I just heard Edition 59, the pop label of German mail order Vollwert Records, will be releasing the entire Biff Bang Pow! and The Laughing Apple back catalog on cd-rs. The singles are in edition of the usual 59 numbered copies while the albums will have 99 numbered copies. Joe Foster will be writing all new liner notes for each album. Looks like the prices will be 7,95 euro for the 3″ cd-r singles and 9,95 euro for the albums. This is good to hear as I don’t have all the BBP! releases on cd and of course The Laughing Apple singles were only available on 7″.

More info can be found here:
www.myspace.com/edition59
www.vollwert-records.de

Listen to Biff Bang Pow! – There Must Be A Better Life
[dewplayer:http://www.shelflife.com/mp3-bin/b_biffbangpow.mp3]

www.myspace.com/bbp2009
www.myspace.com/thelaughingapple

I must admit I live for stuff like this. It’s like porn for record geeks. This is a family tree of the Liverpool’s music scene from 1974 to 1980 created by Pete Frame. It was originally posted a few years back on the Music-isms Liverpool music blog, but in two parts. I seamed this version back together and cleaned it up the best I could. I’d love to have a Shelflife “tree” created some day, but so far our bands are a lot less incestuous, so it would look pretty thin.

download poster
(2246 x 1598)

original source: music-isms.blogspot.com

Buy Peter Frame’s book, which includes “Liverpool 1980 – Eric’s Progeny.”

“Better Scream” is from the debut Wah! Heat 7″ single released February 1980 on Pete Wylie’s new Inevitable label. The band consisted of Wylie on vocals and guitars, Rob Jones on drums and former Those Naughty Lumps’ bassist Pete Younger on bass. Wylie went on to form numerous “Wah!” incarnations (others being: Wah!, J.F. Wah!, The Mighty Wah!, Shambeko! Say Wah!, etc), but this single in my opinion is his best work.

Listen to Wah! Heat – Better Scream
[dewplayer:http://www.shelflife.com/mp3-bin/b_wahheat.mp3]

A WAH! Concept…

(click to enlarge)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Scream

Here’s a Naffi track that has spanned over two releases, two bands and four years. “Every Day Just Another Dream” recorded by Naffi in 1982 from “Yum Yum Yum Yum Ya” (Ark Records) and then again by Brenda and the Beachballs in 1986 from “Volume One” (Probe Plus). Which version do you prefer?

Listen to Naffi – Every Day Just Another Dream.mp3

Listen to Brenda and the Beachballs – Everyday Another Dream.mp3

Naffi (also known as The Naffi’s, Naafi Sandwich, Naffi-Locksman, and later Brenda and the Beachballs) were a Merseyside duo consisting of Brenda and Jerry Kenny. Most of their output consists of strange avant-garde / dub / reggae influenced stuff, but they still managed to write some lovely minimal jazz pop (think Young Marble Giants). “D’ya Hear Me!” is one of those songs. I’ll post my other favorite track from their “Yum Yum Yum Yum Ya” LP and the Beachballs “Volume One” single tomorrow.

Listen to Naffi – D’ya Hear Me!.mp3

For those who want to study up, here’s the Naffi discography page taken from “The Scouse Phenomenon, part 2”. (which by the way are the most awesome books for anyone who cares about the Liverpool music scene in the 80s. Sadly they’re out of print, but turn up on eBay from time to time.)

click to enlarge

Continuing with more Darling Buds rarities, here’s “Spin” from the So Naive fanzine flexi released in 1987. This song later appeared on their debut album “Pop Said” in 1990.

Listen to The Darling Buds – Spin

www.myspace.com/thedarlingbuds
www.thedarlingbuds.com

Simply classic by every sense of the word. Here’s the debut double A-side 7″ from
The Darling Buds. The single was recorded in June 1986 at Loco Studios and the band self-released it in February 1987. “If I Said” was most recently included on the “CD86” compilation, but I’m liking my gritty overly-compressed vinyl recording a bit better as of late.

Listen to “If I Said”

Listen to “Just To Be Seen”

www.myspace.com/thedarlingbuds
www.thedarlingbuds.com