Lush - Ciao! Best Of Lush [12", 2LP]

The compilation album CIAO! BEST OF LUSH was not released on vinyl originally when it came out in 2001. But when LUSH announced this year they were getting back together, 4AD decided it would be a good idea to do so after all, and for the occasion of Black Friday they made a limited coloured edition. I really hope that in the near future they'll do reissues of the regular albums as well, or at least of Split, since that's pretty hard these days to get in good condition for a good price. Same for Lovelife, but musically that's not as appealing as the first two albums - not only to my opinion, but to many others' as well. The label also released a great 5CD box called Chorus, by the way. It contains Lush's complete studio recordings and is definitely recommended if you're not only buying stuff on vinyl. Anyway, it's great that this compilation got the vinyl treatment. In reversed chronological order you hear the best tracks (or at least, sort of) that they ever released, and both the artwork and the red vinyl itself look great. The only thing that could've been done slightly better to my opinion are the sleeve notes, by either adding something about the band getting back together by the same author, or by someone else. Now everything's written in the past tense, about a band that sadly ended when Chris Acland committed suicide. Of course, this is in a way a reissue even though it's the first time it's out on vinyl, so a straight copy of the original release including the original sleeve notes is perfectly understandable. However the reason why it came out now, and the fact that the band is seemingly not planning to let it be a bunch of one-off reunion shows, might as well have been left noticed somewhere on this release. Fact is that 2016 promises to become a great year for Lush fans. A tour, an EP, and who knows what else they'll have in store. I really hope they'll play in Holland, just like Slowdive and Ride did over the past 2 years. Possibly at the Best Kept Secret Festival, like those bands? Fingers crossed!

Label: 4AD

Cat.nr.: CAD2K22

Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:

01. Ladykillers

02. Single Girl

03. Ciao!

04. 500 (Shake Baby Shake)

05. Light From A Dead Star

SIDE B:

01. Love At First Sight

02. Hypocrite

03. Desire Lines

04. Lovelife

SIDE C:

01. When I Die

02. Nothing Natural

03. Untogether

04. For Love

SIDE D:

01. Monochrome

02. De-Luxe

03. Sweetness And Light

04. Thoughtforms

05. Etheriel

Cheatahs - Mythologies [12", 2LP]

MYTHOLOGIES, the second album by CHEATAHS, ended up in my top 10 list of the The Finest Vinyl of 2015. There are 13 great songs on this double album. All brand new, except for 紫 (Murasaki) that came out on an EP earlier this year. Like on their debut, there are influences from '90s indie rock and shoegaze, but this time also krautrock and sunshine pop clearly left their marks. Swervedriver and My Bloody Valentine meet Neu! and Beach Boys... something like that. Compared to the debut, the use of electronica is also one the differences. But they use their synths well, and it only adds more to an own distinctive sound. End of January they'll do a European tour, so that's something you don't want to miss. At least i won't, that's for sure.

Label: Wichita

Cat.nr.: WEBB440LP

Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:

01. Red Lakes (Sternstunden)

02. Channel View

03. In Flux

SIDE B:

01. Freak Waves

02. Signs To Lorelei

03. Hey, Sen

04. Deli Rome

SIDE C:

01. Colorado

02. Su-Pra

03. Seven Sisters

SIDE D:

01. 紫

02. Mysteci

03. Reverie Bravo

Catherine Wheel - Crank [12", Picture Disc]

Earlier this year at the April edition of the Utrecht record fair i bumped into the promo version of CRANK by CATHERINE WHEEL, and at last month's edition i found the picture disc version. The B-side contains Peel Session recordings of Black Metallic and Painful Thing (from April 1991) and they are great lengthy versions. Especially Black Metallic sounds really awesome, and it's my favourite version of this Catherine Wheel classic.

Label: Fontana

Cat.nr.: CW 512

Year of release: 1993

SIDE A:

01. Crank

SIDE B:

01. Black Metallic (Recorded for John Peel BBC Radio 1 April 1991)

02. Painful Thing (Recorded for John Peel BBC Radio 1 April 1991)

Gang Of Four - To Hell With Poverty [12"]

A while ago i was at a Hacienda-inspired dance party, and TO HELL WITH POVERTY was one of the killer tunes they played there. At that moment i just knew i had to have this song on vinyl, to play in my own DJ sets. It's such an energetic song. Totally shows where James Murphy / LCD Soundsystem got his sound from over 20 years later, for example. I have a few GANG OF FOUR albums, but this song only appears on a 7" from 1981 and the "Another Day / Another Dollar" EP from 1982 which are not really easy to come by. It also appears on this remix EP from 1991, however. The disc contains a house remix that sounds pretty dated, and an instrumental version of that remix, but also the original version - and that's what i was looking for. So when i saw this particular 12" on Discogs for only a few euro including postage, i couldn't resist buying it. One of my least rare, yet best purchases of the past months.

Label: EMI

Cat.nr.: 12EM172

Year of release: 1991

SIDE A:

01. To Hell With Poverty (The Loaded Remix)

SIDE B:

01. To Hell With Poverty  (The Loaded Instrumental)

02. To Hell With Poverty  (Original Version)

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

Secret Shine - Untouched [12", LP, Test Press]

There were 5 test press copies made of Saint Marie Records' reissue of UNTOUCHED, the classic SECRET SHINE album that originally came out on Sarah Records in 1993. Thought it would be cool to own one, so i pledged for the bundle of the test press and the coloured version earlier this year. You don't get your favourite shoegaze albums much more limited than this ;)

Label: Saint Marie Records
Cat.nr.: SMR079
Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:
01. Suck Me Down
02. Temporal
03. Spellbound
04. So Close I Come

SIDE B:
01. Into The Ether
02. Toward The Sky
03. Underworld
04. Sun Warmed Water

Secret Shine - Untouched [12", LP]

UNTOUCHED was the only full length album that SECRET SHINE released during their first period of existence (during the early nineties). It originally came out on Sarah Records, and original copies of this album go for high prices on Discogs and eBay. Saint Marie Records had the brilliant idea to get it reissued, and they started a Pledgemusic project to get it financed. Because i love this album to death, and wanted to be sure to have a copy on vinyl finally, i stepped into it and pledged for a coloured copy and a test press. There were only 500 LP's made, and 300 of them are coloured (purple/white). The rest are black. Even though black is more limited for that matter, i wanted the coloured version because it's so beautiful and fits extremely well with the artwork.

What can i say about the album... some people say it was the last of the original great shoegaze albums of the early nineties. That might indeed be true. It's definitely become a classic in the genre, over the years. Songs like Spellbound, Into The Ether and So Close I Come can definitely compete with the best songs of Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine.

Label: Saint Marie Records

Cat.nr.: SMR079

Year of release: 2015 (originally released in 1993)

SIDE A:

01. Suck Me Down

02. Temporal

03. Spellbound

04. So Close I Come

SIDE B:

01. Into The Ether

02. Toward The Sky

03. Underworld

04. Sun Warmed Water

Blind Mr. Jones - Eyes Wide EP [12", Promo]

Last year was actually the first time i heard about the band BLIND MR. JONES, when Saint Marie Records were doing a reissue of their 1994 album Tattooine. I listened to a few tracks online and wasn't really impressed to be honest. It was a bit too much britpop to my taste, so i didn't bother to check out more stuff of this UK band that disbanded in 1994.

Last month however at the record fair in Utrecht i bumped into this promo 12" of their very first EP, and when i read the press sheet that was still attached, i saw that it was co-produced by Neil Halstead from Slowdive. So that made me curious again, and i decided to buy it. Glad i did! It's a great piece of shoegaze history. The four tracks on this EYES WIDE EP breathe that typical early 90's Thames Valley shoegaze atmosphere, as we know from bands as Ride, Slowdive and Chapterhouse. Wikipedia says that Neil Halstead wrote guitar parts for this EP, but since it's a white label promo in a generic sleeve i can only assume that's correct. My favourite track is "Going On Cold", but the other three are great as well. Maybe i should give their other material a second chance.

Label: Cherry Red

Cat.nr.: 12Cherry122

Year of release: 1992

SIDE A:

01. Over My Head

02. Eyes Wide

SIDE B:

01. Going On Cold

02. Henna And Swayed

Levitation - Meanwhile Gardens [12", 2LP]

This album has a very interesting history. In 1990, Terry Bickers left The House Of Love. Together with their drummer David Francolini and 3 others he formed a new band: LEVITATION. They released a few EP's and a full length on Rough Trade, called Need For Not. Then they signed to Chrysalis and recorded enough material for two whole albums, but during that period there were arguments and at some point Bickers walked off stage during a concert. A new singer, Steve Ludwin, took his place eventually and even their album MEANWHILE GARDENS was released with the new singer's vocals replacing the original recordings of Bickers'. It came out on CD only, in Australia in 1994.

Now, after 22 years, Flashback Records did a great job releasing the album as it was meant to be. They got the original band members to authorize the album with a definitive tracklisting order, and -most importantly- with Bickers' original vocals. It was remastered from the original analogue tapes. Earlier this year they already released the limited Never Odd Or Even 12" for Record Store Day, with 3 songs from these sessions that hadn't made it to the album.

It's a brilliant psychedelic, progressive rock album. Labeling it as such might suggest it's boring and unnecessarily bombastic, but it's everything but that. It's gentle, subtle and can be very strong at the same time. And Terry Bickers' vocals are just really good. Hard to describe how it sounds, but if you like bands like Porcupine Tree, Radiohead and Mogwai, you're in for a treat. And it never sounds outdated, after all those years. My favourite songs are King Of Mice and I Believe, but there are plenty of more gems like that on this album.

Label: Flashback Records

Cat.nr.: FB009

Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:

01. Food For Power

02. Gardens Overflowing

03. Bodiless

SIDE B:

01. Magnifying Glass

02. King Of Mice

03. Imagine The Sharks

SIDE C:

01. Evergreen

02. Even When Your Eyes Are Open

03. I Believe

SIDE D:

01. Burrows

02. Sacred Lover

New Order - Music Complete [12", 2LP]

Since i decided that this album would be #1 in The Finest Vinyl of 2015, it was obvious that NEW ORDER's MUSIC COMPLETE needed to be written about on this blog. Until now, i haven't been really inspired however to do so.You can find many reviews online and in printed media, and the bottom line is that they all say that it's a great album, even though their signature bass player Peter Hook is not part of the band anymore. I can only agree. I actually think it's the best release they did since their Technique album. Personal favourites are dancefloor filler Plastic and their go at italo disco Tutti Frutti. The artwork is great as well, and looks like it's inspired by Dutch painter Mondriaan and the art movement De Stijl that he belonged to.

As you can see on the picture i have the limited edition clear vinyl. Looks great and sounds even better.

Label: Mute

Cat.nr.: STUMM390

Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:

01. Restless

02. Singularity

03. Plastic

SIDE B:

01. Tutti Frutti

02. People On The High Line

03. Stray Dog

SIDE C:

01. Academic

02. Nothing But A Fool

03. Unlearn This Hatred

SIDE D:

01. The Game

02. Superheated

The Finest Vinyl of 2015

It's that time of the year again. And while going through my vinyl purchases of this year to select my favourite ones, i realise that not only i haven't posted something about all of these albums; i even haven't had the time yet to post something about what became my #1 album of the year. Shame on me! Time is my enemy.

Anyway, 2015 was a good year as far as i'm concerned. So good, that i decided to not only make a Top 10 list, but make a Bubbling Under list as well for 10 extra albums. More about that later.

These are The Fine Vinyl's albums of choice:

01. NEW ORDER - Music Complete
Brilliant album, even without Hooky on bass. All-time heroes of mine, i guess you can say that.

02. SWERVEDRIVER - I Wasn't Born To Lose You
Glorious comeback of one of my favourite bands. They still got the magic.

03. GIRLS NAMES - Arms Around A Vision
Giant leap forward for the coolest Irish band around.

04. TAMARYN - Cranekiss
I completely fell in love with this album. Simply stunning.

05. EDITORS - In Dream
Beautiful album, with guest vocals by Rachel Goswell on some tracks.

06. SPECTRES - Dying
2015's best noise maelstrom there was.

07. THE CHARLATANS - Modern Nature
Like the Swervedriver album, a return to form from another favourite band of mine.

08. PINKSHINYULTRABLAST - Everything Else Matters
Besides t.A.T.u. i only know one other Russian band, and they released the best debut album this year.

09. CHEATAHS - Mythologies
Another great album by these Londoners. Murasaki is arguably the year's best single.

10. TAME IMPALA - Currents
Took me a while to really get into it, but now i am.

Like said, there are plenty of other albums that should not remain unmentioned.
So here's the Bubbling Under list:

11. PAUW - Macrocosm Microcosm
I think it's fair to say that if this would've been an English band, these guys would be huge already.

12. JAMIE XX - In Colour
Some really excellent tunes on his solo debut.

13. RINGO DEATHSTARR - Pure Mood
Was released late in the year, and might have ended up higher if i had the chance to spin it more often.

14. HEALTH - Death Magic
More accessible than their previous stuff. Stonefist is a killer track.

15. A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS - Transfixiation
Eventually it ends up higher in this list than i first expected when it just came out.

16. PURITY RING - Another Eternity
I just love this band's sound.

17. FOALS - What Went Down
Solid album. As in: really good, but not as adventurous as their previous work.

18. VENERA 4 - Eidôlon
Sensual shoegaze from France. Excellent debut full length.

19. CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye
Difficult second? Fact is i like the debut better, but this is still really good.

20. BATTLES - La Di Da Di
Even though instrumental, i like this better than Gloss Drop. Mirrored still remains their best though.

So there you go.

I´d also like to share my 5 favourite reissues of the year. It´s not only brand new releases that got the vinyl treatment in 2015!

01. SLOWDIVE - Blue Day
Their earliest work finally also on vinyl again! RSD15 edition on blue vinyl.

02. SECRET SHINE - Untouched
Shoegaze classic. Happy to help Saint Marie Records out, getting it realised via Pledgemusic.

03. LEVITATION - Meanwhile Gardens
Never officially released before in this original form, with Terry Bickers on vocals.

04. LUSH - Ciao!
Compilation that never was released on vinyl before. So happy they're back!!!

05. RIDE - OX4 (Best Of)
RSD15 edition on red vinyl of this great compilation.

Looking at all those albums that haven't been featured on this little blog of mine yet, i see there's a lot of catching up to do. I might skip a few, but many are just too good to leave unnoticed. So you know what to expect over next few days/weeks/months.