3 old songs that sent me loopy in 2016

Songs like "You're My Lover" are so great as they prove conclusively what a know-nothing blowhard I was in in the past when I argued that there was very little or no good music made before punk in the 70s. It's such an urgent, touching tune that it never becomes background music.  There were evenings this year where this was the only song I listened to.  It's still  available (why it didn't sell out in minutes upon its release is a mystery) on 7" via France's Pop The Balloon Records here.   Pop The Balloon also sells on discogs so finding a copy couldn't be easier.

The Australian group Terry not only made one of Not Unloved's favourite lps of 2016 but they also introduced me to this stunning Dion and The Wanderers version of a Tom Paxton song by including it on the free mix CD that came with initial copies of their lp when ordered via Monorail Music.  In the days that followed hearing it for the first time I bored anyone foolish enough to linger in my presence for more than a second that it was exactly what I'd always hoped Bob Dylan would sound like. The La's would have walked barefoot over broken glass for its intro and timeless melody.  For a few days I was the proud owner of a (supposedly) Mint- copy of it but then the discogs seller had to admit that they couldn't find it and a full refund was issued. Shame.

When a friend shared"Losing You" on social media after hearing it again (he's more in touch with popular culture than me!), I wasn't looking for a new obsession.  I had plenty obsessions to be going on with, thank you very much.  But it did become an obsession and if YouTube clips deteriorated through overuse as old VHS tapes used to, the clip above would be unwatchable for everyone else by now. Thanks to another French discogs seller, I can luxuriate in the 12" till the vinyl wears thin.

Toulouse "Checks and Credit" (Tinseltones)

Back in my Tinseltones days I put out Toulouse's "Checks and Credit".  I was so proud of how it turned out: dazzling/dizzying tunes, gorgeous sleeve (more than a hint of Belle and Sebastian's art style, ahem!) and heavyweight Czech vinyl.  I just noticed that it was shared on Soundcloud:

Nearly two decades on it still sounds fresh and vital (ha!) and I feel proud all over again.  If only I still had a bunch of copies.  I'd give them to people who would love them.  Still, it''s pretty cheap on discogs.  Go on treat yourself...it's Christmas!

P.S. Note the note on the discogs page:

"remember the lost bands who never had a hope: "checks and credit" by toulouse, it was scratchy, it was great"
(comet gain: "the ballad of a mix tape")

Release day! / where to buy the Vital Idles 7"

Despite the gloomy state of record sales for wee labels, Not Unloved is still chuffed and proud that today the Vital Idles single was finally released.  Thanks to everyone who has already pre-ordered/ordered the single.  Thanks, too, to everyone who has written about (Did Not Chart, Poplib, Ski Pie Rage, I Left Without My Hat, Polaroid etc.) or played it on their shows (Rocker at Dandelion, Futures & Pasts, Alan Godsell at Radio Saltire, Dana Katharine at WPRB etc.).  The record is distributed via Cargo in the UK and is available from these fine places:

Not Unloved's bandcamp
Monorail Music (a 'Staff Pick' and a wonderful write-up - thanks folks!)
Norman Records
juno.co.uk
Rise Music
Tome Records (in store in London)
Rough Trade
Coda Music (in store in Edinburgh)
Assai (in store in Dundee)
ebay
discogs
Sone Records (online and in store in Hamamatsu, Japan)
Good Press Gallery (online and in store in Glasgow)
Pebble Records (online and in store in Eastbourne)
Jigsaw Records (Seattle, USA)
Florida's Dying (Orlando, Florida, USA)
Goner Records (Memphis, Tennessee, USA)
Piccadilly Records (Manchester, England)

Happy days!

Playlist from Hard Left gig

Any show with the combined brutal talents of Anxiety, Kaspar Hauser and Hard Left is a Saturday night show if ever I saw one.  Despite being on a Sunday night, all three groups whipped up a storm

and amply rewarded the hardy souls who were in attendance.  Unfortunately, I dropped my pen into the dark recesses of The 13th Note so was unable to write down what I played but what made it from my little 7" box to the decks was as follows but I can't vouch for the order being accurate:

Fatal Microbes Violence Grows

The Nightingales Paraffin Brain

Bush Tetras Too Many Creeps

Tesco Bombers Hernando's Hideaway

The World It Takes 2
The Mekons Where Were You?

Buzzcocks Love You More

The Quads There Must Be Thousands

Wild Billy Childish and The MBEs Thatcher's Children

The Avengers We Are The One

Royal Trux Waterpark

The Muffs Big Mouth

The Zeros Main Street Brat

Lungleg Maid To Minx

Primetime Pervert

Momus Hairstyle of the Devil

CC Dust New Ways

Molly Nilsson Ugly Girl

Crash Bright Colored Lights (in honour of Mike from Hard Left's old group)

The Rain Parade You Are My Friend

Memphis You Supply The Roses

A big thank you to David from Ski Pie Rage for telling me about that Quads 7" a couple of years back.  It's a real topper and, for once, doesn't cost a fortune on discogs! 

10th December 2016: Vital Idles 7" launch at Titwood Bowling Club, Glasgow

Celebrate the launch of the debut 7" by Vital Idles (out 09/12/2016 on Not Unloved Records) with a knees-up in a bowling club!

When? 10/12/2016 (a Saturday!) between 19:00 & 23:00

Where?  Titwood Bowling Club (take the train from Glasgow Central to Pollokshields West - the first stop! - and it's about a 4 minute walk!)

How much? Only 4 quid on the door.

Joining Vital Idles will be:

Current Affairs: Strident, utterly compelling post-punk from the dark side whose members can also be seen tearing it up in Shopping, Anxiety and Kaspar Hauser.

Sham Gate: Niall's performances teeter on the edge of total collapse and total euphoria. Expect complete in-the-moment musical freedom!

Pig's Nest: Talked about in hushed tones, these cats are rarely seen live. Musho and David are 40% of the mighty Mordwaffe, the other 60% being 75% of Vital Idles.  Yeah!

Hard Left at The 13th Note (27/11/2016)

Glaswegians!  There's a rare chance to witness Hard Left's oppositional '77 punk barrage downstairs in The 13th Note a week on Sunday.  Come along and pay your respects to Mike Schulman and Stewart Anderson and thank them profusely for all those incredible Slumberland Records and 555 Recordings/Emotional Response releases that have illuminated the last quarter century.  Two of Glasgow's most abrasive and exhilarating groups will be sharing the bill with them: Kaspar Hauser and Anxiety.  Between the mayhem, I'll be playing some records and endeavouring not to kill the vibe.  It'll be ferocious but that seems like a suitable response to how 2016 has panned out.

There are Facebook events for the Glasgow gig as well as the Demand The Impossible tour.

The Sticks "No Sustain e.p." (Market Square Recordings)

Paul Messis's Market Square Recordings has, for Not Unloved's money, released some of the most consistently enjoyable singles of recent years.  Its latest missive is a fantastic four-tracker of prickly, but adorable when you get to know it, post-punk by Brighton's The Sticks.  It's good to have The Sticks back on vinyl. I'd assumed them defunct as a few years have passed since I bought their M'Lady's Records single and their name hasn't cropped up all too much since.  Any of the tracks on "No Sustain e.p." would hold its own among the myriad astute picks on Dynamite Hemorrhage or Futures and Pasts playlists.  Those with a fondness for The Fire Engines, The Pheromoans and groups of that ilk should enjoy pulling awkward Anglepoise lamp-style shapes to The Sticks.  MSR 14 is released in an edition of only 300 so swift purchasing action is in order!