This marks the first ever appearance of Regina Spektor on the blog.
Born in Russia in 1980 to musical parents, she moved with her family to New York City in 1989 during the period of Perestroika, when Soviet citizens were permitted to emigrate.
A classically trained pianist, she also developed a love for pop, rock and hip hop as a teenager, and in due course she emerged in her new home city just after the turn of the century through what has been described as the ‘anti-folk scene’
I heard her song Fidelty played on the radio when it was released as a single in early 2007. I had never heard of Regina Spektor before now, despite the fact she had already released three albums. That might not be 100% accurate, as I may have read about her in one music magazine or another, but I can’t recall her name, original sounding as it is, ever registering with me.
I thought Fidelity was really catchy, and when I saw a 7″ copy of on sale for £2 a few days later in Fopp Records, I bought it. I took it home, played it, and still thought it was catchy, albeit it was one of those I thought sounded much better on the radio than in Villain Towers.
A few months later, I bought a CD copy of the album Begin To Hope, one which was being talked about in glowing terms in the music mags and indeed in a couple of UK broadsheet newspapers. It seemed as if Regina Spektor’s time had come. But the positive press etc. didn’t really lead to any great commercial success, and the album stalled at #53.
The album I found to be a bit hit’n’miss, and although I tried to find my way into it, Begin To Hope was soon put on the shelves never to be touched again until the time came to digitise things for putting onto a PC hard drive as well as an i-pod. The shuffle function has offered a few random tracks occasionally over the years, none of which excite or perturb me.
mp3: Regina Spektor – Fidelity
The b-side wasn’t on the standard release of the parent album, but was included as part of what was described as a ‘deluxe edition’, just one of the many sneaky ways record companies have sought to squeeze more money out of fans.
mp3: Regina Spektor – Music Box
The reason for throwing the 7″ vinyl out there today is just in case there are TVV readers who are big fans and may want to make a case for her music, possibly via a guest ICA. As you know, no offers of guest postings are ever turned down.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 