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New Order – ‘Temptation’ / ‘Hurt’ UK 12” and 7″ (Factory, FAC63, 1982)

‘Temptation’ was the third (or fourth, depending on whether you count the Factory Benelux 12” variant of ‘Everything’s Gone Green’ as a unique variant) single release by New Order, released May 1982, it was a big deal at the time. The first unique release after the debut ‘Movement’ album, it highlighted that the band had finally parted ways from the influence of Martin Hannett as the producer, and both sides of the single saw the band’s sound build further on the minimal electronic sequencer-driven sound that ‘Everything’s Gone Green’ had first ushered in. Yet, it retained a somewhat delicately ramshackle vibe too, ahead of the polished dance-beat driven sound that would subsequently re-write the band’s DNA for their more electronic-based tracks.

New Order 'Temptation' 1982 UK 12" front cover debossed title detail
^ New Order ‘Temptation’ 1982 UK 12″ front cover debossed title detail

Continue reading “New Order – ‘Temptation’ / ‘Hurt’ UK 12” and 7″ (Factory, FAC63, 1982)”

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‘Street Level (20 New Wave Hits)’ UK compilation LP (Ronco, RTL2048, 1980)

Back in the day (1980, in fact in this case) it would have been de riguer to sneer at such a release as this. Ronco? Didn’t they make the ‘Buttoneer’?! The ‘Veg-O-Matic’?! What were they doing making a punk/new wave LP?! And take a look at the track listing – goodness, just look at that selection – where else might you find Gary Numan lumped in the same selection as The Plasmatics? The Sex Pistols with the Nick Straker Band?!

'Street Level' compilation - label design
^ ‘Street Level’ compilation – label design

Welcome to the world of the budget label TV advertised compilation – Ronco, K-Tel etc. Continue reading “‘Street Level (20 New Wave Hits)’ UK compilation LP (Ronco, RTL2048, 1980)”

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Scritti Politti ‘The Basics’ Japanese mini album LP and cassette [Virgin, 20VB-1083 / 20VC-1083, 1986]

‘The Basics’ is a curious oddity, a 1986 Japanese-only compilation that gathers together various mixes of five singles that were peeled from the ‘Cupid & Psyche ’85’ album. It comes housed in a design based on the UK 1985 12″/gatefold 7″ single sleeve design. Why the title of ‘The Basics’? I have no idea. And despite being housed in a sleeve filched from the UK 12″ of ‘Perfect Way’, the mix of that song that is included is actually a quite different mix from the US 12″ single! Odd!

Scritti Politti 'The Basics' 1986 mini-album - LP and cassette front cover designs
^ Scritti Politti ‘The Basics’ 1986 mini-album – LP and cassette front cover designs

The sleeve lists various differing mixes included – definitely worth a deeper dive… Continue reading “Scritti Politti ‘The Basics’ Japanese mini album LP and cassette [Virgin, 20VB-1083 / 20VC-1083, 1986]”

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Propaganda ‘p:Machinery (The αlpha/βeta Definition)’ Record Store Day LP (ZTT / Universal Music Recordings, ZTDS 96 / 7535890, 2025)

Another Record Store Day and another new, limited edition Propaganda release culled from the ZTT label archives. 2024’s, ‘Die 1000 Augen Des Dr. Mabuse’, was very much a ‘Part 1’, so you might have expected any Propaganda RSD release to continue onwards with that. But no, this year moved to focus on both sides of the band’s ‘p:Machinery’/‘Frozen Faces’ single, first released in summer 1985. The Propaganda of ‘A Secret Wish’ were always about the duality, so as well as both songs, this release also features the subsequent αlpha and βeta versions that have come to be released or retitled over the many ‘after the fact’ releases from ZTT.

Propaganda 'p:Machinery (The αlpha/βeta Definition)' Record Store Day LP 2025 front cover design.
^ Propaganda ‘p:Machinery (The αlpha/βeta Definition)’ Record Store Day LP 2025 front cover design.

Continue reading “Propaganda ‘p:Machinery (The αlpha/βeta Definition)’ Record Store Day LP (ZTT / Universal Music Recordings, ZTDS 96 / 7535890, 2025)”

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Strawberry Switchblade – ‘I Can Feel’ – Japanese 7″ (Korova P-2074, 1986)

‘I Can Feel’ was the final single release by Strawberry Switchblade while they remained a going concern, though it was released only in Japan, in March 1986, to coincide with their final live tour, four dates played in Japan that same month.

Strawberry Switchblade - 'I Can Feel' - Japanese 7" front cover design
^ Strawberry Switchblade – ‘I Can Feel’ – Japanese 7″ front cover design

‘I Can Feel’ was a non-album single and, sadly, the interest in Strawberry Switchblade had waned so much in their home territories by this stage that the single did not even merit a release in the UK. Other than the original 7″ single release, the original 3’41” single version of ‘I Can Feel’ has only ever been re-issued on the Japanese CD copies of the ‘Strawberry Switchblade’ album in the late 1990s and onwards. Continue reading “Strawberry Switchblade – ‘I Can Feel’ – Japanese 7″ (Korova P-2074, 1986)”