you know its a special one when even after having not heard an album in 20 or so years, you still sing along and get the chills up the spine when certain songs hit the playlist.
and so it is with the debut album, uh! tears baby (a trash icon), by scottish pop pickers, win.
released in the mid 80s, the band hit a particular period when certain bands who originated from the independent sector, were subverting the pop process and managing to get major label funding to do so.
win were formed by davey henderson, previously of the much loved post punk band the fire engines.
clearly he realised that the lo-fi agit-funk moves were no longer going to pay the bills so he decided to go all out and create some of the most life affirming, chorus heavy, sing along pop ever.
and the result was two brilliant albums, uh! tears baby (a trash icon), and the 10 out of 10 scoring for the follow up, freaky trigger.
as was often the way for me to discover a band, john peel played a track here and there, and i bought the cassette.
yes, the bloody cassette.
you see i had no idea that the cd version was going to become one of my holy grails, but that is exactly what has happened.
in all my years of scouring the bins/racks dusty corners of the world, i have to chance upon a cd copy of the album meaning that as i gave up with a tape deck many years ago, i have been unable to check out this album for quite a while.
until this week, when some kind soul knew of my dilemma, dragged out his vinyl copy, and sorted me out with some digital goodness.
fit to burst with massive hooks, big plastic drums, synths, funk guitar licks and a time stamped 80s production, it has been truly wonderful being able to listen once again to this album (and a few extras added to the mix)
quite simply : the album should have had the ztt logo on it.
so for people of a certain age, sit, back, hit the download, and rejoice in what should have been a monster massive pop hit of 1986.
oh, and if you have an unloved copy of the cd in your attic, please get in touch.
mp3 : win – you’ve got the power (usa mix)
more detail : here