For the positively final time

I received another email today saying that links weren't working, which was fine...except like a lot of bloggers I remove links after two weeks because I don't actually own the rights to the music I post here (I wish).

Anyway, the tracks in question were from the debut Bang Bang Machine 12" single, The Geek EP so...here we go.

Bang Bang Machine -'Geek Love.' mp3

Bang Bang Machine -'Flower Horse.' mp3

Bang Bang Machine -'The Fuck Machine.' mp3

THESE WILL BE UP HERE FOR TWO WEEKS. IF THIS IS AFTER SEPTEMBER 3RD, TOO BAD, YOU MISSED IT.

It is now September 3rd and the links have therefore been removed.

To love but never to be in Love

I'd received an email earlier today asking if I could re-post 'Geek Love' the 1992 Festive Fifty no.1, and I thought, why not post the entire EP? Especially seeing as the Evesham four-piece's back catalogue seems to be unavailable.

This track is utterly sublime, and if you have never heard it before, I hope you like it. There are one or two crackles in the vinyl, but I think the sound quality is pretty good on the whole.

I will also soon post the remixes sent to me by my reader Max, when I have converted them into mp3s. Thanks for them, Max, never seen them anywhere else!

Speaking of posting unavailable stuff, I will be putting up a couple of albums by artists which I think are great but are unavailable in the UK on any format. Watch this space...


Bang Bang Machine -'Geek Love.' mp3

Bang Bang Machine -'Flower Horse.' mp3

Bang Bang Machine -'The Fuck Machine.' mp3


An unofficial Bang Bang Machine website

A Festive Fifty Theme

First of all, thank you to everyone who has been in contact with details about new acts; I'm going to try and go through it carefully and give my considered opinion about what to post; so if you don't see yourselves posted immediately, don't take it personally!

I was considering posting some other stuff today, reflecting on what might make my Festive Fifty at the end of the year, and found my mind drifting to the great man of the Festive Fifty, John Peel.

So, with a big nod to Steve (and not Mike, as I mistakenly called him earlier!) over at the brilliant Teenage Kicks, a brilliant Peel-related blog, here are ten tracks that made John Peel's Festive Fifty over the years.

Given that he often got frustrated at some things being unadventurous, and there being 'too many white boys with guitars' I have tried not to fall into the same trap.

Bang Bang Machine -'Geek Love.' mp3 (No.1 1992 Festive Fifty)

We've Got A Fuzzbox and we're Gonna Use It -'Rules And Regulations.' mp3 (No. 31 1986 Festive Fifty)

Future Sound Of London -'Papau New Guinea.' mp3 (No.11 1992 Festive Fifty)

Half Man Half Biscuit -'The Trumpton Riots.' mp3 (No. 14 1986 Festive Fifty)

Althea & Donna -'Uptown Top Ranking.' mp3 (No. 2 1977 Festive Fifty)

Teenage Fanclub -'The Concept.' mp3 (No.6 1991 Festive Fifty*)

The Bhundu Boys -'Foolish Harp/Waerara.' mp3 (No.30 1987 Festive Fifty) (Steve from Teenage Kicks has got in touch and pointed out that it wasn't this version that made the chart. However, it is fabulous!)

Kenickie -'Come Out 2nite.' mp3 (No. 1 1996 Festive Fifty)

This Mortal Coil -'Song To the siren.' mp3 (No. 4 1983 Festive Fifty, No.10 2000 Millennium Chart)

The Delgados -'Mr. Blue Sky.' mp3 (No. 29 2002 Festive Fifty)

For more on John Peel and fansites start here

* 1991's Festive Fifty was known as the Phantom Fifty as John felt it was too predictable, topped as it was by Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and not featuring the dance sounds he'd been plugging that year. It was eventually unveiled, track by track over 1993).

There'll be sad songs...

...to make you cry, as Billy Ocean once sang (not long after pointing that that 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going, if memory serves).

It's sunday night, and as always, seem to have those sunday blues.

Oh well, sad songs say so much (uh, cheers Elton).

Anyway, here's a few beautifully sad songs. See what you think.

Have a good week.

Edx

This Mortal Coil -'Song To the Siren (Tim Buckley cover).' mp3

Peter Murphy -'A Strange Kind Of Love.' mp3

New Age Steppers -'Fade Away.' mp3

Bang Bang Machine -'Geek Love.' mp3

A Great, Lost Single #7

Bang Bang Machine 'Geek Love' (Jimmi Kidd Records, 1992)

As old-school British indie-kids (i.e. were into indie before Britpop) know, this song was No.1 in John Peel's Festive Fifty in 1992, the annual poll where Peel's listeners would vote for their song of the year.

Hailing from Evesham, Wocestershire in England's West Country, this song was their debut single. The band would go on to release two albums Eternal Happiness and Amphibian before they called it a day in 1996.

How to describe BBM? This track -and this is meant as a compliment - is a shoegazing epic with goth overtones. Even considering what a rubbish year 1992 was for music (and if you disagree, leave a message saying why!) it would be nice to think that this would have done well in the Festive Fifty in any year. John Peel said that even if they never made another record they would have achieved more than most of us do.

Bang Bang Machine -'Geek Love.' mp3

A Bang Bang Machine fan-site is here and their Wikipedia page is here. Try to buy the track if you can, on Amazon or ebay, there are no tracks available that I can see on iTunes (UK anyway).