It was twenty years ago this month

Here's an Edwyn Collins' promotional postcard I just found which I had mailed to my father in the States while I was in London working for Setanta Records. Twenty years ago this month! Hard to believe.

Documentary of Note: Big Gold Dream - Scottish Post Punk, and Infiltrating The Mainstream

Here's a good one thats been in the works for a while, so keep an eye out for it! Big Gold Dream is a feature length doc from director Grant McPhee, and tells the tale of Scotland’s post-punk & indie music scene circa 1977-1985. It will apparently premiere, naturally, at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on the 19th June.

James Chance et Les Contortions at Stereo Bar, Glasgow, March 12, 2015

James Chance, Stereo Cafe Bar, Glasgow, 3.12.15, by Jayjay Robertson

Joe Whyte was at the James Chance show in Glasgow last night at the Stereo Cafe Bar for Louder Than War, and loved what he saw & heard.

He’s tonight accompanied by a French three-piece band and quite probably the last time Glasgow witnessed a band as drum-skin tight would have been Mike Watt’s gig at Broadcast last year. This latest Gallic incarnation of Les Contortions are as lean and as precise as a band are ever likely to be; swerving from be-bop jazz to popping funk to Van Vliet-style discord in the blink of an eye or a wave of Chance’s fist, they carve into the material with an assuredness that’s jaw-dropping.

I’m left wondering if this sort of thing is the purest form of that old devil called punk rock. Guys like James Chance are the true outsiders, the risk-takers, the experimenters. It’s light years away from angry menwith guitars, but sometimes it’s the people who play music entirely for themselves that are the true renegades. And James Chance is certainly that.

Read the entire review at Louder Than War.

Robert Young (Primal Scream) RIP

Young with an early Scream line-up at the Garage, Nottingham, UK via

This one is a bit of shock:

Robert Young - RIP and RIP

Friday Ephemera: Postcard Records in Rough Trade Catalog (1981)

Postcard Records centre spread in a 1981 Rough Trade Distribution Catalogue. The idea was to pull it out and pin it up on your wall. The illustration and lettering is by Krysia Klasicki who also did the artwork on Josef K’s ‘The Only Fun in Town’ album.

Source : C86 & All That - The official page for the forthcoming publication of Neil Taylor’s book: of 'C86 & All That: Indie 1983-86'. The page features news, extracts, audio, visuals and extra material.

Text & image source: Sound of Young Scotland

New Books Alert: Simply Thrilled - The Preposterous Story of Postcard Records, and Barbed Wire Kisses - The Jesus And Mary Chain

Available here

Simon Goddard on Tumblr

Available here

Zoe Howe's website

Stupefied: The Paul Haig Playlist

 

This week's edition of the Stupefied Playlist© is brought to us by none other than Scottish post punk legend, Paul Haig. Mostly known for his work as vocalist of Josef K on the Postcard label, Paul has released about a dozen albums, as well as a series of excellent singles, over the last 30 years or so. Much of Paul's solo work is currently available via his own label, Rhythm of Life, as well as classic catalog labels, LTM and Disques du Crepescule.

Right now, Paul is getting ready for the release of his 12th solo album, Kube, on October 14. Preceding that on Sept. 16 is the double A-side single, "UW2B / Red Rocks" (for pre-orders, click here for iTunes UK, and here for iTunes US).

As a long time fan of Paul's work, I am truly honored to be able to share his playlist. I hope you know how lucky we are in this day in age to be able to get a peek into what makes our favorite artists tick. A huge thanks to Paul for the list...Now, go and check his music!

Official Website

Facebook

Twitter

Soundcloud

Tumblr

01. Television - Marquee Moon

02. The Pop Group - She Is Beyond Good And Evil

03. Pere Ubu - Non Alignment Pact

04. Lou Reed - Temporary Thing

05. Marvin Gaye - Mercy Me

06. David Bowie - Where Are We Now?

07. Throbbing Gristle - Hot On The Heels Of Love

08. Roxy Music - If There Is Something

09. Eric B and Rakim - You Know You Got Soul

10. The JB's - Giving Up Food For Funk

11. New Order - Blue Monday

12. Buzzcocks - What Do I Get

13. Vampire Weekend - Diane Young

14. James Blake - Digital Lion

15. Brian Eno - Third Uncle

16. Stevie Wonder - Higher Ground

17. The Walker Brothers - Fat Mama Kick

18. Madcon - Beggin

19. Paul Giovanni - Corn Rigs

20. Neu - Hallogallo

Movie of the Week: Big Country Play At Home (1984)

The Play At Home Series wraps up with this edition by Big Country in which they discuss the realities of, and the art of putting together a tour. Stuart Adamson RIP.

William Mysterious (Rezillos) RIP

 

William Mysterious - RIP

Before & After: Album Art 8

Before - Students swing to a jazz band in a bamboo-lined student center in Vienna, February 1959. Shot by Volkmar K. Wenztel:

Courtesy of This Isn't Happiness and National Geographic

After - "The Beat Escape" by Fingerprintz, Virgin Records, 1981:

Long one of my favorite record covers, I've never seen the original until today. Leave it to Pete at TiH to dig it up. I've always loved the song as well. It takes me right back to 1981, and listening to the WNYU New Afternoon show in my bedroom. Classic! Here's the song:

Crappy name, great logo: Alan McGee launches 359 Music in partnership with Cherry Red

Creation Records' founder, Alan McGee, in "retirement" for the last ten years or so, has started a new record label in partnership with Cherry Red called 359 Music. Its so new their Facebook page currently has less than 10 fans as I type, and the web URL they list is not currently operating. More to come...And not to read too much into things, but I have to imagine the logo pictured above is some sort of nod to the old Postcard Records drumming cat. For more info click here.

What Presence! The Rock Photography of Harry Papadopoulos now available

Harry Papadopoulos began his photographic career outside the Apollo in Glasgow, flogging photographs to gig-goers. He soon moved to London, and from 1979 to 1984 worked as a staff photographer for Sounds, for which he provided countless front covers. During those five years he covered Blondie, David Bowie, Devo, Joy Division, Bryan Ferry, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Clash, The Specials, Wham!, ABC, Edwyn Collins, The Associates and many, many more. Harry’s London flat also became home to fellow Scots such as Aztec Camera, Orange Juice and the Bluebells. Relive the inky-fingered days of the 1980s music press. 

Order What Presence! here

The Birthday Party by Harry Papadopoulos

Billy MacKenzie of the Associates by Harry Papadopoulos

Edwyn Collins on ice! By Harry Papadopoulos

Edwyn Collins of Orange Juice by Harry Papadopoulos

Orange Juice by Harry Papadopoulos

Movie of the Week: The Blue Nile - Flags & Fences

Today we wrap up our Scottish weekend with this rarely seen doc about something even rarer - a US tour by the Blue Nile in 1990. Visit their official website here, and singer Paul Buchanon's website here.

Again, thanks to Kyle for the suggestions over the last couple of days.

Movie of the Week - The Associates: The Glamour Chase

Our Scottish weekend continues with this television documentary about The Associates and Billy MacKenzie. It includes appearances by MacKenzie's partner in the Associates, Alan Rankine, as well as Chris Parry (Fiction Records), Martin Fry (ABC), Siouxie Sioux, Marc Almond (Soft Cell), Heaven 17, and Yello.

Movie of the Week - Out There: Postcard Records

Thanks to Kyle, we have a full slate of Scottish music-related docs on the schedule for this weekend. We get things off on the good foot with this television doc about Postcard Records.

Postcard was a Glasgow-based independent record label founded by Alan Horne & Edwyn Collins in 1979, as a vehicle for Orange Juice and Josef K releases. The label's motto was "The Sound of Young Scotland", a parody/tribute to the Motown motto, "The sound of young America." Although short-lived, Postcard was to prove a key influence on the C86 indie-pop movement.

The label's first release was Orange Juice's, "Falling and Laughing", which was jointly financed by Horne and band members Edwyn Collins and bassist David McClymont, and was released in the spring of 1980.The label went on to sign such bands as Aztec Camera and The Go-Betweens, before becoming bankrupt in 1981. Horne resuscitated Postcard in 1992, but they didn't last much longer the second time than they did the first. Edwyn Collins recently started using the cat-with-drum logo as his own in tribute to his own history.

Domino to reissue Orange Juice LP's on vinyl

Orange Juice, original line up, by David Corio

 As reported this morning by Slicing Up Eyeballs, Domino Records will be reissuing all four studio albums by Orange Juice on vinyl for Record Store Day on April 20! This is some of my all time favorite music and has made me happy for years...ask anyone who knows me. Now is your chance to pick up brand new, (hopefully) reasonably priced, copies of these classics...especially their debut, You Can't Hide Your Love Forever. All four will include digital download codes.

You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever (1982)

Rip It Up (1982)

Texas Fever (1984)

The Orange Juice (1984)

Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister

Hot off the internet presses, here's a nice doc about If You're Feeling Sinister, the second album by Belle & Sebastian, originally released in 1996. Its part of a series from Pitchfork.tv called Pitchfork Classic. See previous episodes about Modest Mouse and the Flaming Lips here.

The Wake and Primal Scream in Glasgow, Nov 2, 1982

Source

The Blue Nile - Collector's Editions coming in January

The first two albums by Scottish band, The Blue Nile, will be getting the expanded & remastered treatment here in the US, and will be released January 13. This comes on the heels of the recent release of the debut solo album, Mid Air, by vocalist Paul Buchanon. Check out the track listings below, and pre-order these 80's classics here.

  

thebluenile.org

facebook.com/thebluenileofficial

A Walk Across the Rooftops 

01. A Walk Across the Rooftops

02. Tinseltown in the Rain

03. From Rags to Riches

04. Stay

05. Easter Parade

06. Heatwave

07. Automobile Noise

Bonus CD

01. I  Love This Life (the band’s debut single)

02. Heatwave (Rhythm Mix)

03. St Catherine’s Day (previously unreleased)

04. Tinseltown in the Rain (Mix)

05. The Second Act (B-side to “I Love This Life” single)

06. Stay (Little Mix)

07. Regret (B-side to “Tinseltown in the Rain” single)

 

Hats

01. Over the Hillside

02. The Downtown Lights

03. Let’s Go Out Tonight

04. Headlights on the Parade

05. From a Late Night Train

06. Seven AM

07. Saturday Night

Bonus CD

01. Seven AM (Live in Studio) (recorded during the Hats sessions)

02. Christmas (previously unreleased)

03. Let’s Go Out Tonight (Vocal 2, the second vocal take)

04. Saturday Night (Vocal 2, Early Mix, a working mix with an alternative vocal)

05. Headlights on the Parade (live in Tennessee)

06. The Wires Are Down (B-side to “The Downtown Lights” single)

Just Because: The Fire Engines

What sort of crazy place lets a band like the Fire Engines on television? Wow...here they are, circa 1981, performing their final single, "Big Gold Dream."