It’s hard to believe that for last year’s Record Store Day, I was actually in the UK for once, and found myself at a store in Liverpool the next day and bought the Steven Wilson Ultravox “Lament” remix EP. Stupidly, I was so focused on buying that that I forgot to look for this as well. But over time the dynamic between the US and UK RSD release list has shifted over the years so that it’s no longer a case of everything that I want would be from the UK only, and now many things of interest are available at US stores. Even though I can’t imagine why so many Ultravox and OMD releases fall into that category. OMD I can almost understand since they had a US top 10 hit and a handful of Top 40 hits as well… but Ultravox?!
This year most of what I want is on both lists, but the UK still manages to have some thrills all to themselves. Let’s take a look at what we probably won’t be buying mail order from the UK this year as postage skyrockets ever upward.
THE UK LIST
Blancmange: Everything Is Connected Too
London Records – LP
A second dip into the Blancmange canon with some deep cuts to offset the singles on Vol. 1. As I only have a single Blancmange album, there is plenty of catalog I need to hear from this fascinating act.
The Boomtown Rats: Dawn Of The Rats
Mercury – trans. green LP
A comp of early demos, live tracks, and B-sides. I think all present and accounted for in the [annoying] re-jigged DLX RMs of the Rats catalog on the silver disc. Nothing I would need but plus several hundred points for the hilarious George Romero parody cover!
David Sylvian: Camphor II
Virgin – white 2xLP
Another selection of Sylvian instrumental Art “Rock.” With Holget Czukay, Bill Nelson, and Robert Fripp figuring here. Half of this set is a split edit of “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice.”
Jesus + Mary Chain: 45s > 84 > 85 <
Rhino – red/black splatter LP
A selection of A/B sides from the first year of Jesus + Mary Chain. Almost the only JAMC release you might need.
Pete Shelley: Yesterday Is Not Here – The Radio Sessions 1979-1983
Domino – clear LP
This is pretty cool! Pete Shelley’s BBC radio sessions from the late Buzzcocks period through to “Homosapien” and “XL1!” With download code! I wouldn’t mind one of these. I miss Pete..
Sad Lovers + Giants: Singles Collection 1981-1983
Lantern Records – LP
I still haven’t heard this UK band but many commenters here say I should know about them. Perhaps one day I’ll come across a release I can buy and try.
Soft Cell – *Happiness Now Completed
Big Frock Records – 1000 copies – LP
Ten previously unreleased mixes from the “*Happiness Not Included” sessions along with a few extra cuts. Including the all new “Kill Shot.” I still haven’t heard the main album!
Various Artists: LA CONTRA OLA SYNTH POP & POST PUNK FROM SPAIN 1980-86
Bongo Joe – colored 2xLP
Early 1980s Spanish-speaking Musica De La Tecno-pop, Minimal Wave, Industrial sounds. I only have one Spanish-language New Wave act in the Record Cell. The ground-level Mecano. What obscurities have I missed out on on this disc, I wonder?
Not too many must-haves here, personally. Not like that red vinyl “Dr. Mabuse” LP from last year!! I feel like I’ve missed the Soft Cell bus in the last 20+ years. I did get a copy of “Cruelty Without Beauty” but I’d be lying if I said that it ever spoke enough to me to play it more than a handful of times. I got the DLX 2xCD US edition and it’s in the “sale” pile right now!
I still want to compile Pete Shelley post-Buzzcocks rarities and only need one or two 12″ singles currently before I can do just that. The Kid Jensen sessions would be ideal to include in such a project but buying that LP would probably be prohibitively expensive. Maybe I could get the tracks as DLs?
The Spanish language “Counter Wave” LP looks like the sort of thing I like to hear nowadays. A curated dive into the sub-underground that no one even knew about back then. The kind of release that can only be compiled many years down the line from the events contained on them. I guess that’s all for now until the Black Friday list is published.
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![Want List: Visage DLX RM […finally!]](https://i0.wp.com/postpunkmonk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/visage-dlxrmuscda.jpeg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1)
Post-Punk Monk 
I bought the Happiness Now Everything memory stick from the Soft Cell site, has 120ish tracks videos epk, etc. have barely scratched the surface of it. Was expecting most of it to sound more like The Purple Zone, which it does not. But $15 plus shipping for a ton of stuff and I’ve got time to delve into it.
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Tim – Sounds like a deal in any case! Saaaay! It’s still available… hmmm!
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I too bought the Soft Cell memory stick. I’m still working my way through its contents.
I’m just annoyed that they have now dredged up “Kill Shot”. So if I want that I need to buy the RSD release.
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Andy B – Oooooh. You have a point there.
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I’m surprised about the compilation of Spanish synth wave as it was already released seven years ago in Switzerland (on vinyl and CD). Great stuff, and at least the tracks by Aviador Dro and Esplendor Geométrico became underground classics (the latter first appeared in 1981 on a German compilation LP). I’d disagree about The Jesus & Mary Chain, until the mid-90s I wouldn’t want to miss any of their releases. The “Porta Studio Demo” of “On The Wall” from their “Darklands” EP (completely different recording than the album version) would fit perfectly in the scope of this blog with its bedroom-new-wave-pop-with-drumbox sound. Dark Entries had already released a compilation of early Sad Lovers & Giants singles, I guess that the RSD LP on Lantern Records adds the songs from 1983’s “Man Of Straw” but doesn’t include the two tracks from the “In The Breeze” compilation. In any case I suggest getting anything by them that seems affordable, you will not be disappointed. There is another UK release that I thought you would mention, even though you don’t need it, Modern Eon “B+ (B Sides + Additional Tracks)”. I am sure all the recordings are also on the “Fiction Tales” double-CD.
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strange_idol – Aaaah, but that assumes that I have the Modern Eon 2xCD! I’m slow to act on many things [and money is finite] so I still only have the Dindisc LP from them. Bought 25-30 years ago. And I somehow missed the Modern Eon release on the UK list in my, yes, haste.
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Ha, I remembered that you wrote about the double-CD but I forgot to check if it was something you bought or a want list item. Well, I was still right that you don’t need the RSD LP but rather the CD release. Hope you get everything you really want.
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strange_idol – I have been culling upwards to a thousand titles I need to divest for space issues. I have them separated out for resale. In the last two months I’ve sold 30 CDs in my Discogs store, but I need to be doing bulk sales! It’s a drop in the bucket. I am selling cheaply to move more quickly. And I’ve been cutting out huge chunks from my want list in response.
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Ahhh, I do like some Midnight Music music … SL&G’s were a treat to find.
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I went to 81 Renshaw Records on Saturday afternoon. I only bought the Soft Cell release. I may have bought the live Bowie album if they’d had it on CD. Unfortunately they only had two vinyl copies and so I gave it a miss.
I do think they are taking advantage of music lovers with these RSD releases. The Soft Cell release was £28.99 for one vinyl album. Especially annoying as I was only buying it for one track!
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I still have some vinyl in my collection (spread out between two countries), but nothing to play it on anymore. i should probably just purge it all apart from anything with sentimental value/autographed/valuable.
I’m as usual annoyed that almost no RSD offerings come on CD — the only format that sounds as perfect on the 10,000th play as it did on the first. People are stupid.
What’s next, nostalgia for the ker-CHUNK sound of an eight-track changing programs? BAH!
One of the few joys I get from music collecting these days (apart from deluxe CDs/CD box sets) is watching grown adults fork over $40-50+ (Canadian) for a classic single-disc album from (name of decade they were in high school) that you know they have bought at least twice before.
SUCKERS!
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