The split 7" 'Walking Out On Love / The Sun Never Shines' appeared in 1989 as a limited flexi-disc packaged with the third issue of the Scottish fanzine Fine Art of Shoplifting. Released by the tiny Glasgow-based Raving Pop Blast! Records, it brought together two young bands from opposite sides of the Atlantic who were both part of the late-1980s indie pop underground. At a time when fanzines, mail-order catalogs and flexi-discs played a huge role in spreading new music, releases like this became prized snapshots of a thriving DIY scene.
On the A-side, The Velvet Crush were making one of their earliest appearances on record. Paul Chastain and Ric Menck had recently moved from Chicago to Providence, Rhode Island, after several projects together including Choo Choo Train, The Springfields and Bag-O-Shells. With guitarist Jeffrey Underhill joining the lineup, they launched Velvet Crush with a slightly tougher, power pop-influenced sound that still retained their indie pop roots. Their contribution is a spirited cover of Paul Collins' "Walking Out On Love," played with ringing guitars, punchy rhythms and the melodic energy that would soon become the band's trademark. It served as an early preview of the direction they would take before signing with Bus Stop Records and later attracting wider attention through albums such as 'In the Presence of Greatness' and 'Teenage Symphonies to God'.
The flip side features Glasgow's The Golden Dawn, who had already earned a reputation through a pair of acclaimed singles on Sarah Records. Formed in 1986, the group mixed jangly guitars, feedback and a slightly rough-edged approach that set them apart from many of their contemporaries in the UK indie pop scene. "The Sun Never Shines" captures that balance between shimmering melodies and a raw, almost garage-like atmosphere, fitting neatly alongside the band's Sarah releases while showing a darker, noisier edge. Several members would later continue with projects such as Christine's Cat and Besotted after The Golden Dawn came to an end.
Raving Pop Blast! Records was a small independent label closely connected to the Scottish fanzine network, issuing a handful of limited releases that documented emerging guitar pop acts before many of them reached a larger audience. Rather than chasing commercial success, the label focused on introducing exciting new bands through inexpensive, collectible formats such as flexi-discs, making it part of the vibrant cassette-and-fanzine culture that linked fans and musicians across Britain and beyond during the late 1980s.
Label:
Raving Pop Blast! Records – rave 16fx
Format:
Flexi-disc, 7", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single Sided
Country:
UK
Released:
1989
Style:
Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop
Tracklist:
A1 The Velvet Crush – Walking Out On Love
A2 The Golden Dawn – The Sun Never Shines
DOWNLOAD HERE
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario