what to do with appr. 70 vinyl (60s+80s)?

[Johnny Barleycorn]

great that you can appreciate it too. why do you associate it with swansea?

It was shit.









Joking. I lived in Swansea for a couple of years after University and I first heard it there. My ex-wife played it continually and, of course, sometimes a record will seep not just into your consciousness but become intertwined with a point in your life. I think I prefer Sunshine On Leith on the whole though, despite Letter From America, sung by two blokes from Edinburgh reminding me of a bistro in Swansea called Bizzie Lizzies where we used to scoff lasagne and Mississippi Mud Pie most Friday nights.

Never Enough by The Cure reminds me of Tenby, just along the coast.

 

[Johnny Barleycorn]

got another € 9 for 20 or so albums. the rest that the guy from the vinyl shop didnt want to take went straight to my neighbors without any further discussion. this included iggy pop and duran duran. i have now boiled it down to 11 albums, the proclaimers not included, as they are going to move to the attic again.
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the rolling stones will stay too for some hazy nostalgic reasons. let's see if i can find a place for the remaining ten in the vinyl shop's album sanctuary.

I’m not someone who fetishises vinyl in the way I used to. I can still appreciate the cover art but it makes sense to me that an intangible art form should now be intangible. Plus the new method of carrying thousands of songs and audiobooks and BBC drama and comedy in my pocket tickles my latent OCD an absolute treat. The creation of a library. Replacing the artwork on old 60s albums with the original cover that has the mono or stereo printed on the front or the tracks listed. The cold grip of the realisation that the Elvis Costello album artwork you downloaded has “CD” written in the corner and you didn’t notice. The horror, the horror.

I made the mistake of downloading Apple Music when it launched and it changed hundreds of album covers automatically without so much as a by your leave. I thought I was going to die. If Apple was based in the UK rather than the US people would still hold a yearly vigil for the victims of that day. The day the madman took his revenge.

 

[Deleted member 25370]

It was shit.









Joking. I lived in Swansea for a couple of years after University and I first heard it there. My ex-wife played it continually and, of course, sometimes a record will seep not just into your consciousness but become intertwined with a point in your life. I think I prefer Sunshine On Leith on the whole though, despite Letter From America, sung by two blokes from Edinburgh reminding me of a bistro in Swansea called Bizzie Lizzies where we used to scoff lasagne and Mississippi Mud Pie most Friday nights.

Never Enough by The Cure reminds me of Tenby, just along the coast.

there are these rare moments in life when our brains attune to a new situation and at the same time there comes this song or record along which kind of bolts it on to our memory forever. and who wouldve thought that swansea could be intertwined with the proclaimers. i dont know about you, but there havent been many specific, not too unpleasant and musically intertwined occasions like that in my life. i could count them on one hand. the 50+ albums that i have disposed of so far represented an overall impression of the jellyfish-like substance that a longer period of time can turn into in our minds and you just dont want it to cling onto you again.

i remember a nice coastal trip through wales that we took once but we didnt stop in swansea or tanby as we travelled counterclockwise and were in a hurry at the end of the trip. there were some seaside towns in the north like prestatyn or rhyl where we stopped and when i looked out at the sea, it seemed to be an identical continuation of what was already lying behind us and reminded me of an interference on television. and now you have to tell me why you associate tenby with the cure's never enough

 

[Deleted member 25370]

I’m not someone who fetishises vinyl in the way I used to. I can still appreciate the cover art but it makes sense to me that an intangible art form should now be intangible. Plus the new method of carrying thousands of songs and audiobooks and BBC drama and comedy in my pocket tickles my latent OCD an absolute treat. The creation of a library. Replacing the artwork on old 60s albums with the original cover that has the mono or stereo printed on the front or the tracks listed. The cold grip of the realisation that the Elvis Costello album artwork you downloaded has “CD” written in the corner and you didn’t notice. The horror, the horror.

I made the mistake of downloading Apple Music when it launched and it changed hundreds of album covers automatically without so much as a by your leave. I thought I was going to die. If Apple was based in the UK rather than the US people would still hold a yearly vigil for the victims of that day. The day the madman took his revenge.

i guess that those who suffered most, still continue to buy apple products today?

 

[Johnny Barleycorn]

and now you have to tell me why you associate tenby with the cure's never enough

Not frightfully exciting, I’m afraid, somehow faintly suggesting my previous story was.

It was a grim month late in the year 1990. Too awful for October, yet not quite carrying the depressing prospect of a family Christmas, so I’ll guess November. For some strange reason we decided to head off to Tenby in the sleet. On arrival it was closed. Well, empty. We huddled into our coats like James Dean in Boulevard of Broken Dreams and wondered why we’d swapped the bright lights and big city of Swansea for Tenby, which like many seaside tourist towns is delightful and gay in the summer and like something out of H.P. Lovecraft in the winter.

That’s where I bought Mixed Up, the Cure’s remix album, upon which was...

I remember being impressed that a tiny indie record shop on the outskirts of Empire had it before midday on a Monday. Returning home I put it on while we prepared dinner. I couldn’t swear on the Bible I’ve ever played it since.

 

[Johnny Barleycorn]

i guess that those who suffered most, still continue to buy apple products today?

I stay with Apple because of the faff of learning Android and changing everything over. I’m sure there are Android users who feel the reverse. I haven’t upgraded for a while so I’m stuck on the 6s. None of the new ones excite me. Facial recognition? No thanks. I’m the only person I know who has never taken a selfie.

My previous provider was very keen to tie me into contract at £89 a month for two years for an iPhone 10. I’ll bet.

I did once borrow a MacBook for a weekend with thoughts of buying it but it annoyed me too much so I stuck with Windows.

 

[Peppermint]

planning my second trip to the vinyl shop. the proclaimers album i value very highly because it made and still makes my blood flow faster through my veins on a day like today. there is a special kind of anger which they express through their music, the young man who refuses to be called a boy, or the tiny but proud country which refuses to be part of a bigger conglomerate. you wont be able to find this sort of anger in a punk band and of course not any of their skilful melodiousness
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i bought this in mc'r in the mid 90s bc for the above mentioned reasons and bc my landlady had a record player. "throw the 'r' away" was my hymn for many weeks as i had trouble understanding mancunians and they never understood me, but when i went to scotland by train one day and in glasgow asked for a ticket to crianlarich, i was suddenly understood perfectly, the ticket agent even telling me i sounded like a true scots woman. so i went up to the north of scotland with the lightest of hearts, already feeling at home.

this one here is also one of my favs on the album. dont know why but i always feel empowered after having listened to it.

i am pretty nostalgic about this album all of a sudden and won't give it away even though it is of course important to let things go. but there are still 60+ albums waiting to be disposed of and giving me nothing but greasy fingers

I bloody loved the Proclaimers, until I went to see them live. They are the only band I've actually walked out of. Their sound was awful - very loud and horribly distorted. But worst of all was their chippiness - I saw them in London and they were surly and anti-English throughout (opening greeting: 'It's good to be here in YOUR capital city'). Maybe it was humour that didn't travel, but I did think it was a funny way to talk to people who were paying to see you. Still like the records, though.

 

[evennow]

I bloody loved the Proclaimers, until I went to see them live. They are the only band I've actually walked out of. Their sound was awful - very loud and horribly distorted. But worst of all was their chippiness - I saw them in London and they were surly and anti-English throughout (opening greeting: 'It's good to be here in YOUR capital city'). Maybe it was humour that didn't travel, but I did think it was a funny way to talk to people who were paying to see you. Still like the records, though.

I'm afraid here in the U.S. they were just a one hit wonder compliments of their earworm 500 miles. Possibly one musical rung higher than Chumbawamba's masterpiece Tubthumping. Still both very catchy songs, but more like cotton candy than anything else.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm afraid here in the U.S. they were just a one hit wonder compliments of their earworm 500 miles. Possibly one musical rung higher than Chumbawamba's masterpiece Tubthumping. Still both very catchy songs, but more like cotton candy than anything else.

Same everywhere outside of the UK.

 

[Peppermint]

I'm afraid here in the U.S. they were just a one hit wonder compliments of their earworm 500 miles. Possibly one musical rung higher than Chumbawamba's masterpiece Tubthumping. Still both very catchy songs, but more like cotton candy than anything else.

Yeah, that's probably a very good 'novelty act' comparison - in terms of how I guess they'd be seen over the water. They were always very parochial, with those strong accents and uncompromising style, so I can see how they might have limited appeal.

 

[Deleted member 25370]

I'm afraid here in the U.S. they were just a one hit wonder compliments of their earworm 500 miles. Possibly one musical rung higher than Chumbawamba's masterpiece Tubthumping. Still both very catchy songs, but more like cotton candy than anything else.

i liked 500 miles when it came out but while listening to it a couple of days ago, there was nothing left of the former appeal unlike the effect that most of their other songs still have on me. let's see for how long. in germany their albums were never sold widely but i remember that three of their songs, 500 miles included, were played regularly on the radio, letter from america was one of them and king of the road. seems that there is at least a tiny little part of my past that has been successfully integrated. thank you, proclaimers.

 

[Deleted member 25370]

Not frightfully exciting, I’m afraid, somehow faintly suggesting my previous story was.

It was a grim month late in the year 1990. Too awful for October, yet not quite carrying the depressing prospect of a family Christmas, so I’ll guess November. For some strange reason we decided to head off to Tenby in the sleet. On arrival it was closed. Well, empty. We huddled into our coats like James Dean in Boulevard of Broken Dreams and wondered why we’d swapped the bright lights and big city of Swansea for Tenby, which like many seaside tourist towns is delightful and gay in the summer and like something out of H.P. Lovecraft in the winter.

That’s where I bought Mixed Up, the Cure’s remix album, upon which was...

I remember being impressed that a tiny indie record shop on the outskirts of Empire had it before midday on a Monday. Returning home I put it on while we prepared dinner. I couldn’t swear on the Bible I’ve ever played it since.

a very beautiful description of your adventure in tenby. seems that the record shop was a real jewel in this drab setting. i went to blackpool once and remember it with horror. they had lots of cheerless sex shops there.

 

[Deleted member 25370]

i listened to this song by the proclaimers yesterday and it kinda spoke to me. but it left me with mixed emotions. i find the line "then despair was replaced by energy" a bit shilpit, like something you can read on a package information leaflet. i came to the conclusion that what speaks to me is mostly their in-your-face energy and honesty and not so much the lyrics which lack the catholic poetry and decorum of other singers and bands. a little bit more showing and less telling would be more engaging for my ears, but anyways, an interesting and likeable song.

 

[evennow]

i liked 500 miles when it came out but while listening to it a couple of days ago, there was nothing left of the former appeal unlike the effect that most of their other songs still have on me. let's see for how long. in germany their albums were never sold widely but i remember that three of their songs, 500 miles included, were played regularly on the radio, letter from america was one of them and king of the road. seems that there is at least a tiny little part of my past that has been successfully integrated. thank you, proclaimers.

Thank you for the insight. A quick story ...I switched colleges/(UK = Universities) at the beginning of my junior year. I moved back from Arizona to Chicago, IL to finish school and so my dad flew down and we drove my yellow firebird (a likeness):

packed with all my stuff back to Chicago. It's a good thing we got along because it could have been hell on Earth to spend that much time confined with a parent. The car was fully equipped with the sound system of the day....a kick *ss cassette player. And one of my favorite and came to be my dad's favorite bands to listen to was Level 42. They never made it big in the U.S. and like the Proclaimers were pretty much defined by two or three songs. Love Plus One and this one, which is still as catchy a tune now to me as it was back then. Pepper wrote of "limited appeal" and to me that is a sign of being on the right path...the one less traveled.

 

[evennow]

i listened to this song by the proclaimers yesterday and it kinda spoke to me. but it left me with mixed emotions. i find the line "then despair was replaced by energy" a bit shilpit, like something you can read on a package information leaflet. i came to the conclusion that what speaks to me is mostly their in-your-face energy and honesty and not so much the lyrics which lack the catholic poetry and decorum of other singers and bands. a little bit more showing and less telling would be more engaging for my ears, but anyways, an interesting and likeable song.

It is a very energetic song. This is exactly what I feel Moz is missing from his recent work. A driving energy to the music with a pop sensibility. There is something about the crunch of a rock guitar. His band needs an overhaul and a good shot of adrenaline!

 

[Deleted member 25370]

Thank you for the insight. A quick story ...I switched colleges/(UK = Universities) at the beginning of my junior year. I moved back from Arizona to Chicago, IL to finish school and so my dad flew down and we drove my yellow firebird (a likeness):

packed with all my stuff back to Chicago. It's a good thing we got along because it could have been hell on Earth to spend that much time confined with a parent. The car was fully equipped with the sound system of the day....a kick *ss cassette player. And one of my favorite and came to be my dad's favorite bands to listen to was Level 42. They never made it big in the U.S. and like the Proclaimers were pretty much defined by two or three songs. Love Plus One and this one, which is still as catchy a tune now to me as it was back then. You wrote of "limited appeal" and to me that is a sign of being on the right path...the one less traveled.

thanks for sharing that story, evennow. sounds like a good band for a longer road trip as the music is not exhausting itself and the listeners. i remember that "running in the family" was a big hit for them in germany and the first english idiom i learned. your snappy car looks like the one that my father used to drive in his late 40s when i was a student. one morning he called me on the telephone (!) and told me he would drive by in his new car and pick me up for a father-daughter trip to the coast. one hour later he was there honking on the street and i saw this red car and knew that he must have entered his midlife crisis for sure. but good for him, as he was in a great mood, and i think it only took us the length of this song of questionable taste which he played several times in a row, to fly to the coast.

i dont know whether the royal guardsmen are considered to be a "less travelled path" but it took me awhile to rediscover the song on youtube. i remember it was on a "british invasion" mixed tape even though the band was from the us which is quite strange when you think about it

 

[evennow]

thanks for sharing that story, evennow. sounds like a good band for a longer road trip as the music is not exhausting itself and the listeners. i remember that "running in the family" was a big hit for them in germany and the first english idiom i learned. your snappy car looks like the one that my father used to drive in his late 40s when i was a student. so one morning he called me on the telephone (!) and told me he would drive by in his new car and pick me up for a father-daughter trip to the coast. one hour later he was there honking on the street and i saw this red car and knew that he must have entered his midlife crisis for sure. but good for him, as he was in a great mood, and i think it only took us the length of this song of questionable taste which he played several times in a row, to fly to the coast.

i dont know whether the royal guardsmen are considered to be a "less travelled path" but it took me awhile to rediscover the song on youtube.

Well it seems as though we have wonderful fathers in common. That song with the "10, 20, 30, 40 50 or more" has a Proclaimer's "I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more" feel about it. It often times isn't the song itself, but the moment in time, and company you are with that makes a song special.

Also, I was struck by the quick nod to a similar style song given by your band at 1:45 into the video. Your's had a Snoopy and mine has a Sloopy.



PS. How are you feeling after settling this whole vinyl dilemma? Seems you spent a lot more time and energy then the pounds received for the effort. Gifts are often times more of a curse than a blessing.

 

[Deleted member 25370]

It is a very energetic song. This is exactly what I feel Moz is missing from his recent work. A driving energy to the music with a pop sensibility. There is something about the crunch of a rock guitar. His band needs an overhaul and a good shot of adrenaline!

i think low in high school had all that.

Well it seems as though we have wonderful fathers in common. That song with the "10, 20, 30, 40 50 or more" has a Proclaimer's "I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more" feel about it. It often times isn't the song itself, but the moment in time, and company you are with that makes a song special.

Also, I was struck by the quick nod to a similar style song given by your band at 1:45 into the video. Your's had a Snoopy and mine has a Sloopy.



PS. How are you feeling after settling this whole vinyl dilemma? Seems you spent a lot more time and energy then the pounds received for the effort. Gifts are often times more of a curse than a blessing.

It is a very energetic song. This is exactly what I feel Moz is missing from his recent work. A driving energy to the music with a pop sensibility. There is something about the crunch of a rock guitar. His band needs an overhaul and a good shot of adrenaline!

you are definitely right about the similarity to the proclaimers song. probably there is a name for this kind of thrusting beat. and i'm pretty sure that the royal guardsmen were successfully alluding to the sloopy song though i find it difficult to see a topical similarity between the snoopy and sloopy character.

vinyl-wise there is going to be one more trip to the shop necessary to let go of these records here for good unless someone can convince me that there is a real gem among them:

and these seven records i'm gonna keep for a bit longer:

almost all but the proclaimers are best of compilations which have, according to the owner of the vinyl shop, almost no musical or collector's value. i cant say whether this is true or not. i tried to value them as the heirloom that they are but, just like family silver, there is always one generation that has to strip it out eventually and let the old ghosts go home in peace.

 

[Deleted member 25370]

i'm gonna reminisce a little bit. why? bc i can. 2morrow the remaining albums are gonna be sold. i checked out this strange otis redding lp on e-bay where they sell it from €4 upwards. i researched the record and it seems that little joe curtis is kind of a mystery, not much more than these songs known and has never appeared anywhere else before or afterwards. there are 8 of his and 4 of reddings songs on the record. speculation has it that the label wanted to make some money after reddings death but only owned the rights to four of his songs thats why they hired little joe curtis to fill up the gaps.
i grew up with this album as it belonged to my parents. i think i started listening to it at the age of four. i mostly liked "gamma lama" and nothing else on it impressed me much back then. my bro and i used to let our smurfs dance to the music which was kinda fun.

 

[Deleted member 25370]

like the one above, the elvis album was kind of a "family record" that only the kids were still listening to. this was the first double album i came across and its size, when unfolded, impressed me quite a lot bc it was as big as i was then. 15 songs have a pencil tag bc when i listened to the record first i couldnt read, let alone in english, so i marked all the songs that i liked, to be able to find them later.
this one mustve left an impression:

the slow ballads like "love me tender" and "in the ghetto" were of no interest to me. i remember it took a few more years to develop a taste for them.
i also marked "wooden heart" bc whenever it was played, it sure would initiate, in routine repetition, parental comments on elvis' years as a gi in south germany. he had been deployed close to where my grandparents lived, and rumour had it that elvis mustve left his genetic imprint on the regions gene pool while staying there, everything else wouldve been unnatural. i liked the song so-so but my grandmother used to sway to it to and fro which was a real honor bc for her all the "american shit" like coca cola, chewing gum and the music her children were listening to wasnt of any value anyway.

2morrow elvis must go.