I’ve often said I’ll never fall for the tricks of Record Store Day. The fact that I’ve never yet queued up overnight to ensure I can get my hands on something still, in my own head, means I can say I don’t fully engage with it.
And yet……………… I’ve found myself, some years, curiously wandering around a few of the participating stores in the following days to see if there’s anything not yet snapped up that’s worth purchasing, and, on the odd occasion, there has been.
2022. however, turned out to be a little different.
I’m on the mailing list for Monorail Records and the shop sent out details of the various stock that was still available, offering customers the opportunity to make on-line purchases, on the proviso that it was no more than one copy of any particular item. Here guys, just take my money as there’s no way I can resist the 2 x vinyl version of Bustin’ + Dronin’, the 1998 remix/compilation album by Blur, originally on CD only in Japan but later made available via import here in the UK.
The original release saw songs from the 1997 album Blur handed over to different producers for the remix treatment, including William Orbit, Moby, Adrian Sherwood, John McEntire and Thurston Moore, while a second disc offered up a live session, that had been recorded at the home of John Peel, and broadcast by BBC Radio 1. It’s one of my favourite CDs, capturing Blur at that moment in time when they were moving away fully from the Britpop style of music, ultimately leading to the release of their next studio album, 13, recorded largely in Iceland with William Orbit in the producer’s chair.
The RSD 2022 version doesn’t include the Peel Acres songs, but all ten of the tracks which were on Disc 1 of Bustin’ + Dronin’ are spread across two lovely slabs of heavyweight vinyl, which make a magnificent sound coming out of the speakers.
mp3: Blur – Death Of A Party (12″ Death)
This is one of the Adrian Sherwood efforts, extending to just over seven minutes in length. I particularly love the way the organ drifts in and out at key moments throughout the mix, battling it out with the percussion, vocals and Graham Coxon‘s guitar effects to see which has the most impact on your ears.
Play loud for full effect.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Wow, I’m amazed how good this is, I’d stopped listening to Blur after Modern Life and while Damon’s ‘ I’m bored drawl’ doesn’t entice me the last half is fabulous and I’d have never guessed it was Blur. I need to find the rest of the album…
Love it. It’s Adrian Sherwood, ’nuff said.