Hello? Where've you been?

I wasn't intending on adding anything much to this blog.
Just got so bored of it.

BUT.

I just put together a podcast for the Anorak Forum after discussing "Awkward" music, so I thought it might be nice to share it here too.

Right then.

I couldn't decide on a downloadable compilation type thing or a podcast.
So I went with a podcast (easier than trying to arrange the comp and re-tag everything).
If you'd prefer a comp so's you can listen to individual songs let me know.
Also, if you know how to arrange podcasts so that individual songs can be played rather than one long mix please let me know! (I've had GarageBand for a long time but never really used it before, so this might all be a bit clunky as I'm learning as I go).

Also:

1. there are probably some glaring omissions.
2. I was very temped to stick some old Two Tone songs on it as there's a real link (to my ears) between that and the scratched guitars of Dog Faced Hermans for example.
3. Most of the songs will be a bit clicky and scratchy as, with the old xPQwRtz compilations, most of the songs are from my old records.
4. It's not strictly in chronological order, though it is more or less. Some of the songs sat better in the positions I've put them. Yes, I actually thought this through and everything (and even though I titled it 79-95, there's a song or two from 96. So shoot me).
5. Enjoy!

Download here: http://sarandon.net/Anorak1979-1995.zip

Track Listing:

Swell Maps - Another Song (Rough Trade, 1979)
The Slits - Instant Hit (Island, 1979)
The Diagram Brothers (New Hormones, 1981)
Yeah Yeah Noh - Trini Lopez (Cordelia, 1985)
Nightingales - Use Your Loaf (Cherry Red, 1981)
The Cravats - Daddy's Shoes (DCL, 1982)
Vee VV - Keepbeat (Vinyl Drip, 1986)
The Membranes - Big Nose And The Howlin' Wind (Criminal Damage, 1984)
The Higsons - I Don't Want To Live With monkeys (Romans In Britain, 1981)
Splat! - Yeah...The Dum Dum (Ron Johnson, 1983)
The Very Things - Wall Of Fur (DCL/Reflex, 1986)
bIG fLAME - Man Of Few Syllables (Ron johnson, 1985)
MacKenzies - New Breed (Ron Johnson, 1986)
Jackdaw With Crowbar (Ron Johnson, 1987)
The Noseflutes - Catcheel Maskhole (Ron Johnson, 1986)
World Domination Enterprises - Hotsy Girl (Product Inc, 1988)
A Witness - Camera (Ron Johnson, 1985)
Twang - Here's Lukewarm (Ron Johnson, 1987)
The Shrubs - Edith (Ron Johnson, 1987)
Stump - Ice The Levant (Ron Johnson, 1986)
Bogshed - The Fastest Legs (Shelfish, 1986)
Sperm Wails - Lady Chatterley's Lover (Sprat & Mackerel, 1988)
Dog Faced Hermans - Frock (Vinyl Drip, 1989)
Death by Milkfloat - The Man Whose Senses Failed (Ediesta, 1988)
Dandelion Adventure - Jinx's Truck (Action, 1990)
Stretchheads - Acid Sweeney (Blast First, 1991)
Dawson - Leaf Sweepers And Sandwich Men (Gruff Wit, 1992)
Gag - Full Seaside Antics (Voice Of Shade, 1993)
Badgewearer - Short Fast Control (Guided Missile, 1994)
Mecca - Civil Kong Smasher (1992)
Nostril - Bewdong Canoe Start (Gruff Wit, 1996)
Yummy Fur - Amelia Scoptophilia (Guided Missile, 1995)

GIVING UP

I just don't have the time to keep this blog going.
Too much real life, babies, work, to think about.

I might come back to it some time in the future - god knows I've got a lot more to gripe about.

Thanks for the support I've had.
Apologies that you can no longer get the compilation downloads - But you were getting them for free so please stop complaining at me.

See you soon.

KILL TWEE POP!

how pop made my thighs ache

was it the siddeleys who had a single out with a photo of some 50's kids riding bicycles on the front?
i don't own any siddeleys records anymore so i can't check.
but i'm sure it was them.

there was a whole spate of record covers with this kind of warm-hearted-england-is-innocent-swallows-and-amazons cover art.
having said that i'll probably not be able to find any.
oh, hang on, here we go:






(all right - before you say anything - i KNOW this single predates the others by at least 5 years, but then in terms of indie pop the TVP's were way ahead of their time).

it was a hot and sunny summer as i remember.
i had newly started work as a screen printer.
my job was a 20 minute bus-ride from home.

one afternoon i spotted a bicycle in a second hand shop.
not just any old bicycle either.
it was one of these:











(thanks to the stones & bikes of wales for the image)

i thought it was beautiful.
and it fitted in with my indie lifestyle and image.
old jumpers that were my grandfather's, shirts from oxfam, desert boots and a satchel.
my stephen pastel haircut.

i handed the shopkeeper £50 and took the bike home.
the following monday i rode the bike to work.

it took for-f*cking-ever.
i finally arrived at work late, sweaty and aching.
of course i had to ride the damned thing home again too.

the following saturday, with every inch of my body in spasm, i took the bike back to the shop and sold it for £20.


the warm-hearted-england-is-innocent-swallows-and-amazons-1950's./early 60's myth is a painful untruth.

old, bored, hard of hearing

i was thinking the other day, "i haven't posted anything on xPQwRtz for a while".
so i headed towards my laptop, turned it on and found my attention taken up by completely different things.
you see, right now i can't be bothered and this is mainly due to, 1. being busy and, 2. what i've been listening to recently.

i'm still not listening to anything new - there's nothing new worth listening to is there?
but i've been getting bored of the same old sounds and so i spent a month or so digging through my record collection looking for stuff i'd not listened to for, literally, years.

and i came across these gems:









genesis' "nursery cryme" has become my favourite album of recent weeks, closely followed by rush and hall & oates.
a few of these records got ripped to MP3 and as a consequence were logged on my lastFM playlist.

and this is where the point of this post finally arrives.

someone took a look at my playlist one day and left a remark, "hall & oates! how did THAT happen??!!"
i replied, "because i like them. in the same way i like marillion and rush and...."
their response was, "well i have a fondness for marillion but i'd never TELL anyone about it."

and that immedieately struck me as ridiculous for reasons that i'll reveal shortly.

a few weeks ago i was driving up the M1 motorway with a friend of mine who happens to have been in a band that many of you regard as semi-legendary C86/post punk heroes.
his band of the 80's featured scratchy thousand mile an hour guitars, thumping bass and falling over drums.
i'd got my iPod on the car stereo and what should pop up but the 10+ minute wonder that is "the musical box" by genesis.
my friend sang along to EVERY note - vocals, guitars, keyboards, everything - halfway through he said, "do you have the version of this from the live album? that's my favourite."

so, why did the comment left on lastFM strike me as ridiculous?
well, look at my example above.
it's simple really.

it's SO MUCH COOLER to just be honest about EVERYTHING that you like rather than try and hide the things you think might not fit the "image" other people have of you.
why only let your stupid lastFM log jingley jangley sub-byrdsian guitars when on a friday night before going out you like nothing more than a short sharp hit of slayer?

get it?
good.

the end of the 80's. the worst record of the 80's.

"plug" by the groove farm is a FUCKING AWFUL RECORD.
it has no redeeming features whatsoever.
just to be absolutely sure i'm listening to it again as i type.
and, yup, i was right first time.

it came out in 1989 and is simply half-arsed, lazy, awful.
i didn't buy it when it came out because i couldn't bear to be seen taking it out of a record store.
and why would anyone want to when at the same time you could buy:



FLOUR "L.U.V.7.1.3." - terrific and really quite funny mock rock nonsense.



FOETUS INC. "" - compilation of some of the best bits from jim thirlwell's back catalogue.


we all have choices in this life.
i made mine.
:)

compilations are back

a shiny new host (thanks - you know who you are) means all the compilations are now downloadable again.
apologies for the problems.

one or two of the links in the original posts for each compilation may still not work.
i'll get round to them but, to be frank, i've got better things to do.

but all the links in the menu on your left should work just fine.

more rubbish soon.

thanks.

SERVER PROBLEMS

hullo.
having slight server problems so the compilations will be unobtainable for a short while.
apologies for the inconvenience.
i'll let you know as soon as they're back.
thanks.
cx