Inspiral Carpets - She Comes In The Fall [12"]

Not really a band i've ever been particularly into, the INSPIRAL CARPETS, but they made a few nice singles. Dragging Me Down is still my favourite while Caravan and Bitches Brew come second and third, but SHE COMES IN THE FALL is not bad either. Ran into this 12" at the Utrecht recordfair last spring and it was pretty cheap so i couldn't refuse buying it. If only i'd known in advance that i would discover the album where the song comes from (Life) a few hours later at the same fair for just a few bucks more. Ah well, it's got a nice cow-cover.

Label: Mute
Cat.nr.: DUNG 10T
Year of release: 1990

SIDE A:
01. She Comes In The Fall
02. Commercial Reign

SIDE B:
01. Sackville

Pale Saints - Fine Friend [12"]

Bought this 12" by PALE SAINTS at the Utrecht record fair last April, together with the Flesh Balloon EP. I like that one better, to be honest. For some reason i keep on hearing Knocking On Heaven's Door in the title track of this FINE FRIEND EP (which doesn't go away once that's in your head), and the second song is too much prog rock as far as i'm concerned. I didn't know that side of the band yet, by the way. But not really my cup of tea at least. The tracks on the B-side are more to my taste: dreampop à la Cocteau Twins. So that's 50% of this EP. But hey, for only 1 euro i couldn't go wrong.

Label: 4AD
Cat.nr.: BAD 4013
Year of release: 1994

SIDE A:
01. Fine Friend
02. Special Present

SIDE B:
01. Marimba
02. Reprise

The House Of Love - I Don't Know Why I Love You [7"]

Found this single at the Utrecht record fair last April. The regular I DON'T KNOW WHY I LOVE YOU 7"single (which would appear on their s/t album on Fontana) was released  in a black sleeve, with the song Secrets on the B-side. There was also a numbered limited edition however, in a white sleeve, with another B-side. No idea how many were made of this; my number is # 0255. The cover is a gatefold but there's only one disc inside. Not really the best song by THE HOUSE OF LOVE, but still a nice and catchy tune and definitely one of the better ones on the Fontana album.

Label: Fontana
Cat.nr.: HOLG 2
Year of release: 1989

SIDE A:
01. I Don't Know Why I Love You

SIDE B:
01. Love II

Curve - Cherry EP [10"]

Despite already owning the 12" edition of this EP, i thought it  would be cool to have this limited 10" edition as well. It's handnumbered (my copy is #1779), limited to 2000 copies, and comes in a plain silver sleeve with a sticker. Besides, it has one extra track compared to that 12" version. So when i found it in Utrecht in April for a fair price of course i had to buy it.

Label: Anxious Records
Cat.nr.: ANX X 35
Year of release: 1991

SIDE A:
01. Clipped
02. Die Like A Dog

SIDE B:
01. Galaxy
02. Cherry
03. I Speak Your Every Word (with JC 001)

The Sugarcubes - Life's Too Good [12", LP]

One of the things i bought at the last Utrecht record fair, this classic album by THE SUGARCUBES. It was pretty cheap and i didn't have it on vinyl yet, so the choice to pick it up wasn't too hard. LIFE'S TOO GOOD has some great tunes on it, like Birthday, Motorcrash and Deus. The last one being the song that that Belgian band named themselves after. Once i got home from the record fair it turned out it was a Czech (or at the point of release still Czechoslovakian, i should say) edition i bought. A bit rarer than other European editions that came out at the time, and only available with a green cover, whereas it came out in many countries with various cover colours (besides green also blue, pink, orange and yellow). Maybe it has to do with the fact that actually it was a reissue, since in Czechoslovakia it was released in 1990 while the album had come out already in 1988.

Label: Globus International
Cat.nr.: 210048-1311
Year of release: 1990

SIDE A:
01. Traitor
02. Motorcrash
03. Birthday
04. Delicious Demon
05. Mama

SIDE B:
01. Coldsweat
02. Blue Eyed Pop
03. Deus
04. Sick For Toys
05. F***ing In Rhythm & Sorrow

Various Artists - The Bridge (A Tribute To Neil Young) [12", LP]

When this compilation had just come out, i borrowed the CD from the library and taped it. Around 6 years ago i threw away all my tapes and i forgot about this NEIL YOUNG tribute called THE BRIDGE ever since. It's long deleted on CD as well nowadays so you rarely find it in shops anymore, but last weekend i stumbled upon the vinyl edition at the Utrecht recordfair. Brought back sweet memories so i couldn't resist buying it. I must say that I'm not particularly a Neil Young fan (although i appreciate his work and i'm certainly not a hater), but i really do love some of the artists on this tribute LP. I mean, where do you find a compilation of rare tracks by bands like Flaming Lips, Loop, Nick Cave, Pixies, Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr.? One by one great versions of these songs as well. Definitely worth the purchase.

Label: Caroline
Cat.nr.: CAR LP 5
Yera of release: 1989

SIDE A:
01. Soul Asylum - Barstool Blues
02. Victoria Willams & The Williams Brothers - Don't Let It Bring You Down
03. Flaming Lips - After The Goldrush
04. Nikki Sudden & The French Revolution - Captain Kennedy
05. Loop - Cinnamon Girl
06. Nick Cave - Helpless

SIDE B:
01. Pixies - Winterlong.
02. Sonic Youth - Computer Age
03. Psychic TV - Only Love Can Break Your Heart
04. Dinosaur Jr. - Lotta Love
05. Henry Kaiser - The Needle And The Damage Done/Tonight's The Night (Medley)

Pale Saints - Flesh Balloon [12"]

PALE SAINTS is a band that for some reason i never really was into at the time, and that i'm only starting to discover now over the past few months. I didn't have anything on vinyl by them yet, but at the Utrecht recordfair i ran into two EP's for only 1 euro each, so i couldn't let those stand in the crate of course. On this FLESH BALLOON EP there are 4 songs. Hunted and Hair Shoes appear on their great In Ribbons album, while Kinky Love on the B-side is the track that was used as a single at the time. It sounds a bit like their label mates Cocteau Twins.

Label: 4AD
Cat.nr.: BAD 1009
Year of release: 1991

SIDE A:
01. Hunted
02. Porpoise

SIDE B:
01. Kinky Love
02. Hair Shoes (Demo)

My Bloody Valentine - Geek [12"]

The GEEK EP is the first recording by MY BLOODY VALENTINE on which Debbie Googe plays bass. My copy, which i bought last weekend at the Utrecht record fair, is obviously a counterfeit. I don't mind really, as it's impossible to find an original one these days. And if you do, you won't pay only 15 bucks for it like i did. The sound quality is a bit "thin", but i doubt if the original would sound better. Originally released in 1985, MBV sounds like a garage rock band here, and still had vocalist David Conway (who left in 1987). It's not music i'm particularly fond of, but i didn't have these tracks on vinyl yet, and this title was still missing from my MBV collection. So after having seen this EP 3 times in a row at the fair now over the past one and half year, i decided to buy it this time around.

Label: Fever
Cat.nr.: FEV 5
Year or release: 1985

SIDE A:
01. No Place To Go
02. Moonlight

SIDE B:
01. Love Machine
02. The Sandman Never Sleeps

The House Of Love - Shine On (Fuck Version) [7", Flexidisc]

My first ever flexidisc is number 3 out of 4 singles by THE HOUSE OF LOVE that i bought at the Utrecht recordfair last weekend. The version of SHINE ON on this single (called "Fuck Version" for a reason unknown to me) is a quiet and acoustic solo rendition of the song by Guy Chadwick, recorded in Holland "during Guy Chadwick's infamous and well-documented breakdown". That's at least how it's described in the CD booklet of the Pensioners On Ecstasy compilation, the only other release that had this version featured a bit later. Last year it appeared on the deluxe CD edition of their s/t Creation album as well, as one of many bonus tracks. Apparently this 7" was given away for free at shows; but how many were made, and at which shows exactly they were given away, i have no idea of.

Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CREFRE 5
Year of release: 1988

SIDE A:
01. Shine On (Fuck Version)

SIDE B:
-

The Soup Dragons - Mother Universe Remix [12"]

Bought this 12" at the Utrecht recordfair last weekend, paying only one Euro for it. Not that it's really worth more or anything, but anyway this MOTHER UNIVERSE 12" by Scottish band THE SOUP DRAGONS was a nice find. It has two versions of this indie rave song, in the same vein as their hit song I'm Free at the time: laidback and groovy. Totally in the same league as for example Happy Mondays and The Farm, although much lesser known.

Label: Big Life
Cat.nr.: BLR 30R
Year of release: 1990

SIDE A:
01. Mother Universe (Dub Version)

SIDE B:
01. Mother Universe (Original '89 Version)

The House Of Love - Destroy The Heart [7"]

This DESTROY THE HEART 7" by THE HOUSE OF LOVE was the second of four The House Of Love 7"es that i bought last weekend at the recordfair in Utrecht. I already have the 12" version, but this one wasn't very expensive so it is a welcome addition to my Creation Records collection.

Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CRE 057
Year of release: 1988

SIDE A:
01. Destroy The Heart

SIDE B:
01. Blind

The House Of Love - Christine [7"]

CHRISTINE is definitely my favourite song by THE HOUSE OF LOVE; a true classic indie tune of the late eighties. I've been looking for this particular single for quite some time because it's the only vinyl release that has the slightly psychedelic Loneliness Is A Gun track on it. The CD edition of the so-called German Album has it, but the vinyl edition does not. So i was happy to find it last weekend at the recordfair in Utrecht, as you can imagine.

Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CRE 053
Year of release: 1988

SIDE A:
01. Christine

SIDE B:
01. Loneliness Is A Gun