Only yesterday I finished loading all my bootlegged live Duffy CDs into my iTunes library, and they vary in sound quality, as you would expect. And then today I learned that a show from his 1991 tour is to be officially released in a 3 disc 30th anniversary release of The Lilac Time’s fourth album, Astronauts. I was at the Manchester show on that tour and it was fab, so I’m very much looking forward to this. As a Duffy completist though, it could be an expensive release, as triple vinyl albums are never particularly cheap. Can we please go back to the days of CD releases only???
But wait, there’s more. He’s also finally releasing the demos that he and Dave Kusworth recorded with their band The Hawks. I’ve only heard bits of this, so it’s another exciting release whilst waiting for the 11th Lilac Time album.
http://stephenduffy.com/
Sky black with hats! Love the Duff, and Astronauts is particularly underrated.
I have Astronauts on vinyl from the original release. Great album but the dancey influence on Dreaming always sounded somewhat bolted on to me.
Of course you’re right in the sense that he was one of the many guitar botherers who suddenly found that he’d always had a dance element to his music in 1990-1 (hello Soup Dragons), but Dreaming sounds pretty blissed out to me, especially in remixed form. Perhaps it’s because I was the right age (17) in 1991 and wearing the appropriate stupidly huge clothes. Other trousers are available.
Very true, it was on Creation as well, who had been banging on about being into Acid House etc for a while by then. Am I right in thinking that it was pretty much a posthumous album by the time it came out?
Hypnotone were also on Creation, and featured guest vox from Primal Scream (also on Creation) vocalist Denise Johnson.
He had, of course, done the Dr. Calculus album a few years earlier, so it wasn’t his first flirtation with dance music. I think it was his last though. I have to admit, when the single came out I was a little taken aback and expected the whole album to sound like it, but Dreaming apart it’s probably the gentlest, acousticiest (that should be a word) thing he’s done.
If this is the Needle Mythology release, Pete does do CDs as well.
Although the NM vinyl is mastered at Abbey Road and pressed at Optimal, which is about as good as it gets.
Word. The I Love My Friends reissue was tremendous.
Yes, I’ll get all versions. Hopefully there’s only one of each. Thing is, I haven’t owned a turntable for about 20 years and I have no intention of getting one. If I could click my fingers and have my vinyl collection back, then I probably would, but having sold all my vinyl and replaced it with CDs I’m not going back the other way, cos it would cost an absolute fortune. Being clumsy and unable to feel my hands now, I’d just end up ruining it all anyway.
Looking forward to this. I’ve got a Japanese CD of it called Astronauts+ which has got a bunch of extra tracks on it
I own everything else but have never heard Astronauts. Am officially excited.
Having to buy both vinyl and CDs because you are a “completist” is a sad state of affairs. Surely owning every song rather than every format should be the goal?
No. I won’t be buying the vinyl, but I’ll look at getting the CD if there’s enough extra stuff that I didn’t have
. I did get I Love My Friends as it had different tracks and also a full CD of songs that never it onto the album
Yep, but once I’ve started something I find it difficult to stop! There were several bands that I collected obsessively, but when I flogged my vinyl the only collections I kept were Duffy and The Dream Academy. However, the emergence of this on eBay is a step too far for the Duffy collection. They are open to offers, and I’m not beyond putting cheeky offers in on things, as occasionally they come off, but with this one we’re about £500 apart, so I don’t think I’ll bother wasting their time.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224028959536