CHARITY SHOP FINDS #1

Since i started buying Vinyl again, i've become a regular visitor to charity shops and second hand stores. There's nothing i like more than having a good dig through whatever 45's, LPs, and CDs people have given away, and feeling that thrill of finding an old favourite, perhaps something i used to have in my collection years ago or never got around to buying. I visit second hand record shops too, but those occasions are dedicated trips that can last at least 2 or 3 hours! Nipping into one of the several charity shops in my town whilst on a lunch break or on my way home from work is something i do at least once a week, and costs a lot less - i can pick up a 7" for as little as 50p. Usually i find myself rooting through endless easy listening compilations or godawful pop fluff from the '70's, and there are times i come away empty handed. But the occasions i chance across a real gem or curio make up for it. Today i popped into one of my regular haunts, a place called Lighthouse, and amongst all the furniture and bric-a-brac there is a corner where they keep all the music and films. A quick flick through the 45's yielded a song that i thought was great when it was released but my pocket money had been spent, and my young mind was soon distracted by other music.

I first encountered this song on either TOTP or The Roxy (ITV's short-lived rival chart show), and i remember being captivated by the beats and husky vocals, and the rising and falling bassline. I wasn't aware at the time that this was a Hip Hop Mix, the original being more of a ballad, i just knew it sounded good to my 11 year old self. Climie Fisher were a Simon Climie (vocals, vest) and Rob Fisher (keyboards), and they'd had a couple of flops before this took them into the Top 10. You rarely hear this song now, not even on 80's radio, as it was overshadowed by the follow-up, "Love Changes (Everything)", which was a massive hit here and abroad, but i've always felt this to be the better song.

The other gem i found was a various artists compilation CD from revered legendary New Zealand independent label Flying Nun Records, titled Getting Older 1981 - 1991. Flying Nun was a label started in 1981 to release music from the punk and post-punk-influenced scenes of Christchurch and Dunedin, and over the years some of the countrys' most prominent alternative and Kiwi rock bands have been on the label. This compilation features ramshackle punk, early indie, garage rock, psychedelic rock and more from bands such as The Clean, Headless Chickens, The Verlaines, Look Blue Go Purple, and Able Tasmans. It's a (mostly) rough and ready sounding collection from bands which, if i'm honest, i've never heard of, but the fact that i found this CD in a charity shop for £1 shows what hidden treasures and unexpected delights you can find in such places. Even with my fairly eclectic tastes and questing attitude i'm not sure i would have picked it up if it was full price.