Sinister: B&S for the Insane Completist

Mon Jul 19 17:31:48 BST 1999

Hiya,
	Boy do I love all this tracking down obscure info. There's likely
something wrong with me, isn't there?

hay fever wrote:
> well it's not that easy. people seem to sit on them like if they were
> exposed to light they would melt and be ruined forever. but i bet that > a lot of the listies have these songs on tapes, mds or cdrs in their 
> bedrooms. i have calculated that these tracks;

	You know, I see where you're coming from, but don't forget that a lot
of us have made umpteen copies of these for people. It gets so you have
10 or 12 tapes you have to make people and you feel guilty that each day
goes by where you don't get one made. So the prospect of making more
becomes quite unpleasant and stressful unless you get something in
return. 

> - Family Tree (have only been heard in dublin if my memory is right)

	Oooh, that's a new one to me! 

> - Hurley's Got A Dream (or Hurley's Having Dreams, demo)
> - Pocketbook Angel (i only have this one on demo tape aswell)
> - London Has Let Me Down (i got this from a demo tape)

	None of these are, to my knowledge, B&S songs. They were all written &
recorded by Stuart M before the formation of the band. It should be
noted, however, that supposedly a number of B&S came (come?) from Stuart
M. demos, and that all three of these are gems, especially the summery
Pocketbook Angel. They all sound pretty much like B&S too, except with
double-tracked vocals and other 4-track-sounding things. I think that
everyone who has a tape of Stuart's demos aside fromt these 3 songs has
taken a vow of secrecy, because there are reportedly several of them (3
or 4 I think) and that only 3 tracks have surfaced is a sort of reverse
miracle, I think. 
	I made a post about this some time ago, and I think I had been able to
squeeze some of the titles out of people. One of the tapes I think was
called Lisa Helps the Blind, which could mean it was the same material
as was played at the in-store which someone mentioned (Andy Dean, was
it?) being at. Also there is a possible connection with the song
"Beautiful," ("They let Lisa go blind, let Lisa go blind, let Lisa go
bli-i-ind" =).
	Er, yes, and possibly one of the songs entitled "Perfection As a
Hipster," although I'm not sure of the truth to that. Haven't heard the
song either, sad to say. 

> - The Loneliness Of A Middle Distance Runner (live, demo and radio)

	My money says this is the A-side of the next single. Besides the fact
that it's brilliant, Stuart M. posted and I believe he said somethign on
the order of the best song they'd written yet. It's been written for
some time, but the band can't get a version they like recorded.

> - Lord Anthony (there are a few really nice audience recordings)
> - Paperboat (bbc camper sand has a really nice version of this one)

	Also listed as being on the next ep and Stuart M. mentioned the band
had just recorded each in two posts to the list some time ago.

> - Rhoda (also only on demo but i might be live version of this one)

	If anyone has a live version I'd like to hear it. From what I've been
told, it was written between Tigermilk & Sinister, recorded with
Sinister, became an outtake (much like Modern Rock Song was for a time)
and likely will remain so. Decent song, beautiful lyrics, shoddy 9th gen
copies of it =)  There was also a mention of this once having been a
possibility of being included on one or another the 3 Summer EPs but I
guess it never happened.

> - Tigermilk (instrumental track, written for TBWTAS, great quality)

	Was this really written for TWATTYBUS? I remember some people had heard
it live. If anyone has this I'd really *really* like to hear it. I have
lots of stuff to trade too...  

> - Landslide
> - Winter Wooskie (bbc bowlie recording and from the dublin show)

	Mentioned possibly as being on the next album in an interview with
Stuart David (see
<http://www.majordomo.net/sinister/cgi-local/listsearch.cgi?query=winter+woofkie&Search.x=77&Search.y=16>
or search the archives for Winter Woofkie). Other song titles mentioned:
Marx and Engels, I Fought In A War, Once Upon A Weekend, Wake Her Up.

> - The Wrong Girl/Love (few really good recordings of this one around)

	Also featured on a session. I wonder if it might not get a proper
release. Far and away my favorite Stevie song. I recall hearing that all
the songs on the next album would be Stuart M. songs, which cast a doubt
on the likelihood it'll be on the next album. Then again, I haven't had
time to listen to my Bowlie tape yet, isn't Winter Wooskie/Woofkie a
Stuart D. song, and isn't Landslide an Isobel one?
> hmmm i have localized these tracks to be covers but i am not sure,
> 
> - Turn Turn Turn (the Byrds)
> - The Kids Are Alright (the Who)
> - In A Nutshell (Orange  Juice)
> - What Goes On (Beatles)
> - Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son (France Gall)

	Yep, but also there are:

An R.E.M. song whose name escapes me
"Shadows Breaking Over My Head," by the Left Banke
"Reel Around the Fountain" by the Smiths
a song from Beck's first album
"Mirror" by the Velvet Underground & Nico
and a song or two that escape me...

> wouldn't be suprised if you would add any Felt track to the list,

	Haven't heard of it yet, but I do have a recording of Stuart David
reading Ink Polaroids overtop of "A Preacher in New England," which I
once thought was the instrumental Tigermilk.

I have now witnessed the joy that is the search engine. For the curious,
here's my post on other silly trainspotting minutiae:

http://www.majordomo.net/sinister/cgi-local/listsearch.cgi?query=lisa+helps+the+blind&Search.x=41&Search.y=16

see my post, and also if you're curious Andy Dean's post on seeing the
two Stuarts open for the Pastels in '95. 
	Sorry to those of you who don't find this stuff fascinating like me.
You know, though, anything I could do would be put to shame by New
Order/Factory fanatics. There's even a New Order gig-ography with every
known concert and its respective setlist, info, comments. Some obsessive
B&S needs to start doing one for our favorite Glaswegians, we're already
way behind...

	Mick McMick at work
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
   +---+  Brought to you by the reborn Sinister mailing list  +---+
  To send to the list mail "sinister at majordomo.net". To unsubscribe
   send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to
  "majordomo at majordomo.net".  WWW: http://www.majordomo.net/sinister
 +-+  "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students" +-+
 +-+  "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+
 +-+                     "jelly-filled danishes"                   +-+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+