Category: Cassette pets

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Year by Year: Cocteau Twins – 1987

Cocteau Twins stepped off of the production line in 1987 and their only release of the year was one previously unissued track which was included on a 4AD label compilation LP, ‘Lonely Is An Eyesore’, released in June 1987. The track in question was ‘Crushed’. The band were far from idle however, just that their efforts were in other directions, not least in the direction of creating their first permanent recording base from which to work, based in Acton, where they enlisted the aid of members of 4AD label-mates Colourbox and Dif Juz in the fit-out and construction of the space.

Deluxe Edition LP: ‘Lonely Is An Eyesore’ (4AD CAD D 703)

‘Lonely Is An Eyesore’ was very much a project of the label founder, Ivo – and consequently, it was lavished with some degree of effort in its presentation and formatting. The ultimate edition is a wooden box-cased version which gathers together all formats of the release (4AD, CADX 703), but that is up there in the stratospheric level of 4AD collectables due to the extremely limited numbers it was produced in (apparently 100, most of which were allocated to members of the acts involved. More on that below…

Next on the list however is this Deluxe Edition of the LP format…

'Lonely Is An Eyesore' UK deluxe LP pack front cover design
^ ‘Lonely Is An Eyesore’ UK deluxe LP pack front cover design

According to what looks to be an informed source via a comment of the discogs.com entry for this release, this Deluxe Edition appears to have been pressed up in an edition of 10,000 copies. Lavish it certainly is compared to the standard vinyl LP (4AD, CAD 703), since it comes packaged in an outer slipcase which houses a three-way fold-out insert/sleeve as well as  an inner sleeve for the record plus a large size (12”x12”) 24 page booklet. Continue reading “Year by Year: Cocteau Twins – 1987”

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Peter Murphy ‘Cuts You Up’ US Cassingle (Beggars Banquet / RCA / 9140-4-HS, 1990)

In  a previous post  we looked at the four track, promo-only Canadian ‘4 Cuts Deep’ cassette EP that was issued to help push Peter Murphy’s wonderful ‘Deep’ album from late 1989. This time out, while looking a little similar in passing, is the commercially release USA cassingle format for the ‘Cuts You Up’ single itself.

Peter Murphy 'Cuts You Up' US Cassingle front pack design
^ Peter Murphy ‘Cuts You Up’ US Cassingle front pack design

It would prove to be a Peter Murphy classic, well deserved at that. Also issued in the US on 12″ single and a promo-only CD single as well. Continue reading “Peter Murphy ‘Cuts You Up’ US Cassingle (Beggars Banquet / RCA / 9140-4-HS, 1990)”

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Peter Murphy ‘4 Cuts Deep’ Canadian Promo-only Cassette EP (Beggars Banquet / Vertigo PROC 51, 1990)

‘Deep’ was very much Peter Murphy’s breakthrough solo album and perhaps it was in no small part due to the promotional push of the record company machinery of the era, still some years away from the MP3 meltdown and subsequent diminished times. This cassette is one of those curious promo-only releases of the era picked up along the way, a reminder of those times.

Peter Murphy '4 Cuts Deep' Canadian Promo-only Cassette EP - front pack design
^ Peter Murphy ‘4 Cuts Deep’ Canadian Promo-only Cassette EP – front pack design

Continue reading “Peter Murphy ‘4 Cuts Deep’ Canadian Promo-only Cassette EP (Beggars Banquet / Vertigo PROC 51, 1990)”

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Gary Numan ‘The Fury’ – Numa variations

Rarely has an album sleeve so poorly represented the mood and the message of the music inside than ‘The Fury’, I dare say. Musically, this was a hard-edged, tough, largely electronic sound filled that mined the technology of the day to keep up with the in your face sound of acts on ZTT, et al. To the extent that it left behind the earlier, more unique Numan sound, much to the alienation of a good chunk of existing Numan fans – even more so than ‘Berserker’ (which we looked at before) already had, as it had ushered in the move to digital synths, leaving behind the analogue warmth. Partly, that fan exodus may well have been because they never made it to the music, such was the antipathy to the image. Fair to say that both ‘Warriors’ and ‘Berserker’ had already been a tough sell, image wise – but this time round, beyond the pale for many a fan, I would wager. While the music may have been edgy and electronic, the image was – as Numan himself would later describe in his autobiographies – less the intended James Bond and more “the man who lost it all at Monte Carlo” casino wheel/cards table.

Gary Numan - ‘The Fury’ various formats/releases front cover designs- Numa LP, Numa CD (standard version), Numan cassette (standard version), Numa CD extended mixes.
^ Gary Numan – ‘The Fury’ various formats/releases front cover designs – Numa LP, Numa CD (standard version), Numan cassette (standard version), Numa CD extended mixes.

The album itself as released on the Numa label though comes in two distinct versions – the ‘regular’ standard issue and the ‘extended mixes’ version – much like ‘Berserker’ had ushered in, but this time every track was longer on the extended mixes version. Continue reading “Gary Numan ‘The Fury’ – Numa variations”

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Janice Long, 1955-2021

Sad news for Christmas Day this year, learning of the death of Janice Long. I grew up listening and finding out about so many great acts from BBC Radio 1’s evening and weekend shows and Janice Long was one of the key DJs that made a big difference. She had great taste and brought a genuine enthusiasm and warm-hearted humour to proceedings that was a welcome relief from many others. It comes as no surprise to learn of so many wonderful tributes from many of the well-known acts she met along the way. If you are unfamiliar with her, I recommend a 33 minute primer courtesy of the Radio 1 Vintage series that was produced in 2018 and featured a Janice Long compilation.

BBC Radio 1 Vintage - Janice Long compilation
^ BBC Radio 1 Vintage – Janice Long compilation

Continue reading “Janice Long, 1955-2021”