technology's sometimes a great thing. Mostly not, but sometimes it offers you that wee door to somewhere you'd either forgotten existed, or simply hadn't dreamed of visiting.
So converting old vinyl and cassettes to MP3 seems on one level to be monstrous. A desecration of the old to make way for the conveniently new. Portable record collections, everyone? Actually, yes! don't mind if I do!
So I've been furiously converting old tapes by Violent Femmes, Long Ryders, Frank Black, Son Volt, The Specials and hundreds of vinyl 7" and 12" records by the Fire Engines, orange Juice, TV 21, Our Favorite Band, The Miracle Legion, Guadalcanal Diary etc. Joy!
Great to be able to walk the streets with old music in my ears, and even more of a thrill to have some local bands on there. Radio City, The Blonde Brothers (hello James) The Naturals, Barracuda Boogie Band and genevieve. The latter are a good case in point. Genevieve made one 12 or 13 track demo about 10 years ago but as far as I'm aware thay never made it out of the studio at Murkle bay Sound. So all that remains is a sparse, haounting collection of alt-country ish songs, and the too often typical fate of local bands: a short burst of something, then gone again in a puff of smoke.
So when they finally make "the Best Caithness Album in the World....Ever!" I'll have prepared my own short list already. Wanna know who'll be on it? Okay:
Radio City (both Love and a Picture and She's a Radio)
The Blonde Brothers (probably Talk to you on the Phone)
Ian Sinclair/ After Hours (Transportation or A9)
The Naturals (Strange Days)
Nancy Robertson/Foggo (the first Caithness record!)
Bobby Coghill
Addie harper
Karen Steven
Boss Hogg
Genevieve (White Courtesy Phone)
J Fatts (Smoke up the ganja?)
something from Alistair Wordie (Cheorge, anyone?)
So there you go: probably the least popular selection of artistes ever. Place your orders for the DRM-free download NOW....
