Pet Shop Boys - Electric Box

It's that time of year again when I pay through the nose for a massively over priced Pet Shop Boys box set. "The Electric Box" is a limited edition of 350 signed copies that sold for an eye watering £500 each. Not only was it extortionately expensive, it was also 2 months later than promised (seemingly routine for Vinyl Factory releases) and massively disappointing. So lets see what £500 gets you...

The box was delayed for an additional 2 days thanks to DHL, but it was at least intact

Inside was a second box with the warning "PLEASE OPEN WITH EXTREME CARE" Gulp...

Once inside, a pair of white cotton gloves and instructions on how to assemble your box set are seen

Under this there is a folded piece of paper with the credits, an envelope with 5 PVC sleeves and the vinyl records

Then there is the gaudy perspex box which is almost identical to the one from the "Yes" box set but is transparent and has grooves inside to hold the records in place.

 

The coloured12" singles are shipped in 'transport' sleeves and are intended to be placed in the transparent PVC sleeves and then slotted into the box (hence the cotton gloves). One of the records is single sided and is signed and numbered on the label.

However, you wont be seeing my box assembled anytime soon. The PVC sleeves are not actually big enough to hold the records comfortably. To get the records into them involves a great deal of praying and squeezing. The vinyl makes horrible noises as the edges are dragged against the PVC to the extent that I thought "This cost £500; I'm not risking breaking it" and gave up on the first 12". For a product so delayed, one would think they would be able to create sleeves big enough to hold the records.

My confidence wasn't boosted by the fact that the instructions were taped to the top of the box with double sided sticky tape. This tape was applied in a very haphazard fashion and was stuck to the box, the envelope containing the sleeves and the records themselves. The whole idea of having to provide assembly instructions on a £500 box set seems like a complete anathema to me (The Vinyl Factory "hand craft" it and then I have to assemble it myself?) but to then stick tape all over the contents seems crazy.

The piece of paper with the credits feels like an after thought and adds nothing. It looks like it was rushed out on an inkjet printer and is superfluous. The whole package leaves you a bit underwhelmed: it just doesn't seem special enough when you consider the price. However, I shouldn't rush to judgement as I haven't even seen it put together. Maybe I should grow a pair and actually put it together before I condemn it too heavily.

I would never try to justify this purchase in terms of value for money. I have bought it as a collector, I feel a compulsion to own it. Nobody put a gun against my head and made me buy it. But as an object, it is rather disappointing; especially when compared to one of its predecessors. Not only was the "Yes" box set £200 cheaper, it contained exclusive mixes, signed artwork, was packaged in a much more stylish box and had over double the amount of vinyl. I never really fell in love with any of these box sets, but the original "Yes" set is much more special and now feels like a bargain when compared to "The Electric Box".

Erasure for Christmas?

When I found out Erasure were recording a Christmas album, I have to admit, I wasn’t very excited. In fact I was anticipating it being as bad as “Other People’s Songs”. Yet, as a sucker for a limited edition (I even subscribe to @sdedition twitter feed) I couldn’t help but order the deluxe box set of “Snow Globe” and boy am I glad I did. Not only is the box set one of the most thoughtful I’ve ever bought but the music is quite brilliant.

Firstly we should look at the music. Why does (what on paper) looks a terrible concept, work so well in execution? Well firstly Andy has truly found his inner choir boy. Tracks like “Silent Night” and “Silver Bells” work specifically because Andy sings them so well. Vince’s sparse arrangements seem to extenuate the beauty of the vocals yet remain imaginative and unique. Christmas related music makes up 75% of the album with the remainder taken up by fantastic new tracks such as “Loving Man” and “There’ll be no Tomorrow”. From first listen this album was good enough to even make this Scrooge feel Christmassy in November. The box set also features a second disc with remixes, acoustic versions and oddities plus a  third disc with a 'Radio Show'.

As you might expect, the 3000 box sets were only available for pre-order and are sold out. 

 

Losing my edge

Sometime in 2005 I was going to work on a night shift and for some inexplicable reason I tuned my car stereo to BBC Radio 1. This was strange as I never listened to this station normally and frankly, I haven’t listened to it since. But as I drove along that night, I heard a track titled “Daft Punk is Playing at My House” that was both weird and glorious; I loved it instantly. I bought LCD Soundsystem’s eponymously titled debut album as soon as I got access to Google and Amazon.

Over the next few years I bought “45:33” and “Sound of Silver” and found LCD Soundsystem were increasingly brilliant. By the time the glorious “This is Happening” was released I was truly engrossed by Mr Murphy’s music as it was a cunning mix of the sombre and the facile.

However, it became apparent that this was to be the last LCD Soundsystem album and by the time I went to see them live in the spring of 2010 we knew it was soon going to be over. I followed the break up of the group via their website with a mixture of disbelief and ambivalence.

Yet it is only when I watch “Shut up and play the hits” that I realise what a loss LCD Soundsystem are to the music world. Yes, we have the music and the memories, but to think a talent like James Murphy no longer has an output is quite sad. He says touring was ageing him and he wanted to get on with his life. Fine, stop touring if you have to, but please Mr Murphy, make some music. You’re too good not to.

Aventures in vinyl

I recently acquired a new turntable. Consequently I have spent quite a lot of time collecting new vinyl from a wide variety of sources. I have bought from eBay, collector web sites, charity shops, big chains like HMV and independent record shops all across the country.

I have bought ‘mint’ or ‘excellent’ records that look like they have been stored in a dust trap and conversely I have bought 30 year old vinyl that plays and looks as good as the day it was pressed. I have received flimsy 12” singles that I won for 50p wrapped in the sturdiest and most frustratingly secure packaging known to man. I have also received much anticipated eBay victories stuffed in a jiffy bag without a stiffener and its fate trusted to the Royal Mail (it turned up with a heavily creased sleeve but vinyl intact). I have bought record cleaning brushes, a new stylus, cartridge protractors and all kinds of protective covers. So what have I learned from all of this?

The remastered Kraftwerk LPs are by far the best I have bought

Modern remastered vinyl sells at a premium: Most modern pressings are often of a very high quality and that is reflected in the price. You get what you pay for I guess. The soundtrack to “Blade Runner” by Vangelis (2013) is £28-32 depending on where you shop, but is worth every penny. The remastered Depeche Mode (2007) and Kraftwerk (2009) LPs are fine examples of what is possible with brilliant mastering and virgin heavyweight vinyl but average out at £20 each. However….

Brand new 180g vinyl doesn’t guarantee quality: The reissues of Mike Oldfield albums such as “Crises” (2013) are lamentably inferior to the Kraftwerk repressings and quite disappointing. In 2011 Jean Michel Jarre’s first three LPs were released on vinyl for the first time in 20 years. Vinyl does have its limits and these releases highlight the compromises that must sometimes be made. The higher frequencies seem attenuated making the music sound dull, especially in tracks such as Equinoxe Part IV (with a terrible edit at the end of Part VII ruining the second side of the disc).

Not many people understand how to grade a second-hand record: When buying records, major suppliers and collectors use the system created by Record Collector Magazine. The average seller, who is often ignorant of the grading system, will commonly list a record as “good” when it should be graded as “excellent” and vice vesa. Buying vinyl on eBay from private seller is something of a minefield as a result. It took me 5 attempts to secure an “excellent” condition of one LP. Most people simply don’t refer to the condition of the record and this should be a warning!

The Technics SL1200

I used to own a cheap copy of a Technics SL1200 made by a company called SoundLab. It had a rubbish USB audio output and to say it wasn't robust is an major understatement. When the rather poor cartridge developed a fault I decided to throw the baby out with the bath water and start again.

So what turntable to choose? Taking into account my limited budget, I decided I definitely didn't want one of the ubiquitous Pro-Ject or Rega turntables. Having owned a Pro-Ject Debut deck for a few years I knew I couldn't go back to lifting the platter and moving a rubber band between wheels to change speed. Little weights dangling on pieces of nylon thread and a platter that takes an age to stop spinning when turned off aren't features I look for either. So what I wanted was something of better quality than my current deck but with the practicality of an SL1200 copy. Well, what about a real SL1200?

The SL1200 with its original Stanton 500 cartridge

The debate about whether the SL1200 is truly an 'audiophile' turntable still rages on Internet. The issue of belt versus direct drive finds me firmly on the direct side of the argument. Every belt drive deck I have ever owned has displayed noticeable wow and driven me to distraction. Similarly I have never noticed any added motor noise from direct drive and find the brake a useful function. With a high quality cartridge there is no reason why an SL1200 can't sound miles better than any entry level 'audiophile' turntable.

Having watched eBay auctions for a month or so I realised a few things. I needed a seller near to me as posting a heavy turntable with breakable parts is best avoided. Prices vary wildly depending on the cartridge installed and they are often sold in pairs. An original example in excellent condition will fetch between £200 to £250. Other criteria included an intact dust cover, working lights, to not have been gigged and totally unmodified (some of those Ortofon Concorde cartridges, blue neon lights and 'custom powder coatings' look dreadful).

The Rega Fono Mini is a marvel

Having won a suitable deck I couldn't help but be impressed by its solid construction. An SL1200 is made of a solid rubber base and weighs in at a hefty 12kg. On recommendation form a work colleague I ordered what turned out to be an essential element in improving the sound of my vinyl: a phono pre amp. Its amazing how much difference a little black box costing just £85 can make to the sound of a deck. The Rega Fono Mini is an amazing product that I recommend without hesitation. It even has a USB out so digital conversion is just as easy as any cheap USB equipped piece of junk. I have also thrown out the Technics slip mat and added a decidedly "non-slip" rubber mat and ordered a Denon DL110 cartridge.

The thing about playing vinyl on this set up is that it is a complete pleasure. Not only is the sound rich and punchy but the laborious nature of traditional turntables is eradicated. The SL1200 is very easy to live with and its practicality makes me more inclined to throw on an LP rather than an mp3; something I was not inclined to do with my old decks.

The critics and Hi-Fi snobs may sneer but the Sl1200 suits my needs and sounds better than any other turntable I have ever owned.

The remastered CD isn't quite in crisis yet, not with Crises anyway

Crises by Mike Oldfield has always been one of my favourite albums. As a fan of the sound of the Fairlight CMI and eighties music in general, the twenty minute title cut really has everything for me. The second side opens with the hit single ‘Moonlight Shadow’ and the Jon Anderson collaboration ‘In High Places’. Nobody needs pretend ‘Foreign Affair’ is anything other than filler but the intricacies of ‘Taurus 3’ soon banish it. Proceedings close with Oldfield’s take on "heavy metal" in ‘Shadow on the wall’ which features some of co-producer Simon Philips best drumming (gated snares and all!!).

The new deluxe and super deluxe editions take the original 1983 masters and see them baked one last time for mixing in pro tools. The new masters are obviously louder but seem to offer more stereo separation without losing too much of the dynamics. It’s a good job and these tend to be few and far between in the loudness wars.

 

The 5 disc ‘super deluxe’ box set is a lesson in how to make a great reissue. Other record companies should take note (EMI I’m looking you squarely in the eye here, the ‘Electronic’ reissue was a complete shambles). The fact that Oldfield himself has completed the new 5.1 surround mixes and seems to have generally been involved in the project is telling. This is a considered and worthy re-release of a great album.

Remixes - too much of anything is never enough

I’ve always defended the use of remixes. Yes, they have been used to cynically exploit the record buying public at times, but they have also given much joy. I love remixes that either improve on or drastically alter the way you perceive a track. I have a playlist on my computer entitled “The Best Remixes Ever”. Here are some of the gems it includes:

Front 242 – Rhythm of Time [Victor the Cleaner] remixed by The Orb [the only decent remix The Orb ever did] I forgot about the Depeche Mode "Happiest Girl" remixes when I posted this

Nine Inch Nails – Only [Richard X Mix]

Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence [Ewan Person Extended Remix]

Mansun – I can Only Disappoint You [Perfecto Club Mix]

Baxendale – I Built this City [Michael Mayer Mix]

Björk – Hunter [Skothus Mix] remixed by Gus Gus (I used to think the single version of “All Is Full Of Love” was a great remix until I found out it is the original version and that the album version is a remix)

I could add loads of other great remixes and I’m sure most fans of dance or electronic music have their own. But when do remixes get out of control? How many mixes are enough?

In the 1980’s record labels began releasing multiple formats of the same single which all counted towards its chart position (only sales of physical product counted then). Picture discs were a particular favourite tool with free posters also common. As dance mixes became more popular these various formats began to fill with different remixes and in turn spawned more formats. Historically most people have cited Trevor Horns plethora of “Relax” 12” singles as a turning point in the life of the remix. By the 1990’s singles such as Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” were being released on no less than 7 different formats. Luckily the digital age arrived and saved fans the maddening task of identifying and procuring every release and remix. Or did it?

The Pet Shop Boys single ‘Vocal’ was released back in June. There were 9 versions of the song released on the CD with a couple more available as exclusives on services such as Beatport. However since its release it has become apparent that there were many more remixes commissioned but not used. These mixes seem to have been released back to the artists who are making them available online, presumably with Neil and Chris’s consent.

The trouble comes in the sheer volume of these ‘official mixes’. Personally I lost count somewhere around the 40^th different mix. Many of them are average, but strangely none of them are terrible. A few are superb. The ‘Drop Jackson mix’ seems to be universally praised amongst fans with the ‘Armageddon Turk Occupy Mix’ and ‘Leonidas & Hobbes Vocal mix’ also personal favourites. So why weren’t these mixes released? Well they have been. ‘Officially leaked’ seems to be the order of the day. If you want to spend hours on dodgy websites duelling with Trojans and spyware looking for that one last dub/edit/instrumental you are missing, then you can. Alternatively you can be happy with your digital download from iTunes and leave the searching to idiots like me. It seems you can never have too many remixes.

Emo heaven is on the way

So, with releases by both Nine Inch Nails and Gary Numan to look forward to this autumn, the Emo and industrial-loving side of me has much to look forward to.

Reznor's free mp3 "Copy of A" sounds fresh and really rather excellent (especially as it's free). The single "Came back haunted" is also a brilliant teaser that leaves me optimistic that "Hesitation Marks" will be a great album. The "How to Destroy Angels" project left me a little underwhelmed, so I'm looking forward to the resurrection of the NIN moniker.

Numan has so far given nothing away regarding his latest effort but, unfortunately, the press release for "Splinter (Songs from a broken mind)" sounds nothing short of desperate.  

 
"Sounding both cutting-edge and classic Numan, it marks his best work since the late 70s, early 80s heyday"

Surely there is nothing worse than stating a well established artist's new work is both cutting edge and classic? Similarly the suggestion that this new album is Numan's "best work" since his chart heyday is dismissive of a large body of his work and frankly sounds, well......desperate.

Numan's last album "Dead Rising Son" only had about three plays in this house. It sounded like a set of left over demo recordings and unfinished songs. Wait.......ohhhh....it was you say? Yes, it sounded like it. "Splinter" simply has to be better.

However, both albums have one thing in common: brilliant artwork Lets hope the music lives up to the visuals.

Pet Shop Button Madness

I think Pet Shop Boys collectors have gone a little crazy. As mentioned in my last piece about their new album "Electric", Neil and Chris released a limited edition of 500 "Playbuttons". These little mp3 players were made available for pre-order on the official website with little fanfare and without a mail out. They sold out in a few days days.

As there was little publicity about these little collectibles, it seems some people missed out. Now
I can understand people may be frustrated at not being able to get hold of something immediately, but I've been a collector for over 20 years and I know that these things come around again. Almost every time I have spent a lot of money to get hold of something at the time of release (Flamboyant promo 12" for £50 comes to mind) it has become available for a fraction of the price about 6 month later. So why spend £100+ on a £15 mp3 player? Or £200 if it comes with a signed postcard?

These buttons may be scarce but I assure you they will creep out of the woodwork in a few months and I very much doubt they will be selling for £100 then. Yes, I have been wrong before about what will increase in value and what won't, but there is still no way an mp3 player disguised as a badge should be selling for the amount they are.

Add in the fact that the "Electric Box" has sold out in a few days it would seem that not only are Pet Shop Boys fans crazy, they also have deep pockets.

Pet Shop Boys are Electric

So "Electric" the new Pet Shop Boys album is out. Make no mistake; it's great. In fact it's the album I've been waiting for since about 1999.

The "Very" album was an obvious high point for Pet Shop Boys fans that not even the eclectic mess of "Bilingual" could dilute. "Nighlife" promised to take us back to the dance floor, but only took us there on crutches with a blind partner. "Release" is best forgotten and whilst things picked up with "Fundamental" and "Yes", our dancing shoes were still collecting dust.

Yes, Neil and Chris are superb songwriters and they have more strings to their bow than a "four-on-the-floor" pound; but albums such as "Release" and "Elysium" just don't cut the mustard for me or the majority of "Pet Heads". We just want to boogie. With lasers.

So Neil and Chirs have given us lasers, they've given us beats, they've given us synth riffs and vocoders in great big heaps in attempt to reclaim their crown as the synth pop kings. Credit should go to production prince Stuart Price who's work is brilliant. If you didn't like "Elysium" or you think they've lost their way, then rest assured, with this album Neil and Chis have reclaimed their crowns and glued them on

Also up for a gold star is Mark Farrow as the design of "Electric" is quite brilliant and ties the whole project together. Add in the innovative "Play Button" edition and the £500 "Electric Box" and you have a perfect release for the newly formed x2 records. I urge you to buy it.

Pet Shop Boys Live. This is my kind of music...

When I go to a concert, I go to see the group in the flesh. I go to hear them perform their music 'live' in a convivial atmosphere.

In reality, I have to stand next to a woman with the worlds largest handbag, who is accompanied by a man with loud verbal diarrhoea. Behind me stands a fat woman who wants to bump into my back every 3.12 seconds, with the only view of the stage possible being the drunken mosaic created by a sea of iPhone view finders.

But forgetting these major annoyances and trying to ignore the guy video recoding the crowd in front of me (I kid you not, he even had an Angry Birds iPhone cover), I try to concentrate on the performance.

"Pet Shop Boys Electric Live" is a stage show like no other. This show was close to being a religious experience and the MEN a cathederal to dance music. I began to fall deeper into the hacienda created by the music and realised standing still was impossible.

The main aspect of the show that stays with me is the lighting design. No, not just the lasers (which are great) but the whole effect of the show lighting. The stage almost seemed to have no limit, the music and lights began to surround us and draw us deeper in.

Highlights of the show are undoubtedly "I'm Not Scared", "It's A Sin" and "Vocal" but it is also great to hear the original 'Demo' version of "I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)" and the faster paced versions of "Rent" and "Love etc".

Despite a large number of the crowd only seeing the show though their view finders there was a good atmosphere; even Neil and Chis seemed to be smiling.

This concert was somethig to be savoured. A celebration of a genre of music through the back catalogue of one of its greatest exponents.

Truly electric.

PSB go for OMG

So there is absolutely no doubt that the new Pet Shop Boys album 'Electric' is going to be great. The teaser track 'Axis' is a hi-energy disco tour-de-force. The first single 'Vocal' is everything I ever wanted from a PSB single in the 21st Century. I think it is astounding. In fact 'Vocal' is so good it banishes the disappointment of 'Elysium'. Yes, it really is that good.

Electronic "Especially Bad Edition"

There have been many poor “remastered” CD’s issued by increasingly desperate record companies in recent years. The New Order “Deluxe Editions” of 2008 remain the pinnacle of record company ineptitude and stupidity.

But there has emerged a challenger to New Orders crown with the release of the “Special Edition” of Electronics’ eponymously titled debut.

Why would you include a second CD with new edits of songs that are completely unrelated to the original album and exclude the rare and unreleased single edit of “Tighten Up”? Why add alternative versions of tracks recorded eight years later and omit remixes of “Getting Away with It” which have never been released on CD in the UK? Why label “Feel Every Beat” as the “2013 Edit” when it is in fact the DNA remix from 1991?

The release of this CD is a mercenary act that has been conducted by people who are completely ignorant. If you were to be generous to EMI records, you would describe this collection of music as ‘eclectic’. If you were feeling evil you would say it is a complete mess not worthy of a single penny of your hard earned cash.

If a CD is worth reissuing as a “Special Edition” surely it is worth getting right? This lazy ‘scatter gun’ approach to track selection is pathetic. I guess we should be grateful nothing on these two CDs has been taken from a vinyl source (unlike the afore mentioned New Order releases) and the uninspiring packaging does at least contain some new sleeve notes.

Personally I think it should be relabelled as the “Especially Bad Edition” and I encourage everyone to steer clear of it.

Naughty boys and their yellow magic

For a devoted fan of electronic music the pickings were slim in the early 90's. A backlash against the synth driven pop of the 80's led to the rise of Britpop and the guitar driven dirges of Pulp, Blur, Oasis, et al. During these bleak days I sought solace in a variety of strange (electronic) music; "any port in a storm" and all that.

Artists such as Wendy Caros and Isao Tomita didn't appeal too much (as my tastes have matured and both now have a place in my music collection) and never really came up to the standards of my hero Jean Michel Jarre. Tangerine Dream and The Art of Noise were two bands that I felt I should like, rather than having a natural affinity for. Yello and Vangelis were all well and good, but they still lacked melodic drive and proved to have quite inconsistent back catalogues (I'm thinking more Vangelis than Yello here to be fair).

That left the 'odd child' of electronic music; Yellow Magic Orchestra. My introduction to them came through their remix album Hi-Tech/No Crime. Albums like this where were quite de rigueur in the 90's (The Art of Noise's "FON Mixes" and Yello's "Hands on Yello" etc etc). I liked a lot of the melodies in the album but it somehow left me cold and uninterested. Yellow Magic Orchestra albums were (and to a certain extent still are) difficult to obtain and so my interest in them cooled. However, in 2003, remastered versions of their albums were released in the UK and I dipped my toe back into the YMO water.

To listen to Yellow Magic Orchestra you have to re tune your ears away from western sensibilities and remember this band were trying to do something new. Not only were they determined to retain the sound of their Japanese heritage but they also wanted to add the bright fun loving melodies and sounds so despised by Kraftwerk and their contemporaries. They were, and remain, unique and fun loving.

P.S. As I mentioned earlier, not all Y.M.O. albums are easy to come by in the UK. Albums such as "Solid State Survivor" and "Yellow Magic Orchestra" are very easy to find, whilst "×∞Multiplies" and "BGM" are quite rare. Consequently, the unscrupulous are trying to make a killing on amazon by charging silly money for these rarer albums. Top tip is to use eBay and collector sites such as eil.com as they actually represent the best value for money and there can even be a bargain or two to be had.

Wikipedia isn't always right

Wikipedia isn’t always right. I know this as members of the public occasionally refer to it in order to tell me how to do my job. Why anyone would trust a website with life and death decisions is beyond me. Especially one that tells you “West End Girls” by Pet Shop Boys wasn’t released in the UK.

Yes, that’s right. According to Wikipedia, West End Girls in its original form, as produced by Bobby Orlando, wasn’t released in the UK. Both the listing for the song and the main entry for the group state: “In April 1984, "West End Girls" was released, becoming a club hit in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and a minor dance hit in Belgium, and France, but was only available in the United Kingdom as a 12" import."

It really doesn’t matter that this statement is referenced with a link to the BBC website as it’s demonstrably wrong. 

To start with, the same Wikipedia page that says the single was only available as an import lists the original UK release along with all of the others. Secondly it is a matter of record that West End Girls reached number 121 in April 1984 on the UK Gallup singles chart. Thirdly and most tellingly of all is the fact that I, and many others, own a copy of the ‘Epic’ UK release.  

The original version of West End Girls was recorded in New York in September 1984 and produced by Bobby Olrando. It was released on Orlando’s “Bobcat Records” in the USA and subsequently licensed to various record labels in the rest of the world. In the UK, Epic Records offered a one off deal to release and distribute the track. Thus Epic Records catalogue number A4292 (7”) and TA4292 (12”) released on 9^th April 1984 is Pet Shop Boys “West End Girls”. 

That’s a fact, no matter what the BBC or Wikipedia may tell you.

It's OK not to love Tubular Bells.......

Like many others, the first Mike Oldfield record I ever heard was Tubular Bells. I didn’t buy the album when it came out as it was released the same year I was born. In fact, I didn’t buy it at all. Back in the 80’s when CD players were first becoming popular; manufacturers would bundle in free CD’s with a new player. One of my five (yes five) freebies was Tubular Bells. When I first played it I was totally bemused by it and rarely listened to it again - I was expecting something different.

It wasn’t until I saw the premier of Tubular Bells II on TV a few years later that I thought this Oldfield guy might actually be quite good. I went back to Tubular Bells but still found it a bit too odd and gritty for my taste. The sequel however, was a glistening and fluid journey through a magnificent musical landscape. I decided to blindly venture into Oldfield’s extensive back catalogue and see what else came up (not something I would recommend without assistance).

Now, if the next album I had bought had been Discovery or Islands my Oldfield odyssey might well have ended there and then. Happily my next purchase was Crises. As a fan of the Fairlight the title track was an immediate favourite. If you couple that with Moonlight Shadow and a few other less well known but interesting songs, you have a great album. In fact Crises (the track, not the album) remains my favourite Oldfield composition. Suddenly I was a Mike Oldfield fan.

When The Songs of Distant Earth was released I was stunned. For some reason I found it a quite affecting piece of music and the more I revisited the album the better it seemed to become. I still like to listen to the whole album rather than selected tracks as it is such a cohesive and moving piece of work. It remains my favourite Mike Oldfield album by quite some way.

Fast forward twenty years (surely not...*checks*…yes twenty) and Oldfield has just released some nonsense remix album that is barely worth the entrance fee. I started reading some reviews online just to check that my opinion of Tubular Beats isn’t too out of step with fellow fans. As a devotee of electronic, rather than acoustic or guitar driven music, I always assumed my opinions on Oldfield albums were often contrary to the majority of his fans. But the more opinions I read online the more I realised my destain for Tubular Beats and love of Crises and The Songs of Distant Earth is shared by many.

So if you are a Mike Oldfield fan; I’d just like to say, it’s OK not to love Tubular Bells. You are not alone.

Roland D-10: it's everywhere! (almost)

The first ‘real’ synthesizer I ever used was a Roland D-5 – it blew me away. Inevitably, the D-5 was soon stolen from our school and replaced by a D-10. I used this synth for various projects until I left school in the early 90’s

The D-10 isn’t the poor man's D-50 as its name would suggest; the two were very different machines. In fact it is a shame the D-10 has the ‘D’ prefix at all. The D-10 was a kind of early multi-timbral ROMpler that Roland began to perfect with the JV series in the 90’s. Even though it wasn’t much of a synthesis tool (changing the presets would incur a severe reprimand at our school) the D-10 had some nice sounds and was easy to operate.

Many years later when I had left school, I bought a second hand D-10 as it was familiar and, by then, cheap. Yet, I never really heard the D-10 presets on records and found I couldn’t quite get the sound I wanted from it (I was listening to lots of dance music in the early 90’s). I assumed the D-10 was just too ‘cheap’ for professional musicians and that I needed something more modern. I parted company with the D-10 around 2001 and haven’t missed it at all.

However, in recent years I am hearing the D-10 everywhere. Electronics’ “Lean to the inside” is almost completely Roland D-10 presets (actually a D-110 in this case) and the song "Idiot Country" features the Jamisen sound. 808 State used it for the lead sound on ‘In yer face’ and used various other sounds less prominently on their "Ex:el" album in 1991 (lots of Korg M1 and D50 on there too). The title track from Tangerine Dream's album "Lily on the Beach" features the drums and the preset HarmoPan and there are several other presets scattered around the album.

The most prominent use of the D-10 is probably by Mike Oldfield; his album “Earth Moving” features the D-10 on almost every song. Listening to the track “Innocent” I realise the drums, bass, and various other bits are all D-10 presets. I am at a loss as to why I never noticed the use of these sounds before.

The D-10 will never be a classic, but it was used by recording artists and there is evidence to prove it. So a synthesizer I dismissed as terrible (but one of few I could afford) is undergoing a re-appraisal.

Where is my phone? I need to look at my eBay app.

 

UPDATE MARCH 2023 - I've added a couple of other tracks I have noticed feature the D-10 and I have also recently acquired a D-110

Delta Machine is actually quite good!

The last few Depeche Mode albums have disappointed me. I guess, like everyone else, I am hoping each new release will be the “Violator 2” that, in reality, we will never see or hear.

I am gradually letting the idea of reliving my youth go and trying to accept each new album on its own terms. Yet producer Ben Hillier’s sound isn’t to my taste and both “Sounds of the Universe” and ”Playing the Angel” fell short of their potential. I will be honest; I wasn’t expecting much with new release “Delta Machine”, but I have been pleasantly surprised.

The single “Heaven” is a brooding “grower” in the “Only When I Lose Myself” mould. “Secret to the End” has some really clever touches that almost sound contemporary and hold the presses……even has some sounds that aren’t distorted. “Soothe My Soul” sounds like the “Personal Jesus” riff is about to break out at any minute and rumbles along very nicely. Tracks such as “Slow” aren’t to my taste, but there is much else to like on this disc that means the poorer tracks don’t seem to matter. “Soft Touch” sounds almost circa 1983 and “Goodbye” is a fitting ending.

So don’t approach “Delta Machine” with caution (even if Corbijn has outdone himself in terms of crap sleeves). It’s not a pop-fest by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a good album full of new ideas (and plenty of old ones) which not even Hillier could ruin.

My CD is cheaper than your mp3

In previous posts I have reasoned that buying CD’s should be dispensed with and that buying music digitally really is the best way forward. And yet I find myself continually buying CDs at a steady rate. So why? Well here is one reason why:

Today I realised a big hole had appeared in my music collection. I’m not 100% sure if I ever bought Massive Attacks “Mezzanine” or if I have lost it; either way, I don’t seem to own it at present. To remedy the situation I went straight to my chosen retailer (always amazon.co.uk as I’m lazy) and searched for the album. Just before I clicked on buy mp3 for a reasonable £2.49 I saw the price of a second hand CD.

A small light bulb lit above my head and I clicked on "used". Why would I buy a collection of mp3's when the cheaper option is to buy a CD for 1p? That's right 1p. 

I have bought a few books on amazon for this price before, but never CDs. Most people are just trying to have a clear out and figure they will make some money on postage I think, but you really do get the item for 1p. Yes, the postage is £1.20 or something, but it still works out cheaper to buy a CD than buy a digital copy. 

So all of my rhetoric about buying music in digital form has been undermined and my CD collection keeps expanding not shrinking. I will have to live with the headache of where to store all of these CDs; but with a few more pounds in my pocket.