February 1987

4-22-10 February 1987

I somehow managed to successfully save a new release sheet from Music Week (the British equivalent of Billboard) dated 2/9 – 2/13, 1987. This was while I was still working at an importer in Los Angeles.

Be Bop Deluxe – The Best Of (EMI EMS 1130) LP

Dead Or Alive – Mad, Bad & Dangerous To Know (Epic EPC 450257) LP

Earth Opera – The Great American Eagle Tragedy (Edsel ED 215) LP re-issue

Love – Love (Edsel ED 218) LP re-issue

Steve Reich – Six Marimbas (Elektra/Nonesuch K 979138.1) LP

Ten Years After – The Best Of, Vol. 1 (See For Miles SEE 80) LP

Various Artists – The Psychedelic Snarl (Bam Caruso KIRI 024) LP

These are a few of the titles that caught my attention. I was never much of a Be Bop Deluxe fan, but I figured a “Best Of” might do the trick. I didn’t end up getting a copy – until many years later, and even that was a re-mastered CD. Ouch, never could stomach Dead Or Alive. Both Earth Opera and Love were Edsel licensings from the vaults of Elektra Records – classic albums, both. Not sure how long Steve Reich had been signed to Elektra / Nonesuch, but I was quick to snap this one up at the time. Doubt I ever saw the Ten Years After collection – I always look at stuff like that, because you never knew when the re-issue labels would dig up something I didn’t already have – and there’s a few stray TYA tracks lurking. Certainly never saw “The Psychedelic Snarl” – I wonder who’s on it? Bam Caruso could usually do a pretty good job of sifting out the crud from the gold.

There were a handful of other releases this week in England that might appeal:

Jimmy Cliff – Fundamental Reggae (See For Miles SEE 83) LP

Hot Chocolate – The Very Best Of (EMI / RAK EMTV 42) LP

Love Sculpture feat. Dave Edmunds – The Love Sculpture Years, Vol. 1 (EMI EMS 1127) LP

Various Artists – Four From The Madding Crowd: Buchido, Royal Family & The Poor, Intimate Obsessions, Ohama Meets Dania (Third Mind TMLP 16) LP

John Zorn – The Big Gundown (Elektra/Nonesuch K 979139.1) LP

I wonder what Jimmy Cliff material this was made from? Probably not Island label tracks. A TV-advertised Hot Chocolate collection – can’t forget “You Sexy Thing” and “Every 1’s A Winner”! This Love Sculpture collection got past me – I think I didn’t get their rarities until a See For Miles issue about 1990. The Third Mind label are the people who brought you Bill Pritchard, so this is of some interest – who were these artists? And John Zorn releases one in sequence after Steve Reich – with a straight face by WEA UK. I don’t have this one, as I only ever buy John Zorn titles that have John Lurie on them (like “Spillane”).

As we can see by this release sheet, it was not quite ‘CD Time’ as yet…