More RSM
Who says buying on the internet is impersonal, lacks that magical geographical aspect? Last Friday I heard back from GEMM after ordering my copy of "Phonography". They were requesting that I send a cheque to California so they could forward it to the dealer who lived, um, about two streets away from me in Islington. No, GEMM, we said. I called Andrew of Retro Vinyl and we fixed up a time. The towerblocks around us have stunning views. It always makes me laugh how people who pay a fortune to live in the Barbican complex, in er, towerblocks, somehow manage to behave haughtily to people who live in council property. Certainly it's *because* the difference is so slight that they go into class-emphasis-overdrive. Anyway, whatever.
Andrew was on something like the 53rd floor. He has a huge amount records. Two whole rooms, though only a "3 by 6" of stuff he wasn't selling. Geeta, who came round the other day made a remark to me about how few records I had. Mark Sinker and I kinda chortled. It was one of those conspicuously de-masculinising moments. I don't think I've got a small record collection (blushes), it measures up I reckon. I know Twitch has lofts and lofts of stuff, but he's a big name DJ. Likwise Weatherall, who apparently has stuff filling the kitchen, the hallway, the bathroom etc. DJ Spooky apparently has an entire room. Reynolds allegedly has a whole room too; although when I visited Simon last he only had two small shelves on view. I was devastated naturally, too polite to remark (gulp) "Oh master, is that all of which we speak..." It's quality not quantity cloth-ears! (mumbling) I've sold on twice that amount..... Anyway, Andrew has lots of records. Was listening to The Cure and commented: "Does this qualify as a guilty pleasure?" "Probably" I replied. I wonder if he wasn't a little nervous of meeting a freak from the web? I'm so entirely used to this nowadays.
I picked up "Phonography", which is stunning. Plied full of Beatles-y harmonies it featuring stunning musicianship. RSM is quite self-consciously a maestro, maybe that's why he records alone here? Brazenly show-off guitar runs, nifty drum-fills, production wizardry too. There are some fantastically catchy numbers, my faves being "Goodbye Piano", "California Rhythm" and bizarre interludes (RSM introducing himself as he has a piss and double-tracking himself in dialogue with himself). In fact it reminded me a great deal of Todd Rungdren's "Something Anything" another virtuoso one-man band performance, but for the power-pop in a phone-booth atmosphere (which Todd struggles against and RSM embraces) and it's "classic rawk" flavours rather than anything else. Given that it was recorded between 1974 and 1976 it's presciently new-wave; new-wave being less about Punk (this is the science bit) more about galvanised, authetically modernist Pop. Do RSM and yourself a favour and buy a copy here. Trust me, it's totally excellent.
As I was leaving I poked my head out of Andrew's window, and lo, in the shimmering distance, just past the football pitches, through a gap in the trees, beside the glinting silver car I could see my house.