Category: Compilation albums

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Rema-Rema, ‘Wheel In The Roses’ CD EP (4AD, BAD 5CD) / Various artists: ‘Natures Mortes’ (4AD CAD 117CD)

The original release of the ‘Wheel In The Roses’ EP was one of the earliest 4AD releases, coming after the initial batch of four singles that had gone under the label’s original name of ‘Axis’. It was the only release from Rema-Rema, a short-lived band but from whom the seeds of a good few other acts would evolve or intersect, including Wolfgang Press, Renegade Soundwave, Psychic TV and of course most famously Marco Pirroni’s saddle-up with Adam Ant.

'Wheel In The Roses' CD EP - front cover, inner sleeve (front), insert (front) and CD label
^ ‘ Wheel In The Roses’ CD EP – front cover, inner sleeve (front), insert (front) and CD label

What I love about this small object of desire is that despite it being so wilfully obscure and the band’s only proper release (two other songs did appear as live recordings on a tape-only compilation, ‘The Men With the Deadly Dreams’) (the songs from which can be heard on the Rema Rema MySpace site), 4AD saw fit to lovingly reproduce it in CD form. Perhaps it could be down to the fact that despite it’s obscurity, two of the songs had been covered subsequently – ‘Fond Affections’ appearing on the first This Mortal Coil album, ‘It’ll End In Tears’, with Big Black taking on ‘Rema-Rema’ itself. Continue reading “Rema-Rema, ‘Wheel In The Roses’ CD EP (4AD, BAD 5CD) / Various artists: ‘Natures Mortes’ (4AD CAD 117CD)”

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Flying Lizards ‘Move On Up’ Japanese ‘Pic Label’ series 12″ single (Virgin, VIP-5902)

Japanese releases have always been fabulously exotic and collectable to me, with their disregard for replicating the exact same releases elsewhere and willingness to mix and match tracks into new combinations, such as 12″ mini-albums and so on. Plus of course the extra attention to detail with the quality of sleeve designs, inserts and packaging in general. Virgin released a series of ‘pic label’ releases by a few of my favourites such as John Foxx, The Human League, Japan, and, in the subject of this post, The Flying Lizards.

Flying Lizards 'Move On Up' Japanese 'Pic Label' series 12" single front sleeve with Obi
^ Flying Lizards ‘Move On Up’ Japanese ‘Pic Label’ series 12 inch single front sleeve with Obi

Hailing from late 1980, this 12″ compiles various tracks from all of the Flying Lizards singles up to that point and comes in a die-cut sleeve with an over-sized 6″ picture label on show (front only) – ‘Move On Up’ (Single edit) and Portugal from the A and B side respectively of the ‘Move On Up’ 7″ single, ‘All Guitars’ from the B side of the ‘Summertime Blues’ single, ‘Money’ (the longer, album version though) from the ‘Money’ single (which was available on 12″ in some territories) and ‘Tube’ from the B side of the ‘TV’ single. Continue reading “Flying Lizards ‘Move On Up’ Japanese ‘Pic Label’ series 12″ single (Virgin, VIP-5902)”

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‘Dindisc 1980’ compilation album (Dindisc, DONE 1)

‘Dindisc 1980’ was a compilation of the acts on the Dindisc label of 1980 vintage, two tracks each from Martha and the Muffins, The Monochrome Set and Revillos, no less than three from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark plus one from Dedringer.

'Dindisc 1980' compilation album, front cover
^ ‘Dindisc 1980’ compilation album, front cover

Packaged in a customary tastefully crafted sleeve courtesy of Keith Breeden and Dindisc house-designer Peter Saville, most of the tracks appear elsewhere on previous releases but at the time the principal attraction for me was the version of ‘Electricity’ by OMitD, as this was a new, slightly extended re-recording and unavailable anywhere else. (Note: This version did finally make it on to CD with the 2003 re-issue of ‘Organisation’ (DIDCDR6) as one of the bonus tracks.) The version of ‘Messages’ is the extended version from the 10″ single, while their cover of ‘Waiting For The Man’ had only previously been on the flip-side of the same 10″ single. Continue reading “‘Dindisc 1980’ compilation album (Dindisc, DONE 1)”

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Various ‘First Edition’ LP (EG records EGED 15 (2335 238))

‘FIRST EDITION’ was a compilation album from the EG records label, released in early 1982. It featured a sample of the artists to have appeared on EG records over the years, more slanted towards the Eno/Fripp axis or Eno-produced artists along with Phil Manzanera, Penguin Café Orchestra, Lounge Lizards and even Adam and the Ants showing face courtesy of the Jubilee soundtrack outing, ‘Deutscher Girls’. A nice sleeve design courtesy of Stylo Rouge, it comes complete with an inner sleeve.

'First Edition' LP front sleeve design

At the same time, EG re-issued a number of albums and I picked up their promotional ‘Editions EG Catalogue’ which listed this series of re-releases. A nice little fold-out, multi-page pamphlet, a record shop freebie, EG styling themselves as an eclectic label of taste and adventure, now Editions EG. The inner sleeve of ‘First Edition’ printed the sleeves of this particular reissue collection, the catalogue also shows them along with tracklisting, brief description and also a cut out and post order form. Continue reading “Various ‘First Edition’ LP (EG records EGED 15 (2335 238))”