The Fork Me 7" vinyl collection thread

The Fork Me 7" vinyl collection thread

Billy Joel - Uptown Girl
(Single, CBS, 1983, A3775)



A Uptown Girl
B Careless talk

There was some weird dance that old women used to do to this when you were stuck doing the sort of DJ gig that loads of old women were at. I should hate this track, it's catchy and shit, but somehow I always end up singing alone...

On the bright side, it's better than the cover by Westlife, who managed to take a crap song and make it worse...

The Fork Me 7" vinyl collection thread

Billy Ocean - When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going
(Single, Jive, 1986, JIVE 114)



A When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going
B When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going (Instrumental)

I didn't like a lot of his stuff, but I did like this. Nuff said.

The Fork Me 7" vinyl collection thread

Bing Crosby - White Christmas
(Single, MCA, 1968, MU 1107)



A White Christmas
B The First Snowfall

Another oldie, possibly the most covered song in the World.

Not a lot to say about it really.

The Fork Me 7" vinyl collection thread

Bis - The Secret Vampire Soundtrack
(EP, Chemikal Underground, 1996, Chem003)



A1 Kandy Pop
A2 Secret Vampires
B1 Teen-C Power
B2 Diska

Bubblegum indie pop. Bis were fronted by Manda Rin (Amanda McKinnon) and were the first band to go on Top Of The Pops without either a record contrat or a release. They performed Kandy Pop which was due to be released the following week by a tiny company that had agreed to do that one record. They'd formed in 94 while Amanda was still in school.

They had three EPs hit the singles chart in the UK and their first albym sold well in Japan. They are, however, probably still best known for the closing credits of The Powerpuff Girls.

The Fork Me 7" vinyl collection thread

Bis - Sweet Shop Avengerz
(EP, Wiiija, 1997, WIJ 67)



A1 Sweet Shop Avengerz
A2 I'll Get You Back
B1 Rollerblade Zero
B2 Ninja Hi Skool

More of the same, I liked Bis.

The Fork Me 7" vinyl collection thread

Bitty McLean - Over The River
(Single, Brilliant Recording Company, 1995, bril 9)



A Over The River
B Time (Raw Mix)

Bitty McLean is a British reggae singer. He used to work as a technician for UB40 before he started his own career. Not a bad grounding.

He's a bit poppy, but I quite like his stuff. This was the first single from his second LP. It's a cover of an old Justin Hinds track. Hinds was one of the pioneers of Jamaican ska back in the 60s.

The Fork Me 7" vinyl collection thread

Björk - Venus As A Boy
(Single, One Little Indian, 1993, 122 TP7)



A Edit
B 7" Dream Mix

Aaaah, Bjork, pixie faced nordic musical genius. Bjork got her record deal on the right label, if she was signed to a major she wouldn't have been able to do half of what she did and probably wouldn't have been as successful. Major labels like to play it safe and the best way to work with a free spirit like Bjork is to just let her do it her way, which is exactly what One Little Indian did.

OLI were a label formed by a couple of anarchists, originally to release anarcho punk stuff that wasn't getting released otherwise. They soon realised that there were a whole host of bands of a whole host of genres that weren't getting released because they were too different so they expanded their remit. The Shamen were to be their first big success, closely followed by Bjork, who originally signed with the label as singer of the Sugar Cubes. One Little Indian are known for giving their artists free reign to express themselves with little to no label interference, and it's a method that's worked. Unlike most of the indie labels that have been around as long as them, OLI have managed to resist all the corporate buy out attempts and remain firmly independent.

The Fork Me 7" vinyl collection thread

Black Britain - Ain't No Rockin' In A Police State
(Single, 10 Records, 1986, TEN 106)



A Ain't No Rockin' In A Police State
B Cold On The Streets (Extra Rockin' Groove)

In the other thread I gave the press version of Black Britain's signing, it goes something like this.

Sometime in the mid '80s rumours started circulating about a violent racist black band in Brixton. The record companies were intrigued. Did this band really exist? Where they as bad as their reputation suggested? DO they REALLY eat white babies for breakfast? And if they do, will this help to sell records? The band were found and not only were they not racist, they were a mixed race band, and contrary to the rumours, rather than being violent, they were a bunch of nice guys with a strong anti-drugs message. 10 Records (owned by Virgin) signed them anyway. The original rumours were, apparently, spread by a mate of theirs without their knowledge.

That was the story put about in the music press at the time, however, I've since found out that the band's fairy godfather, was in fact, the Modfather himself, Paul Weller. Now I don't know if Weller started working with them before or after they got their contract, but if it was before, it would be fantastic if he was the mystery "mate" that started the rumours. I doubt it though, it's not really his style.

Anyway, on with the music, I REALLY liked Black Britain and I'm not really sure why they didn't become a lot bigger than they were. This was their debut single, and awesome it is.

The Fork Me 7" vinyl collection thread

Black Britain - Night People
(Single, 10 Records, 1987, TEN 133)



A Night People
B Night People (Version)

More of the same...

The Fork Me 7" vinyl collection thread

Black Crowes - High Head Blues / A Conspiracy
(Single, American Recordings, 1994, 74321 25845-7)



A1 High Head Blues
A2 A Conspiracy
B Remedy (Live)

What can I say about the Black Crowes? Awesome US blues based rock band, been going since 1989. I saw them live opening the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington when AC/DC headlined in 1991.


Listen for yourselves...