the cover that won't scan !! Podcast 14

The cover to the Sugarcubes Birthday single simply doesn't scan properly...it's a bright flouro orange and scans as a putrid off-pink...the dodgy work below to make it look vaguely orange is all my doing. Interestingly it also doesn't photograph properly. Or at least not in my house, unless there's some strange magnetic phenomenom preventing me from capturing this cover properly ? Perhaps the ghost of Gene Pitney hassling me from the other world for dissing him recently? Weird.

Anyway I chose the b-side, the Icelandic version in honour of the mighty Dýrðin. I also dug up a double groove 12 of the Jesus & Mary Chain remixes of Birthday ( ironically called Christmas Eve/Christmas Day ) which will show up soon on the Humans Beware blog.

No problems with scanning the rather lurid Slaughter cover though !! This is a bit of a rag-tag bunch of singles today and will probably be my last until just after Christmas....speaking of which I hope you have a really happy time and a nice break :)

Podcast 14 - link

Sideroom 7 Inch Singles Podcast #14
1. Birthday ( Icelandic version ) - The Sugarcubes ( One Little Indian 1987 )
2. I'll Follow You Down - Slaughter ( Creation 1987 )
3. No Word From China - Pel Mel ( Primate Aust 1981)
4. Dolphins - The Windmills ( STS Recs 1988 )
5. I Belong To Nobody - Flaming Hands ( Phantom Aust 1980 )
6. Do I Want To ? - Fuzz Box ( Vindaloo 1986 )
7. Confession - The Anyways ( Notown Recs 1987 )
8. Red Sleeping Beauty - McCarthy ( Pink 1986 )
9. Daydreaming - Greengate ( Fuzzy Box 1998 )
10. Beat Surrender - The Jam ( Polydor 1982 )
( duration 34 mins, 320kps mp3 )

a comment on "Gene" and an update on Jim's Twenty One

no the two aren't connected !!

just a few emails I received...firstly from Karin from Oslo who said

- did I ever consider Gene only used to take his so called 'little business trips' away from Tulsa just to pick up women and he finally met his match in some two-bit hooker 24 hours from home that fateful night..

no I hadn't Karin but I suspect you are right !! ;)

and I've also recently heard from Kenny a member of the band Jim's Twenty One who turned up on Podcast 6 and he explained that although they were living in Brussels at the time they weren't Belgies they were "a mix of Scottish, English and Irish"...so a UK band after all !! And the label Tulip was their own label, though distributed via 53rd & 3rd back in Edinburgh, which is probably how a few copies ended up in Australia. Anyway thanks for the info Kenny !!

there's also some House Of Love 12's over at Humans Beware for your enjoyment

bad boy Pitney...podcast 13

I never realised it before but Gene Pitney is a serious bad ass !! 24 Hours From Tulsa appeared today...and I must say I'd never l listened to the "story" contained in the song before...but here's what happens

Gene is away from his home in Tulsa, on some undisclosed business, possibly travelling a large distance and away from his girlfriend or it could even be his wife, the hard facts of the relationship are all a bit vague. What isn't vague is he's just a day away and stops off ( has anyone ever looked on a map and seen exactly where one days drive from Tulsa is ?? )...anyway he stops off for the night at a hotel-motel - how many stars rating it has isn't stated but I think the establishment in question was possibly of a dubious nature ( seemingly providing more than just a place to lay your head at night and those complimentary little packets of instant coffee ). Gene pulls up in the driveway and looks out the window and sees some chick...& the first woman he claps his eyes on he gets all hot and bothered for....goes up to her and makes some paltry excuse to talk to her on the flimsy premise of asking where to get something to eat...somehow, well according to Gene at least, she all but insists she join him for dinner...Gene slips on a few strategic tracks on the jukebox ( why do I get the idea he's done this before )...next thing we hear he's got his tongue down her throat...or as he puts it "all of a sudden I lost control as I felt her charms"...and then in a blink of an eye he's telling her he'll die before he let her out of his arms...wow he's some fast worker..and they obviously go back to his hotel room and get it on in a big way....he only met her a few hours before remember....but I've come to realise Gene's not all that fussy anyway.....and then he writes this little song to dump his girlfriend. And that he's not coming home and it's all over. Not only that, he tells her all about his lusty night with the other woman.

Wow.

But what makes me laugh is at the end of the song he puts on a sad voice when he says he can "never,never, never go home again" as if we're supposed to have sympathy for him ! Come on man admit it. You're mad for it and you'll chase anything will a pulse !! Gees Gene...get a grip dude !!

Although it is unclear exactly what awaited Gene when he got to Tulsa...a rolling pin and a hard night sleeping on the lawn perhaps ??

Podcast 13 link 
 

Sideroom 7 Inch Singles Podcast #13
1. New King Jack - Sekret Sekret ( Basilisk Aust 1980 )
2. Love At First Sight - The Gist ( Rough Trade 1982 )
3. Free Fall - Saloon ( Track & Field 2001 )
4. Three Sixty Degrees - The Windmills ( Matinee 1999 )
5. 24 Hours From Tulsa - Gene Pitney ( Postbus Holland ???? )
6. Saturday's Girl - Fast Cars ( Method Recs Aust 1980 )
7. If I Had A Soul - Comet Gain ( Killrockstars 1998 )
8. It's Not True - The Wonder Stuff ( Farout 1986 )
9. When I Dream - The Teardrop Explodes ( Zoo via Phonogram 1980 )
10. W.O.Q. - The Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast ( M Squared Aust 1983 )
( duration 31 mins, 320kps mp3 )

update at Humans Beware

there's some new stuff at my other blog Humans Beware , with an Inspiral Carpets 12", the Valium Orgasms Creation comp, a Shop Assistants 12" ( with bonus video ! ), a selection of single mp3's from songs featured on the podcasts from this blog and of course vol 2 of the Humans Beware podcasts featuring the new Afraid of Stairs ep, My Darling YOU!, Celestial, Peter Bjorn & John, The Lighhouse Keepers, Bedroom Eyes, Loveninjas, Almedal, Hurrah, The Daysleepers and Orange Peels.

Well worth the visit :D

sorry about the confusion and here's Podcast 12

I am sorry to confuse you ;P

The podcasts on this blog stay up forever and a day, it's the ones on my other blog Humans Beware that are only up for 3 or so days at a time, so all is cool here, thanks anyway to the 8 people that wrote to me for being so concerned, but all is cool.

There will be a new Humans Beware post up later but for now on this blog the next ten singles seem to be a big chunk of Aussie records so please enjoy !!

Podcast 12 link


and this is what's on it...

Sideroom 7 Inch Singles Podcast #12
1. Delicious Pain - Charlotte's Web ( Easter Recs Perth Aust 1986 )
2. Happy Man - The Sunnyboys ( Mushroom Aust 1981 )
3. Why Did You Have To Go Out With Him When You Could Go Out With Me - The Brilliant Corners ( McQueen Recs 1988 )
4. Brighter - The Railway Children ( Factory 1987 )
5. Sometimes I Feel - Seven Ballerinas ( Jump Recs Aust 1981 )
6. Be Small Again - The Corn Dollies ( Medium Cool 1987 )
7. Whole Wide World - The Soup Dragons ( Subway 1986 )
8. Murder in E Minor - Saint Ettiene ( Sanctuary 2005 )
9. Remington Rand - The Particles ( no label Aust 1980 )
10. Number One - Boykillboy ( Vertigo 2006 )
( duration 31 mins, 320kps mp3 )

"Humans Beware" offshoot blog up and running

I have just started an offshoot companion blog to this one called Humans Beware and it's right here for your viewing & listening pleasure. It features very similar music but from 12"s and albums, and lots more recent and current stuff with a similar sound.

There'll be other podcasts over on the other site ( but limited edition, only up for 3 days ) - a mix of the old and the new, unlike this site which seems to be 99% "old" singles, as you may be noticing. There's also postings of single mp3's, which is highly requested by many people from this site.

The first podcast over there features Fields, Bubblegum Lemonade, Close Lobsters, Dondolo, The Lilac Time, Solex, Language Of Flowers, Solid State Revival, Ash Verjee and The Triffids,

There's also a 1987 Subway Records comp called "Surfin' In The Subway" and a bonus Pulp 12"

Best way to find out is to go over and enjoy !!

offshoot blog coming soon & a new podcast ( #11 )

I am starting an offshoot blog called Humans Beware which will feature single mp3's of some of the songs ( but not all !! ) that have appeared in these podcasts, and also of the albums and 12" singles from around the similar era, and it will also have more recent and current music - of course on the same indie-pop vibe as this blog !

Meantime this morning I grabbed another ten singles and encountered some Pulp, more Primitives, Razorcuts, Sea Urchins, Flatmates and Bodines, a right old bunch of c-86ers if ever I ran into them !! And also a nice Aussie band or two.


Podcast 11 link

Sideroom 7 Inch Singles Podcast #11
1. Out Of Reach - Primitives ( Lazy/RCA 1988 )
2. They Suffocate At Night - Pulp ( Fire Recs 1986 )
3. Sorry To Embarrass You - Razorcuts ( Subway 1986 )
4. Heard It All - The Bodines ( Creation 1986 )
5. Happy All The Time - The Flatmates ( Subway 1986 )
6. Solace - The Sea Urchins ( Sarah 1988 )
7. Gargoyle - The Lighthouse Keepers ( Gutthaga Pipeline Aust 1983 )
8. Locked Out Of The Love In - 1000 Violins ( Dreamworld 1987 )
9. Someone That I Knew - The Singles ( Basilisk Aust 1980 )
10. Don't Bury Me Yet - The Raw Herbs ( Medium Cool 1987 )
( duration 32 mins, 320kps mp3 )

Podcast 10 - a chain of events...

"The weather is variable...and so are you - but I can't do a thing about weather.." according to Magazine, well that's making me laugh because it's so the story of my day and a certain unpredictable person that's kinda doing my head in...but I digress...

that Magazine song ( About The Weather ) came out of the pile today and so did some Orange Juice, Wolfhounds ( they're reading tea-leaves...and faces !! ), also some James, Mighty Mighty, 14 Iced Bears, Comet Gain and Lucksmiths. All right...get down...

Podcast 10 link


'ere's what's on it...

Sideroom 7 Inch Singles Podcast #10
1. La La - Flying Circus ( Columbia 1970 )
2. L.O.V.E....love - Orange Juice ( Postcard/Polydor 1981 )
3. I've Got It & It's Not Worth Having - The Lucksmiths ( Matinee 1998?? )
4. What For ? - James ( Sire 1988 )
5. All I Wanna Do - Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons ( Mushroom Aust 1980 )
6. About The Weather - Magazine ( Virgin 1981 )
7. Me - The Wolfhounds ( Idea 1987 )
8. Throwaway - Mighty Mighty ( Chapter 22 Recs 1986 )
9. Hands Fit - Comet Gain ( Piao 1999 )
10. Unhappy Days - 14 Iced Bears ( Sarah 1988 )
( duration 28 mins, 320kps mp3 )

 

The Lucksmiths is from a double single pack, a Sarah Records "tribute" ep on Matinee and it's a Boyracer song. The Flying Circus song is an ancient bubblegummy thing, and they're Aussies as well. It's in fact my older brother's record. He used to have all these boxes of singles in his bedroom in the lates 60's/early-mid 70's and as a young boy it was a fascinating world to me..."La La" being one of the ones I used to insist he play all the time. And on a deeper level, most probably his boxes of singles are why this particular blog exists !!

Podcast 9 - 2nd half of Double Post...and a story of wonderful chance

I love the way "chance" can work in your favour sometimes...not always but sometimes...I was feeling very down today and this particular ten records just happened to cheer me up totally. Something about the variation in this lot and how they all appeared by chance. I love it !!

So here's the second part of today's double post with The Darling Buds, Biff Bang Pow, Felt, The Clientele and Tracey Thorn among others.


Podcast 9 link

Sideroom 7 Inch Singles Podcast #9
1. World War 3 - XL Capris ( Axle Recs Aust 1980 )

2. Shame On You - The Darling Buds ( Native Recs 1988 )

3. Someone Stole My Wheels - Biff Bang Pow ( Creation 1986 )

4. At The Barrier - Shy Impostors ( Phantom Aust 1980 )

5. Porcelain - The Clientele ( Slumberland 2001 )

6. I Will Die With My Head in Flames - Felt ( Creation 1986 )

7. Legrand Illusion- Gnac ( Amberley 1998 )

8. Under The Milky Way - The Church ( Mushroom Aust 1987 )

9. Plain Sailing - Tracey Thorn ( Cherry Red 1982 )

10. All Join Hands - TV 21 ( Decca 1982 )

( duration 29 mins, 320kps mp3 )

XL Capris were around in Sydney from around 1979-83 ish and featured Johanna Pigott on vocals who went on to from another band called Scribble and also released a few songs under her own name. I dunno if you can read the sticker on the front of the Darling Buds cover, put there by the record shop ( I think it was Red Eye ) but it says "Out Fuzzes The Primitives" which makes me chuckle !! The band Shy Impostors were from Sydney and featured Peter Oxley & Richard Burgman who then went on to form The Sunnyboys, with the mighty Jeremy Oxley. 'At The Barrier' came out on Phantom Records which I had a little rave about in an earlier post. The Clientele...god I love The Clientele - AND especially this record, it's a Double A side with The Saturday People doing "Grace" as the other A side. The Felt song is the B-side to 'Rain Of Crystal Spires'. The Gnac track was one of three tracks on an Ep called "In Mauve". and finally I need to comment on the TV 21 single as it's not their usual sound, mostly due to being produced by Mike Howlett, and his work in the 8o's synth vein I always seem to enjoy. Yeah, love your work Mike !!

DOUBLE POST - - Podcast 8 The pile(s) from the floor are finished but theres more on the shelves to come

When I started this process I was making my way through a pile of singles on the floor, one large one and one small one...well I've completed the 2 piles...but never fear there's quite a few shelves off the floor to go yet !!

Today is a double post and in this first one we have some Talulah Gosh, Siddeleys, Airport Girl, Shop Assistants and another Pastels 7" plus some more Aussie tracks.

Podcast 8 - link 1

here's what's on it...

Sideroom 7 Inch Singles Podcast #8

1. The Foolishness That We Create Through Love Is the Closest We Come To Greatness - Airport Girl ( Fortuna Pop approx 2000 )

2. Beatnik Boy - Talulah Gosh ( 53rd & 3rd 1987 )

3. Jericho - Numbers ( Deluxe Recs Aust 1981 )

4. Sunflower - The Springfields ( Sarah 1987 )

5. What Went Wrong This Time ? - The Siddeleys ( Medium Cool 1987 )

6. Waiting Time - Ya Ya Choral ( M Squared Aust 1982 )

7. Crawl Babies - The Pastels ( Glass 1987 )

8. Grill Room - The Units ( Brain Buster Aust 1980 )

9. Somewhere In China - Shop Assistants ( 53rd & 3rd 1986 )

10. Living Out Of Living - Tinytown ( Elastic UK 1984 )

( duration 32 mins, 320kps mp3 )

Ya Ya Choral are one of many bands on a fairly obscure but truly great Sydney label called M Squared, which existed in the early-mid 80's. I am sure more M Squared will feature more on this blog as I have nearly everything on the label. The sound of "Waiting Time" however is not indicative of the rest of the label, which tended towards a more post punk / electronic / experimental sound. M Squared was also a recording studio which many bands in the Sydney scene of the time recorded in. But I guess more on that when they appear. The Units were from Adelaide and 'Grill Room' is the B-side to "Baby You Flirt". The Shop Assistants track is from an Ep which has 'Safety Net' as it's main track. The Numbers were a Sydney band, not to be confused with the Brisbane band called the Numbers who had to change their name to The Riptides because of the Sydney Numbers. Tinytown were also from Brisbane but moved to the UK in the early 8o's and worked out of there.

Back !! podcast 7

I am back at work this week ( after three weeks holidays ), and working very long hours & sadly I have unable to give this blog my full attention...but I'm back on board today...so watch out !!

Thanks to all those people that emailed me, it's great to hear you're enjoying it !!

Anyhow I'm back, and so is Spearmint and poor old David Gedge of The Wedding Present is back having another bad time with girls !! I know some people think Poptones Records are the devil's work but one of them has popped up so be warned !!


podcast 7 link 1



Sideroom 7 Inch Singles Podcast #7
1. Oh My - Arnold ( Poptones )
2. What Is There To Smile About ?? - Close Lobsters ( Fire 1988 )
3. The Flaming Lips - Spearmint ( Hitback 2001 )
4. My Favourite Dress - The Wedding Present ( Reception 1987 )
5. Poppies In The Field - The Teardrop Explodes ( Phonogram UK 1981 )
6. Out Of My Mind - The Backdoor Men ( Tracks On Wax Sweden 1985 )
7. Good For Me- Blow Up ( Creation 1987 )
8. Imperial - Primal Scream ( Elevation 1987 )
9. Heart of Darkness - The Sports ( Mushroom Aust 1980 )
10. Right Here - The Go-Betweens ( Beggars Banquet 1987 )
( duration 33 mins, 320kps mp3 )


Poor old Gedge...now it's some strangers hand on his favourite dress, a long walk home in the pouring rain and beauty eaten away by the scent of someone else in the blanket where they lay. Wow, whats next ?? What's worse there's something left behind !! Never mind, Davey maybe next time...

The Backdoor Men are Swedish !! Which is funny given I love the current Swedish scene. The Teardrop Explodes is from a Double 7 inch which also had Ha Ha I'm Drowning, Read It in Books and Bouncing Babies on it...so quite a package. Unlike the Go-Betweens which is also a Double 7 Inch but the second single - A Little Romance b/w Don't Call Me Gone..is..well, quite frankly ordinary. Not that I ever have much call to speak badly of the Gobs...just the other songs in the pack other than Right Here are not up to their usual standard. The Sports thing was a bonus limited edition single called "The Lost Demos" which came with the first 1000 copies of their Suddenly album in Australia. Heart of Darkness is actually the B-side, the A being called "Poor Mouth".