My Favourite Albums of 2024: An Assortment of Albums

 Here's a few more of My Favourite Albums of 2024. These ones I have already posted about on the Blog so I will just include the link to the particular posts I put up. It's a mixed bag of the new and some reissues as well as a really compilation spotlighting the songs of Tom Petty.

Depending on if I have the time I might get to do a couple more posts on My Favourite Albums of 2024.

Here we go then:

Hand On Heart - Cock Sparrer  (5th April) 

Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty - Various Artists  (21st June)

Louis In London - Louis Armstrong (12th July)

Will Anything Happen (2024 Remaster Expanded Edition) - Shop Assistants (July 26th)

The Mighty Several - Paul Heaton (11th October)

1985 - The Waterboys (23rd February)
 

Will Anything Happen (Expanded Edition) - Shop Assistants (26th July 2024)

I was very excited to find out yesterday that the debut, and only album by the Shop Assistants was reissued on the 26th July, I ordered it right away and it arrived this afternoon. The album of course was first released in November 1986 on Blue Guitar (a sub-label of Chrysalis Records). It had its first reissue on CD in 1997 (Overground Records), 2008 & 2012 (Cherry Red) and the only Vinyl reissue came in 2012 on American label 4 Men With Beards.

If you like Vinyl, then all you'll get is the 2024 Remaster of the album, but if you want more then it's best to go for the 2CD Expanded Version which includes the 2024 Remaster, B-sides of the only single released from the album, Instrumental Demos, Rough Mixes, Alternate Versions, tracks from two concerts in October 1986 and their second John Peel Session. Thirty-seven tracks in all.

Hopefully this new Remaster might open up some new ears to the wonderful sound of the Shop Assistants, one of Edinburgh's finest Indie Bands of the 1980s. I highly recommend it and I have no doubt it will feature highly on my end of year list of Reissues of the Year.

Will Anything Happen (2024 Remaster Expanded Edition) - Shop Assistants

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Chrysalis Records
26th July 2024

Produced by Mayo Thompson, John Ryan & Shop Assistants
Released on Vinyl & 2CD Digipack

 

 The Band:

 Alex Taylor - Vocals & Tambourine
David Keegan - Guitar & Noise
Sarah Kneale - Bass & Backing Vocals (Lead Vocals on "What A Way To Die")
Laura MacPhail - Drums & Percussion

 Tracklist for 2CD Expanded Edition

 Disc 1: Will Anything Happen (20024 Remaster)/B-Sides/Demos
1-1 I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You
1-2 All Day Long
1-3 Before I Wake
1-4 Caledonian Road
1-5 All That Ever Mattered
1-6 Fixed Grin
1-7 Somewhere In China
1-8 Train From Kansas City
1-9 Home Again
1-10 Seems To Be* (Missing)
1-11 After Dark
1-12 All Of The Time
1-13 What A Way To Die
1-14 Nature Lover
B-Sides    
1-15 Looking Back
1-16 All Day Long (Slow Version)
Instrumental Demos    
1-17 I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You
1-18 After Dark
1-19 A Million Miles From Home

Disc 2: Studio Outtakes/Live/Peel Session
2-1 Looking Back (Rough Mix)    
2-2 Caledonian Road (Rough Mix)
2-3 What a Way To Die (Rough Mix)
2-4 Fixed Grin (Roundhouse Version)
2-5 Train From Kansas City (Roundhouse Version)
2-6 Before I Wake (Roundhouse Version)
2-7 All That Ever Mattered (Alternate Take)
Live In London 03/10/1986    
2-8 Seems To Be
2-9 Nature Lover
2-10 Something To Do
2-11 Switzerland
Live In Deinze 05/10/1986    
2-12 Home Again
2-13 It's Up To You
2-14 Safety Net
John Peel Session 11/11/1986    
2-15 Fixed Grin
2-16 I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You
2-17 Ace Of Spades
2-18 Before I Wake

********************** 

Single Released on 7" & 12"

A-Side: I Don't Want To Be Friends With You

B-Side: Looking Back / All Day Long (Slow Version) - 12" only

UK Chart #77

***********************************

Shop Assistants Bonus

Shop Assistants BBC Sessions:
John Peel Session 8th October 1985
Safety Net
All That Ever Mattered
Almost Made It
Somewhere in China

John Peel Session 11th November 1986
Fixed Grin
I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You
Ace of Spades
Before I Wake

Janice Long Session 16th February 1986
All Of The Time
Home Again
Looking Back
Nature Lover
What A Way To Die

 The Shop Assistants Live 3rd October 1986 University of London.

 

The Soundtrack4Life Concert Series: Shop Assistants

I loved going to see Shop Assistants back in the mid-eighties. I think I saw them at least ten times at various venues around London over the course of a few years.

I was delighted a few years back to stumble upon this show from 1986 at the University of London that someone had kindly filmed and uploaded to You Tube.

Enjoy.

 University of London

1986

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 129 - Shop Assistants

Shop Assistants - Shop Assistants

Blue Guitar

Produced by Mayo Thompson and John Ryan

Released November 1986

UK Chart #100

The album was reissued under the title 'Will Anything Happen' on CD in 2001 and included two bonus tracks Looking Back (which had been the B-Side to I Don't Wanna To Be Friends With You) and All Day Long (Slow version). The album is now out of print I believe.

Personnel
    Alex Taylor - vocals
    David Keegan - guitar
    Sarah Kneale - bass
    Laura MacPhail - drums

I thought this week I'd continue with another theme and the lot has fallen to Indie Music from the 1980s. There were actually so many amazing bands like The Smiths, Pop Will Eat Itself, Carter USM, Half Man Half Biscuit, The Primitives, The Raincoats, The Wedding Present, The Pastels, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Age of Chance, The Weather Prophets, The Railway Children, Primal Scream, The Mighty Lemon Drops etc that I scarcely know where to begin.

A good place might be Edinburgh's finest, Shop Assistants. Their output only amounts to three singles, one EP and one glorious debut album (they did release a further couple of singles when they came back together with a different line up in 1990). If you want to check out all the singles etc then Go Here.

Within a year of the release of the album lead vocalist Alex Taylor had left to form The Motorcyle Boy. It's a shame because they really were a great wee band with a fine set of songs that had the potential to be huge.

John Peel Session 1985

Safety Net/All That Ever Mattered/Almost Made It/Somewhere in China

John Peel Session 1986

Fixed Grin/I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You/Ace of Spades/Before I Wake

Janice Long Session February 1986

Home Again/Isn't It Funny/What A Way To Die/It's Up To You

Live at The Electric Ballroom 1985. 

 Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

Alphabet Beats #132: S is for...Shop Assistants

S is for....

Indie Music in the mid-80's was quite an interesting mix of styles and sounds. For me one of the stand out bands of that time were the Shop Assistants. This post is a slightly rejigged version of a post I did last year about them, a few new pictures have been added and some layout changes. Hope that you enjoy this one today. As usual click on the links to enjoy the music - Doug

 

Formed in Edinburgh in 1984 as Buba and The Shop Assistants the original line-up was: Aggi (Annabel Wright. later of The Pastels) on vocals, David Keegan (Guitar), Sarah Kneale (Bass), Laura McPhail (Drums) and Ann Donald (Drums). This line-up released their debut single and in fact their only single 'Something To Do' in November 1984 and it was produced by Stephen Pastel (who also contributed backing vocals).

Something To Do/Dreaming Backwards.

In August 1985 with new front woman Alex Taylor and the name shortened to just Shop Assistants the band released 'The Shopping Parade EP' on Subway. This would put them on the map. 'All Day Long' and 'All That Ever Mattered' would both feature in John Peel's Festive 50 for 1985. Morrissey would describe 'All Day Long' as his favourite single of the year.

 A Side: All Day Long/Switzerland

B-Side: All That Ever Mattered/It's Up To You.

In February 1986 they released what is considered as their finest single, 'Safety Net' on new label 53rd and 3rd. The single peaked at #2 on the Independent Charts.

Saftey Net
Almost Made It/Somewhere in China

John Peel Session 1985

Safety Net

All That Ever Mattered

Almost Made It

Somewhere in China

John Peel Session 1986

Fixed Grin

I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You

Ace of Spades

Before I Wake

Janice Long Session February 1986

Home Again

Isn't It Funny

What A Way To Die

It's Up To You

Live at The Electric Ballroom, Camden - 8th September 1985.

University of London 1986 (Full Set).

In 1986 they signed to Chrysalis Records' sub-label Blue Guitar. They released one further single in September followed by their debut album in November - 'Anything Will Happen', and the band split in 1987 as Alex Taylor left to start life in The Motorcycle Boy. 

 A-Side:

'I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You' 

B-Side:

Looking Back

Will Anything Happen

Tracklist
1. I DON'T WANNA BE FRIENDS WITH YOU
2. ALL DAY LONG
3. BEFORE I WAKE
4. CALEDONIAN ROAD
5. ALL THAT EVER MATTERED
6. FIXED GRIN
7. SOMEWHERE IN CHINA
8. TRAIN FROM KANSAS CITY
9. HOME AGAIN
10.  SEEMS TO BE
11.  AFTER DARK
12. ALL OF THE TIME
13. WHAT A WAY TO DIE
14. NATURE LOVER

 

Two years after the breakup the band reunited without Alex Taylor (Sarah Kneale was on vocals). Margarita Vasquez-Ponte was on the drums with Laura McPhail moving to bass and of course, the only bloke in the band David Keegan on guitar. The group would release a further two singles on the Avalanche label:  

 A-Side:
'Here It Comes'

B-Side: 'I'd Rather Be With You'

January 1990

and

A-Side: 'Big E Power' 

B-Side: 'She Said She Said' / 'One More Time'.

May 1990

and then it was all over.

All Day Long (BBC Scotland 1986).

Somewhere in China (BBC Scotland 1986).

Looking Back (BBC Scotland 1986).

You Trip Me Up Flexi Disc.

Rewind: Shop Assistants - The Sound of Perfect Pop

I can hardly believe that I'm never done a post on here spotlighting The Shop Assistants. Time to rectify that. Unleash the music by clicking on the links. Enjoy.

Formed in Edinburgh in 1984 as Buba and The Shop Assistants the original line-up was: Aggi (Annabel Wright. later of The Pastels) on vocals, David Keegan (Guitar), Sarah Kneale (Bass), Laura McPhail (Drums) and Ann Donald (Drums). This line-up released their debut single and in fact their only single 'Something To Do' in November 1984 and it was produced by Stephen Pastel (who also contributed backing vocals).

Something To Do/Dreaming Backwards.

In August 1985 with new front woman Alex Taylor and the name shortened to just Shop Assistants the band released 'The Shopping Parade EP' on Subway. This would put them on the map. 'All Day Long' and 'All That Ever Mattered' would both feature in John Peel's Festive 50 for 1985. Morrissey would describe 'All Day Long' as his favourite single of the year.

 A Side: All Day Long/Switzerland

B-Side: All That Ever Mattered/It's Up To You.

In February 1986 they released what is considered as their finest single, 'Safety Net' on new label 53rd and 3rd. The single peaked at #2 on the Independent Charts.

Saftey Net
Almost Made It/Somewhere in China

John Peel Session 1985

Safety Net

All That Ever Mattered

Almost Made It

Somewhere in China

John Peel Session 1986

Fixed Grin

I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You

Ace of Spades

Before I Wake

Janice Long Session February 1986

Home Again

Isn't It Funny

What A Way To Die

It's Up To You

Live at The Electric Ballroom, Camden - 8th September 1985.

In 1986 they signed to Chrysalis Records' sub-label Blue Guitar. They released their debut album in November - 'Anything Will Happen' and one further single, 'I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You' and the band split in 1987 as Alex Taylor left to start life in The Motorcycle Boy.

Will Anything Happen

Tracklist
1.    I DON'T WANNA BE FRIENDS WITH YOU
2.    ALL DAY LONG
3.    BEFORE I WAKE
4.    CALEDONIAN ROAD
5.    ALL THAT EVER MATTERED
6.    FIXED GRIN
7.    SOMEWHERE IN CHINA
8.    TRAIN FROM KANSAS CITY
9.    HOME AGAIN
10.    SEEMS TO BE
11.    AFTER DARK
12.    ALL OF THE TIME
13.    WHAT A WAY TO DIE
14.    NATURE LOVER

University of London 1986 Full Set.

 

Two years after the breakup the band reunited without Alex Taylor (Sarah Kneale was on vocals). Margarita Vasquez-Ponte was on the drums with Laura McPhail moving to bass and of course, the only bloke in the band David Keegan on guitar. The group would release a further two singles on the Avalanche label: 'Here It Comes' (backed by 'I'd Rather Be With You') and 'Big E Power' (backed by 'She Said She Said' and 'One More Time'), and then it was all over.

All Day Long (BBC Scotland 1986).

Somewhere in China (BBC Scotland 1986).

Looking Back (BBC Scotland 1986).

You Trip Me Up Flexi Disc.