The Cure - Acoustic Hits (orig. 2001)
Another #RSD purchase.
Sparse arrangements with Robert Smith’s voice pushed right to the front.
Interesting exercise but ultimately just goes to show how essential the chorus effects & synth layers were to the greatness of the originals.
#nowspinning #vinyl
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
- Whipped Cream & Other Delights (1965)
On my wishlist for ages before I dug this up at the Record Exchange in Tunbridge Wells.
It looked a bit rough but I took a chance. Sure enough, it sounds a bit rough. Still, the cover alone is worth it.
#nowspinning #vinyl
Mylene had at least one.
youtu.be/r1Le-dAocI8?...
The thing with Gen X and music is that yes we had grunge but we also had rock and funk and hip hop and rap and pop and house and trance and lounge and reggae and soul and Gregorian chants ffs.
Agami Herons.
What a time it was to be alive! The Cars, Television, Joy Division would be contenders for top 10 albums of all time.
Second of my #RSD purchases
Meiko Kaji - Urami no Bushi/Shura no Hana (orig. 1972)
Classic enka, the titles translate as “Song of Resentment” & “Flowers of Carnage”.
Enka focuses on emotion & nostalgia and Kaji’s controlled delivery underlines the feeling of restrained fury.
#nowspinning #vinyl
First of my #RSD haul.
Tusk - Camper van Beethoven (orig. 2003)
My favourite Fleetwood Mac album because, not in spite of, it being experimental & slightly unhinged.
Camper Van Beethoven lean into the chaos, making the pop songs fragile & taking the odd songs off the rails.
#nowspinning #vinyl
The queue for Record Store Day at Resident in Brighton stretched around the block. I was #435 so it took a while to get to the counter but the store staff managed the queue really well and the vibe was nice. Had a fun time chatting about music with strangers for almost 3 hours.
#RSD
Robert Wyatt - Nothing Can Stop Us (1982)
I got this for “Shipbuilding”, which is sublime. Wasn’t sure what else to expect, maybe Chumbawamba-lite?
But the politics here isn’t shouted. Wyatt’s fragile voice makes the songs feel quieter and somehow more powerful because of it.
#nowspinning #vinyl
The Incredible Shrinking Dickies (1979)
Californian punk, with speed, humour and a strong pop instinct. There’s hooks, harmonies, even some hints of ska. It makes me think of Saturday morning TV for some reason - as if the Monkees made a punk album. I mean that as a compliment.
#nowspinning #vinyl
I know it's corny, but For All Mankind continues to hit a part of my brain for a future that feels like it could have happened. I can have a little corniness as a treat.
Interesting that it’s mainly high level politicians and entertainers. No Sister Stan, Tony Gregory, Monsignor Horan? Were people allowed to nominate candidates or did they have to choose from a fixed list?
I see the Artemis crew came back okay.
The internet peaked when we got the ability to look up what other movie or show an actor or actress in the movie we are currently watching was in before. Everything since then has been a mistake.
Stella Donnelly - Flood (2022)
I loved the spark and wittiness of her debut, but this is a more introspective album, mixing her signature cheerful songs about sad situations with more reflective songs where the tempo matches the theme. Still very recognisably Stella Donnelly.
#nowspinning #vinyl
Beware of the dogs - Stella Donnelly (2019)
Stella Donnelly’s show at Alphabet was a revelation. The songs here are as much about about personality as songwriting, and that really comes across live. There’s something very disarming about the way she cheerfully sings sad songs.
#nowspinning #vinyl
Pareidolia - Eiko Ishibashi and Jim O'Rourke (2025)
Feels more like a film soundtrack or sound installation than a conventional album. The music unfolds gradually, with very little in the way of emotional peaks, more about mood.
Going to take repeated listens to appreciate.
#nowspinning #vinyl
Three more to go
#vinyl
I had the same reaction to the Sex Pistols so pretty much avoided all punk for a long time. More recently, I’ve picked up albums by The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, and The Undertones and they’re all great. Will add Wire to my wishlist.
Ignore the cynics. SNL UK is actually v good and could become great. And SO brilliant to have some proper sketch comedy on TV again.
pulling all the clouds apart - Cypress, Mine! (2026)
4 decades after their debut.
Ciarán Ó Tuama’s voice is a little shaky but his song writing remains solid, especially Safe Highway and Spellbinding which are based on poems by his father.
On BlueSky @cypressmine.bsky.social
#nowspinning #vinyl
Happy St. Patrick's Day, New York.
The plot of the harrowing 1984 nuclear war drama ‘Threads’ centres on a geopolitical flashpoint between the superpowers in Iran. This has crossed my mind very often recently.
Everything is terrible and horrible. So here is Ann-Margaret and Desi Arnez Jr. on the “Here’s Lucy” show in 1970 doing a dance number that’s been remixed to Prince’s “Kiss”.
Ann-Margaret was hip AF! 🔥
A film about the rise and fall of Parnell seen through the eyes of Kitty O’Shea
What a kick in the teeth right at the end from Ramos!
It seems a hollow consolation right now, but the Triple Crown isn't nothing. We'd practically have a parade in the streets for winning it back in the 80s. And we'd have taken it coming in to this tournament.
Congrats France, that was some game…
Ditto. Don’t understand all the hate.
I wonder who decided adults don't need pictures
