The tunes which fall between 45 & 74.

Listening to ‘Take Me to God’ by Jah Wobble’s Invaders of the Heart reminded me of a thing which I miss and that the current generation will never have the pleasure of experiencing…

Some will never know the feeling of joy at listening to brand new songs on from an album that they already love; the songs which fall between 45 & 74 minutes.  These aren’t b-sides, these aren’t songs which weren’t deemed good enough to make it onto the final product, or even songs which were added to the already released album as ‘bonus’ tracks to entice you into buying the then ‘new’ format of CD.

These are tracks which were present on the original release by an artist who was already forward thinking enough to fill up the CD and not just stick the album length controlled by a 12” LP.  Yet tracks which any of us who’s friends stuck to the “one side = one album” rule when making up a tape by an artist they thought you might like, totally missed out on.  Or at least missed out on while falling in love with the album.

Years ago Sal gave me a tape labeled Jah Wobble.  It had Rising Above Bedlam on one side and Take Me to God on the other.  And it fell into heavy rotation.  At one point I was listening to the tape a few times a day.  Both albums are relaxing generally happy but quite bitter in their own way…  Suited a time and a place for me (a time and a place where I didn’t have too much money but wanted to work hard to get to a different place….  To a place where I could afford to buy Albums again…)

A couple of years later, when I could afford to buy them I did.  It’s quite a joy buying ‘new’ albums, with the knowledge that they are already favorites of yours.   And even more of a joy to discover they contain music which you have never heard; tracks which always make you stop and listen.

I’ve owned both albums for over ten years, but still when ‘No Change is Sexy’ starts playing my ears prick up as it sounds so totally out of place, so new.  While at the same time being totally in place, a sound which is so established. 

And for a long time I have enjoyed the feeling  time and time again of discovering a well known high quality ‘New Discovery’…