The Vinyl Countdown # 221
Lou Reed, Growing Up In Public (1980)
I’m sure this one rates pretty low down the list of Lou Reed albums – but I’ve always quite liked it. Some good songs (How Do You Speak To An Angel, Standing On Ceremony) and some stupid songs that you had to kinda laugh at (the title track, The Power of Positive Drinking) but also some tender ballads. The thing I like most about this album though is that you hear Lou’s guitar for nearly the first time in a decade – he really didn’t play much guitar throughout the 1970s. He couldn’t – or couldn’t be bothered. And here you hear him playing some nice riffs and licks. I was encouraged to find this after loving the Between Thought and Expression boxset. It had highlights from all of the albums up to the mid-80s and it made me want to fill in the blanks and find the rest. So back in my Lou-worship daze I grabbed them all. I’ve returned to this one a bit lately and I think it’s unfairly maligned/forgotten. It has enough stuff on it of worth to get it over the line. Read More
Was having a wee ramble with my father-in-law just the other night about how 
As I do a bit of a dig through the classical pile again I find this – which I know nothing about, not only can I not place how long I’ve had it or where I got it from I can’t tell you much about the music. I am listening to it now for the first time and it’s an utter fucking delight! Which is not really the parlance of the classical world, I know. But sod it. This is gorgeous. All I have to go on is the name Handel and the info I found on Discogs; presumably this is part of a series or maybe even a single record from a larger box-set that was split up, or maybe they were made available for separate purchase or in one big collection? Either/Or. I really don’t know anything about this but I love having a record or two that is a mystery, and when it’s music from “Research Period: Western Europe 1650-1800” as the cover tells me, and it’s still a mystery that’s pretty fucking special; pretty bloody wonderful. I am a fairweather classical music fan, a neophyte. And just when I get some knowledge and feel I can converse and know what I’m looking for and listening to something comes along and stumps me. And I know a real classical buff would probably think not much of this – wrong recording or not the best label, etc. I like that there’s so much to learn. And that on first listen I’ve found something “new” and intriguing. I always hope for that. I’m glad I still have classical records in the rack I’ve yet to get to.
I’m aware there’s been a fair bit about 
A reissue/replication of the band’s early work – the classic songs – put together for the recent tour 
Okay, I’m drowning in soundtracks and soundtrack-compilations at the moment. And (mostly) loving it. The same guy that gave me this (
composers for different films. That’s a hard sell. I like some of the pieces here – sure – but this has to be, overall, my least favourite type of film score: the Music of Bombardment. These “early” blockbuster action/drama flicks with their OTT sequences and frame-everything music. It’s not for me. At least not often. But still an interesting history lesson – and with some decent pieces to dig amongst the more rubbishy pieces. 
Here’s the thing with being a dirty, rotten, grubby record-collector, particularly one that sets absurd life-goals like finding everything or at the least anything by 
musical works, artist management and mentorship – there’s several worlds of work and art to arrive at an unpack from this duo and the various stables they’re fostering. And I love that. And I was grateful to be sent this. 
This is a split 7” single the first side is The Electricka Zoo with ‘Fragmentary Alpha Waves’ and the second side is Badger Sett with ‘Eats His Own Brain’; though it’s a Peter King Lathe Cut with no labels on either side, just clear – so you sorta get whichever track you get and there’s not always a way of knowing unless you’re studying the grooves and lengths hard. And frankly, I prefer the surprise element. You can tell which is which though – both ensembles feature Dave Edwards – aka Dave Black – you find out his stuff and all about him at his label/handle 
soul – combining elements of spoken-word, acoustic and electric noise and improv and outsider-folk (sometimes within the same piece). I’ve had the pleasure of performing with him at poetry readings and as part of the rambling, sporadically appearing band 
It’s when you don’t really care about the A-side or the B-side and you 
The music is by