Grow-Up - The Best Thing. Object Records LP. OBJ 005.

I've had this one a long, long time. Purchased from Virgin Records in Manchester when it was at the bottom of Market Street. There's a flaw in the pressing, which is probably why it was priced at 49p. An LP on the estimable Object Records for only 49p. How could I resist? It's a great pop record. By no means perfect, but when it gets it right it really gets it right. They released a second, self-released LP which I may upload in future, but it's not a patch on this one. Click on the labels to link to a copy of their tremendous final single, Joanne.

Enjoy.

Grow-Up - The Best Thing. Object Records LP. OBJ 005.

Grow-Up Manchester Object Records pop

The Passage - Troops Out. A Disc By Night & Day 7". ampm 22:00.

The Passage were the kind of art-rock politically-motivated band that would get nowhere near a major label these days, but here they are on Virgin Records offshoot Night & Day. Having seen them in London around the time their second LP For All And None came out a friend told me they sounded like Discharge with synths. It was meant to be a put down. In retrospect that would be A Good Sound. The records, of course, aren't anywhere near as rough, particularly given lead fella Dick Witts' classical background, and the major label backing. This release was a true rarity, support for the withdrawal of British troops from the north of Ireland at the height of The Troubles, complete with contextual information and contact details. Enjoy.

The Passage - Troops Out. A Disc By Night & Day 7". ampm 22:00.

Manchester Object Records post-punk The Passage

Grow-Up - Joanne. Object Records 7". OM12.

My introduction to Grow-Up was through their debut LP, 'The Best Thing', which was also released on Object Records a few months before this single. 49p from Virgin Records in Manchester when it was at the bottom of Market Street. Cheers, Richard. A few years later when in Brighton and enthusing about the LP it gets assumed that I already had a copy of this. I didn't, but I heard it and I knew that I had to have it. But this was the olden days and finding a record, particularly a limited release, niche market independent 7" from a few years previous, meant you had to actually get off your arse and trawl through record shops new and second-hand as well as rely on huge amounts of luck. And eventually I did. I wish I could remember where, but I just recall that it was just sitting there and it was cheap. And now you can have it too. Sleeve lists tracks as A. Joanne. B. Two Tunes. Label echoes the sleeve for the A, but B is 1a. Affirmation of Existance. 1b. Reaffirmation of Existance. 1c. Swept Away (0.36) 2. GGGDADGADADAD (1.46). Enjoy.

Grow-Up - Joanne. Object Records 7". OM12.

Grow-Up Manchester Object Records pop