The Smiths - How Soon Is Now [7"]

Last week i paid a visit to the second-hand store again where i had bought that David Bowie single from the Dutch Top 40 archive earlier. Decided to have a closer look at the other singles from that source that they had standing there, and i really found some cool things in there this time around. I recon you can look at those singles in two ways: either you look at them as unique pieces with some historical value (being from the archive of the official Dutch Top 40 Foundation, from a time when there was only one official radio station in Holland), or consider them as mutilated releases with a stamp and a sticker on the centre label, and no original sleeve anymore. I'm still not really sure what to think of them, but at least for me personally it feels a bit special since i am aware that i might have heard this very vinyl being played on the airwaves at the time. On the other hand i really do regret that they don't have picture sleeves anymore. Especially in the case of this single by THE SMITHS. Either way, i buy them for the songs. I wasn't even aware when i picked this out of the crate that it would be a rather rare release.
When the single William, It Was Really Nothing was released in the UK it had besides the song featured on the B-side of this 7" (Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want - which was the B-side for the UK 7" as well) also the song HOW SOON IS NOW on the B-side of the 3-track 12". And when it was time to release the 7" single in Holland and How Soon Is Now had become a popular tune in the alternative clubs in the meantime, Megadisc decided that that song would actually be a much better choice to release as A-side. So they kept the same catalogue number RT166 and William was completely dropped, in favour of How Soon. And instead of the green sleeve that the (first pressing of the) UK single had, the colour was lilac for this one. Following the success of this song in Holland, How Soon was then also released as single first in America and later, the following year, also in the UK (as RT176 with Well I Wonder as B-side).
From what i've read, there were two versions made of this Dutch edition: one on Megadisc and one on Rough Trade which said "Made in EEC". The last one being the most rare, apparently. And that's exactly the one that i dug up. So in this case it would've been better i guess when this was a regular copy with the original sleeve. On the other hand, all the singles from this archive are in such good condition (NM+ at least) that as for the audio i probably would never have found one in such condition.

Label: Rough Trade
Cat.nr.: RT166
Year of release: 1984

SIDE A:
01. How Soon Is Now

SIDE B:
01. Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want

Elliott - False Cathedrals [12", LP]

What can i say. I totally fell in love with this album, the second by ELLIOTT, when it came out in 2000. They released another album after this (Song In The Air, from 2003) and i saw the band live for the first time shortly after that. It was pretty amazing. But later that same year they sadly called it quits. I had FALSE CATHEDRALS only on CD and it was in my player every now and then. But somewhere around 2008/2009 i probably lost interest, or anyway i can't recall that i've played it since then.
But then, only a few months ago, i discovered that it had been repressed by Revelation last year for the first time in 12 years, since its original release. Only 500 copies were made and i didn't hesitate a moment and ordered one. Luckily it wasn't sold out yet. And since then, spinning rounds on my record player, the magic has come back! Never particularly been into the whole emo thing at the time - but this album, people... this really is an absolute masterpiece.

Label: Revelation Records
Cat.nr.: Revelation:95
Year of release: 2012 (originally: 2000)

SIDE A:
01. Voices
02. Calm Americans
03. Blessed By Your Own Ghost
04. Drive On To Me
05. Calvary Song
06. Lipstick Stigmata

SIDE B:
01. Dying Midwestern
02. Shallow Like Your Breath
03. Superstitions In Travel
04. Carving Oswego
05. Lie Close
06. Speed Of Film

Tamaryn - Tender New Signs [12", LP]

The TENDER NEW SIGNS album by TAMARYN is something i -sadly- completely missed when it came out during autumn 2012, so i bought it only a few months ago after i had i stumbled upon some songs on Youtube. Absolutely delicious shoegaze/dreampop! The band Tamaryn is actually singer Tamaryn Brown (a girl from NY) and Rex John Shelverton on guitar. On bass and drums on this album there's Jeremey Bringetto and Matthew Bajda from Rex John's other band Bellavista. Together they've been in a couple of bands, like Vue (on Sub Pop) and Portraits Of Past, a screamo band from the mid '90s on Ebullition Records. Interesting background.
Really a shame that i missed this LP last year. I'll definitely be on look-out for new stuff they'll release from now on, that's for sure.

Label: Mexican Summer
Cat.nr.: MEX125
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. I'm Gone
02. While You're Sleeping, I'm Dreaming
03. Heavenly Bodies
04. No Exits
05. Prizma

SIDE B:
01. The Garden
02. Transcedent Blue
03. Afterlight
04. Violet's In A Pool

Stone Temple Pilots - Purple [12", LP, Limited Edition]

Just got back from summer holidays, and i didn't post on this blog for nearly a month so there's a lot of catching up to do. This amazing limited edition of a recent reissue on Music On Vinyl for example was one of the latest things i bought right before my vacation. PURPLE is yet another great grunge classic that Music On Vinyl has released, and the limited edition consists of 1500 numbered copies on purple (duh) vinyl. My copy's number #329. The song Vasoline on this album was one of my favourite songs when it originally came out in 1994.
During my absence, the label has released STONE TEMPLE PILOTS debut album Core as well, so i'll be writing something about that one pretty soon as well, i assume.

Label: Music On Vinyl
Cat.nr.: MOVLP 816
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Meatplow
02. Vasoline
03. Lounge Fly
04. Interstate Love Song
05. Still Remains
06. Pretty Penny

SIDE B:
01. Silvergun Superman
02. Big Empty
03. Unglued
04. Army Ants
05. Kitchenware & Candybars

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

Austra - Olympia [12", 2LP]

When this second AUSTRA album came out, i didn't really know if i liked it or not. At first listen, it missed instant hits like her first album Feel It Break had (Lose It, Beat And The Pulse, Spellwork). But OLYMPIA grew on me, and at this moment i've come to the point that i like it at least just as much as her debut. It might even end up in my album top 10 list of this year, for that matter.

Label: Domino
Cat.nr.: WIGLP 314
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. What We Done?
02. Forgive Me
03. Painful Like

SIDE B:
01. Sleep
02. Home
03. Fire

SIDE C:
01. I Don't Care (I'm A Man)
02. We Become
03. Reconcile

SIDE D:
01. Annie (Oh Muse, You)
02. You Changed My Life
03. Hurt Me Now

Mother Love Bone - Mother Love Bone [12", 2LP, Limited Edition]

Ever since the Music On Vinyl label started, they have been re-releasing some great grunge albums that were previously extremely hard to get on vinyl. There were some magnificent Alice In Chains, Screaming Trees and Pearl Jam releases, and of course earlier this year for Record Store Day the Mad Season album. But this self-titled compilation album by MOTHER LOVE BONE, i must admit, is my favourite grunge record ever. Or actually this one together with the Temple Of The Dog album, and perhaps also the Singles soundtrack (two records of which i really hope that Music On Vinyl will release them some day). This beautifully coloured first edition of 1500 numbered copies (my copy being # 0223) was sold out in no time, and that's not very surprising of course. And this release was actually not just hard to get on vinyl, but even impossible - because it had never been given a vinyl release at all in the first place! The band, with Pearl Jam members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, had only their original releases like the Apple album and the Shine EP out on vinyl - not this compilation, which came out after singer Andrew Wood died. So here it finally is, in all its purple glory. Yummy.

Label: Music On Vinyl
Cat.nr.: MOVLP800
Year of release: 2013 (originally: 1992)

SIDE A:
01. This Is Shangrila
02. Stardog Champion
03. Holy Roller
04. Bone China
05. Come Bite The Apple

SIDE B:
01. Stargazer
02. Heartshine
03. Captain Hi-Top
04. Man Of Golden Words
05. Capricorn Sister

SIDE C:
01. Gentle Groove
02. Mr. Danny Boy
03. Crown Of Thorns
04. Thru Fade Away
05. Mindshaker Meltdown

SIDE D:
01. Half Ass Monkey Boy
02. Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns
03. Capricorn Sister (Shine Version)
04. Lady Godiva Blues