Category: Design crazy

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John Foxx compilations across the years Part 8

There was only the one compilation released in 2015, though it was announced by the Metamatic mailing list as being the first part of two. Specifically, ‘20th Century: The Noise’ was the first compilation to be released on the Metamatic label itself and noted as being “the first part of a double release to celebrate 35 years as a solo artist”. (The second part would be 2016’s ‘21st Century: A Man, A Woman And A City’, amongst other such releases that year, which we will of course come to in the next post in this series.)

John Foxx - 2015 - 20th Century - The Noise CD front cover design
^ John Foxx – 2015 – 20th Century – The Noise CD front cover design

‘20th Century: The Noise’ UK CD (Metamatic Records, META57CD, 2015)

An email from the Metamatic mailing list from 25 July 2015 noted that this compilation was released on Friday 24 July 2015 and that it featured 17 tracks, including the 2014 Metamatic re-masters (where relevant) and a new master of ‘No-One Driving’ (Single Version), as well as a previously unreleased track, ‘Musique Electron’, and rare variant (from a various artists compilation album) of a ‘Cathedral Oceans’ track, ‘Splendour’. With artwork by Barnbrook and images by John Foxx, it made for an attractive package, with the keen price point offer tempting for those exclusives.
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Year by Year: Cocteau Twins – 1989/1990

1989 was the first year in the band’s history that would see no significant new releases from them, with various album CD re-presses seemingly the only new product to emerge. No live work either – in fact, there had been no live appearances during 1987 or 1988 either – a three year gap, that would not be broken until late 1990. But the band were far from idle during the year. 1989 saw the band acquire and fit out their September Sound studio [1], the former Eel Pie studios owned by Pete Townshend, where in time they would record at their leisure and what was to be the venue where all the band’s subsequent albums would be recorded. 1989 was a significant year on a personal level for the band members too, with the birth of Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie’s daughter, Lucy  Belle, in September 1989. The month was also significant for Simon Raymonde, though of a sadder nature with the passing of his father, Ivor Raymonde, as detailed in his excellent and moving autobiography published earlier this year, ‘In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor and Me’. [2]

Cocteau Twins - various 1990 releases
^ Cocteau Twins – various 1990 releases

1990 by contrast was an extremely significant year, with the eventual release of ‘Heaven Or Las Vegas’, which would prove to be the band’s final new album recorded and released for the 4AD label and the work that many fans consider to be their finest album – and, by the latter quarter of 1990, a return to live touring once more, though with a significantly different band line up.

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Suzanne Vega – ‘Luka’ UK cassingle (A&M, VEGAC10, 1987)

Suzanne Vega is an artist who I happened upon courtesy of the UK BBC television channel’s long running music series ‘Whistle Test’ in October 1985. It wasn’t the kind of style I’d have thought I would normally like, but there was something intriguing and ‘Marlene On The Wall’ proved to be catchy and a minor hit. Intriguing enough that I bought the debut album in early 1986 and became a firm fan from then on. There was a certain cool elegance and mysteriousness to the music on the whole and not the straight ahead folk I was expecting (other than perhaps ‘The Queen and the Soldier’, which I’ve never cared for).

Suzanne Vega 'Luka' UK cassingle - front
^ Suzanne Vega ‘Luka’ UK cassingle – front

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Bill Nelson ‘Youth Of Nation On Fire’ UK 7” doublepack single (Mercury, WILL22, 1981)

A return to a VersionCrazy favourite, the ever wonderful Bill Nelson. It’s good to see news recently about a deluxe box set edition of Bill’s 1981 album ‘Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam’ due for release in late November. The path for the album to gain a release was far from straightforward – Bill Nelson had been signed to EMI imprint Harvest, but with the EMI/Thorn merger that took place, a cull of acts deemed surplus to requirements/the balance sheet saw an exit from EMI and plans for the album shelved. I look forward to what new insights the accompanying text in the super deluxe box set may bring to this backstory, along with the chance to hear a whole new mix of the album, courtesy of Stephen W Tayler.

Bill Nelson ‘Youth Of Nation On Fire’ UK 7” doublepack single front cover design
^ Bill Nelson ‘Youth Of Nation On Fire’ UK 7” doublepack single front cover design

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