THE 2011 SHINDIG! READERS’ POLL RESULTS
Last issue we published our 2011 writers’ poll results and invited our readers to weigh in with their own “best of” lists. There isn’t a huge amount of deviation, which is nice as it confirms our affinity with our readers’ tastes and our ongoing championing of non-mainstream releases.
BRITE LIGHTS FINALLY SWITCHED ON
Four previously unreleased Downliners Sect recordings from their 1964 heyday see the light of day this month. The reel-to-reel was discovered in a stash of tapes originating from a Chingford, East London studio and bought as a job lot on eBay in late 2009. Upon seeing the label bearing the words “Master Recordings – The Downliners” and hearing the Sect’s unmistakable tones, the buyer alerted his friend and Hand Of Glory Records co-founder Gary, who promptly set about getting them transferred. It would seem that the recordings constitute the follow-up to the Sect’s ’64 EP,
Nite At Great Newport Street, abandoned when the Contrast Sound studio/label went belly-up overnight, leaving the band without a deal until they signed by Columbia later in the year. The resulting Brite Lights – Big City EP (reviewed this issue) is now reunited with
its original authentic sleeve design and released on 7” vinyl (of course!) through the HOG website -
www.handofglory.co.uk
THE DEAD’S BIGGEST STASH EVER!
Those prematurely bemoaning the “death of the music industry” and placing the blame squarely at the feet of downloading, file sharing and just plain shit music, should be overjoyed by news of a colossal success
story.The Grateful Dead – those unflappable bastions of archival freedom – are about to release a 60 CD – yes, that’s 60 CD – box set containing every note recorded on their 1972 European tour. However, don’t get your hopes up – not only will it retail at $450, it’s already sold out. In a brave and possibly unprecedented move, the Dead’s website, in conjunction with Rhino Records, announced their plans to the band’s loyal fanbase, asking how many of them would actually buy such a monolithic offering. Guessing at somewhere around the 3,000 mark, the set’s compilers were staggered when they received advance orders of 7,200 in just four days. Thus, 7,200 copies will be manufactured and that’ll be that. Interest in the still untitled set continues to spread at such a rate that a “music-only” version (i.e. without the hardback book, reproduction memorabilia, original acid-laced plectra et al) will also be made available. The tour was the Dead’s first jaunt to Europe and spawned the triple album
Europe ’72, which reached #12 on the US Billboard chart the following
year.The new edition contains over 70 hours of music captured at 22 shows in England, Denmark, France, Holland and Germany and could signal a new wave of exclusive, fan-led products for those lucky enough to have that kind of money to spend on such luxuries. Now, where’s my knackered old vinyl edition…?
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Coming in top of the BEST REISSUE category and tallying with our own choice is Raw Power: Deluxe Edition by Iggy & The Stooges (Sony) with 17.6% of the vote, closely followed by the first four Incredible String Band albums (Fledg’ling) and UFO by Jim Sullivan (Light In The Attic). BEST COMPILATION (single artist) saw Live by Moby Grape (Sundazed) clean up with 21.3% and Seventh Heaven: The Complete Singles Collection by The 13th Floor Elevators (Charly) and Mod Classics 1964-66 by Georgie Fame (Ace) coming in next. BEST COMPILATION (various artists) goes to the five volumes of Unissued Sixties GarageAcetates (Norton) with 13.9%, followed by our very own It’s Happening Volume 2 (Shindig! download) and the Brit-psych acetate fest that is our winner, Look At The Sun (Top Sounds).
The BEST NEW ALBUM trophy can be proudly held aloft by The Soundcarriers, whose Celeste (Melodic) bagged 12.5% of votes. Phosphene Dream by The Black Angels (Blue Horizon) and our favourite, Pictures by The Len Price 3 (Wicked Cool), are runners-up. In a year full of lavishly presented anthologies, BEST BOX SET goes to the expanded edition of The Monkees’ Head (Rhino) with a massive 27.2%. Our winner, the lush Sandy Denny box (Universal), and Box Of Fudge by Vanilla Fudge (Rhino) came in second and third.
Your BEST BOOK is Forever Changes: Arthur Lee And The Book Of Love by John Einarson (Jawbone) with 13.2% but you love The Acid Archives: Second Edition by Patrick Lundborg (Lysergia) and Rob Young’s fascinating Electric Eden (Faber & Faber) almost as much. For BEST DVD 18.3% of you plumped for The TAMI Show (Shout! Factory) with our winner, Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush (BFI Flipside), and the superb biopic Who Is Harry Nilsson (Lorber) up next. And finally BEST FILM goes to (feigns tearing open of silver envelope) the Dr Feelgood odyssey Oil City Confidential with an impressive 27.2%. It was actually released in 2009 but given its limited release and 2010 DVD release we’re more than happy to let it sail through. When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors and Gainsbourg: Vie Heroique make for equally superb runners-up.
Many thanks to everyone who voted and congratulations to the winners – stars every one of ’em.
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