Elliott - Songs In A Transit Wind [12", LP]

This Saturday it's Record Store Day again, and this compilation by ELLIOTT was one of last year's special RSD releases. SONGS IN A TRANSIT WIND is a compilation of 3 long out of print 7" singles (In Transit and If They Do on Initial Records, and Will You on Revelation Records) and two tracks that were never released on vinyl before. Orphalese was never before released at all, actually. This RSD pressing is on clear vinyl. RSD pressings are supposed to be very limited and if you look at the small quantity of 700 copies it's of course not a huge number, but the mailorder version on black vinyl (300 made) that came out around the same time, and the grey marbled second pressing (500 made) that came out 2 months later, are still rarer. And that's a bit strange, to say the least.

Label: Simba Recordings
Cat.nr.: Simba 23
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Waiting While Under Paralysis
02. As Arson
03. The Watermark High
04. Halfway Pretty

SIDE B:
01. Calvary Song
02. Fan And The Bellows
03. Orphalese
04. Lost Instrumental

The Fauns - Fragile (Clint Mansell Remix) [12"]

This special 12" was released (in the UK only) for Record Store Day 2013. Been trying to get my hands on one, but without any success. Until recently when THE FAUNS launched a Kickstarter fundraiser for their tour with Alcest, which is currently taking place. They were selling a few of these 12" remix singles and also signed them, for this occasion. So i ordered one to help them out a bit and got this long-desired piece of vinyl in return. That's what i call a win-win situation ;)
The song FRAGILE is my favourite of their debut album, and this remix by film music composer (and former lead singer for Pop Will Eat Itself) Clint Mansell is a really good one. So is actually the re-worked version of The Sun Is Cruising by Invada label manager Redg Weeks.

Label: Invada
Cat.nr.: INV 121 LP
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Fragile (Clint Mansell Remix)

SIDE B:
01. The Sun Is Cruising (Redg Weeks Re-work)

Mad Season - Above [12", 2LP]

The Music On Vinyl label released more than a dozen very nice Record Store Day releases this year, but their reissue of ABOVE by MAD SEASON was definitely the must-buy for any grunge-appreciating vinyl freak this time around. A one-off pressing of only 5000 copies, and good timing because only a little earlier, the Deluxe CD reissue had seen the light of day. The previously unreleased bonus tracks on that edition are also featured on this double LP. Three of them would have originally appeared on the band's second album, which never got off the ground because of Layne Staley's condition that got worse and worse. So these finished versions on this album are now sung by Mark Lanegan. Totally fits with the band's status as grunge supergroup, of course. And like we're used from MOV, everything sounds just fantastic. A true classic!
Funny detail: while other current MOV releases have catalogue numbers in the 800's, this one has the low number 169. That's because a reissue of this album was already scheduled years ago, but it got postponed and postponed, and eventually withdrawn. The catalogue number however was never used. Now it's here after all, and even in an expanded edition. So definitely worth the wait, looking back at it.

Label: Music On Vinyl
Cat.nr.: MOVLP 169
Year of release: 2013 (originally: 1995)

SIDE A:
01. Wake Up
02. X-Ray Mind
03. River Of Deceit

SIDE B:
01. I'm Above
02. Artificial Red
03. Lifeless Dead
04. I Don't Know Anything

SIDE C:
01. Long Gone Day
02. November Hotel
03. All Alone
04. Interlude
05. Locomotive

SIDE D:
01. Black Book Of Fear
02.Slip Away
03. I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier (remix)

The Verve - The Verve E.P. [12"]

Not really a fan of latter-day THE VERVE, but their first album A Storm In Heaven and the EP's around that are pretty cool. This clear red 12" was released for Record Store Day 2013 and is a first-time-on-vinyl reproduction of what was previously a US-only compilation CD from 1992, simply called THE VERVE E.P. It combines tracks from their early singles All In The Mind, Gravity Grave and She's A Superstar. Nice and trippy psychedelic stuff! I particularly like the mellow Gravity Grave that has a flow like it could go on forever, and She's A Superstar, with guitars that remind me of Felt's "Primitive Painters". Couldn't find any info on how limited this release is, but it's a one-off pressing anyway.

Label: Hut Recordings
Cat.nr.: HUTLPUS 1
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Gravity Grave (Edit)
02. A Man Called Sun
03. She's A Superstar (Edit)

SIDE B:
01. Endless Life
02. Feel

Team Ghost - Terre Brûlée [12"]

This TERRE BRÛLÉE EP by TEAM GHOST was released for Record Store Day 2013. It features the singles that were taken so far from the Rituals album (Dead Film Star and Curtains), a slow song called Tonight Is Magic and the title track, which fills the whole B-side with its 25 minutes. It's an instrumental track which consists of various soundscapes and almost ambient themes. Only 300 copies were made and i'm happy that i could get my hands on one.

Label: wSphere
Cat.nr.: 3271466           
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Dead Film Star
02. Curtains
03. Tonight Is Magic

SIDE B:
01. Terre Brûlée

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

Austra + Gina X - Mayan Drums [12"]

This laidback song was released as a 12" for Record Store Day this year, and as far as i know it will not appear on AUSTRA's upcoming new album Olympia. It's a collaboration with legendary German electro/wave icon GINA X (and perhaps more importantly Zeus B. Held - look him up on Wikipedia if you don't know him). It doesn't say on the release but i've been thinking that MAYAN DRUMS might refer just as much to Austra's drummer Maya Postepski than to the actual Maya indians.
There are 5 versions besides the original on this 12", and Zeus B. Held's Voice Versa Remix is the one i like the most. Extremely limited release by the way: only 500 copies were made worldwide.

Label: Domino
Cat.nr.: RUG522T
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Mayan Drums (Original)
02. Mayan Drums (Instrumental)
03. Mayan Drums (Vocal)

SIDE B:
01. Mayan Drums (Zeus B. Held Voice Versa Remix)
02. Mayan Drums (Doldrums Remix)
03. Mayan Drums (Hervé Retro Dark Dub)

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Fist Full Of Bees EP [12"]

Haven't been writing for this blog during the past two weeks and now there's this whole pile of crate digging finds from the Utrecht record fair, Record Store Day releases, my regular new purchases and the old stuff from way back - each release waiting for its own entry in this project. Aaarghhh! Where to begin? Well anyway, here's one of the Record Store Day releases: a brand new BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE EP called FIST FULL OF BEES. It's a handnumbered (limited to 2000 copies) EP on burgundy/purple vinyl. Really cool songs that are more or less in the same vein as their latest full length Aufheben. Especially the oriental sounding Everything Fades To White.

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: auk025
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Fist Full Of Bees
02. Food For Clouds

SIDE B:
01. Everything Fades To White

Various Artists - Record Store Day 2013 4-Way Covers Split [7"]

TROUBLE IN MIND got 4 of their best artists to record a cover especially for this limited Record Store Day 33 rpm 7" on white vinyl. Jacco Gardner does a Billy Nichols cover, The Resonars do Fairport Convention, Mmoss does a mighty fine Everly Brothers tune, and Maston covers The Kinks (and do a better job with that, than the Pretenders did in the eighties). The single comes in a great looking company-sleeve. They made 2000 copies, hand-numbered. My copy's #442/2000.

Label: Trouble In Mind
Cat.nr.: TIM049
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. JACCO GARDNER - Always On My Mind
02. THE RESONARS - It's Alright Ma, It's Only Witchcraft

SIDE B:
01. MMOSS - Cathy's Clown
02. MASTON - I Go To Sleep

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

Tame Impala - Tame Impala [12"]

The self-titled EP by TAME IMPALA has been on my wishlist for quite some time, but was pretty much impossible to find for a normal price. Luckily the people at Modular decided to reissue the EP (originally on 10" format, MODVL107) as a 12" with two extra tracks for Record Store Day 2013. They made 5000 copies on red vinyl, and since April 20th i'm the happy owner of one of those. The bonus tracks have been previously released on limited 2CD editions of the Innerspeaker album: Wander on the Australian edition, and Forty One Mosquitoes Flying In Formation on the UK edition. First time on vinyl for both, as far as i know.


Label: Modular
Cat.nr.: MODVL174
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Desire Be Desire Go
02. Skeleton Tiger
03. Half Full Glass Of Wine

SIDE B:
01. Forty One Mosquitoes Flying In Formation
02. Slide Through My Fingers
03. Wander