As promised, we're skipping back in time from the debut of the re-tooled, modern-rock Del Amitri with Waking Hours
in 1989, to the debut of the original, alt-coustic, small-d del Amitri in 1985. Actually, in this brief five-song installment, we're going back even further than that, to the band's indie-label first single from '83, Sense Sickness b/w The Difference Is. The latter song was re-recorded as a b-side of the Hammering Heart 12" single, but that was later appended to the excellent Superfecta reissue of the first album
along with three other b-sides (two originals and a cover of "Brown Eyed Girl") which are therefore not included here. However, the A-side of that 12" was a hot, re-recorded version of Hammering Heart, which was not included on the cd reissue, so it is here! Perhaps the rarest track here is "Out In The Wind", which appeared only on a 12" single included with an issue of UK music rag Record Mirror, and seems to date from the period of the first album or just after. The final song here is the very silly "Charlie's Bar", a free fan-club flexi-disc Christmas record from late 1986. Intriguing and fun but not necessarily good for too many repeat listens, maybe just once a year around the holidays. Just like the Xmas records the Beatles used to make!
in 1989, to the debut of the original, alt-coustic, small-d del Amitri in 1985. Actually, in this brief five-song installment, we're going back even further than that, to the band's indie-label first single from '83, Sense Sickness b/w The Difference Is. The latter song was re-recorded as a b-side of the Hammering Heart 12" single, but that was later appended to the excellent Superfecta reissue of the first album along with three other b-sides (two originals and a cover of "Brown Eyed Girl") which are therefore not included here. However, the A-side of that 12" was a hot, re-recorded version of Hammering Heart, which was not included on the cd reissue, so it is here! Perhaps the rarest track here is "Out In The Wind", which appeared only on a 12" single included with an issue of UK music rag Record Mirror, and seems to date from the period of the first album or just after. The final song here is the very silly "Charlie's Bar", a free fan-club flexi-disc Christmas record from late 1986. Intriguing and fun but not necessarily good for too many repeat listens, maybe just once a year around the holidays. Just like the Xmas records the Beatles used to make!The band's sound at this point was kinetic and original, with intersecting, angular acoustic guitar lines that always remind me of a folkier, more melodic -- and romantic -- version of Television, as I said in my last post. I should note that, in addition to Justin Currie and Iain Harvie (the only two permanent Dels), the band members during this period included Bryan Tolland playing one of those interesting, intersecting guitars and the convivial Paul Tyagi on drums. Credit is also due to the band's early manager, Barbara Shores, for working diligently to build them a fan base both in the UK and in the States, where they did a fan-sponsored "Whistle Stop Tour" in the summer of 1986. I was privileged to attend the band's very first American concert at Maxwell's in Hoboken, as well as receive lots of correspondence and free goodies from the band back in the day. Thanks Barbara! Wherever you are, this installment of The Rare Stuff is dedicated to you!
(Vinyl rips>wav>mp3@320)
, was released as a companion to the Best Of compilation, 
, but that disc contained only a baker's dozen (plus one hidden track) of those rare songs. (Since that album is still in print in the U.K. - available at Amazon through the above link - its songs will not be included in these posts.)
, since they will no doubt have broader appeal. But their are a handful of early tracks which were not appended to the great reissue of the debut from a few years ago (which added three bonus tracks), which I will offer next as Vol. 1 in the series, before continuing chronologically through the band's career. There will be posts of uncollected songs from each stage of their career, followed by a series of live and/or alternate recordings.
, a strong follow-up to his masterful solo debut, 
version is good and atmospheric, if a bit too brooding overall. His later remake is pointless in the extreme. Some cover versions have been nice, but not quite perfect. But here, backed by some of New York folk-rock's finest (no credits, but I'm betting that's Paul Harris on keys, for one), and taking the tune at a brisk but still contemplative pace (kudos to that drummer), all the song's atmosphere rises and audibly fills the room. And Blue's singing, strangely, sounds better live than he usually sounded in the studio.
but still doing plenty of stuff from previous album 
. The EL songs sound great in live band format, especially "Walking Down Madison", in contrast to the more studio-bound sound of that album. And her personality shines through in her stage banter as well. R.I.P. Kirsty.
, the additional song from the Shakespeare settings on John Harle's album that did not appear on the
bonus disc, one more demo from the Wendy James songs, a rare acoustic version of 
track "Tart", and covers of Randy Newman, Charles Mingus, the Grateful Dead, and, yes, a song from 
. Also, there's some uncertainty about the origins of the version of "Watching the Detectives" here; it originally appeared on a long-ago free cassette given away with the NME. It was listed there as a demo, but is now believed to be a live performance from Top of the Pops, November 2, 1977. See previous post for a link to the master list of "gaps" in EC's discography.
and 
might not be their creators' best works ever, but there is certainly great stuff to be found in both albums, and these discussions of the process involved in their creation should be interesting for fans. For an additional entry in the "Words + Music" promo series, see my