23rd February, 2021
Some triple-header cassette action for Tuesday. First up there is Bob. I’m never sure where to start with Bob. Maybe just anywhere? Dip your toe in, see what you like, and if it’s not for you then an eBay re-listing is always your friend. I did have grand plans years ago to explore his entire back catalogue. I also had plans to try and get my head around jazz music. That went well.
But Blonde on Blonde is solid. I know this because the cassette came with a 5 star Q review cut out and folded away in the inlay cover. The sound quality is superb. I’m a little hesitant when it comes to playing ‘extended play’ cassettes. The extra effort sometimes conks out the capstan.
Which brings us to… Ladies and Gentlemen, HERE’S Grace. Slave is not an extended play, but it is utterly b0Rked. It lasted a couple of tracks before the capstan gave up spinning and sacked off for the afternoon. My eBay seller was very understandable. A full refund, and no need to return it, fella.
It’s a shame because I was becoming a bit of a ZTT completist. They did like their remixes back in the day. There’s currently a Grace bundle of fourteen cassettes up on eBay. I’m keen, but not that keen.
I can make do with Island Life instead. It tells the story of her time on… Island Records. They knew how to market artists back in the 80’s. Cashing in on the ZTT Slave success, Island put out this great little compilation. Nightclubbing is better than the original. Controversial, etc.
And then there was Dave. I seem to have fallen into an unofficial competition with @fnktrm to see who can be the first to be a Bowie completist on cassette. The Ziggy Motion Picture soundtrack is an unlikely entry point; but it’s a bloody good album.
I bought it on vinyl when it was first released. I felt a little uneasy listening to a recording from a 1973 gig when all around me were dancing around to Howard Jones. I flogged the Bowie double vinyl for fag money.
FOOL!
I’d forgotten how seamless the sequence is from Wide Eyed Boy / Dudes / Pretty Things. I went to see the film itself at Firstsite five years ago when Bowie departed us. The auditorium was at best a third full. Disappointing, Colchester.