My Holy Grail...FINALLY!
Jun 18, 2018 18:13:36 GMT -5
MissNovemberTuesday, redmumba, and 11 more like this
Post by errbt on Jun 18, 2018 18:13:36 GMT -5
When I finally took the plunge from casual fan who really liked D2's run of 1983 US Hit Singles (see Iamfavre's wonderful nostalgic thread over in the main Forum for lots of reminiscing about that magical year) to buying anything and everything from the band, in January 1984 with the release of New Moon on Monday (my first Duran 7"...and 12", opening the floodgates), I was consumed with learning more about this band that sounded like no other and completely captivated me, mainly with their music but certainly also with their visual style, in everything from their videos to their record sleeve artwork to just how they looked in photos. Luckily Star Hits magazine (US version of the UK's legendary Smash Hits) fired up at that time with their debut February '84 issue with you-know-who on the cover, and I was able to begin learning their backstory, etc.
However, the first real interview I heard with the band was a radio special from August of '84, the Spotlight Special. It featured a bunch of their songs, including singles as well as album cuts off the first three records, interspersed with interview bits with Simon and Nick. I caught it on the radio after it had already started, panickedly threw in the nearest cassette (which was the first of three Duran compilation cassettes I'd recorded off of the vinyl I'd bought to that point), and hit record on my tape deck. Sadly, there wasn't that much space left on that cassette. I only recorded the interview bits, pausing each time they went to a song (because I already had all of them, owning the first three albums by that point) or a commercial, but still the tape ran out and I had to switch to the end of another cassette. Plus, the signal was weak for whatever reason (it might have even been on AM radio?) and was getting worse in spots to the point of being static gibberish.
Anyway, apologies for rambling. The point is, that Spotlight Special gave me the first glimpse into the dull grayness of the Birmingham industrial scene and how they yearned to escape and rise above it (by "joining either a pop group or a football team because it was the only way to get out" as Simon said) and great stories like the first time they arrived in the US, in New York at JFK. It even delved into the bullshit treatment they were already getting from the arrogant, elitist US music press, the "we're god-ordained to tell you which artists are serious, acceptable and respectable and which aren't" (I call it the "Rolling Stone" mentality) ones in particular. There I was, galvanizing to defend my new favorite band within a year after having even learned they existed, and within just a few months of having become an obsessed fan.
Fast forward to the last ten years. I was desperate to hear the entire broadcast, and in listenable quality, and searched online repeatedly and could never find either the original broadcast LPs or anyone either selling a CDr of the recording or offering an mp3 download. Finally I put it on my wanted list on Discogs, and waited...and waited...and waited. It'd been years at this point, until last week when I got an email - IN STOCK, original 2LP box set, listed as being in great shape, and from a 99.9% positive rated seller. A high price though, so first I searched again online for maybe the stroke of luck of having some Blog or site newly offering it as a download... and I thought I'd found one, on what turned out to be a scam of a "free site", usenet.nl (do NOT try them!!!), not at all associated with the "real" usenet, and luckily I searched "usenet.nl scam" before giving them any info (when you find your wanted item and click "download" they ask for your email and payment method to charge your "free" trial if you don't cancel within two weeks). From what I read over and over, aside from the horror stories of demanding money from people for years while claiming they didn't cancel (when the did, or tried over and over but weren't able to), they didn't even have half of the downloads they claimed to, so I don't think I would have ended up with what I was there for to begin with!
SO, back to the Discogs Marketplace...made an offer of half of what the seller wanted, got a quick reply that they were willing to split the difference, hemmed and hawed (it was still going to be the most I've spent on a single D2 item since I got a hold of the Night Versions/Carnival/Tiger Tiger/Strange Behaviour Japan 2CD set), and...went for it. It arrived today intact and in awesome shape (box very good, records as close to mint as you can get for a non-sealed item), just four days after I ordered it!
I haven't even sat down to listen to it yet. Took some pics as soon as I got home, typed this post, and am going off to listen right now. I can't wait to hear Nick's goofy "pancakes for breakfast, I couldn't beLIEEEEVE it!!!" line when describing the first time they ordered a fancy hotel breakfast in NYC. Kills me every time!
Pics below of "my precious" by itself plus together with my only other radio show original, the legendary Westwood One Oakland Show, in its wonderful raw form (before the horrendous sanitizing and bastardizing that turned most of it into Arena)!
PS As I do not currently have the ability to rip vinyl, I was wondering if there might be the slimmest chance that anyone here happens to have an mp3 or FLAC of it, so as not to be chained to a turntable in order to listen to it? I guess I should have asked before I bought the item because all I really wanted was the audio, to be able to hear it again (and complete), but...even if it does turn up, I'm still glad I went for it! It seems to be exceedingly rare. If I ever stop being lame and get an MP3 turntable, I'll be sure to upload it for y'all, if it is indeed not already out there and shareable!
However, the first real interview I heard with the band was a radio special from August of '84, the Spotlight Special. It featured a bunch of their songs, including singles as well as album cuts off the first three records, interspersed with interview bits with Simon and Nick. I caught it on the radio after it had already started, panickedly threw in the nearest cassette (which was the first of three Duran compilation cassettes I'd recorded off of the vinyl I'd bought to that point), and hit record on my tape deck. Sadly, there wasn't that much space left on that cassette. I only recorded the interview bits, pausing each time they went to a song (because I already had all of them, owning the first three albums by that point) or a commercial, but still the tape ran out and I had to switch to the end of another cassette. Plus, the signal was weak for whatever reason (it might have even been on AM radio?) and was getting worse in spots to the point of being static gibberish.
Anyway, apologies for rambling. The point is, that Spotlight Special gave me the first glimpse into the dull grayness of the Birmingham industrial scene and how they yearned to escape and rise above it (by "joining either a pop group or a football team because it was the only way to get out" as Simon said) and great stories like the first time they arrived in the US, in New York at JFK. It even delved into the bullshit treatment they were already getting from the arrogant, elitist US music press, the "we're god-ordained to tell you which artists are serious, acceptable and respectable and which aren't" (I call it the "Rolling Stone" mentality) ones in particular. There I was, galvanizing to defend my new favorite band within a year after having even learned they existed, and within just a few months of having become an obsessed fan.
Fast forward to the last ten years. I was desperate to hear the entire broadcast, and in listenable quality, and searched online repeatedly and could never find either the original broadcast LPs or anyone either selling a CDr of the recording or offering an mp3 download. Finally I put it on my wanted list on Discogs, and waited...and waited...and waited. It'd been years at this point, until last week when I got an email - IN STOCK, original 2LP box set, listed as being in great shape, and from a 99.9% positive rated seller. A high price though, so first I searched again online for maybe the stroke of luck of having some Blog or site newly offering it as a download... and I thought I'd found one, on what turned out to be a scam of a "free site", usenet.nl (do NOT try them!!!), not at all associated with the "real" usenet, and luckily I searched "usenet.nl scam" before giving them any info (when you find your wanted item and click "download" they ask for your email and payment method to charge your "free" trial if you don't cancel within two weeks). From what I read over and over, aside from the horror stories of demanding money from people for years while claiming they didn't cancel (when the did, or tried over and over but weren't able to), they didn't even have half of the downloads they claimed to, so I don't think I would have ended up with what I was there for to begin with!
SO, back to the Discogs Marketplace...made an offer of half of what the seller wanted, got a quick reply that they were willing to split the difference, hemmed and hawed (it was still going to be the most I've spent on a single D2 item since I got a hold of the Night Versions/Carnival/Tiger Tiger/Strange Behaviour Japan 2CD set), and...went for it. It arrived today intact and in awesome shape (box very good, records as close to mint as you can get for a non-sealed item), just four days after I ordered it!
I haven't even sat down to listen to it yet. Took some pics as soon as I got home, typed this post, and am going off to listen right now. I can't wait to hear Nick's goofy "pancakes for breakfast, I couldn't beLIEEEEVE it!!!" line when describing the first time they ordered a fancy hotel breakfast in NYC. Kills me every time!
Pics below of "my precious" by itself plus together with my only other radio show original, the legendary Westwood One Oakland Show, in its wonderful raw form (before the horrendous sanitizing and bastardizing that turned most of it into Arena)!
PS As I do not currently have the ability to rip vinyl, I was wondering if there might be the slimmest chance that anyone here happens to have an mp3 or FLAC of it, so as not to be chained to a turntable in order to listen to it? I guess I should have asked before I bought the item because all I really wanted was the audio, to be able to hear it again (and complete), but...even if it does turn up, I'm still glad I went for it! It seems to be exceedingly rare. If I ever stop being lame and get an MP3 turntable, I'll be sure to upload it for y'all, if it is indeed not already out there and shareable!