Side A
1. Old Joe
2. That's How It Is
3. She's a Nurse But She's Alright
4. So Wired
5. Don't Bury Me Yet
6. I'm Falling
Side B
7. In My Bones
8. The Storm
9. At My Funeral
10. The Second Time
11. He's Blown In
12. You and Me Again
If you want to get fancy, put it out on CD as well and include the rumored album that was completed and shelved. Then have an interview with Andy Wake, founder of Medium Cool Records, in the booklet filled with photos and reminiscences from the band. All of this is a pipe dream. First, I think Cherry Red owns the Medium Cool catalog. There was a double-disc retrospecive of the label planned, but that was about 15 years ago. Other than occasional songs popping up on Cherry Red comps (such as 'C88,' for one example), nothing. Then there is this sad piece of news. I somehow missed that Wake passed away. Must have been at least a year ago, maybe longer. I didn't know him, but his label has always meant a lot to me. Medium Cool had very early releases from the Siddeleys and the Popguns, for cryin' out loud!
After reading about Wake, it seemed appropriate to put on 'Edge of the Road.' Four bands, eight songs. All great. Here's a taste. Rest in peace, Mr. Wake. Now, c'mon, Cherry Red. If you really do own these gems, don't sit on them. There is an audience for this stuff. I promise.
The Raw Herbs - At My Funeral
The Waltones - Bold
The Corn Dollies - Mouthful Of Brains
The Rain - Dry The Rain
11 comments:
Funnily enough, Brian, I was just thinking about the Raw Herbs yesterday. I was listening to an indiepop playlist put together by author and music critic Pete Paphides and was literally drafting a tweet to him in my head to suggest he add 'She's A Nurse' when a song I'd never heard before came on featuring those familiar and unmistakeable dulcet tones (I always think of the description someone gave of Roger Chapman's vocals for Family, a "goatlike vibrato,") Horse Latitudes! Never heard of them (though, interestingly enough, sourced from the Cherry Red 'C90' compilation.) Their sole album is cheap-as on discogs - I'm presuming it's worth a punt? That track listing sounds great btw, I'm already imagining album cover designs...!
Cheers, MisterPrime
Hi MP. I only learned of Horse Latitudes a couple of years ago. I think there was a link at the old site for the Raw Herbs. If you get it, let me know how that album works out. Interested too.
Ha Ha! I'll send you a review - only thirty years late!
A tip too, if you've not heard it: Monorail have been bigging up the forthcoming album from The Reds, Pinks and Purples so I checked out the album from last year 'You Might Be Happy Someday' and it's very good. Kind of reminiscent of Sarah-era East River Pipe - well worth a listen.
I had to listen to Dry The Rain to check if it wasn't the Beta Band song.
Then I realised I'd heard The Rain song you posted before.
Digging around I found it on an old indie compilation called Scared To Get Happy... which also contains She's A Nurse But She's Alright by The Raw Herbs!
I own a couple of other Raw Herbs songs... I suspect you may be responsible for those.
I have a version of She’s A Nurse on a cassette that came free with Underground magazine in April 1986, which also included an acoustic version of Give My Love To Kevin by the Weddoes. For some strange reason, there’s a photo of this cassette on page 28 of the Booklet that comes with the Strum and Thrum compilation...
MP, I got into The Reds, Pinks and Purples late last year upon a recommendation from reader McPop who had You Might Be Happy Someday on his year-end list. By then physical copies of the album were already impossible to get, and I had to settle for a download. Good news is it is being repressed this spring. I have preordered the new one as well and can't wait.
Rol, Dry the Rain is the best song by the Rain from a small discography. Quite a different song than the one by the Beta Band but they are both keepers.
DDSD, I don't have the booklet in front of me, but I assume that comp is Strum and Drum. That's a great cassette that may seem out of place illustrating a set of American bands (although Alex Chilton in on the tape), but I think it might be in the book since Sex Clark Five (one of the bands on Strum & Thrum) had an album called Strum & Drum (like the tape). Sex Clark Five is an interesting band in that they released this album in the UK on Subway!
http://lineartrackinglives.blogspot.com/2019/07/summer-of-subway-sex-clark-five.html
Is She's a Nurse on the Underground Magazine tape a different version?
Bri - thanks for the clarification, that makes sense. As for the Raw Herbs track, the liner notes on the cassette describe it as their “seminal twangy 45”, so I guess it’s the single version.
For some reason, the Medium Cool label completely passed me by. I don’t really know why, because I’ve generally enjoyed the tracks I’ve heard on compilations. Indeed I only have one release on the label, ‘Be Small Again’ by Corn Dollies which I picked up second hand at Chesterfield market for 40p sometime in the late 90s.
I’m enjoying this series on label comps. For me, the two massively influential records in my youth were Different For Domeheads, and Tuatara. They both opened me up to so much music, and to bands who continue to be big favourites of mine.
DDSD, The interesting thing about this Medium Cool sampler is it was available domestically here in America. That didn't happen to happen. There was a little label out of Georgia that brought it here.
I have a mess of Corn Dollies on comps, and I have the self-titled album that gathered all of the singles and such. That one covers almost everything by them anyway.
I have never had Tuatara. If I were ever to come across that one I would nab it in a second. I don't think I have ever seen it, but I just checked out the tracklist. What a beauty.
All of those '80s Creation comps were great, especially the really early ones, and Different For Domeheads is no exception. Love it.
That Underground magazine tape was the first time I heard the Raw Herbs too, I've still got it somewhere - there's another (slightly, ahem, arty) photo of it at https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2896321 if anyone else out there still doesn't think we've exhausted this topic...!
Also, Brian, there's an extra track, 'Endlessly', on a label compilation called 'Everlasting - A Tape Compilation' and a very good 4-track Janice Long Session, I'm thinking maybe a bonus 7" like that excellent Optic Nerve Waltones re-issue that you hipped me to some time ago...
Hi MP. I know about that Janice Long Session (from what I gather Long was a big supporter), but ooh, Endlessly is new to me. Like this bonus 7" idea! Off to do some research on Everlasting. Yes, I suppose we are beating this topic, but I do love it so. Thanks for the info, pal.
MisterPrime - I’m surprised I missed that Everlasting tape at the time. This was a label run out of the Rhythm mail order company - I bought lots of indie goodies from there in the late 80s/early 90s. It was also the label that released the Emily LP, for which I’ll be forever grateful.
I used to like the Underground magazine. Had a really great layout, and good content. They gave the Razorcut’s Storyteller LP a fantastic review, which they described as being something like “high romance, high art and high camp”. Brilliant!!!
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