Daughter / Warpaint - Split EP [12"]

This split 12inch for Record Store Day 2015 was already announced way back in November last year. Both bands have a mutual admiration and re-worked one of eachother's songs, while the original versions are also included. So on side A there's DAUGHTER's song Winter, which WARPAINT turned into a enjoyable dance track. Although i must say i still like the original better in this case. Since the other side has its own artwork, i thought it'd be good to show that here as well:

Feeling by Warpaint was transformed by Daughter into a gentle chillout tune, which is never too far away from the original. Definitely a great remix, and this alone was well worth the purchase of this pretty limited 12inch: only 500 copies were made.

Label: 4AD
Cat.nr.: BAD3452
Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:
01. DAUGHTER - Winter (Warpaint Remix)
02. DAUGHTER - Winter

SIDE B:
01. WARPAINT - Feeling Alright (Daughter Remix)
02. WARPAINT - Feeling Alright

Fujiya & Miyagi - Daggers/Little Stabs At Happiness [12"]

This limited 12inch (1000 copies) was released for Record Store Day 2015, and contains two remixes of tracks that originally appeared on FUJIYA & MIYAGI's latest Artificial Sweeteners album. Stephen Morris (of New Order and Joy Division fame) remixed DAGGERS, which resulted in a pretty synthy and electronic version, and Umberto did a great remix of LITTLE STABS AT HAPPINESS. With remix 12inches you can go terribly wrong sometimes, but this one's a winner.

Label: Yep Roc Records
Cat.nr.: YEP 2434
Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:
01. Daggers (Stephen Morris Remix)

SIDE B:
01. Little Stabs At Happiness (Umberto Remix)

Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe - Cocaine Cat [10"]

The collaboration between TESS PARKS and ANTON NEWCOMBE (of The Brian Jonestown Massacre) will result in an album in June and a tour to support it, but for Record Store Day they've already released this limited COCAINE CAT 10inch (2000 numbered copies, clear vinyl) as a taste of what to expect. And i must say that the result is definitely making me want to hear more from this duo. Both songs sound as a perfect combination of Tess' solo work and a stripped down, less orchestrated Brian Jonestown Massacre. I saw they'll be playing the Amsterdam Paradiso in July, so i'll try to be there for sure.

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: AUK118-10
Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:
01. Cocaine Cat

SIDE B:
01. Mama

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

Ride - OX4_ The Best Of Ride [12", 2LP]

Now that RIDE has reunited and has just started touring again for the first time since they broke up in '96, this OX4_ THE BEST OF RIDE compilation couldn't have a better timing. Released on red vinyl for the occasion of Record Store Day 2015, and sounding great. I already have the original edition of this release from 2001, but as a pretty big fan of this band -which i'll be seeing two times this year; yay!- i just needed to have this reissue as well.

Label: Rhino
Cat.nr.: 081227955137
Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:
01. Chelsea Girl
02. Drive Blind
03. Like A Daydream
04. Taste

SIDE B:
01. Dreams Burn Down
02. Vapour Trail
03. Unfamiliar

SIDE C:
01. Leave Them All Behind
02. Twisterella
03. OX4

SIDE D:
01. Birdman
02. From Time To Time
03. How Does It Feel To Feel?
04. I Don't Know Where It Comes From
05. Black Nite Crash

The Black Angels - Phosgene Nightmare [10", Limited Edition]

Another Record Store Day release from previous years. This one's from 2011. PHOSGENE NIGHTMARE is a B-sides collection according to the sticker, although i couldn't find out to which songs these tracks would have been the B-sides. I saw they had been digital bonus tracks in iTunes so maybe that's what they meant with that. Anyway, it's a mighty fine set of tunes by THE BLACK ANGELS. Ronettes is one of my favourites, and also the hypnotic "Rain Dance Version" of Entrance Song is pretty awesome. The original appears of course on Phosphene Dream, the album they had released half a year before this special 10" saw the light of day.

Label: Blue Horizon Ventures
Cat.nr.: BHV-16782-1
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Melanie's Melody
02. Ronettes
03. The Boat Song

SIDE B:
01. At Night
02. Choose To Choose
03. Entrance Song (Rain Dance Version)

Tame Impala - Live Versions [12", LP, Limited Edition]

Less than two weeks until it's Record Store Day again! For me, this LIVE VERSIONS LP by TAME IMPALA was one of the highlights of last year's edition. I don't buy a lot of live albums on vinyl, but since these versions are pretty different from the studio versions, i thought i'd make an exception. Besides, Tame Impala is simply a great band. They recently announced that there'll be a new album soon so i'm pretty stoked for that. I don't know exactly how many were made of the green vinyl edition like the one i have, because there are also black copies floating around, and the album also shortly has been available as regular release a few months later. But it sure looks and sounds good.

Label: Modular
Cat.nr.: MODVL 184
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. Endors Toi
02. Why Don't You Make Up Your Mind?
03. Sestri Levante
04. Mind Mischief
05. Desire Be, Desire Go

SIDE B:
01. Half Full Glass Of Wine
02. Be Above It
03. Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
04. Apocalypse Dreams

The Brian Jonestown Massacre & The Magic Castles - Split 12" [12"]

This split 12" by THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE and THE MAGIC CASTLES is one of the Record Store Day releases i bought this year. Both bands are featured with two songs and i must confess i didn't know The Magic Castles very well, but i like the songs on this 12" a lot. Mellow folky psychedelic tunes. Their previous album from 2012 was also on Anton Newcombe's A Records, just like this split, and actually all of BJM's releases. The first of the two BJM songs will be on their new album "Reveleation", while the instrumental Lions Ride Free is exclusive to this release. It's a numbered limited edition of 3000 copies, on beautiful clear/white/grey splattered vinyl.

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: auk028-12
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE - Goodbye (Butterfly)
02. THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE - Lions Ride Free

SIDE B:
01. THE MAGIC CASTLES - Rebecca's World
02. THE MAGIC CASTLES - Trembling Hands

Dinosaur Jr. - Visitors [7", Boxset]

There were 5000 copies made for Record Store Day 2014 of this 7" boxset called VISITORS. It captures the first four DINOSAUR JR. singles on SST and Homestead, and a bonus 7" with two covers from that period: I Feel A Whole Lot Better (originally by The Byrds) and Peter Frampton's Show Me The Way. Pretty cool stuff, especially for a person like me who likes Dinosaur Jr. a lot and has seen them perform live a few times already, but rarely has any music by them on vinyl. Most of what i have by this band is on CD. I'm especially fond of their version of The Cure's Just Like Heaven. There's also a really cool booklet inside with an essay by Maura Jasper who made the band's artwork in those days, and some unreleased work by her.

Label: Numero Group
Cat.nr.: NUM705
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. Repulsion

SIDE B:
01. Bulbs Of Passion


SIDE A:
01. Little Fury Things

SIDE B:
01. In A Jar


SIDE A:
01. Freak Scene

SIDE B:
01. Keep The Glove


SIDE A:
01. Just Like Heaven

SIDE B:
01. Throw Down
02. Chunks


SIDE A:
01. Show Me The Way

SIDE B:
01. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better

Ringo Deathstarr - God's Dream [12", EP]

GOD'S DREAM by RINGO DEATHSTARR came out only on CD in Japan on the Vinyl Junkie label late 2013, with a slightly different tracklisting. The first vinyl pressings were released in the US on Neon Sigh/Noyes Records in March 2014, and a month later we finally have the European version on Invada for Record Store Day 2014. The European version has a yellowish cover instead of a greenish one, and it replaces the song See You with Over There. This version is on yellow vinyl and there are only 500 copies made. That's about as limited as i personally like to see RSD releases to be made, to be honest, and i think Invada did a great job with that. I don't know how it is with the US pressings since i don't own one (yet), but while the sleeve and centre labels show Shut Your Eyes as the closing song for side A and Chainsaw Morning as the opening song for side B, it's actually the other way around. Minor detail of course, because it's the music that matters. And Ringo Deathstarr can do little wrong in my eyes. I've become a pretty big fan of this band over the past years, and this new release is right up there with their previous work. They have some pretty cool guest appearances this time around as well: Jeff Schroeder of Smashing Pumpkins, with whom they toured a few years ago, on Chainsaw Morning - and Adam Franklin of Swervedriver on Flower Power and Nowhere. The last one being my favourite song; for now, at least. I've only listened to the EP a few times so far so that might change over the next few weeks.

Label: Invada
Cat.nr.: INV113LP
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. Bong Load
02. God's Dream
03. Flower Power
04. Chainsaw Morning *

SIDE B:
01. Shut Your Eyes *
02. Over There
03. Nowhere

* tracklisting on the sleeve and centre labels mix these tracks up

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Hey Joe [7"]

This version of the Jimi Hendrix classic HEY JOE is released on 7" especially for Record Store Day 2014. The song is taken from the soundtrack of Lars Von Trier's "Nymphomaniac" movie, in which CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG plays the main role. It's a sensual version with Charlotte's trademark whispering voice, and music performed by great musicians like Beck, Jason Falkner and Joey Waronker (a.o. Atoms For Peace). The B-side features a pretty fine remix of the song by Sebastian (Akchoté), a French DJ for Ed Banger Records. I actually like it better than the regular version. I have no idea how limited this single is (it doesn't say on the sleeve and i couldn't find it anywhere online) but i'm pretty happy i managed to score a copy.

Label: Because Music
Cat.nr.: BEC5161816
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. Hey Joe

SIDE B:
01. Hey Joe (Sebastian Remix)

Various Artists - Kill Rock Stars [12", LP]

KILL ROCK STARS is a legendary compilation album on the label by the same name, from 1991. It features names like Nirvana, Melvins, Unwound, Bikini Kill and Nation Of Ulysses. There's also a track by Courtney Love on it, but that's actually a band called like that and not Kurt Cobain's widow. In 2011, 20 years after its original release, the label decided to reissue this album for Record Store Day, in 2000 handnumbered copies. The tracks on the album are pretty diverse, but in general it's all early 90's indie rock/pop underground stuff. Some good, some not so good. I like the Nirvana and Melvins tunes best.

Label: Kill Rock Stars
Cat.nr.: KRS 201
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. BRATMOBILE - Girl Germs
02. SOME VELVET SIDEWALK - Loch Ness
03. COURTNEY LOVE - Don't Mix The Colors
04. NATION OF ULYSSES - N.O.U. Cooking With Gas!
05. UNWOUND -You Speak Jealousy
06. MECCA NORMAL - Narrow
07. NIRVANA - Beeswax

SIDE B:
01. BIKINI KILL - Feels Blind
02. WITCHYPOO - Reaper Song
03. MELVINS - Ever Since My Accident
04. INFAMOUS MENAGERIE - Immediate Impound Zone
05. KICKING GIANT - Make You Come
06. FITZ OF DEPRESSSION - Everybody And Their Dog
07. JAD FAIR - Red Dress

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

Lou Reed - Rock 'N' Roll Animal [12", LP]

Today is a sad day. News just broke that LOU REED died, at the age of 71.

Having become a massive David Bowie fan when i was a teenager, i first got to know Reed from the stuff that Bowie did for him (producing Transformer together with Mick Ronson, for example) and the songs that Bowie covered (most notably White Light/White Heat during his Ziggy Stardust period). So out of curiosity i started to listen to the man's work. First Transformer, then i discovered Berlin, and then the whole Velvet Underground catalogue. Amazing stuff! I still rank many Velvet Undergound songs as some of the best pop/rock songs ever written, and Lou Reed was the writer of nearly all of them. His solo work rarely reaches the same level as the Velvets did, to my opinion at least, but still i love albums like Berlin and New York. Also Transformer, The Blue Mask, Magic And Loss and the phenomenal Songs For Drella (with John Cale) are albums that mean a lot to me. So does this particular album, ROCK 'N' ROLL ANIMAL. It's a live album from 1974 and the songs are mostly from his Velvet Underground period. It only has five songs on it, but these are definitely the best live versions i've ever heard of every single one of them, and the total length of the album is still over 40 minutes. Especially the guitar work is excellent. Some live albums are true classics. This is one of those.
Funny detail: the musicians on this album would later join Alice Cooper when he had parted ways with his old band members and went on to release Welcome To My Nightmare. Producer Bob Ezrin introduced them.
As for myself, i've seen Lou Reed perform live twice. First during his Magic And Loss tour in 1992, and a year later with the Velvet Underground during their MCMXCIII reunion tour. And as of today, it's clear that there will definitely be no further chance. Truly sad.

I own two different editions of this great album. The picture above is from an original pressing from 1974. Below, it's a reissue from 2012, when Music On Vinyl released it as a special Record Store Day release, remastered and on 180 grams vinyl. Even sounds better than it ever did before.

 

Label: RCA / Music On Vinyl
Cat.nr.: APL1-0472 / MOVLP 529
Year of release: 1974 / 2012

SIDE A:
01. Intro/Sweet Jane
02. Heroin

SIDE B:
01. White Light/White Heat
02. Lady Day
03. Rock 'n' Roll

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

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Acid Reflex [12"]

Last year on Record Store Day i tried really hard to find this 12" at the participating stores, but for some reason none had it. So i kinda gave up and expected i'd never get my hands on a copy anymore, but a few weeks ago at Pet Sounds in Stockholm i saw one standing in the racks to my big surprise. On this ACID REFLEX EP there are 4 different songs, all from the Belong album, in a remixed version. One thing about remixes is that it either hits exactly the right spot, or it goes terribly wrong. It doesn't happen very often that i actually like all the remixes on a 12", but in this case i do. THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART definitely chose the right artists to remix their songs, and they're not the least names either: Twin Shadow, Saint Etienne, Violens and Washed Out. Pretty cool stuff!

Label: Play It Again Sam/Slumberland Records
Cat.nr.: PIASR532T
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. Heart In Your Heartbreak (Twin Shadow remix)
02. Too Tough (Saint Etienne remix)

SIDE B:
01. The Body (Violens remix)
02. My Terrible Friend (Washed Out remix)

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)