Take a trip through my ever growing, eclectic collection of vinyl delights. Mostly punk, new wave and electro with a smattering of other groovy oddments and just the plain strange!
Naughty Miranda - Indians in Moscow 1983 Kennick Records B-side Miranda 5 in UK Indie Charts
I first heard Naughty Miranda whilst holed up in the kitchen at home doing my homework aged 14. I always listened to John Peel and this track really stuck out to me. I loved the mad lyrics; "I slit his guts with my blunt-edged play scissors and sucked out his brains with a straw. His succulent blood can nourish my goldfish, I'll keep all the bits in a drawer."The almost screeching vocals of singer Adele Nozedar were edgy, manic and instantly unforgettable and combined with the punky electro beats, if you heard this record I am pretty sure it is one you would remember! Indians in Moscow came from Hull and had their first bite of fame on the cult Channel 4 music programme The Tube on it's Hull Special. A young Jools Holland introduced them from a urinal in a public toilet on 2nd December 1983 (2 days before my 15th birthday)! The band consisted of keyboard players Pete Riches and Stuart Walton, singer Adele Nozeda, and drummer Rich Hornby. The B-side of Naughty Miranda was Miranda. I always felt this was a bit of a cop out as it was essentially the same tune, just with some of the lyrics altered. In 'Miranda', her dad is the bad guy who is going to jail. I do love the line "He liked to keep dead fish and stuffed sheep, which proves that he can't have been bright!"
Indians in Moscow had 3 other singles - I Wish I Had, Jack Pelter & His Sex Change Chicken and Big Wheel, none of which I ever heard at the time (or at least I can't remember them) and one self titled album. They split in 1985. Naughty Miranda has remained a firm favourite of mine, a much played vinyl companion over the last 30 years. Has it really been 30 years??!!! Naughty Miranda (for some reason it won't let me show the video here) Miranda (Same again -won't show the video here)
Screen me I'm yours - Tik and Tok Tim Dry/Sean Crawford B-Side - Dangerous and unafraid 1984 Survival Records 17 in UK Charts The first picture disc I ever bought was Screen me I'm yours by Tik and Tok. Does anyone else actually remember them?
This was the second Tik and Tok single I bought. I remember seeing them on TV (can't remember what programme it was) and was amazed by their robotic dancing act. I loved robotics and was even known to do a bit myself! I once came second in a seaside talent show doing robotics! It was either Scarborough or Llandudno and I was there on a family holiday. Children were invited to take part in the seafront show and I thought I would give it a go! I told them what I was going to do and asked if they had any music. The only accompaniment available was a full brass band and they only song they knew that they deemed appropriate was 'Puppet on a string'! So, here was me, about 13 years old, goth, dancing robotics to Puppet on a string! I came second to a cute little boy aged about 5 who sang 'Paddy McGinty's goat' very badly! I can't remember what I won but the head judge did come up to me afterwards and said that they all thought I should have won but let the young lad win because he was so young! Anyway, I digress! Tik and Tok aka Tim Dry and Sean Crawford began performing together in the early 1980's as part of a burlesque/rock/mime/music troupe called Shock. They supported Gary Numan at his Wembley Arena shows in April 1981 then Dry and Crawford left to form Tik and Tok. They performed on TV on shows such as Kenny Everett, The Tube, and even The Royal Variety Show. In 1982, they were featured artistes in the third Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi. I met Tik and Tok in 1982 when they came to Sheffield. The did a performance on the roof of a shop somewhere (can't remember where as my old brain is failing me) and did a signing session afterwards. I still have my signed copy of Summer in the City which will be blogged at a later date. Back then I really loved them! Listening to this record now, I am less impressed! They were very much artists of their time. As performers, they were entertaining and fantastic at the robotics. As singers, well let's just say they should have stuck to the dancing! The picture disc came with a warning:
And I just though the poor sound quality was because they weren't very good!
Being Boiled - The Human League Written by Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh and Phillip Oakey 1978 Fast Product B-Side Circus of Death 1978 failed to chart Re-recorded and reissued in 1980 Reached number 56 in 1980 and number 46 in 1982
If I had to choose just one song as my favourite, it would without a doubt be Being Boiled by The Human League. It completely passed me by on it's release as I would have been 9 or 10 at the time. I can't even remember hearing it when it was re-recorded and reissued in 1980/1982. It must have been some 20 years ago or so when I found it in a local charity shop for the grand sum of 25p and bought it.
I can remember playing it for the first time and being completely blown away! It was dark, not only the lyrics, but the melody with it's haunting bassline. I had always loved electronic music but this was amazing! Being Boiled was completely unlike the later releases by the band which were more 'poppy' and included vocals by Joanne Catherall and Susanne Sulley.
The lyrics are a protest against silk farming (sericulture) with the opening line; "Listen to the voice of Buddha, saying stop your sericulture." The ringing of bells is referred to as "The voice of Buddha" in Japan. The song's music predates the formation of The Human League, originally being written by Ware and Marsh as The Future. Singer Adi Newton had left and Oakey was asked to join and given the music. 2 days later, he returned with the lyrics to Being Boiled. The original version was recorded on a home tape recorder in an abandoned factory and cost about £2.50 to make!
The B-side, Circus of Death starts with a spoken intro by Phil Oakey. "This is a song called "The Circus of Death". It tells the true story
of a circus we met. The first two verses concern the actual arrival at Heathrow Airport of Commissioner Steve McGarrett. The third emotionally describes a map showing the range of the circus. The fourth and fifth were extracted from an article in The Guardian of March the 19th, 1962. The last is a short wave radio message from the last man on Earth."
Being Boiled has remained a firm favourite and is definitely top of my list of '10 records I would save if music was to end'.
I have a small and ridiculous claim to fame regarding The Human League! When I was about 12 or 13, I was walking down into Sheffield's famous 'Hole in the road' with my mum one Saturday afternoon. All of a sudden, someone ran smack into me and almost knocked me off my feet! I looked up to see a very tall man who put his hand on my shoulder and said he was very sorry. It was Phil Oakey! Suddenly, a group of screaming girls appeared and he ran off again with them in hot pursuit! I was in complete awe! He touched me! Phil Oakey touched my shoulder and apologised for bumping into me! As a teenage girl and a massive Human League fan, I dined out on that for a very long time!!
Mirror in the Bathroom - The Beat Produced by Bob Sargent From the Album - I just can't stop it B-side - Jackpot 1980 Go feet Reached number 4 in the UK Charts
Mirror in the Bathroom was the second record I ever bought and cemented a life long love of Ska music. Like Blondie, Atomic, this was either bought from Woolworths or GT News, I can't remember. I loved the Go Feet sleeve and graphics as it was so striking. The Beat released their first single (Tears of a clown) on the famous Two Tone label in 1979 and were soon fiercely fought after by other major labels. Worried about the negative aspects of large corporate record labels, they decided to form their own and Go Feet was the result. The unmistakable Beat Girl logo and dancing feet were created by cartoonist Hunt Emerson, best known for his Firkin
the Cat comic. The Beat Girl was inspired by
a Jamaican ska photograph. She is a sketch of a girl dancing in
a photograph with Prince Buster (Halasa).
The B- side of Mirror in the Bathroom is Jackpot, a reworking of The Pioneers 1968 original version. My copy is well loved and a bit jumpy/scratched but still gets lots of
play. I have been lucky enough to see The Beat play live twice in the
last two years and for me, the remain my favourite Ska band.
Atomic by Blondie Written by Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri Produced by Mike Chapman Released as the third single from the band's Platinum-plus 1979 album Eat to the Beat B Side Die young stay pretty Released 1980 Chrysalis The song hit number 1 in the UK - where it held for three weeks in March 1980 The first record I ever bought with my own money was Atomic by Blondie. I will have been 11 or 12, probably 11 as my birthday is the end of the year. 1980. It was probably bought from either the local Woolworths or G.T News, I can't remember. I loved Blondie. She was blonde and beautiful and dangerously on the edge. Me, I was short and chubby with uncontrollable frizzy brown hair. I remember buying a Blondie comb and case from a gift shop on a family holiday to Scarborough. Everyone at school was so jealous of my bit of cheap plastic! I must have played that record so many times that it's surprising that it didn't wear out. I loved the B side too, Die Young Stay Pretty. It had a bit of a reggae beat to it and was quite chilled. The cover art had Debbie Harry in a sexy blue dress, looking whistfully to the side, all blonde and glamorous. The atomic cloud behind her almost looks like golden angel wings! I still like Blondie. 33 years on, I am still chubby but a lot less frizzy. And definately not blonde.
Growing up, the only three records I can remember there being at home were a Barry Manilow one, a Barbra Streisand one and The Merserybeats. I still have The Merseybeats. It's cover is long past it's best but it still plays and still gets played. My memory tells me that my father bought it from Woolworths. That may or may not be true. I can remember being bought a Mr Pickwick Top of the Tot's single by someone and it had a pink cover and one track was Tiger Feet.My brothers also had one each but I have no recollection of the tracks on theirs. I can always remember the radio being played and we did have an old red Dansette record player that we played things on. Oh how I wish I still had it! As I grew older, I took more of an interest in music. I knew with no doubt at all that I really did not like Barry or Babs and started to develop my own taste. The first record I ever remember buying with my own money was Atomic by Blondie. I loved her! She was Blonde and pretty and a bit dangerous. The total opposite of my dark, frizzy, chubbiness. I played and played and played it. I am surprised I didn't wear it out! This was closely followed by Mirror in the Bathroom by The Beat. The Beat have remained one of my favourite bands and even now, do an amazing, energetic and thoroughly entertaining live gig. The first album I bought was Dirk wears white sox by Adam and the Ants. Again, he still does an amazing live show and remains one of my all time favourite artists. As I hit my teens, I developed a love for more alternative music. I would sit in the kitchen doing my art homework listening to John Peel, cassette at the ready in case he played something new. My collection of records started to grow with me spending most of my pocket money on them. I must have been about 14 when I got my first proper record player and the Dansette was thrown out. I have never been without a deck since. My love of music has always endured as has my love of vinyl. I have CD's and have been known to do the occasional digital download but records, proper vinyl records are my first love! I love everything about them. I love having a physical presence, the music I love captured on a beautiful piece of vinyl, a solid item I can hold, admire and love. Everything from the amazing, captivating artwork to the messages in the Matrices of Records that people often miss. Over the years my collection has grown then dwindled as a result of many house moves, drunken nights and dishonest 'friends'. I still have a lot of my original records from 'back in the day' and frequently buy more from charity shops, car boots, vinyls shops and online. I think at a rough estimate I probably have around 200 - 300 7 inch singles, 100 - 150 LP's plus 12 inch singles, 10 inch singles and shaped picture discs. I have a few old 78's but sadly nothing to play them on at the moment (working on that one!!) My taste in music has changed as I have grown older. Once, all that graced my turntable was goth, punk and electro. Now I have a very eclectic mix with everything from Frank Sinatra, Alien Sex Fiend, Herb Alpert, Adam Ant, Bert Kaempfert, Sex Pistols and Deap Vally. I have bizarre and downright strange stuff and records I have bought just because I love the cover artwork. One thing is for sure, no matter how strange, every record I buy gets played and is loved. I decided to start digitising my records as I have loads that simply aren't available in a digital format. It just seemed a great idea to share my collection with whoever would want to have a look and a listen. I hope you enjoy my collection and get as much pleasure from it as I do.
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