Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #29

Posted on December 14, 2022 by platinumal

Yo! Here we are again, tout le monde – a treat for lovers of music on vinyl! That’s right – another Singles Night at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub, where I play my way through a big ol’ stack of 7″ singles and have a big time knees up whilst I do it.

There are literally dozens of 45 rpm records chez moi: some classic, some crap. I love ’em all. With a few drinkies to ease things along, we’re in for a great evening.

Here’s the latest playlist:

The Mission – “Severina” / “Tomorrow Never Knows”
Joe Fagin – “Back with the Boys Again” / “Get it Right”
Samantha Fox – “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now” / “Dream City”
Samantha Fox – “I Surrender (To the Spirit of the Night”) / “The Best is Yet to Come”
Lacuna Coil – “Our Truth”/ “Without a Reason”
Paul McCartney & The Frog Chorus – ” We All Stand Together” / “We All Stand Together (Humming Version)”
Slade – “7 Year Bitch” / “Leave Them Girls Alone”
Demon – “Wonderland” / “Blackheath”
Sex Pistols – “Silly Thing” / “Who Killed Bambi”
Bad Manners – “Can Can” / “Armchair Disco”
Doctor & The Medics – “Burn” / “Captain Frazer”
2 in a Room – “Wiggle It” / “Take Me Away”
Slade – “My Oh My” / “Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply”
T’Pau – “China in Your Hand” / “No Sense of Pride”
Belinda Carlisle – “I Get Weak” / “Should I Let You In?”
Madonna – “Crazy for You” / Sammy Hagar – “I’ll Fall in Love Again”
Billy Ocean – “Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car” / “Showdown”
Scorpions – “Wind of Change” / “Restless Nights”
Jack Parnell & His Orchestra – “Galloping Home (Theme From Black Beauty” / “Hawaii Five-O”
Then Jericho – “Big Area” / “The Big Sweep”

Wow. From the Sex Pistols to the Frog Chorus – as always, it’s an eclectic night at the Virtual Hot tub on Singles Night! That might not be Paul McCartney’s greatest moment, but to be fair, I loved Rupert the Bear when I was a toddler, so consider me a fan.

Some notes:

The first Sam Fox single is credited as the “Samantha Fox Box”, as it comes in a carboard boxset thing with a poster. The second Sam Fox single is a Limited Edition blue vinyl single, in a gatefold photo pack. Pretty cool, and both from bargain bins.

Also from a bargain bin, the Lacuna Coil single is picture disc – and only cost me £1. Crazy bargain!

Lots of songs I loved in this evening’s playlist: the Pistols easily being my favourite. The worst was that Scorpions song, that was rubbbish.

Variety is the spice of life, and this Singles Night playlist was indeed spicy. Great tracks. More soon!

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot tub #25

Posted on January 27, 2022 by platinumal

Yes, that’s right: it’s time for another Singles Night! This is no crappy Channel 4 dating show featuring halfwit Instagram influencers, no sir. The type of single we’re talking about here is the vinyl kind – 45 rpm records, beautiful black plastic discs. Seven inches of pure joy!

For the newcomers, I have a pile of unplayed vinyl singles, which I listen to consecutively (A side, then B side). Accompanied by a few drinkies, it’s a most excellent evening of entertainment.

Here’s the latest playlist, featuring some total bangers:

AC/DC – “Touch Too Much” / “Live Wire” / “Shot Down in Flames”
The Piranhas – “Tom Hark” / “Getting Beaten Up” / “Boyfriend”
Judas Priest – “Evening Star” / “Beyond the Realms of Death”
Hollywood Beyond – “South Africa” / “The Cocteau Twins – “Orange Appled” / The Fall – “Lucifer Over Lancashire” / Zodiac Mindwarp & The Love Reaction – “High Priest of Love”
Pretenders – “Brass in Pocket” / “Swinging London” / “Nervous But Shy”
Billy Idol – “Rebel Yell” / “(Do Not) Stand in the Shadows”
Television – “Prove It” / “Venus”
Def Leppard – “Rocket” / “Release Me”
U2 – “The Unforgettable Fire” / “A Sort of Homecoming”
Pet Shop Boys – “Always On My Mind” / “Do I Have to?”
A Flock of Seagulls – “Wishing (I Had a Photograph of You)” / “Committed”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood – “Relax” / “One September Monday”
Big Country – “Chance” / “The Tracks of My Tears”
Duran Duran – “Wild Boys” / “(I’m Looking for) Cracks in the Pavement (1984)”
GB Band – “Smasheroo” / “Long Distance Calling”
Petula Clark – “Downtown” / “You’d Better Love Me”
Paula Abdul – “Straight Up” / “Straight Up Power Mix”
Slade – “All Join Hands” / “Here’s to…”
Foreigner – “Say You Will” / “A Night to Remeber”
Chuck Berry – “Reelin’ and Rockin'” / “I Will Not Let You Go”

Whoa, a lot of EPs and mulitple B sides, there!

There you go: another twenty top quality tunes that I enjoyed rocking out to in the Virtual Hot Tub. Well, except maybe Foreigner. But at least Chuck Berry saved the day!

That playlist spans the years and the genres, with some of my favourite artists like AC/DC, Billy Idol and Zodiac Mindwarp rubbing shoulders with pop legends and underground classics. Which ones are you a fan of?

See you soon for another Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub!

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #24

Posted on November 29, 2021 by platinumal

One of my favourite types of night in: a random stack of 7 inch vinyl, and a big old crate of booze. I’ve not held a Singles Night at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub for a little while, so allow me to put that right.

You see, I’ve got a load of 7″ singles that I haven’t listened to yet. They come from various sources, though most are second hand. So I play ’em through, A side then B side, and enjoy the sonic delights. Accompanied with a tipple of two.

Here’s the latest batch:

Mudhoney – “Warning” / Meat Puppets – “One of These Days”
Cockney Rejects – “The Greatest Cockney Rip Off” / “Hate of the City”
Metallica – “The Unforgiven” / “Killing Time”
The Shipbuilders – “Silk Road” / “La Fee Verte”
Huey Lewis & The News – “Stuck With You” / “Don’t Ever Tell Me That You Love Me”
The Archies – “Sugar, Sugar” / “Melody Hill”
Boney M – “Painter Man” / “He Was a Steppenwolf”
Twiggy – “Falling Angel” / “Virginia (And the Circus Side Show)”
Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe – “Barcelona” / “Exercises in Free Love”
Yes – “Going for the One” / “Awaken Pt. 1”
Bad Manners – “Special Brew” / “Ivor the Engine”
Kylie Minogue – “Better the Devil You Know” / “I’m Over Dreaming (Over You)”
The Jam – “Going Underground” / “The Dreams of Children”
Siouxsie & The Banshees – “Cities in Dust” / “An Execution”
Gary Numan – The Live E.P.: “Are “Friends” Electric?” / “Berserker” / “Cars” / “We Are Glass”
Del Shannon – “Runaway” / “Jody”
The Smurfs – “Silly Little Song” / “Little Smurf Boat”
The Proclaimers – “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” / “Better Days”
Stray Cats – “Stray Cat Strut” / “Drink That Bottle Down”
Eurythmics – “Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty Four)” / “I Did it Just the Same”

From Metallica to the Smurfs, there’s a right old mixture in that playlist. A nice wide coverage of genres from pop, disco, ska, prog rock, punk and – wonder of wonders – even some opera. Not to mention all the various subgenres on the list (Goth? Post punk? New Wave? Make your own conclusions).

Another fine evening of music, I can recommend a Singles Night for the variety and fun. Dig out your old singles collection and have a knees up!

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #22

Posted on May 19, 2021 by platinumal

Time for another twenty slices of 7 inch vinyl goodness, with Singles Night at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub!

You know what that means: an evening of me playing through a stack of vinyl singles, one after the other, whilst imbibing the booze. It’s more fun than it sounds, honest! There are untold treasures in my pile of records waiting to be rediscovered – plus a few duds that should be consigned to the pop junk pile.

Join me now, on yet another daring voyage into my vinyl collection…

Paul Simon – “You Can Call Me Al” / “Gumboots”
Steppenwolf – “Hey Lawdy Mama” / “Twisted”
Steppenwolf – “Born to be Wild” / “The Pusher”
Iggy Pop – “Livin’ on the Edge of the Night” / “The Passenger”
C.W. McCall – “Convoy” / “Long Lonesome Road”
Belinda Carlisle – “Do You Feel Like I Feel?” / “Do You Feel Like I Feel? (Dance Mix)”
The Dave Clark Five – “Glad All Over” / “I Know You”
Chris Montez – “Let’s Dance” / Lonnie Mack – “Memphis”
Dion & The Belmonts – “A Teenager in Love” / “I Can’t Go On (Rosalie)”
Hank Williams – “Honky Tonk Blues” / “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive” / “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in it” / “Baby, We’re Really in Love”
Slade – “Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me” / “Kill ‘Em at the Hot Club Tonite”
M – “Pop Muzik” / “M Factor”
Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra – “Somethin’ Stupid” / Frank Sinatra – “Call Me”
Kylie Minogue – “What Do I Have to do” / “What Do I Have to do (Instrumental)”
Queen – “You’re My Best Friend” / “’39”
10cc – “I’m not in Love” / “Good News”
Rod Stewart – “Ain’t Love a Bitch” / “Scarred and Scared”
David Bowie – “Sound and Vision” / “A New Career in a New Town”
Eagles – “Witchy Woman” / “Earlybird”
The Sweet – “Hell Raiser” / “Burning”

Well, I had to own a copy of that Paul Simon classic, right? And the Slade B-side is tantalisingly close to hot tub, though I wouldn’t want Noddy and pals murdering anyone in my Virtual Hot Tub.

A couple of Steppenwolf killers there: look at that Easy Rider style double A side! One of the most underrated bands ever. I was lacking an Iggy single in my collection, hence that purchase – but didn’t realise that “The Passenger” was on the B-side. That’s definitely going in my jukebox, when I get one.

Regular readers will know how much I adore the lovely Belinda Carlisle. That single is a picture disc, with a bonus photo and frame (see pic) – not bad for a 50p charity shop purchase. On the other hand, I’ve never rated Kylie (I much prefer her sister, phwooar!) – but that tune’s not bad.

With some legendary country and pop – not to mention awesome tunes from Queen, Bowie and Sweet – that’s a pretty damn fine playlist. “Convoy” was one of my earliest favourite songs, by the way.

I’ll be back soon with another Singles Night – stay tuned!

Endoscopy Playlist

Posted on April 8, 2021 by platinumal

Last year was a nightmare. The worst part for me, beyond the pandemic, was my Farmer Giles playing up. I was in absolute agony, for months. The previously pleasant experience of seeing a friend to the coast became torture.

Over the years I’ve had several tattoos; fallen off a ramp whilst skateboarding and landed forehead first; fallen through a neighbours loft, shredding my foot in the process – plus many more ridiculous episodes of pain. None of them have ever hurt like the Emma Freuds giving you trouble, I can tell you. God bless all the mothers out there, because I have no doubt child birth is worse than a cat-arse-trophy like mine and I respect you all the more for going through with it.

After several weeks and months of treatment and examination by wonderful NHS staff, my ailment had been diagnosed as an anal fissure and I was mostly cured. I still pray every night that I have beaten this terrible affliction.

Part of the healing process was a visit to hospital for an endoscopy examination, i.e: a camera up the bum. The problem was determined, and thus, this was purely a precautionary measure.

My examination was held at the Nuffield hospital in Chester, who were helping the local NHS heroes in a dire time. I was somewhat apprehensive, but was very well looked after by the nurses and doctors there. I had fasted for hours. Then, I had to wait in a rather grand, clean white room, wearing my surgical gown.

Whilst waiting for the exam, I was entertained by music playing around the hospital ward. It was a mixture of classic pop, rock and disco, mostly from the Seventies, and I enjoyed every second. Tapping my fingers and singing along, I was relaxed and optimistic for the procedure. I was so happy, I made a mental note of as many songs as I could remember and created this playlist.

Here is the playlist, which I recommend to lighten your spirits in adverse moments!

ABBA – “Take a Chance on Me”
Rainbow – “Since You’ve Been Gone”
Toto – “Hold the Line”
Blondie – “One Way or Another”
Buggles – “Video Killed the Radio Star”
Rod Stewart – “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”
Yvonne Elliman – “If I Can’t Have You”
Bee Gees – “Jive Talkin'”
Stevie Wonder – “Superstition”
Wild Cherry – “Play That Funky Music”
Boston – “More Than a Feeling”
Kiss – “I Was Made for Loving You”
T-Rex – “Get It On”
The O’Jays – “Love Train”
Hues Corporation – “Rock the Boat”
Genesis – “Follow You, Follow Me”
Boney M – “Daddy Cool”
The Nolans – “I’m in the Mood for Dancing”

Those are all the songs I could remember (the gas they gave me may have blurred some of my memory). But what a great selection of songs! I’ll bet anyone would feel ecstatic with tunes like those to cheer you up.

One thing that made me laugh, was waiting for the doctor to visit me with a camera to go up the nether eye whilst “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” was blaring out. That song was so inappropriate I couldn’t help but chortle.

This blog was brought to you in association with the Viz Profanisaurus, a modern work of literary genius.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #21

Posted on March 14, 2021 by platinumal

I promised you lucky readers more Singles Night fun soon – and here you go. Another twenty 7″ vinyl singles, played one after the other, to create this sensational playlist.

Pour yourself a drink and join me, as we delve into the deep recesses of my thus far unplayed record collection for a night of rock’n’roll mayhem. Prepare to have your socks well and truly rocked…

Chris Cornell – “Patience” / “Nothing Compares ” U”
Sweet Apple – “I’ve Got a Feeling (That Won’t Change)” / “Dead Moon (Demo Version)”
ABBA – “The Winner Takes It All” / “Elaine”
The Knack – “My Sharona” / “Let Me Out”
Free – “Wishing Well” / “Let Me Show You”
Thin Lizzy – “The Boys Are Back in Town” / “Emerald”
Cheap Trick – “I Want You to Want Me” / “Clock Strikes Ten”
The Who – “5.15” / “Water”
Bachman Turner Overdrive – “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” / “Free Wheelin'”
The Beach Boys – “Break Away” / “Celebrate the News”
Stakker – “Humanoid” / “Humanoid (Part 2)”
Flying Lizards – “Money” / “TV”
Faith No More – “Anne’s Song” / “Greed”
Hi Tek 3 ft. Ya Kid K – “Spin That Wheel (Turtles Get Real) 7″ Pizza Mix” / “7” Pizza Dub Mix”
Phil Collins – “In the Air Tonight” / “The Roof is Leaking”
Forrest – “Rock the Boat” / “Loving You”
Stan Ridgway – “Camouflage” / “Rio Greyhound”
Ella Fitzgerald – “Desafinado” / “Stardust (Bossa Nova)”
Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Green River” / “Commotion”
Python Lee Jackson – “In a Broken Dream” / “Boogie Woogie Joe”

Boom! What a great collection. My favourite Who song, Thin Lizzy’s best (?), BTO and Free. That Knack song is, of course, a classic – as is the Cheap Trick track. All were from a record fair (remember those?) if I recall correctly.

That Faith No More song is their very worst, by an otherwise spectacular band. I’m no Phil Collins fan really, but that track is pretty good, admit it. Throw in Flying Lizards and The Beach Boys and you’ve got a helluva playlist. And if you don’t love “Camouflage” there must be something wrong with you.

The Chris Cornell was a Record Store Day special which I picked up from VOD records in Mold. Great shop who also organised the record fair I mentioned above. Check them out here.

Till next time – keep rockin’!

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #13

Posted on January 23, 2020 by platinumal

Unlucky for some, eh? Well, this thirteenth edition of Singles Night was far from unlucky for me – I had a great night.

It’s been a while since I’ve thrilled you with a blog like this. So what is Singles Night, exactly? Well, I’ll tell you: it’s basically me playing through a stack of 7 inch vinyl singles in the order they’re stacked in. Like a jukebox, but not as good.

The quality of these discs can vary dramatically. Some are classics I’ve spent a couple of quid on. Some are charity shop finds, or even donations given to me. As such they can range from the unfathomably cool to the stinkiest of cheese.

It’s always good fun though. So take a dip in the Virtual Hot Tub with me, and enjoy a playlist unlike any other…

The Donnas – “Who Invited You” / “Mama’s Boy”
Windsor Davies & Don Estelle – “Whispering Grass” / “I Should Have Known”
Elvis Presley – “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” / “”Loving You”
Chas’n’Dave – “Stars Over 45” / “Harem”
Neil Diamond – “Be Mine Tonight” / “Right By You”
Depeche Mode – “Get the Balance Right” / “The Great Outdoors”
Small Faces – “Sha-La-La-La-Lee” / “Grow Your Own”
Right Said Fred – “Don’t Talk Just Kiss” / “Don’t Talk Just Kiss (Instrumental)”
Bad Manners – “Lip Up Fatty” / “Night Bus to Dalston”
Cyndi Lauper – “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” / “Right Track Wrong Train”
Feargal Sharkey – “A Good Heart” / “Anger is Holy”
Bruce Willis – “Under the Boardwalk” / “Jackpot (Bruno’s Bop)”
Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 – “The Fool on the Hill” / “With a Little Help From My Friends”
Pat Benatar – “Love is a Battlefield” / “Here’s My Heart”
Gloria Gaynor – “I Will Survive” / “Anybody Wanna Party?”
Kenny Rogers & The First Edition – “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” / “Girl Get a Hold of Yourself”
Showaddywaddy – “Blue Moon” / “I Think I’m Really Going Out of My Mind”
REO Speedwagon – “Keep On Loving You” / “Follow My Heart”
Salt-N-Pepa – “Do You Want Me (Remix)” / “Do You Want Me (Original)”
Carl Douglas – “Kung Fu Fighting” / “Gamblin’ Man”
Judas Priest – “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'” / “Exciter (Live Version)”
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – “Sweet Dreams” / “Psycho”
Iron Maiden – “Flight of Icarus” / “I’ve Got the Fire”
Motorhead – “Bomber” / “Over the Top”
Village People – “Y.M.C.A.” / “The Women”

My favourite of all of those records is the Donnas single – just awesome rock’n’roll. They’re a great band, I just wish I had the album on vinyl.

Other classics from Motorhead (one of their best singles, with a beauty on the B-side); Judas Priest at their best; great Small Faces and one of the greatest singles of all time – “Kung Fu Fighting”. If I remember, I was actually up on my feet at that point, doing a few martial arts inspired moves. I’d been drinking, after all.

There’s a fair spread of cheese in that lot too, though you can’t go wrong with “Y.M.C.A.”, “I Will Survive” and “A Good Heart”. Not to mention one of my childhood favourites, “Whispering Grass”. Enjoyable songs all.

The one real stinker of the bunch was the Bruce Willis tune. I remember liking that as a kid, ‘cos I was a fan of Moonlighting. Listening to it again – with its terrible 80’s production and Bruce’s “adequate” voice ruining a soul classic – it’s less Die Hard than Die of Embarrassment.

Till next time!

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #2

Posted on July 17, 2018 by platinumal

Here we go again! Quick recap:

I’ve bought loads of 7″ singles; some good, some bad, some ugly. I decided to listen through the pile by having an evening playing them all in the order in which they were bought; oldest first, A side then B side. This is the list of what I played.

As before, some of these songs are absolute gems – some are absolute stinkers. Don’t judge me; this is already difficult enough for me to confess.

Yes, there’s another Sinitta song. I know it’s terrible, but in my defence she’s in my record collection ‘cos she’s a babe. Trust me, she’s well foxy on the cover of this single. So, sorry about that one.

All in all, though, I feel this is a much less cheesy selection than last time. There might even be a few cool choices. And remember – this is all 7 inch vinyl only!

Now, shall we proceed with the embarrassment?

Steve Winwood – “Higher Love” / “And I Go”
Sinitta – “Hitchin’ a Ride” / “I’m On My Way”
Madonna – “Papa Don’t Preach” / “Ain’t No Big Deal”
Bob Dylan – “Is Your Love in Vain?” / “We Better Talk This Over”
Peter Gabriel – “Games Without Frontiers” / “The Start” / “I Don’t Remember”
George Harrison – ” My Sweet Lord” / “What a Life”
Madness – “Shut Up” / “A Town with No Name”
Toyah – “Thunder in the Mountains” / “Street Addict”
The Jam – “Town Called Malice” / “Precious”
The Beat – “Ackee 1-2-3” / “Monkey Murders”
The Selecter – “Missing Words” / “Carry Go Bring Home”
Blondie – “Denis (Denee)” / “Contact in Red Square” / “Kung Fu Girls”
Herbie Hancock – “You Bet Your Love” / “Knee Deep”
Stevie Wonder – “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” / “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday”
Roxy Music – “The Same Old Scene” / “Lover”

Any comments/abuse on the above are welcome, I’m getting used to it. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy – will be back soon with more.

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night #15

Posted on July 5, 2018 by platinumal

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night

The Queen’s Head, Mold

Friday 22nd June 2018

The mixed grill on my plate was a massive meal, and I tucked in with ravenous glee. For I knew that I would need my strength tonight; this would be Vinyl Night unlike any previous. Tonight, I would test the mettle of all of us in attendance.

Otherwise, it was business as usual for Bring Your Own Vinyl Night at the Queen’s Head in Mold. Beers, goods company and the opportunity to play whatever you liked during a fifteen minute set. Vinyl only, mind!

Although I don’t always run with a theme, this evening I had a definite plan. Ever since I’ve first attended one of these events, put on by the brilliant Halcyon Dreams and VOD Music, there was one song n my collection I really wanted to play. It would inform the rest of my set and provide a connection between all the songs. I decided to leave that track till last, and put together a collection of songs to accompany it.

The question was: How would my star track be received by the audience?

The Beatles – Here Comes the Sun

To start the set, a classic Beatles song written by George Harrison and needing no introduction. Of course it’s from “Abbey Road”, and I love it as it instantly makes me think of summer days, sitting in the sun on the beach. It’s a perfect song; beautifully written and with such an uplifting feel.

Nancy Sinatra + Lee Hazlewood – Summer Wine

Next up was this gem; a duet between Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. I have the album with this track on it, however this version was a 45rpm single that my friend Colin lent to me for the event. “Summer Wine” reminds me in some ways of a Bond theme, it has a little of that drama, but somewhat more relaxed. A wonderful song that brings back memories of holidays abroad and cocktails.

Black Sabbath – Laguna Sunrise

A brief interlude on side 2 of the absolutely essential “Volume 4 album”, here’s yet another tune that demonstrates just how versatile Black Sabbath were. A beautiful relaxing instrumental that effortlessly conjures up an appropriate image, this shows perfectly the genius of Tony Iommi. As good as any song you’ve ever heard.

The Cult – Sun King

After that, the tempo was raised with a full on turbo charge rocker from my old faves, The Cult. This was the 7″ single version, edited down from the album track. One of my preferred songs on the massively successful “Sonic Temple” album from 1989. With a title referencing French King Louis XIV, this is a great fun fists-in-the air macho rocker that reeks of burning up desert highways in a hot rod.

Johnny Griggs/Simon May – When You Go Away (Eldorado Theme – Instrumental)

Could you tell what the theme was, reader? All leading up to this final cut, I wanted to play songs related to summer and sunny days. I used to be a huge fan of hyper naff BBC soap Eldorado when I was a student – so bad it was good, and the Spanish setting used to cheer me up on dreary wet days. Sadly that amazing programme was canned, but I found the single in a Woolworths bargain bin (for 29p, I think) back in the day. Along with my VHS cassette of “The Best of Eldorado”, that’s all the merch from this class show that I have. I played the instrumental B-side here, but cocked up by playing it on 33rpm at the very start. Years of planning, bollocksed.

So there you have it – my summer sun themed set. Although I was ridiculed for the Eldorado song – and quite rightly too – I loved playing it. I managed to ruin my cool reputation with one song, though.

Never mind – as she was leaving, one old dear told me she enjoyed my set very much. I’ll take that as a win.

She must have been an Eldorado fan as well.

Nice one Halcyon Dreams and VOD Music, yet another great Vinyl Night – more soon please.

The Halcyon Dreams blogspot is here.

The Halcyon Dreams mixcloud page is here.

The Halcyon Dreams Facebook page is here.

The VOD music website is here.

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night #14

Posted on May 15, 2018 by platinumal

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night

The Queen’s Head, Mold

Friday 13th April 2018

It’s been a while since I last attended Bring Your Own Vinyl Night, and boy did I miss it. It was great to be back in the Queen’s Head pub in Mold with the chaps from Halcyon Dreams and VOD Music to spin some records.

If you’ve missed previous episodes (where HAVE you been?), it works like this: Each person gets a fifteen minute set to play whatever songs they like, but only on vinyl. Simple as that. Throw in some beer and some music based chat and you’re in for a great time.

As it was getting close to Record Store Day, Tom from Halcyon Dreams pitched a challenge for us would-be DJs: our set had to be comprised of artists who would be releasing music on the day.

No problem, I thought. Here’s how my set went:

Killing Joke – The Wait

To begin, a thunderously loud track from the first Killing Joke album. A riff so mighty that Metallica covered it for their $5.98 EP, this tune also has an incessant tribal beat under the choppy punk guitar. A great song from an essential album, in my opinion. I’ve been a fan of KJ for a long time and they’re still turning out screaming punk/metal/industrial noise to this day.

Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison Blues

Well you can’t go wrong with a bit of Johnny Cash, although I was surprised that this track really seemed to go down well with the pub crowd. Regular readers will know how big a fan of Johnny Cash I am, he’s just unbeatable. This classic song was taken from an old compilation I picked up at a record fair, crammed full of great tunes. I’m glad to say this song seemed very popular!

L7 – Everglade

Another crushing riff, this time from the “Bricks Are Heavy” album from all-girl punk rock grungers L7. My favourite song from that album, and one of my favourite bands from that era. I saw the band live a couple of years ago at Download fest, they were amazing. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that girls can’t rock – L7 were the best band of the day.

The Members – Sound of the Suburbs

And finally, an old punk rock classic on 45rpm courtesy of the Members. This track also seemed popular! I only have the 7 inch single of this song, so I could do with tracking down some more records by them. Great fun.

So that wraps up another Bring Your Own Vinyl Night, and what a great night it was! My mixing skills need some sharpening up, but I really enjoyed myself. Well done Tom and Colin, looking forward to another bash soon. I know those guys are very busy, but the Vinyl Nights are always a treat. See you soon!