After two rather disappointing car boot sales over the Easter weekend I resorted to eBay for a vinyl fix and ended up with two very different albums from 1988.
The first was Bomb The Bass' debut Into The Dragon, for 99p:
Bomb The Bass - Into The Dragon (1988)
I've mentioned this fantastic album before in a post about the lead single 'Beat Dis'. The other singles were 'Megablast', 'Don't Make Me Wait' and a cover of 'Say A Little Prayer'. The album's blend of of hip-hop, breaks, funk samples and movie dialogue is sewn together with between-track faux pirate radio announcements from the great and good including Jazzy B, Westwood and Mark Moore from S'Express.
Next was The Traveling Wilburys' Vol.1, for £2.99:
The Traveling Wilbuys - Vol.1 (1988)
These guys were the epitome of a supergroup. The driving force was George Harrison, who together with ELO's Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty recorded this great album of heartland rock which reached no.3 in the US and no.16 in the UK. I thought I only knew the lead single from the album; the joyful 'Handle With Care', but on playing it I realised that I knew every single song. My Dad bought a cassette copy when it came out and he must have played the heck out of it around the house!
You can tell that the group really enjoyed making the album (apparently recorded in just ten days at the home of Eurythmics' Dave Stewart) as the sense of fun really seeps through into the music.
It's not on Spotify so here's 'Handle With Care' on Youtube:
It's a really sweet video and all the more moving when you remember that two of the group are no longer around.
Today dawned bright and sunny, so I headed up the coast in search of vinyl. The site was almost full and heaving with bargain hunters:
There were quite a lot of records around and for some reason, lots of 80s 12"s. First I got two Madonna 12" singles at £5 for the pair; more than I would normally like to pay, but they are favourites of mine and in spanking condition:
Madonna - Borderline (US Remix) (1984)
Two statements of independence from Madonna; Borderline, the fifth single from her self-tiled debut album, remixed by Jellybean (John Benitez) who was then going out with Madge. This reached no.2 in the UK and no.10 in the US.
Then her second single from third album True Blue; teen pregnancy plea Papa Don't Preach (1986), which reached no.1 in both the UK and US:
Madonna - Papa Don't Preach (Extended Version) (1986)
For £1 I bought another 80s gem from the wonderfully unique Miss Jones:
Grace Jones - Slave To The Rhythm (1985)
It's taken from her 1985 Trevor Horn-produced concept album of the same name, which consisted of eight interpretations of "Slave.." as well as spoken word sections. Horn had originally intended the single to be recorded by Frankie Goes To Hollywood but it ended up in Grace's capable hands. It was a top twenty hit in many countries, particularly German-speaking ones where it achieved it's highest chart positions.
Here's the video of the 7" single version:
Lastly was an EP of remixes of the Rebel MC and Double Trouble's 1990 hit Street Tuff:
Rebel MC and Double Trouble - Street Tuff Remixes (1990)
Side A. Ruff Mix, Time To Rock - The Trouble Dub.
Side B. Norman Cook Mix, Norman Cook Mix Instrumental.
As you can see from the track list it contains some of Norman Cook's early work from before he became Fatboy Slim.
For me, the making of the original hit (which reached no.3 in the UK) was it's use of the sample of the bassline to The Maytal's 54-64 That's My Number, but this is entirely absent from all of these consequently disappointing remixes.
I found a 12" De La Soul EP for 50p at a recent boot sale. There'd just been a huge downpour and the box of records I'd been looking through was pretty soggy, but luckily this was at the bottom and mainly dry:
De La Soul - 4 New Remixes (1989)
It contains 12" remixes of four of their most well known songs. Tracklisting:
Side A. The Magic Number (Too Mad Mix), Say No Go (Bonus Beats).
Side B. Eye Know (Daisy Bass Mix), Me Myself And I/Say No Go.
It's not on Spotify and I couldn't find a decent youtube vid, so I made one myself. Here's Side B.
I went a bit further up the coast yesterday for a large-ish boot sale and got two late 80's hip-hop albums, the first being Queen Latifah's debut LP All Hail The Queen.
Queen Latifah - All Hail The Queen (1989)
It's laid back, intelligent hip-hop, sometimes termed 'conscious rap', similar artists being De La Soul and Monie Love. In fact both acts guest on here, standout track 'Ladies First' featuring Love. The album is a patchy affair, but has enough high points to make it a bargain at £1. Spotify link for track 'Wrath Of My Madness', which is also great:
Next was The Fats Boys' Krush On You, an early greatest hits double LP compilation.
The Fat Boys - Krush On You (1988)
It's a lot of fun to listen to, although some of the beatboxing strays into Rolf Harris territory on occasion. For just £1 for a double album though it's a bargain, particularly for standout tracks 'Jailhouse Rap' and 'Can You Feel It?'. I love the sleeve, covered in images of junk food. It's not surprising that one member died of a heart attack aged just 28. The inside of the gatefold is equally calorific:
