Author: admin

Posted on

Martha and the Muffins – ‘One Day In Paris’ European 7″ (Dindisc 104.209, 1981)

Late 1981 saw the release of the third Martha and the Muffins album , the rather wonderful ‘This Is The Ice Age’, which managed to navigate an elegantly confident path between finely crafted commercial pop and an increasingly experimental edge, with a far more gentler, introspective air to a good many of the tracks. I was familiar with the single released in the UK, ‘Women Around The World At Work’, which as well as being rather fine piece of music also came housed in one of my all time favourite Peter Saville related sleeve designs.  This single was also released in a handful of other territories, including the band’s native Canada. However, in mainland Europe, with a West German pressing, the single that was lifted from the album instead was ‘One Day In Paris’.

Martha and the Muffins - 'One Day In Paris' European 7" front/back cover design
^ Martha and the Muffins – ‘One Day In Paris’ European 7″ front/back cover design

Continue reading “Martha and the Muffins – ‘One Day In Paris’ European 7″ (Dindisc 104.209, 1981)”

Posted on

Bill Nelson – ‘Getting The Holy Ghost Across’ UK cassette (Portrait, PRT 4022602, 1986)

Bill Nelson’s 1986 ‘Getting The Holy Ghost Across’ album is one that deserves a fuller write-up given its complex trans-Atlantic history and many variations. I will get there someday, but as a taster for that, today’s focus is on the UK cassette edition, another cassette pet that offered its own unique content for those willing to seek it out at the time.

Bill Nelson - ‘Getting The Holy Ghost Across’ UK cassette front cover design
^ Bill Nelson – ‘Getting The Holy Ghost Across’ UK cassette front cover design

A brief synopsis of the album… Continue reading “Bill Nelson – ‘Getting The Holy Ghost Across’ UK cassette (Portrait, PRT 4022602, 1986)”

Posted on

Scritti Politti – ‘The Word Girl’ UK 3″ Mini-CD (Virgin CDT 13, 1988)

This release is from a series of 3″ CD singles that Virgin Records pushed hard to establish in the late ’80s as a going concern in formatting. Cute as they were, and despite a good number of such releases from the Virgin and related labels, they never quite took off. Nevertheless, I have a lot of time for many of these, since they were a good way of finding sometimes obscure mixes on CD for the first time. But equally, many are somewhat maddening in the choice of tracks that were included to accompany the main single selection. We’ve been here before for example, look back on Side by side: 1988 Japan 3” CD singles for a good example of what I’m talking about; to this day, the ‘Ghosts’ 3″ CD single appears to be the only way to find that mighty fine late 1981 vintage live recording of ‘The Art Of Parties’ (Version) that was on the flip side of the original single release in digital form, despite may latter-day re-issue opportunities on Japan’s back catalogue. You want to hear a take with Steve Jansen hammering away on Simmons drums, roll right up! Meanwhile, an open goal is missed with the ‘Gentlemen Take Polaroids’ 3″ CD single which picks two tracks that were never even anywhere near the original double-pack 7″ release – that single mix of ‘Burning Bridges’ remains unreleased digitally to this very day.

Scritti Politti 'The Word Girl' UK 3" Mini-CD single front cover design and pack
^ Scritti Politti ‘The Word Girl’ UK 3″ Mini-CD single front cover design and pack

This Scritti Politti release sits somewhere in the middle of these two extremes, perhaps. Continue reading “Scritti Politti – ‘The Word Girl’ UK 3″ Mini-CD (Virgin CDT 13, 1988)”

Posted on

Cabaret Voltaire ‘Don’t Argue’ Dance / Dub mixes UK 12″ single (EMI Parlophone, 12RX 6157, 1987)

A few posts back I looked at Cabaret Voltaire’s ‘Here To Go’ UK CD single and dwelt upon the fact that the singles from the parent album which that single and the one in today’s posts hail from, ‘Code’, remain largely unavailable digitally. In the case of today’s featured 12″ release, ‘Don’t Argue’, only the A side ‘Dance’ mix got a re-release, as part of 2001’s ‘Remixed’ compilation CD on EMI.

Cabaret Voltaire 'Don't Argue' Dance / Dub Mixes UK 12" front cover design
^ Cabaret Voltaire ‘Don’t Argue’ Dance / Dub Mixes UK 12″ front cover design

Continue reading “Cabaret Voltaire ‘Don’t Argue’ Dance / Dub mixes UK 12″ single (EMI Parlophone, 12RX 6157, 1987)”

Posted on

Side by side: Brian Eno ‘Ambient 4: On Land’

First released on LP and cassette formats only in 1982, Brian Eno’s ‘Ambient 4: On Land’ arrived with some modesty compared to the esteem with which its influence in ‘dark ambient’ circles would grow in subsequent years. Originally just the fourth (and final) in the ‘Ambient’ series of releases first started with Brian Eno’s 1979 album release ‘Ambient 1: Music for Airports’, the accompanying press coverage would make it clear to anyone still optimistically hankering after a return to song-based vocals pieces, which Eno had been most well-known for since his departure from Roxy Music, that he was done with that for good (or so it seemed…)

1982 UK LP

Brian Eno - 'Ambient 4: On Land' - 1982 UK LP front cover design
^ Brian Eno – ‘Ambient 4: On Land’ – 1982 UK LP front cover design

Continue reading “Side by side: Brian Eno ‘Ambient 4: On Land’”