide) and as you can see it looks really good.

Label: Dead Oceans
Cat.nr.: DOC099
Year of release: 2105

SIDE A:
01. Supermaster
02. Straight
03. Love High
04. What We Don't See
05. Deeper
06. Lower Zone

SIDE B:
01. We've Come So Far
02. Now It's Over
03. I'm So Clean
04. Fill The Void
05. I Will Die

Lorelle Meets The Obsolete - What's Holding You? [7"]

This fine 7" is one of the things i bought last year when i was in London at the 10th anniversary party of Sonic Cathedral, one of the best and most sympathetic indie labels of our time. WHAT'S HOLDING YOU? is a single off the Chambers album by LORELLE MEETS THE OBSOLETE, a psych band from Mexico. The A-side has a groovy and furiously pounding riff that really sticks to your head after only a few seconds, while the non-album track on the B-side is a bit more of a raw but gentle psychedelic tune. Definitely a nice little blue coloured gem, this single! And for me personally a treasured souvenir from an amazing weekend in the UK last year.

Label: Sonic Cathedral
Cat.nr.: SCR063
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A: 
01. What's Holding You?

SIDE B:
01. Medicine To Cure Medicine Sickness

Revolver - Venice [7"]

A cheap crate-digging find at the latest record fair in Utrecht, this blue 7" single by REVOLVER. The songs VENICE and B-side Red All Over are typical early 90's indie rock tunes. Not mindblowing for sure, but certainly not bad either. Always happy to run into stuff like this that i somehow overlooked back in the days.

Label: Hut Recordings
Cat.nr.: HUT 14
Year of release: 1992

SIDE A:
01. Venice

SIDE B:
01. Red All Over

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Methodrone [12", 2LP]

Still one of my favourite albums by THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE: their debut full length METHODRONE. It was originally released in 1995, but back then it only came out on CD. In 2009 this excellent 180gram double vinyl edition was released, which i bought a few years ago. It's 70+ minutes of pure psychedelic shoegaze bliss, combining the best of what until then bands like Spacemen 3, Loop, My Bloody Valentine and the Velvet Underground had to offer. Nevertheless it has an own distinctive sound; a sound that 20 years later still characterises Anton Newcombe's music. And which i really like :)

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: AUK008LP
Year of release: 2009 (album originally released in 1995)

SIDE A:
01. Evergreen
02. Wisdom
03. Crushed
04. That Girl Suicide

SIDE B:
01. Wasted
02. Everyone Says
03. Short Wave
04. She Made Me

SIDE C:
01. Hyperventilation
02. Records
03. I love You
04. End Of The Day

SIDE D:
01. Outback
02. She's Gone

Flyying Colours - Flyying Colours EP [12"]

Every now and then i hear cool songs online by bands that are unknown to me, and then it turns out that they have a vinyl release out. Obviously i just have to score a copy then! Such was the case with FLYYING COLOURS who released this amazing self-titled EP earlier this year. Apparently these guys come from Melbourne, Australia, and they sound a bit like Ride or Swervedriver. Absolutely great stuff! It's hard to pick a favourite track, but if i'd have to choose i'd say Wavygravy. This EP is only their debut release, so I hope they'll be releasing much more like this. The EP was pressed in two colours: 250x "black grape" for the US and 250x "royal blue" for Europe.

Label: Club AC30 / Shelflife
Cat.nr.: AC30  11022 / LIFE107
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. Like You Said
02. Wavygravy
03. She Leaves

SIDE B:
01. Feathers
02. Bugs

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Revelation [12", 2LP]

The cover art of REVELATION looks familiar to those who know the split EP that THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE recently released for RSD 2014 with The Magic Castles, and the Fist Full Of Bees EP that they released for the same occasion a year earlier. Once again they've released a really strong album and this one will definitely end up in my personal top 10 albums of 2014, that's for sure. Anton Newcombe's record label A Records always has such great thick quality records and also the colours of this release look really fantastic: opaque light blue in the middle, and see-through dark blue on the outside. Gorgeous. The only sad thing is that i still haven't managed to see them live. They were in Amsterdam a while ago, but i couldn't make it that day. I'm sure one day it will happen though ;)

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: auk030lp
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. Vad Hände Med Dem?
02. What You Isn't
03. Unknown

SIDE B:
01. Memory Camp
02. Days, Weeks And Moths
03. Duck And Cover

SIDE C:
01. Food For Clouds
02. Second Sighting
03. Memorymix

SIDE D:
01. Fist Full Of Bees
02. Nightbird
03. Xibalbia
04. Goodbye (Butterfly)

Brave Black Sea - Fragments [12", LP]

BRAVE BLACK SEA is a new band formed by drummer Alfredo Hernandez (ex-Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age and Slo Burn), singer/guitar player Damon Garrison and lead guitar player Chris Hale (both ex-Slo Burn) and bassist Clint Cunningham. Or actually it's more like old friends, coming back together to finish something they started in the nineties. FRAGMENTS is the debut album by these sons of the desert, and pictured here is the limited edition first pressing on greenish blue (turquoise) coloured vinyl. Comes with a CD as well, which i always like better than a download coupon. It would definitely not do them justice to be labeled as a stoner band, just because of their musical background. Other than you'd expect perhaps, there are more elements of punk rock and grunge (Nirvana, Alice In Chains and Stone Temple Pilots are often just around the corner), than sludge or stoner. Ah heck, let's just call it in-your-face rock music, with a capital R. Very promising debut album! There are some European tour dates confirmed now for June and I'd love to see them live, so hopefully they'll plan a gig in Holland as well.

Label: V2
Cat.nr.: VVL24921
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. Running Away
02. Abandon Ship
03. The Five Visitors
04. Bandana Republic
05. Silence Is Golden

SIDE B:
01. This Is This
02. Beginners Luck
03. Ghosts
04. The Road
05. Fragments

David Bowie - Waiting In The Wind [12", 2LP, Unofficial]

 

 I bought this bootleg some 27 years ago. I was in high school and had just witnessed my first DAVID BOWIE concert ever (and actually even first rock concert and first stadium concert at the same time), a few months earlier. Even though -looking back at it all- the Glass Spider Tour was certainly not Bowie's best period, i was still thrilled that i finally managed to see my musical hero of the previous four years of my life with my own eyes. The tour's kick-off was in Rotterdam where he played two nights in a row and i was at the very first one on May 30th, 1987. I still lived in the area of Apeldoorn at the time in the middle of Holland, and there was this great record store called Plato. The store has closed since a few years, unfortunately. A few months after the concert i finally dared asking the question that i always wanted to, but never got the courage to do so: did they by any chance have bootleg recordings of Bowie shows? Then they showed me this double LP called WAITING IN THE WIND from under the counter. It was on coloured vinyl, which i had never seen before in my life, and it was a recording of a show in Italy that had taken place only two weeks after that historical event in Rotterdam. Recorded at Stadio Flaminio in Rome, June 15th 1987, to be precise. Obviously, i just had to buy it.

The album is on a label called Cinthia Records of which i never heard before, nor after. The sound quality is actually pretty OK. Which was a relief, because it had cost me a fortune; I spent a few months of pocketmoney on it. It's a shame though that some songs of this show are not on the album. Apparently there was a 3x7" singles box called "Demanding Billy Dolls" released by the same label, which had the songs Fashion, All The Madmen, Big Brother, Heroes, Fame and (obviously) Time, from which lyrics the title for the box was taken. I asked the shop if they could get it, but unfortunately they couldn't, and so i never found one. I wondered for a while if it even existed, but i found some traces on eBay so it really does.
So this is my first ever Bowie bootleg (or even first ever bootleg in general) and my first ever coloured vinyl. Bowie had a lot of premieres in many different aspects of the musical side of my life, it seems ;)
I'm still very happy that i never sold this album. I did that with many of my Bowie vinyls back in the early 90's - to my deepest regret now, as you might understand.

Label: Cinthia Records
Cat.nr.: DRJ 490/491
Year of release: 1987

SIDE A:
01. Up The Hill Backwards
02. Glass Spider
03. Up The Hill Backwards (Reprise)
04. Day In, Day Out
05. Bang Bang
06. Absolute Beginners

SIDE B:
01. Loving The Alien
02. China Girl
03. Scary Monsters
04. Never Let Me Down
05. '87 And Cry

SIDE C:
01. Time Will Crawl
02. Beat Of Your Drum
03. Sons Of The Silent Age
04. Dancing With The Big Boys
05. Zeroes

SIDE D:
01. Let's Dance
02. Blue Jean
03. Modern Love

David Bowie / Iggy Pop / Roxy Music / Syd Barrett - The Photography Of Mick Rock [7", Book, Tin]

A few years ago, four MICK ROCK photograph books in 7" tins were released, each carrying a 7" vinyl single by the artist featured in the book. The man was mostly known (to me at least) for his pictures of DAVID BOWIE, but he also made some really nice ones of IGGY POP, SYD BARRETT and various glam rock bands like ROXY MUSIC. These tins were released as limited editions and were rather expensive, but lately they have been available on offer for a very reasonable price. The 7"es are each on a different colour vinyl and feature not necessarily the artist's biggest hits, yet pretty cool songs nevertheless. Each book has 128 pages which makes it a pretty heavy package, but definitely worth buying it if you're into high class rock photography. I decided to buy all four of them and this is what the 7"es are about:

David Bowie

Label: EMI
Cat.nr.: 5099964038070           
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Starman

SIDE B:
01. Suffragette City

Roxy Music

Label: EMI
Cat.nr.: 5099964038179          
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Virginia Plain

SIDE B:
01. The Numberer

Iggy Pop

Label: EMI
Cat.nr.: 5099964038278          
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Success

SIDE B:
01. The Passenger

Syd Barrett

Label: EMI
Cat.nr.: 5099964037974          
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Octopus

SIDE B:
01. Golden Hair

Brief Candles - Fractured Days [12", LP]

 

To be honest i never heard of this band or this album until just a few weeks ago. By coincidence i came across this LP and got curious what it was, so i did a quick check on the internet - and got really blown away! I just love their sound; a great mix of shoegaze and power pop / 90's college rock. If you need references: they remind me of bands like Swervedriver, Catherine Wheel, Ride, Silversun Pickups, Nada Surf and Ringo Deathstarr, to name but a few. Damn catchy tunes, female vocals and distorted guitars; an excellent combination. This album came out in 2011 and when i visited their Facebook i noticed that they're about to release a new EP in October. Definitely something i'm gonna check out.

Label: Guilt Ridden Pop
Cat.nr.: GILT 050
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Intro
02. 10 Weeks
03. Sink Or Swim
04. Permafrost
05. The Sentiment
06. Small Streets

SIDE B:
01. Bitter End
02. Skylark
03. The Completist
04. Recognition
05. Nosferatu Monks
06. Knock 'Em Deaf

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Aufheben [12", 2LP]

 

Fantastic album by the BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE that came out in 2012. I only bought it quite late in the year, but if i wouldn't have done that, it probably would have ended up in my Top 10 list of last year. Anyway, AUFHEBEN only has awesome songs on it and it's still a regular on my record player. I love the artwork as well, and the two different kinds of blue vinyl that are used. Top notch product.

Label: A Records
Year of release: 2012
Cat.nr.: AUK023LP

SIDE A:
01. Panic In Babylon
02. Viholliseni Maalla
03. Gaz Hilarant

SIDE B:
01. Illuminomi
02. I Want To Hold Your Other Hand
03. Face Down On The Moon

SIDE C:
01. The Clouds Are Lies
02. Stairway To The Best Party In The Universe
03. Seven Kinds Of Wonderful

SIDE D:
01. Waking Up To Hand Grenades
02. Blue Order/New Monday

Whirr - Part Time Punks Sessions [7"]

Late 2012 i discovered the band WHIRR when they released their album Pipe Dreams, which i really liked and which even ended up in my top 10 of 2012. This PART TIME PUNK SESSIONS 7" was released for Record Store Day 2013 in the USA; these recordings were previously only available on a very limited cassette tape which was made to raise money for a new engine for their van. My copy is the "black in electric blue" edition of which the label made 500 copies. There's also a "baby blue in royal blue" edition of 1500 copies. Cool stuff!

Label: Run For Cover Records
Cat.nr.: RFC:086
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Blue
02. Flashback

SIDE B:
01. Junebouvier
02. Twist

Porno For Pyros - Porno For Pyros [12", LP]

Some songs on this first PORNO FOR PYROS album i like just as much as -or perhaps even better than- Jane's Addiction. So i was happy to hear that this album would finally get a vinyl release again after 20 years for Record Store Day - because it was impossible to find these days. But it's still limited: they only pressed 1000 copies on blue vinyl this time. I was really happy that i managed to get one, because especially songs like Pets and Cursed Female are some of the best things Perry Farrell ever wrote.

Label: Enjoy The Ride
Cat.nr.: ETR-025
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Sadness
02. Porno For Pyros
03. Meija
04. Cursed Female
05. Cursed Male
06. Pets

SIDE B:
01. Bad Shit
02. Packin' .25
03. Black Girlfriend
04. Blood Rag
05. Orgasm

The Flaming Lips - Embryonic [12", 2LP]

EMBRYONIC was the first record i bought on vinyl by THE FLAMING LIPS. It's not their best album (i would say either Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots or The Soft Bulletin would qualify for that status) but nevertheless a very good one, with songs like The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine, Silver Trembling Hands, Watching the Planets and the amazing Worm Mountain. And besides that, their albums always look amazing. Weird artwork and beautiful coloured vinyl. This one had the album on CD included as well. Groovy.

Label: Warner Bros.
Cat.nr.: 1-520857
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Convinced Of The Hex
02. The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine
03. Evil
04. Aquarius Sabotage

SIDE B:
01. See The Leaves
02. If
03. Gemini Syringes
04. Your Bats
05. Powerless

SIDE C:
01. The Ego's Last Stand
02. I Can Be A Frog
03. Sagittarius Silver Announcement
04. Worm Mountain

SIDE D:
01. Scorpio Sword
02. The Impulse
03. Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast
04. Watching The Planets

Slowdive / Ride - She Calls / Leave Them All Behind [7"]

Another gem that was high on my wishlist and that i found in Utrecht last weekend: the split 7" single by SLOWDIVE and RIDE. It was released to promote the US tour by these bands back in 1992 (it says "limited edition - tour collectors item" in small letters on the Slowdive side of the cover) and contains SHE CALLS by Slowdive on the A-side, and LEAVE THEM ALL BEHIND (a shortened version of 4:36) by Ride on the B-side. There's cover artwork for both bands, each on one side. The Slowdive side is pictured above, and the Ride side is identical to the 12" EP for the same song:

The single comes on nice clear blue vinyl, and is marked as "promotion / not for sale" on the center label.

Label: Creation Records / EMI / Sire
Cat.nr.: PB 05468
Year of release: 1992

SIDE A:
01. SLOWDIVE - She Calls

SIDE B:
01. RIDE - Leave Them All Behind