Category: Design crazy

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Japan – ‘Nightporter’ Japanese 12″ ‘Pic Label’ series single (Virgin, VIP-4181, 1982)

In a previous post, I looked at the UK single release of ‘Nightporter’, which saw a 7″, 12″ and unique DJ edit 7″ editions. Another notable issue is the Japanese 12″ 6-song ‘Pic Label’ series EP (Virgin, VIP-4181). Retaining the same design for the front as the UK 12″ release, the rear featured a band pic along with the titles for the featured songs – which gathered together a number of edits and non-LP tracks that had surfaced originally on UK singles.

Japan - 'Nightporter' Japanese pic label 12 inch single
^ Japan – \’Nightporter\’ Japanese pic label 12 inch single

Of note, despite being a 12″ single, it is the 5’02” remix that is featured, as per the regular UK 7″ single, as opposed to the longer 12″ remix you might have expected to find. Similarly, despite being titled as ‘Long Version’, ‘Ghosts’ as featured on this release is in fact the same 7″ edit as per the UK single release. Finishing off side one, ‘The Art of Parties’ is the live ‘version’ that first appeared on the flip side of the ‘Ghosts’ UK 7″ single. Side two of this 12″ features a couple of tracks from the ‘Gentlemen Take Polaroids’ UK 7″ single along with ‘Life Without Buildings’, the superb B side of the original ‘Art of Parties’ single release. Continue reading “Japan – ‘Nightporter’ Japanese 12″ ‘Pic Label’ series single (Virgin, VIP-4181, 1982)”

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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
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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)”

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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”

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Skids – ‘Animation’ UK 7″ single (Virgin, VS323, 1980)

Included for no other reason than it happens to be one of my all-time favourite sleeve designs, graced with an artwork from none other than Russell Mills [http://www.russellmills.com/], who is identified with the Eno/Sylvian end of the musical spectrum more often than not, I’d say.

Skids 'Animation' front cover design
^ Skids ‘Animation’ front cover design

This ended up being the third single release from ‘Days in Europa’ – I’m sticking firmly to the original 1979 release when I say this – I know that the 1980 remix/re-release also includes ‘Masquerade’, so technically you might say it is the fourth single peeled off the album – but any Skids fan who knew the original first probably finds the 1980 version difficult to swallow, even with a tacked on single from a year before. (And, my goodness, a year was a long time indeed in the late ’70s/early ’80s – in the current era where bands take years between album releases, Skids themselves managed to release two original albums in 1979 – and they were far from the only band with that kind of work ethic.) Continue reading “Skids – ‘Animation’ UK 7″ single (Virgin, VS323, 1980)”