The Family Cat - Jesus Christ

You lucky, lucky people... Look what Santa's pulled out of the bag just for you, this festive season. I was actually looking for another 7" with a Christmas theme, but this one turned up instead, so you're going to have another treat in, well, about a year.

This is a great cover of an Alex Chilton track, by the band who the phrase 'Indie stalwarts' could have been invented for, if indeed it had ever been invented. Yer main b-side is a karaoke version, so your family can start their very own Christmas tradition, right here, right now. The other b-sides are just silly, but what do you expect this time of year? And there's the most annoying exit groove loop yet - even more than the SFA ones.

Enjoy this, enjoy Christmas, enjoy New Year, best wishes to you all, and see you in 2010 for more partying like it's 1995...

1. Jesus Christ
2. Chill Out Ye Merry Gentlemen
3. Jesus Karaoke Christ
4. Christ Jesus

Ho ho ho.

Swell - The Trip 7"

You'll like this. Enough said, I know, my trusting readers, but this is really good. It also (and I didn't realise this until listening through again today) has the worst attempt at disguising the word "fucked" I've ever heard! Not even close. I guess this is the radio version...

You may know them already, but if you don't then this is a great way to find out. The single's off what I think is their best LP - 'Too Many Days Without Thinking' - but that's out of the only three of their records I know. I saw them years back at Dingwalls in London, and they were great. A proper band, this lot. You might get the idea from this song.

Anyway, putting aside the nonsense above, here is a great a-side, and two b-sides which must only just have missed the cut for the album. Especially 'Easy', which is a great track. Country rock, if you must know. But not that way. The good way.

1. (I Know) The Trip
2. So Would I
3. Easy

Here y'are.

Pavement - Give It A Day 7"

Hey hey. This one's all about the sticker on the front - "containing extra track I Love Perth". You may have heard it, and the rest, on the Wowee Zowee special edition, but in case you haven't then here's a little treat. If you don't know Pavement (is there anyone here between 25 and 45 who falls into that category?) then this is a good place to start, followed by buying all their records in order...

The a-side is a great track, one of my favourite Pavement numbers. Some great lines, and a tune that will get stuck in your head, guaranteed. 'Gangsters & Pranksters' is also really good, with a killer last line. 'Sagasaw' is alright, but I could take it or leave it. 'I Love Perth', though, is what you're here for. Mike (you'll remember him as the chap who rated Leggy Mambo by Cud as maybe the greatest Indie LP ever) searched for it for years, having heard it on this single, and with good reason, as you're about to find out.

1. Give It A Day
2. Gangsters & Pranksters
3. Sagasaw
4. I Love Perth

Hear.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Train #3/#1 7"

What are the chances? Both tracks on this 7" are exactly 2:03 long. I know. That's the kind of coincidence that makes you wonder, doesn't it..?

Enough of this nonsense. I don't really know anything about either of these songs, other than they're both great. I can't tell you if they're off an LP, or a series of singles, or what. I can't remember where I bought this record, either. What I do know is that 'Train #3' includes a lot of shouting of "explosion", which you can't knock. 'Train #1" has an awesome start. They're both noisy, and they are 100% superb. Really, really great. And it came with a jukebox insert.

"All aboard... THE BLUES EXPLOSION!"

Tickets and fares here.

p.s. I can't help noticing that, after being up for nearly 24 hours, no-one has listened to this record. I should impress upon you all that it is superb, and you should check it out.

Super Furry Animals - Moog Droog EP

Who says I'm not good to you folks? Here, as promised, is the other SFA EP from back in late 1995, before their big break with Creation. This one has an early version (I think it's different to the LP version, anyway) of 'God! Show Me Magic', which was on the first album. This one, like the previous post, is full of good stuff, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when I rediscovered it the other day!

I had a listen to 'Dark Days/Light Years' on Spotify yesterday, flushed with my success of getting round to putting the post up, and it confirmed what I'd suspected for some time - the first album really is their best, in my opinion. The others have plenty of good tracks on them, but there's just something about 'Fuzzy Logic' that does it for me. You can buy 'Fuzzy Logic' and 'Radiator' as one of those double-pack CDs, by the way, and if you don't have them then I'd recommend getting hold of it. I bought 'Radiator' on double-LP, way back, and it plays at 45rpm and lasts about 35 minutes. That's simultaneously very cool and very annoying.

1. PamV?
2. God!Show Me Magic
3. Sali Mali
4. Focus Pocus
4 ½. Debiel

It's here.

Super Furry Animals - Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochynygofod (in space) EP

Here's a treat for y'all. It's the first SFA EP, which came out in 1995, and you won't be too surprised to hear that it holds the world record for the longest EP title ever. This came out before they signed to Creation, on the Ankst label, and somehow I was unusually cool for an afternoon and bought it. Maybe someone told me to. Anyhew, I picked this up somewhre, and also the Moog Droog EP which came out a few months later - which I will post in the future.

The tracks on here are great. Really classic early SFA sounds, all of them, and in Welsh a lot of/all the time. They also put an infinte exit-groove on both sides of this EP, hence the fade-outs! End end of track four, plus the exit groove, are superb. None of the tracks on this record made it on to the first LP, but they are well worth a listen - just the sound of these songs this will take you back...

1. Organ Yn Dy Geg
2. Fix Idris
3. Crys Ti
4. Blerwytirhwng

Here he is. And after the overwhelming response to my question about shifting from Rapidshare (one reply, in favour), it's on Mediafire. Enjoy.

Change of storage?

Hello all.

I've been having a bit of trouble getting stuff off Rapidshare recently - keeps saying that there aren't enough slots for free users at the moment, and I should try later... Is this happening to everyone? Would you prefer me to switch to Mediafire or similar? Please let me know.

dbf

Teenage Fanclub - Teenage Fanclub Have Lost It

Picture the scene... It's 1995, and with £1.49 (in cash) I wander into HMV on Oxford Street. I'm pretty up on what's coming out - I read the NME, listen to Mark and Lard on Radio 1. But... What's this? It's an unexpected gem from Teenage Fanclub! I don't know what the story is behind it, if there is one, but you have here a little EP with an acoustic version of a song from each of the first four LPs. They're played on instruments including (and I quote) shakers, Ibanez analog delay, crotales, flageolet and treble recorder.

It needs no introduction, so please ignore all that. It is:

1. Don't Look Back
2. Everything Flows
3. Starsign
4. 120 Mins.

It's been a while, but here's some more TFC. I've dug out a load of other good stuff too, which will appear shortly...

The Southwest Experimental Pop Band - Skinny 7"

Here's a rarity for y'all. This is The Southwest Experimental Pop Band's 1995 single, the first on their Swarf Finger label, from a limited run of 500. They changed their name fairly early on to The Experimental Pop Band, and did at least a couple of Peel Sessions. If you can find anything else by them then I recommend having a listen to it - it's all good. This was around the heyday of the Bristol 'trip-hop' scene, with Tricky, Massive Attack and Portishead the most famous (and long-lived) of the bands.

The SWEPB were great, though, and not anything like as appreciated as they should be. Their drummer also recorded a demo for a band I was in many, many years ago, and was an exceptionally patient man. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have been, and if anyone's interested I have at least one more 12" of theirs kicking around.

1. Skinny
2. 20th Century Tack

It's yer.

Cud - Sticks And Stones 12"

A friend of mine (hello Mike) saw that I'd been listening to Cud, and stated that their third LP, 'Leggy Mambo' may be the best Indie album ever. Who am I to argue? That said, here's a single off their last (and fifth) record - 'Showbiz'. It's on eMusic, along with 'Leggy Mambo' and 'Elvis Belt', but sadly not 'Asquarius' which was the one I first got into, and so has a special place in my heart. I've got into the rest of their stuff since then, and recommend all of it - there's even a 'best of' if you're feeling lazy.

If you don't know this band, I'd suggest this single is a good place to start. Also, it contains one of my favourite Cud songs ever; 'Ski Bum'. The other two b-sides (those were the days... 12" single, 45rpm, great a-side, three b-sides you'd never heard before, and some more songs on the CD...) are good too.

Lovely stuff. I really recommend this one - been meaning to post it for ages!

1. Sticks And Stones
2. Ski Bum
3. Down The Plug
4. My Keyhole Don't Keep Secrets Anymore

Here's a donkey with a Fez on.