Ash - Goldfinger

I was listening to 1977, the Ash album from several years ago, just recently. Why oh why oh why don't people just stop putting songs on LPs when they run out of good ones? Just stop. If it's 35 minutes long, so be it. Those last couple of songs... Ugh. It's the same with films - they don't need to be three hours long to be good, you can do it in an hour and a half.

Anyway.

The a-side is one of the great tracks off this LP, among quite a few others. Especially Kung Fu, which had a photo on the cover of Eric Cantona kicking that guy in the Crystal Palace crowd back in the early 90s. And Girl From Mars, which is just brilliant. Their cover of 'Get Ready' at track four of this CD is superb - I think I bought the single for that alone. You'll love it, just love it.

1. Goldfinger
2. I Need Somebody
3. Sneaker
4. Get Ready

1966 in 1977 is here.

Teenage Fanclub - Everything Flows

When I was young and excitable, discovering Teenage Fanclub was a big moment for me and my mates. They actually released their first album before they ever released a single, which is pretty cool. That said, when they got around to sending a single out into the world, what a way to do it. There ain't nuffink bad you can say about this song - I dare you.

If you're anything like me, this will take you back to happy, innocent and dangerously cider-fuelled times (Blackthorn Super, anyone?)

1. Everything Flows
2. Primary Education
3. Speeder
4. Don't Cry No Tears

The finest debut single in the world is here.

Pure Morning - Foxhole & Dinky

This is the band who became Clinic, who you might know something about. Clinic are great, and they were also great before, as you're about to find out... Unfortunately, there is one amazing b-side off one of the 7"s I have somewhere by these guys, but I can't find the record, and I can't remember what it was called. If I find it, you can be sure I'll stick it up here!

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy these. All good stuff, and nice to hear where Clinic came from.

Foxhole:
1. Foxhole
2. IPC
3. The Gardener

Dinky:
1. Dinky
2. Fake Lady
3. Police Car Atrocity
4. Containers

They're both right here for your convenience.

Cable - Live At Brixton Prison EP

I was so into these guys. Still am, but they’ve not been around for a while now. Went to the last show at Dingwalls some... 10 years ago (?), and it was all very emotional. They had various record company problems, as I remember, and it all went pear-shaped.

At their height (and after a band I was in named ourselves San Quentin, at least slightly because of these guys) they played a show at Brixton Prison, and released this.

I once did karaoke in Athens, Georgia, and screwed up the start of Ring Of Fire because I did it with their timing.

1. Ultra Violet
2. Blue Birds Are Blue
3. Ring Of Fire
4. Seventy
5. San Quentin
6. Oubliette

Right about now.

The Lemonheads - If I Could Talk I'd Tell You

You know this song, right? You don’t? Well, here’s your chance to make your life better. You do? Well, have you listened to it today? Well, here’s your chance to make your life better.

The album (Car Button Cloth) wasn’t quite up to It’s A Shame About Ray, which remains one of my favourite LPs of all time, but it was still pretty good. This single is one of the standout tracks, and the b-sides are all interesting.

1. If I Could Talk I’d Tell You
2. It’s All True (No Drums)
3. How Will I Know (Electronic)
4. Sexual Bryceulidge

Get it.

Longpigs - She Said

Brilliant!! This is such a good song. I seem to recall that Chris Evans was a big fan when this lot were around, but unusually that's not a reason to dislike them. If you've never heard this tune, you've missed out, and should immediately rectify the situation. Fortunately, I'm right here to help. They released this a few times before it went big, but it was always going to get picked up sometime. Love it.

The first b-side sounds like The Libertines, but ten years earlier. I think it does, anyway. Actually, the second one does too.

Richard Hawley was in this band before he went off on his own, and I think that the last b-side is his - it's good too.

1. She Said
2. Flare Is Meteor
3. Soap Opera Credo
4. Tendresse

Here 'tis.

Whipping Boy - We Don't Need Nobody Else

Hey.

These may be the most Irish band in the world, judging by the voice. The strange thing about this single is that it is ridiculously catchy (I'm talking listen to one chorus and you're singing it for the day), but the verse is pretty much spoken. Not that well spoken, I'd have to admit, but the chorus makes up for it. I recommend it on that basis! Well worth a listen. The b-sides stand up, too.

It also includes a line about building portholes for Bono.

1. We Don't Need Nobody Else
2. Disappointed
3. Here I am

I'm not really selling this one, I know. I promise you'll love the chorus. Promise. It's here.

Strangelove - The Greatest Show On Earth (CDs 1&2)

These guys were from Bristol, and so was I, so there's your link. It helps greatly that they have some cracking songs, and their shows were something else. I remember one particularly, at the Electric Ballroom in Camden, where they started with just Patrick Duff and his acoustic guitar for the first track, and added a band member or an electric instrument for each song. Once the whole band were on, they added a string player per song, so about half way through the whole stage was full of people, and it sounded amazing.

Never so keen on the third album, but this single's off the second LP (Love And Other Demons), which was the first I got into. Apparently their b-sides collection has just come out ('iTunes only'), but in case you haven't invested, here are some good ones for you... All good stuff.

CD1
1. The Greatest Show On Earth
2. Couples
3. Crofters
4. Ascension Day

CD2
1. The Greatest Show On Earth
2. Elin's Photograph (live acoustic)
3. Spiders And Flies (live acoustic)
4. If I Can Dream (live acoustic

They're both right over here.

Unbelievable Truth - Solved

So, it's Thom Yorke's (little?) brother's band. I had the feeling that no-one had heard of this lot in years, but looking on last.fm yesterday it turns out that quite a few people are still into it. Anyway, it's worth a listen out of family interest, I reckon. It's kind of slow, atmospheric-type stuff, and brings back memories of where I used to live in Forest Gate, where I loaned it to a housemate who listened to it on repeat for about a week. Couldn't enjoy it quite so much after that.

1. Solved
2. Nevermind
3. Yesterday Never Leaves
4. There If You Want It

Here is where it is.

The Family Cat - Wonderful Excuse

I love this band. One of the few from this era where I don't think nostalgia gets in the way, but I'll leave that up to you good people to decide. Take a listen, even if you're not too sure, I give you my personal guarantee that you'll appreciate it... Great album this came off (The Golden Book), and the b-sides off this single could have got on most similar bands' albums. The a-side also contains some cracking Indie lyrics - you'll know when you hear them.

1. Wonderful Excuse
2. Unwieldy World
3. Sign Of The Bloodcell
4. Propeller Blades

D'you want a Bourbon?

The Boo Radleys - It's Lulu

Picture yourself, summer of 1995. If you were a proper Indie kid, Wake Up! was the album of the summer for you. Even if you didn't like it, all your mates did. This was one of the standout singles off it, and weirdly I like it more now than I did then. What's that about? Anyway, hope you're in the mood for a bit of summertime jangle. I sure am - they just forecasted snow for this afternoon.

1. It's Lulu
2. Joel (Justin Warfield mix)
3. Tambo
4. Donkey

Here y'are.

60 Ft. Dolls - Happy Shopper / Stay / Talk To Me

Don’t say I’m not good to you. Three 60 Ft. Dolls singles for the price of, well, none. The singles themselves are superb. Love ‘em. Each one’s got at least one good b-side, too, especially the cover of ‘Everybody’s Got Something To Hide’, which might have been one of the first things I ever heard by them, back in the faraway days of the Evening Session...

1 – Happy Shopper

2 – Everybody’s Got Something To Hide

3 – Dr. Rat

1 – Stay

2 – The Maindee Run

3 – Rosalyn

1 – Talk To Me

2 – Angel

3 – Easy

4 – Ponyride

All of them are right here.

Groop Dogdrill - Jackie O

These guys were great live. Unless I'm confusing them with someone else, the singer had a mic gaffer-taped to his face for at least some of the show... Good stuff. This single is one of the stand-out tracks off Half Nelson, their 1998 LP. The b-sides of this single are killer too - I challenge you not to (at least want to) jump around to 'New York Sushi'!

1. Jackie O
2. Sport Of Kings
3. New York Sushi
4. Speedball

HERE!

Out Of My Hair - In The Groove Again

Now this is Indie, with a capital 'I'. Not too sure what I feel about it now, but really liked it when I found it back in the day. Hell - there's a good tune going on, and what more do you need?

Also he had a lot of hair.

1. In The Groove Again
2. River Of Gold
3. Strange Company

Right about here.

Weezer - El Scorcho!

Now here's a funny band. I can't decide which of the first two albums I prefer, but can be sure that those two LPs are many, many, many times better than anything else they've ever done. I remember seeing them at Glastonbury years ago, mid-afternoon, Rivers Cuomo came on with crutches, and they played pretty much the whole first album. Good times.

This is off the second album, Pinkerton, and the first b-side at least is a cracker.

1. El Scorcho
2. You Gave Your Love To Me Softly
3. Devotion

Come get some.

The Fall - 15 Ways E.P.

The Fall eh? Love 'em, hate 'em, like some of it, not that bothered... They're one of those bands I guess.

Bought this solely because I'd heard 'Hey Student' on John Peel once. Ace. '15 Ways' is a good toon too.

1. 15 Ways
2. Hey Student
3. The $500 Bottle Of Wine

It's over here.

Sterling - Everest Eyes/Lucy Is Fine

I was really into this band for two singles, and pretty much two singles only. Had 'Lucy Is Fine' and 'Everest Eyes' on 7", and then found this EP (with the same tracks off the two 7"s) in a bargain bin somewhere, and bought it too. Why? No idea, but 15 years later it's saved me half an hour of MP3-ing. Foresight, eh?

All four tracks are great, in a very mid-90s way (which is as good a way as any to be great). After this they released an LP, which didn't have either of these singles on it, and wasn't up to much.

1. Everest Eyes
2. The Teacher
3. Lucy Is Fine
4. Pit

Right here for y'all.

Heavy Stereo - Smiler

Right. I'm going to remove any semblance of cool right here, right now, with Oasis's rhythm guitarist's old band. The year is 1995, the label is Creation, the mantra seems to be "release it! It'll sell!" The lesson was, of course, learnt a few years later.

That said, this has its place. I was quite into a few of this band's tracks, and I'm quite fond of 'Cartoon Moon' on this single. Perhaps it's nostalgia. I remember being laughed at, even at the time.

1. Smiler
2. Cartoon Moon
3. Wonderfools

It's right here, and everything's under three minutes, just as it should be.