Friday, July 06, 2007

The Buffalo Springfield



Mr. Soul - Atco, 1967




Okay, the sound is a little rough. This was obviously trapped in a jukebox at some point in its life, where it seems to have been quite popular. To make matters worse, it's pressed of the cheaper, brittle polystyrene that so many American 45s are made from (usually good for about ten plays, tops). But it's worth a listen just to hear the mix as Neil and the band originally wanted it to sound, before it got all screwed up on the LP version.

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Monday, May 28, 2007

Yo La Tengo



I'm Your Puppet - Matador (UK), 2006



Released as the B-side to "Mr. Tough", this is their cover of the 1966 James & Bobby Purify hit.

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Monday, March 19, 2007

Buzzcocks - I Believe


IRS 9010, 1979
 
Their first domestic 45 release (c/w "Something's Gone Wrong Again"), in support of their LP A Different Kind Of Tension. Their US label opted not to promote it with "You Say You Don't Love Me" (as released in the UK) and instead chose this album track, going so far as to create a special edited version for this purpose. A wise choice in my opinion ("I believe" is a superior track by far), and a classy move on the part of the label to take such an interest in promoting the band. Unfortunately, the single failed to chart.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Julian Cope / Echo & The Bunnymen

A couple of similar EPs from a couple of similar artists.

Julian Cope - "Sunspots" EP - Mercury (UK), 1985

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Echo and The Bunnymen - "Seven Seas" EP (a/k/a "Life At Brian's") - Korova (UK), 1984

For starters, both bands came out of the late '70s Liverpool psychedelic scene (in fact, both frontmen started in the same band). More specifically, both bands released very strange double-EPs - disguised as singles - within a year of each other.

Cope's remixed "Sunspots" - from 1984's Fried - is added to three LP outtakes. Most notable is the eccentric "I Went On A Chourney": a minimalist techno ditty with found dialog (Julian himself?).

Echo and The Bunnymen's "Seven Seas" (from the Ocean Rain LP) is joined with four tracks described as "Recorded live at Liverpool Cathedral for the programme 'Play At Home'", a rather loosely played, unplugged batch of tracks. The performances are hit-or-miss, but I do enjoy the grooved out Donovan-style "Villiers Terrace", and their reading of "All You Need Is Love" is more fun than you'd expect.