Remote Luxury: The Church - 1984

Australian Pressing, 1984.
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The Church are one of Australia’s greatest bands and also one of my favourite bands of all time. EPs really came into their own in the 1980s and The Church released a fair few; Remote Luxury is quality work, despite it containing Maybe These Boys... a very obvious stab on the part of Steve Kilbey at writing a commercial song, one that he would go on to dismiss vehemently as the years went by. Predictably, however, I fucking love it. I also love EPs as they represent a perfect snapshot of the true nature of a band, allowing the release of some songs that might not quite fit thematically onto an album; songs that display another side to the band, or that have been born oddly shaped, but need to be loved non-the-less. Often they contain unheralded gems, in this case A Month of Sundays, a truly great song relegated as the fourth track and that would have had little impact beyond the year the EP was released if it hadn’t been included on Hindsight 1980-1987, a fantastic compilation that emerged in 1988. Best listened to with your Rasta friend, as with most of their releases, and due to its brevity at the beginning of the night, whilst you are still capable of getting up to change the record over - you know what I mean...

Another View: The Velvet Underground - 1986

USA Pressing, 1986.
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The Velvet Underground are my favourite band. My love for them knows no bounds. This album was one of two compilations of previously unreleased recordings released in the mid 1980’s. I came by this particular pressing via a former friend, now deceased (file under drug related misadventure), who had found it in a now forgotten second-hand record store in the heart of Perth somewhere off Hay St and had set it aside for me knowing I’d want it. This would have been 1988.

Another View is another of those albums I’ve played untold hundreds of times whilst curled up with a bottle of red wine, hanging with my Rasta friend or just plain straight; it didn’t matter as it did the business every time despite it being made up of Velvet Underground off-cuts. This album is better than many bands’ official albums. If you are lucky enough to be holding this album right now blast it at high volume and revel in the pure rock ‘n’ roll of We’re Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together, the louche vibe of Hey MR. Rain (both versions!), and the original version of the deathless classic - Rock and Roll. Marvel at the best use of a Monday to Sunday name check (or is that ‘day check’?) in Coney Island Steeplechase, over typically awesome rhythm guitar playing. If you are holding this album now never sell it! The only reason you have this album is because death relinquished my hold on it!