Some people were lucky enough to win a signed copy of White Bread Black Beer on Mark Radcliffe’s show last tuesday, and Andrew James was one of them. He kindly let us show some artwork here on bibbly-o-tek.
That just looks great!
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I can count myself incredibly lucky; a friend of mine who works for HMV handed me a promo copy of WBBB about 3 weeks ago, and this morning I received a copy of the album “proper” through the post.
Yep, the CD is a gatefold-jobbie, with a distinctly denim-themed cache of artwork ranging from Mrs Gartside’s needle-craft to monochrome images of Double G himself, shimmering London landscapes and Technics decks ideal for hip-hop 12-inches. A nod to the escapism afforded by the low-key, pseudonomic gigs that spanned Brixton and Kilburn is in evidence, a monochrome “Traitorous 3” badge proudly adorning a corner of the sleeve, paying fitting tribute to Green’s (excellent) newly-recruited live band.
Credits are given to Alys, all at Rough Trade, and (respectfully) to Dave Gamson and Fred Maher. Open acknowledgment is made of the fact that the album was recorded “by Green Gartside, at home in East London”.
If any doubt was present as to whether the packaging and artwork for the new album would be sub-standard, then be assured that it isn’t. Simple, yet well-composed, it is the perfect accompaniment to the music itself.
The artwork looks good, i am very curious.
Funny detail. If you play or rip the WBBB promo in Windows Media Player it displays track 8 Petrococadollar as Empty and track 12 Locked as Kylie Ballad (which were the original working titels)
Is there any confirmation on the track listing ? Is it 13 or 14 tracks ?
Just over 12 hours to go here in the UK till I can walk in and buy it (God it feels so good, knowing that there is a new Scritti CD out ! I’ve had this feeling 3 times before, although the last time was most painful….11 years !!! What was he doing ??!! LOL).
I’ve been relistening to all my Scritti stuff these past few weeks and Cupid & Psyche ’85 is still, IMHO, the most perfectly crafted album ever made. The sequencing is exquisite, the songwriting sublime and the production as rich and velvety as the finest cream. Even today, it stands the test of time better than anything else I know. My second (after hours) career is as a sound designer and programmer and I still reference Green’s work for inspiration. His voice still does something to my nerve endings that I can’t explain.
I listened to the Mark Radcliffe show myself and even got a name check on air as an emailer (Mark even pronounced it right !) but I missed out on the competition prize :o( Still, I’d pay whatever it took to listen to Green’s work :o)
P.S Jon, I’m from Norwich too !!! I heard your name being read out as a winner and thought “You spawny git !!” LOL
Well done mate !
Hey Roberto,
It’s definitely 14 tracks. Someone posted on the yahoo group that the cd was already in the Rough Trade shop in Covent Garden, but i guess thats not much use to you, living in Norwich. I do hope the cd is gonna be in the shop here in the Netherlands soon, can’t wait to see the artwork for real.
Well, I’m off to my local record emporium (well, Virgin or HMV) tomorrow morning. It’s a national holiday here tomorrow, but the retail machine knows no days off, so I’ll be there, sweaty palmed, waiting for the next Scritti instalment :o) I’m currently listening to the preview site at http://www.jpnm.net/scrittipolitti_lp/03_connect.html and enjoying the stripped down nature of this album. I have to travel on the train for an hour and a half on Tuesday and I know what my soundtrack will be :o)
BTW Ellen, keep up the stunning work and pass my best wishes on to the other guys :o)
A long time fan made happy – can’t stop listening to the cd (HMV sent 2 by mistake).
Really want to say thanks to everyone behind the site for all their work. Its a great resource.
Lets hope the album does as well as it deserves too and doesn’t disappear off the radar as Anomie did. Hoping to see a lot more of Green and the band over the next few monthsa
What is it about Scritti that attracts people (like me) from Norwich?
Have been hooked since ’78 and I guess I’ve been travelling on a similar trajectory as Green because I have always been into the music whichever direction he has chosen.
Must be one of the few who saw Scritti live (in Dusseldorf, ’79, with the Red Crayola). They were a different kettle then. Or were they? I remember the set was guested by a german poet (sought of rap, really) on the song which I believe was always titled the days date (like 05.12.78, which I first heard on Peel’s BBC overseas show). The new album almost returns to that DIY jangliness, peppered with the hooks from Cupid and the experience of Anonomie.
Will never understand why Anonomie was not a success. Too black for whites, too white for blacks? I dunno, but I thought it was Greens best work and me and my daughter listened to it least once a day for 2 years! Wonder if I’ll do the same with Beer & Bread. Must say I’m curious if there’ll be any dancefloor remixes. What about the B-side, beside, bee-side…?
Hey Roger,
Do you know anything more about that gig in ’79? What date, venue, maybe even songs played? Would be great to add that info to the gigography.
Hi Roger ! Great to see another fellow fan from our “Fine City” of Norwich :) I just picked up WBBB from HMV and rushed it home to devour. It’s even better in the flesh :)
It’s so hard to find someone else who thinks that everything Green does is just magic. Everytime I mention Scritti, all I get is either blank looks or comments like, “oh yeah, how 80’s !” I remember when Anomie came out, I was a manager of a video store and had free rein as to what music we played (Choices on Dereham Road, you might know it) and Anomie got blanket coverage when it came out. People would ask me who it was as they really liked it, but as soon as I said Scritti, i got those same blank looks or the 80’s comment. As you say, maybe it was too “black” & too “white” for most. A close friend of mine, and fellow countryman of Green’s, still maintains that C&P was his finest hour. I would have to agree in many ways as it changed my life and still moves me today, but that is no disrespect to his other work and i can see WBBB running it close :)
Anyway, I’m off for another listening session (much to my partners dismay).
If anyone is reading this out of curiosity, just get the CD. You will be pleasantly amazed :)
what a lovely website
Hi Roberto
Well I never – another Scritti fan in these here parts! And here was me thinking that Norfolk people were inherently uncultured :-)
I’ll no doubt bump into you in HMV tomorrow as I go to obtain my third copy of the album (I have a guilt complex about not having purhased a copy of the album yet, and think it only right to line Green’s coffers as a token of my appreciation :-)
Bugger me – posted that last piece before I saw that Roger’s post – another Norwich Scritt-ite, whatever next!
I was in the Trafford Arms tonight, ruminating privately over whether the back room would serve a similar purpose to Brixton’s Windmill should the band decide to tour this neck of the woods. Of course, it wouldn’t, but I believe it’s valid fantasy for someone who lives 30 seconds away :-)
I’ve enjoyed the gigs in London so much, and will be travelling to Hay next week to soak in some culture and attend the obvious, but I strongly hope that the mooted tour comes to fruition and we get to see Green ply his trade at the Waterfront or wherever (is the UEA too much to ask for?)
Here’s anyway to melodic indulgence, wherever it may be – my last live gig was the Sisters of Mercy, so talk about antithesis :-)
Firstly, my congratulations to all at Bibbly-o-tek on a first class web site. I have been watching the proceedings for about six weeks now and have been amazed by the number of fans that are out there. I was beginning to think I might be the only one! I think this site has to be the best of all online resources for Scritti fans and eventhough I have been a fan since Songs to Remember I have still learnt a lot in the last few weeks.
I have had my tickets for Hay for about a month now and they are under 24 hour guard! Can’t wait!!! Well worth the 300 mile round trip. The weird thing is if I hadn’t been doing the washing up when the Richard Allinson documentary on Arif Mardin was on a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have gone surfing on the net to find out more about his work and subsequently stumbled on the Double G site with a link to Hay. Fate or what…?
I have to say WBBB is yet another masterpiece. Green can do no wrong in my eyes ( or ears for that matter!). See you at Hay.
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