Since We're Catching Up on 12" Vinyl from 1983

Here's another post of a 12" record by a band whose previous 7" contributions have already been posted nearly a year ago.

I had to do a bit of digging to find the original post because the band name is so forgettable that I'd failed to remember to even put it the original post itself.

That failure by omission was my fault.

The band was called the Groceries.

the Groceries (1983)

Here they are again. Pleasant, smart and smart ass. It's the Groceries. It being 1983 and we're already deep into Reagan's first term there's a bit of politics. Some more light ska. Lots of pop. Kind of insubstantial, but a few steps up from the previous singles. The playing and writing is certainly tighter.

 It sounds like summer of 1983 in the suburbs with the buzzing of a lawnmower in the distance and a light breeze in through the window. Maybe a plane is flying overhead. Maybe it just passed. But you're lying in bed with big bulky headphones on and feeling just ever so mildly rebellious at listening to something weird.

I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing.

If I was Clever I'd Have Posted This Back in June...

It's nearing midnight & I just had a nice coffee with a few spare Chinese food burps.
I don't really have much up my sleeve for the night. If I was going to go anywhere I'd have left a few hours ago and with the leftover Chinese in the fridge I'm able to put off going to the grocery store for another couple of days. The only thing I really had on the docket this week was a haircut anyway.

And I really need a haircut.
Really.
It's currently at that inelegant length that suggests that I may or may not have a 280Z blasting Def Leppard in the 7-11 parking lot while I ogle high school girls.

I don't.

So on with the show.

D-Day (1983)

So last October I had posted this band's two singles from 1979 & 81. They're pretty good. I mean, the first one is a novelty song about an underage girl, but you know the other one is a good skinny tie New Wave bopper. I knew that they had a full length on a major label. (A & M to be precise), but I was pretty wary since that tends not to work out so well based on past experience. At best a spit warm slab of vinyl mediocrity steeped in enormous heaps of 80s production touches that have not aged well.

I was wrong. This record is actually a hell of a lot better than it really has any right to be.

Based on the credits on the back they took their money and flew to the UK and worked with producer Bob Sargeant who besides helming the Fall's "Live at the Witch Trials" which already makes him a king in my book, was fresh from successful production work on the English Beat records, had a decent hit with Haircut 100 and would produce XTC's "Mummer" the same year.
Dude was a good choice.

So instead of making the jump to a major and making a steaming dump of a record, they managed to make quite an enjoyable New Wave slice that deserves a little credit. Performances, songs and production are all spot on and should have at least accounted for something. The only thing it really seems to lack is an obvious single. "Dance It Off" has a flair that might have made a decent 12" remix for discos. "More Than That" is a great pop number with a bit of ska flavor that could have done well in some markets. The closer "Lonely People" is strong.

The real stand out track for me is "Secret Worlds" which is just catchy as fuck but sung by the bass player, so not quite as representative of them as a whole. But it's a great song. No wonder he kept it for himself to sing.

But for whatever reason, the record came out and likely went straight away into the cut-out bins and was forgotten. The good thing is that it's dirt fucking cheap on Discogs. Do yourself a favor and buy a copy of your own. It's worth the few bucks.

I feel like I owe Bob Sargeant a beer.

I'm Stalling.

It's bright and early on a Saturday morning and I've been up all night per usual. It's the time I might normally be going to bed, but the landlord is here fixing the toilet and bathroom sink. I have to be up for it.
Well, probably not, but I doubt I'd be able to sleep in the room next door to this activity.
So I'm digitizing records and making with the posts. (I also hope the downstairs neighbor is at his girlfriend's if he wants to sleep in...)

Problem is that I got some new stuff that needs to match up with stuff that is already done and just waiting for the typing part. It's a dilemma.

So instead I'm going back through and seeing what I missed.

Which brings us to this post.

Now you're up to speed.

the Catholics (1980)

I don't know diddly about these guys except that the label is Washington DC based, they do a very white medley of James Brown hits and the other side is a pretty decent tune called "Motor Drive".
That's all I needed. I spent a dollar or less if I recall.

the Cartoons (1983)

The studio they recorded this is in Glasgow. I will assume that the band also hails from that same city.
One side is called "Gee George"

They also do a cover. This time it's a cover of Roxy Music's "Love is the Drug".  What does it sound like? Look at the picture of them on the back cover.

Like that.

Triple Play Harkening Back Towards the Beginning

This one completes something started at the beginning of this mess.

December of 2014.

That seems like a lifetime ago.
I was so young and full of life. Now look at me. I'm a hollow shell of my former self.

I can't go on and then I do.

It's the other singles by the Hi-Sheriffs of Blue

Ain't But Sweet 16 (1980)

I have nothing to add. According to Byron Coley these guys missed the arbitrary cut-off date to be considered part of the No Wave scene by a matter of weeks.

Cold Chills pts 1 & 2 (1981)

Half of the band was in Boston's the Girls. One became a semi-famous painter.

Tweet split with John Miller (1981)



This is a limited split seven inch they did. The insert explains things so I don't have to.

Oh Yeah, Baby.

Not our usual fare, but you've probably gotten used to that by now.
This one just makes me laugh....

The Sounds of Love...A to Zzzz (1972)

So there's this record.
You've got some weird experimental early 70's synthesizer soundscapes on one side and some Switched on Bach type versions of Ravel & Mozart on the other.

How do you tie these two things together?
It's surely a head scratcher.

I got it.

We'll have a woman moan, whimper and breath heavily over the music for the entire Lp.

Problem solved.