This is the 13th album fro Pink Floyd. It's not bad, though Allmusic gives it a miserly two out of five stars.
A David Gilmour solo album in all but name, heavily featuring the kind of atmospheric instrumental music and Gilmour guitar sound typical of the Floyd before the now-departed Roger Waters took over, but lacking Waters' unifying vision and lyrical ability. [source]
Well, The Final Cut was like a Roger Waters solo record, so this is fair enough. Perhaps the most amazing thing abut this record is the cover shot. This was before easy photo editing, so these are real beds! That's amazing and it was a lot of work.
The Final Cut was not so final after all. It may have been better titled as Roger's Last Cut, perhaps. In any case, I am not a huge fan of the LP. It's almost like a Waters solo record.
The Final Cut was the last Pink Floyd album to feature founding member Roger Waters, who departed from the band in 1985. It is also the only Pink Floyd album not to feature founding member and keyboardist Richard Wright, who left the band after the Wall sessions. The recording was plagued by conflict; guitarist David Gilmour felt many of the tracks were not worthy of inclusion, but Waters accused him of failing to contribute material himself. Drummer Nick Mason's contributions were mostly limited to sound effects. [source]
Well, OK, so it is not bad, but other PF record are better.
I was only passingly familiar with Pink Floyd when this record dropped. I knew a few PF tracks that were played on FM radio, and these were all from Wish You Were Here and Dark Side of the Moon. And then, The Wall arrived. I think everyone loved Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2), and I thought it was kind of cool, so I went out and bought a copy of the LP. In truth, I found the listening experience to be rather tough going and I found that, although I think I liked the record well enough, I didn't listen to it very often. I sold the record not too long after, which was a mistake. The funny thing is that I had the same experience with the CD version. One day, I saw a copy for a good price and decided to get it. I listened to it and found that, yes, it's a really good record, but I can't say that listening to it is enjoyable. I do love some tracks, like Mother, Run Like Hell, and Comfortably Numb. Others were good, but not so much fun. I found that I didn't really listen to the CD very often, though I kept my copy.
Some years ago, I saw a reasonably-priced vinyl copy in a used bin, and tried again. I listened to it twice, and never again. It's clearly not my favourite Pink Floyd Record. I like it but it just isn't the kind of record one throws on the turntable for a casual listen. You have to be all in. I do love the transition from The Happiest Days Of Our Lives to Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2).
I would place Animals in my top three PF records. I like it better than The Wall, even though I didn't even hear it until after I owned a copy of The Wall. Back in 1985 or 1986, some friends of mine went on a acid trip, and this was one of the record that they listened to. When I heard that report, I decided to track down a copy (an original Canadian pressing form 1977) and give it a listen. It was totally off my radar, I assume because it did not have a single, like Money or Wish You Were Here or Another Brick in the Wall. I was floored. I loved it immediately, though I gather the not all Pink Floyd fans love it.
At times, I think I like this record more that The Dark Side of the Moon. I love DSOTM, but this is a close second, and sometimes, it seems better. It was many years after I heard this record that I realized that Have a Cigar was sung by Roy Harper. I have no idea what I hadn't noticed before.
I have a Canadian CD from 1994 and an a Canadian vinyl pressing from 1975. The notes from Dicosgs state: "Released with an inner cardboard lyrics-sleeve and a postcard insert." Alas, I bought my copy used, and the postcard is long gone. Of course, in the early days, I listened to a tape that my friend, Pete loaned to me. He said that he was a closet Pink Floyd fan. I am not sure why he would have hidden that fact, but I am kind of a closet fan of Hall and Oates, so there's that.
Check this out, from Wikipedia, and scratch your head:
Wish You Were Here received mixed reviews from critics on its release, who found its music uninspiring and inferior to their previous work. It has retrospectively received critical acclaim, hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time, and was cited by keyboardist Richard Wright and guitarist David Gilmour as their favourite Pink Floyd album. It reached number one in the US and UK, and Harvest's parent company, EMI, was unable to keep up with the demand. Since then, the record has sold over 20 million copies.
And, this more specific idiocy:
On release, the album received mixed reviews. Ben Edmunds wrote in Rolling Stone that the band's "lackadaisical demeanor" leaves the subject of Barrett "unrealised; they give such a matter-of-fact reading of the goddamn thing that they might as well be singing about Roger Waters's brother-in-law getting a parking ticket." Edmunds concluded the band is "devoid" of the "sincere passion for their 'art'" that contemporary space rock acts purportedly have. Melody Maker's reviewer wrote: "From whichever direction one approaches Wish You Were Here, it still sounds unconvincing in its ponderous sincerity and displays a critical lack of imagination in all departments. [source]
What can anyone say about The Dark Side of the Moon that hasn't already been said? I am always astounded when I hear people say that they do not like this record. This LP is in my top two Floyd records. I can say that I have a near mint Canadian pressing from the 1980s, complete with stickers and posters. I purchased it in a record store in Guelph, but I can't recall which one. If you have never heard this, you are missing out.
My copy of the band's sixth LP is the Canadian fourth pressing. It contains some of my favourite Floyd tracks, like Fearless, San Tropez, and Echoes.
The album's title Meddle is a play on words: a medal, and to interfere. Storm Thorgerson of the art-design group Hipgnosis originally suggested a close-up shot of a baboon's anus for the album cover photograph. He was overruled by the band, who informed him via an intercontinental telephone call while on tour in Japan that they would rather have "an ear underwater". The cover image was photographed by Bob Dowling. The image represents an ear, underwater, collecting waves of sound (represented by ripples in the water). Thorgerson later expressed dissatisfaction with the cover, claiming it to be his least favourite Pink Floyd album sleeve: "I think Meddle is a much better album than its cover".Thorgerson's colleague Aubrey Powell shared his sentiments, saying: "Meddle was a mess. I hated that cover. I don't think we did them justice with that at all; it's half-hearted." The gatefold contains a group photograph of the band (Floyd's last until 1987's A Momentary Lapse of Reason). [source]
I agree that this cover is awful. The tunes are great, and much better than anything the band had released prior and loser to what came next.
A Nice Pair is a compilation album that collects Pink Floyd's first two records, those being The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets. About the scandalous cover art:
The cover is by Hipgnosis, who designed many other Pink Floyd covers, and consists of four grids of nine small images including some proposed but previously unused album cover designs. Several images depict a well-known phrase or saying in the form of a visual pun; for instance, the centre right-hand panel on the front depicts "a fork in the road", while the bottom right represents "a fine kettle of fish". Another picture presents two puns on the album title: a nice pear, and an image of a woman's pair of breasts; the latter is censored with a black bar on some copies, while other US copies opted to cover it with a purple and white sticker over the shrink wrap. Initial copies had a picture of a Mr. W.R. Phang's dental surgery on the cover (a genuine business photographed in Hammersmith, west London), but Dr. Phang objected because NHS dentists were not permitted to advertise, and the picture was replaced with one of a gargling monk. US editions from the 1980s restored both the nudity and the W.R. Phang photo. The selection of band photos on the inside cover also varies, with some copies including a photo of a shirtless, disturbed-looking Syd Barrett from The Madcap Laughs cover photo session, while others replace it with a photo of a smiling Barrett sitting by a car. [source]
My copy is a Canadian pressing, and I would guess it's from the 1980s (but it might be an earlier copy), though Discogs does not have a date for mine. It has the restored images that had been censored by pecksniffs in the past.
This is really a good collection to have because early copies of the first two Floyd records -- even from the 1980s -- are a challenge to find for a good price and in reasonable condition. Of course, Dark Side of the Moon was released earlier in 1973, and it represented a radical departure in sound, moving away from psychedelia to a prog rock sound. So, this was kind of a call back to earlier days. I have to assume that the record label decided to cash in on the success of Dark Side of the Moon by releasing this compilation.
Wikipedia has a wealth of information bout this release, such as:
The release of Relics occurred because the band's record company, EMI, were concerned that they had gone into the studio to record what would become Meddle without any songs or ideas, effectively starting from scratch. This, combined with their ever-increasing touring schedule, made EMI realise that no new product would be released for some time, possibly not until well over a year after completing their previous album, Atom Heart Mother. In order to issue some more "product" for fans, they decided to release a budget priced LP on their Starline label, combining early singles, B-sides, album tracks and one unreleased song, "Biding My Time". The compilation contains material from the first three albums: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, A Saucerful of Secrets and More. [source]
So, I guess for completists, this is important as it was the only way, until then at least, to have Biding My Time on vinyl. I do not love that song, but Relics is a really good collection of early material.
I have a 1981 Canadian pressing. You could probably find a copy of this pressing for $20-$25.
Atom Heart Mother is my least favourite PF record. I prefer side two. Somehow, I have an unofficial release, which I have to assume is sourced from a digital file. I guess this is what happens when you cannot wade through hundreds of releases on Discogs to try to figure out what version it is. It sounds OK, but I would rather have a real pressing.
Now, here is where I need to mention that I sold some of my record collection back in the day when CDs came onto the scene. I bought a few records as replacements in later years, but I am still angry with the decision to part with some of these records. My copy is a 1983 Canadian repressing.
From Wikipedia:
"The album's title supposedly comes from Cambridge slang for sex, commonly used by Pink Floyd friend and occasional roadie, Iain "Emo" Moore, who would say, "I'm going back to the house for some ummagumma". According to Moore, he made up the term himself." [source]
I had no idea. Also, from Wikipedia:
The first disc consists of live recordings from concerts at Mothers Club in Birmingham and the College of Commerce in Manchester that contained part of their normal set list of the time, while the second contains solo compositions by each member of the band recorded at Abbey Road Studios. The artwork was designed by regular Floyd collaborators Hipgnosis and features a number of pictures of the band combined to give a Droste effect. It was the last album cover to feature the band.
From Discogs:
Pink Floyd's first release on Harvest Records. Originally released on October 25, 1969.
The First Disc (SHDW 1) is a Live Album. Sources of the original studio recordings: - A1 – "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" - A2 – "Point Me At The Sky" Single - Side B – "A Saucerful Of Secrets" (Total Duration: 39:15)
The Second Disc (SHDW 2) is a Studio Album. At 16 words, track C3 has the distinction of having the longest name ever carried by a Pink Floyd song. (Total Duration: 48:44)
Cover Design Trivia; - Album's cover utilizes infinity mirror effect. - The album, whose package is shown on cover (over the band's name) is MGM's Gigi - Original Cast Soundtrack Album (which was released 11 years earlier) was removed on US Vinyl Pressings.
My copy also has a black album jacket. I think this is better than the reviews suggest.
Oddly the title track on this 12" single is Sunny Day, when it should be Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag. The latter song means a lot to me as it was once the the music for the TV show The New Music, which was my favourite show for years and years. I refused to go out on some nights, if it meant that I would miss the show. I also hated it if the house was noisy. I was glued to every word and I discovered a lot of new music through this show.
From Discogs: "Picastro is an experimental indie rock band formed in 1998 in Toronto, Canada."
From Wikipedia: "Picastro is a Canadian slowcore and rock music band based in Toronto, Ontario. The band is fronted by guitarist/vocalist Liz Hysen, and currently includes cellist Nick Storring, synth and guitarist Matthew Ramolo (Khora) and drummer Germaine Liu. Past members included Evan Clarke, Rachel McBride, Owen Pallett, Stephanie Vittas, Kurt Newman, Alex McLeod and Zak Hanna."
The tracks, which were previously released on the limited-edition Super Deluxe 9-LP and 5 CD formats of 2020’s Wildflowers & All The Rest, will now be available on limited edition gold vinyl (exclusive for TomPetty.com and indie retail) for the first time.
Finding Wildflowers (Alternate Versions) features 16 studio recordings of alternate takes, long cuts and jam versions of Wildflowers songs as Tom, band members and co-producer Rick Rubin worked to finalize the album in 1994. The release offers fans further deep access into the writing and recording of Wildflowers, as well as realizing the full vision of the project as Tom had always intended.
The collection was produced by Tom’s longtime engineer and co-producer Ryan Ulyate who listened to 245 reels of 24-track tape, revealing Tom and his collaborators’ evolutionary process and finding the group willing to do whatever it took to discover the essence and magic in the material.
Notes from Discogs and hype sticker:
Limited edition gold vinyl initially released as an exclusive to indie retail and artist web store.
Issued in non-gatefold jacket with four-page folded insert with artwork, notes and credits.
Wildflowers Alternate Versions 16 Songs on 2 LPs Studio Outtakes from the Original Recording Sessions (1992-1994)
Recording details from insert: A1, B2: Previously unreleased recording - December 3, 1992 A2: Previously unreleased recording - January 25, 1993 A3: Previously unreleased recording - July 27, 1993 A4, C2: Previously unreleased recording - July 28, 1993 B1: Released as the B-side on "A Higher Place" and Wildflowers EPK B3, B4: Previously unreleased recording - July 14, 1994 C1: Previously unreleased recording - August 11, 1992 C3: Released as the B-side on "You Don't Know How It Feels" C4: Released as the B-side on "It's Good To Be King" D1: Previously unreleased recording - June 3, 1993 D2: Released on An American Treasure (2018) - Different version from Wildflowers original release D3: Released on An American Treasure (2018) - Different version from Wildflowers original release D4: Previously unreleased song and recording - August 12, 1992
If you like Wildflowers, this will be interesting collection to hear to have in your collection.
I have a CD copy of the original 1994 release. Good luck trying to find a copy of the original LP. I saw one once in a Toronto record store for $400 a couple of years ago. I wasn't even tempted. There was, evidently, a double LP version released in 2009. I had no idea. Finally, In 2002, we got a bunch of reissues, like a double CD version, a 4 CD version, a 3 LP version, and some boxes with six records (I think). I settled for the triple record version. From Wikipedia:
"Petty's original track listing for Wildflowers was a double album with 25 songs and Lenny Waronker of Warner Bros. Records suggested that it was too long. Petty's family and bandmates arranged a 2020 re-release of the album that includes these deleted songs, demos, and live tracks entitled Wildflowers & All the Rest. The super deluxe edition of the box set called "Finding Wildflowers" included a fifth disc of alternate versions of the Wildflowers tracks. In April 2021, "Finding Wildflowers" was released individually." [source]
Of course, this is not really Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, as there are solo tunes here, that horrid song with Stevie Nicks, and two tracks from Mudcrutch. Once again, Discogs needs unified headings. This is a great collection, though. It covers most of the highlights. If you only want the highlight, and that one lowlight, this is the collection to get. It sounds great, too.
This is an RSD 2016 release that was limited to 7500 copies. From the sticker: Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Live 2013; Deep Tracks, Hits and Handpicked Covers.
Sadly, this was the final Tom Petty studio album. This is a great record, right form the fist note of the first track. It's too bad that there will never be another Petty record of new material.
"Ultimately, Hypnotic Eye is a record about the pure joy of sound, a rush that doesn't lessen upon repetition -- a sentiment that's true of those old '60s garage rock singles and early Heartbreakers albums, and this is a surprisingly, satisfyingly vigorous record." [source]
"Mojo is the 12th studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on June 15, 2010 on CD and June 29 on Blu-ray. It was Petty's first album with the Heartbreakers in eight years."
- Wikipedia
This was repressed in 2017, but I have a copy of the original pressing for 2010. Oddly the prices for each are similar. The reviews are all over the place, but I think this is a good record. I mean, it starts with a killer track:
I am the lucky owner of an original pressing from 2006. More than that, I paid $8.00 for a sealed copy! Wow. At the time I picked his up, this record was going for at least $80 to $100 on Discogs, and some were listed at even higher prices. I believe that current prices are similar. In 2017, the record was repressed and that record sells for far less. My copy has a slightly bent corner, from shelf wear, but I am not too upset about that. I really like this record.
The original LP, released in 1999 is now a pricey record. The record was repressed in 2017, and I picked up a used copy for a good price. Resale prices for the repressing are creeping up. I think this is a pretty good record.
Though originally released in 1999 the first (and only, so far) vinyl release dropped in 2017. Surprise: I have never seen this film. Walls is likely the track you have heard, if you have heard any tracks from this record.
I think every musical artist has considered the problems of following up a great record. How do you top or match a really fine LP? In this case, if you are the critic at Allmusic, you just pretend that Petty failed. But, that is selling this record short. Jeff Lynne came back to lend a hand and the results are really good, but perhaps not as good as FMF. Into the Great Wide Open is one of my favourite Petty tunes. I love Learning to Fly. Two Gunslingers is great too, as is The Dark of the Sun, All or Nothin', etc.
Among the long list of people Petty thanks, is--first and foremost--God. Really? Why include a thanks to a fictitious supernatural agent? People are so gullible.
What! A Tom Petty record without the Heartbreakers? I think I read that some of the Heartbreakers were heartbroken when this happened. Life is full of disappointments.
Full Moon Fever might be Tom's best record. The only song I do not care for is Alright for Now. The rest are all top-shelf tracks, including--arguably--Petty's best song, Free Fallin'. I've never been a big fan of ELO or Jeff Lynne, but this collaboration works amazingly well. Just reflect on what else is on this record: I Won't Back Down, Running Down a Dream, Love is Long Road, Yer So Bad, Feel a Whole Lot Better, etc., etc. It's almost a greatest hits record.
I wasn't really a Tom Petty fan when this record came out. In fact, I had forgotten about him, after having been infatuated with Damn the Torpedoes. After that record, I completely lost track of him. One day, I heard Free Fallin' and I was stopped dead in my tracks. It is one of those songs that just grabbed my attention. As soon as it was over, I wanted to here it again. I went on a quest to reconnect with Petty because I thought Free Fallin' was such a great song. I think that is is one of those songs that everyone who hears it will like, even if you are a classic rock guy, or a country music fan, or even a fan of indie rock. I'd really like to meet someone who does not like that song.
This record sure got mixed reviews. I will say this: the cover is an abomination. It is absolutely horrible. Why this was cover ever allowed to see the light of day is beyond me. I hate to even look at it. It probably induced nightmares in many people. From a post about this record on Discogs:
It’s quite impossible to begin talking about this release without referencing one of the most uncomfortable album covers that ever existed, and then go onto think about the photographer needing to ask each member of the band to scream in front of the camera in order to create this uninspired feature. [source]
Anyway, I don't hate this record, but it is not in the top five.
Occasionally, the songs work; "Rebels" and "Spike" are fine rockers, and "Don't Come Around Here No More" and "Make It Better (Forget About Me)" expand the Heartbreakers' sound nicely. But too often, the record is weighed down by its own ambitions. [source]
What does the last sentence mean?
And, then there's this, referenced in Wikipedia: "In the Los Angeles Review of Books, Connor Goodwin said the album is "deeply embedded in nostalgia for the Lost Cause." [source] I have to say that this never occurred to me. Can that really be true?
In that epic four-hour documentary about Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Runnin' Down a Dream, directed by Peter Bogdanovich), Tom referred to this record as a "tread-water album." In the same segment, Jimmy Iovine said: "After three records, your should shoot your producer." I think both statements are fair. This record is largely a step backwards, apart from You Got Lucky, and a couple of other tracks.
Two years after the brilliant Damn the Torpedoes, Petty released this fabulous record. Somehow, I have two copies of this record, one with the lyrics insert and one without. This release is an "MCA Masterphile Series" which was mastered at half-speed.
Some trivia from Wikipedia:
During the recording of the album, John Lennon was scheduled to be in the same studio at the same time. Petty was looking forward to meeting him when he came in. The meeting never occurred, as Lennon was murdered before the date of his planned visit to the studio. Petty and the band paid tribute to the slain former Beatle by etching "WE LOVE YOU J.L." in the runout deadwax on early U.S. and Canadian pressings of Hard Promises. [source]
My copies do not have that dedication in the dead wax.
If I had to make a list of top ten pure rock records (discounting new wave, goth, blues, etc.), this record would have to be on it. I think it's easy to underestimate the record today, but when it come out it was new, vibrant, dynamic, and different. The sound alone is amazing. I find it amusing that there were wome people who thought that Tom was a new wave guy.
My sister bought a copy of this record soon after it came out, and I remember sitting in her room listening to it on her crappy stereo system. Even then, I admit that it sounded good. This record had quite the impact, I have to think, even if you are sick of the tunes from so much overplay. Oddly, I disconnected with Tom after this record for ages.
The follow up the the debut is pretty good. Songs people might know are Too Much Ain't Enough, Listen to Her Heart, and I Need to Know. The album is deeper than that though, despite the review on Allmusic. I think this is a great record. Sure, it sounds like the first one, but it makes sense as a logical sequel.
I sometimes write draft posts in advance, and this is one for which I had jotted some notes down over 4 years ago! And then, we got that awful news that Tom had died, and then that he was still alive, and, finally, that he had slipped away. That was truly devastating news.
Some who know me are often surprised to learn that I like Tom's music. I really do. I think he wrote some solid, honest, and unpretentious rock and roll songs. I could never say enough good things about Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. And, he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. I also admired his fight with the record label over album pricing.
Petty was another emotional death in a long line that includes Lou Reed, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Prince, Grant Hart, Walter Becker, and John Lennon, a senseless tragedy that still bothers me. I listened to Full Moon Fever after I got the news, and, yes, it made me very sad. There are so many aging rock stars, and I suppose that so many of these heroes of mine will depart over the next few years.
I recommend that everyone watch the four-hour documentary, Running Down a Dream. I would never have believed that a documentary that long would work, but it does.
What I originally wrote here in a draft post, months and months ago, was: I didn't know anything about Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers until I heard Damn the Torpedoes, a record my sister bought when it came out. I had to go backwards to find out what I had missed. I'd call it honest rock and roll, though some call it music of the heartland. I guess many would place Petty in the same crowd as Springsteen, Seeger,
and maybe even John Mellencamp, although I think he is far better than Seger and Mellencamp.
I find it interesting that the band was
initially far bigger in the UK than in the US. I guess the same thing happened
with Cheap Trick, who were huge in Japan before getting any recognition
in the US. This record contains a bunch of great songs, like American Girl, Breakdown, Hometown Blues, Strangered in the Night, etc. It's great. I have a Canadian pressing (and a copy on CD).
Yes, this is another LP I picked up for $1.99 from a thrift shop. By the way, the Opportunities 12" single, from a few days back, was also from a thrift shop. I should call the band the Thrift Shop Boys. From Wikipedia:
The album was unusual in that it reversed the typical process by which pop/dance acts released singles. Instead of releasing an album of regular-length (3–5-minute) songs, then releasing lengthy remixes of those songs on subsequent singles, Introspective was released as an LP consisting of songs that all lasted six minutes or more. Tracks released as singles like "Always on My Mind" and "Domino Dancing" had been issued as shorter, more radio-friendly mixes prior to the album. None was released as a radio single in the same form as it appeared on the album. It was also the case for the two other singles "Left to My Own Devices" and "It's Alright". [source]
The songs are all very long. This is a pretty good record.
This record is entitled Actually or Pet Shop Boys, actually. I actually couldn't tell you which is right. I found this one in a thrift shop for $1.99 as well. There were some big hits from this record, like It's a Sin, What Have I Done to Deserve This?, Rent, and Heart. It's not bad, in a pop kind of way.
The first time I head West End Girls, I was dismayed, even horrified, especially since so many of my friends loved the song. I hated it. I thought it was disco reborn in 1986. Hadn't we had enough disco to last a lifetime by then? The answer is yes.
One day, many, many, many years later, I stopped into a thrift shop and found a minty-fresh copy of the LP sitting in the bin. I paid my $1.99 for it and left. My opinion of the track had mellowd over the years, and now I don't mind it. It's far better than I remembered. It's still not top-shelf music for me, but I can honestly say that I like the track.
Other popular tracks from album are the afore-mentioned Opportunities, plus Love Comes Quickly and Suburbia.
"Perth County Conspiracy, also known as 'Perth County Conspiracy (does not exist)' was a Canadian folk music group established in 1969 and active during the 1970s comprised of roughly 30 members who lived on a commune near Stratford, Ontario. The core musical members (originally Cedric Smith, Terry Jones, Richard Keelan, Michael Butler, and Michael McConkey but members would come and go over time) would continue performing and touring during planting and harvesting seasons. Their music is characterised by its message-oriented lyrics and unconventional arrangements."
I found this record on the side of the road a few years ago. It was in a record-sized milk crate along with two or three unremarkable records. It's kind of a strange package, with inserts, rather than a full jacket, but I have seen other photos showing a real jacket. Mine has a smallish insert. as seen in the photo above, along with a sheet listing toys for sale with prices, with this address:
G.M.T. Toys, c/o James Cairns, R.R. #3 Embro, Ontario, Canada
A beaver will run you $3, while a northern dump truck is $10. The rocking horse with felt on the head is $33.00. "All toys shown here are constructed of white pine and hardwood dowels."
The other insert in my copy has an essay with thanks given to Milton Acorn, Michael Ondaatje, and Woody Guthrie, I assume because they share some of the songwriting credits. Now that's an odd but interesting collection of people. I have books by Milton and Michael on my shelves.
It also encourages people to send inquiries to Box 173 Stratford, Ontario.
This is a very strange record, The RarestRecords Youtube channel (video link below) says this about the record.
Here is a real gem for collectors of `Acid Folk` a privately pressed LP by Canadian Folk band `The Perth County Conspiracy Does Not Exist` released after they left Columbia and decided to go it alone pressing up their own records (not sure how many were pressed but they came with a hand printed picture taped on the front and various hand made inserts so logic would say not many). The music is very reminiscent of the Incredible String Band and is interspersed with little sketches (very 1960`s hippie) sounds great to my ears. Hard to value as copies have sold for all sorts of strange prices recently (£40 - £140).
The value is weird. When I found this LP, there were copies for sale on Discogs for $300+. Prices now range from about $20 to $265, but it seems you would need to spend $50 plus shipping to get a copy in good shape. An original pressing of the band's first record will cost you big time.
Discogs says this, which I did not know when I bought the record: "Limited to 1,000 copies. First 100 copies contain signed postcard." My copy does not have a signed postcard. Allmusic says this:
"From beginning to end, The Long Goodbye is pure Pere Ubu: surprising, unexpectedly tender, and above all, thought-provoking. Even by their standards, this is a wild and challenging album -- coming full circle rarely sounds this exhilarating." [source]
This record contains a genuine and honest-to-god hit song! And, there was a Canadian pressing, which I have. From Allmusic:
In a press handout that accompanied the original release of Pere Ubu's Cloudland, David Thomas quipped "We'd never been asked to write a pop record before. I guess it never occurred to anyone." Given the sonic Dadaism of much of Pere Ubu's work, what's most startling is not that it took so long for someone to suggest they make a pop record but that they were able to comply so successfully. [source]
The Tenement Year is the sixth studio album by American rock band Pere Ubu, and their first album after reuniting following their 1982 break-up. 'Classic lineup' members Tony Maimoneand Allen Ravenstine, along with fellow Cleveland scenester Jim Jones and Henry Cow percussionist Chris Cutler found themselves playing with David Thomas for his 1987 album Blame the Messenger, and, discovering they sounded much like Pere Ubu, began incorporating a few Ubu numbers while touring for that album. Eventually, an official reunion was pursued, original drummer Scott Krauss was contacted, and thus the new lineup was completed and the old mantle assumed. The Tenement Year found the group veering in a loose, freewheeling, and decidedly more pop-oriented direction than in the past, though the pop leanings would become even more pronounced on subsequent albums.
This LP received no domestic release in Canada either, so I have a US pressing from 1980. How Allmusic could have awarded this record only 3 stars is beyond me. From Wikipedia:
Mayo Thompson of The Red Krayola joined as guitarist for this album and slanted the proceedings further towards deconstruction and abstraction, and away from the primal rock that former guitarist Tom Herman had facilitated.
The LP was not released in Canada in any format, and it wasn't released in the USA until 1999 (on CD). I think Dub Housing must have freaked the record company out, so there wasn't another domestic release in Canada until The Tenement Years in 1988. On the downside, there's Jehovah's Kingdom Comes, David's calling to the Jehovah's. What? At least it wasn't Scientology, but they are both phoney, like all religions. That track is fantastic, but the message is bullshit. All of the tracks are great. By the way, my copy is from The Netherlands.
"Released in 1978 by Chrysalis Records, the album is now regarded as one of their best, described by Trouser Press as "simply one of the most important post-punk recordings."[source]
Wikipedia:
To define their music, Pere Ubu coined the term avant-garage to reflect interest in both experimental avant-garde music (especially musique concrète) and raw, direct blues-influenced garage rock. Thomas has stated the term is "a joke invented to have something to give journalists when they yelp for a neat sound bite or pigeonhole".[10] Their music has been called art-punk and post-punk.[11][12] Their songs imagined 1950s and 1960s garage rock and surf music archetypes as seen in a distorting funhouse mirror, emphasising the music's angst, loneliness and lyrical paranoia. Sometimes sounding like a demented nursery rhyme sing-along, this already bizarre blend was overlaid with Ravenstine's ominous EML synthesizer effects and tape looped sounds of mundane conversation, ringing telephones or steam whistles. Their propulsive rhythmic pulse was similar to Krautrock, but Thomas's yelping, howling, desperate singing was and still is peculiar when compared to most other rock and roll singers.
I admit that I missed the origins of Pere Ubu. I am too young, and it took me a while to find them, but I am glad I did. They rank highly in my list of favourite acts.
I find it difficult to find the words to describe how much I love this record. I guess you get it or you don't. To me, Pere Ubu might be the best American band ever.
I can not overstate just how awesome and groundbreaking this record is. It's phenomenal.
From Discogs:
An early anthology containing several tracks from the band's first four singles--except for "Untitled", an early version of "The Modern Dance" that was previously unreleased. (As for the songs not on this compilation, "The Modern Dance" and "Street Waves" were included on the "Modern Dance" album, while "Final Solution" and "My Dark Ages" wouldn't be reissued until 1980.) "Heart of Darkness" is edited for time.
The brief ascription fro Allmusic says this about Pere Ubu:
Influential art punk band whose experimental sound harnessed self-destructing melodies, scattershot rhythms, and industrial-strength dissonance.
I have been working from home for eight weeks during this COVID-19 pandemic. I neglected this blog, which is OK because no one reads it anyway.
Curiously, the album jacket breaks the word soundtrack into two words. I have seen both, but I think that soundtrack is used more frequently. I have not seen this film. About this sound tracks, Allmusic says only this:
