it never rains but it pours

I know what that expression means, but as it happens, it did rain and pour last night apparently and I believe it will do a lot more of both today. Like LITERALLY. 

What I meant by 'it never rains but it pours' was the extraordinary sitch whereby after randomly and periodically purchasing old records online last month, three packages came at once yesterday. It's as though they launch a special boat from Europe every so often, just records, maybe it's a whole boat and just my parcels thrown in the corner of the main storage area, at least that's how I like to think of it. I got some goodies, and as usual, it's the ones you don't necessarily have hugely high expectations of that give you a better experience, which is weird but sort of understandable in a human nature kind of way. Do you want me to tell you what they were? OK, but I'm not going to get out of bed to look at them or anything so you're going to have to cope with it just being my memory (I did get out of bed to make coffee, now I'm back in part to spend a little more quality time with Helmi before the break of day forces her into hiding as is her wont). 

The first thing I got was the Go Team! album Rolling Blackouts, as a picture disc with a special extra... picture disc. I was ambivalent about this tbh but I wanted it the album, my second favourite of theirs, on vinyl and I really love the Go Team! in a way that kind of worries me sometimes when I'm searching really hard for anything to worry about, and I did want to get those extra songs because yes, I am kind of a completist when it comes to this group. I actually bought it so quickly when I saw it advertised (it's a 10th anniversary special edition - fuck I'm gullible - in a 'dinked' edition, I didn't even really know what that was at the time but now I appreciate it's just a collector's item version - yuck) that I didn't realise the main record was a picture disc, and I was slightly annoyed by this when I saw this, because sound quality, but then - I have a sonos speaker and spotify, I can probably hear it better quality that way than off my record player anyway (I'm listening to it now). 

It is the habit of a man in his 50s to buy things he already has or has had. The Aints' second album, the first Aints album of original material, is called Ascension. I happen to think it's one of Ed Kuepper's best records, an inspired piece of work, although most of his 'canon' albums would also fit that category, perhaps all. I haven't heard absolutely all of them. I do remember when I saw him play with Jim White a few months ago at the Comedy Theatre thinking that he is one of the artists of whom I would have to say the fact that this person is presently producing art, and that I have had the opportunity to travel alongside as a witness to their creative processes/development, is one of the reasons it's good to have been born when I was and lived the time I've lived. I know that in one sense that seems too much, but in another, listen to a record like Ascension and get over yourself. It's six tracks and they're each densely packed with the most exceptional interrelated ideas, rich tapestries. So I've had this on CD for thirty years (it was actually recorded in July 1991 - belated happy thirtieth, Ascension!) and for no good reason I decided I would also like it on vinyl, and do you know what? I hate to say this but it sounds even better on vinyl. I don't know why. It does though. I bought it from the same person in Greece who sold me a copy of the last Laughing Clowns album Ghosts of an Ideal Wife, which is a great pop record (look it has two songs on it I like least of probably all the LCs' canon,* but they are still better than most songs - the LCs set a high bar - as does the rest of this excellent LP). A la Ascension, it's sometimes a barrage in which you can hear other things going on that might just be in your mind, I love that in a record.** 

What else? I finally got a copy of Ut's In Gut's House but I haven't played that yet (it's 2x45rmp 12"s and I have a weird feeling every time that I set my turntable to 45 that I'm setting myself up for that incredibly dreary task of putting the belt back on). I got a double bonus surprise with the second (really the third but who ever thinks about the first one) Pete Shelley album XL-1, in that (1) it's not a bad record at all, it sounds great, (2) it's got all the fabulous elements of the Human League Dare sound but with Shelley's even tighter, more focused songwriting at its best.*** Those aren't the double bonus, the double bonus is that when I put it in the shelf, having been faintly disgruntled that I had XL-1 but not Homosapien I realised, like Elton John finding a tram he forgot he'd bought in his ensuite warehouse... I do have a copy of Homesapien. WTF? I have no explanation of how I came to own it but I own it. Cool! You know once PS reformed the Buzzcocks (or actually I think he rejoined them after Steve Diggle and John Maher decided they were just going to use the name again) the group really ground their legacy into shit with some really really really awful songs/records, that showed once again for the one millionth time how common it is for artists to fail to realise what it was that made them good (let alone beloved) but it seems like he still had a well of great stuff with those early 80s albums. Look I don't begrudge him anything, he can make all the crap records he wants (well he can't now obviously, being dead) and I don't have to listen to them. I'm glad I have these though, and will enjoy further.

What else... memory fails me. Maybe that was it, it's probably enough! 

* In the interest of transparency and to stop people sidling up to me at Woolworths dying to ask the question, the songs are: 'Crystal Clear' and 'Winter's Way'. Yes, it was a cruel blow to me that 'Winter's Way' was retooled for the most recent studio Aints! album, but you know, it's not bad, it's just not a favourite. I'll cope. 

** BTW almost no EK or LC material is available on Spotify. You know what else is crazy? 'Barbados' by Typically Tropical is also not available on Spotify, but there are a whole lot of versions of 'Barbados' in the style of Typically Tropical! I wonder if there are any LCs songs in the style of. In the style of the LCs, or in the style of Typically Tropical, either would be good. 

*** For some weird reason I thought the PS solo material was done before Martin Rushent recorded Dare. Hey, maybe it actually was but came out after. Rushent was a pretty impressive producer but I remember reading an interview with him where he talked about how, when he was recording the first couple of Altered Images albums, he really wanted to fuck Clare Grogan. That kind of tempers my admiration for the man but you have to separate the artist from her/his art don't you. It's hard though. Maybe you don't. He's just the producer, for christ's sake, if you heard that the cleaner at the studio was a fascist, it wouldn't put you off the record would it? Yeah, but producers have a lot of input, and the fingers that pushed the faders here belonged to someone of sometimes low character. JEEZ IT'S TOUGH