- Artist: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
- Title: Deanna
- Year: 1988
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 8
- Owner: Mary
- Acquired: 1988 – RIP Records in Norfolk, VA
- Keeper: Yes
I love the song “Deanna.” And it’s surprisingly sing-along for a song by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. Despite it’s and fast tempo and upbeat feel the song’s lyrics come across as typically dark, for Mr. Cave, that is. I don’t know what it’s about, but “I’m not down for your love, I’m not down here for your money… I’m down here for your soul” sounds like this character is up to no good. “Girl at the Bottom of My Glass” on the flipside is very minimalist, but also very good.
Oh, Deanna… Oh, D-E-Anna…
- Artist: Fad Gadget
- Title: Under the Flag
- Year: 1982
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 5
- Owner: Mary
- Acquired: 1983 – Olsson’s in DC
- Keeper: Yes
Tracy says it’s all about emotional attachments, and I have ‘em to this LP. My logical grown-up self says, “This record screams early ’80s pretentious goth rock”, but my inner teenager says “I remember when I was in art school, the 9:30 Club played ‘Collapsing New People’ between band sets (a Fad Gadget song not on this LP), and I went to poetry readings.” Poetry readings? I must of had a lot of free time.
The music consists of keyboards, some neat sound effects, a drum machine, and topped with arty lyrics in a Bauhaus vocal style. Like the kids say (said) on American Bandstand, “it’s got a good beat and it’s easy to dance to”, or at least to brood to.
I bought this in Washington in early 1984 or late 1983 in that store on Dupont Circle, Olsson’s? I want to keep it. And why is it in the middle of The Fall records, and shouldn’t it be before Faith even? F-A-D. Oh Well. I also didn’t see the 12″ of Collapsing… If I had to choose between the two, I’d keep the 12″ over this. Oh, I’ll rate it a 5.
- Artist: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
- Title: Kicking Against the Pricks
- Year: 1986
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 7
- Owner: Mary
- Acquired: 1986 – When she worked at Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA
- Keeper: Yes
Mr. Cave likes his covers. This is the third album by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and the first collection of cover songs, but not the last. Kicking Against the Pricks may sound like an offensive title to some but it’s part of a passage from the book of Acts in the Bible. So there. This is a very eclectic collection and on the whole more mellow than most of his records. My favorite song is “The Singer“, which was also on a 12 inch single previously posted here.
- Artist: The Fall
- Title: Slang King
- Year: 1984
- Format: Vinyl 7 in.
- Rating (1-10): 6
- Owner: Mary
- Acquired: She’s outta town…
- Keeper: Yes
OK, this was the “FREE 7 inch single” that I couldn’t find when I wrote about about the “Call For Escape Route” EP it was packaged with. (Sorry grammarians.) This single, “Slang King” by The Fall, is decent but I don’t care if I ever hear it again. The flipside has another version of “No Bulbs.” I think a rating of “6″ is generous. Maybe I’m being hard on it because I’m feeling kinda sick. I had way too much to eat at Jerusalem Garden tonight with Ixa, Kellie and Grayson. Oof.
- Artist: The Cars
- Title: Since You’re Gone
- Year: 1981
- Format: Vinyl 7 in.
- Rating (1-10): 6
- Owner: Mary
- Acquired: ?
I really liked The Cars when I was a teenager. I even bought a couple albums, but they’ve never been a big part of my life. That said, I always enjoy their music whenever I hear it. “Since You’re Gone” was a radio hit, maybe it still is on the “classic rock” stations or XM. I dig it and the flipside “Think It Over” is a more upbeat rocker with a very 1980s sound, a sound created by them as much as anyone. This single was from their fourth album Shake It Up and came out in 1981.
Even if The Cars never existed Ric Ocasek will always be my hero for his work on the early Bad Brains records.
