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Vinyl

Vinyl love: The Charlatans “Some friendly”

(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)

Artist: The Charlatans
Album Title: Some friendly
Year released: 1990
Year reissued: 2026
Details: Remastered at Abbey Road, expanded, white

The skinny: Much like another record I posted about last November*, The Charlatans’ debut album “Some friendly” is a record reissue that I’ve had my eye for and wallet at the ready for a number of years. I’ve now purchased and owned this particular album on cassette tape, compact disc, and vinyl, in that order. I got into The Charlatans with “Some friendly” way back in high school and though I’ve followed them through all their ups and downs, even up to their excellent fourteenth studio album, “We are love”, released just last year, the debut is still my favourite** and will always hold a special place in my heart. This special edition was remastered at Abbey Road and pressed to two white vinyl slabs and includes bonus tracks ‘curated by [frontman] Tim Burgess’ that consist of the tracks from the “Then” and “Over rising” singles, released in the year after the album. I’ve given it a few spins in the week since it arrived at my door step and it makes me very happy indeed.

Standout track: “Sproston green”

*The jury’s still out on whether this post will start another series of vinyl posts. I’ve already posted about a couple of The Charlie’s records in my collection but there’s still a few more prizes to share.

**It came in as second favourite of the year in which it was released when I counted down my best albums of 1990 last fall.

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Vinyl

Vinyl love: Robert Ascroft “Echo still remains”

(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)

Artist: Robert Ascroft
Album Title: Echo still remains
Year released: 2025
Details: Special edition, custard vinyl

The skinny: Do you have a favourite record label? One that you swear by, trust, and pretty much love everything it releases? For a while in the 2000s, Arts & Crafts* was that for me. Into the 2010s, it was Paper Bag Records**. And now, it seems to be Hand Drawn Dracula***. Incidentally, all of these have been Toronto-based but not coincidentally, all have been locked into one scene or another, what was hot and new and seemed to be making music just for me. Early last year, Hand Drawn Dracula announced they were releasing the debut solo album of photographer/producer Robert Ascroft. I gave it a go, like I seem to do for all their releases of late, and quickly fell for its dark and cinematic sound and wonderful cast of guest vocalists (just check out that hype sticker). I purchased this special edition, custard yellow pressing off of the label’s Bandcamp site, and further spins drove me to place “Echo still remains” at number eight on my Best albums of the year list for 2025.

Standout track: “Empty pages (feat. Zumi Rosow)”

*Home to Broken Social Scene, Stars, Dan Mangan, etc.

**Home to Austra, Young Galaxy, The Rural Alberta Advantage, etc.

***Home to No Joy, Breeze, Tallies, etc.

Categories
Vinyl

Vinyl love: The Clientele “I am not there anymore”

(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)

Artist: The Clientele
Album Title: I am not there anymore
Year released: 2023
Details: Double LP, limited edition, black-in-red

The skinny: This will be the final installment (for now*) in my series highlighting The Clientele’s LPs on my record shelves. The dream pop trio released their 8th studio album, “I am not there anymore”, in the summer of 2023 and it landed on a number of end of year lists, including that of yours truly. For me, it was quite a shift from their previous output, the last of which came six years earlier, tinkering with their tried and true formula, but ultimately, it was still a Clientele record. It is much longer than their normal work, requiring two discs, which allows their sound to breathe and to brood. I didn’t buy the album right away, but added it when I saw it on the shelves for the taking, when I ventured out for some post-Boxing day shopping. I lucked out with this limited edition pressing in red with a black splotch in the middle of both discs. It looks and sounds pretty sweet spinning on the turntable.

Standout track: “Blue over blue”

*Pretty sure I read somewhere that Mr MacLean plans to spend some time in the studio this year so perhaps a new one to add to my collection in the near future.