My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
One those albums that is perfection beyond belief. A masterpiece.
13 Likes
Ian its an Atom HE and a big preamp improvement on my old UQ2 for sure!
Agree with you on album artwork, in fact I picked these up at the weekend for £2 each, missing vinyl, but will look ok in frames somewhere 
11 Likes
Faith No More - The Real Thing (original 1989 pressing)
There’s not much for me to say that hasn’t been well-chewed over-and-over about this seminal, genre-defying and genre-spawning album. Much like Only A Lad by Oingo Boingo (a noted influence) and Killing Joke’s self-titled debut, The Real Thing influenced a multitude of bands with its avant-garde patchwork of contrasting musical styles but crashed into the public consciousness in ways the former never would have dreamed of. Everyone knows “Epic” (a great karaoke song if nothing else) but nearly every track on the album is its own curate’s egg of wonders. Whether it be the snarling death-metal adjacent “Surprise! You’re Dead!,” the carnival-on-speed energy of opener “From Out of Nowhere” (brilliantly covered by cello-masters Apocalyptica many years later) or the tongue-in-cheek baby-excoriation of “Zombie Eaters” which demonstrated new vocalist-wunderkind Mike Patton 's chasm-like-range that would typify the sound of Faith No More going forward.
This is a classic for a reason.
Even better, this original pressing (which I can’t quite remember how I got my hands on it) is sublime, showing a clean set of heels to the made-from-asthmatic-cardboard sound of the CD. When title track “The Real Thing” pulses from the speakers on side B, Patton’s vocals are tear-inducingly real, projecting into the room like the voice of god, a goosebump-raising experience. I struggle to think how a remaster (which undoubtedly exists I’m sure) could improve upon what’s here. Yes, the sound is lean, hardly a warm, cuddly affair but that strikes me as how it was originally recorded and not something to necessarily “fix” without altering the fundamental nature of the music.
Having said that, if there’s a “you-have-to-hear-it” superlative-inducing remaster on vinyl out there I’d be curious to know so that I could compare it to the original.
6 Likes
Laurie Anderson - Big Science - CD (1982)
Happy Birthday Laurie Anderson 
American avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson, who scored the 1981 UK No.2 single ‘O Superman’, after it was championed by British DJ John Peel.
13 Likes
King Hannah - Big Swimmer. Qobuz’s album of the month. Don’t often agree with their choices, but this is excellent - dreamy vocals, intense guitar, worth a listen.
8 Likes
Richard Hawley - 2024 - In This City They Call You Love - Label - BMG - Vinyl.
This is RH tenth studio album released 31 May 2024.
11 Likes
Fink - Beauty In Your Wake.
1 What Would You Call Yourself
2 The Only Thing That Matters
3 Be Forever Like a Curse
4 It’s Like You Ain’t Mine No More
5 Follow You Down
6 I Don’t See You As the Others Do
7 One Last Gift
8 Don’t Forget to Leave
9 So We Find Ourselves
10 When I Turn This Corner
New album from Fink, due for release on July 5th., and if this taster is anything to go by, it’s just another belter from Mr. Greenall - I would expect nothing less. 
12 Likes
Big Big Train - Ingenious Devices
Nice to finally sit down after a busy morning dashing hither & thither…
7 Likes
Thanks for saying that @AndyP
Could the best hifi in the world resolve To Here Knows When? It would sound epic between two cans and a bit of string and that’s perfection surely?
1 Like
