This playlist is 79% vinyl friendly. Not bad. 

From 2022, with this being the Pro-ject Metallica Limited Edition turntable – though I have the band, Kiss in my head for some reason – it’s the only time you’ll see either group mentioned on 41 Rooms. This set up came in at around $1600 and I can’t help thinking that as soon as you put the needle to the vinyl, the record would stay still, with the turntable then doing the spinning. You could even play 78s on it as well… but who would?

Any track marked * has been given either a tiny or a slightly larger 41 Rooms ‘tweak’/edit/chop and the occasional tune might sound a bit dodgy, quality-wise. On top of that, the switch between different decades and production values never helps in the mix here.

Lyric of Playlist 125…

‘As the veneer of democracy starts to fade… ‘

Is there a country on this planet run by something other than true democracy that can be trusted?

Not closely followed by ‘Doo-doo-wop, hey-hey-hey, doo-doo-wop, whoa-whoa-whoa… ‘

00.00

(Intro) THE FLAMINGOS – Stars (Edit) – Unreleased demo – 1983. Episode #1 for info.

00.41

NEW ORDER – Spooky * – Republic, LP – London – 1993

The fourth single from its parent album, this is fab in my world but possibly one of the band’s own least favourite friends? I’ve never clocked it having been played live (though I could be wrong) and it was also to be eight years before they put out another, so maybe when you live and breathe the actual making of music some of it maybe later on reminds you too much of tough times – and in New Orderland these were. I often get the same feeling with my library shuffle throwing up sounds I had zero to do with in creating but straight off remind me of ‘uncomfortable’ times. Time to shuffle, indeed.

05.16

LONDON GRAMMAR – Hey Now (Bonobo Remix) – 10″ – Metal & Dust Recordings – 2014

A limited edition Record Store Day single from 2014, in ‘Transparent Black & Blue Marbled’ versions, with this Bonobo remix definitely on the mark.

10.13

W. H. Lung – High Pressure Days – Download only (for now?) – Melodic – 2023

I mistakenly mention on the show this was from 2022, which would have seemed a bit of a large’ish gap for a band still building an audience. An album later in the year?

14.01

MIEKO SHIMIZU – Tobira Ga Akanai – 桃天夢-Totem-, CD only – Wolf Records – 1988

A thirty year or so disconnect between the sound and the photo here but the former was only on CD and their visuals pretty much get given short shrift round these parts.

17.43

Vee VV – Keepbeat – Boomslump, 12″ EP – Vinyl Drip – 1986

Mid ’80s indie from Blackpool; with a nod to some Bristol sounds from a year or five earlier, plus the Gang of Four?

21.46

GNAG OF FOUR – Why Theory? – Solid Gold, LP – EMI – 1981

Speaking of the daddies of them all?

24.17

LONDON POSSE – Jump Around – Gangster Chronicle, LP – Mango / Island – 1990

Some dubious imagery, lyrics and testosterone flying around, but groundbreaking UK rap all the same. I maybe first heard this on London’s KISS FM a couple of years later, with a DJ live mixing in a bunch of the station’s jingles. Did a fine job, too.

29.17

MARXMAN – Dark Are The Days – 12″ EP – Talkin’ Loud – 1993

Faith in the rap lyric quickly restored here…

34.17

STEVE MILLER BAND – Fly Like An Eagle – 7″ – Mercury – 1976

Heard and bought at the time, a sound you just knew hadn’t been made in any rain swept UK city.

38.48

STEVIE WONDER – You Haven’t Done Nothin’ – 7″ – Tamla Motown – 1974

At this point in time he was on a roll and I was buying pretty much every single he released in the UK.

42.09

EYELESS IN GAZA – Twilight – Back From The Rains, LP – Cherry Red – 1986

Even within their canon of material this was a big EIG tune with me and an image that springs to mind is it blasting from my headphones as I walked my dog, Flanagan around Bedford Park back in the day.

So, one for her. Here back in the time and place.

46.01

BETH GIBBONS – Floating On A Moment – Download only (for now) – 2024

Leading off her forthcoming debut (deluxe edition, vinyl) solo album, Lives Outgrown, on Domino and ‘housed in a tip-on sleeve with 4-page booklet and 12-page scrapbook booklet’ to boot.

51.23

DR. ROBERT – Circular Quay – 10″ – Heavenly – 1993

There was a time in the ’90s that you couldn’t avoid Blow Monkeys RCA label 12″ promos in the 50p racks of the various Music & Video stores in London’s Notting Hill and I was never a fan but let’s hear it for the 10″ and this subsequent, more introspective, solo tune. Thinking about it, I’m pretty sure he was in front of me in a London post office queue one time a few years later… as you do.

55.08

THE DURUTTI COLUMN – Madeleine – Lips That Would Kiss, 12″ – Factory Benelux – 1980

This Vini Reilly tune always invokes a memory of summer for me, and weirdly, more so than his already 41 Rooms playlisted Sketch For Summer.

58.07

JORDAN RAKEI – Freedom – Download only (for now) – Decca – 2024

Another of those artists that appeared on my radar, only for me to find out he’s been around for years. There’s just too much ‘stuff’ out there. His new album, The Loop will be out in May.

01.02.15

JON LUCIEN – The War Song – Rashida, LP – RCA – 1973

A tip-toe’ing Caribbean groove, the backdrop to a protest song? It was the Lucien way.

01.05.26

CURTIS MAYFIELD – Freddie’s Dead * – 7″ – Curtom – 1972

Theme from the film, ‘Superfly’ and lifted from Mayfield’s album of the score.

Faith (mag/fanzine) #2, Summer 2000 and Dr. Bob Jones and Ashley Beedle reminiscing on Mayfield’s then recent passing.

01.10.41

BUDDY MILES EXPRESS – Train – 7″ – Mercury – 1968

Very likely unknown to me when bought in (I think) a job lot of singles in my late teens… but I then thought it was good enough to make it to the singles shelf in my bedroom. Full track split over the two sides.

01.15.08

MISS(?) – East India(?) – ??? – Early 90s?

Well, if you know… you know… and I don’t… so the tumbleweed is back. Heard on a Jo Whiley Radio 1 show sometime in the ’90s, where she was possibly heard saying ‘Miss’ and definitely heard saying ‘East India’ but attributing any of that to a title, artist and maybe the label have been beyond me to date. Squelchy beats underpinning an atmospheric, dense feel… in a progressive, trip hop sort of way.

01.18.07

LUKE SLATER’S 7TH PLAIN – Forest – radio session only – 1994

A track that seemed to only ever feature in leading off Slater’s Sept ’94 lone session for John Peel’s radio show.

01.23.19

KIM GORDON – Bye Bye – The Collective, LP – Matador – 2024

Is this a Gordon check list for travel? I keep one but there’s no soundtrack to mine. An ever present member of the defunkt-since-2011 Sonic Youth it’s Ms G with a new album, as of right now. A coke bottle green vinyl edition plus signed poster via selective routes has been and gone but clear vinyl and black editions are still available. Bye Bye.

01.27.24

JOY DIVISION – Candidate – Unknown Pleasures, LP – Factory – 1979

Well, my copy of the album was looking this knackered by the early ’80s but besides provenance, I wonder when some enterprising record dealer will start bringing ‘petina’ into the mix to sell such shagged relics.

And she’s back. Flanagan possibly listening to the album, in Feb ’80.

01.30.02

MARK STEWART – As The Veneer Of Democracy Starts To Fade – 7″ b-side – Mute – 1985

He smacked a verbal punch. RIP Mark Stewart.

01.35.39

8UP – Not Cometh Nor Goest – Lay Down And Stay Calm, LP – Soul Jazz – 1994

Often fairly anonymous in personel terms, there were a lot of leftfield, slow beats merchants in the ’90s.

01.40.54

RAE & CHRISTIAN – Anything U Want (Inst) – 12″ b-side – Grand Central – 1998

I’m not a rap fan but that’s not why I go for the instrumental of this. It just seems to work with the occasional vocals.

01.44.30

NATASHA KMETO – Eyes * – Download only – Future Archive Recordings – 2019

This would not sound out of place on some mega selling kindred spirit artist’s album. Belting…

01.47.02

READY MADE (F.C.) (feat DAVID SYLVIAN) – Sugar Fuel * – Bold, 2LP – F Communications – 2001

I reckon the queue of peeps wanting Sylvian guesting on a track would have been a long one down the years but maybe Jean-Philippe Verdin’s film soundtrack work helped sway the deal here.

01.51.31

LUSCIOUS JACKSON – Radiating – City Song, 12″ EP – Grand Royal – 1994

I first heard this track on a UK Radio 1 session they did, no doubt around the time of this release.

01.54.51

BETH ORTON – Stars All Seem To Weep – Central Reservation, 2LP – Heavenly – 1999

Her name will always bring to mind her unannounced appearance on stage at London’s Jazz Cafe duetting with Terry Callier on Fred Neil’s Dolphins. I got lucky that night.

April 7, 2024 – show 126.

Dec

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