venta

On Fridays this year, we ask...

What's in the Box?

The Box in question is the glovebox of my car, home to my extremely motley tape collection. By the time I owned a car with a tape player tapes were on the way out and most of my music was in CD format. However, charity shops were practically giving tapes away, which meant that I bought rapaciously and eclectically. A half-remembered 80s band who once released a single I'd liked a little ? A band I'd vaguely heard of ? An unknown group with good cover art ? Bring them on.

Of course, the net result is that I've ended up with a tape collection which any music-lover would be slightly ashamed of. There was a relatively narrow window (late 70s to later 80s) when tapes were big news, and my horde represents that. However, in amongst the terrible pop I've found some gems and I reckon its time to come clean about my guilty musical secrets.

Today in The Box... by Jove, it is Kingmaker!

Kingmaker - Eat Yourself Whole

This is an extremely recent addition to The Box. ChrisC has not yet learned the rules about what sort of presents boyfriends are supposed to give their girlfriends, and thus gave me Eat Yourself Whole on tape a week or so ago. Fortunately, he knows me well and is quite aware that I have not yet learned the rules either. Any idiot can buy flowers, but how many people are willing to rummage in grubby charity shop 39p boxes for Kingmaker albums ?

When listening to it, I couldn't quite work out who the band reminded me of. Reading the sleevenotes, it suddenly became apparent: they thank The Wonderstuff. And that's exactly what Kingmaker sound like: a younger, less experienced, less raddled Wonderstuff.

I have been cheerfully bouncing along to Kingmaker in the car, despite previously knowing nothing off the album. Today's interesting Wikipedia fact is that Kingmaker were (in 1992) supported by Radiohead.

Kingmaker - Really Scrape The Sky [link expired]

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