Not Rock On

This is my last post for this year as I will spend Christmas with the family, and I neither have DSL nor my record collection there. I hope we will all have a peaceful Christmas and a good start into the New Year! This is a collection of the rare B sides of the wonderful El Records records. Enjoy! And see you back in 2007 with lots of interesting music! "El was the brainchild of Mike Alway, who envisaged a seamlessly artifactual indulgence/essay in façade; imagine an ambitious cultural montage drawing on references unheard of within the traditional scope of pop including food, travel, costume, leisure and sensuality. like the visual fantasies of the avengers and patrick mcgoohan's prisoner and using the recording studio as a time machine, el would simultaneously charm, educate, confuse and amuse. alway guessed from the outset that the ambition of the approach might fly over the public's head and his estimation proved to be absolutely accurate." (from their website) El...

After the SARAH and Compact compilations here is more perfect POP! EL RECORDS! "el records is a world where The Avengers' John Steed forever seems to be creative controller and Emma Peel works the A&R department."Record Mirror "The melodies, the phrasing, the enthusiasm and ambition are all here plus a mysterious sexuality, a tropic of Ruislip classy vulgarity."Andy Darling, Melody Maker, March 26 1988 "Mike Alway is that rare breed - a man who knows a record should always look good."Jane Solanas , NME, November 26 1988 El Records - Abracadabra 1992

After I posted the first Sarah compilation, this is the last. You should read the fantastic booklet with the story of SARAH or you find a great history of SARAH . This was the "Greatest Hits" for a goodbye, sad it was over. This is a link to a scan and a transcription of the ad that announced this record. SO RUSH OUT AND BUY IT!!! But don't pay the ridicolous prices some guys ask on ebay ! Sarah 100 1995

These two nice double LPs give a nice look of the above mentioned, nice singles from 77 and 78! A great collection of compilations, more to come! Indie Scene 1977 Indie Scene 1978 You find 1979 + 80 here and the rest of the series here

Everybody posts Christmas records, so I can't stand back. This is a wonderful X-mas record compiled by Dr. Demento. I had some nice moments with this music, I hope you will have too! Nice tracks by Stan Freberg, Spike Jones, Allan Sherman, Tom Lehrer, Wild Man Fischer, Cheech and Chong, The Three Stooges and more! Dr. Demento - Christmas

I bought my first Sarah record from Malibu, a mailorder from Hamburg. Jackie Eldorado worked there too. I bought many records from them, but it is this one that I care about. I first heard "Pristine Christine" on John Peel and loved it, the energy. Then I wanted to find out more and "Shadow Factory" came. From then on I collected all the Sarah singles I could get my hands on. I have a few nice letters from Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes, the hands and brains behind SARAH. Sarah 587 Shadow Factory Watch this space for Sarah 7" in the future! (I am afraid this will take longer than expected, but do come back!) As a bonus you get the very fine charity LP Becket House, featuring Brighter & Durutti Column. You can still donate to Becket House, Wardalls Grove Avonley Road New Cross London SE14 5ER Becket House

The dutch label Plurex released this LP in 1982. A nice collection of rather dark Wave music, except the wonderful Dislocation Dance! Plurex - Hours

This was another important sampler for my musical education : Coincidence vs. Fate You will know some of the songs already as anonymous backdrop to something on TV. I bought it for the then horrenedous sum of 40 DM, because it was a japanese import. Nobody thought about the internet back then with everything available on your fingertips. But I never regretted any one of the DM I spent for these LPs! Perfect french Pop by Antena, Kevin Hewick's Haystack! , DURUTTI COLUMN!, A Certain Ratio with Shack up, this took many years 'til it appeared on a compilation (or in this case a 7" with an LP), no words have to been lost for Paul Haig, Winston Tong, Lawrence Weiner (pretty weird), Anna Domino (fantastic!), Pleasure Ground and the Pale Fountains! Michael Head was such a genius! Soft Verdict - Close cover - everybody knows this song as background to countless documentaries! Anna Domino - Trust in love aka North and South and East and West Pleasure Ground - Wait are exce...

With this post I want to start a new rallye of posts on great and influential compilations already started last post! I start with Pillows & Prayers from Cherry Red ( I am not giving a direct link to them, maybe they would not like it...) I was reminded again of this wonderful record by reading about it in old SCRITTI magazines from Hannover. After Sounds closed for miracolous reasons in 01/83 SCRITTI was an intermediate solution until SPEX was ready and also available in my region from 1985, unfortunately they did not last that long... , SCRITTI that was, SPEX is still alive, IS IT? (My subscription is running out in February...) FAMEwas introduced! Great idea, I had just subscibed to SCRITTI, so I thought I had a new subscription, but there was only one mag delivered. Threre were some interesting people involved in SCRITTI : Tim Renner, Joachim Steinhöfel, a MartinF Nevertheless P&P is a fantastic modern record containing something for everyone (unless you're a Hippie) Fi...

The Compact Organisation was something that had to be dreamed up! Perfect Pop Music for hip people! They made a big buzz in the early 80's but unfortunately they did not sell enough records... but still very influential samplers! I still love the work of Tot Taylor (some of his albums may be posted here!). Just enjoy this perfect POP! A young person's guide to Compact Compact Singles

Now I finally got my picture to this site! This is wonderful music by Mathilde Santing, a very beutiful chanteuese, still working now ! The first record from 1982 is a collection of Jazz standards from the likes of Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, Hammerstein/Rodgers and Todd Rundgren, what a combination! Mathilde Santing The second, a 12" with 7 tracks from 1984 is still in the Jazz vein, very popular in that time! Working Week, Everything but the Girl... Mathilde Santing - Water under the bridge