Showing posts with label Red Noise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Red Noise. Show all posts

Sunday, September 11, 2022

UPDATES

I've been listening to some of my old albums through headphones over the summer, and I've spotted a few things that weren't as noticeable as when listening through speakers, so I've fixed them and updated the files. 

Penetration - Movement (1979) - The track V.I.P. was only audible through the left channel, with the right just having an intermittent thumping noise, so I've replaced the whole track.

Red Noise - Wonder Toys (1979) - The beginning of 'Substitute Flesh' was slightyl louder than the rest of the track, so I've reduced the volume to match the rest of the recording.

Truly Yours - Truly Smith (1968) - 'I Love Him' was ripped from a very scratchy vinyl single, so I've run it through that de-clicking programme that I found - twice!

...and on guitar - Albert Lee (1974) - 'Make It With You' by B J Arnau was also ripped from a scratchy record, so I've run that through the de-clicking programme as well. 

Redemption Songs - Stevie Wonder (2010) - The ending to the track '(You're My) Dream Come True' was quite sudden, and odd that it changed tempo for just a few seconds before the end, so I've faded it to make it sound better.  

Medicine Jack - The Waterboys (1984) - When I put this album together, for some reason I sequenced all three instrumentals one after the other, whereas it would have been better to have them spread out through the album, which is what I've now done.    

All files are updated, so Soulseekers can download the individual tracks as usual, and the whole Waterboys album if you can't re-tag the tracks yourself, and for people who use Yandex there is a new folder with all of these updates in it, so just take what you want and dump the rest. 


pj

Sunday, December 27, 2020

Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Wonder Toys (1981)

I've been a fan of Bill Nelson for many, many years, with his 1971 'Northern Dream' album being one of the very first 'rare records' that I purchased from a dealer when I started to seriously collect vinyl. I followed him through Be-Bop Deluxe, and loved everything they did, from the out and out guitar rock of their first few albums, right through to the more electronic stuff from their later period, but for me his best ever band was Red Noise. They burst onto the scene in 1979 with the 'Revolt Into Style' single, followed quickly by the eponymous debut album, and bearing in mind that he'd already been a folkie and a hard rocker, this band slotted into the burgeoning new wave/indie scene like it was made for them. The album is still one of my all-time favourites, and although they only lasted for twelve months, they've left behind one of the great British new wave albums. It never occurred to me before that there might be unheard songs tucked away as I assumed that as they were only together for such a short time then everything they recorded was on the album, but it turns out I was wrong, and there are a few hidden tracks on the b-sides of their singles, as well as live recordings and demos of songs that never made it into the studio. 
Nelson has revealed that he had recorded a second Red Noise album immediately after 'Sound On Sound', but his record company wasn't impressed and so shelved it, but eventually Nelson's manager purchased some of the unreleased songs back from EMI so that Nelson could release them as a solo artist on his own label, Cocteau Records. One of these was 'Do You Dream in Colour', which received generous radio airplay, and both this and it's b-side featured all vocals and instruments performed by Nelson himself, apart from sax from his brother Ian. When Phonogram heard these songs they secured the remaining tracks for Cocteau to release a full album, entitled 'Quit Dreaming And Get on the Beam'.... but that's a whole other story, as you'll hear later. There was actually one track on 'Quit Dreaming...' which was credited to Red Noise, with 'Disposable' featuring the Bill Nelson/Rick Ford/Andy Clark/Steve Peer line-up, and so that's here as well. If you don't know the band, and this album appeals to you, then do get hold of 'Sound On Sound', as it's a superb record.



Track listing 

01 Revolt Into Style (single version 1979)
02 Out Of Touch (live b-side of 'Revolt Into Style')
03 Furniture Music (single version 1979)
04 Wonder Toys That Last Forever (b-side of 'Furniture Music')
05 Acquitted By Mirrors (b-side of 'Furniture Music')
06 Stay Young (live b-side of 'Revolt Into Style)
07 Substitute Flesh (1978 demo)
08 That Way For Years (1978 demo - previously unreleased) (slight drop-out patched)
09 Disposable (from 'Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam' - recorded 1979)
10 Waiting For The Night (1978 demo - previously unreleased)
11 Possession (live BBC recording of Be-Bop Deluxe song 1979)