The Saddest Toy

Nature tries to win again! But it's futile.

There's a footpath near where I work that some people use as a flytip - only for the first fifty yards or so - they're too lazy to walk any further. This footpath is strewn with old toys, which I find so sad. The typewriter in the photo would have been such a lovely Christmas present, boxed and wrapped in shiny paper, but I suppose its owner has grown up now and forgotten she ever played with it. When its useful life was over, it didn't get put in the bin to be thrown out with the weekly rubbish collection - it just got chucked away in some woodland to rot away - but of course, it will take many thousands of years for this toy to disappear. It will outlast the surrounding trees and houses.

So sad on so many levels.

Stop! Hama Time! Again!

Who could it be?

Another album cover made out of Hama beads. You have to guess the album and the artist.

This is difficult. And to make it even harder, there are to be no clues (at least, to start off with).

The answer will appear in a few days in the comment area.

The clue is that it is by an Australian band - it came out in the mid-1980s. Answer is now in the Comments!

Cute Kitties on the Stairs

Awwww!

 

Enough with long posts! I've had a couple of requests recently for more cute pictures of kitties - so here's one!

It's Tommy and Minty sat on the stairs with a toy mouse. They look tired to me. They could do with a nice, long sleep. Off you go kitties, off to a comfy spot! Don't forget to wake up later for your dinner!

Strange Fruit Peel Sessions

Various cover styles.

I've been collecting the old Strange Fruit Peel Sessions EPs for a while now. Ever since I sorted through my records and realised I already had around twenty from back in the day anyway (1986-1994), I set myself the challenge of getting the whole lot. With EBay, it's a lot easier than it would have been a few years ago, but still, some are more common than others; some go for silly prices...so it's taking a while to complete. Luckily, I'm in no hurry. It will happen eventually.

What was lacking when I started collecting these for real was a complete list of the 92 EPs, in order (or if there is one, I haven't seen it). Most are listed on Discogs, but even that isn't complete - and the order is confusing.

So, to cut a long story short, here is what I believe to be the complete list, from 1 to 92, in order. I hope anyone stumbling across this finds it useful. The majority have the matrix number SFPS0** (where ** equates to the number in the list below). However, those that only came out on CD have a different matrix number. See the Discogs list for the relevant details.

I have added the letter L, M or H after each EP. This is an indication of the price you should expect to pay on EBay:

L = £5 or less (including postage, e.g., £1.99 + £3.00 postage = £4.99)
M = £5-£10 (including postage)
H = over £10 (including postage)

This is just a rough guide. Obviously, some EPs which often go for 99p can just as easily sell for £10 if there is a bidding war. Just be patient, the common EPs with few people collecting the band themselves, e.g., the first Inspiral Carpets record, will always come up for 99p eventually; others didn't sell many originally, and now have rabid collectors, e.g., several of the hardcore bands - expect to pay relatively large amounts for the likes of Bolt Thrower! The CDs usually sell for less than the vinyl, so if you're not fussy about the format, you can save money there.

The complete list:

The first 32 came in the classic grey sleeve (see The Undertones, Twa Toots and Girls At Our Best in the picture).

01 New Order L
02 The Damned L
03 The Screaming Blue Messiahs L
04 Stiff Little Fingers L/M
05 Sudden Sway L
06 Wild Swans L/M
07 Madness M
08 Gang of Four M
09 The Wedding Present L
10 Twa Toots L/M
11 The Ruts M
12 Siouxsie & the Banshees L/M
13 Joy Division M
14 The Primevals L/M
15 June Tabor M
16 The Undertones L/M
17 X-Mal Deutchland L
18 The Specials M
19 Stump L
20 The Birthday Party M
21 The Slits L
22 Spizz Oil L/M
23 The June Brides L
24 Culture M
25 The Prefects M
26 Yeah Yeah Noh M
27 Billy Bragg L
28 The Fall M
29 Girls At Our Best! M
30 Redskins M
31 T. Rex L/M
32 Tubeway Army L

33 to 54 came in a gold sleeve (see Intense Degree, The Cure and The Very Things above)

33 Joy Division M
34 The Adverts M
35 Mighty Wah! M
36 The Triffids L
37 Robert Wyatt M/H
38 That Petrol Emotion L
39 New Order L
40 The Damned L
41 Wire M
42 Electro Hippies M
43 Syd Barrett M
44 Buzzcocks M
45 Cud L
46 The Very Things L/M
47 Ultravox L/M
48 Extreme Noise Terror M
49 Napalm Death M
50 The Cure M
51 Bonzo Dog Band M/H
52 The Nightingales M
53 Intense Degree M
54 The Stupids M

55 to 73 came in a silver sleeve (see The Room, Four Brothers and Eton Crop above)

55 The Smiths M
56 Bolt Thrower H
57 Half Man Half Biscuit L
58 The Birthday Party M
59 Lindisfarne M
60 Echo & the Bunnymen M
61 Family M
62 The Room M
63 Eton Crop M
64 Nico M/H
65 Jimi Hendrix Experience M
66 Siouxsie & the Banshees M
67 Amayenge M
68 Ivor Cutler H
69 Unseen Terror M
70 Four Brothers M
71 A Guy Called Gerald L
72 Inspiral Carpets L
73 Carcass M/H

74 to 76 came in a green cover (see The Colorblind James Experience above)

74 The Go-Betweens M/H
75 Associates M
76 The Colorblind James Experience M

From 77 onwards, the sleeves varied in style - only Bratmobile has the "classic" look. A few have graffiti-style sleeves, such as Teenage Fanclub in the photo.

77 Happy Mondays L
78 Prong M
79 Prophecy of Doom M
80 The Jam M/H
81 Teenage Fanclub L/M
82 Tim Buckley M/H
83 Levellers 5 M
84 Happy Mondays L
85 Inspiral Carpets L
86 Headcleaner M/H
87 The Fall (Kimble) M
88 Meat Beat Manifesto M
89 Bratmobile M
90 Uzeda M/H (the lowest seller in the series?)
91 Frank Black & Teenage Fanclub L/M
92 Directional Force L

88, 89 and 90 came out on CD only. The rest all have vinyl versions.

If you think I've got anything wrong, let me know!