It turned out to be true: Canberra's only broad-spectrum music store has sold out to the big boys. I went briefly to what was supposedly the last day of their closing down sale, but realised that I wouldn't have time to stand in line to pay for anything I found before I had to meet Adrienne. All queues for the checkouts were at least 20 people long. But all was not lost: they were still open the following weekend, all vinyl was still 50 percent off. So for not very much money I bought the following. All English (in the general sense). With roughly a 3-year gap between each. It's a kind of potted history. Potty, anyway.
Black Widow: Sacrifice. Allegedly from 1971, although this copy is an Italian repress from 1998 (180g vinyl!) and the only other copyright info says 1992. I'm still not convinced it isn't a hoax. Purchased because of "Come To The Sabbat", made available by Tom Ewing during the heady days of PopNose.
Sparks: Propaganda. 1974. I'm not sure what to expect here. I only really remember the "hits" from around 1979, but I know they're still going and well regarded. I like the cover, too. And it's on Island, which really was the home of the hits in them days.
David Essex: Gold & Ivory. Because Marcello Carlin said so. 1977.
Orchestral Manouevres In The Dark: Architecture & Morality. Not as perfect as I remember it, but at least four songs that stand the test of time. 1981.
Simple Minds: New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84). From 1982. One of the records that I used to own that I have long regretted parting with (I abandoned it to its fate out of anger at how bad subsequent records were). This looks like an English pressing and there's nothing on the record to suggest it's not, but something makes me suspect otherwise. I used to be able to tell just by picking them up, you know.
Propaganda: "Present The Nine Lives Of Dr Mabuse" (12" single). Parts 3 and 4, to be precise. From 1984 (I could have sworn it was a couple of years later). This is an itch I have been needing to scratch since I last heard it, which I think I can date back to a weekend on the farm in 1989, not long before dad got sick and we had to say goodbye to all that. "Why does it hurt when my heart misses a beat."
Enter Murphy's Law: before I could get through any more than the Propaganda and OMD records, the knob fell off my amplifier, in such a way that I can now listen only to CDs. It could have been worse, I suppose; we could have been limited to the cassette deck. And in a month or two all records and tapes, and probably most of my CDs, will be farmed out to willing borrowers while we lose most of our internal living space to these accursed renovations. But for now it is very, very frustrating to have bought records for the first time in some years, only to have them rendered unplayable on account of my lack of (a) one Allen key and (b) any practical and/or handyman skills whatsoever.
