The Captain Conundrum

 

 2022 Charity Shop Purchases #40 - Idlewild - Captain

I've come to Idlewild via a backwards route. My in was via the folk albums of Roddy Woomble, both his solo stuff and his album with Kris Drever and John McCusker

More recently, particulalry in the last year or so, I have been gradually acquiring  the earlier recordings of Idlewild, the band he led, via charity shops.

My most recent acquisition is their first Captain from 1998 and it is here that the condundrum kicks in.It has 6 tracks and is only 19 minutes and 47 seconds long. To me that means it qualifies as an EP but Wiki say it is more commonly known is a mini-album. Is there such a thing? If so it is not included within my cataologuing system. Had I got the Japanese version which contains another 4 songs making it a whopping 24 minutes and 54 seconds long this may have been less of an issue.

The above is pretty much semantics. As long as the music is good it pretty  doesn't much  matter. I'm pleased to report that it does. It is a splendid racket as as far removed from his acoustic folk records as you could imagine.

I'm still filing it as an EP although it will be shelved alongside the CD albums as opposed to the CD singles.

Idlewild -Captain

Idlewild -Satan Polaroid

If you log on one day soon and there is nothing here it is because I have thrown the laptop out the window.It is doing my head in!

Destroy

 

 2022 Charity Shop Purchases #39 - Various Artists - Destroy!

This Mojo compilation proved to be a bit of a conundrum. I picked it up as makeweight in a 4 for 99p sale. I was pretty sure I had it but given the price I thought no harm done if I had.

When I got home I couldn't find it on the Punk compilation shelf or in my manual cataloguing book but I was still pretty sure I had it. A blog search provided the answer. It seems that I did indeed pick up a copy in June 2019 but didn't keep it. Problem solved.

I wasn't too complimentary then saying that only about a third of the tracks were worth having. I still stand by that.There is a little bit too much Oi  for my liking. However I think I will hold onto it for a bit this time round. It may well be one of the first to go whenever a cull is required.

I've decided to go for three different songs to those posted before which I have just about managed.

As C pointed out last time round the picture on the cover is of Susan Lucas who is better known as Soo Catwoman.

The Adverts - Bored Teenagers

The Vibrators - London Girls

Alternative TV - Action Time Vision

New to Me

 

Plains

I picked up the latest copy of Uncut last week which came with a 15 track CD of new music.

About half of it is pretty good indeed - honourable mentions to Beth Orton, Lambchop and Built to Spill in particular but I have plumped for three others.

Johanna Warren, an American singer and actor is a new name to me . It seems that she has been on the go since 2009 when she went by the name of Sticklips. Her latest album Lessons for Mutants on the Wax Nine label is her 8th album.If Piscean Lover is anything to go by  I shall be looking out for more by her.

Tommy McLain is an American swamp pop rocker who began recording in the 1950s. In August he released I Ran Down Every Dream his first album for 40 years with a number of collaborators including Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello. Although the name didn't ring a bell it turns out that I have a couple of songs by him on the harddrive.

Plains are probably the pick of the bunch and are seemingly a one off project featuring Katie Cruthfield (of Waxahatchee fame) and Jess Williamson. Their album I Walked With You A Ways on the Anti- label is scheduled for release on 14th October. On the strength of Problem With It it has been added to my Christmas list.

Johanna Warren - Piscean Lover

Tommy McLain - Livin' on the Losin' End

Plains - Problem With It

Albums on both CD and Vinyl - Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby

 

Along with just about everyone else on the planet I bought Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby when it was released by Columbia in July 1987.

I played it a fair bit at the time but it is one of those albums which you rarely dig out for a spin years later.

Then in 2016 in a charity shop for £1.49 I picked up a 3 CD box set which included this album along with his third album Symphony or Damn (1993) and Vibrator (1995). By the time these were released he had become rather strange and was no longer part of the mainstream.

I featured both here and here at the time and I don't think that I have listened to them since. Until now I have probably not listened to Hardline since then either.

There is no denying that he has a great voice but was probably a victim of over-exposure when the album was released with the associated hype.

It's been filed back on the shelves and will probably be dusted down again in another few years.

Terence Trent D'Arby - If You Let Me Stay

Terence Trent D'Arby -Who's Loving You

Rip it Up

 

To my eternal shame I have nothing by  jingly jangly legends Orange Juice on either vinyl or CD. Plenty of downloads but nothing physical. You never see anything by them in charity shops!

I have a few Edwyn Collins albums on CD , two vinyl albums by Zeke Manyika and I am awaiting the album Happy Ending  by HiFi Sean & David McAlmont from LNFG. The only thing I have featuring Malcolm Ross is Sorry For Laughing by Josef K on the Big Gold Dreams compilation. But nothing by the band.

Fortunately Mrs CC has come to my rescue with the 12 inch single of Rip it Up from 1983 on the Polydor label. A bit crackly in places but that is no bad thing

I should probably rectify my current situation.

Orange Juice - Rip it Up (Long Version)

Orange Juice - A Sad Lament (Long Version)

Swedefest - Mystic Chords of Memory

 

Mystic Chords of Memory  are an American alternative rock duo consisting of Christopher Gunst of Beechwood Sparks and Jen Cohen of the Aisler Set.

They have released two albums with this self-titled one from 2004 on Rough Trade being the firsr.

As our American readers will surely know (I'm looking at you Brian) the bands name is a phrase which appears in the last paragraph of Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address. Every day is a schoolday.

Amanda Petrusich from Pitchfork appears to like it  giving a score of  7.7/10 and saying that it is full of soft melodies,sweet vocals and scratchy DIY production.I'm not so sure about the first two but she is spot on with the last 

She goes on  the band's sound is just as archaic as a truly striking political speech: Gunst and Cohen blend tinkling bells, melodica, harp, keyboards, bits of samples, tinny drums, and strummy guitars, presenting a vaguely contemporary update on the British folk phenomenon of the late 1960s-- albeit with more blips.

I'm afraid that this one does nothing for me (other than mildly irritating me)and it is definitely not a keeper.I can see why The Swede was happy to part with it!

One more new act to go then a couple of albums from bands who have previously featured in this series.

Mystic Chords of Memory - Sure, Bert

Mystic Chords of Memory - Mongo and Arky

20th Century Boy

 

My final purchase from the Whithorn pop up shop was Best of 20th Century Boy a K-Tel compilation from 1985 attributed to Marc Bolan and T.Rex. 

I already have Solid Gold another T.Rex compilation but it was bought in the knowledge that although there would be doublers there would be enough new ones given this a 28 track double album compared to the 16 tracks of Solid Gold.

One slight problem however as when I got it home I found that the second album in the sleeve was not the one on the cover but  that the LP in the sleeve was a  Spanish copy of the bands debut album T.Rex from 1971.

No biggie I thought, it will be interesting to hear it. Unfortunately it is in a very poor condition so I haven't been able to give it a proper listen.

Oh well never mind. As they say: 

Get it On

Bang a Gong

Get it On

T.Rex - Get it On

T.Rex - Jeepster