WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY-------A most bountiful scavenge.

The Undertones lamented the disappointment of wednesday week and wednesday's child was reputedly full of woe but wednesday May 27 2009 shall always be known to me as wonderful wednesday. I made a little detour on the way home and squeezed through the doors of a new charity shop just before it closed to discover these :

As if finding these did not visit upon me acres of joy I then won the Dolly Mixture single on ebay to complete my DM collection for a paltry £21. My highest bid was no more than £21.86 and I watched the clock tick down the last four minutes adamant I would bid no higher. No challengers. New Look Baby/Baby It's You can now nuzzle up to the rest of my DM collection.

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 may 22

1 Hardy Boys : Wonderful Lie
2 Camera Obscura : French Navy
3 Fontaines : Bernadette
4 Desk : Astronauts
5 Sneakers : Ruby
6 Nine Steps To Ugly : Eddie Lopez Lives In Slough
7 Loch Ness Mouse : Vespa 50
8 Fontaines : I Want Everything
9 Nine Steps To Ugly : Bobby Charlton's Haircut
10 Josie Cotton : Johnny Are You Queer?
11 Hermit Crabs : Flaxen-Haired Boy
12 Grout : Fast Cars
13 Minisnap : Whistler
14 Painted Word : Independence Day
15 Sarah Goes Shopping : Yet Another Song About "Love And Peace"
16 Anti Social : Traffic Lights
17 Je Suis Animal : Painted In My Face
18 Northern Portrait : Crazy
19 News : 50% Reduction
20 Flying Colours : Abstract Art

Green numbers indicate new entries.

NINE STEPS TO UGLY---------A thing of beauty from Slough

According to Eddie Cochran there are three steps to heaven, a fact that through paranormal channels he could possibly confirm for us. Now if Eddie was the curious type he would have continued climbing the metaphorical stairs until he reached ugly which, according to this band from Slough, exists on a higher plane than heaven. Despite their arcane and clumsy name Nine Steps To Ugly relish constructing a straightforward pop tune.

So who was Eddie Lopez? He was the Labour candidate for Slough in the 1987 and 1992 elections, finishing runner up on both occasions to the Conservatives. If you're anticipating a song in Redskins fire and brimstone mould you'll be disappointed. And if I have to explain to you who Bobby Charlton is I'll be disappointed. Bobby Charlton's Haircut, the second song on this flexi is, I think, obscurely referenced by the unusual placing of the apostrophe in the title of the tune as the song itself pays no tribute to Mr.Charlton's disingenuous wispy fibre formation.

Nine Steps To Ugly was made up of Tracey Owen on vocals, Jim Turner on guitar, Cameron Smillie on guitar, Nick Elson on bass and Dave Best on drums and they played their final gig in June 1989 supported by a Thousand Yard Stare.

nine steps to ugly eddie lopez lives in slough.mp3 -

EYE ON EBAY-----Man of the cloth fills collection box

Fabric fetishist Lawrence Hayward of Felt and Denim fame first etched his name on pop's family tree back in 1979 with this rare single cheaply recorded in his bedroom. Certainly it champions the DIY ethic of the times, though those that heard it thought it should have stayed in his bedroom. I can't offer an opinion having never heard it and I declined to hurl £100+ just to have the privilege.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=230342473182

EYE ON EBAY

If they were behind the sales of their records they could now afford to shop in Selfridges but I think the Dolly Mixture girls will have to live off Happy Talk royalties for a little while longer as I suspect they aren't behind the latest deluge of Dolly Mixture vinyl that has swamped ebay of late. A decent £85 was taken by seller silasgreen5000 but I've seen this item soar over £100 before.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=150346296221

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 may 15

1 Camera Obscura : French Navy
2 Fontaines : Bernadette
3 Nine Steps To Ugly: Eddie Lopez Lives In Slough
4 Sneakers : Ruby
5 Fontaines : I Want Everything
6 Loch Ness Mouse : Vespa 50
7 Josie Cotton : Johnny Are You Queer?
8 Hermit Crabs : Flaxen-Haired Boy
9 Painted Word : Independence Day
10 Desk : Astronauts
11 Minisnap : Whistler
12 Sarah Goes Shopping : Yet Another Song About "Love And Peace"
13 News : 50% Reduction
14 Anti Social : Traffic Lights
15 Je Suis Animal : Painted In My Face
16 Devils Hole Gang : Isn't It
17 B-Team : All I Ever Wanted
18 Flying Colours : Abstract Art
19 Northern Portrait : Crazy
20 Kamikaze Pilots : Sharon Signs To Cherry Red

Green numbers indicate new entries.

EYE ON EBAY----Mod moves in mysterious ways.

Ed Ball produced the Reflection AOB 12" and the seller was proud to claim his copy had been signed by trumpeter Wiggy. I can outdo him as my copy has been signed by all seven band members. Mod revival exports from Essex long after that scene had fizzled out, they recorded this, their only single, in July 1986. I have a spare so if anyone wants to offer me £62 for my signed copy I'm waiting.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=360154381444

FONTAINES

Recorded in three days in August 1987 this superior independent release vaulted into the pop world to a clamour of indifference. Unfair treatment indeed. With lyrics redolent of Morrissey after an all night kitchen sink drama video session they may well have been ready to perch on the throne of misery the Smiths were about to vacate. Nothing more was forthcoming though and this slice of pulchritudinous pop was consigned to the carrier bag of discarded dreams.

The band consisted of Brian Green on vocals, Duane Fontaine on guitar, Louis Jones on guitar, Andy Reynolds on bass and Ed Grimshaw on drums. I had an email from Dr. Andy Reynolds who tells me that Louis Jones and Ed Grimshaw went on to form the Warm Jets and Brian Green went on to record an LP with Hugh Cornwell, then went to Nashville and now teaches song-writing MA in Bath. Apparently there exist videos of the band performing other songs which may one day appear on Youtube. Dr.Reynolds is now a reader in medieval archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology in London. Perhaps five hundred years from now someone will dig up an old Fontaines record and marvel at this gleaming example of mid eighties pop.

fontaines i want everything.mp3 -

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 may 8

1 Nine Steps To Ugly : Eddie Lopez Lives In Slough
2 Sneakers : Ruby
3 Fontaines : I Want Everything
4 Fontaines : Bernadette
5 Camera Obscura : French Navy
6 Josie Cotton : Johnny Are You Queer?
7 News : 50% Reduction
8 Je Suis Animal : Painted In My Face
9 Sarah Goes Shopping : Yet Another Song About "Love And Peace"
10 Hermit Crabs : Flaxen-Haired Boy
11 Loch Ness Mouse : Vespa 50
12 Painted Word : Independence Day
13 Minisnap : Whistler
14 B-Team : All I Ever Wanted
15 Devils Hole Gang : Isn't It
16 Flying Colours : Abstract Art
17 Northern Portrait : Crazy
18 Kamikaze Pilots : Sharon Signs To Cherry Red
19 Anti-Social : Traffic Lights
20 Stormclouds : Lost In Space

Green numbers indicate new entries.

EYE ON EBAY-----Double scoop of dolly mixture.

Oxfam chic and St.Etienne connections are enough to stoke up no small interest among twee indie collectors. Not surprisingly these two singles by the saccharine-soaked Dolly Mixture brought in a reasonable return for the sellers. In fact I've never seen Remember This sell for £50+, a more likely price would be around the £40 mark.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=330326924597

Meanwhile Baby It's You went for a meek £27.71. I should have bid as it remains the one Dolly Mixture record I need and the longing for it is becoming like a toothache.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=200337780715

UP NORTH-----A TRIP TO HUDDERSFIELD TO VISIT RECORD SHOP "WALL OF SOUND"

Your host and Jeanette Leech, avid record collector and struggling author, meet in a Huddersfield car park for a day of scavenging. Note the man in the background trying to disembowel the ticket machine; the recession has arrived.

It's not all about records. Outside Oxfam with our purchases, books about Henry Green, Japanese pop culture and er....a record by the Sadista Sisters.

See that's why the shop is called Wall Of Sound. For all you geeks out there, I'm sorry but I do not have a list of all those records clinging to the wall.

"Look I've found a record. I think I might like this one. It's from the sixties and a girl is singing the tune." Jeanette is modelling special glasses with lenses with super magnification designed to locate any vinyl imperfections. Red jacket is optional.

An old man is shocked by the colourful sleeves the records come dressed in. "In my day the little ones came in paper sleeves and the big ones span around faster." Your coffin awaits, sir.

Some people just can't resist showing off their DJ skills. Real DJ's know that things work better with two decks.

It's a pub and someone is drinking coffee! Meanwhile a man with a purple paunch has turned into a vinyl hybrid. He's half a School Of Seven Bells LP and half The Sound Of Wonder compilation.

That's the best Huddersfield could offer although we did buy the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart LP as well but it was too shy to come out of the bag.

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 may 1

1 Fontaines : I Want Everything
2 Josie Cotton : Johnny Are You Queer?
3 Je Suis Animal : Painted In My Face
4 Nine Steps To Ugly : Eddie Lopez Lives In Slough
5 Sarah Goes Shopping : Yet Another Song About "Love And Peace"
6 Sneakers : Ruby
7 Camera Obscura : French Navy
8 News : 50% Reduction
9 Devils Hole Gang : Isn't It
10 Fontaines : Bernadette
11 Hermit Crabs : Flaxen-Haired Boy
12 B-Team : All I Ever Wanted
13 Loch Ness Mouse : Vespa 50
14 Stormclouds : Lost In Space
15 Kamikaze Pilots : Sharon Signs To Cherry Red
16 Flying Colurs : Abstract Art
17 Minisnap : Whistler
18 Scoop : You Can Do It
19 Northern Portrait : Crazy
20 Relations : Brainwashed And Blowdried

Green numbers indicate new entries.

EYE ON EBAY-------Lpman selection.

The mighty Lpman offered up rarities from the R section of his collection.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/The-RIVALS-on-Ace-Future-Rights-U-K_W0QQitemZ270370104514QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_on_Vinyl?hash=item270370104514&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A13%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/REVENGE-on-Loony-Were-Not-Gonna-Take-It-U-K_W0QQitemZ270368051569QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_on_Vinyl?hash=item270368051569&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A13%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/The-RESIDENTS-on-Ralph-Satisfaction-173-200_W0QQitemZ270367546244QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_on_Vinyl?hash=item270367546244&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A13%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/The-RED-LIGHTS-on-Free-Range-Never-Wanna-Leave-U-K_W0QQitemZ270366545679QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_on_Vinyl?hash=item270366545679&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A13%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RADIO-CITY-on-Media-Wave-Love-And-A-Picture-U-K_W0QQitemZ270359307089QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_on_Vinyl?hash=item270359307089&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A13%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A2%7C294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RATTUS-on-Hilipili-Khomeini-Rock-FINNISH-RARE_W0QQitemZ270359832353QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_on_Vinyl?hash=item270359832353&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A13%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A2%7C294%3A50

EYE ON EBAY-------15 year old girls go cheap in Wales

Welsh punk doesn't come much finer than Y Trwynau Coch's song extolling the virtues of fifteen year old girls. Not being fluent in Welsh I'm not sure what those virtues are and having encountered gangs of teenage girls in the street I'm puzzled as to why Y Trwynau Coch find them so likeable, apart from the obvious reason. On the Isle Of Wight the boys are even more hasty to explore the opposite sex, witness Henry Essence's 14 Year Old Lover; but after all, as Johnny Logan said, what's another year?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=110384863150

TURNTBLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 april 24

1 Fontaines : I Want Everything
2 Josie Cotton : Johnny Are You Queer?
3 Sarah Goes Shopping : Yet Another Song About "Love And Peace"
4 Devils Hole Gang : Isn't It
5 Kamikaze Pilots : Sharon Signs To Cherry Red
6 Stormclouds : Lost In Space
7 B-Team : All I Ever Wanted
8 Scoop : You Can Do It
9 Je Suis Animal : Painted In My Face
10 Relations : Brainwashed And Blowdried
11 Hot Rain : It's A Lie
12 Northern Portrait : Crazy
13 Flying Colours : Abstract Art
14 Toys : My Mind Wanders
15 Sister Rain : Burt Reynolds
16 Golinski Brothers : Bloody
17 Nick Halliwell And The Gift : It'll End In Tears
18 Comet Gain : Books Of California
19 Dancette : Going Green
20 Dancing Bears : She's My Girl

Green numbers indicate new entries.

FLYING COLOURS-------Art for music's sake.

Did the Beatles invent powerpop? Was it then purloined by the Americans to enliven the seventies? What is the best powerpop song of all time? Is it I Thought You Wanted To Know by Chris Stamey And The DB's? Or I Need That Record by the Tweeds? Or Go All The Way by the Raspberries? Or Teen Line by the Shivvers? Or is it, unlike the aforementioned all American line up, by a British band called Flying Colours? A song with a killer chorus which includes the line "she has a cube instead of a heart" somehow failed to inspire the public to man their paint pots and flourish their brushes. This sister song to My Baby Does Good Sculptures by the Rezillos should have decorated the charts for weeks, instead it sold as many paintings as Van Gogh did during his lifetime. On this ocassion it was the public who had cut their ears off. How could one not be attracted to the tale of a boy who doesn't understand his artistic girlfriend and her penchant for painting green-faced women with purple hair? To him it's a load of Pollocks.

Flying Colours was Tony Love on guitars, John Barton on guitar, Russell Young on bass and vocals and Dave O'Regan on drums. Abstract Art, released in 1981, was their only single and it was backed by a tedious instrumental. Now did the Pleasers invent Thamesbeat? Discuss.

flying colours abstract art.mp3 -

A Scavenge In South London

Yesterday I ventured into the dark and dank South London suburbs. As capitalism teeters on the edge of the crater of oblivion I was expecting to find charity shops full to the brim with credit-crunched scourers. But the usual crowd of bored teenage mothers, escaped lunatics and muddled pensioners greeted me. It's like a convention of the careless in the community out there. Anyway I offered a helping hand to Third Finger Left Hand by the Pearls, a 70's girl group who had a substantial hit with a song called Guilty (no.10 in 1974). TFLH brooded around the top thirty for six weeks back in 1972 and was their first chart success.

Meanwhile among the LP's I had unpleasant slog through prog. Genesis, Caravan (again) and some geezer from Uriah Heep with an unremarkable solo effort. Other LP's included stuff by Nasty Pop, Charlie and Simon Boswell who ended up in Advertising (the band, not the business).
Simon's LP was called Mind Parasites and was, and probably still is, a mediocre effort according to 45 Revs. Out of desperate curiosity I bought the Charlie LP. I'm listening to it now and if I make it to the end (which I doubt) I have Inflammable Material to hand to act as an antidote.

EYE ON EBAY------OverReacta

The amazing Lpman returns with another punky gem. A staggering £187+ is paid for this one off release by Reacta. I paid less than a third of that for my copy off ebay about a year ago.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270359844552

WHAT I WON ON EBAY

Having seen the Shitbirds' Oh Joy (it features the delectable April March) single slip through my grasp twice in recent weeks, once for £33+ and again for only £15+ I was ecstatic to see it appear a third time at the starting price of £5. I then forgot all about it and failed to bid. Fortunately nobody did and the seller put it back on at £2.50. This time it attracted a bid. But it was a tame effort and I won it for less than a fiver. One of those rare ebay stories with a happy ending.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=280335915244

EYE ON EBAY-----Nothing to do with Beatle George

A mad scrambling in the indiepop undergrowth was predicted when the Harrison single appeared. And so it came to pass. These Birmingham boys, or from somewhere near that urban dystopia anyway, can always guarantee a three figure sum for the seller. If you're intrigued to hear it go to Youtube and put in Harrison C86 in the search facility.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=200330988909

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 april 17

1 Sarah Goes Shopping : Yet Another Song About "Love And Peace"
2 B-Team : All I Ever Wanted
3 Kamikaze Pilots : Sharon Signs To Cherry Red
4 Relations : Brainwashed And Blowdried
5 Fontaines : I Want Everything
6 Scoop : You Can Do It
7 Stormclouds : Lost In Space
8 Hot Rain : It's A Lie
9 Josie Cotton : Johnny Are You Queer?
10 Je Suis Animal : Painted In My Face
11 Toys : My Mind Wanders
12 Flying Colours : Abstract Art
13 Golinski Brothers : Bloody
14 Dancing Bears : She's My Girl
15 Northern Portrait : Crazy
16 Devils Hole Gang : Isn't It
17 Comet Gain : Books Of California
18 Sister Rain : Burt Reynolds
19 C-Saim : Give And Take
20 Dancette : Going Green

Green numbers indicate new entries.

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.