Cerca:jam city

Lily Was Here is the soundtrack album to the 1989 Dutch drama film of the same name (original Dutch title: De Kassière, The Cashier), released in 1989 and produced and largely written by British musician David A. Stewart, known as one half of the pop duo Eurythmics.

The most notable element of the soundtrack is its title track, an instrumental duet pairing Stewart’s guitar work with saxophone performances by Candy Dulfer. The track was released as a single and achieved chart success in multiple countries, including reaching #1 in the Netherlands for five weeks, number six on the UK Singles Chart and number eleven on the US Billboard Hot 100.

In addition to original compositions, the album includes a newly recorded version of the Eurythmics’ 1984 song “Here Comes the Rain Again,” featuring vocals by Annie Lennox. It also features vocals by Virginia Astley on "Second Chance"

The soundtrack of Lily Was Here is available as a limited edition on red vinyl.

Dark, futuristic, fearless and built for those who understand that techno is not just style, but vision. Detroit Techno Records welcomes one of the true architects of Detroit electronic music: Suburban Knight. Known off-record as James Pennington, he is widely recognized as a foundational figure in the city?s history, an artist whose recordings helped define the darker, moodier and more cerebral edge of Detroit techno. His classic works such as ?The Groove? and ?The Art Of Stalking? remain touchstones of the form, while later activity with Underground Resistance further cemented his role in shaping the deeper mythology of the Detroit sound. Coming straight from Detroit, USA, DTRV011 is more than another catalogue entry. It is a new chapter from a genuine legend, an artist whose contribution to Detroit techno was never peripheral, but central. Suburban Knight remains one of the rare names whose music still carries the original weight of the city: dark, futuristic, fearless and built for those who understand that techno is not just style, but vision.

Cathartic avant-rock, literate DIY folk & experimental composition exploring displacement, love, climate change, belonging & the places we call home - RIYL Jim O’Rourke, Richard Youngs, This Heat, Richard Dawson, Flying Nun. ‘Real Home’ is the new album by the Manchester-born, London-based artist Kiran Leonard. His sixth album proper (not including innumerable tour-only CD-Rs and short-run cassettes), since his precocious debut in 2013, ‘Real Home’ finds Leonard invigorated by inspiration and experience, making passionate, literate, and mercurial music that explores displacement, love, memory, climate change, connections to home and more. Encompassing songs recorded after moving to South London, ‘Real Home’ reflects on ideas of belonging and domesticity through folkloric, stream-of-consciousness songwriting. Across nine tracks, Leonard traces lived impressions of the household and the city, expressing sentiments of dislocation, alienation and stasis, but contentment too. Infusing the avant-rock effervescence, terraced dynamics and visionary lyricism of his music with what he defines as a greater sense of openness, Leonard is as versatile, fervent and imaginative as ever on ‘Real Home’, yet his music is somehow more intimate, affecting, and acutely expressive. Shaped by dual considerations of simplicity and formalism, ‘Real Home’ is by turns beautiful, allusive, and ruminative, an album on which Leonard considers what his songs have resembled in the past and what they mean now. In recent years, Leonard has crafted eloquent chamber music inspired by the likes of James Joyce and Clarice Lispector (‘Derevaun Seraun’), responded to contemporary politics and communication breakdown in the digital age (‘Western Culture’), and compiled solo works and ensemble recordings for a longform ode to Jonas Mekas and to one of Leonard’s enduring themes; home (‘Trespass On Foot’). On ‘Real Home’, Leonard reiterates this abiding thematic focus yet ascends to new, different heights, in music of cathartic delicacy and dissonance where all the myriad dimensions of his work to date seem to crystallize. There are sinuous songs about struggle and defying the pace of city life through drift and diversion (‘Pass Between Houses’), stirring songs of intense feeling and crescendo, described as a form of speculative detective fiction (‘Theatre for Change’). There are touching solo piano ballads (the title track), symbolic contentions with carbon capture and climate change (‘Utopia of Bog’), modes of experimental minimalism (‘Void Attentive’), and other profuse feats of compositional range, embroidered with wild tendrils of narrative and lyrical depth. A record to pore over, and get lost in. Exemplifying the vast aesthetic scope of Leonard’s music, lead single ‘My Love, Let’s Take The Stage Tonight’ is inspired by country lodestar Hank Williams, Russian poetry and a late period love poem by William Carlos Williams. Yet for Leonard, the song signals a sense of accessible materiality, and is the product of a more linear approach to writing songs: “My imitation of the great Hank Williams, in spirit if not in substance…This is one of the best efforts on Real Home at a song-as-object. Looking at it now I realise I was trying to write a song that made itself known as a song to the listener, and I wonder whether that’s crucial if you want a song to transcend its context. And that this is either accomplished through a total openness – by being inviting, by laying the tricks of the song out plain to see, as Williams and his many ghostwriters did so well – or by adopting a knowing aloofness, positioning oneself against the listener but letting it be known that that’s what it’s doing. In this song I try both, but mostly the former: as in, I wanted to write a song where every line follows on from the next.” Imbuing the endlessly elaborate and inventive qualities of his music with a newfound streak of candid, clear-cut melodicism, Leonard has reached a special place in his artistry, on a record that feels familial, and expresses closeness. Assembled with affiliates including Lauren Auder, Otto Willberg, Jasper Llewellyn (caroline), Tom Hardwick-Allan (Shovel Dance Collective), Magda McLean (caroline, The Umlauts), Alex Mckenzie (caroline, Shovel Dance Collective), Isabelle Thorn (Dear Laika) & more, the recording process had a significant influence on the subject matter of ‘Real Home’, in sessions defined by close-knit camaraderie and artistic eccentricity: “The theme of the home obviously recurs throughout the record; the album was mostly recorded in domestic spaces with friends, and the name of the album is Real Home. I like the qualifier ‘real’, like you’re getting past the cloak of the word and towards the thing-itself…also nearly all the percussion in this record was recorded on items from my dad’s shed (jam jars, sandpaper, blocks of wood, etc). Real home record!” ‘Real Home’, like anything by Kiran Leonard, is a record of dazzling multiplicity. Yet it’s a companionable prospect with a central premise; a collection of songs where listeners old and new can find a home. An album led by a scene; of Leonard standing at the threshold, ready to welcome you inside. “Exceptional songs that linger” - The Guardian // “An autodidact of amazing talent & energy” – Pitchfork // “A ridiculous amount of talent…confrontational, celebratory, provocative or perverse – he manages all of these emotions & more” - The Quietus /

Old Skool Hip Hop,Electro & Funk compilation.

RSD title from 2022 pressed again. Reissue of the sought-after deep/spiritual jazz album, the first time it’s been pressed from the master tapes. All analog lacquer by Bernie Grundman. Bobby Hamilton founded the band Anubis in Syracuse, New York, and they put out their awesome ‘Ecology’ single on Charles Bazen’s Salt City imprint. It’s a highlight on the Soul-Cal anthology Now-Again issued in 2012, something akin to Terry Callier and Gil Scott Heron’s most soulful works. Shortly after issuing that single, Bobby put together the Bobby Hamilton Quintet Unlimited and recorded and issued ‘Dream Queen’ in 1972. The last clean copy Bobby Hamilton had, he sold to the musician Jamie XX in 2021 for a princely sum. Few originals will ever surface again, its original run of 500 units having disappeared into the ether decades ago. This is your chance to hear a masterwork of deep, spiritual jazz lacquered directly from its original master tape in an all analog transfer by the legendary Bernie Grundman.

Peter Karp gehört zu den unverwechselbaren Stimmen der amerikanischen Americana-, Blues- und Roots-Szene. Seine Musik verbindet kraftvolle Emotionen, feines Storytelling und eine tiefe Verwurzelung in den Klangtraditionen des amerikanischen Südens. Aufgewachsen zwischen New Jersey, New York City und Alabama, entwickelte er früh ein Gespür für die Energie urbaner Songkultur ebenso wie für die Ursprünglichkeit des Blues. Künstler wie Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters oder Howlin" Wolf prägten ihn ebenso wie die poetische Kraft von John Prine und die erdige Direktheit von Joe Ely. Karp schreibt Songs, die das Leben so zeigen, wie es ist: ehrlich, rau, humorvoll und voller beobachteter Details. Seine markante Stimme, sein expressives Gitarren- und Pianospiel und sein Gespür für melodische Hooks machen ihn zu einem der respektiertesten Songwriter seines Genres. Kritiker loben seine Fähigkeit, Blues, Folk, R&B und Americana zu einem eigenen, zeitlosen Stil zu verbinden. Peter Karp steht für authentische amerikanische Musik - tiefgründig, mitreißend und voller Charakter. Ein Künstler, der die große Tradition des Songwritings fortführt und gleichzeitig seine ganz eigene Handschrift setzt.

Glasgow, Scotland duo Thomas + James deliver their silky-smooth dub laced sounds for Federsen’s Alt Dub with the four-track ‘Realtime’ EP.

Thomas + James are a Glasgow-based DJ and production duo whose sound reflects a deep immersion in electronic music. Raised in the city’s west end and shaped by early exposure to techno pioneers like Luke Slater, Slam and Jeff Mills alongside the atmospheric legacy of ’90s drum & bass, their productions lean into a dub infused, forward-looking aesthetic.

Drawing equally from house traditions via influences such as St Germainand Laurent Garnier, the pair blur the lines between dub techno, deep house, acid and minimal.

Their new EP onFedersen’s Alt Dub captures that hybrid vision with a maturity that belies their years, being born in 2006,marking them out as a quietly compelling new voice from Glasgow’s next generation.

Leading the release is the original title-track ‘Realtime’, setting the tone with a sturdy yet pared-back rhythm section, oscillating synth flutters, bouncy sub-bass and hazy textures that subtly shift across the arrangement.

Label boss Federsen steps in next with his interpretation, reducing the track to its deepest foundations and recasting it as a delicately drifting soundscape of evolving spatial echoes, weighty low-end pressure and restrained, muted drums.

On the flip, Thomas + James return with ‘Armonia’, an ethereal, dub-leaning deep house cut propelled by billowing pads, delayed vocal chants, fluid dub chords and a heavily swung, minimalist groove.

The EP closes with ‘X-Intense’, further highlighting the duo’s groove-driven signature sound as reverberant, airy stabs weave through breathy vocals and shuffled percussion to bring the release to a hypnotic conclusion.

Fast zwanzig Jahre nach ihrem einzigen Studioalbum veröffentlichen die britisch-amerikanischen HeavyMetal-Giganten Heaven & Hell – bestehend aus Tony Iommi und Geezer Butler von Black Sabbath sowie
den Ex-Sabbath-Größen Ronnie James Dio und Vinny Appice – 2025 eine neue Box mit ihrem legendären
Album „The Devil You Know“ und zwei bei den Fans beliebten Live-Aufnahmen aus der Radio City Music
Hall und vom Wacken Open Air Festival.
Die vier Mitglieder von Heaven & Hell tourten und nahmen von 1980 bis 1982 und von 1991 bis 1992
als Black Sabbath gemeinsam auf. Dio hatte damals den Black-Sabbath-Gründungssänger Ozzy Osbourne
und Appice den Gründungs-Schlagzeuger Bill Ward ersetzt. Der Bandname leitet sich vom gleichnamigen
Album „Heaven and Hell“ aus dem Jahr 1980 ab. Diese Deluxe-CD- und LP-Boxsets enthalten die komplette Diskografie von Heaven & Hell und die letzten Aufnahmen von Ronnie James Dio vor seinem Tod.
„Live From Radio City Music Hall“ erscheint erstmals vollständig auf Vinyl, und die einzelnen Konzertfilme
wurden in HD hochskaliert und erstmals auf einer hochauflösenden Blu-ray zusammengestellt. „The Devil
You Know“ enthält außerdem drei seltene Bonustracks, die bisher noch nie auf Vinyl erhältlich waren.

Formed in Galway City, Ireland James McGregor (vocals/ guitar), Sean Connelly (guitar) and Damian Greaney (drums) went to school together there and met Tom Freeman (bass) on the music scene. Relocating to London in 2019, the quartet signed to Alan McGee's new record label 'Creation23' almost overnight. They have since impressed audiences across Europe with live performances at festivals including Rock Werchter, Eurosonic and Electric Picnic, performing to a huge crowd at Sefton Park in Liverpool in support of Kings of Leon, as well as a head- turning televised appearance on Sky 1's Soccer AM. Media have been quick to show their support too plus previous singles, taken from their 2023 debut "Exit Strategy" received praise on BBC Radio 1's Annie Mac on her "New Names" showcase, BBC 6 Music's Steve Lamacq on his 'Recommends' show, received day-time radio play on RTE 2FM, and impressed the legendary Rodney Bingenheimer on Sirius XM.

The four-piece are drawn together by not only a mutual appreciation of music past and present but also a love of films and books, notably the ones on the more 'noir' side of the spectrum. You could say Arctic Monkeys got them into a band, The Strokes showed them how tightly you could distil it and Radiohead showed them how wide you could take it. But these days there not afraid to also put Billie Eilish and Charlie XCX into that mixture and films from director Fellini to "Drive". What matters is that from starting out playing acoustic folk, that turned into 3 minute (post-)punkish songs, they now have expanded a lot from there, taking in all the experience they have now recording and touring. Pushing the emotion by being authentic and creating what you really want despite the noise and haste around you.

Folk-Punkrock, Bier & Wahrheiten. Mit ihrem Album "This Ain't Quiet" legen die Schweizer Saint City Orchestra ein dreckiges neues Manifest vor - gegen die Stille, gegen das Schweigen, gegen das brave Mitlaufen. Was hier aus den Boxen knallt, ist ein rotzfrecher Mix aus Irish Punkrock und der ungeschönten Realität des Lebens - laut, wild, ehrlich und mit ordentlich Portion Ironie. Die Songs klingen wie durchzechte Nächte mit besten Freunden, wie Kneipentresen voller Geschichten, wie Stadionrufe aus rauen Kehlen und wie der letzte Schluck vor dem Zusammenbruch. Sie erzählen von verlorenen Träumen, gebrochenen Herzen, wütenden Mittelfingern und unbeugsamer Liebe - zur Familie, zur Crew, zum Verein und zum verdammten Leben selbst. This Ain't Quiet ist kein Album für die Playlist im Fahrstuhl - es ist der Soundtrack für Nächte, die man sich tätowieren lassen will. Für Menschen mit Ecken, Kanten und Haltung. Für alle, die lieber grölen als jammern. Das Saint City Orchestra ist zurück - und sie haben Durst. Das SCO ist im 12. Jahr unterwegs, hat bereits je ein Top 30 und ein Top 20-Album in der Schweiz im Gepäck, vielleicht geht's dieses Mal unter den ersten 10? Für Fans von Fiddler's Green, Flogging Molly, The Rumjacks, Dropkick Murphys und The Real McKenzies. Als CD oder farbige (Neon Orange w/ White & Black Splatter) LP erhältlich

Following his critically acclaimed debut "Dentsu2060" released via Lorenzo Senni's Presto!?, Tasho Ishi's second full-length album "Tasho Ishi lI" is now available on his own label T's.

tI features the new-wave Parapara anthem "Collapse Roppongihills" which became a staple at Narita Airport raves. celebrity trap rave track "DreamDrakeDrain" reminiscent of jam session between Drake and David Chronenberg. the junk entertainment track "Hellnwein" depicting modern pop utopia and its violent underbelly.

The Japanese-style Eurodance meets Philip Glass "The Bachelor" inspired by reality TV. These anthems are contemporary, pop, and carry Tasho Ishi's unique critical edge.

The second album, 'Tasho Ishi Il', is both a musical translation of Japan's diverse techno-animism and a sequel to the previous work "Dentsu2060" Techno-animism: Para Para, anime voice actors, reality TV, epics, advertising, and raves. Each track stands alone yet forms part of a larger, chronologically unfolding narrative.

While all tracks are animated by Japan-specific sound imagery, this is a pop album rather than avant-garde or abstract. In essence, it's a series of songs generated by rave trans-layers, serving as both reportage and documentation tracing Tasho Ishi's visionary city and its phenomena.

Crackazat returns to Freerange for his latest EP entitled Shine, and sees the artist in his finest form to date! An absolute anthem in the making the title track appears here in Club Mix and Mana’s Dub form, plus an amazing flip of Crouching Tiger from Baltimore legend Karizma Shine is a soulful, jazz-inflicted epic which will have any dance floor worth it’s salt fully locked in. Crackazat’s own vocals bring hints of Jamiroquai whilst his production calls golden era MAW and Blaze to mind. Add an incredible arrangement, live horns, bass and drums to this already heady concoction and you get an idea of why we’re so excited about this release. These kind of club tracks are few and far between these days! Next up we have one of Crackazat’s own Mana’s Dubs of Shine.

A chance for Ben to strip things back, loop things up and dub things out. Keeping the funk intact, we’re treated to a feelgood party-starting house track which has a classic sound that can’t fail to warm the cockles! Flip over for a proper curve-ball from everyone’s favourite Baltimore house hero Karizma who turns Crouching Tiger into the kind of twisted, rolling, jazzy and leftfield workout we love him for. A driving force of the city’s underground, he always comes with the raw energy and fearless creativity. A staple of the dance floor and a leader beyond it, Karizma represents the past, present, and future of Baltimore House and once again proves why he’s such a don.

Drop this one and run for cover whilst the dancers throw crazy shapes! Closing out the EP we have Crackazat’s Mana’s Dub take on previous single Watchu Say. Looping up the killer piano hook and his live bass line, Ben manages to craft the kind of warm, uplifting slice of house music which simply works. And for those who love a big drop, this one should fit the bill with a trademark Mana’s Dub seratonin-boosting build that hits all the right buttons.

Yet another solid gold modern reimagining of the mighty Loleatta Holloway, this time her infamous 1977 smash 'Hit & Run' goes under the knife and is tweaked to devastating effect by 2 of Chicago's finest modern day editors - Jamie 326 & Cratebug. Anyone with even a passing interest in Disco or House will be more than familiar with these 2 guys names. Having edited and remixed numerous cuts in their own original ways, they take this all-time Salsoul classic and strip it right back to the essence, to the very basics, and in the process create a total dancefloor weapon. This edit originally came out a few years ago (2013) on a compilation that showcased the new wave of contemporary talent emanating from the Windy City and naturally it was one of the cuts that stood out, finding favour with a wide variety of DJ's across the board from Motor City Drum Ensemble, Todd Terry, Jeremy Underground Paris, Theo Parrish and more. Drawing comparisons with Paperclip People's anthemic 'Throw' from 1994 in the way it snatches a killer loop from 'Hit & Run's' bassline, 'Hit It & Quit It' is a monster, a record you'll literally play over and over and over again, a relentless Disco juggernaut that oozes power. It made perfect sense for this legit single-sided reissue 12" to come out on Salsoul Records, the home of Loleatta Holloway's finest material and all of her classics. This limited reissue has been made in conjunction with Jamie 3:26 & Cratebug and Salsoul Records, 100% sanctioned and lovingly re-presented for your dancing pleasure. This one is HOT. Sleep at your peril!

After traveling through Mexico, Miami, the Bahamas, and New Orleans, Nishioka recorded his fourth album South American Journey in Los Angeles,
released in 1979. From this album, two of his most celebrated tracks—“GYPSY SONG”, a fan favorite with numerous cover versions, and “NEVER LAND”,
featuring the distinctive sound of steel pans and a Japanese reggae vibe are now being pressed on 7-inch vinyl for the first time in a limited edition!

The recording features members of the So What Review band, including Junshi Yamagishi (guitar) and Osamu Ishida (guitar), along with renowned steel pan
player Robert Greenidge, known for collaborations with Van Dyke Parks and Taj Mahal.
(FLATT THE LAIDBACK)

Kyozo Nishioka Profile
(Born May 7, 1948 – Died April 3, 1999)
Singer songwriter from the Shima Peninsula in Mie Prefecture, affectionately nicknamed “Zo-san”.
After enrolling at Kinki University and moving to Osaka, Nishioka became a regular at the folk cafe Dylan in Namba, opened in August 1969 by Masaji Otsuka
and Yoko Ishimura. Dylan was a gathering spot for folk music enthusiasts from all over Japan.
Nishioka formed the folk group The Dylan with Masaji Otsuka and You Nagai, performing at folk camps and the Nakatsugawa Folk Jamboree. In 1971, Nishioka
left the group, and Otsuka and Nagai continued as The Dylan II. Nishioka wrote and composed the song “Puka Puka” under the pen name Zokyozo, which became
one of his signature works. The song was first released in July 1971 as the B-side of The Dylan II’s single “Otoko rashii tte Wakarukai” on URC Records.
Nishioka began his solo career, releasing his debut album “Dylan nite” in July 1972, produced by Kinji Yoshino on Bellwood Records, which included his own
version of “Puka Puka”. In September 1973, he appeared at the farewell concert of Happy End titled CITY – LAST TIME AROUND at Bunkyo Public Hall in Tokyo.
His 1974 album “Machiyuki Murayuki” was produced by Haruomi Hosono, and his 1975 album “Rokka My Baby” featured support from Shigeru Suzuki’s band
HUCKLE BACK. Nishioka recorded three albums under Hosono’s production, deepening their friendship.
Together with his wife and lyricist KURO, Nishioka wrote songs for artists such as Eikichi Yazawa. The couple traveled the world, recording overseas albums such
as “Nanbei Ryoko” (1977), “Yoh-Sollo” (1979), and “New York to Jamaica” (1981), incorporating reggae, calypso, and other global sounds. In the 1980s, he released
works under the duo name KYOZO & BUN with Yoshifumi Okajima, and in the 1990s returned to solo projects with albums like “START” (1993) and “Farewell
Song” (1997).
After KURO’s passing in 1997, Nishioka continued his musical activities until his own death in 1999 at the age of 50. His music transcended the boundaries of folk,
blending jazz and tropical elements to create a unique world view, leaving an indelible mark on Japanese music history.

Decca Classics präsentiert Lise Davidsen: Live at the Met - aufgenommen während des bahnbrechenden
Soloauftritts der Sopranistin an der Metropolitan Opera im September 2023.
„Es kommt selten vor, dass die Met einen Künstler zu einem Solokonzert in ihrem Auditorium mit 3.800
Plätzen einlädt. Und noch seltener ist es, dass diese Sängerin ihr Debüt in New York City gibt. Aber
Davidsen ist etwas ganz Besonderes: eine echte dramatische Sopranistin.“ (The New York Times). „Keine
Kulissen, keine Kostüme, kein Orchester: Aber die ganze Oper war da.“ so die Zeitung weiter.
Davidsen hat eine enge Beziehung zur Met, wo sie seit ihrem Debüt 2019 regelmäßig in Hauptrollen von
Tschaikowski, Wagner, Strauss, Verdi, Puccini und Beethoven auftritt. „Ich betrachte die Met als mein
zweites Zuhause“, sagt Davidsen. „Aber um so etwas gebeten zu werden, war etwas ganz Besonderes.“
Zu den Höhepunkten zählen Wagners „Dich, teure Halle“ aus Tannhäuser, Amelias Arie aus dem dritten Akt von Verdis ”Un ballo in maschera” und Puccinis „Vissi d’arte“. Dazu kommen Lieder von Schubert
sowie Musik von Grieg und Sibelius als Hommage an Davidsens skandinavische Herkunft.
Die Veröffentlichung folgt auf Davidsens gefeiertes Wagner-Album ”Der fliegende Holländer”, welches den
Gramophone Award 2025 für die beste Opernaufnahme gewann und von Kritikern weltweit hoch gelobt
wurde.

“From Birmingham and centred around the extraordinary songwriting talent of James and Patrick Roberts – initially as The Sea Urchins and since 1993 as Delta – they’ve only just got round to releasing their debut album, Slippin’ Out. It is a work of some beauty”. 9/10 NME ALBUM OF THE MONTH, 2000

“It’s classicist for sure, shot through with the influence of The Beatles, Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. In James’ downright beautiful closing ballad ‘I Want You’ one can also discern the school of ambitious English balladry that peaked in about 1968: The Casuals, Love Affair, Barry Ryan. The impression of accomplished old-schoolery is only furthered by the dizzying string arrangements penned by Louis Clark Jnr, son and namesake of the one-time orchestral chief of Electric Light Orchestra” – Mojo lead review, 2000


Having ended the 90s with the spirited ‘Laughing Mostly’ compilation of singles and demos (Guardian Album Of The Week) Delta finally released their debut studio album of twelve songs in the summer of 2000 on the Dishy Recordings label. Accepting that this might be their sole studio album the band threw everything at these recordings allowing it to exist in its own sphere, unbothered by their contemporary generation and disregarding the idea of even releasing a single.

Recorded at DEP International there was a notable difference to the scruffier, looser charm of their 1990s recordings, a tighter focus developed by having the experienced Lenny Franchi mixing the LP with them. Lenny had been working with a number of Island artists including My Bloody Valentine and Tricky so knew his way around a desk. There was also the question of budget (a few months passed between recording and mixing whilst funds were raised) so every day counted. Ultimately though you can hear the joy in the recordings, even amongst the melancholy and angst. As James recently recalled in an interview in Shindig! Magazine: “It was such a big deal for us. It’s one of my fondest memories doing that record. Everyone was happy. If there’s anything that I’d stand by, I think it would be that”

Louis Clark Jr joined the band towards the end of the ‘90s and brought a classically-trained element to the recordings particularly with his string arrangements. For ‘Cuckoo’, ‘I Want You’ and the prophetic ‘We Come Back’ Louis brought in eight players from the Birmingham Conservatoire; the baroque style is partly why the record often receives comparisons to Love’s ‘Forever Changes’.

On release ‘Slippin’ Out’ was a big favourite with writers at the NME, Mojo and The Guardian again and before long the band were signed to Mercury/Universal for their second studio album ‘Hard Light’, a far more expensive and expansive love affair. It was a temporary palatial home where things quietly fell apart again, but that’s another chapter.

“If long-term memory is nothing more than selective editing and only pop’s most weighty visceral works are built to last then it’s quite possible that in 50 years the Britpop era will be best recollected for the two bands it ostracised. Earlier this year we met Shack and thought their story of mercurial brilliance indicated the biggest music biz oversight of the 90s. We were wrong because we hadn’t met Delta yet. This is richer and more engrossing than anything by Shack” 

‘Platinum Rare 1’ contains extremely rare recordings by the four original SWEET members. The legendary glam/hard rock band continues to thrill fans all over the world to this day. Over the years, SWEET have sold more than 55 million records and reached 34 number 1 chart positions. The songs on ‘Platinum Rare 1’ come from the private archive of SWEET guitarist Andy Scott and were personally selected by him. Fans of the band will be thrilled with this collection of rare and alternative takes and mixes. Many of the songs on the album have never before seen the light of day on a regular SWEET release. ‘Platinum Rare 1’ is an absolute enrichment for every true fan of SWEET.