Ten Years

Pre-eBay/Amazon, or at least pre-my use of eBay/Amazon, I would order compact discs directly from the United Kingdom. Via air mail.

As a rule these weren't companies, but individuals.

Every week I would receive a list of releases in my email. My well-hidden cash would make its way to Europe.

This is the manner in which I bought my first few Super Furry Animals releases.

This is the manner in which I bought The International Language of Screaming. A new single.

Radiator was available for order. I didn't have the money for a full-length. I'd order it next time.

I kept putting it off. And putting it off.

Over the years I acquired every single from the album. I acquired other albums. Never Radiator.

A few weeks ago Cathy saw it at AKA. She asked me if I owned it. I informed her I did not.

I made the purchase. A gaping hole in their discography had been filled.

Since making the purchase, a new album was released. Another hole to fill.

Not to mention the one prior to that.

Terrible fan.

Super Furry Animals - Radiator. AKA Music. Used.

"The Driver Refused to Continue Until They Stopped Smoking Crack Over the Gas Tank"

I believe my disc ends mid-song.

It stops. Abruptly.

It might be the case for all pressings. It might not be.

I have not picked up or borrowed another copy to investigate.

Happy Mondays - Pills 'N' Thrills and Bellyaches. ??? New.

Frankie and Annette

In all honesty, I had forgotten about "Deeper Shade of Soul" until listening to this album.

A song that always reminded me of Back to the Beach. Only because I thought it was Fishbone.

I made the purchase because I remembered the group as some sort hip hop/dance hybrid from Europe. From the all important nineties of course.

A look through the liner notes confirmed this. Especially the photographs.

It continues to remind me of Back to the Beach. Even with the knowledge that it shouldn't.

Urban Dance Squad - Mental Floss for the Globe. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Jarvis Not Joe

At Ryan's insistence I watched the video for "Bad Cover Version."

It did not disappoint.

A few days later he gave me a DVD of Pulp videos.

To this day, I have yet to watch it.

Instead I sit here thinking about it. I should be putting it in the player. Capping the day with a little Cocker.

Pulp - Freaks. Amazon.com. Used.

Not Forgotten Favorites

The early to mid-nineties is my favorite era of indie rock.

American indie rock in particular.

Specifically Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

Simple Machines. Teen Beat.

Here's to both.

Grenadine - Nopalitos. Amazon.com. Used.

O.C.D.

Nothing bothers me more than the text being upside down on the spine of a compact disc.

Okay. In the grand scheme of things there are some things that are more bothersome.

But from an aesthetic standpoint, I find it to be an annoyance.

It comes down to a decision.

I have to flip the disc or file it with the offending spine.

Already I've dedicated more time to this than I should.

I will continue to do so.

House of Love - Audience With the Mind. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Diversity

Without the Livewire message board I might have missed out on Loop and Main.

Considering my taste in music, I'm surprised I had never heard them. I'm more surprised I had never heard of them.

The diverse tastes of the readership make the board what it is.

Main is definitely not hardcore. But the artwork for Motion Pool looks like a Cave In album.

Main - Motion Pool. AKA Music. New.

Clarify

Revisiting my first post about The Boo Radleys.

It is important that I clear up any confusion.

I picture Boo Radley as Nosferatu.

The Boo Radleys - Kingsize. eBay. Used.

Gym Night

My high school would divide for two nights of exhibitions and relays.

The division was determined by the alphabet. A to K. L to Z.

Blue and Red respectively.

My junior year I was a Co-captain for my grade level.

This meant I would help choreograph the dance (I didn't).

This meant I would help choose the music for the dance (I did).

At the time I was listening to a lot of what would be considered "industrial music."

Pigface, Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy, KMFDM, Revolting Cocks and Ministry.

I was determined to get some Ministry onto the mix for our team exhibition.

I did. And yes. It was out of place. Way out of place.

The things that were important to me.

Ministry - In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Live). AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Janney

It isn't so much a love/hate relationship. It's more along the lines of hot/cold.

I bought everything I could during high school. As was the case with most Dischord and Dischord-related output.

I saw them on the Second Stage at one of the Lollapaloozas that rolled through town.

And then I lost interest as the focus of my listening changed.

And regained interest as the focus of my listening changed.

And lost interest as the focus of my listening changed.

Buying and selling their output more times than I can recall.

They currently hold my interest. If for some reason they don't. They will again.

It's a good thing I no longer sell discs.

Girls Against Boys - House of GVSB. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Make Great Gifts

I saw the box set out of the corner of my eye.

My vantage point, waiting in line to pay.

"In line." Not "on line."

It wasn't a recent release. I just didn't know of its existence until that moment.

Added to the list. A future, hypothetical purchase.

That day I was happy with The Two Ring Circus.

Erasure - Here I Go Impossible Again plus All This Time Still Falling Out of Love. AKA Music. New.

Anthropocentricity

So Nick tells me a member of Raid went on to Lucero.

Something about that alt-country. It seduces.

Its power stronger in Memphis.

No walking in Memphis.

Raid - Hands Off the Animals. Amazon.com. Used.

The End

Harper Lee is one of my favorite authors. On the merits of one book.

It shouldn't count.

George Orwell is my favorite author. On the merits of many books.

It counts.

J.G. Ballard is one of my favorite authors. On the merits of two books.

He died today.

The Boo Radleys - Giant Steps. eBay. Used.

Respect

None of you respect The Boo Radleys the way you should.

By none of you I mean most of you.

It's all Swervedriver, Ride, My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive.

The Boo Radleys - Everything's Alright Forever. eBay. Used.

Repost

Lightning Seeds - Dizzy Heights.

Please let me know if a link is down. I will re-upload. Leave a comment in the post or email me at hedancesfornickels@gmail.com.

If you would like something removed, let me know and I will take it down.

Polydor

Using a sample size of two, I have come to the conclusion that Polydor Records had the strongest presence in the "Britpop" market of the nineties.

My sample size of two includes Cast and Shed Seven.

However. I remember others.

Surely there are others.

The ubiquitous logo on the liner notes.

Shed Seven - Change Giver. Amazon.com. Used.

Requests

I received an excellent batch of requests from a reader.

Be on the lookout for The Boo Radleys, additional Primal Scream, Stone Roses, Oasis and The Lightning Seeds.

Enjoy.

The Boo Radleys - C'Mon Kids. eBay. Used.

Formatting

I am experimenting with new fonts/font sizes.

Thank you for your patience.

Repost

Oasis - Heathen Chemistry.

Please let me know if a link is down. I will reupload. Leave a comment in the post or email me at hedancesfornickels@gmail.com.

On the other side of that, if you would like something taken down, please email me at the same address. I will remove the link immediately.

Go Buy It

Wisin vs Yandel - Los Extraterrestres. Best Buy. New.

Southern Scotland

Hearing "Rocks" for the first time I was surprised to find out it was Primal Scream.

I only owned Screamadelica.

Not that any knowledge of earlier Primal Scream would have prepared me for the rock 'n' roll sounds of Give Out but Don't Give Up.

I expected Screamadelica II. Instead I got a heavy dose of Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Black Crowes.

I wasn't ready for it, but I grew to love it.

My first experience with Primal Scream style jumping.

It wouldn't be the last.

Primal Scream - Give Out but Don't Give Up. ??? New.

Repost

The Stone Roses - Garage Flower.

Please let me know if a link is down. I will re-upload. Leave a comment in the post or email me at hedancesfornickels@gmail.com.

If you would like something removed, let me know. I will take it down.

Never Forget

Plenty never got their due.

Now they have faded into obscurity.

Dodgy has been posted. Shed Seven will be.

The Bluetones are another.

These were great bands.

It was a great era.

So many overshadowed by the bigger British guns.

The Bluetones - Expecting to Fly. Amazon.com. Used.

Free To Be

If any other band re-invented themselves the way they do, I'd talk so much shit.

It isn't innovation. They aren't ahead of their time. For the most part they are following trends.

Yet they get a pass from me.

They always will.

Primal Scream - Evil Heat. Amazon.com. New.

Reposts

Oasis - Definitely Maybe.

Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth.

Please let me know if a link is down. I will re-upload. Leave a comment in the post or email me at hedancesfornickels@gmail.com.

If you would like something removed, please let me know. I will take it down immediately.

Freaky Dancin'

I can't help but wonder if Zac ever got his Bez tattoo.

Before meeting Zac I expressed an interest in getting my own Mondays-related tattoo. The chances of me following through, slim to none.

Zac was very serious about it.

He had it all planned out.

An image of Bez. Down his side. Over his ribs.

Pain for Bez.

Happy Mondays - Bummed. eBay. Used.

Two

I am not suggesting that other subsets of the rock genre do not have their share of duos.

I am suggesting that indie rock appears to have the most.

Kicking Giant - Alien i.D. AKA Music. New.

The Who

Abnegation carried on.

I hardly recognized the sound.

I didn't recognize the members.

It was on sale. I bought it.

Abnegation - Verses of the Bleeding. Very Distribution. On sale.

Manufactured

Somewhere along the line it became a joke to like and/or own this album.

All I know is that I played the shit out of it when it came out.

Selling it.

Recently re-buying it.

Playing the shit out of it once again.

In all of its so-called corny glory.

Menswe@r - Nuisance. Amazon.com. Used.

Jammin'

My only thought while listening to this for the first time:

"I'm treading dangerously close to jam band territory."

This isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Phish is a kind-of-sort-of guilty pleasure. At least their studio output.

I'm not concerned. Unless I start listening to Moe.

Big Chief - Mack Avenue Skullgame-Original Soundtrack. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

A Find

The standing order is as follows:

If it came out on Sub Pop in the nineties, I buy it.

It doesn't matter if I ever owned it. It doesn't matter if I ever listened to it. It doesn't matter if I even like it. Then or now. I buy it.

Big Chief is such a purchase.

I came across three Big Chief discs. I recognized them as a band from Sub Pop catalogs of my high school past.

I bought two of the three. The third was not a Sub Pop release.

I hope it's still there.

Big Chief - Big Chief Brand Product. AKA Music. Bargain bin.