Turntable Revolution Record Collection 24

Pay No More Than 57p For Old News

There are signs of recovery in the high street; only this week I salvaged the News single 50% Reduction from a local charity shop. That's a few weeks after discovering Bloody by the Golinski Brothers in another local charity shop. Scavenging of late had been a joyless task, there's little mirth to be found in discovering piles of Yes LP's for £1 or myriad Blaster Bates LP's, notwithstanding the schoolyard smirk his name brings to one's lips. Tales of chimney blasting or topographic oceans tend to send me into a Rip Van Winkle-like slumber. I paid 50p for the News single which seemed only fair as it had Limited Edition Pay No More Than 57p emblazoned on the label. I have the A side on a comp so it was the B side that fascinated me most. Called High Society it sounds like a musical punch up between Sparks, Sweet and Classix Nouveau which may sound grim but does acquire a sneaky charm after four plays.

On a more prosaic note I also came across two Caravan LP's, In The Land Of Grey And Pink and Waterloo Lily. Now I'm not going to discuss the merits of Caravan, I hardly feel qualified to as they were a little before my time, but burdening both LP's with a £25 price tag seems excessive. That's what they're worth in the RRPG but they have to be in mint condition to deserve that valuation. A high price of £50 was tagged onto Fresh Cream by Cream. In mint condition fine but these LP's weren't. And £10 for Queen 2. That's not even in the RRPG. (Not that I'm claiming the RRPG is infallible; the News single is worth at least £20 and it doesn't merit an entry). This was Oxfam, famous for overpricing, and though I don't begrudge them getting the highest price for their wares I only hope these LP's aren't going to be sitting there for six months. That doesn't benefit anyone.

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 april 10

1 B-Team : All I Ever Wanted
2 Relations : Brainwashed And Blowdried
3 Sarah Goes Shopping : Yet Another Song About "Love And Peace"
4 Kamikaze Pilots : Sharon Sings To Cherry Red
5 Scoop : You Can Do It
6 Golinski Brothers : Bloody
7 Fontaines : I Want Everything
8 Toys : My Mind Wanders
9 Hot Rain : It's A Lie
10 Dancing Bears : She's My Girl
11 Flying Colours : Abstract Art
12 Comet Gain : Books Of California
13 Sister Rain : Burt Reynolds
14 Stormclouds : Lost In Space
15 C-Saim : Give And Take
16 Je Suis Animal : Painted In My Face
17 Northern Portrait : Crazy
18 Dancette : Going Green
19 Screen 3 : City Of Souls
20 Elephant Noise : Remember The Big Time

Green numbers indicate new entries.

EYE ON EBAY------------No Way, yes way.

Lpman returns with a single from Stockton's No Way. Only 500 copies were pressed and the sale price, a few pence short of £300, reflects its rarity. Two members of the band went on to play in the Amazing Space Frogs. One wonders what remains in Lpman's attic. Want to hear one of the tracks? Seek out a copy of Bored Teenagers 1 which won't cost you £300. If it does you've been ripped off.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270345992658

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 april 3

1 Golinski Brothers : Bloody
2 Sarah Goes Shopping : Yet Another Song About "Love And Peace"
3 B-Team : All I Ever Wanted
4 Relations : Brainwashed And Blowdried
5 Toys : My Mind Wanders
6 Scoop : You Can Do It
7 Comet Gain : Books Of California
8 Kamikaze Pilots : Sharon Signs To Cherry Red
9 Flying Colours : Abstract Art
10 Sister Rain : Burt Reynolds
11 Dancette : Going Green
12 C-Saim : Give And Take
13 Fontaines : I Want Everything
14 Go Sailor : Fine Day For Sailing
15 Screen 3 : City Of Souls
16 Dancing Bears : She's My Girl
17 Northern Portrait : Crazy
18 Hot Rain : It's A Lie
19 Elephant Noise : Remember The Big Time
20 Patsy Ann Noble : Tied Up With Mary

Green numbers indicate new entries.

WHAT I LOST ON EBAY----------Not quite as extinct as the Dodo

A four track EP of great rarity, the Sex, Violence And The Eternal Truth 7" contains contributions from the Dodos, Venom, Lost Boys and What To Wear. The seller had the initiative to treat potential buyers to a clip of What To Wear's We're The Martians Now which was rather wonderful. Slightly superior to anything on their earlier EP which rarely visits ebay, although when it did as a Buy It Now for about £5 I was quick to pounce. My luck ran out around the £60
mark on this though, the final total being £144.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=180343071913

EYE ON EBAY-------A sentiment I'd only apply to certain oligarchs

First heard Carl Gustav And The 84's on a Messthetics CD. That track was the B side, Through Birds, Through Fire, But Not Through Glass which was an interesting post punk effort. Never heard the A side, I Want To Kill Russians, but am annoyed I didn't risk a punt on this as it went cheaply.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=110374285967

EYE ON EBAY--------They'll eat your daughters' peaches

With that fun festival of frivolity the Elton John fashion parade, more commonly known as the Eurovision song contest, looming on the horizon like an inverted rainbow it's time to look back to a time when a punk band unsuccessfully attempted to represent England in that clownish carnival. Door In My Face was an apt title for the Fruit Eating Bears' song as they promptly had their faces slammed into it. I can actually remember seeing them perform the song on a BBC programme dedicated to find the UK representative. I think the general public telephoned in votes and I'm sure they came last. Rock Bottom, a prophetic name in view of our recent performances at Eurovision, was chosen that year, I think, sung by Lynsey De Paul and some bloke who looked like Mr. Lucas from Are You Being Served? These days a slice of vintage punk might ensure we at least get 10 points. If the atrocious Lordi can win it..............

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=390040039484

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 mar 27

1 Golinski Brothers : Bloody
2 Comet Gain : Books Of California
3 Toys : My Mind Wanders
4 Sister Rain : Burt Reynolds
5 Flying Colours : Abstract Art
6 Go Sailor : Fine Day For Sailing
7 C-Saim : Give And Take
8 Dancette : Going Green
9 Screen 3 : City Of Souls
10 Pete Green : Everything I Do Is Gonna Be Sparkly
11 Northern Portrait : Crazy
12 Patsy Ann Noble : Tied Up With Mary
13 Carrots : Doing Our Part
14 Elephant Noise : Remember The Big Time
15 Clay People : Wreathes And Seashells
16 Sarah Goes Shopping : Yet Another Song About "Love And Peace"
17 Small World : First Impressions
18 Northern Portrait : I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me
19 Pocketbooks : Falling Leaves
20 Cold War : The Machinist

Green numbers indicate new entries.

EYE ON EBAY------For gold-plated tomato soup

Extremely rare despite it being on Logo the Tinopeners 7" causes much excitement and leaves Remunj £391.60 the poorer. Highly rated by those in the know but I remain uncognizant of this record's charms. Go on, enlighten me someone.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=320353439576

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 mar 20

1 Toys : My Mind Wanders
2 Golinski Brothers : Bloody
3 Flying Colours : Abstract Art
4 Comet Gain : Books Of California
5 Dancette : Going Green
6 Pete Green : Everything I Do Is Gonna Be Sparkly
7 Go Sailor : Fine Day For Sailing
8 Sister Rain : Burt Reynolds
9 Patsy Ann Noble : Tied Up With Mary
10 Clay People : Wreathes And Seashells
11 Carrots : Doing Our Part
12 Northern Portrait : Crazy
13 Elephant Noise : Remember The Big Time
14 Screen 3 : City Of Souls
15 C-Saim : Give And Take
16 Small World : First Impressions
17 Pocketbooks : Falling Leaves
18 Cold War : The Machinist
19 Sarah Goes Shopping : Once I've Seen Him
20 Northern Portrait : I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me

Green numbers indicate new entries.

EYE ON EBAY--------Nothing is free

I have visions of Lpman planning a round the world trip. His latest sale for a single by the Nothing plus twelve other 7" records raises him a staggering £1,129.62. That should get him as far as New Zealand. I know nothing about the Nothing but they mean something to somebody.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270348900394

THE SCOOP----------So good ladies took their clothes off for them.

The Daily Mail, the paper which helps the ignorant become the misinformed ignorant, would shudder at this lewd cover. There is something of the MacBethian-hag-at-cauldron look about these two unashamed nudes disporting themselves on the cover of the Scoop's single. The longer I gaze on them the more a certain actress named Patricia Hodge comes to mind.

Musically the Scoop delight in amateurish mod-friendly unfussy tunes a little reminiscent of the Head. The band consisted of Martyn Clapson on lead guitar/vocals, Sam Hodgkin on vocals, James Morris on bass guitar and John Turner on drums and vocals. The record was released in the dying days of the seventies on the band's own label Sharp. In early 1981 they recorded a tape only LP before being ladled into the great incinerator of obscurity.

scoop anonymity.mp3 -

WHAT I LOST ON EBAY

Somehow it seems inappropriate to part with prodigous sums of money for an old cassette. Ethics, a fickle principle, call it what you will, it means I won't get to hear the Penny Candles song Sometimes. Just how many songs are called Sometimes? It's been used by Firehose, Erasure, James, Britney Spears and Ash. Yes I know there are more.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220375249953

EYE ON EBAY------Got it on tape, but at a price.

In the grip of some crazy fever a cassette featuring the Penny Candles and the Wallflowers ( from Slough ) sells for a hefty £75. I can't fault anyone for liking the Penny Candles ; this is the second cassette featuring songs unavailable elsewhere as far as I know. How about a Penny Candles retrospective CD? Hull should have something to be proud of, now the football team is sinking fast.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=220383195932

EYE ON EBAY--------Now that's what I call music

Lpman secures another fine wad of cash for the Now's second single on Raw records. That's a rare record but the tracks are easy to obtain so no need to sacrifice £444.71.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270349357588

Singles Slide Show

EYE ON EBAY--------A Luxury I Can Afford

I let this one go as I have both sides on a CD comp. The Luxury single though is one of the best American powerpoppers of the late 70's. Both sides are sublime. If I'd had more money to spare I'd have made a handsome bid for it as we all know vinyl has a superior sound to CD. A paltry £28.41 ssecured this gem.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=220376916661

EYE ON EBAY-------What a Scoop

The Scoop's four track EP sells for an invigorating £171. Quite beyond my price range which is why I'm glad I scooped it up a few weeks ago for a tad over £50. I feel a little smug.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=120389209271

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 mar 13

1 Toys : My Mind Wanders
2 Flying Colours : Abstract Art
3 Golinski Brothers : Bloody
4 Comet Gain : Books Of California
5 Patsy Ann Noble : Tied Up With Mary
6 Dancette : Going Green
7 Carrots : Doing Our Part
8 Pete Green : Everything I Do Is Gonna Be Sparkly
9 Go Sailor : Fine Day For Sailing
10 Elephant Noise : Remember The Big Time
11 Cold War : The Machinist
12 Small World : First Impressions
13 Sister Rain : Burt Reynolds
14 Clay People : Wreathes And Seashells
15 Northern Portrait : Crazy
16 Pocketbooks : Falling Leaves
17 Sarah Goes Shopping : Once I've Seen Him
18 Northern Portrait : I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me
19 Aerial FX : So Hard
20 Evening Outs : Channel

Green numbers indicate new entries.

Turntable Revolution Record Collection 23

B-TEAM-------TOO GOOD FOR THE RESERVES

Yesterday a much sought after mod revival single turned up in one of my esteemed haunts, Alan's record shop in East Finchley. The B-Team single was as hard to pin down as the A-Team. Three or four times it refused to succumb to my bidding on ebay. Not in pristine condition but worth the £4 I paid for it as it last sold on ebay for around £60. Outbid at the last that day finding it yesterday was a succulent joy.

Released on the Diamond Record Corporation in 1985 it is apparently the label's eighth attempt at chart success. So what are the others?

The B-Team consisted of Tony Vessey on bass, Kelvin Davis on guitar/vocals, Doug McNair on keyboards and Steve Bessemer on drums. On the sleeve the band are nonchalantly hovering around an E-Type Jag, ostensibly void of all envy but secretly hoping record sales will boost their accounts and enable them to ditch their Vespas and secure ownership of the sleek contraption they are defiantly trying to ignore. What halted their path to glory? Lack of airplay, bad promotion, poor distribution or the uncanny resemblance one of the band has to Jimmy Nail. We can only speculate but the irony is that if one of the band had fifty copies of their single fraternizing with dust in the attic and he released them into ebay world he'd probably be able to buy an E-Type Jag.

b team all i ever wanted.mp3 -

EYE ON EBAY-------It's art, apparently.

Lovely comp with such luminaries as the Gifted Children, Direct Hits, TV Personalities, Pastels, Revolving Paint Dream and the Laughing Apple featuring. It's on Whaam! so the mighty Ed Ball has his over-sized hand involved in this. Fetched a decent £62.60.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=400035934741

WHAT I LOST ON EBAY

Redball records released the Buzz single in 1979. The band were based in Shrewsbury, that hotbed of mischief and militancy. Not satisfied with one stab at fame they poked destiny in the chest by producing an LP but fate refused to bend and they embraced obscurity. I threw a meagre £34 at this and was not surprisingly outbid but the sale price seemed low at £46.57.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=350176086795

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 mar 6

1 Flying Colours : Abstract Art
2 Patsy Ann Noble : Tied Up With Mary
3 Carrots : Doing Our Part
4 Toys : My Mind Wanders
5 Comet Gain : Books Of California
6 Cold War : The Machinist
7 Small World : First Impressions
8 Elephant Noise : Remember The Big Time
9 Dancette : Going Green
10 Pete Green : Everything I Do Is Gonna Be Sparkly
11 Aerial FX : So Hard
12 Pocketbooks : Falling Leaves
13 Sarah Goes Shopping : Once I've Seen Him
14 Go Sailor : Fine Day For Sailing
15 Northern Portrait : I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me
16 Northern Portrait : Crazy
17 Clay People : Wreathes And Seashells
18 Evening Outs : Channel
19 Golinski Brothers : Bloody
20 Field Mice : I Can See Myself Alone Forever

Green numbers inicate new entries.

THIS REPLICA

The girlfriend went on a reconnaissance mission to deepest East Anglia at the weekend. She was officially on a hen weekend but she was secretly scouting for lost pleasures inscribed on shards of plastic. Straying from the battalion of boozy women she stumbled on a dusty junkshop where sunlight hissed in corners like shrivelled snakes. From the vinyl detainees she liberated a single by This Replica from 1988 on the evocatively named Fenrock label. This is the second release on Fenrock; she also returned with Fen 01, Why You Lie by Nutmeg.

This Replica consisted of Darren Walker on vocals and lead and rhythm guitar, Lyndsey Paxton on keyboards, Chris Scurrah on bass guitar and Jim Thorby on drums.

On the cover they appear to be posing in a playground in the grip of deep and original thoughts, perhaps contemplating the onslaught of impending fame that would whisk them away from East Anglian drudgery. Their dreams turned out to be as flat as the fens; but they do have a MySpace page and are still looking for the signpost to success amidst the early morning Norfolk mists.

this replica tunnel vision.mp3 -

EYE ON EBAY--------Kiwi on drugs

Here's an example of antipodean antipathy, the Steroids' Mr.Average sells for a decidedly non-average £163.34. Looks like they were based in my father's home town of Wellington on New Zealand's north island. Completely unknown to me but pricks my interest as it originated from the ancestral home on my paternal side.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=250374581972

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION GIG

May 22 at the Windmill in Brixton should be the first Turntable Rev gig. Featuring the Understudies and My Raining Stars. I still haven't sorted out a headline band. I have tried to get Ed Ball and the School but they are unavailable. The School are playing at the Cavern in Liverpool that night.

Are you a headline act? Are you of a indie/powerpop nature? That is if you sound like Orange Juice, Buzzcocks or Heavenly I'd be interested. Even if you only sound a little like them. Or if you sound like, or indeed are, any band on the Fortuna Pop, Cloudberry, Moshi Moshi, Elefant, Siesta, Wee Pop or Matinee labels get in touch.

WHAT I LOST ON EBAY

A tentative bid and all was lost. Admittedly I have no idea who Harvest were or what they sound like but the words powerpop caught me in its crab-like claws and I wriggled to break free. Which I did and it was not me that paid £92. This single appeared on ebay a few weeks back and sold for just over £100. Have I missed out on a classic?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110355280191&ssPageName=STRK:MEDW:IT&ih=001

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 feb 27

1 Flying Colours : Abstract Art
2 Carrots : Doing Our Part
3 Small World : First Impressions
4 Pocketbooks : Falling Leaves
5 Elephant Noise : Remember The Big Time
6 Aerial FX : So Hard
7 Sarah Goes Shopping : Once I've Seen Him
8 Patsy Ann Noble : Tied Up With Mary
9 Cold War : The Machinist
10 Dancette : Going Green
11 Northern Portrait : I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me
12 Pete Green : Everything I Do Is Gonna Be Sparkly
13 Northern Portrait : Crazy
14 Comet Gain : Books Of California
15 Field Mice : I Can See Myself Alone Forever
16 Evening Outs : Channel
17 Pale Fountains : (Don't Let Your Love) Start A War
18 Toys : My Mind Wanders
19 Fallover 24 : Pessimistic Man
20 Clamber : Choose The Way

Green numbers indicate new entries.