Friday, October 30, 2009

Dawn Chorus


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DAWN CHORUS AND THE BLUE TITS

I've come over all mid-eighties pop so my apologies to those who find a tune a little tiresome but you can voice your displeasure after you've heard this heavily treated version of When You Walk In The Room. Made palatable by the Searchers in the sixties this Ullmanesque experiment failed to meet with a dawn chorus of approval, as did their other two singles, one being a cover of Teenage Kicks, no doubt an attempt to curry favour with John Peel. Liz Kershaw, Andy's sister, was in the band, she maybe the singer, there are scant details on the sleeve, and I can picture her pestering Peel to play this. Rumour has thrown Carol Vorderman into the mix too but I'm sceptical about that though maybe she counted the band in. For a while Dawn Chorus And The Blue Tits records were top of the tree on Japanese collectors' lists; I think they perch on a lower branch now. I found this last week in a charity shop in Notting Hill for £1. The wonderful Jackie De Shannon wrote the song, fact fans.

Music will be uploaded in the next 24 hours.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

EYE ON EBAY

Under the guise of the Cardiacs I saw this lot live a couple of times at the Marquee. Over the years they built up a ferocious following; many swooned over their cabaret prog indie recipe and whether you loved them or not they were always entertaining. Originally known as Cardiac Arrest this debut release on Tortch usually gives good return for the seller but the final price of £134.32 is the highest I've seen it sell for. Advisable not to bid on this if you have a weak heart.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380169320607&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

EYE ON EBAY

It's cold wave, it's minimal synth, it's enough to encourage a huge outlay of £144. This is Betrayal by Secession. It's also on the Garden label and it's Scottish. And extremely rare the seller assures us so it got Bidder 6 excited and he ousted Bidder 1 from the top of the auction tree. Me, I haven't an inkling who this lot were and I wasn't prepared to pay enormous sums to find out.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200394742686&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 oct 23

1 Three Dancers : Seventeen
2 Pete Green : Best Band Supported By "Shockwaves"
3 Peppelkade 14 : Hour After Hour
4 L Kage : My Head's On Fire
5 Manhattan Love Suicides : Kessler Syndrome
6 Claim : Mrs. Shepherd
7 Two People : Let's Raise Murder
8 Absent Friends : Stand Up And Fight
9 Lost Boys : Who Are The Meek Ones?
10 Pheromoans : Suburban Despot
11 Distant Cousins : Concrete Boxes
12 What To Wear : We're The Martians Now
13 Screen 3 : European Journey
14 Joni Dee And The Times : Here Come The Holidays
15 A Classic Education : Best Regards
16 English McCoy : Give Me Something To Believe In
17 Beware The Dog : Madam
18 Single File : Out In The Traffic
19 Lovely Eye : Don't Look Down The Road
20 Dodos : Blind To Fiction

Green numbers indicate new entries.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

EYE ON EBAY-----Viral epidemic

Reminding us of those dimly-lit days in the early seventies when we often lived by candlelight the Jermz delivered a vicious little punk tune called Power Cut. Their only legacy, it's a fine effort and had a flurry of collectors showing an interest. And once one appeared selling for £292.89.......http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360193628779&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

......another two surfaced, the first accruing £315 whilst the second failed to exceed the £200 mark selling for a paltry £129.97.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370271422872&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320434514503&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 oct 16

1 L Kage : My Head's On Fire
2 Pete Green : Best Band Supported By "Shockwaves"
3 Manhattan Love Suicides : Kessler Syndrome
4 Two People : Let's Raise Murder
5 Lost Boys : Who Are The Meek Ones?
6 Peppelkade 14 : Hour After Hour
7 Distant Cousins : Concrete Boxes
8 Three Dancers : Seventeen
9 Absent Friends : Stand Up And Fight
10 What To Wear : We're The Martians Now
11 Venom : Later On
12 English McCoy : Give Me Something To Believe In
13 Pheromoans : Suburban Despot
14 Claim : Mrs. Shepherd
15 Beware The Dog : Madam
16 Joni Dee And The Times : Here Come The Holidays
17 Single File : Out In The Traffic
18 Dodos : Blind To Fiction
19 Screen 3 : European Journey
20 White Town : A New Surprise

Green numbers indicate new entries

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

EYE ON EBAY-------More from Medway

Modern mods the Claim return with a 12" EP called This Pencil Was Obviously Sharpened By A Left Handed Indian Knife Thrower. What passes for humour in Kent may not raise a titter in Middlesex but that notwithstanding this was claimed for £26. One I intend to pick up one day when the price is right; it wasn't this time.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180418321223&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

EYE ON EBAY-----The unloved

Two singles here that failed to seduce punters.
First an effort by Apes In Control. This has generated minor interest in the past but this time out bidders stayed away.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350265196327&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Next a fascinating, if flawed, attempt at being experimental in an extremely tentative way, by long forgotten galactic travellers Faraway Stars. I put this on the blog many months back to a fairly indifferent response. Even less response on ebay. No takers at the low starting bid of 99p.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120480018816&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 oct 9

1 L Kage : My Head's On Fire
2 Manhattan Love Suicides : Kessler Syndrome
3 Two People : Let's Raise Murder
4 Distant Cousins : Concrete Boxes
5 Pete Green : Best Band Supported By "Shockwaves"
6 Lost Boys : Who Are The Meek Ones?
7 What To Wear : We're The Martians Now
8 Venom : Later On
9 Peppelkade 14 : Hour After Hour
10 Beware The Dog : Madam
11 Dodos : Blind To Fiction
12 Absent Friends : Stand Up And Fight
13 Single File : Out In The Traffic
14 Moving Targets : The Boys Own
15 English McCoy : Give Me Something To Believe In
16 Home And Abroad : Alison (Please Don't Fall)
17 Help Stamp Out Loneliness : Record Shop
18 White Town : A New Surprise
19 Felt Tips : My Girlfriend Tried To Run Me Over
20 Sister Rain : Window Cowboys

Friday, October 16, 2009

EYE ON EBAY-----El of a way to go

It always surprises me that the El label doesn't attract more interest. A bastion of eccentric musical outpourings of a very British nature El consciously dodged the mainstream eighties music scene so successfully their accountants would have needed the creativity of Mozart to have kept them in the black. This very excellent Would Be Goods single, the band are one of my girlfriend's favourites, mustered no more than £6.50 in the ebay arena.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290354940362&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

EYE ON EBAY------Claim on

Something from Medway that isn't Billy Childish, the Claim are much revered among indiepop types who have reacted positively to their inner mod. A single called Loser's Corner, could that be an ode to unlucky ebay bidders? Only if the band were prone to premonitions as this was released long before ebay. Sold for £14.99, a fairly low price.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130334878752&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

EYE ON EBAY-------Seize the day

A £26.36 smash and seize for this fine spiky effort by the Seize. Thirteen bids were spread between seven bidders.

http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=290357440403

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

EYE ON EBAY-------Tiny riot

A minor scuffle and this raucous classic by the Mekons sells for a penny over £27. I remember buying Never Been In A Riot in Rough Trade some thirty years back and being overwhelmed by its potent racket.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300352706808&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

EYE ON EBAY-----An early Spring

From damp and dreary Scotland came April Showers and, their name notwithstanding, their single had all the sunny gorgeousness of Aztec Camera or Friends Again at their most uplifting. Even with Chrysalis behind it this single drowned without a trace. Valued in the 2008 RRPG at £100 it collected the seller 20% of that. I found my copy in Marylebone High Street Oxfam for 99p.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120475826912&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

EYE ON EBAY------Queue getting smaller

This faux jazzy pop number from Queue Dance would have had feet tapping in a wine bar in 1987 but in 2009 fingers were almost still on keyboards as this sold for a meagre £17.57. Has sold for twice that in the past.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140349759591&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 oct 2

1 Two People : Let's Raise Murder
2 Distant Cousins : Concrete Boxes
3 Dodos : Blind To Fiction
4 Single File : Out In The Traffic
5 What To Wear : We're The Martians Now
6 Beware The Dog : Madam
7 L Kage : My Head's On Fire
8 Lost Boys : Who Are The Meek Ones?
9 Venom : Later On
10 Peppelkade 14 : Hour After Hour
11 Home And Abroad : Alison (Please Don't Fall)
12 Moving Targets : The Boys Own
13 Felt Tips : My Girlfriend Tried To Run Me Over
14 Pete Green : Best Band Supported By "Shockwaves"
15 White Town : A New Surprise
16 Help Stamp Out Loneliness : Record Shop
17 Manhattan Love Suicides : Kessler Syndrome
18 Sister Rain : Window Cowboys
19 English McCoy : Give Me Something To Believe In
20 Absent Friends : Stand Up And Fight

Green numbers indicate new entries

Thursday, October 8, 2009

EYE ON EBAY--------Early riser

Reference books are a thing of wonder, aren't they? But are they to be trusted? To safeguard the author from plagiarism said books have been known to invent facts. Even the A-Z has the odd false street marked in it. Waylaid by the wonder of a band called Morning Spunk found in 45 Revs I doubted the veracity of the entry. From what spurt of imagination did this name ooze? Whereas the Sex Pistols was a reasonably witty moniker what was amusing about a name possibly inspired by a dawn greeting from a chipper Australian?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400076146697&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

But there's the £80 proof. Two naked girls drenched in a deluge of man jam adorn the cover; or alternatively they've just stepped out of the shower together. Released only in Italy, land of Berlusconi and topless TV presenters, the band shot their load of talent to little effect. Perhaps their brand of sleazy sex was a little premature, thirty years on Italy seems ready for them now.

EYE ON EBAY----Gets on my wick

The Penny Candles came from Hull, the place the Devil created for his kingdom, misspelling it so a vengeful God couldn't find him, and it rather annoyed me when their wonderful jangular 12" sold for a mere £23.55. I paid almost double for mine. Light a candle for me and fling a penny or two my way.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330362755570&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Friday, October 2, 2009

TURNTABLE REVOLUTION TOP 20 sept 25

1 Two People : Let's Raise Murder
2 What To Wear : We're The Martians Now
3 Moving Targets : The Boys Own
4 Distant Cousins : Concrete Boxes
5 Dodos : Blind To Fiction
6 Single File : Out In The Traffic
7 Beware The Dog : Madam
8 Home And Abroad : Alison (Please Don't Fall)
9 Venom : Later On
10 White Town : A New Surprise
11 Lost Boys : Who Are The Meek Ones?
12 Felt Tips : My Girlfriend Tried To Run Me Over
13 Help Stamp Out Loneliness : Record Shop
14 Famous Five : Take Over
15 Sister Rain : Window Cowboys
16 Peppelkade 14 : Hour After Hour
17 English McCoy : Give Me Something To Believe In
18 Little My : Guess Who
19 Downdime : Hate The Mornings
20 Smittens : What Do We Do Now?

Green numbers indicate new entries.