The Cure ‘Seventeen Seconds’ UK Cassette (Fiction, FIXC004, 1980)

In selecting the items that appear on this blog, there’s no particular rhyme or reason. Sometimes I’ll choose to focus on genuinely rare and elusive items, other times go into almost forensic detail in displaying the contents of a particular re-issue or special edition – and on occasions like this, choose something that is not especially rare or unique but just has a little something odd from the more common release.

Cassettes are often one of those things that people could care less for. And with good reason – for a good long while they were (in the UK at any rate) very much the poor relation of the format family – often more expensive than the vinyl LP, but coming with only a a bare minimum of packaging – lyrics? inner sleeve? picture label? poster? gatefold? Nahh… just a simple J-card inlay with nary so much as any picture apart from the front. And more often than not hissy in the sound quality department. Little wonder they had their detractors.

This particular Cure cassette is a prime example of the bare minimum of packaging. (Not, I hasten to add, that the original vinyl LP pushed the boat out either, it didn’t even come with an inner lyric sleeve initially.) To be fair though, cassettes did have their moment in the sun for a period in the ’80s with the advent of the Walkman – then fold-out lyrics inserts, chrome quality and extra tracks would regularly be added as enticements.

The Cure 'Seventeen Seconds' cassette
^ The Cure ‘Seventeen Seconds’ cassette

Continue reading “The Cure ‘Seventeen Seconds’ UK Cassette (Fiction, FIXC004, 1980)”

Button badge goodness: Propaganda

Sold on their 1985 ‘Outside World’ tour, this small metal/enamel badge, delightfully inscribed with the legend, ‘The Propaganda Wish’ adds a dash of icy cool ‘Abba from Hell’ synth rock sophistication to any lapel!

'The Propaganda Wish' -metal/enamel badge sold on the Propaganda 1985 'Outside World' tour
^ \’The Propaganda Wish\’ -metal/enamel badge sold on the Propaganda 1985 \’Outside World\’ tour

Wire – ‘IBTABA’ UK ‘Chain With No Name’ limited edition postcards and print LP edition (Mute, STUMM66, 1989)

Wire’s ’80s releases on Mute records seem to have been the source of much debate on their worth, in print and amongst the Wire community, the most common complaint being the ’80s production sheen. Wire have been the subject of various biographies and the views of the members themselves have surfaced in these, often with certain levels of distance and disdain to the Mute era work evident. ‘It’s Beginning To And Back Again’ (IBTABA) is a curious release in that it appeared within a year of 1988’s ‘A Bell Is A Cup Until It is Struck’, containing five re-recordings of LP tracks and a B side of that period, the first inklings perhaps of unease with the previous album’s production. The title itself is recycled, hailing from the lyric (or text, as Graham Lewis might prefer it) for ‘German Shepherds’.

Wire 'IBTABA' LP front cover design
^ Wire ‘IBTABA’ LP front cover design

Continue reading “Wire – ‘IBTABA’ UK ‘Chain With No Name’ limited edition postcards and print LP edition (Mute, STUMM66, 1989)”

John Foxx – ‘Science Fiction Stories’ limited edition image collection postcard set

Not content with a somewhat hyper-active work rate in recent years which has provided a plentiful series of music releases, under his own name and with numerous collaborators, John Foxx has also seen fit to make available some more esoteric releases which focus on his graphical work. Amongst these, and the subject of this blog post, is ‘Science Fiction Stories’. This was a limited edition image collection postcard set which was for sale at the Roundhouse concert in London in 2010.

John Foxx - 'Science Fiction Stories' postcard set - pack front
^ John Foxx – ‘Science Fiction Stories’ postcard set – pack front

Continue reading “John Foxx – ‘Science Fiction Stories’ limited edition image collection postcard set”

Gang of Four – ‘Another Day/Another Dollar’ US Special Edition 12″ EP (Warner Brothers Records, MINI 3646, 1982)

‘Another Day/Another Dollar’ is a 12″ vinyl EP by Gang of Four, released in January 1982 in the US. It gathers together stray tracks previously unreleased in the US from the two UK singles that were issued immediately before and after 1981’s ‘Solid Gold’ LP – plus some exclusive material in the form of a couple of live recordings, again of ‘Solid Gold’ tracks, only available on this EP.

Another Day/Another Dollar front cover design
^ Another Day/Another Dollar front cover design

For me, this period of the Gang of Four was absolutely spot on – whether it be the funk stylings bringing that extra edge to proceedings while the caustic intensity of Andy Gill’s guitar interrupts as much as it drives, or the multi-vocal barrage – in particular the ‘To Hell With Poverty’/’Capital (It Fails us now)’ single was something special. Sadly, it marked the last outing for Dave Allen on bass from this original line-up, who would depart during a US tour. Continue reading “Gang of Four – ‘Another Day/Another Dollar’ US Special Edition 12″ EP (Warner Brothers Records, MINI 3646, 1982)”