As summer heads towards its conclusion and big autumn releases prepare to strut down the runway, the curious mix of August titles needs to be sifted and sorted. You’ll find pop royalty, enduring icons and buried treasure amongst this month’s pile, so read on for a selection of ear-treating delights. There really were some wonderful pressings this month.
Freshly Pressed:
If it was a Brat summer then the second most anticipated pop release of the season was surely ‘Short ‘n’ Sweet’ by Sabrina Carpenter. It is, perhaps, fitting that her moment has come following a Taylor Swift support slot as this record often calls to mind the times when TS was a little more melodically adventurous. Obviously, ‘Espresso’ has been everywhere for an age now, but there are plenty of instantly catchy, fittingly concise earworms across its thirty-six minute, twelve-track runtime. Not everything lands, but opener ‘Taste’, ‘Dumb & Poetic’ and ‘Slim Pickins’ are a fine trio to take you beyond the ubiquitous track. Yes, Jack A**on**f is involved on a third of the tracks, but they can still breathe a little. The mastering for the vinyl cut is well crafted, keeping a decent amount of width in the soundstage and steering well clear of bass bloat. In addition, Carpenter’s vocals have a distinct presence out in front of the speakers. Just Played sampled the European pink edition pressed at Optimal and, a very, very mild warp quibble aside, playback was near-silent. Some cracking lyrics too – give it a go.
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Now operating without Daisy or Lewis, Kitty Liv has released her debut studio album, ‘Easy Tiger’. Written over five years, it captures the remarkably talented multi-instrumentalist in a jazzier, more soulful mood than fans of her previous work may be expecting. Considering the combined magic and heartbreak of adult relationships, there’s both a musical and emotional range. ‘Nothing On My Mind (But You Babe)’ is so instantly hooky it feels like a Motown cover while ‘Passing You By’ may call to mind aspects of Amy Winehouse’s debut, with the addition of some tremendous invective towards an ex. Liv’s voice is superb, up to any challenge and utterly captivating. The soundstage is fairly wide and aspects of the mix are nuanced, not least thanks to older brother Lewis co-producing too, but there is a slight muddiness at the heart of the presentation at points. ‘Keep Your Head Up High’ is a case in point, with a broad, vibrant drum presentation and niftily positioned Hammond organ, but the vocals feel a little recessed. It still sounds good to these ears, on a fairly quiet pink GZ pressing, and the songwriting is a delight. Well worth seeking out.
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For his ninth album, ‘Long Way Home’, Ray Lamontagne is on familiar but fruitful territory; his country funk chops are in full flow on opener ‘Step Into Your Power’. That it brings to mind a slightly slowed down take on William Onyeabor’s ‘Fantastic Man’ is for others to worry about, as it is a gloriously uplifting way to commence this concise record. At just over thirty-two minutes in length, it has the groove space to play with. Jeff Powell’s cut has decent separation and a wide soundstage that opens up nicely with some volume. The bottom end is pretty substantial and Lamontagne’s vocal sits prominently at the heart of everything. Tracks like ‘And They Called Her California’ and ‘The Way Things Are’ have clambering bass lines that are served well by this edition. Just Played sampled the standard black, although the indies exclusive is on “Eruption Vinyl”, which appears to be red with a few streaks. It has been pressed at GZ and played near-silently throughout.
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Miles Away Records, headed up by Dom Ore, have put their heart and soul – emphasis on the latter – into ‘Miles Away: One’, a thirteen track compilation that curates some of the highlights from many years of rabid crate-digging. Plenty of the tunes are appearing here for the first time since they were initially committed to a seven-inch disc. Over two, mostly quiet, GZ-pressed LPs, we get some absolute belters. Eugene Smiley And The Essence of Love’s ‘Yes It’s You’ is gleeful, Idris Muhammad’s ‘I’m A Believer’ holds nothing back and ‘Be My Friend’ from Laine August is irresistible. Some of the sources leave a little to be desired in the audio department, giving some mushy presentation and sibilance. Phil Kinrade at Alchemy has done a fine job of knocking them into the best shape possible and some limitations need to be embraced in order to experience this passion project that doesn’t disappoint.
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Your columnist has written elsewhere for Clash about the impeccable live return of Girls Aloud, but this month saw the release of a special vinyl title to mark the final show of this reunion at Brighton Pride. ‘The Whole Damn Show Megamix’ has been keeping people happy on streaming platforms for a while now, but the “ultra clear” LP edition of this non-stop, high-speed tour of the group’s superlative catalogue splices it across two sides and brings the tunes and then some. ‘Call The Shots’, ‘The Loving Kind’, ‘Something Kinda Ooooh’ and the finest single of the twenty-first century, ‘Biology’, to name just four. Twenty-two tracks put in an appearance, some on several occasions, across this near-silent Pallas pressing which sounds pretty good, all things considered. Something of a lost art, the megamix is actually a rather glorious format for a nostalgic rattle through just over a decade of chart delights, the soundstage managing not to get lost in the bottom end and expanding a little beyond the speakers.
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Just Played greeted with delight the news that Will Young had opted for a return to “joyous pop” for his latest album, ‘Light It Up’. His catalogue is bedecked with melodic delights and the recent best of this column reviewed remains a superb listen. He’s now working with Scandinavian duo pHD whose previous collaborators have included Little Mix and Kylie. A concise record, his ninth, it mostly succeeds in its attempts to deliver a wealth of earworms. Obvious highlights include ‘Falling Deep’, ‘Feels Just Like A Win’ and ‘The Worst’, but ‘Midnight’ remains untouchable now in its full album context. The soundstage for this German pressing is fairly nimble, the Motown-lite title track has a pristine but not overbearing bottom end and those with electro-heft still avoid anything getting too thuddy. Young’s voice is especially well drawn, hovering mesmerically in the air before the speakers. A splendid gatefold and a reasonable price help too.
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Technically a new release, Ten Years After’s ‘Woodstock 1969’ offers up the first stand-alone outing for a recording of the blues-rockers in unstoppable form at the legendary event. Having previously only been available on a thirty-eight disc career-spanning box set, it’s now spread over four sides of Phil Kinrade mastered and Barry Grint cut vinyl, pressed at The Vinyl Factory. It’s mostly quiet throughout and the audio presentation is robust and clear, the rhythm section getting quite a prominent presence. The notes acknowledge that where issues in the recording proved unfixable, other contemporary recordings have been flown in, most noticeably on ‘Good Morning Little Schoolgirl’. In addition, closer ‘I’m Going Home’ has been edited from the 2019 uber box, for reasons currently unknown. It’s a fine presentation on the format, despite a lacklustre sleeve design, but it’s truly only one for the fevered completists.
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Libertino Records rarely disappoint and their latest release, ‘Dosbarth Nos’ by Ynys is a particularly splendid addition to an already formidable catalogue that includes Rogue Jones, Silent Forum and flipping Adwaith. The title translates as ‘Night Class’ and the Dylan Hughes fronted project has certainly done their homework for this record. Recent single ‘Gyda Ni’ is Welsh language Northern Soul with strings to melt your heart and the sort of joyful vocals that the motor city majored in. It is euphoric, but it’s not a one-off, as the whole album is pumped full of melody, back-to-back bangers ‘Shindig’ and the title track making the middle of side one pretty much untouchable. The fluorescent pink GZ pressing plays with only very minimal surface noise and Charlie Francis’ mastering is unsurprisingly strong. While the cut doesn’t expand much up from the speakers, there is plenty of width and these songs must be heard!
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If you’re in the market for some immaculate soul, played by a tight band and delivered with bucketloads of heart, then Thee Marloes’ debut could be just the thing for you. Hailing from Indonesia, the three-piece have a very clear vision for a sound on ‘Perak’ that contains plenty of the hallmarks of vintage eras but also possesses a fizzing sense of the contemporary. Chunky drums, intricate guitar licks and svelte brass arrangements pepper these songs, but it’s Natassya Sianturi’s captivating voice that elevates these twelve tracks to somewhere special. The delicate beauty of her performance on ‘Beri Cinta Waktu’ necessitates immediate repeat plays, as well as highlighting the clarity and space around her vocals on this record’s soundstage. On the flip, some mid-paced magic on ‘Mungkin Saja’ lets the sun in while ‘Over’ is gloriously languid storytelling. The pressing, via Classic City Vinyl in Athens, Georgia, is pretty quiet and the mastering has decent width and top end. Be sure to give it a listen.
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Singles Bar:
A few 10” treats from August for you. Firstly, the always worth watching Gare Du Nord Records have issued the ‘House Of Four EP’ featuring Andy Lewis, Popincourt, Papernut Cambridge and Robert Rotifer. A limited run of only three hundred copies, this project marks the sixtieth anniversary of the debut release by British R&B troopers the Pretty Things. Taking a not entirely obvious route through their catalogue, the assembled acts have had plenty of fun crafting this affectionate tribute. Andy Lewis’ opener ‘Walking Down The Street’ channels reverence into a joyous rendition, while Papernut Cambridge’s ‘Defecting Grey’ is an intricate pleasure. Pressed at GZ, the disc played near-silently and the mastering is pretty open, offering an absorbingly wide soundstage.
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Known fans of the format, Precious Recordings Of London have been typically busy. As well as releasing an uncharacteristically small 7” of new music from Blueboy, they have continued with their BBC Session 10”s. The Aislers Set’s 2001 performance for John Peel is worth seeking out for both the San Franciscan indie-poppers’ gloriously rickety presence and the tale of how they eventually managed to ensure they could hear it broadcast, as relayed by A Linton from the band on the reverse of the sleeve. It’s on fairly quiet GZ vinyl with typically excellent mastering from Ian Button. More recently, they’ve also issued Jesse Garon & The Desperadoes, recorded for the much-missed Janice Long back in 1986. A little like Blondie doing shoegaze, the Edinburgh jangle-merchants are immediately endearing. The increasingly frenetic ‘Laughing, Smiling And Falling Again’ is quite the opener and, ultimately, a little hard to top, but the whole session is a delight. Relevant photography and recollections augment the experience, as ever, and it’s another solid GZ disc, this time mastered at Ravencraig Studios. These remain highly limited, so be sure to sample quickly if you’re tempted.
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All Kinds Of Blue:
This month’s Classic titles more than live up to the series name. First up is Wayne Shorter’s distinctive 1965 release, ‘JuJu’. The artwork and typography will surely be familiar and the music contained within is impeccable. With Reginald Workman on bass, Elvin Jones at the drum kit and none other than McCoy Tyner delivering some enriching piano parts, these tracks cook from the off. ‘Yes Or No’ is a particularly fine example of how the ensemble can do pace and precision in equal measure. The all-analogue Kevin Gray cut sounds enormous, truly filling the room out beyond the speakers. It’s a near-silent Optimal pressing, as is the case for the second selection, ‘The Gigolo’. A corking Lee Morgan effort from 1968, Shorter this time appears in a supporting role while Bob Cranshaw provides bass, Billy Higgins the drums and Harold Mabern Jr. the piano. There’s more excellent font work and all eleven minutes of the title track are essential. In addition, that piece neatly highlights just how far out to the sides this particular mix allows the performance to reach. At times, it feels like a force of nature. Not bad for £25.
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If you fancy a more expensive Lee Morgan title, he’s also awarded one of this month’s Tone Poets. ‘Taru’ was recorded in 1968 but didn’t see the light of day until 1980. Fresh artwork adorns this shimmering gatefold presentation and the leader is joined by the likes of Billy Higgins on drums again and George Benson on guitar for this six-piece band. Duke Pearson co-produces alongside Francis Wolff and these tracks are full of life. Opener ‘Avotcja One’ features a blistering solo from Morgan while ‘Taru, What’s Wrong With You’ is a glorious, shape-shifting delight at the heart of side two. The studio photography is especially evocative – just look at the shot of John Hicks in full flight at the piano. The all-analogue cut extends a good distance out and behind the speakers while RTI deliver a near-silent disc.
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Column favourite Bobby Hutcherson completes the set with ‘Medina’, another with a complicated path to the racks having been recorded in 1969 but not actually released until 1980. This version uses the artwork from the 1998 CD reissue, restoring the image to its correct presentation, and looks almost as superb as it sounds. Harold Land’s tenor sax, Stanley Cowell’s piano, Reggie Johnson’s bass and the majestic Joe Chambers on drums complete a scorching quintet. ‘Avis’ and the underwhelmingly titled ‘Dave’s Chant’ career off at speed on side one, while the title track skitters frenetically as it benefits from the wide, deep soundstage that has been sculpted by Kevin Gray. A silent RTI pressing allows this sparky, uncompromising record to truly shine.
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Going Round Again:
So different were the vinyl-releasing times back in 2003 that when Paul Weller put out ‘Fly On The Wall’, a thirty-nine track 3CD set of b-sides and rarities, the label opted to thin it down by ten songs to fit onto a triple LP set. Were it being made now, it would surely be spread over six records in a lenticular box that shows his changing hairstyles and smells of peacocks, all pressed on a variety of colours with a signed insect on the outer sleeve of each one. For the much-desired reissue, the old format is preserved, with a chunky single gatefold housing three individually artworked inners and the original vinyl tracklist, cut now by Matt Colton at Metropolis. Moving from his jazzier initial solo efforts through to his Britpop era coronation as the Modfather and out the other end towards the creative cul-de-sac that was ‘Illumination’, it was always an enjoyable alternative history. ‘Here’s A New Thing’, ‘The Riverbank’ and true classic ‘The Loved’ are amongst the highlights and third disc, ‘Button Downs’, offers up a dozen covers barely two years before ‘Studio 150’ went for a more polished approach. The soundstage is pretty open and there’s plenty of nuance in the mid-range, even if the bottom end is ever so slightly heavy at times. The GZ pressing is fairly quiet, although your correspondent had some patches of noise at the start of most sides, so a little roulette might be called for here.
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The Cat-O-Log trawl of the Cat Stevens archive has alighted upon 1973’s ‘Foreigner’. His seventh studio record, it was the first to be entirely self-produced and it didn’t entirely set the world alight. The ‘Foreigner Suite’, which occupies side one, opens strongly and there are a number of highlights to be found including the final passage of that lengthy composition and side two opener ‘The Hurt’. While it’s a half-speed cut from Miles Showell, Mazen Murad’s audio remaster is curiously lifeless. Things feel rather small and confined to the space between speakers, lacking the oomph and air of the original analogue release. The copy Just Played sampled was also slightly off-centre on side one, so there are certainly some factors to navigate here. A UK original won’t set you back very much, so you might be better opting for that route if the music appeals.
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It’s possible to make a case for almost every David Bowie album. (Apart from ‘Tonight’, of course – I’m not an animal.) However, at the less essential end of the spectrum sits his self-titled 1967 debut, released on Deram. This captures his sound two years prior to embarking on the run that barely let up for forty-seven years. For this, we’re back in the era of baroque pop and spoke-sung arch lyrics. So, it’s ‘Uncle Arthur’, ‘Rubber Band’ and ‘Little Bombardier’. For this latest reissue, the previous tendency to package the stereo and mono verisons together in a gatefold has ben bumped, instead offering a two-channel cut for disc one and a selection of bonus bits for the second. This, of course, means ‘The Laughing Gnome’ amongst other single mixes and curios. In a move some* are calling “ruthless money grabbing”, the three variants each have a different final track, including the first track of the aforementioned comedy track, a remix of ‘Sell Me A Coat’ and ‘Space Oddity (Love You Till Tuesday version)’. Other than the most rabid collector being baited, it’s hard to think why they’ve done this. Despite such methods and the naivety of the tunes, this new cut sounds pretty good, with plenty of separation, a deep soundstage and lovely clarity for Bowie’s vocals. A pretty quiet pair of Takt-pressed discs come in a sturdy gatefold including a new essay from dependable DB scholar, Nicholas Pegg.
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Corking late Nineties Decca Records compilation ‘The R&B Scene’ had its first vinyl release for 2019’s Record Store Day but there’s a fresh chance to pick up this blistering array of two-dozen whipsmart bursts of soulful pop and rock. While the previous edition required an early start and was pressed at GZ, the new edition can be purchased at your leisure and has been pressed at Pallas, no less, with lacquers cut at SST. A pair of white discs play in near silence and the soundstage is really rather good considering the variety of sources and age of the material. The highlights are many, including The Fairies’ ‘Anytime At All’, Cops ‘N’ Robbers’ ‘Gotta Be A Reason’, Lulu & The Luvvers’ ‘I’ll Come Running Over’ and The Exotics’ ‘Cross My Heart. The bottom end is clear and vibrant and the mid-range is generally pretty open, breathing life into these overlooked delights.
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2016 compilation ‘Time And Again, The Ultimate a-ha’ has now been afforded a vinyl release, appending bonus tracks ‘This Is Our Home’ and ‘I’m In’ to the nineteen tunes originally housed on the main CD of a double-disc set. Cut at Sterling Sound, this set is quite heavy in the mids and bottom end, feeling boomy rather than resonant. The soundstage is pleasingly wide, evident on ‘The Sun Always Shines On TV’, but the dramatic orchestration on ‘Hunting High And Low’ doesn’t rise up and out of the middle of the song. Musically, it’s on the money, starting with ‘Take On Me’, progressing through the aforementioned pair and on towards ‘You Are The One’ and ‘Crying In The Rain’. The sleevenotes have been updated and offer some insight into this charming anthology. The GZ pressing was pretty quiet across all four sides and the artwork is served well by the format.
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The Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds series continues to impress. Firstly, there’s ‘Maggie’s Back In Town!!’ by Howard McGhee, the 1961 release presented with the usual neatly replicated artwork rendered on a tip-on sleeve. Bernie Grundman has delivered an all-analogue cut from the original master tapes and QRP have ensured a pretty much silent disc. McGhee’s expressive trumpet work is ably assisted by Phineas Newborn Jr.’s nimble work at the piano, Shelly Manne’s effortless drumming and the propulsive presence of Leory Vinnegar on the bass. Indeed, it’s the latter’s work on this record which often highlights the beauty of these AAA discs, audibly capturing the application of pressure on strings and the subsequent reverberations. Opener ‘Demon Chase’ provides him a fine solo window and ‘Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise’ captures the instinctive interplay between him and McGhee.
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The second recent addition to this series is ‘The Cry!’ by Prince Lasha Quintet featuring Sonny Simmons. The flautist and accompanying alto sax are joined by Gene Stone on drums and a pair of bassists in Gary Peacock and Mark Proctor. The 1963 release nudges into modal jazz at times, but is arguably more playful than confrontational in its ethos. Side one closer ‘Ghost Of The Past’ is a powerful, expressive communication with jazz greats who had passed prior to this record’s creation while side two features a dedication to Lasha’ mother, ‘Juanita’ which has a Latin rhythm and a gloriously complex soundstage. The copy of this RTI pressing that Just Played sampled had the odd spattering of surface noise, so be sure to check for that. Thankfully, it didn’t detract from Bernie Grundman’s excellent AAA cut.
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The slightly cooler older sister of the fancy reissue market, Jazz Dispensary’s Top Shelf Series, continues to dazzle, plucking Patrice Rushen’s superb 1974 debut, ‘Prelusion’, from the archives and giving it the Kevin Gray AAA RTI treatment. The striking tip-on sleeve – the design of the rear is as nifty as the front – still gets nowhere near to capturing the majesty of what sits in the grooves. The band behind Rushen’s keys, clarinet and synthesisers are tight, but the stand out is one Joe Henderson, whose tenor sax brings some real fire to proceedings. Side two opener ‘Haw-Right Now’ is an especially beguiling workout, Rushen driving the track forward as Henderson soars. The soundstage on this largely quiet pressing is wide and pretty rich, although the drums often take a bit of a back seat in the mix. It’s a glorious record, which was entirely new to me, and a fine demonstration of why these programmes are worth following.
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At The Front Of The Racks:
New label Unspun Heroes makes it two from two with their second release, ‘Friendship Is Deep’ by Golden Shoulders. Focused on giving lost classics their moment in the sun on the more sizeable format, the team have demonstrated exquisite taste so far. Twenty years on from a quietly appreciated CD outing, this corker finally makes it to vinyl and it has a baby blue hue. Guy Davie at Electric has prepared the 12” incarnation and it sounds magnificent. If you’ve never had the pleasure and, as David Hutcheon’s glorious sleevenote points out, most of you won’t have, this is a supremely melodic burst of American indie with musical DNA that runs all the way back to the Sixties.
Opening pair ‘I Will Light You On Fire’ and ‘Don’t Ever Do That Again’ should have you sold in just over six minutes. Manufactured at Press On in Middlesbrough, the disc is near silent during playback and blessed with a tremendous soundstage. This is all the more worthy of praise given its original heyday being at the height of the loudness wars. The clarity in the midrange and precision in the bottom end is striking from the off, pulling the listener towards the speakers. The jangling rhythm of ‘This Is A Test’ thrums gorgeously and just listen to the definition of the two voices and acoustic guitar on ‘I Get Over’ to fully comprehend the quality of the work on committing this to vinyl – compare it to the version on streaming to really appreciate it.
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All titles reviewed above were cleaned before playback using the ultrasonic record cleaning machine, Degritter. A full review of its capabilities can be found in a previous column and you can find local dealers at www.degritter.com
Words: Gareth James (For more vinyl reviews and turntable shots, follow @JustPlayed on Twitter)
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