Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Peter Murphy: All Night Long (1988)

Now come hold my hand
No bad vibe hearts
Hold my hand you know
This journey could be long

 I have a copy of this 12" (or EP) on CD as well. There are four tracks: All Night Long, Confession (Live), Blind Sublime, and God Sends (Live). The notes say this:

Tracks A1 & B1 recorded at Jacobs and Abbey Road Studios. Mixed at Abbey Road.
Tracks A2 & B2 recorded live at "The Phantasy Club" Toronto, by CFNY-FM Radio.

That was back in the day when CFNY was the absolute best radio station in the world. That is no longer true.

All Night Long is a fabulous track.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Peter Murphy: Tale Of The Tongue (1986)

On the UK 12" pressing of Tale Of The Tongue you will find the title track and a different version of Should The World Fail To Fall Apart.

Monday, December 10, 2018

Peter Murphy: Blue Heart (1986)

The Canadian release for Blue Heart is really an EP. It contains five tracks:

Blue Heart (Extended Remix Version)
The Light Pours Out Of Me
Blue Heart (7" Version)
Canvas Beauty (Romance Version)
Should The World Fail To Fall Apart (Extended Remix Version)

Sunday, December 09, 2018

OMD [Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]: Live at Eventim Hammersmith Apollo (2019)


This concert from November 20th, 2019, is presented on triple blue transparent vinyl. There are also CD and DVD versions available. The sound is really great, and I can recommend it, especially to fans. But, perhaps we have reached peak live OMD? I love it, but one has to figure out how much live material you want. After all, I have a bunch of live stuff, including Live With The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the live recording of Architecture & Morality - Dazzle Ships.



Friday, December 07, 2018

Peter Murphy: Blue Heart (1986)

This is the original UK 12" pressing of Blue Heart, which has three tracks. They are:

Blue Heart
Blue Heart (Seven Inch Version)
Canvas Beauty (Up Version)

Discogs notes the following, which I had never noticed before: "The B side label incorrectly lists the track order. Blue Heart (7" Mix) is the first track, Canvas Beauty is the second track. The cover lists the correct sequence." TIL.

Thursday, December 06, 2018

Peter Murphy: Should the World Fail to Fall Apart (1986)

This is the Canadian Pressing. As I said in the previous post:
"The original UK version is different from the Canadian pressing. I really hate that. The difference, apart of track ordering, is that Canvas Beauty was removed from the Canadian version is preference to Tale of the Tongue. That has never made any sense to me because Canvas Beauty is a much better track"
As you will see, the cover image is the same one used for the UK pressing of Tale of the Tongue.

Peter Murphy: Should the World Fail to Fall Apart (1986)


Peter Murphy's first solo LP, after the collapse of Bauhaus and Dalis Car, contains two cover versions. These are the aforementioned Final Solution and a cover of Magazine's The Light Pours out of Me. Once again, I like Peter's version of the Magazine tune, but the original is so freaking fantastic, it's probably impossible to top it. I don't think anyone could record a better version. It's simply awe-inspiring on so many levels.

Clearly, this record sheds some of the goth feel, or should that read stereotype? This is a solid record, lighter than any Bauhaus outing, but it's really enjoyable. It may not be Bauhaus, but I really like it.

Once again, the record company effed with the track listings. The original UK version is different from the Canadian pressing. I really hate that. The difference, apart of track ordering, is that Canvas Beauty was removed from the Canadian version is preference to Tale of the Tongue. That has never made any sense to me because Canvas Beauty is a much better track. This version is the UK pressing.

Wednesday, December 05, 2018

Peter Murphy: The Final Solution EP (1985)

For Peter Murphy's first solo single, released in advance of his first solo record -- Should the World Fail to Fall Apart -- he opted to cover a Pere Ubu track. That's tough work, but he managed to do a respectable job. I'm just going to add that it must be difficult to make a cover version your own. As much as I admire Peter's version, the Pere Ubu orignal is better, in my humble opinion.

Any artist who strikes out on a solo career is going to be compared to the band from which they came. As the vocalist for Bauhaus, there were probably some -- perhaps unfair -- expectations. But, I'd say that this first outing is solid.

The Canadian version of this 12" single contains four tracks:

Final Solution (Club Mix)
The Answer is Clear (Version)
Canvas Beauty (The Fast Mix)
Final Solution (Third & Final Mix)

Alson Moyet: Alf (1984)

Somehow, I skipped over this one. The Alison Moyet I like best is the Alison Moyet of Yazoo (or Yaz, as we knew them in North America).  Yaz recorded only two records, and disbanded in 1983. The next yer, Alison released her debut record. This isn't bad, but I much prefer Yaz. She does have a truly amazing voice.

Monday, December 03, 2018

Bob Mould: Blue Hearts (2020)


I am happy to report that Allmusic described this record as "one of the very best solo albums Mould has given us to date." I think we can agree. 





Bob Mould: Circle Of Friends (2007/2020)


This concert, from the 9:30 Club in Washington DC, was originally released on DVD in 2007. In 2020, it got a vinyl release on Record Store Day. I did not buy this on RSD, but I did find a discount copy (at about half price) languishing in a bin in a local record late the following year. I thought, why not? I have to say that the sound is truly excellent. This limited edition is pressed on clear vinyl. 



Bob Mould: Sunshine Rock (2019)

I picked this one up soon after it came out. It was my first new 2019 record. I ended up with the limited edition red and yellow swirl coloured vinyl, because that's all the shop had. The price was amazing so I didn't hesitate.
Sunshine Rock is the fourth installment in one of the most satisfying chapters of Bob Mould's career -- no small statement considering his legacy -- and the tender ferocity of these songs is something no one else could do quite this well. [source]
Yup. Its good, but I have only listened to it a couple of times, so far. 

Bob Mould: Patch the Sky (2016)


"All this adds up to another midlife triumph from Mould, a record that harks back to his past while completely occupying the present moment, no matter how uncomfortable or painful that may be." Allmusic

The amazing thing about Bob Mould's solo output is that it is all very very good. The only weak point for me was Modulate, but I don't hate Modulate. I'd put all of his records at 4 or 5 stars out of five, except for Modulate. It's mostly the vocal treatments that I dislike and maybe the production,, but I enjoy other parts of the record. As for Patch the Sky, this is great, once again. Bob is very consistent.

Happily, my copy came with a bonus live CD with nine live tracks recorded at WXRT in June 2014.