When I was 16 or 17 it was announced that Oxfam was going to open a dedicated books and records shop in Winchester. This was pretty exciting news because whilst MVC and HMV were keeping us in new cds we also knew that second-hand and charity shops often contained some bargain gems on both cd and vinyl. When it opened I was, of course, disappointed; most of the stock was from 70's pop bands and a lot of it was quite expensive - they had some supposedly rare Beatles records in the racks for £50 or so, getting gradually more and more knackered (although I did get a copy of Dirty by Sonic Youth on cassette for £1.50 not long after it opened). It wasn't as great as I hoped, but I still regularly checked the stock for any pleasant surprises.
On the 23rd of July 2007, there were two very pleasant surprises in the racks - someone had donated a copy of Louder Than Love by Soundgarden and Apple by Mother Love Bone, both on vinyl in reasonable condition and for less than a fiver each (I assume they were from the same person - it's an easy assumption to make). It was a little grunge-rock treasure trove that day. I wonder if the same person had donated any other records but someone else had got there first. Either way, an excellent find.
That day wasn't the first time I heard Louder Than Love though. My friend Guy had leant me a copy when we were at college and I hadn't enjoyed it that much. I think I had all of Soundgarden's albums at that point except for Louder Than Love and Ultramega Ok (the latter of which, criminally, I still don't own) so it was a bit different to the sound I'd been used to. Superunknown was huge for me back then (and still now) and Badmotorfinger had some massive hits. Louder Than Love wasn't so easily accessible and for years I thought I simply didn't like it. Years later when I found this copy in Oxfam I knew I had to give it a second try and I'm glad I did.
Ugly Truth is a bit of a slow opener but Hands All Over and Gun set the tone for the rest of the album much better. Loud Love is pretty excellent too but the highlight of the album is Big Dumb Sex, which is far more enjoyable and catchy than you might expect from a song with the chorus "I wanna fuck, fuck, fuck you". The reprise of Full on Kevin's Mom caps the album off in excellent style. In fact, there seem to be an awful lot of songs that are probably about sex on this album, something not so obvious on any other Soundgarden album. Perhaps touring left them in a certain frame of mind. That cover is one of my favourites too - I'm a big fan of the energetic-live-picture-album-cover and this is a prime example. Listening to it now, I still see why I wasn't taken by it all those years ago, but I'm glad I gave it a second chance because it's a huge album.
Format: 12"
Tracks: 12
Cost: £4.30 second hand
Bought: Oxfam Books and Records, Winchester
When: 23/07/07
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no
