I'm taking a raise with a slap in the face in so many ways.

From 2002. This quartet purloined a thing or two from the Stones, but much like The Figgs and The Stairs, they engendered something tasteful and alluring in the process.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

Hear

Blackmarket - St. Vincent Decor (2010, TMG)

Cynical as I may get with "modern music," there's still a helluva lot of stuff that gets lost in the shuffle. Often, if it wasn't for the sheer affordability of CD bargain bins, I might not have ever encountered Blackmarket.  Despite an internet-friendly copyright date of 2010, there's surprisingly little to be had on this trio, who to my ears gloriously smack of Phantom Planet, especially that combo's first blush of albums, namely ...Is Here and The Guest.  St. Vincent Decor isn't the stuff of traditionalist, three-chord power pop, rather a more elaborate affair wherein sumptuous hooks merge head-on with deft, albeit approachable arrangements.  The results border anywhere from merely good to downright astonishing, with the second half of St. Vincent unfurling stunning pearls like "Hey You/Loner" and "Dot to Dot."  This is pretty straight-up rock, but for what it's worth, Blackmarket aren't especially far-removed from what Sloan have been churning out these past couple of decades. Nice company to be in.  

01. Tongue Twister Typo

02. 10 & 2

03. Blue Lemon

04. To Say the Least

05. Hammerhead (Somebody Else)

06. Hey You/Loner

07. Nearsighted

08. Catch & Release

09. The One I Know You're Not

10. Dot to Dot

Hear

...and now the two of them are lost In a screaming battleground.

This might as well be a ninth evening of Chanukah.  The bonus material, exclusively, from the deluxe edition of a sleeper album from 1994 that eventually became an alt-rock totem of sorts.  

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

Hear

...broken bits of you and me.

...and on the eight day he rested...but I'll have to finish writing this piece first I suppose. Green Thoughts brought me to the Smithereens' proverbial table, even if I didn't stay for an extended period. Truth be told there was a lot vying for my attention in 1988.  Metal, rap, and classic rock all hit simultaneously in the two years or so leading up, and it wasn't probably until very early in 1989 that I made any conscious differentiation between mainstream and "alternative." The band, in question could have easily, and quite frankly did slot into both camps.  

Given the plaintive songwriting penchants of both Pat DiNizio and Jim Babjak that almost gives me an easy out in terms of scrutinizing the treasure trove of songs they brought into the world. I suppose what they lacked in eloquence they compensated for in sheer consistency and savvy.  Sure, I may not have liked/appreciated certain songs, but New Jersey's White Castle connoisseurs were never ones to slouch or sell a half-baked loaf of bread.  And they were tight as hell live.  In some ways every artist/band/etc should strive to be as on-point and defined as the Smithereens were.  Without realizing it they were impeccable role models.

Every album has a beginning, and this patchwork quilt of antecedents and tentative steps for G/T was actually assembled by DiNizio himself, though the circulation of it remains highly limited.  There are formal demos (naturally) but there are also numerous rough sketches, some as fleetingly brief as 45 seconds.  If there's an emphasis on anything here at all, it's numerous acoustic traipses cut at the Record Plant, though I'm not certain if it was at the L.A. or New York City branch.  Nonetheless, "Elaine," "Drown in My Own Tears" and "House We Used to Live In," function just as effectively within the context of more spartan instrumentation as they did in the guise of the more amplified finished products we've come to know (though I should note the latter of those three is a noticeably incomplete version).  And speaking of "Elaine" the "countryish" version that's part of this package isn't that radically different, though I can still justify the designation.  "Only a Memory" is represented in five separate takes, absorbing about 25% of this affair, but with a hook that potent, I'm hardly complaining.  No bona fide outtakes or wholly unique songs crop up in this collection, folks  Still, nothing beats the fly-on-the-wall intimacy of this preparation reel for the 'reens, not-so-difficult second album. Enjoy. 

01. Only A Memory [Pat Song Idea 9-87]

02. Only A Memory [Early Acoustic w-Drum Machine]

03. Only A Memory [Early Acoustic And Vocals]

04. Only A Memory [Take 1 - Electric Demo - Remixed By Pat~1

05. Drown In My Own Tears [Pat Song Idea 9-87]

06. Drown In My Own Tears [Electric Demo]

07. Elaine [Show Place Demo]

08. Elaine [Countryish Demo]

09. The World We Know [Electric Demo - No Vocals]

10. Especially For You [Electric Demo]

11. Only A Memory [Acoustic - Record Plant 11-19-87]

12. House We Used To Live In [Acoustic - Record Plant]

13. Something New [Acoustic - Record Plant]

14. The World We Know [Pat Song Idea Circa 1987]

15. Drown In My Own Tears [Acoustic - Record Plant]

16. Elaine [Acoustic - Record Plant]

17. Spellbound [Acoustic - Record Plant]

18. If The Sun Doesn't Shine [Acoustic - Record Plant]

19. Green Thoughts [Acoustic Song Idea Snippet]

Hear 

Guided by Voices - Pissing in the Canal, (1984, aborted album) & Nate Farley Sessions (2003)

Much in tandem with the Game Theory post from last night, over the years I've given you a lot by Guided by Voices, particularly in the way of rarities and shall I say, "unsecured" material.  I'm getting to the bottom of my proverbial "well," and while there's certainly more out there, it may never see proper dissemination.  

Per GBVDB, the Pissing in the Canal "sessions" from 1984 represent one of the last bastions of untapped early GBV recordings, and even some of these have already seen the light of day on various Suitcase box sets, which were often composed of demos and rough cuts from Robert Pollard's nascent, '80s home recordings. In it's entirely PitC is said to consist of ten songs, and I was only capable of locating 90% of them. Had this sucker actually hit record racks it would've pre-dated 1986's, Forever Since Breakfast, the band's maiden release. In keeping with GBV's sonic tendencies of that era, these nine cuts skew predominantly to their (relatively speaking) "conventional" era, with clean, song structures bearing a folk-ish guitar-pop lilt, with more than a wink and a nod to the still burgeoning R.E.M. There's veritable gold here in the guise of the brisk, melodious tilt of "Angry Pillows (Gone Away)," which easily qualifies as one of ten most inviting songs of their '80s tenure. "Lockets of the Empress" could have given Stipe and Buck some serious competition had GBV enjoyed greater visibility in the Reagan-era.  Elsewhere, there's an early incarnation of "Quality of Armor" with significantly different lyrics, and also a few more tunes previewing the basis for future songs that would be fully realized in the band's more renown '90s heyday.    

The so-called Nate Farley Session is comprised of seven numbers tracked in a basement studio on June 23, 2003, ostensibly in preparation for that year's Earthquake Glue LP.  I'm tempted to deem it as a rehearsal or even demos, but the performances strike me as more competent than that.  To refer to to it as the "Nate Farley" session isn't really saying much, as Nate was brought on board as a full-time guitarist for ...Glue.  The title gives me the impression Nate's roll was a one-off for this particular recording, but at the end of the day who knows. At any rate, solid stuff, and only one more album would follow before GBV's short-lived "breakup."  For more fun, check out some of my previous forays with Pollard & Co. here. 

Pissing in the Canal

01. Angry Pillows (Gone Away)

02. Lockets of the Empress

03. The Quality or Armor (early vers)

04. Tell Me

05. Walls and Windows

06. Echoland

07. Before My Eyes

08. Together/Apart

09. Amnesia 

Hear

Nate Farley Session 

01. Useless Invenions

02. Secret Star

03. I'll Replace You With Machines

04. My Kind of Soldier

05. Of Mites and Men

06. Bull Spears

07. Alone, Stinking and Unafraid

Hear

Game Theory - Lolita Nation demos (1987?)

I think this is the last of it.  Beyond tonight's offering I think this is the last available un/under-released material I have to share by Game Theory proper (although some GT-adjacent items may follow later).  I've already given you multiple live shows, demos for the Big Shot Chronicles, and between 2014 and 2020 I reviewed all of Omnivore Records exhaustive reissues of GT's back catalog.  

There's not much more commentary I can impart regarding Lolita Nation beyond my assessment of it's widely expanded, 2016 double CD reissue.  It was the third in a trifecta of almost infallible, not to mention beaucoup criminally lauded full lengths, commencing with 1985's Real Nighttime, and Big Shot... coming hot on it's heels a year later.  Lolita, a double album, swelling with 27 new songs, landed in 1987.  It wasn't their final record (that would come soon enough via the band's swan song, Two Steps From the Middle Ages), but it seems to be the final item in the Game Theory cannon that people truly raved about.  This set of 19 prototypes, whether they be actual studio demos or well-versed rehearsals, has some occasional overlap with the bonus goodies on Omnivore's revamped incarnation, but nothing excessive.  

In most cases when it came to tracking the album, the versions on the finished product didn't greatly deviate from the demos, but if you're intimately familiar with Lolita... it won't take long to identify the variations and nuances.  While the entire album isn't represented here, all of the major components are present and accounted for - "The Real Sheila," "Chardonnay," and no less than two versions of "The Waist and the Knees."  An untitled instrumental in the middle of this whole shebang isn't particularly enlightening, but slots in seamlessly anyway.  I promised myself I wouldn't reveal too much in this write-up, so I'm tempted to cut the line here. For the uninitiated, if this is your first exposure to Game Theory and/or this album, you'll be happy to learn the reissue is still available here (and presumably streaming), and the band is responsible for a rich body of work that you'd do well to explore.  

01. Little Ivory

02. Slip

03. Nothing New

04. Look Away

05. The Waist And The Knees

06. The Waist And The Knees (2)

07. Andy in Ten Years

08. Not Because You Can

09. We Love You Carol And Alison

10. untitled

11. The Real Sheila

12. Dripping With Looks

13. Mammoth Gardens

14. One More For Saint Michael

15. Chardonnay

16. Last Day That We're Young

17. The World's Easiest Job

18. Exactly What We Don't Want To Hear

19. Where They Have to Let You In

Hear

Sleep of Reason - Building 27 (1987, Top)

Every year around this time I share one (or two) "lost" albums from the twentieth century that I find exemplary, relatively speaking.  I do my best, but in reality I have a backlog of records in waiting to be listened to, or listened to in full.  You'd think with all the overtime I've clocked in this year I would have finally gotten caught up, but to the contrary.  

I'd been putting off playing Sleep of Reason's Building 27, even at a cursory level.  This wasn't completely by design, but on some subconscious level maybe I was waiting to uncork this like a bottle of fine wine.  Upon finally diving in I largely encountered what I anticipated based on a number of factors, namely album graphics, band member photos, and even song titles.  There were few if any surprises when I started to ween myself on SoR's collegiate indie rock - primarily guitar driven, mid-tempo, four-minute setups with intelligent, albeit not-too-erudite subject matter. In a nutshell, not quite a revelation, but far from a disappointment. 

Bearing a contact address on the album jacket pointing to the unfamiliar locale of Vienna, VA, this not-so sleepy quartet just so happened to foreshadow the m.o. of aggregations like the Ocean Blue, and to a lesser extent suggested a modest allegiance to their Canuck neighbors to the north, the Grapes of Wrath.  In fact, Building 27 doesn't manage to construct much of anything out of whole cloth, but the band possess too much competence for that to factor as a detriment.  SoR do however stumble a few times during the middle portion of this record, with less than memorable results.  Fortunately, plenty of the more alluring numbers, including "That's a Nice Thought," "Intolerance," and the propulsive "Maybe I Was Wrong," go a long way in keeping this ship upright.  If anything else, SoR are archetypical of the left-of-the-dial framework that Wilfully Obscure, writ large, strives to expose and propagate - and perhaps for that reason alone I'm enthusiastic to share it.  There's not much information to be on these guys, so if any of you can provide more deets on Sleep of Reason, feel free to fire away in the comments.

01. That's a Nice Thought

02. Intolerance

03. Once Again

04. Maybe I Was Wrong

05. Right Through Me

06. Bells

07. Time To

08. Lay Back

09. Not Tho' the Sailor Knew

MP3  or  FLAC   

Six seismic singles!

Ok, put a ton of work into this one.  Assembling these singles collections are usually the most preparation intensive exercises I do all year.  As usual there's no common theme between these half-dozen 45s, rather just some near-perfect spins that I think are worth highlighting.  I have plenty to talk about, so I'll spare you a lengthy intro and get down to brass tacks. 

The Windmills - The Day Dawned On Me/Dolphins 7" (1988, S.T.S.)

I picked this one up assuming the Windmills only had a presence during the '80s, but was caught off guard upon learning that they reunited sometime around 1999 and released a considerable body of music in the years that followed.  This was their one and only release for several years.  These Britons were absolutely clued into their surroundings, purloining a thing or two from the Close Lobsters, and other C86 luminaries, but by my estimation they fixed a keener gaze on what was emanating from New Zealand.  I much appreciate the Chills-worship on both cuts here.

Principles of Literary Criticism - She Gets/Maybe 7" (1985, No Prior)

A one-and-done intro/swan song from a trio who ostensibly called central New Jersey home.  Another blind purchase of mine, and my assumptions that Principles... were cut from left of the dial cloth.  Subtle but clangy chords abound on this 7".  Melodically sentient as well.  "She Gets" throbs at a respectable mid-tempo, with the flip "Maybe" sporting a sweet countermelody, thanks to Larry Archers inviting guitar fills.  Would love to hear anything else PLC may have committed to tape. Solid principles indeed.

Bleached Black - I Was in Your Life/Chelsea 7" (1985, RiJiD)

Another keeper from '85, from a threesome we've had the pleasure of hearing before.  I've owned Bleached Black's LP and 12" ep for what feels like eons, yet I didn't really pay attention to this 45 until some forty years after the fact.  Late frontman "Stevo" Stephen Deal was seemingly incapable of unleashing anything that approached mediocrity, and to think, these two jangle gems were just the beginning of a fruitful, albeit bespoke musical run.  If you have a jones for purveyors like Rain Parade and early Smithereens, this one is destine to be an absolute diggit.  

The Neats - Caraboo/Harbour Lights 7" (1983, Ace of Hearts)

If you ever wanted to define "American post-punk" a picture of this Neats 45 might as well reside next to in the dictionary.  "Caraboo"

bleeds copious shades of melancholic yet angsty scree in the artful and serrated manner of the band's hometown brethren done great, Mission of Burma.  This bygone Beantown collective belatedly came onto my radar with the equally persuasive 1982 ep, The Monkey's Head in the Corner of the Room, and I've been a convert ever since.  The flip, "Harbour Lights," a Platters cover of all things is a shmaltzy, not to mention disorienting left turn, but I have to give the Neats credit for nailing the authentic aesthetic of the original version.   

Rebel Waltz - Umbrella/Highway of Doom 7" (1990, Soon to Be Rare)

Many have been accused of usurping the tenor of Minneapolis' halcyon-era trifecta of Husker Du, The Replacements and Soul Asylum, yet not only did Oshkosh, WI's Rebel Waltz have the sonic bona fides in place, but also wielded deft songwriting chops to boot.  This striking, splatter-laden slice of green transparent wax offers two stick-to-your-ribs salvos of satisfaction - the rambunctious "Umbrella," and the uber-Asylum-ish "Highway of Doom."  I have yet to encounter an unsatisfactory song from these gents.   The majority of R/W's relatively deep oeuvre has recently been digitized and made available here.  

J Church - She Never Leaves the Neighborhood 7" (1993, Dead Beat)

Last but not least, there were a myriad of J Church singles that could have occupied this spot, but not only does this one consist of the marvelously dynamic (think in the vein of the Pixies) "Good Judge of Character," She Never Leaves... functions as an archive of a 1993 Peel Session from Lance Hahn & Co.  Better yet we're treated to double b-sides, including the raging, "Financial Zone," a testament to the band's socio-political penchant conveyed by an aggro punk-pop delivery system, which for roughly fifteen years they made their indelible calling card.  "Priest," is slower, yet not by definition a ballad, and it's narrative vibe may be more of an acquired taste.  Regrettably I have to refer to Lance in the past tense as he left us in 2007.  I'm telling you, this guy would have been a blast to follow on social media (among many, many other gnarly things).  

MP3  or  FLAC

Baby Lemonade - 1995 demos & live in Hollywood 11/13/98

It wasn't until fairly recently that the prospect of dedicating a Chanukah post to Baby Lemonade occurred to me. I suppose it helped that a small stack of their original demo tapes had fallen into my lap - that and a fairly pristine live recording I came across, from the band's late '90s heyday, no less.  There have been multiple bands monikered Baby Lemonade over the years, spanning at least two continents.  The one in question was a fabulous Los Angeles-area quartet, who in fact didn't sound like Syd Barrett or PFloyd, but were loosely affiliated with the neo-psych movement.  Truth be told they were more in league with L.A.'s burgeoning power-pop scene, entailing the likes of the Wondermints, Sugarplastic and Cockeyed Ghost.  Helmed by two talented singer/songwriters, Rusty Squeezebox (likely an assumed name) and Mike Randle, they stuck around for three albums, and a handful of briefer releases, before touring as a full time backup band for Arthur Lee's reconstituted version of Love, a pretty sweet gig that lasted two decades right up until Lee's 2006 passing.

I've featured two B/L records previously.  First, 1993's Wonderful ep and the "Local Drags" single. Additionally, I even pitched you a live recording of a 1996 Reseda, CA performance on top of that. There isn't much more that I can tell you now, that I didn't back then, however I can't emphasize enough the closest the band came to delivering an outright masterstroke was their '98 sophomore LP, Exploring Music, an album that encompassed B/L's ever-maturing aptitude and acumen.  Not quite Forever Changes or Pet Sounds (okay, relatively far off in fact), Exploring... often suggested a patina of orchestral pop classicism.  Before that album the band dropped 68% Pure Imagination in 1996.  If not the most stunning jewel in their collective crown, they were nonetheless gathering steam and speed at a rapid clip.  

The demos featured in this meager clearinghouse foreshadow 68%..., including one of the group's signature numbers, "Pop Tarte," a fuzzy mesh of power-chords clad to copious melodic camaraderie, that coincidentally resembled what Superdrag were dishing out right around the same time.  Several of the remaining tracks follow suit with varying results, highlights ranging from the delicate and textured strains of "Open Up Yourself" to the crunchy, amp-ridden "Over My Head," exuding subtle glam-rock sway.  I think I counted four or five songs here that never appeared on any future B/L release.  

As for the 1998 concert, this was their Exploring Music record-release show at Jack's Sugar Stack in Hollywood.  As aforementioned, Baby Lemonade soar to new heights with this record, and nine out of it's dozen songs are represented in this sublime set list.  The gig was capped off with an extended rendition of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," and a roiling reading of "Hot Love" that just might have made Cheap Trick themselves green with envy.  Clap your hands indeed.  

1995 demos

01. Over My Head

02. Drown

03. Heavy

04. Luminosity

05. Postman's Son

06. Pop Tarte

07. Shake the Shelter

08. Never Mind the Hype

09. Never Again

10. Open Up Yourself

MP3  or  FLAC

Exploring Music record release - Jack's Sugar Shack, Hollywood, CA 11/13/98

01. -intro-

02. Clap Your Hands

03. Stay Awhile

04. Better Things

05. Green Boat

06. Once Again

07. Long Train Rides

08. So Long

09. Summer Song

10. Underground D.J.

11. Hot Love

12. Let's Stay Together

MP3  or  FLAC

The Cure - Reflections Tour, The Pantages, Los Angeles, 11/21/11 (first three albums in whole!)

You've probably already decided whether you're going to download this one based on the banner alone, so this spiel is likely to be brief.  Until a few month ago I wasn't aware that The Cure performed a gig(s) involving any full albums, much less encompassing the most coveted titles in their catalog.  But indeed, it happened, and not just on one night, but over the span of three all told.  

November 21, 2011 was the first of these "holy grail" performances, staged at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, wherein Robert Smith and his compatriots didn't merely put on a "show" rather an unabridged, soup-to-nuts re-visitation of their first three albums in sequence, no less of Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds, and Faith.  This would have been a colossal undertaking for any music artist, but this was a veritable stamina-testing marathon, so strenuous that even the youngest and most virile of rock musicians wouldn't dare approach such a lofty proposition.  My calculation is that Smith was in his early-50s when this stint went down, and it amounted to a "now or never" opportunity - and the Cure did not waste a moment of it.  In addition to the three records, we treated to yet another incredible and generous bonus -  multiple encores stuffed to the gills with fourteen gothy, gold nuggets focusing on b-sides and non-LP chestnuts contemporary to the albums performed in the first three-quarters of the concert!

This whole megillah may seem too good to be true...yet it isn't.  The only caveat I'll offer is that this was sourced from an audience tape - a decent one, but if you're going into this expecting something on the caliber of a soundboard recording, try to temper your expectations. As for the performances themselves, they're remarkably potent, and Faithful (couldn't resist, sorry) to the original versions.  No one's lost a step here, on the very fact that the Cure executed such a grueling endeavor some thirty-years after the fact is reason enough for multiple rounds of applause.  Put on your pout, and indulge. Finally, before anyone asks, I'm not privy to the second or third nights of the Reflections concerts, at least not yet.

The Cure

November 21, 2011

Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

"Reflections" Tour

Set 1 – Three Imaginary Boys

01. 10:15 Saturday Night 

02. Accuracy 

03. Grinding Halt 

04. Another Day 

05. Object 

06. Subway Song 

07. Foxy Lady 

08. Meathook 

09. So What 

10. Fire In Cairo 

11. It's Not You 

12. Three Imaginary Boys 

13. The Weedy Burton

Set 2 – Seventeen Seconds

01. A Reflection 

02. Play For Today 

03. Secrets 

04. In Your House 

05. Three 

06. The Final Sound 

07. A Forest 

08. M 

09. At Night 

10. Seventeen Seconds

Set 3 – Faith

01. The Holy Hour 

02. Primary 

03. Other Voices 

04. All Cats Are Grey 

05. The Funeral Party 

06. Doubt 

07. The Drowing Man 

08. Faith

Set 4 Encores/other tracks

01. E1: World War

02. I'm Cold

03. Plastic Passion

04. Boys Don’t Cry

05. Killing An Arab

06. Jumping Someone Else’s Train

07. Another Journey By Train

08. E2: Descent

09. Splintered In Her Head

10. Charlotte Sometimes

11. The Hanging Garden

12. E3: Let’s Go To Bed

13. The Walk

14. The Lovecats

MP3  or  FLAC

The Alarm - Alt-Strength (2001, Twenty First Century Recording Co.)

It's night one of the Festival of Lights. Welcome to it, wherever you may be situated.  Mark Peters, ringleader for The Alarm once intoned in one of his earliest compositions, "You're here for a purpose, but you have to search for it."  As tragic and sobering as his passing was on April 29th of this year, virtually anyone who encountered him, even as a mere fan, understood full well that he found his calling in life relatively early on.  

As frontman for the aforementioned Welsh quartet, he guided multiple incarnations of his band to chart success, but perhaps even more poignantly he transcended professional ambitions in favor of building a rapport with listeners, even if it meant patiently assembling his audience one person at-a-time.  The Alarm may not have held "dessert island" status with me, but came achingly close to the shore throughout much of the '80s. Peters' integrity, and more specifically his relentless "rally-the-troops" ethos was the benign clarion call most of us didn't even realize we were waiting for when soon-to-be classic missives like Declaration and Strength arrived in record racks.  For roughly the last thirty years of his life, just about anyone who was tuned into his lengthy personal campaign with cancer, and furthermore multiple tentacles of activism (disease-related and otherwise) had the comfort of knowing that his spirit remained undeterred, despite how grim his mounting prognosis' may have been.  Mike Peters literally climbed mountains and walked the walk whenever physically capable of doing so.

Like the bulk of Alarm adherents who came up with the band in the '80s, I was endeared to their earlier stuff. "Strength," both the single and album served as my introduction. No doubt, Peters & Co. inevitably conjured numerous U2 comparisons, both preceding and contemporary to the LP.  So be it I suppose, yet the Alarm gradually grew into their own aesthetic, accessible and pedestrian as it might have been at times.  The empathetic stanzas of "Strength" should have struck a universal chord, but in reality the band wasn't exactly filling arenas, at least not in America.  Other songs on the album proper were just as anthemic, and perhaps even more rousing, notably "Absolute Reality" and "Spirit of '76."   If not a through-and-through masterstroke for the 1985 time capsule, Strength's modus operandi was nonetheless empowering and even a bit insurgent to my 12-year-old eardrums.  I would regularly listen to these fellows when I was delivering papers in middle school. The Alarm were a Walkman staple.  

So where does Alt-Strength come in?  2000 & 2001 saw the reissue and remastering of the Alarm's entire back catalog.  This naturally included Strength with attendant bonus material, virtually doubling it's length with the usual assortment of b-sides and such.  A year after it saw the light of day, Mike Peters quietly released the double-cd-r Alt-Strength, gathering 40 more tracks, honing in on demo sessions, a clutch of jovial covers, and perhaps most revealing a June '85 selection of live-in-the-studio renditions for the album that often bore even more sheer presence and fervor than the finished versions.  I didn't catch wind of Alt... until it had sold out, and to this day don't possess a physical copy.  In spite of that, it's a colossal treat and veritable required listening if you want to delve deeper into the Strength-era. Highlights include the spirited outtake "In the Cold Light of Day," that would have fit in like a glove with the aforementioned crowd pleasers.  Ditto for "Only the Thunder," which at the very least was relegated as a b-side.  There's multiple takes of "Spirit of 76," and as mentioned a session of the boys letting loose and running through a spate of classic rock covers, often in vastly truncated form.  A cursory listen will illustrate why hot takes of "Get it On," "Summertime Blues" weren't green-lighted for mass consumption, although their spin on "Maggie May" which segues into a dig of a certain prime minister is relatively presentable. There's a lot to love here, so enjoy. 

CD 1

Nov. 29th-30th 1984 E-Zee Hire Demos

01: Knife Edge

02: Absolute Reality

03: Sons Of Divorce

04: One Step Closer To Home

05: Rose Beyond The Wall

06: Steeltown (Deeside)

07: We Are Majority

08: Black Side Of Fortune

09: The Day The Ravens Left The Tower

April 4, 1985 Roundhouse Studio, London

10. Get it On

11. Summertime Blues

12. Gimme All Your Loving

13. Alarm Alarm

14. Radar Love

15. Burn

16. Black Night

17. Can't Always Get What You Want

18. Walk on the Wild Side

19. Vicious

20. All Right Now

21. Communication Breakdown

22. It's in the Charts

23. Maggie May / Maggie's Farm / Stand Down Margaret

April 4-10 1985 Roundhouse Demos/Mixes

24: Dawn Chorus

25: Knife Edge

CD 2

May 10th, 1985: Birmingham Odeon Sound Check

01. Give Me Love (Strength)

May 17th, 1985 Pluto Studios Recording Sessions

02: In The Cold Light Of Day

June/July 1985: Main Recording Sessions, Marcus Studios

03: River Still To Cross

June 27th, 1985 Rough Mixes

04: Strength

05: Spirit Of '76

06: Deeside

07: For Tomorrow (Father To Son)

08: Majority

09: Absolute Reality

10: One Step Closer To Home

11: Only The Thunder

12: Day The Ravens Left The Tower

13: Walk Forever By My Side

July 15th, 1985 Marcus Studios Rough Mixes

14: Strength

15: Spirit Of '76 

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Obscure menorahs...Chanukah is just around the corner...

...and you know what that means (or at least I'm assuming you do).  If anything else you'll be getting steady content for a week+ in an era when I'm wont to only post about twice every seven days (and half of those are Mystery Monday entries).  With a half-smile and a somewhat lighthearted *sigh,* my burdensome endeavor and your annual holiday treat is upon us in roughly five days folks.  Starting right around sundown on December 14, I'll be gifting you eight consecutive nights of the most coveted (or at least I like to think) volley of un/under-released vinyl, bootlegs, live offerings and demos.  Will I outdo myself from previous years?  In all likelihood, no, as the well gets a little more barren every year, but expect at least a few corkers.

You might be asking what initially motivated me to begin this tradition altogether.  For one, it gives me a convenient excuse to share several mind-blowing "gifts" instead of just one big reveal on Christmas.  Secondly, Chanukah represents personal relevance to me.  We all know you were envious of that kid down the block who had a yarmulke festooned to their head, who was given the privilege of lighting the menorah, and of course, reveling in eight glorious nights of presents.  Once again, I'm paying it forward.  Previous Chanukah entries have featured Wire, Velocity Girl, Jellyfish, Husker Du and Teenage Fanclub, but name recognition is hardly a guarantee.  As in past years, there will definitely be familiar faces, but also provocateurs that have never or infrequently garnered face-time on W/O.  Bear in mind that what's crucial and/or special to my ears may not be of equal essence to yours, but humor me folks.

At the top of each Chanukah upload will be a thumbnail photo of a menorah, with the appropriate number of lit candles to denote each succeeding evening until all eight slots in the candelabra are occupied on the concluding night of December 21. 

• Look for the first Chanukah posting this Sunday evening, and then for the remaining seven nights 'round supper time all week. 
• Mystery Monday will be taking a break the week of Monday the 15th so as not to disrupt or distract from the continuity of the eight consecutive nights of the holiday.
• A few offerings will be made available in FLAC (in addition to standard MP3).

That's it in a nutshell. Download responsibly. 

Remnants - demo (1988)

Though I can't vouch for it's worth, this is surely a scarce reel, and possibly the only thing this Buffalo, NY contingent doled out in their life-span.  Threading the needle between contemplative, collegiate rock and more Anglophile, post-punk gestures, the five-piece Remnants bore an approachable demeanor, certainly disqualifying them from the darkwave neighborhood.  Synths are prominent, but don't overpower any of this tape's five selections.  And while not uniformly stimulating, dashes of genius color the chiming, noir-tinged "On Your Own," leaving me to ponder what else could have become of Remnants had their tenure been a bit more prolonged. 

01. Septimus Smith

02. No Longer Taking

03. On Your Own

04. Rest From Fear

05. This World

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Calling out to the a&r, a&r...

A live album from an institution that some considered to be the cornerstone of '90s indie rock.  There are a few arguable omissions in the set list, but who's to argue with a live tape this hot and incendiary?

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Whirlybirfd - s/t ep (1994, Whirled)

Emblematic of numerous bands of their era, Richmond, VA's Whirlybird weren't aggro enough to earn punk points (not many anyway), but likely struck some indie scenesters as a tad high strung.  Their penchant wasn't dissimilar to Superchunk, even if the material on this ep isn't as consequential.  An even more apropos comparison would be Zoinks!, if that name rings a bell to you.  All in all Whirlybird get us in and out in about eleven minutes, and since you're nabbing this for free you hardly have anything to lose.

01. Nine Lives

02. Circle

03. Shellshock

04. Pocket Sand

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