The guilt induced by seeing

The guilt induced by seeing seventeen pounds' worth of new turntable needle sitting unused next to the hi-fi for the past two months. The realisation that it is probably nearly a year since I last played any of my extensive (1000+) vinyl music collection. The remembered intention to digitise a lot of this stuff once I bought our new PC (which arrived back in January). The recurring thought that [insert cutting-edge contemporary track here] sounds a lot like [insert obscure 1980s track here]. The ongoing enjoyment of Troubled Diva's Curious Old Box. The empty house for the next three days, begging to be filled with sound and noise. The dearth of good TV, the lack of words and the rather tragic over-playing of my most recently purchased CDs. All reasons why I've spent most of my evening with a mixture of small and large round, flat, black plastic objects.

For the record (geddit?), I have mostly been listening to: This Mortal Coil's epic first single, 16 Days - Gathering Dust; Jimi Hendrix's posthumous Crash Landing; Ultra Vivid Scene's trippy, Lou Reed-lite second album, Joy 1967-1990; Big Black's sheet metal headfuck, Atomizer; Nyam Nyam's slightly pretentious but still deeply lovely The Architect (if, by any chance, you have their Hope of Heaven album, I need to hear from you now); the one remaining good Throwing Muses album that I still don't have on CD, The Real Ramona; Brian Eno's Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy), which I'd also like to buy on CD; The Birthday Party's exhilarating Drunk On The Pope's Blood ("16 Minutes Of Sheer Hell!") and Lem Chaheb and Dissidenten's Euro-Moroccan fusion album Sahara Elektrik.

Also pulled from the vaults, but never actually gracing the turntable, were the Cocteau Twins' Victorialand, My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, Dif Juz's Extractions, James' Stutter, The Birthday Party's Prayers on Fire, The Residents' Third Reich 'n' Roll and Martin Stephenson and The Daintees' Gladsome Humour & Blue. Maybe tomorrow.

An interesting post would tell you all about these albums, what was going on in my life when I bought them, how they sounded then, how they sounded now. Unfortunately my bed awaits, so you'll just have to use your imagination. You can re-read this list with bemusement, fond nostalgia or relief at the passing of a different age, depending on your inclination.

Meanwhile, I think I've done enough 'indie' to last me for the rest of the year and I'll be playing Ms Dynamite very loudly first thing tomorrow to remind myself that this is - finally - the twenty-first century. Indulge me - I waited thirty-three years for it.

Posted by Hg on Thursday 06 June 2002 at 00:13.
Received 5 comments so far.

Three points:

1. Very good music collection. I'm seriously impressed / jealous.
2. Somebody used to like 4AD stuff, didn't they?
3. You are only the second person I've ever known to have a Dif Juz album. The other one's me, obviously.

Comment by Vaughan on Thursday 06 June 2002 at 09:31.

Point two... somebody bought every item released on 4AD from late 1982 until the early 1990s. As ever, he was seduced by packaging (though thankfully in most cases the contents lived up to it).

Comment by Stuart on Thursday 06 June 2002 at 10:08.

Point 2a - Much the same, although probably from about 1987 to 1994.

Point 2a (part ii) - I once met Vaughan Oliver from v23 at a Pale Saints gig at ULU. I nearly went weak at the knees. The conversation went thus: "Hello, my name's Vaughan too. I love your artwork."

Comment by Vaughan on Thursday 06 June 2002 at 17:22.

I am, of course, deeply touched that my curious old box should be bringing you so much pleasure.

Comment by mike on Friday 07 June 2002 at 08:43.

i once had a tape of victorialand playing at 33rpm after i borrowed it and copied it at the wrong speed. i played said tape religiously for over a year before listening to the album at a friend's house and realising my mistake.

Comment by noodle vague on Friday 07 June 2002 at 17:50.

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