Madder Rose - The Love You Save 7"

Now here's a weird thing... I was going to put this up, just on the strength of it being an amazing cover of my favourite Jackson 5 song, and then he! So now it looks like a tribute, which I guess it is.

This was a single out of the blue in 1995, and it's great. The b-side is also really good, one of their own songs, but this one's all about the Jackson 5.

I'm going to put up a 7" with a Kate Bush cover as the b-side next, so I hope she's being careful crossing the road.

1. The Love You Save
2. Diane

RIP Jacko (and Swells).

Orbital - The Box

Now for something completely different. I was reminded of this a couple of times recently, once when someone on the radio suggested it was the scariest song they knew, and once when Michael Evis was talking about them playing Glastonbury in... 1996? I was lucky enough to be there, and it was a pretty special moment.

This is a great single, and the b-sides are completely different versions of it, which might as well be different songs. The first is a kind of atmospheric, dark kind of thing, and the second is more harpsichord-based. The vocal one has vocals on it, see?

1. The Box (radio edit)
2. The Box (untitled version)
3. The Box (another untitled version)
4. The Box (vocal reprise)

Go to it.

The Flaming Lips - This Here Giraffe

Isn't it beautiful... I seem to remember that, for the short time that shaped CDs were popular, Kylie claimed to have brought out the first one. The Flaming Lips disagreed, as this CD says it is the world's first shaped CD. It looks kind of interesting, and it works, but it makes a hell of a noise when you put it in a computer.

The music lives up to the star, too. The single is great (off Clouds Taste Metallic, which is my favourite Lips album), and the two b-sides are Peel sessions from 1992. It's a shame I wasn't so into them at the time it came out as I became later, as the other CD of this had a cover of 'Life On Mars' - anyone have it? The second session track is, along with the single, one of their best tunes. I hope you like this more than my 8 year-old cousin did in 1996, when he described it as 'rubbish'. Needless to say he couldn't be more wrong.

1. This Here Giraffe
2. The Sun (live Peel session)
3. Hit Me Like You Did The First Time (live Peel session)

This here.

Primal Scream - If They Move, Kill 'Em

Here is what 12" singles were all about. Four tracks, remixes, covers... Great stuff. The a-side is a My Bloody Valentine mix of the track, with Kevin Sheilds playing on it, and it is fantastic. Some proper noise. I really liked the LP this came off (Xtrmntr), and although I'm not sure it went down too well generally I recommend checking it out. This remix fits nicely with the album, sonically speaking.

The other b-sides are Jesus & Mary Chain songs, also well worth a listen. This one's all about the a-side, though...

1. If They Move, Kill 'Em (My Bloody Valentine Arkestra)
2. Darklands
3. If They Move, Kill 'Em (12" Disco Mix)
4. Badlands

Here you go.

Palace Songs - Hope

This is going to be a one-off of sorts, in that it's not a single but a proper EP. Singles are there to promote an album, on the whole, as well as (good ones) standing alone - with their b-sides, but I'm not sure how I feel about putting this up, seeing as it's a kind of mini-album. Originally I was going to post a single off Viva Last Blues, and then decided I wanted you folks to hear one of my favourite songs ever.

This is Will Oldham (Palace, Palace Music, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and several others), and I'd say it's a pretty good introduction if you don't know him already. There's four of his songs, a Leonard Cohen cover, and 'Christmastime In The Mountains', which is a cover, but I don't know who did the original - anyone know? This song is genius. I love it. Let me know what you think.

If you like it then I'd recommend getting on Last.fm and having a listen to some more - he's put out tons of stuff, and my personal favourites are Viva Last Blues, I See A Darkness and Beware, but there's not a duffer among them.

1. Agnes, Queen Of Sorrow
2. Untitled
3. Winter Lady
4. Christmastime In The Mountains
5. All Gone, All Gone
6. Werner's Last Blues To Blokbuster

Here y'are.

Screaming Trees - Nearly Lost You 12"

Here's the start of something good... I've got the soundcard working, and the 12"s are now free! So, let's start with some proper rock, like you used to grow your hair to. Mark Lanegan was the main man in Screaming Trees, as you probably know, prior to being the guest on 50% of all records released this century. It's just such a good song, and the b-sides are all brilliant too - especially the Small Faces cover. It's one of my great musical regrets that I didn't see them in Bristol when they played there many years back...

I'll apologise right now for the artwork that you're going to get off 12"s, as I don't have a scanner which will cope with that size. I guess I could take photos of them. Well, let's see if I can be bothered. Meanwhile, enjoy this one.

1. Nearly Lost You
2. E.S.K.
3. Song Of A Baker
4. Winter Song

Come get some.

Guided By Voices - Clown Prince Of The Menthol Trailer

Here's a risky one. They are one of my all-time favourite bands, and if you already like GbV you'll understand, and you'll enjoy this. If you already don't like them then you'll continue in your misguided ways. However, if you're not aware of them then this is an interesting introduction, which you may love. Or hate. Or not be bothered either way. It has seven tracks in about ten minutes, which is a sure sign of greatness. Picks are tracks 1, 6 and 7, but it's not like you'll waste a whole load of your life listening to the lot.

If you like this, or even if your interest is piqued, I would recommend Human Amusements At Hourly Rates, which is their best-of. And Vampire On Titus. And Bee Thousand. And Alien Lanes. And Same Place The Fly Got Smashed. And any of these.

And you really should check out Planets Are Blasted by Boston Spaceships, which is Robert Pollard's (the main GbV man) new band.

1. Matter Eater Lad
2. Broadcastor House
3. Hunter Complex
4. Pink Gun
5. Scalping The Guru
6. Grandfather Westinghouse
7. Johnny Appleseed

GbV! GbV! GbV! GbV!

Manic Street Preachers - The Masses Against The Classes

I have (excuse the pun) masses of Manics singles, variously on CD and vinyl, dating back to when I was pretty obsessed with them in the Generation Terrorists - Everything Must Go phase. Got kind of disappointed after that, and then downright appalled, but they seem to have picked right up again on the new album (and Send Away The Tigers was alright, too).

This single was a little extra which came out on 10" and CD between This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours (which I really didn't like) and Know Your Enemy (which had, as I recall, one decent track and about 18 fillers). But anyway, 'The Masses Against The Classes' is a really good track, and it gave us all hope that they'd got right back to their best. Indeed, ten years later they had.

1. The Masses Against The Classes
2. Close My Eyes
3. Rock And Roll Music

Remember when they got good again, before they got bad again, before they got good again here.

p.s. Let me know if you're interested in more Manics stuff, because I can put some up for sure. They've released quite a lot of it on a compilation (Lipstick Traces), though, so you may have it already. Any requests?