Small objects of desire « VersionCrazy

Archive for the ‘Small objects of desire’ Category

The Cure – ‘Concert and Curiosities’ UK cassette (Fiction, FIXHC10, 1984)

Wednesday, October 7th, 2020

The Cure were no strangers to giving fans a bonus side of music to their cassette releases, with 1981’s ‘Faith’ cassette coming with the long form ‘Carnage Visors’ soundtrack piece as a cassette-only exclusive. By 1984 and their renaissance as a more pop-oriented act (on the surface at least as the Sturm und Drang outings from ‘The Top’ such as ‘Shake Dog Shake’ and ‘Give Me It’ would attest), time was ripe for their first live album in the shape of the faux bootleg look and feel of ‘Concert’ (The Cure Live)’. Limited to a single album rather than the more traditional sprawling double, it was a fair trawl through various highlights, heavy on the singles and a side order of more recent album tracks. Fair enough. But of more interest, certainly for longer term fans, was the cassette-only ‘Concert and Curiosities’.

^ The Cure ‘Concert and Curiosities’ UK cassette

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Posted in Cassette pets, Compilation albums, Missing in action, Small objects of desire, Versions, versions | 3 Comments »

The Human Condition – Live At The Collegiate Theatre 13 September 1981, UK cassette (The Human Condition, THC 1, 1981)

Friday, August 28th, 2020

The Human Condition was a short-lived band featuring reunited PiL band-mates Jah Wobble on bass and Jim Walker on drums, the line-up rounded out with Animal (aka Dave Maltby) on guitar and also occasionally augmented by Annie Whitehead on saxophone. This ‘rush release’ is one of two live recordings released on limited run cassettes that were issued back in the day and document their fine instrumental workouts. The packaging was stripped down and minimal on both, having the air of bootleg issues, perhaps, despite being official output. As far as I am aware they have never been re-issued in any form. One of the tracks on here would appear in studio form on 1983’s ‘Snakecharmer’ release by Wobble, Czukay and The Edge. I’ve selected my favourite track from the cassette to sample via a YouTube upload, ‘Neon’ – see what you reckon for yourself… if you like it, plenty more from the same account to check out.

^ The Human Condition – Live At The Collegiate Theatre 13 September 1981 UK cassette front cover

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Posted in Cassette pets, Lost gems, Missing in action, Obscurios, Small objects of desire | No Comments »

Kraftwerk – ‘Autobahn’ MusikExpress magazine German 7” single (Kling Klang/Parlophone, 2019)

Friday, August 21st, 2020

Given away with the April 2019 edition of the German magazine MuzikExpress, this blue vinyl, one-sided 7” single includes a new and unique edit of the track. The magazine itself came with a lengthy write-up on the parent album, hailing it in the number 1 position of the ‘100 Best Albums from Germany’.

The record features the new 4’35” edit from the original recording of ‘Autobahn’ and this differs from the 7” single edits originally issued back in the day. This new edit is something of a best of both and includes a good deal more of the vocal sections than either. Being a minute and thirty seconds longer than the rather brutal British edit, that’s perhaps no surprise.

^ Kraftwerk – ‘Autobahn’ MusikExpress magazine German 7” single front cover

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Posted in Region crazy, Small objects of desire, Versions, versions | 2 Comments »

Fast Forward 008/009: Annual Report (Australian 2 × Cassette Magazine Compilation, December 1981)

Tuesday, July 21st, 2020

This snappily packaged little item was attached to the wall of the wonderful 1-UP Records back in the days of their shop on Rosemount Viaduct for a long, long while. I would hardly dare guess quite how long it was sellotaped up on the wall (which hasn’t done the soft vinyl pack too much good), but it seemed to be up there forever. I can’t recall how it came to be that I decided to investigate it further, but at some point I think I became aware of the presence of Kraftwerk and The Cure in particular on it. And when it became clear that these were exclusive items, well, it was time to buy.

^ Fast Forward 008/009: Annual Report cassette magazine – pack front

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

John Foxx – ‘Burning Car’ UK 7” single (Metal Beat/Virgin VS360, 1980)

Tuesday, July 7th, 2020

Near enough to the day (11th July 1980), forty years have passed since the impeccably eerie synthetic ‘less is more’ dynamic of ‘Burning Car’ appeared. As Spring moved into Summer of 1980 it was exciting times for music for me. Spring had brought Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark with ‘Messages’ and The Human League with ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ to my ears and Gary Numan had released the exciting ‘We Are Glass’ single. New Musik and The Cure had also kept my cassette recorder busy, taped from the top 40 show. I had read about the forthcoming release of this latest Foxx single mid June in ‘Smash Hits’. It had competition from former band mates Ultravox, who had reactivated and were releasing the first notes with Midge Ure in the shape of ‘Sleepwalk’ – and would be an earlier release than Foxx’s latest.