A Head Full of Wishes

My record collection: [376] Galaxie 500 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA - 23rd January 1990

Andy — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000

My pal Chris gave me this CD ahead of a Damon & Naomi concert in London a few years ago (he also gave a copy to D&N) it’s a soundboard recording of Galaxie 500 at The 40 Watt Club in Athens recorded by the soundman Pat Biddle (aka Pat the Wiz).

Galaxie 500 - 40 Watt Club, January 1990

I’m not sure this recording has been shared before which sort of surprised me, and it seems a shame to sit on this any longer so I’ve popped it on Dimeadozen to download (login required) and YouTube to stream.

Galaxie 500 at The 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA - 23rd January 1990 (audio only) (play on YouTube)

Being a soundboard recording you can’t really hear the audience except what the on-stage mics pick up which is always a strange experience. The plus side of course is just how well you can actually hear the band (although I might like to hear the bass a wee bit more).

I’m a little surprised that I can’t find any contemporary review or comment on the show. Flagpole, an Athens indie magazine, makes a couple of mentions before the show but sadly nothing after.

500 points of light (Flagpole 17th January 1990)

Catalogue Number: AHFOW 10/061
Artist: Galaxie 500
Title: 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA - 23rd January 1990
Notes: Soundboard recording
Format: CDR

New vinyl issues of Luna's Romantica and Rendezvous

Andy — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

UPDATE 6th August Wax Mage will be also be doing a fancy reissue of Luna’s Rendezvous, also for pre-order on Friday.

Boutique vinyl label Wax Mage are re-issuing Luna’s Romantica in “five exclusive Wax Mage variants” (plus it seems two others?) - pre-ordering of the release open on Friday 7th AUgust at 7pm ET.

Luna - Romantica (Wax Mage)

This from Wax Mage’s post on Instagram:

Announcing Romantica — Luna’s sixth album. This was a tumultuous period for the band, who found themselves without a label following the declared bankruptcy of their previous label, Jericho Records, who had signed the band after Elektra let them go. Justin Harwood had departed midway through the touring for The Days of Our Nights and was replaced by Britta Phillips, who had previously toured with Ben Lee, and was formerly the singing voice of Jem (Jem & the Holograms). In this period Wareham and Phillips became romantically involved and you can likely hear that in the songs.

Romantica was released by Jetset Records (in the USA) and Beggar’s Banquet (in Europe) in April, 2002. Now on Wax Mage Records with new vinyl master by Scott Hull of Masterdisk.

5 Exclusive Wax Mage Variants will be available. 25 random orders will receive a Golden Ticket copy instead.

On sale this Friday 7pm ET Waxmage.com /300 copies

Luna’s Romantica - Inksplosion variant will also be sold in store nationwide.

There wasn’t a link included but suspect it will be available to order from the Wax Mage shop.

Dean & Britta to play a free live show in Olympia WA

Andy — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:47:00 +0000

Dean & Britta will be playing a show in Olympia WA on the 16th August as part of the “Scherler Sundays” free outdoor concert series behind the “historic Carnegie Library” - the show starts at 3pm (local time) and it looks like it’ll be streamed live on their YouTube channel.

Scherler Sundays - Olympia WA

Britta and I going to be playing a free afternoon show in Olympia, WA – Sunday August 16 at 5pm, outdoors at the Historic Carnegie Library. It's my first time ever in Olympia and we'll be playing a set heavy on Galaxie 500 songs, in trio format (with Roger on drums).

Dean Wareham - newsletter July 2026

Details here.

My record collection: [375] Luna - Tiger Lily (CD)

Andy — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a radio promo CD of Luna’s Tiger Lily that I picked up on Discogs a few months back as a collection filler. Although technically it does contain something I never had before, or maybe more accurately one of the tracks doesn’t contains something I did have before.

Luna - Tiger Lily (radio promo CD)

There are two versions of Tiger Lily on the disc the LP version and a single edit which chops off the intro, chops out a bit of the solo, and fades early - basically lopping 39 seconds out of the song to supposedly make it more attractive for radio play, although I’m a little puzzled at how much more attractive that would make it? The single edit is still over four minutes long so I do wonder how attractive that made it for the radio.

Luna - Tiger Lily (single edit)

Source: Tiger Lily (Elektra, 1994)

Since this was from Bewitched it was only a “single” in the US and I wonder how much radio play it got and whether the 39 seconds helped with that.

Dean wrote about the tiger lily girl in the sleeve notes to Best of Luna:

In 1993 Howard Thompson, Elektra's head of A&R, came to Paris to see us on the V.U. tour. We hooked him up with one of our "All Access" passes for the show, but Howard was tossed out of the club by the bouncers (they caught him taking 3-D photographs of the show), and we were lectured by the Velvet's tour manager about loaning out our passes. My wife was visiting too, and Howard had some powdered ecstasy that we dropped into our wine at dinner, and he took us to a beautiful/sleazy club called Lily La Tigresse, in Pigalle (which can be seen in the opening sequence of Jean-Pierre Melville's film Bob Le Flambeur). I was struck by the presence of a skinhead girl dancing topless on the bar. She became the "tiger lily girl" as I set these lyrics to a riff that Justin had written.

Best of Luna sleeve notes

There’s a lovely (if a little fuzzy and low-res) clip of Luna playing Tiger Lily on MTV back in 1994:

Luna - Tiger Lily (120 Minutes, 1994) (play on YouTube)

There’s also a nice clip of Luna rehearsing for their lockdown show back in 2021.

Luna - Tiger Lily (Istagram Live 2021) (play on YouTube)

You can also watch Stanley playing Tiger Lily in his practice room back in 2010.

Catalogue Number: AHFOW 10/179
Artist: Luna
Title: Tiger Lily
Notes: Radio promo
Packaging: Jewel case
Format: CD
Bought from a Discogs seller for £3

Full Magic Hour show from 1994 on the Internet Archive

Andy — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:11:00 +0000

A recording of Magic Hour playing The Knitting Factory in NYC has just been made available to download.

Magic Hour (promo)

Magic Hour was the band that Damon and Naomi formed with Wayne Rogers and Kate Biggar that recorded three albums and played some live shows in the mid/late 90s. Naomi only sang one song for the band, a cover of Cyril Tawney/Trees Sally Free and Easy and you can hear a live version in this set.

The recording is part of the collection of taper Jeff Lazar that is being shared on the Internet Archive:

Magic Hour at the Knitting Factory on 1994-01-12

Magic Hour
January 12, 1994
Knitting Factory
New York, NY

01. intro
02. Isn't a Way
03. Always Leaving Never
04. Lower
05. After Tomorrow
06. Sally Free and Easy
07. World of One
08. The Last Mistake
09. Heads Down

Recording: Beyer M260 Dynamic Cardioid Ribbon mics > Sony D6 Walkman Pro
Transfer: Cassette (M) > Yamaha K-220 > Sony PCM-A10 > WAV 24/48
Mastering: Audacity (compress, normalize) > FLAC

Recorded by: Jeff Lazar
Transfer by: neil d
Mastered by: Brandon

Recording 0015 from the LazArchives

In related news at Terrastock IV in Seattle the members of Magic Hour performed as a Mu/Merrell Fankhauser tribute act and video of that performance is available on YouTube.

Children of the Rainbow - Terrastock IV (play on YouTube)

My record collection: [374] Luna - The Days of Our Nights (Beggars Banquet CD)

Andy — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is the CD version of Luna’s The Days of Our Nights that was released in the UK when it was supposed to be by Beggars Banquet and bought by me on the day of release from, very possibly Beggars Banquet in Kingston.

Luna - The Days of Our Nights (Beggars Banquet CD)

The album’s release and reception has been well covered in the previous posts in this series - particularly in the one for the vinyl reissue from three years ago, so I’m not sure I have much to add.

Dean and Sean were in the UK around the time of release for the Bowlie Weekender that they played at as a duo. I didn’t go to this - I did ponder going and even rang up about it - specifically about bringing a two-year-old along - but decided the cost, and the two-year-old made it inconvenient. The NME reviewed it…

Dean Wareham, looking a bit like he'd been recently exhumed, could be said the be the American Stuart Murdoch; unashamed preppie types, his songs combine beautiful melodies with arch not-quite-funny observations.

Beset by feedback problems, they're playing to a hardcore of devotees who will forgive anything, even the terrible drum machine that sounds as though it was rescued from a Bontempi organ.

They are metaphorically naked and endearing; Dean's strange falsetto vocals which make up for the lack of a keyboard or stringed instrument are simultaneously endearing and scary, which can also be said of the songs. Sadly, they didn't do their wonderful version of 'Sweet Child O' Mine'.

Postcard from Bowlie - NME (26th April 1999) (via Wayback Machine)

They also recorded a couple of songs for London station XFM that I remember listening to, but don’t have a recording of sadly:

I listened to Luna on (London station) XFM a couple of nights back and they sounded pretty good for stripped down versions Math Wiz is potentially the best track on the album and the "live" version was pretty cool it came complete with a "Hi I'm Dean..." "...and I'm Sean" intro made me smile. Moon Palace was a surprise firstly I expected them to be relentlesly pushing the new album, and secondly it was blessed with an organ (that's as technical as I get!) and a drum machine very nice too.

Galaxie 500 Mailing List - Andy Aldridge · Fri 30 Apr 1999 23:25

If anyone has a recording of that I’d love to hear it.

I also remember seeing fly-posters for the album around London, I think there was one on the derelict building at the top of our road. I regret not taking a picture but in those pre-digital days you didn’t waste a frame on a picture of a poster.

My long-standing Days coolness gets less cool with each passing year. Maybe because as well as the music I also have a growing Mailing List nostalgia. I know I say it every time but damn I miss those days, that community, and those friends - some I still have but many I have lost touch with - who were so important to me back then.

Catalogue Number: AHFOW 10/054
Artist: Luna
Title: The Days of Our Nights
Notes: Beggars Banquet
Packaging: Jewel case
Format: CD
Bought from a record shop the week of release
Buy ‘The Days of Our Nights’ on Bandcamp

Previously in my record collection:

My record collection: [373] Dean & Britta - White Horses

Andy — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Dean & Britta’s gorgeous cover of White Horses first appeared on their second album Back Numbers in early 2007, and then was released later on this seven inch single on Sonic Cathedral later that year.

Dean & Britta - White Horses

The single has a Sonic Boom mix of the song on the a-side and a version Française on the flip. The lyrics for the French version were provided by long time friend of AHFoW Franck Dewannieux and is a lovely translation but my schoolboy French can’t hear any mention of horses so it’s clearly not a literal translation. It is beautiful of course. It’s ridiculous how much I love songs sung in French (and so many films made in French) when, despite many years of trying, my grasp of the language is still hopeless.

The single came in a Sonic Cathedral sleeve and was accompanied by a badge which matched the label on the single… as you can see in the above pic my badge is degrading… as badges often do.

White Horses was written by Michael Carr and Ben Nisbett for the UK import of Yugoslavian/German TV show Ferien in Lipizza, it was originally sung by “Jacky”, who is actually Jackie Lee. The theme song was so successful that it was apparently dubbed back onto non-English versions of the show.

The show was shown regularly on British TV during the summer holidays, dubbed into English and I loved it, partly for the theme tune and partly because of a pre-teenage crush on the show’s lead, Helga Anders:

'mit Helga Anders'

If memory serves it was Sonic Boom who suggested that Dean & Britta cover the song… given that he is British, and approximately the same age as me I wonder if his love of the song was driven by similar experiences of summer holiday TV (and pre-teenage infatuations).

Catalogue Number: AHFOW 11/040
Artist: Dean & Britta
Title: White Horses (Sonic Boom mix) / White Horses (version Française)
Format: 7” single
Bought direct from Sonic Cathedral

My record collection: [372] Street of the Love of Days - Amor de Días

Andy — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

While The Clientele were on hiatus Alasdair Maclean of the band released two albums of gentle folk music with Lupe Nuñez-Fernandez (of Pipas) as Amor de Días. Damon and Naomi guested on the first of these, Street of the Love of Days, in 2011.

Amor de Días - Street of the Love of Days

The sleeve notes list Damon and Naomi’s “help” on “percussion” and “bass” but don’t specify on which tracks they appear.

The album is so beautiful (as is the follow up, The House at Sea).

Amor de Días toured with Damon & Naomi quite a lot during around the time of this release and I saw them a few times because of that the first time at Cafe Oto in September 2009:

Amor de Dias is the new project of Alasdair MacLean of The Clientle and Lupe Núñez-Fernández of Pipas. They played a short but very beautiful set of tropic-tinged folk guitar music accompanied on a couple of tracks by "Anne" on a huge recorder. Alasdair introduced the first track as "someone born in Aberdeen trying to play guitar like Caetano Veloso." I think a couple of the numbers were tracks from Bonfires on the Heath, the new album by The Clientele coming out next month.

Review: Damon & Naomi @ Cafe OTO, London

Amor de Días at Cafe Oto, 2009

The second time was at the lovely and still missed The Luminaire in Kilburn:

Amor de Días at The Luminaire, 2010

While touring with Damon & Naomi the members of Amor de Días would often join them on stage. Here are both Alasdair and Lupe guesting with D&N on their cover of the Rolling Stones’ Shine a Light in 2011.

Damon & Naomi - Shine a Light (Carrboro NC, 2011) (play on YouTube)

The CLientele started making music and touring again in 2017 and have released two albums since then and an Instagram post from a couple of weeks back showed them back in the studio “tracking strings, brass and.. ourselves”… so more coming, which is always good news.

Catalogue Number: AHFOW 10/166
Artist: Amor de Días
Title: Street of the Love of Days
Format: CD
Bought direct from the band for a tenner.

My record collection: [371] Luna - Superfreaky Memories (CD)

Andy — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Superfreaky Memories was the first single from The Days of Our Nights and was released in the UK by Beggars Banquet on 12th April 1999. I previously looked at the 7” single version.

Luna - Superfreaky Memories (CD)

The CD version of the single came with one extra track - The Bad Vibe Merchant - which I think was only ever released on this single, and, with Neon Lights, as a bonus track on the Brazilian release of The Days of Our Nights.

When I first picked up Superfreaky Memories on release I was rather cool on the third track:

Well it's certainly out in the UK I picked up a copy yesterday and very good it is too frankly if, as someone (Carsten?, Chris?) said, Superfreaky Memories is one of the weaker tracks on the album then we're sure in for a treat!

The cover of Kraftwerk's Neon Lights is fascinating it took me a bit of getting into but I do like it a lot it's a very clever interpretation. The third track is a touch forgettable.

Wed 14 Apr 1999 17:52 ✉ Andy Aldridge

Although I back-pedalled quiet considerably a couple of days later

OK I think I was a bit harsh on "The Bad Vibe Merchant" I'd still say it was the third best track on the CD but it is still a pretty good track and it was the one I found humming to myself around Sainsbury's this morning.

Thu 15 Apr 1999 17:27 ✉ Andy Aldridge

And listening to it right now I can’t help but thinking that I hadn’t back-pedalled enough. The Bad Vibe Merchant is certainly one of the best of Luna’s lost tracks.

Since Beggars Banquet rather messed up the upload of the track to YouTube I’ve just uploaded a correction:

Luna - The Bad Vibe Merchant (1999) (play on YouTube)

Superfreaky Memories is of course actually the best track on Days….

Catalogue Number: AHFOW 10/084
Artist: Luna
Title: Superfreaky Memories
Packaging: Digipack
Format: CD
Bought in April 1999, not sure where.

Previously in my record collection:

[199] Luna - Superfreaky Memories (7”)

My record collection: [370] Angel Corpus Christi + Dean Wareham - Je t'aime (I Wanna Boogie With You)

Andy — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Angel and Dean’s Je t’aime (I Wanna Boogie With You) was released on two seven inch singles, this was the second put out by Spanish label Munster in 1998.

Angel + Dean - Je t'aime (I Wanna Boogie With You)

This is a single I’d resigned myself to not having, it’s been in my Discogs wishlist for a while but I was always too mean to pay the shipping costs which means I feel a little bit guilty about how it came into my possession, basically letting someone else suck up those postage costs (and indeed the record costs).

I know that Angel Corpus Christi reads AHFoW since she emails me occasionally so maybe I was unconsciously (or subconscoiusly, or… consciously) hinting e.g…

The track was also released on a Munster 7” which I don’t own… yet!

[006] Angel Corpus Christi with Dean Wareham - Je t'aime / I Wanna Boogie With You (7")

This is Angel’s fourth entry in this series, and there is (currently) still one to come… although I’m still looking to fill a gap so hopefully two more to come!

[297] Angel Corpus Christi - Louie Louie (CD)

I think this is Angel’s last appearance in this series unless I can track down a missing single without having to pay twice as much again in postage!

[359] - Angel Corpus Christi with Dean Wareham - You / I Want Everything

A couple of weeks ago a package landed unannounced on my doormat and inside was this beauty, signed by Angel. There was also a lovely telephone shaped promo of Angel’s glorious White Courtesy Phone album. So I guess I finally wore her down!

The a-side is Angel and Dean’s medley of Gainsbourg’s smutty gem Je t’aime (moi non plus) coupled with Lou Reed’s I Wanna Boogie With You:

Originally, we planned to do "Je T'aime (Moi Non Plus)," but when we got to the studio, Angel told me she'd rather cover Lou Reed's "I Wanna Boogie With You," hence this slightly odd medley. Angel is… how can I put it? Yes, that's it, obsessed with Lou Reed! She even wrote a song called "Lou Reed's Hair."

Google translation of Dean Wareham – La lune dans le caniveau

Dean also mentioned the single during a Radio 1 interview in 1995:

Actually we were supposed to do a Serge Gainsbourg song, Je t'aime, but she couldn't find one of the chords on her accordion so she decided to do I Wanna Boogie With You which is this obscure Lou Reed track, and so she sang that and I sang Je t'aime and it's a bit of a mess.

Xmas countdown 4: Luna on Radio 1 in 1995

I have to disagree with Dean about the “bit of a mess” comment - it is remarkable how well these two muddle together.

The b-side doesn’t involve Dean and is an ACC instrumental original called Wild Bill.

Thank you so much Angel for the beautiful surprise.

I wrote about Angel’s AHFoW connections on Substack a couple of weeks ago - when I thought we’d seen the last of ACC in this series.

Catalogue Number: AHFOW 11/084
Artist: Angel + Dean
Title: Je t’aime (I Wanna Boogie With You)
Notes: Munster release
Format: 7”

Previously in my record collection:

My record collection: [369] Pearls Before Swine - Constructive Melancholy (CD)

Andy — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In 1997 Tom Rapp was lured back to music at the first Terrastock festival and this was followed in 1999 by a new album, A Journal of the Plague Year and by this compilation album.

Pearls Before Swine - Constructive Melancholy

For the most part Constructive Melancholy was a collection of Pearls Before Swine songs that had previously been released on the band’s Reprise albums between 1969 and 1973. Obviously if that was all this was it wouldn’t warrant a place in my record collection but as well as those Reprise recordings there were two more recent additions that both feature Damon and Naomi and were produced by Damon.

The album opens with I Saw The World/Another Time which starts with the I Saw The World segment that has Naomi and Tom chanting with a harmonium and finger cymbal accompaniment before going into a reworking of the beautiful Another Time that had previously been released on One Nation Underground in 1967.

The other new track turns up midway through the album and is a short Gregorian chant update of Miss Morse (called Miss Morse Update).

When Tom came out of retirement in 1997 I knew nothing at all about him or Pearls Before Swine so Bob, from The Galaxie 500 Mailing List, sent me two cassettes to fill me in. I’ve only just noticed that Bob gets a credit on Constructive Melancholy.

The CD has a quite lengthy essay written by Byron Coley (who has also written sleeve notes for Galaxie 500). The tiny brown text on a greeny-brown background means I’ve only skimmed it. My poor old eyes just aren’t up to CD-sized sleeve notes any more!

I sadly missed the opportunity to see Tom live at Terrastock London when scheduling changes, and childcare responsibilities meant I arrived after his set (and only just in time for Damon & Naomi’s performance) - I was however lucky enough to chat to him after the show and stayed in sporadic email touch with him.

Catalogue Number: AHFOW 10/095
Artist: Pearls Before Swine
Title: Constructive Melancholy
Format: CD

Previously in my record collection:

My record collection: [368] Shonen Knife - Genki Shock (CD)

Andy — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Dean guesting on one track on the always wonderful Shonen Knife’s 2006 album Genki Shock might have easily slipped me by…

Shonen Knife - Genki Shock

… fortunately video of Dean recording his vocal while Luna were in Japan on their final tour was one of the ‘deleted scenes’ clips on the DVD of Tell Me Do You Miss Me

Shonen Knife and Dean Wareham recording Under My Pillow (play on YouTube)

The next bit of this post is lifted from a Substack article from last year so apologies if it seems familiar!

Shockingly, for a band as long-established as Shonen Knife I only got to see them live when they played in Sunderland last year. I’m genuinely surprised that in that all of those years living in London and seeing multiple gigs a week that they and I had somehow managed to avoid each other. So, it was quite important that I took the opportunity to fill that gap.

I can honestly say that I have never seen a band enjoy themselves as much as Shonen Knife seem to. They’ve been on this tour for months, and are still the smiley-est band I’ve ever seen… they also rock, much harder than I expected. I mean they were, at times, so close to a metal band that I started to regret my lack of hair. They threw poses, they did the sign of the horns, they came to the front of the stage and head-banged. OK… Raven and Saxon and Girlschool didn’t sing songs about Banana Chips, or Cookie Day, or the power of sweet candy, but the way it made me feel was the same!

They played an hour or so of this beautiful, relentless, power-pop-punk-metal, finished with their lovely cover of The Carpenters Top of the World and left us to go and smile on Glasgow.

Now, they were all so smiley … but not equally so… Risa, played an hour of full-on rock drumming, including occasionally while on her feet, sang a couple of songs, and never stopped looking like she couldn’t believe how wonderful everything is! When she became a member of Shonen Knife 10 years ago she wrote on Facebook that she’d “like to play the drums powerfully and cheerfully with a smile” - achievement unlocked!

Shonen Knife, BMX Bandits, and The Cords

Shonen Knife in Sunderland, 2025

Extra love for Shonen Knife because they still do proper blogging while on tour - here’re the two posts about the Sunderland show:

Saturday June 7 Sunderland, UK 🇬🇧 POP RECS (Atsuko)
June 7th Pop Recs, Sunderland UK (Naoko)
Catalogue Number: AHFOW 10/175
Artist: Shonen Knife
Title: Genki Shock
Format: CD
Bought from a Discogs seller for £5

My record collection: [367] Luna - A Sentimental Education / A Place of Greater Safety (2xCD)

Andy — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In 2017 the reformed Luna released an album of covers and an EP of instrumentals. For the records they were treated as two separate releases but they were packaged together for the CD and this is that release.

Luna - A Sentimental Education / A Place of Greater Safety

If you read my previous posts on the separate vinyl releases you’ll have noticed that I was a little… cool on them (I even, rather shamefully in retrospect, expressed that coolness to Dean face-to-face when he and Britta visited me at The National Archives.

You can read them on the site (the links will be at the bottom of the page) but I’ll pull out a couple of quotes just so you’re aware of my coolness.

I almost never listen to A Place of Greater Safety - it’s OK I guess but… it feels like a record full of soundtrack cues (a couple of which are), or unfinished songs - they’re fine but Luna’s discography could easily have lived without it - and the same goes for the covers album.

So… while I still think that maybe the decision to release a covers album was questionable I think the execution, and therefore the finished product, was flawless so, I guess I’ll shut up about it now.

Of course despite my whining I wasn’t really disappointed and I don’t really object to them being in Luna’s discography. Also, I did listen to the covers album a lot on release… I must have done because listening now it doesn’t feel like an album I was unfamiliar with.

The album also produced a couple of videos - the first features Rose McGowan and was (mostly) shot during a special show Luna performed at Gold Diggers in Hollywood in July 2017.

Luna - 'Portrait of Rose' (Fire in Cairo) (play on YouTube)

The second is a sweet video of schoolyard love shot by Matthew Buzzell… which is additionally sweet because of the Luna at school clips inlcuding schoolboy Sean wearing grown-up Sean’s T-shirt (and is that a Bewitched era red jacket on schoolboy Dean?)

Luna - Friends (play on YouTube)

Keep an eye out for Sean's T

The album used Pledgemusic shortly before they went under. I understand that bands and the industry were trying to find their feet in an age where people didn’t have to buy records any more but I’m not sure that crowd-funding, and bonus socks was really the way to do that. Although, it was quite nice to see the album taking shape through videos and photos.

Luna recording A Sentimental Education, 2017 (play on YouTube)

The discs came in a lovely tri-fold package and was signed by all four members since it was part of my deluxe Pledgemusic package.

Catalogue Number: AHFOW 10/149
Artist: Luna
Title: A Sentimental Education / A Place of Greater Safety
Format: 2xCD
Bought as part of the “Deluxe bundle” for $105 (!)
Buy ‘A Sentimental Education’ on Bandcamp
Buy ‘A Place of Greater Safety’ on Bandcamp

Previously in my record collection:

My record collection: [366] - Cheval Sombre - self titled (promo CD)

Andy — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is the third copy of Cheval Sombre’s lovely first album in this series, but the first one that came into my posessions. It was sent to me by Dean ahead of release and is the reason that my purchased CD is still in it’s shrinkwrap.

Cheval Sombre promo CD

The CD isn’t really a promo since the disc is full colour printed, and has the proper catalogue number so I assume that it is exactly the same as the released one (I can’t check because of the aforementioned shrinkwrap). It didn’t have a sleeve though, just a plastic envelope and a piece of paper with the track-listing and the release date and credits of the performers.

Cheval Sombre: vocals, acoustic guitar, with
Sonic Boom: organ, effects
Britta Phillips: bass, keys
Dean Wareham: guitar on 6, 9, 10

Britta’s “keys” were elaborated to “Microkorg, Celesta” on the released version.

The album was the third release on Dean and Britta’s Double Feature Records after the 2008 L’avventura reissue and A Thousand Wild Flowers by Sand Pebbles in 2009. Dean has commented on more than one occasion about the headaches of being a label owner so it wasn’t really a surprise to find that the last couple of releases you’d expect to find on Double Feature weren’t. A Peace of Us and That’s The Price of Loving Me were both released by Carpark Records.

It is a lovely album and is probably the one I listen to more than the other Cheval Sombre albums… I wonder if I’m always inclined to lean towards my entry point?

While looking through my email as I researched this post I came across a Dean & Britta newsletter from 2008 where Britta mentions that they had a meal with “Chris Porpora aka Cheval Sombre, one of two new artists we’ll be releasing on our new label, Double Feature Records, next year”.

To be honest I only mention that so I can justify posting this adorable pic of Dean and Britta sharing a mic that was inlcuded in the newsletter.

Dean & Britta (Prefix, 2008)

I have vague memories of commenting on that to Britta (or Dean) and it being pointed out that it only happened because of a broken microphone.

Catalogue Number: AHFOW 10/142
Artist: Cheval Sombre
Title: Cheval Sombre
Notes: Promo
Format: CD
Sent to me by Dean ahead of the album’s release

Previously in my record collection:

My record collection: [365] - Magic Hour - Secession96

Andy — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Back in February I posted what I claimed then would be Magic Hour’s last appearance in the series but, as you can see, that turned out not to be true since a couple of weeks back I came across a UK based seller on Discogs with a copy of Secession96… which is now mine.

Magic Hour - Secession96

Secession96 was the last of three Magic Hour albums and while the first two albums were released on Ché in the UK as well as Twisted Village in the US, this album never got a release outside the US which is why I never got around to getting a copy.

While the first two albums had songs, this album just contains four instrumental work-outs, which I guess may have discouraged Ché from releasing it? I suspect it’s also the reason I didn’t try too hard to get a copy. I had a download, not sure where from - I assume I bought it somewhere - maybe eMusic back in the day? I’ll have to admit that, while I’m partial to a work out I’m often more partial to a song, so haven’t listened to Secession96 that often.

I did just notice that they are described as “songs” on the sleeve which got me a little intrigued about just what is a song? To me a song needs, at the very least a melody, and preferably some words, but I guess my definition is a little constrained in the modern (last 60 years!!) age.

That’s not to say that I’m not partial to a lengthy instrumental work out (a “composition” maybe, or perhaps a “piece”) and Secession96 is not bad, although I sort of feel it would be better experienced live (and sadly I never got to see Magic Hour live).

Catalogue Number: AHFOW 10/180
Artist: Magic Hour
Title: Secession96
Format: CD
Bought from a Discogs seller for £11.89
Buy ‘Secession96’ on Bandcamp

My record collection: [364] - Dean & Britta & Sonic Boom - A Peace of Us (LP)

Andy — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

So, despite my finest efforts to post all my Christmas releases around Christmas here we have a massive failure on that front getting posted as far from Christmas as it’s possible to be. But… a Dean & Britta album is for life, not just for Christmas.

Dean & Britta & Sonic Boo, - A Peace of Us

The “Cherry Eco Mix vinyl” release of A Peace of Us was released for Christmas 2025, a year on from the album’s first release. I had no intention of buying another copy… sometimes even I know when I should draw the line at having multiple copies of the same album. But then in January the Rough Trade shop discounted it, and also had an additional 10% off deal and so it turns out that I don’t know when to draw that line after all.

I haven’t actually taken the record out of its shrinkwrap so as well as having no idea wtf “Cherry Eco Mix vinyl” is I also don’t know what it looks or sounds like.

A bit of (admittedly half-arsed) research revealed that Eco Mix vinyl was developed a couple of years ago by Canadian record pressing company PRP:

In early 2023 we began developing a solution for these problems and as a result, “Eco Mix” was born. Eco Mix is a new effect that uses 100% recycled vinyl, and is split into six distinctive color groups. This allows it to complement the color theme or artwork for your album, in ways not possible before. Additionally the new colors all feature varying levels of an effect we call “marbling”. This gives the mix a dynamic element, blending complementary colors to achieve a subtle, yet stunning look.

Precision Record Pressing continues its push for sustainability

While I’m not that big a fan of “marbling” I am a fan of recycling and it’s a healthy step away from the fad for “virgin vinyl” that there was a few years back.

Of course Eco Mix sounds as good to my ears as the previous release, which I guess wasn’t on Eco Mix.

I must admit that the plastic involved in the music business has been one of my most difficult things to resolve…

I like to own music - it’s not just something to play, it’s a declaration. But the plastic manufacturing industry is an awful polluter, producing pollutants and products that will last for years (or forever) and if that wasn’t enough its obviously heavily tied into the petroleum industry and all the awful things that that entails for our planet.

A few years ago I made the decision to stop buying records and CDs and move to entirely to buying downloads - while my record and CD buying tailed off it didn’t really ever stop completely (hence being on #364 of this series) - and of course with time came the realisation that the downloading and streaming had different but equally awful side effects powering massive data centres and tech made from rare-earth minerals and all the poisoning and polluting that extracting, manufacturing, and disposing of it involves.

I still get pangs of environmental guilt ever record or CD I buy, made all the worse by the utterly pointless shrinkwrap I have to remove before I can play them… but, I’m a hypocrite, because I love music and have no idea how to manage that without contributing to the destruction of the planet. I’m sorry.

I still buy records and CDs new (although considerably fewer than in the past)
I subscribe to a streaming platform
I buy downloads from Bandcamp (and other platforms)
I buy CDs and records from charity shops
I have most of my CDs (and downloads) on a server… my own streaming platform - on a fairly low-power PC - but it’s on 24/7 (although it’s more than just a music server).
I buy second-hand records from local shops (and online)
I off-loaded hundreds of records to charity shops before we moved

Trying to be good is hard… and I guess all we can do is to be as good as we possibly can.

Anyway… I’ve been listening to A Peace of Us and right now Dean is singing that “Christmas can’t be far away” - what does he know… Christmas literally couldn’t be further away! Here are Dean & Britta performing it in December 2020 during their live stream… when it wasn’t far away.

Dean & Britta - Christmas Can't be Far Away (Echo Park, December 2020) (play on YouTube)

Catalogue Number: AHFOW 12/013
Artist: Dean & Britta & Sonic Boom
Title: A Peace of Us
Notes: Cherry Eco Mix vinyl
Format: LP
Bought from Rough Trade for £16.20
Buy ‘A Peace of Us’ on Bandcamp

Previously in my record collection:

[202] Dean & Britta & Sonic Boom - A Peace of Us