Sunday 12 November 2017

"Everything in the charts is rubbish."


Follow-up to yesterday's post with more on Orange Juice from the November 11th, 1982 issue of Smash Hits. An article wherein we learn that not everything is up to Edwyn's tastes and standards. In the article we get to hear from Edwyn how the band came about as well as his opinions on the (then) state of affairs of the indie music industry. A sorry state indeed if you believe Edwyn; "It's a really bland time" he quips. I tend to disagree but everyone has a right to an opinion, n'est-ce-pas? He also goes on to say that work of graphic designers such as the Peter Saville isn't his cuppa either nor the (then) current music scene for that matter; "It's the same with music. It's all just seems really gutless and spineless at the moment."

Well, I imagine that many would, like myself, beg to differ on those points of view as well. Still, looking back retrospectively though, I understand his sentiments that not everything was as good as some made it out to be, but, as I mention above, everyone has their own opinion and feelings of how things are/were.
Orange Juice was a band that I really liked at that time but I also enjoyed a lot of the music and graphic design that might not have found favour with Edwyn.

Maybe he never heard the Associates 'Sulk' album, Cabaret Voltaire's '2x45', the Cure's 'Pornography' album or Felt's 'Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty', to name a few, and which were all released that same year in 1982.

Anyhow, if you click on the image and zoom + you'll be able to read all of the interview and make what you like of it yourself.

Trivia: There's a typo in Zeke Manyika's name in the caption beneath the photograph.

Documents courtesy of and © Brian TV

Saturday 11 November 2017

Remembrance Day










A youthful Edwyn Collins on the cover of Smash Hits on the November 11th issue, 1982. That's all of thirty-five years ago!

This photo has been in my archives for quite a while but I might have more on the band from this issue when @Brian TV updates his wonderful Smash Hits archives this weekend. As he usually does.










Below we have another excellent artefact which consists of a previously unpublished photograph of the band taken by Peter McArthur in their early days.


The photo is a wee bit damaged and as Peter explains: "That nice psychedelia at the bottom is bacteria eating the negative's jelly film - one day it will be no more."
Bit sad realy but at least SoYS was able to get a copy from the ever-excellent @ScotsPostPunk treasure trove for all to enjoy.

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Original photo of Orange Juice ©Peter McArthur / Courtesy of @ScotsPostPunk

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Saturday 4 November 2017

I'm Going To The Darklands

https://twitter.com/japaneseforms

It's quite hard to believe that it's over thirty years since the Jesus And Mary Chain released their second album 'Darklands.' Time goes so fast when you look back retrspectively. I always liked this album more than 'Psychocandy' -their first brilliant album- as well as anything else the band ever did. Even though, in my opinion, they released their finest records over the ten years or so that saw the band at their best and particularly in the 1985-1988 period. The recent, comeback, 'Damage & Joy' album (March, 2017) sounds really pale in comparison to what the band achieved with their early albums and singles.
Stiil, I suppose a lot of diehard fans and nostalgics will have found it to their taste.

I picked up all three versions of this single when it came out -was a big fan back then. I also luckily managed to get to catch them live on three occasions in their early days as well. Nowadays, as I'm really not into nostalgia, and as with a lot of reformed bands, I wouldn't even bother to go and see them.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/japaneseforms/4730049090/


Anyhow, today's documents come courtesy of the one and only @BrianTV from his treasure trove of Smash Hits archives. Included in the 4th of November, 1987 issue of Smash Hits were an ad (top left) for the 'Darklands' single as well as a page with the lyrics to the very same song (top right). Nice pic, by Paul Rider, of a rather winsome looking Jim & William accompanies the lyrics.

Documents courtesy of and © Brian TV

Photo : ©japanese forms