Bill Nelson – ‘7″ Bill Nelson Singles’ Box Set (Cocteau Records, JEAN 6)

August 14th, 2019

Just when you thought there could be no more Bill Nelson box sets, here is this little curio, ‘7″ Bill Nelson Singles’ (aka ‘Assorted Nelsons’, as it was described on the merchandise sheet of the time. Released in the latter period of the ‘Acquitted by Mirrors’ fan club period, this box set gathers together a few stray singles and packages them up in a unique box. I would bet that this may well have been a way to bundle together bought back overstock of earlier Cocteau, Mercury and Portrait records era singles.

Bill Nelson - '7" Bill Nelson Singles' Box Set (Cocteau Records, JEAN 6) box front

^ Bill Nelson – ‘7″ Bill Nelson Singles’ Box Set (Cocteau Records, JEAN 6) box front

Whatever the reason, it was nice to get a couple of them again in minty mint condition, or which were otherwise different in some way. For example, I had the double-pack version of ‘Youth of Nation on Fire’. The box set cost the small sum of £4.75 plus 75p post and packing back in the day.

The singles included in the set are;

  • Do You Dream In Colour?
  • Youth of Nation on Fire
  • Living In My Limousine (Remix)
  • Flaming Desire
  • Wildest Dreams

All are regular stock copies from the original pressing runs – they are not new ones made especially for this box set.

Bill Nelson - '7" Bill Nelson Singles' Box Set (Cocteau Records, JEAN 6) singles and box

^ Bill Nelson – ‘7″ Bill Nelson Singles’ Box Set (Cocteau Records, JEAN 6) singles and box

Bill Nelson - '7" Bill Nelson Singles' Box Set (Cocteau Records, JEAN 6) box rear

^ Bill Nelson – ‘7″ Bill Nelson Singles’ Box Set (Cocteau Records, JEAN 6) box rear

'Acquitted by Mirrors' Bill Nelson fan club merchandise sheet showing the JEAN 6 box set offer (lower right)

^ ‘Acquitted by Mirrors’ Bill Nelson fan club merchandise sheet showing the JEAN 6 box set offer (lower right)

'Acquitted by Mirrors' Bill Nelson fan club merchandise sheet showing the JEAN 6 box set offer (lower right)

^ …and for completeness, the reverse of the ‘Acquitted by Mirrors’ Bill Nelson fan club merchandise sheet

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Bauhaus – ‘Kick In The Eye’ 1981 UK 7″ and 12″ (Beggars Banquet, BEG54 and BEG54(T))

July 28th, 2019

The first release of this song dating from early 1981 features a mix that has rarely resurfaced on CD re-issues since – on the myriad Bauhaus compilations that have been released over the years, the 1982 ‘Searching For Satori’ EP remix version has been by far the go-to version. The only releases of the original mix to be found on CD appear to be on 1995’s various artists compilation CD ‘Gothic Rock 2 – 80’s Into 90’s’ and 2009’s ‘Omnibus’ boxed set re-issue of ‘Mask’, where it is listed as ‘Kick In The Eye (Original Single Version A Side)’. (I believe this mix may also be on the Canadian ‘The Sky’s Gone Out’ CD too, but have never come by a copy of this to verify – anyone?)

Bauhaus - 'Kick In The Eye' 1981 UK 7" front cover design

^ Bauhaus – ‘Kick In The Eye’ 1981 UK 7″ front cover design

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Kraftwerk – ‘Home Computer’ Promo 7″ (EMI Odeon SDP-867, 1981)

July 14th, 2019

This curious 7″ single hails from Brazil and the background to its release I presume to be its use in a television series from late 1981 into 1982, ‘Brilhante‘. What is of particular interest is that both sides feature unique edits of the track. When I say edits, I really mean they are faded out at specific points – in the case of the A side at the 2 minute 17 mark and in the case of the B side 4 minute 47 mark. The A side edit is abrupt, while the B side edit had a somewhat more generous use of the fader control. Not terribly exciting in comparison to some of the editing scissor work on single edits from around the world, such as ‘Autobahn’. Mind you, that was a case of whittling down 22 minutes down to a mere 3 to 4 minutes. Still, it is an interesting curio to have ‘Home Computer’ as a single on its own. The labels don’t mention it, but the the record pls at 33 1⁄3 RPM for some reason, rather than the more common 45 RPM.

Kraftwerk – Home Computer Promo 7" (EMI Odeon SDP-867, 1981) front

^ Kraftwerk – Home Computer Promo 7″ (EMI Odeon SDP-867, 1981) front

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Posted in Obscurios, Promo only, Region crazy, Versions, versions | No Comments »

Joy Division – ‘Substance’ cassette (Factory FACT250C, 1988)

June 28th, 2019

‘Substance’ was the second compilation album of Joy Division non-album tracks released on Factory, dating from July 1988. Along with 1981’s ‘Still’, it gathers up many of the tracks that first appeared on the band’s single and EP releases, none of which were featured on either ‘Unknown Pleasures’ or ‘Closer’. (Well, other than a different version of ‘She’s Lost Control’, I suppose.)

^ Joy Division – ‘Substance’ cassette – Factory FACT250C, 1988, front case design.

I have chosen to feature the cassette version, since this hails from my pre-CD buying days and therefore was the only access I had to the full version of the release. You see, the vinyl LP version only came with ten tracks, whereas the cassette version came with those same ten tracks on side 1 and an ‘Appendix’ on side 2 that added an additional seven tracks. (The CD version also came with the full seventeen tracks.) Somewhat annoyingly, rather than present everything in chronological order, the ‘Appendix’ device ensures that things get mixed up. Which is quite a thing considering some of the recordings are rough and ready productions hailing from Joy Division’s first EP release, ‘An Ideal For Living’, compared to the cleaner, far more meticulous later Martin Hannett productions. This is the cassette I bought when it was first released, which comes in a black plastic shell. Apparently there are version where the cassette is in a clear plastic shell, still with paper labels though. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Cassette pets, Design crazy, Factory, Small objects of desire | No Comments »

Ultravox – ‘Moments From Eden’ 10″/CD EP (Absolute, 10EDENRL1, 2011)

June 14th, 2019

‘Moments From Eden’ was a very attractive, limited edition live EP featuring the tracks that Ultravox added to their set for the second ‘comeback’ tour in 2010, ‘Return To Eden 2’. Rather than release multiple versions, the nicely designed package included a red vinyl 10″ single along with a CD version housed inside the gatefold spread of the cover, with further themed artwork featured in an additional booklet.

^ Ultravox ‘Moments From Eden’ vinyl side A and front cover.

If you ordered the record online from Townsend Records, the release also came with a limited edition A4 sized print, as displayed in the photo below, a variation on the design from the back cover of the record. Read the rest of this entry »

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