Nuggets, Not Nougat, In Your Halloween Bag

Parents heard plenty of scary sounds coming from their garages in the mid-'60s, and these fellas from Tacoma, Wa., certainly weren't afraid to bring the noise. The first single from the Sonics was "The Witch," a huge hit here in the Pacific Northwest in late 1964 and well into 1965 when it was re-released with another original tune, "Psycho," on the flip side. Both of these songs are considered pioneering moments in the punk movement.

The Witch
Psycho

Like everything else in 2020, Halloween sucks. We just carved our jack-o-lantern, but who is going to see it? Our kids will not don costumes for the first time ever. Costumed children will not ring our doorbell. In case someone shows up, we will leave a bowl of goodies on our porch... away from the door since every kid is actually dressed as the grim reaper, whether they know it or not. We will stay in and watch a horror flick. After the kids go to bed, I'll make my way to the turntable. Not that bad a night, if I think about it. How about one more from the '60s?

If you happen upon any zombies tonight, you can bet they won't sound this good. This is not something you would find on Nuggets. Rather, this is a beautiful piece of baroque pop. 'Odessey and Oracle' is one of my favorite albums, and this version of "A Rose for Emily" is something special. The song was originally recorded with cello accompaniment but, inexplicably, it was left out of the mix for the long player. In 2017, for Record Store Day and to mark the 50th anniversary of the album, the cello version was released as a 7". I snatched it right up. Happy Halloween, everyone.

A Rose for Emily (cello version)

A Quick One From the Jasmine Minks

The stress felt around the world is palpable. What do you get the Jasmine Minks fan who has everything? (Alright, I guess there are more important things going on right now, such as where families will watch 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' this weekend now that Apple TV has pilfered all of the Peanuts holiday specials. This move has me rethinking capitalism.) Good news, indie-pop shoppers. A brand-new label called Precious Records (Their tag "let's make this precious" is a nice touch.) is releasing the band's complete session, recorded on Feb. 4, 1986 for John Peel's program and broadcast 13 days later. The tracklist is as follows. The studio versions of all four of these songs appear on their self-titled album via Creation Records from 1985.

1. The Ballad Of Johnny Eye
2. Cry For A Man
3. You Can Take My Freedom
4. I Don't Know



There is no official release date as of yet, but it should be out by the holidays and on double 7" vinyl with gatefold sleeve to boot. In the meantime, if you haven't already, do yourself a favor and pick up the "Step by Step" b/w "Gravity" single that came out last year. It made my top 10.

From Duncan's Parcel of Pop (Part 5)

Let's listen to another gem from my pal in New Zealand. This one places a huge spotlight on one of my favorite indie-pop labels out there. Once again, Duncan and I are simpatico. The floor is yours, Duncan...

Other than this 'Calling At Duke Street' budget compilation, I only managed to pick up two other A Turntable Friend releases during its original incarnation in the 1990s: 7" EPs by The Claim and Hope (both total classics!). So it wasn't until I got hold of a copy of the ATF 'The Test of Time' retrospective compilation last year that I realised what other wonderful objects of indie-pop desire I'd missed out on. How I now wish I'd had the good sense to have bought copies of the Bomb Pops' "Girl Daredevil" 7" (a current favourite of mine) in its delicious light blue sleeve and clear vinyl. Or the excellent Sugar Plant "Orange Filter" 7". Or something by the Love Parade, maybe...

The main reason I bought the 'Duke Street' LP was for the Hellfire Sermons' track "Bill & Sarah", which I knew well from their live set. It appears that ATF had planned to put out a Hellfire Sermons EP at the time, which would have been amazing. But it was a track by the group Tea ("Two Weeks") that impressed me the most. I really can't recommend this track highly enough, and fortunately a remixed version is included on 'Test of Time'.

One of the things that really struck me about the ATF label was the clear love and passion for the vinyl format. Great attention was paid to the packaging, and lots of extras and freebies were included. The 'Duke Street' LP even came with a bonus 7". So it's fantastic that ATF has been resurrected and is continuing to put out some of the best vinyl around. They seem to be in friendly competition Optic Nerve to produce the most mouth-watering records imaginable. Long may it continue.

Hear! Hear! I'm pleased Duncan mentioned 'The Test of Time' because this is the best example of how to put together a label retrospective as can be imagined. The 2017 release (and my favorite reissue of that year) is still available. With recent releases and reissues by the likes of Wolfhounds, the Claim, Candy Opera, Tea, Easy and the Jasmine Minks, I don't know about you, but I have been so thankful Ulrich decided to revive A Turntable Friend a few yeara ago. Shop now.

Now on to a few songs from 1993 compilation 'Calling at Duke Street.' Tough choices, let me tell you. First up is the Orchids. "Avignon" would turn up on their 1994 album 'Striving for the Lazy Perfection' (SARAH 617) in '94, and this was a lovely preview of one of the band's best albums. Next up is Stewart from Boyracer joined by Matthew and Mary from Even As We Speak. This was recorded on a 4-track in Stewart's bedroom at 3AM on Feb. 21, 1993. They turned it down and kept it simple with acoustic guitar and banjo, but it's the vocals that make this a must listen. These last two songs are the ones Duncan gushed about... and rightly so. Duncan threw in a promo photo of Hellfire Sermons to boot. I have to say, having listened to this collecton several times in recent weeks, this song from Tea takes the prize. So pleased it was included on the bonus 7". Enjoy, pop fans!

The Orchids - Avignon
Boyracer With Even As We Speak - Friend
Hellfire Sermons - Bill & Sarah
Tea - Two Weeks

Mess o' New Music

I spent a fair chunk of a wet weekend catching up on new and impending releases from a stable of stars. Here a few that piqued my interest. I haven't followed Davey Woodward closely since his days fronting the Brilliant Corners, but it seems to have been my loss. His latest with backing band Winter Orphans is called 'Love & Optimism,' and the album is a jaw dropper. This is singer-songwriter material closer to Dylan than "Delilah Sands" but no less rewarding. Perhaps it's just me wallowing in our pandemic predicament, but the more understated and stripped bare the better. Even though this song was finished before lockdown. you can't tell me "Occupy This Space" wasn't made for these times. Tip of the cap, Mr. Woodward. Not every indie-pop prankster can grow up to become a sophisticated crooner.

Like with Woodward, I had not really kept up with Pauline Murray either. I know her more from her days being backed by Martin Hannett's Invisible Girls than I do fronting Penetration, but either one of those bands alone would make her a legend. Fortunately for us, she is not resting on her laurels. New solo album 'Elemental' might be a little too synth heavy for some regular readers of these pages, but I'm struck by how contemporary these songs sound. This is not an artist just trying to appease an old fan like me. With help from all-stars comprised mostly from her previous bands, Murray should find new converts and a younger generation of listeners with 'Elemental.'

In 2018, a year peppered with fantastic reissues, '45 Revolutions Per Minute' by Candy Opera took the crown on these pages because the 35-year-old songs felt like discovering lost classics by Prefab Sprout, Andy Pawlak and Aztec Camera. Thanks to Firestation Records, the Liverpool band finally had the moment they always deserved. Now, thanks to A Turntable Friend Records, Candy Opera get to prove they could have given us memorable songs all of these years. New album 'The Patron Saint Of Heartache' hits the shleves Nov. 13, and opener "These Days Are Ours" is quite an indication we are in for a treat.

In 1997, the Lucksmiths released fourth album 'A Good Kind of Nervous' to rave reviews and an opening slot on Belle & Sebastian's European tour. Unfortunately, it never came out on vinyl. Well, you don't have to imagine "Under the Rotunda" on wax ever again. Thanks to Matinée Recordings in America and Lost & Lonesome Recording Company in Australia, this is wrong about to be righted! Take your pick between orange or classic black. Should ship around Nov. 13. Man, I love this band.

Matinée Recordings · The Lucksmiths - A Good Kind of Nervous

One last update on the much anticipated singles collection from Heavenly. The tracklist is out and, yes, it covers all of the B-sides and across all of the labels. The vinyl choices are pink and blue (although I don't see pink on the preorder page as of yet), and this one will be out in early December. Preorder now. The shipping to America is a killer, but I couldn't resist this one.

Tracklist
1. I Fell in Love Last Night
2. Over and Over
3. Our Love is Heavenly
4. Wrap My Arms Around Him
5. She Says
6. Escort Crash on Marston Street
7. So Little Deserve
8. I'm Not Scared of You
9. Atta Girl
10. P.U.N.K Girl
11. Hearts and Crosses
12. Dig Your Own Grave
13. So?
14. Trophy Girlfriend
15. Space Manatee
16. You Tore Me Down
17. Art School

Binge-Worthy Band, Format Be Damned

I don't normally tout digital albums. In my book, if I can't hold it, forget it. Exceptions, however, sometimes have to be made. The Haywains released a download-only live album earlier this month on Bandcamp, and I can't get enough. 'The Haywains Have Left The Building!' captures the Woosh vets in a complete 14-track live show from Nottingham in '93, as well as an additional 16 songs from shows in the late '80s through 2015. My official sound-quality scale for officially released live albums ranges from 'Alive in the Living Room' (poor) to 'The Name of This Band is Talking Heads' (excellent). With an album featuring songs from 10 different shows, as you would expect, the quality varies, but all of these are much closer to Talking Heads. Some songs, such as "Fisherman's Friend" from NYC Popfest 2014, make you feel like you are there. No matter the format, 'The Haywains Have Left The Building!' is a must have for every jangle-pop fan. Now go get it. This is a name your price download.

From Duncan's Parcel of Pop (Part 4)

As I dug a little deeper into the box of goodies sent from my pal in New Zealand, it was difficult to contain my glee upon seeing the above two singles from St Christopher. These are early pre-Sarah self releases straight outta York on a label the band called Bluegrass. These had been on my shopping list for years. St Christopher's pedigree is impeccable. Through a rotating roster, Glenn Melia was the rock, writing one great song after another. His band label hopped, but they always ended up on indie-pop's most respected labels from around the world, including the Bus Stop, Vinyl Japan and Elefant. There were hits on the indie chart too, such as "You Deserve More" (No. 13) and "All of a Tremble" (No. 19) to name a couple, but even with an unimpeachable run on Sarah, it felt like fans in Japan and France appreciated them more. Often, these things take time. With all of this 21st-century love for Sarah and C86, St Christopher has received a second listen and a new appreciation by many. Rightfully so. Some, like Duncan, were there from nearly the beginning. Here's how he got into St Christopher. Duncan, the floor is yours:

One of the more interesting developments of the '80s underground pop scene was the rise of the DIY compilation tape. Bands would contribute demos or previously unreleased versions of songs which would be compiled onto a C60 cassette and housed in a homemade photocopied sleeve (often hand coloured) and sold via mail order for two pounds. All very much part of the 'get-up-and-do-it' fanzine culture of the time.

These tapes were a great way to discover new groups, many of whom had yet to have a "proper" release. My favourite series was put together by Dave Driscoll from Fleet, Hampshire. His 'Abigail's Birthday Party' cassette included otherwise unavailable tracks by the likes of Hurrah!, the Dentists, the Submarines, Blue Aeroplanes, Del Amitri, the Clouds, Swell Maps ... quite a lineup. The packaging for his cassettes was also way ahead of the rest of the pack. Worth looking out for.

Another such compilation I picked up in the autumn of 1988 was 'Something's Burning In Paradise...' [click on photo above for a better look]. Altogether a more amateurish affair, it nevertheless included many names familiar to this blog: Emily, the Driscolls, Remember Fun, Another Sunny Day and James Dean Driving Experience. But for me there were two tracks that stood out from the rest. The first, a track by a band called the Pilgrims, managed to sound more Fire Engines-y that Fire Engines. And the second was "To The Mountain" by St Christopher.

I fell for the St Christopher track in a big way: full of bracing, wintery jangling guitars and aching vocals, it became a constant companion during my first term at University. So I sent some cash and a letter to the address included with the cassette and received in return a lovely long letter and a big bag of goodies from Glenn Melia, leader of the group: copies of the first two singles, two flexi EPs and a live tape recorded in Germany. Here's how Glenn explained it in his letter:

"It's really nice that people seem to like 'To The Mountain', 'cos it was recorded really quickly and cheaply, and it doesn't even figure in our live set anymore! I hope you like the enclosed collection - the singles are not representative of us now (although Are You Scared To Get Happy? touted 'Crystal Clear' as a "classic"!), at least not as much as the flexis and live tape. Also we have not one, but two new singles in the pipeline - the 1st is 'You Deserve More Than A Maybe' ep on Sarah (the live version is good but the recorded version just has to be heard - easily the best song we've ever recorded!) which is due out probably after Xmas now, and we're currently recording 2 songs ('All Of A Tremble', 'Our Secret') for release on Bus Stop in the USA ... which should be available in March time."

Matt Haynes was right about 'Crystal Clear' -- a minor indie pop classic released in 1984 when such things were thin on the ground. In his fanzine, Matt made the connection between this song and Aztec Camera's debut from four years earlier, and I think he was spot on. They share a sense of striving and yearning for something beyond the everyday: "So when you're asking me to define that feeling for you, what can I say? It's there until that gold just slips away." The other song I recommend from these early singles is "Awe," which calls to mind 'Before Hollywood'-era Go-Betweens -- all jittery rhythms, strummed guitars and a beautiful melody carried by the bassist.

But it was the songs on the two flexis that really knocked me out. "Forevermore Starts Here" with its ringing guitars, breathless excitement and a tune to die for; the mournful bass notes at the start of "Sinking Ships," sounding like ocean liners signalling through the fog, and then into the big clatterly drums and a reverb drenched lead guitar line straight out of a '60s Walker Brothers epic; those wonderfully melodic guitar and bass lines that kick off "Remember Me To Her;" the heart-stopping atmosphere and breathy vocals of "I Wish I Hadn't Seen Her," sounding like a long lost Prefab Sprout demo.

Many thanks to Glenn Melia for his wonderful generosity back then and for his lovely letter (which I hope he didn't mind me quoting).

Thanks for that, Duncan. I find this tape culture fascinating. Completely foreign to this Yank. With all of those songs Duncan mentioned, we must really have another post on St Christopher soon. Today's listen was going to come from the 53-track double-disc anthology 'Forever Starts Here' that Cherry Red released in 2014 -- more of that 21st-century love I was mentioning -- but my laptop has been fixed. Instead, I will just recommend that collection (especially for the lengthy interview with Melia in the liner notes) and give you the two singles ripped right from Duncan's parcel. Sure, there are more snaps, crackles and pops than a bowl of cereal, but that's called character. All I know is, for the first time since August, digitizing vinyl is possible again, and it feels great. I'm back, baby!

Crystal Clear (1984)
My Fond Farewell

As Far as the Eye Can See (1985)
Awe

In Music News...

Since it's such a slow news cycle in the real world (kidding!), I thought I would catch you up on the headlines in my world. Our top story... Back in July, while listening to a podcast of Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey on the C86 Show, they mentioned in passing there would be a Heavenly singles compilation coming out on Damaged Goods Records. What!?! I bookmarked the label's site and have checked in a couple of times a week ever since. This image above popped up there the other day. There is no pre-order button as of yet, but we might be getting close. I have inquired about whether this will include all of the band's singles on Sarah, Wiiija and K. I also asked if this includes the B-sides as well as what to expect for liner notes. Stay tuned.

'A Bout De Heavenly: The Singles' will be a must-have record. I have all of Heavenly's albums and many of their singles, but I have never owned physical copies of those first three Sarah sevens. Shocking. Sad.



Oct. 15 Update: We have our answer. Here is the tracklist. The B-sides are included and across labels.
1. I Fell in Love Last Night
2. Over and Over
3. Our Love is Heavenly
4. Wrap My Arms Around Him
5. She Says
6. Escort Crash on Marston Street
7. So Little Deserve
8. I'm Not Scared of You
9. Atta Girl
10. P.U.N.K Girl
11. Hearts and Crosses
12. Dig Your Own Grave
13. So?
14. Trophy Girlfriend
15. Space Manatee
16. You Tore Me Down
17. Art School

In more new-release news, it has been a while since we have heard from the pride of Boise, Jeremy Jensen's indie-pop outfit the Very Most, but impending release 'Needs Help' proves he's been busy perfecting his craft... with a little help from his friends. Guest vocalists include but are not limited to Cristina Quesada, Kristine from Tiny Fireflies, Eli and Ashley from LAKE and, in a thank you for the Very Most backing her on 2015 album 'In My Flat,' Mel from The Hermit Crabs. Like the band's 2016 album 'Syntherely Yours,' 'Needs Help' comes out on the always reliable Kocliko Records. Should hit the streets around Oct. 9. Pre-order now, and treat yourself to pop perfection.

When you think of Athens, chances are R.E.M., the B-52's or, if you're really on the ball, Pylon or Oh-OK are the first bands to pop into your head. Ask members of those bands and Love Tractor would be in their first breaths... and for good reason. During the salad years, there was nothing like them on the scene. This was smart, angular art pop. At times post-punk, occasionally jangly but always danceable. Love Tractor took a long hiatus, but they never called it quits. Hometown label HHBTM Records is about to celebrate Love Tractor with a big reissue campaign, and it all kicks off during the third drop of Record Store Day on Oct. 24 with a reimagining of a couple of early staples. The mixes of "60 Degrees and Sunny" b/w "FEST-ivals" are co-produced by Bill Berry of R.E.M., Athens mainstay David Barbe and Love Tractor. Jeff Calder of the Swimming Pool Q's had his hand in the single as well. Support your local mom-and-pop shop by picking up this one.

HHBTM Records · Love Tractor - FESTI-vals

Love Tractor's 1982 full-length debut LP is first up in the reissue series. As you can see, the cover has been updated a bit, and it looks sharp. Similarly, the album has been remastered, tweaked and expanded with the hope "after remixing and reimagining different aspects [it will] bring a sense of nostalgia for their long-time fans and introduce themselves to younger audiences." Dear readers, if you're new to Love Tractor, this would be the place to start. 'Love Tractor' will be out Nov. 6, and HHBTM has a bevy of purchase options. Stay tuned for news about the next album in the reissue campaingn.

HHBTM Records · Love Tractor - 17 Days & a Night

Best of luck to the Bluebells. The lads are performing two unplugged shows in Glasgow on Sunday at SWG3's Galvanisers yard as part of a Last Night From Glasgow showcase. Yep, an actual live in-person event. Lots of rules, obviously, but still mighty exciting. Details here and here. For those of us not able to attend, here they are rehearsing 1984 single "I'm Falling" at the beautiful Oran Mor. Warning: After watching this, you will feel slightly ill at the prospect of not attending.

Finally, let's end the news with a feel-good story about... me. Back in December, I mentioned a couple of huge omissions on my list of best reissues for the year. I was on the fence about getting that gorgeous 5x7" box set from Optic Nerve Recordings that emulated and even bettered the Fierce Recordings box of the Pooh Sticks, circa 1988. It was the £50.00 price tag. Once shpping from the UK factored in, it was going to be about $80. Plus, I already owned the 12" version that gathered the singles. Nope, as much as I wanted it, couldn't do it. A few months ago I happened upon a copy on Amazon for about the same price. For the hell of it, I stuck it in my cart and watched to see if someone would buy it. Nobody ever did. Meanwhile, the price fluctuated wildly. At one point it was $46. Then it shot back up to $50-plus. Well, yesterday my jaw dropped when I saw it for $37. That included free two-day shipping. I'm now a proud owner of the Pooh Sticks box. I don't do much music purchasing on Amazon. That's what shops and Bandcamp are for, but it sure worked for me this time.



And that's all the news that's fit to type. Good day, from LTL headquarters.