So the Essential/Lora Logic box set Logically Yours showed up today. It cost a lot and as I might already have whinged here (whingeing about myself, self-whingeing) it was a stupid purchase insofar as I already own everything on it except the new album. But I did it anyway, just I suppose to affirm my support for a group/individual whose work has meant a staggering amount to me for about forty years, ever since I bought a copy of 'Music is a Better Noise' in I can't remember where but possibly Readings in Lygon St back when there was a special Readings record store separate from the bookstore, on the east side of the street. I bought that single entirely on the basis of the sleeve, and with completely no knowledge of what the content would be like: I had never heard of the group, let alone heard anything by them or had any knowledge of Lora Logic's background. My favourite singles are that, 'Eugene' and 'Popcorn Boy', actually I think 'Popcorn Boy' would be one of my two or three favourite songs ever. Because it's madness.
I have looked at the albums, there are five, the original Beat Rhythm News and the LL solo album Pedigree Charm (which started life, it would seem, as the second Essential Logic album but then the group fell apart); a singles compilation which I think doesn't actually include everything originally recorded by the group; an LP of material recorded by LL under the EL name about twenty years ago in that staggeringly strange line-up including someone who'd been in Bad Manners and a former member of Blondie (I mean where people come from doesn't really matter but still, weird). And then the new album. And I have also read the booklet which comes with the albums, identified at least one bizarre error (there's always going to be at least one bizarre error - it's obligatory - in this case, it's giving the name of the Stranglers album LL played on, to the Raincoats album she played on. The Stranglers album is also correctly identified elsewhere so go figure).*
They've also done this to Beat Rhythm News which is peculiar. Here's the back cover of the box set version:
Apart from being monochrome rather than blue and black, it's substantially altered from the original:
I mean in one sense, the odd black shape over LL's profile on the original is, yeah, odd, but I can't really see much point in making the change overall. The picture they've put in its place is a bit of a nothing picture (presumably from absolutely the same session, at least, she's got the same hat on, and when I say 'she', it doesn't actually even really look like her, but I guess it must be!) and then there are four different logos on there.
I suppose I should do something dweeby like play the new pressing and see if it sounds different though these reissues don't discuss any particular remastering, I don't think Giles Martin had a go at it or anything. I may get around to that. Right now I'm still as they say post-covid and getting headaches and forgetting things so I don't think it'd be wise to embark on anything so ambitious.
* To be entirely clear, I am aware these kinds of things happen and it doesn't matter how. Easy enough to make mistakes of this nature.
