Bloc Party - Mercury (7'')

When Bloc Party arrived in 2004, I was blown away by the Little Thoughts single and the Silent Alarm album that followed. After that I lost a tiny bit of interest, and by their last record, had none at all really. But all that has changed and rediscovering Bloc Party couldn't come at a better time because the state of music right now to me is horrid! Anyhow, 2008's Mercury is a single worth going back to and watching them pull it off live is a whole lotta fun too! The b-side is really great as well so check em' out....

Mercury
Idea For A Story

hear!

Super Furry Animals - Lazer Beam (Dangermouse Remix)

A post today over at One Step Brighter reminded me of one of the Furries great lost singles, Lazer Beam. Of course it came out on CD, 7'' and 12'', but this Dangermouse remix was available on the promo only, although it might of been made available digitally, but I can't remember for sure. It is quite lovely I must say. As for the official 12'', it had 2 mixes that have eluded me since it came out. These would be the DJ Marlboro Mix and the LFO Mix. If anyone has these, I would love to hear them cause I think they are the only official mixes by SFA I don't have or have never heard. In the meantime...

...take a shine of the DM mix here!

The Boo Radleys - Skywalker/French Canadian Bean Soup (7'')

Isn't vinyl just so darn swell? I love when I bring my new double vinyl release home and open it and a 7'' record falls out as a special bonus just for you featuring a couple of exclusive tracks that you can't get anywhere else...well, at least in the old days like way back in 96 or something before the internet was ripe with every rare track you never thought you'd hear let alone find yourself a personal copy in one format or another....But this was the case with The Boo Radleys wonderful and very underrated album, C'mon Kids. It may have been commercail suicide after the success of Wake Up Boo! but really it is a very diverse collection of amazing gems. It's my favourite of their output, although nothing is as good as Blues For George Michael!

Skywalker
French Canadian Bean Soup

Go To Sleep Boo!



P.S...sorry though...not my rip!

Warm Jets EP

Another one of my favourite put one awesome album out and disappear forever bands. And just like one of my other favourites, Tiger, only a handful of singles and b-sides to be had. This EP came before the debut, Future Signs, and three out of the four tracks here feature on it. So the real rarity here is the track Sunfreeze which is exclusive to this record. Hard to believe it's been 15 years already since this came out! I've only just started to rip vinyl and so I know I could get these a bit better but until I'm reunited with my record collection and good turntable which currently reside in another city which I shall soon be returning to, these will have to do!


Autopia
Sunfreeze
Wires
Liverpool St

Warm Jets EP

After All - Sitting Far Away (7'')

Now here's an eighties rarity if I've ever posted one before. Since I moved to the west coast almost 10 years ago, I have become very close friends with former Pure guitarist, songwriter and producer, Todd Simko. Not only has he produced everything by my band in the last 7 years, but scored me many sessions for other people as well. A few months back, to my delight, he gave me a special 7'' for my birthday. The very first single by his eighties band, After All. These tracks were not found on their debut album which is hard to find itself. This is my first shot at ripping vinyl, so I'm not sure how you'll feel about my rip, but I know you won't find this gem anywhere else. Both these tracks are great and now I know that he can get me that eighties drum sound that I want from now on!

A: Sitting Far Away
B: Valley Of The Kings

Sitting over here!

Flesh For Lulu - I Go Crazy (Live)

I had been on the hunt for quite sometime for some live Flesh taken from a promo called Final Vinyl and was thrilled to acquire it recently. What really blew me away was their amazing cover of Prince's, I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man. Could've been a hit! A two hit wonder? Well, everybody knows I Go Crazy but, Postcards From Paradise & Siamese Twist were brilliant as well and I don't think the Lulu's got the respect they deserved. Anyhow, funny how out of these great tracks, I'm giving up THE hit again in it's live version cause the copy I got had a skip in it and I fixed it and I'm proud and you'll never be able to tell! That stuff drives me crazy.

I Go Crazy (Live)

New Blog Alert!

Hey everyone! I've started a new blog and wanted to let you know about it! Switching To The Vapour State isn't going away though. I have found it increasingly hard to post stuff that's hard to find, but it seems like everything is out there these days. However, I will continue to post stuff when I find it appropriate. The new blog is called Seen A Million Faces and will be an ongoing history of the many concerts I've been to. I hope you will enjoy it and for the first while it will be a work in progress. I welcome your input and comments and hope you enjoy the ride!

Siouxsie & The Banshees - Remixes

Not sure what the origin of this release is, but due to the way things were labelled, I'm gonna asume it's a fanmade comp. And that's coool cause I'd never heard these mixes at all. It's not that I'm the biggest Banshees follower, but, I really like them. Christine, Cities In Dust, Peek-A-Boo and Spellbound being a few of my faves. I saw them in 1987 (With Julian Cope opening), and they had an off night, but that's coool too. I have been going through a bit of a binge now that the brief Foreigner one that I spared you is over and that's what led me to these...

Happy House (Sir Billy Miami Hommage Re-Edit)
Cities In Dust (HavocNdeeD vs. Epidemic Remix)
Spellbound (Czart Mix)

ABC - King Without A Crown

I have been seriously obsessed with these two live versions from ABC. They were released as b-sides to the King Without A Crown single, and I believe they far surpass the original studio recordings. These tracks were killer to begin with, but they just seem to come alive in this concert. I have heard other live versions of these songs, even from the same tour, but these ones rock. The mix is raw, the rhythm section flawless and Martin's vocals soar from full on to falsetto with ease.
The versions here are from the original FM broadcast, so you get a little extra at the beginning, the end, and in the middle!

The Look Of Love (Live In Boston 12-17-82)
Poison Arrow (Live In Boston 12-17-82)

Images In Vogue - In The House (Extended Dance Mix)

Another great Canadian 80s band, Images In Vogue. Call It Love is still my fave song by them but I love this single quite a bit. I know a couple peeps who have played in the band over the years but have actually never seen them live, which nowadays is just the singer Dale with a bunch of other dudes, much like A Flock Of Seagulls, but that's a whole other story for another time. For now, enjoy IIV in an extended version.

In The House (Extended Dance Mix)

Men Without Hats - Where Do The Boys Go?

Men Without Hats are back on tour for the first time in years, and even though it's just Ivan remaining, I'm still gonna go and check it down. Also a good friend of mine is doing their FOH so I think I can get in for free which is a bonus. I did see them live in the summer of 1984 with opening act, Spoons. That is like, 27 years ago. Holy *$#*!!!! This track is still my fave by them and one of my fave 80s tracks period, so here I give it to you in it's extended format because 3 and a half minutes is just not long enough!

Where Do The Boys Go? (Extended Version)

Depeche Mode - A Question Of Lust (Ltd. Cassette)

I love how no matter how complete I think a collection of music is, to this day, little surprises continue to thrill. I thought I had 80s Depeche Mode down pat. I was wrong. Black Celebration, a live version from the US and Canadian 12" for A Question Of Time/ A Question Of Lust has gone under my radar this whole time until a recent SAP Music post made me look twice. So in SAP's honour, I give you a couple rare DM b-sides from the Limited Edition cassette single of A Question Of Lust. Twas a sweet little package that I bought at the time of release. It came in a 7" style sleeve with the tape, a badge, and a booklet. I still have it, though all 4 items are in different locations....long story..Anyhow, these are not my rips cause my tape is pretty warbly. Always up for a Blasphemous Rumours live version, me.

A Question Of Lust
Christmas Island
If You Want (Live)
Shame (Live)
Blasphemous Rumours (Live)